Karve vrs Timeless .95

[Bill Wood]

Try as I may I can’t duplicate the shave I get from a Timeless razor.
I do like the nimbleness of a Karve short handle razor in the D and E plates, but still couldn’t duplicate the shave of the Timeless SB .95. Anybody try to duplicate the shave of a Timeless to a Karve? The Karve is more like a fast shave and the heavier Timeless is a bit slower, at least for me.

-Bill

 

[Joncr]

Have both, the Karve shaves well but not up to the Timeless .95 SB, BTW assume you mean the Timeless SS not the Titanium which in both .95 and .68 is just as good a razor, though much lighter.

 

[Wgg2017]

I too have both the timeless and karve and I'm in agreement that the timeless shaves better than the karve, ymmv. I like the timeless so much more than any other razor I have that I don't even take the others out anymore. It has killed any interest I have in other razors because it just shaves so well.

 

[Rhody]

I have the karve and timeless 68 oc. I’m not sure which one is better. But I love them both.

 

[Iron Paw]

I also have both the stainless polished Timeless .95 OC, and the stainless Karve. Usually shave with #E or #F (SB) plate...but get brave now and then and use the #G as well.
I do prefer the Timeless, and use it for my 1st pass.
Then the 2nd pass belongs to the Karve (#F plate this morning) just to get that wee tad closer than the Timeless can.
Enjoy them both, and either one used on it's own is a fine shave too.
I 'think' the Timeless slides just that wee bit better on my face. YMMV of course.
Blades are usually Gillettes (various, Russian), with the odd foray into Kai, Feather, Lab Blue, Astra (SS, SP).

 

[muzichead]

My sole razor is the Timeless Ti95DC which I use every other day, mainly because there just isn't enough stubble 24hrs later to even attempt to shave the next day, but I at one time pitted the Ti against the SS in matte as well as polished. I had always read that some preferred the weight of the SS and that helped it shave better and some said the polished had better glide over the matte is why I tested them all out.

I found the SS and Ti basically shaved exactly the same and found no advantage in the polished version either. If there was anything I could say with regards to the weight was I found I could be a little more reckless with the Ti and that may be due to the weight. To me the Ti just cliqued with me better is why I settled on it over the SS and I found I preferred the matte over the polished also...of course YMMV stands out here as well!!

 

[Bill Wood]

I guess I was thinking that the Karve was a touch more economical, and I do enjoy supporting Canadian makers. Tough to beat Timeless. I’m looking forward to more reviews on the thinner heads. Might be a little too much for me. I hear it’s quite the set up.
w

 

[B_R_A_D]

I guess I was thinking that the Karve was a touch more economical, and I do enjoy supporting Canadian makers. Tough to beat Timeless. I’m looking forward to more reviews on the thinner heads. Might be a little too much for me. I hear it’s quite the set up.
w

I had decided a few months ago I was going to get a nice razor to replace my EJ DE89 razor I started with. I was torn between getting a Karve, local to me, most people rave about it and I’d be supporting a small Canadian business or getting the Timeless that was more expensive, supports first responders, I haven’t heard many that don’t like it and has 30 day return policy if I don’t like it. I decided I should save some money and support a local Canadian business first so I messaged Karve with a couple quick questions I had. No response after 2 weeks so I messaged him again by email and social media and still to this date haven’t heard back from them. I messaged Timeless some questions and Matt responded to me within 10 minutes on a Sunday. Needless to say that made my choice easy, if you can’t answer an email after several attempts, you’ll likely not answer if there is an issue when I receive it or it gets lost in the mail, etc. I think my choice was made for me and I’m very excited, the Timeless .95 Titanium set should be arriving tomorrow

 

[NewYorkBuck]

Funny. In rapid succession last year I acquired the Timeless, GC, Karve, and Rockwell.

I think Ive changed favorites at least a dozen times since then. Just amazing razors. All of them.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Funny. In rapid succession last year I acquired the Timeless, GC, Karve, and Rockwell.

I think Ive changed favorites at least a dozen times since then. Just amazing razors. All of them.

My first razor was the Rockwell 6S and my last was the Timeless. Both are excellent shavers for me but the Timeless wins in my experience.

 

[Nidan]

I was on the fence about which one to get--Timeless guys were quick to respond to my questions and I never did hear back from Karve. But, all my favorite razors up to now have had 3" or shorter handles, so I was concerned that I would not connect with the longer handled Timeless options. Anyway I ordered a Karve over a week ago. I got DHL's tracking information right away, so it was shipped quickly, but it seems to have been held up at customs. So far it's been at the "NYC Gateway" for 4 days with no delivery date available. I'm definitely wishing I had gone with a Timeless at this point and in fact I may just get one as well. Until last week I had not invested a cent into my shaving equipment (other than a new Spieck soap stick every so often) in at least 10 years--bought a vintage Merkur Slant and 200 Feather blades in around 2011 and never looked back. So... investing in razors now doesn't seem all that extravagant.

