King of Shaves Azor Test Day 1

[THECHEBB]

This morning prepped with Proraso pre shave, whipped up some Mr. Taylors for another 3 pass DFS. Followed up with an Alum Block when I noticed a little stinging in the one trouble area under my neck, slapped on some Thayers followed by Mr. Taylors aftershave gel and the stinging was gone. There were no bumps, cuts, tugging or skipping just some irritation in my trouble spot due to me being a bit too aggressive with the Azor trying for that BBS.

 

[THECHEBB]

Had another Azor shave last night, GFT shave cream whipped up some lovely lather and closest shave yet! although took me far too many pases (probably about 5 or 6?) to get there. i'd say between a DFS and a BBS.

still on original cartridge. found that more pressure (even though its counter-intuitive, you dont like putting lots of pressure on when shaving, considering the blades are all sharp and everything ) makes the shave more comfortable, mainly due to the hinge part. works quite well when using enough pressured to tilt the hinge off the start point, which i wasnt doing before.

Tink that's a great point - with pressure I can get a DFS and on 2 occasions a BBS - goes against everything I've learned here at the B&B and through Mantic's vids. I'm pretty amazed at the longevity of the cartridge so far and it's performance with soaps & creams. I can see this being a "road razor" for me and hope that Will would consider some of the suggestions made from the cartridge cover to recycling of cartridges - so users don't toss 'em in a landfill.

 

[Suzuki]

The only problem with getting used to the pressure (and I also found that the Azor shaved better with some pressure) is that is really screws up your technique and you may have some problems the first time you use a DE after a prolonged period of using the Azor.

My first shave after my 2-week Azor experiment was not a good one, as I was using too much pressure.

The other thing I found was that the Azor worked better with traditional soaps/creams than with the KOS stuff.

 

[THECHEBB]

The only problem with getting used to the pressure (and I also found that the Azor shaved better with some pressure) is that is really screws up your technique and you may have some problems the first time you use a DE after a prolonged period of using the Azor.

My first shave after my 2-week Azor experiment was not a good one, as I was using too much pressure.

The other thing I found was that the Azor worked better with traditional soaps/creams than with the KOS stuff.

Agreed...I will have to keep remembering......No Pressure!

The Azor really seems to "love" the soaps & creams I've used, though I don't have any KoS products to compare.

 

[THECHEBB]

It was a Nancy Boy morning A bit of their Signature Pre-shave Oil followed up by their awesome Signature Shave Cream (ahhhhhhhhhhhh) using WTG/XTG/ATG with the Azor resulted in yet another DFS. Followed up with an alum block and NB's Signature Cooling After Shave Gel...no nicks, cuts, irritation or pulling.

 

[Tink]

got my first BBS shave last night! whipped up some mama bears orange orange (can't get enough of that gorgeous smell!) and really took my time. probably 4 passes, plus i used 'blade buffing' on various parts (jaw line, neck) and i'm really pleased with the results.

Still can't be the fusion for speed though, that'll give me BBS in two passes (WTG, ATG) but at least its now a valid contender.

The white pre-tensioner strip pushes lots of the lather away though, can't describe it really. after a pass 90% of the lather is 'caught' on the white bar, not through the blades, etc. fairly normal with cartidge razors, i think, but not to the scale i've been seeing.


I'm a bit concerned about the longevity of the hinge though. i've already noticed it's not returning quite as far forward as it was when new, and i've only shaved... 4 or 5 times with it.
How long before the hinge is useless at keeping pressure on the face, and you have to buy a new Azor? if it lasts for 16 or so cartriges (around 120 or so shaves) then its fine, but if you have to replace it every 4 cartriges, then you need to think about the enviromental aspect of it, too, as well as cost.

 

[THECHEBB]

got my first BBS shave last night! whipped up some mama bears orange orange (can't get enough of that gorgeous smell!) and really took my time. probably 4 passes, plus i used 'blade buffing' on various parts (jaw line, neck) and i'm really pleased with the results.

Still can't be the fusion for speed though, that'll give me BBS in two passes (WTG, ATG) but at least its now a valid contender.

The white pre-tensioner strip pushes lots of the lather away though, can't describe it really. after a pass 90% of the lather is 'caught' on the white bar, not through the blades, etc. fairly normal with cartidge razors, i think, but not to the scale i've been seeing.


I'm a bit concerned about the longevity of the hinge though. i've already noticed it's not returning quite as far forward as it was when new, and i've only shaved... 4 or 5 times with it.
How long before the hinge is useless at keeping pressure on the face, and you have to buy a new Azor? if it lasts for 16 or so cartriges (around 120 or so shaves) then its fine, but if you have to replace it every 4 cartriges, then you need to think about the enviromental aspect of it, too, as well as cost.

