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Karve Overlander

Having finally received the Overlander, I have had three runs around the block with it. These are my first impressions.

It might help to have some background information about the way I shave. I am a daily shaver because of work. My beard is of medium thickness and the hair is neither fine nor coarse.

I always shave after a shower. After giving my face a thorough rinse, I apply a pre-shave gel and lather up. My blade of choice is Gillette 7 O’clock Green. Three passes normally does me with the occasional touch-up if technique has momentarily abandoned me.

The razor itself is quite hefty. It is clearly well over 100 g in weight. The handle length is at the upper ranges for my liking. I have relatively small hands (you know what they say. Small hands small… gloves). Most blokes will have no trouble with handle length. The blade reveal was consistently good each time.

I did notice that there seemed to be a larger space than usual between the end of the blade and the end of the cap. I find the smaller that space, the easier it is to get into awkward places like under the nose. In my case, unlike my hands, the hooter is a reasonably large protuberance. Having said that, I had no difficulty in that regard with this razor.

The first thing I noticed, while shaving, was a lack of blade feel. The second was an absence of blade chatter. I could hear, slightly, the beard being mown down but it was nowhere near as loud as I have sometimes heard.

This razor is very efficient. A first pass would nearly have done me except by 3 o’clock in the afternoon I would have felt sandpaper-like. After three passes (WTG, XTG and ATG) my cheeks and jawline were BBS. My neck, especially the lower part, will never achieve BBS. But with some J-hooking was more than passable. That is my problem not the razor’s.

It is also very smooth. I had no cuts or weepers and at no time did I think the ambulance should be called on the off chance I was going to bleed out.

During the course of the shave, the handle did not allow for any slippage. At no time did I feel anything other than comfortable with that regardless of how wet or soapy the handle became.

Perhaps a comparison for Karve lovers. I also have (amongst other razors, the number of which I choose not to reveal) the Karve Christopher Bradley SB D plate (with a number of other plates which I also choose not to reveal). I gave that a trot the day after I had finished with the Overlander. The two shaves were remarkably similar. The major difference I found was greater blade feel with the D plate. Efficiency was similar but the D plate was more aggressive.

All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and can recommend it.
 
I had my first shave with the Overlander and I will try and briefly add to @Wal59 's excellent review with the caveat that this is just one shave:

* The weight seems like it's in a goldilocks range. It has some heft to it, but not too much.

* I found the Overlander to be as mild as a CB D plate (SB), but more efficient. I was able to get problematic areas on my neck BBS with no irritation. This was just one shave, so hopefully that remains true over time.

* I noticed some drag even with the B&M Omni base and the PAA cube as pre-shave. I think it was drag from the material more than suction and I'll need to use it more to figure that out. It didn't cause any irritation, but it was there.

I'm going to use the Overlander for about a week of shaves and then follow up on this initial report.
 
* I found the Overlander to be as mild as a CB D plate (SB), but more efficient. I was able to get problematic areas on my neck BBS with no irritation. This was just one shave, so hopefully that remains true over time.
It's been a while since I've shaved with a CB razor, are there any other razors you can compare the Overlander to?
 
It's been a while since I've shaved with a CB razor, are there any other razors you can compare the Overlander to?

Oof - this is a tough one for me. Comparing to the CB is nice because the plates make it easier to describe the incremental increases in efficiency. Even that doesn't tell the whole story because I find the Overlander head to be more nimble than its CB counterparts.
 
Oof - this is a tough one for me. Comparing to the CB is nice because the plates make it easier to describe the incremental increases in efficiency. Even that doesn't tell the whole story because I find the Overlander head to be more nimble than its CB counterparts.
Fair enough. I like the look of it. Hope to see it in stainless eventually.
 
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I had my first shave with the Overlander and I will try and briefly add to @Wal59 's excellent review with the caveat that this is just one shave:

* The weight seems like it's in a goldilocks range. It has some heft to it, but not too much.

* I found the Overlander to be as mild as a CB D plate (SB), but more efficient. I was able to get problematic areas on my neck BBS with no irritation. This was just one shave, so hopefully that remains true over time.

* I noticed some drag even with the B&M Omni base and the PAA cube as pre-shave. I think it was drag from the material more than suction and I'll need to use it more to figure that out. It didn't cause any irritation, but it was there.

I'm going to use the Overlander for about a week of shaves and then follow up on this initial report.
Cheers MtView. Interesting about the drag/suction suggestion. I didn’t notice that. Mind you, I was using a slick soap. Salt Lake Soaps, Queensland Australia. Persian Lime and Lemon grass. Lovely. Maybe that had something to do with it. Next time I use the KO I will use a less slick soap and pay some attention.
 
It's been a while since I've shaved with a CB razor, are there any other razors you can compare the Overlander to?
Ugmug, apart from other Karve razors, I find it difficult to compare with latter day or vintage DE razors. Heft, grip, efficiency, agression, blade feel and so on make the Overlander fairly unique. From a grip, efficiency and blade feel (but definitely not heft) I find the Edwin Jagger 3one6 with a feather blade comparable. Having said that they are completely different razors in many respect.
 
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Cheers MtView. Interesting about the drag/suction suggestion. I didn’t notice that. Mind you, I was using a slick soap. Salt Lake Soaps, Queensland Australia. Persian Lime and Lemon grass. Lovely. Maybe that had something to do with it. Next time I use the KO I will use a less slick soap and pay some attention.
That soap sounds fabulous.