It all started a coiuple of weeks ago when I dropped my old shaving brush and the handle shattered. Came here to B&B to research shaving brushes and bought 2 Simpsons becasue I coudln't decide which one to get. It just descended from there...

 

[South Dakota Guy]

I was on the fence about which one to get--Timeless guys were quick to respond to my questions and I never did hear back from Karve. But, all my favorite razors up to now have had 3" or shorter handles, so I was concerned that I would not connect with the longer handled Timeless options. Anyway I ordered a Karve over a week ago. I got DHL's tracking information right away, so it was shipped quickly, but it seems to have been held up at customs. So far it's been at the "NYC Gateway" for 4 days with no delivery date available. I'm definitely wishing I had gone with a Timeless at this point and in fact I may just get one as well. Until last week I had not invested a cent into my shaving equipment (other than a new Spieck soap stick every so often) in at least 10 years--bought a vintage Merkur Slant and 200 Feather blades in around 2011 and never looked back. So... investing in razors now doesn't seem all that extravagant.

It all started a coiuple of weeks ago when I dropped my old shaving brush and the handle shattered. Came here to B&B to research shaving brushes and bought 2 Simpsons becasue I coudln't decide which one to get. It just descended from there...

So in other words, you have fallen down the rabbit hole.

 

[Nidan]

Sadly, yes.

 

[jackgoldman123]

I have a sensitive beard and I own:
Karve ss A and AA plates
and Timeless 0.68 sb.
Both are superb razors and with Kai or Feather blades are perfection.
The Karve is more maneuverable around the nose. Other than that, I own both, use both and have a hard time choosing.

 

[BradWorld]

I have 4 Timeless razors, and a brass Karve with around 7 plates. The Karve is a fine razor. But the Timeless is in a different league. It shaves better, looks better and feels better. It also costs more. They are both great razors. You really can’t lose with either. But if I had to pick one, it would absolutely be the Timeless, no question.

 

[molon_labe]

I was on the fence about which one to get--Timeless guys were quick to respond to my questions and I never did hear back from Karve. But, all my favorite razors up to now have had 3" or shorter handles, so I was concerned that I would not connect with the longer handled Timeless options. Anyway I ordered a Karve over a week ago. I got DHL's tracking information right away, so it was shipped quickly, but it seems to have been held up at customs. So far it's been at the "NYC Gateway" for 4 days with no delivery date available. I'm definitely wishing I had gone with a Timeless at this point and in fact I may just get one as well. Until last week I had not invested a cent into my shaving equipment (other than a new Spieck soap stick every so often) in at least 10 years--bought a vintage Merkur Slant and 200 Feather blades in around 2011 and never looked back. So... investing in razors now doesn't seem all that extravagant.

It all started a coiuple of weeks ago when I dropped my old shaving brush and the handle shattered. Came here to B&B to research shaving brushes and bought 2 Simpsons becasue I coudln't decide which one to get. It just descended from there...

I'm in the same boat of preferring shorter handles. You can always add an aftermarket handle and just buy the head from Timeless. My favorite setup so far is the titanium .68OC paired to a 80mm TiBam New York handle.

 

[muzichead]

I'm in the same boat of preferring shorter handles. You can always add an aftermarket handle and just buy the head from Timeless. My favorite setup so far is the titanium .68OC paired to a 80mm TiBam New York handle.

Are your New York handles 80mm?

 

[molon_labe]

Are your New York handles 80mm?

Yes mine are 80mm but the standard length is 90mm. If you ask him to make them to 80mm he can accommodate.

 

[JCarr]

I have the Karve Brass SB in B and C plates and the Karve Brass OC in B plate. The Timeless I have is a SS SB .68 w/scalloped head and base. The Timeless with a Kai SS blade in it beats out the shaves I get with my Karve razors by a small margin. But if you factor in the cost, the Karve wins...in my opinion. And I know this thread is about Karve vs Timeless, but I'm just going to say that my RazoRock Lupo stainless beats them both...and from a cost perspective, it also beats both of them in that too.

 

[MTG Jr]

Yes mine are 80mm but the standard length is 90mm. If you ask him to make them to 80mm he can accommodate.

I have my Lupo on an 85mm NewYork. Great combination!