Congratulations on the BBS! That's a good question on the hinge longevity, to be honest I didn't notice it on mine, but I will keep an eye on it for the remaining days of this Azor experiment. BTW didn't shave today, it's a lazy type of Saturday for me...

 

[THECHEBB]

Em's preshave, Mama Bear's Spicey Lime and the Azor team up for not one but 2 BBS shaves on consecutive days. An alum block and Thayers did the post shave honors.

 

[tommy_boi]

Hello all i signed up to this site cause i've got a big shaving problem, my problem is very bad chicken neck everytime i shave, spots, itchy skin, basically everything you can think of, i went out especially to buy the azor hoping this would stop all this as on the azor website it says it stops chicken neck which basically is a big red sore rash, razor burn etc, before using this razor i was using the gillette fusion got the same problem with that too, i've spent pounds after pounds on trying to help my problem but nothin works, as a result of that i use an electric shaver which gives me no problems at all, but recently did swop back to wet shaving to try this azor but still very same problems, anyone got any ideas apart from stick with electric shaving?.

 

[THECHEBB]

Hello all i signed up to this site cause i've got a big shaving problem, my problem is very bad chicken neck everytime i shave, spots, itchy skin, basically everything you can think of, i went out especially to buy the azor hoping this would stop all this as on the azor website it says it stops chicken neck which basically is a big red sore rash, razor burn etc, before using this razor i was using the gillette fusion got the same problem with that too, i've spent pounds after pounds on trying to help my problem but nothin works, as a result of that i use an electric shaver which gives me no problems at all, but recently did swop back to wet shaving to try this azor but still very same problems, anyone got any ideas apart from stick with electric shaving?.

Hi tommy_boi, and welcome to the mix! I follow [post=42266]Kyle's prep[/post] which has cut down on irritation like you wouldn't believe. There are also some pre-shaves in the forms of oils/liquids or creams to help prep your face as well as post shave gear like alum blocks, toners, balms and aftershave lotions/splashes. Please note that you're going for beard/whisker reduction, using a little pressure check out Mantics shaving videos on youtube.

 

[THECHEBB]

Today lathered up some Mama Bear's Diogenes Club for a 3 pass DFS. Prepped with Proraso Pre-Shave, and the post shave with an Alum Block & Thayer's Lavender with TABAC as the scent of the day....still no nicks, cuts, pulling, tugging or irritation.

 

[THECHEBB]

Em's pre-shave oil started off another DFS with Mama Bear's Tuscan Memories. A 3 shave pass followed by an Alum bar, Thayer's Lavender & Mama Bear's Peppermint aftershave milk. Again no cuts, nicks or any irritation.

 

[The Zook]

Sounds like you have this thing down pat!

 

[THECHEBB]

Sounds like you have this thing down pat!

Took a little while, but once I added pressure, the shaves were better - just think reduction and don't go pass crazy i.e WTGx7, XTGx5, ATGx2. I do enjoy shaving with the Azor but I do miss my DE...there's just a different vibe to it.

 

[THECHEBB]

Another 3 pass DFS with the Azor! Proraso Pre-shave, TABAC shaving cream, Alum Bar, Thayer's and Tabac cologne & deordorant....ahhh most excellent!

 

[waitasecun]

How can I get a hold of that razor....I would love to try it........I have used DE/Straights/Fusion/Mach 3/Sensor....pretty much everything....and have not tried that and would love to add it to the things I have tried.......it looks interesting.....and the angle seems good for some things but also bad for others....it looks as if it were trying to imitate the feel of a straight shave.........either way, I am interested in trying it......KOS.......care to extend an offer to try it please..........I would be most willing to post everyday of my progress....

 

[THECHEBB]

A BBS shave this time around with the Nancy Boy trifecta of Signature Pre-shave Oil, Replenishing Shave Cream and Cooling After-shave Gel. No nicks, cuts, skipping, irritation or ingrowns yet.

waitasecun pm me.

 

[THECHEBB]

A 3 pass (WTG, XTG, ATG) DFS courtesy of the Azor, Proraso Pre-Shave, Speick shave cream, an Alum block, Thayers Witch Hazel, Nivea After Shave Balm followed by some Speick Cologne and deodorant! Very nice indeed!

 

[The Zook]

Nice to see you're still fairing well with the AZOR Henry.

 

[THECHEBB]

Nice to see you're still fairing well with the AZOR Henry.

Thank you, I'm looking forward to the last day and the final report card.