The B&M Omni base is very slick and I basically had the slick part of the CK6 base under that for my pre-shave from the PAA cube. It was only one shave and I hope to get a better feel for it over the next week. It’s entirely possible I could find a different angle that allows it to glide better.
 
Having finally received the Overlander, I have had three runs around the block with it. These are my first impressions.

It might help to have some background information about the way I shave. I am a daily shaver because of work. My beard is of medium thickness and the hair is neither fine nor coarse.

I always shave after a shower. After giving my face a thorough rinse, I apply a pre-shave gel and lather up. My blade of choice is Gillette 7 O’clock Green. Three passes normally does me with the occasional touch-up if technique has momentarily abandoned me.

The razor itself is quite hefty. It is clearly well over 100 g in weight. The handle length is at the upper ranges for my liking. I have relatively small hands (you know what they say. Small hands small… gloves). Most blokes will have no trouble with handle length. The blade reveal was consistently good each time.

I did notice that there seemed to be a larger space than usual between the end of the blade and the end of the cap. I find the smaller that space, the easier it is to get into awkward places like under the nose. In my case, unlike my hands, the hooter is a reasonably large protuberance. Having said that, I had no difficulty in that regard with this razor.

The first thing I noticed, while shaving, was a lack of blade feel. The second was an absence of blade chatter. I could hear, slightly, the beard being mown down but it was nowhere near as loud as I have sometimes heard.

This razor is very efficient. A first pass would nearly have done me except by 3 o’clock in the afternoon I would have felt sandpaper-like. After three passes (WTG, XTG and ATG) my cheeks and jawline were BBS. My neck, especially the lower part, will never achieve BBS. But with some J-hooking was more than passable. That is my problem not the razor’s.

It is also very smooth. I had no cuts or weepers and at no time did I think the ambulance should be called on the off chance I was going to bleed out.

During the course of the shave, the handle did not allow for any slippage. At no time did I feel anything other than comfortable with that regardless of how wet or soapy the handle became.

Perhaps a comparison for Karve lovers. I also have (amongst other razors, the number of which I choose not to reveal) the Karve Christopher Bradley SB D plate (with a number of other plates which I also choose not to reveal). I gave that a trot the day after I had finished with the Overlander. The two shaves were remarkably similar. The major difference I found was greater blade feel with the D plate. Efficiency was similar but the D plate was more aggressive.

All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and can recommend it.
Thank you for the very informative review. Well done.
 
When I first bought the Overlander I didn't expect to be much more than ambivalent toward it. I thought at best it would be another razor that shaves well. I have a week's worth of shaves under my belt now and this razor is impressive.

I use a Nacet blade in the Overlander and do a three pass shave with touch ups.

I have been getting irritation free shaves that are as close or almost as close as my SS BB SB, Ti .95 SB, Yates M plate, Carbon Shave Co Cx, etc. What does almost as close mean? I get an easy BBS shave, but instead of lasting 12 hours, it might last 10 - 11 hours. I'll take a 10 hour BBS (or less) with no irritation day after day any day.

This next part was completely unexpected. My neck usually gets irritated if I'm not careful. With the Overlander I have been able to do multiple passes and other crazy stuff like J hooks without any irritation at all - day after day.

After my first shave my initial concern was drag. This razor was designed to be used at a more common 30 degree angle versus the CB. I must have been riding the cap during my first shave. When I get closer to 30 degrees I didn't notice any appreciable drag so I have no further concerns about drag or suction. Because of the angles involved with the ATG pass I do ride the cap and feel some drag, but there is no irritation and it pulls the skin a little and I get a closer shave.

Like many of us I have a lot of razors, but no duplicates made out of different materials. I'll definitely pick up another Overlander if/when it is released in stainless.
 
When I first bought the Overlander I didn't expect to be much more than ambivalent toward it. I thought at best it would be another razor that shaves well. I have a week's worth of shaves under my belt now and this razor is impressive.

I use a Nacet blade in the Overlander and do a three pass shave with touch ups.

I have been getting irritation free shaves that are as close or almost as close as my SS BB SB, Ti .95 SB, Yates M plate, Carbon Shave Co Cx, etc. What does almost as close mean? I get an easy BBS shave, but instead of lasting 12 hours, it might last 10 - 11 hours. I'll take a 10 hour BBS (or less) with no irritation day after day any day.

This next part was completely unexpected. My neck usually gets irritated if I'm not careful. With the Overlander I have been able to do multiple passes and other crazy stuff like J hooks without any irritation at all - day after day.

After my first shave my initial concern was drag. This razor was designed to be used at a more common 30 degree angle versus the CB. I must have been riding the cap during my first shave. When I get closer to 30 degrees I didn't notice any appreciable drag so I have no further concerns about drag or suction. Because of the angles involved with the ATG pass I do ride the cap and feel some drag, but there is no irritation and it pulls the skin a little and I get a closer shave.

Like many of us I have a lot of razors, but no duplicates made out of different materials. I'll definitely pick up another Overlander if/when it is released in stainless.
It's early days for me with the Overlander, but my experience has been unexpectedly positive as well - irritation free shaves that are close, and it just feels right on my skin, to the point that I'm considering selling some of my better known and more expensive razors (CG, BB, Timeless SS, etc.) I need a bunch more shaves with it before actually moving on from the others, but just wanted to register for now that.... it's that good. And I would not have said that about the Karve CB razor. I really like the Overlander.
 
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