I got bloodied by a chunky Austrian razor, maybe I can find a milder shave with the God of War. 
Damn these waiting lists, though.
Damn these waiting lists, though.
Lambda Ares V2
- Thread starter ClumsyBull
- Start date
I suspect you're right on all counts.
- Thread starter
- #23
It's not half bad... Theo's friendly and his next batch is already cookingI got bloodied by a chunky Austrian razor, maybe I can find a milder shave with the God of War.
Damn these waiting lists, though.
Thanks to @ClumsyBull for starting this thread and his review and thanks to @Mr. Shavington for your thoughtful review as well.
I used my new Athena today for the first time... it was way more than I expected. Based on that one shave, the Ares would, no doubt, be more than I need. Finally another razor I can admire and feel no need to buy. <eg>
I did post a review on the Athena thread.
Why do you put "<eg> after so many of your posts? What is it supposed to mean??Thanks to @ClumsyBull for starting this thread and his review and thanks to @Mr. Shavington for your thoughtful review as well.
I used my new Athena today for the first time... it was way more than I expected. Based on that one shave, the Ares would, no doubt, be more than I need. Finally another razor I can admire and feel no need to buy. <eg>
I did post a review on the Athena thread.
<oh>
Why is the grin evil for admiring a razor you don't need to buy? Why not simply use theI thought I'd added the meaning after it enough times so most people know.. it means "evil grin" and denotes an attempt at humor.
emoji or similar so you don't get more questions like this? Sorry but that confuses me...
Well, I've been using <eg> since 1997 in various chat rooms and forums. You know what it means now so there is that.Why is the grin evil for admiring a razor you don't need to buy? Why not simply use the
Sorry, still don't get the context of using it like you do but it doesn't really matter in the whole scheme of things, does it?
That's ok... it was meant for @Mr. Shavington. Like shaving, what we find humorous or amusing is also subjective.
I don’t know how I would compare the Athena and Ares v2 yet. They are much more similar than they are different. I need to do a side-by-side shave to try and clarify the differences and whether there are clear pros and cons. The main things I believe I encountered were the very surprising closeness of the shave from the Ares (we’ll see if I can repeat that), and the different feel the open comb gives. The Ares appeared to give even more feedback - it may be too early to say that with confidence - but, like the Athena, it seems to be aural feedback rather than any aggression to the skin. So I don’t know that the Ares would be too much for anyone - it may just be a slightly different sensation.Thanks to @ClumsyBull for starting this thread and his review and thanks to @Mr. Shavington for your thoughtful review as well.
I used my new Athena today for the first time... it was way more than I expected. Based on that one shave, the Ares would, no doubt, be more than I need. Finally another razor I can admire and feel no need to buy. <eg>
I did post a review on the Athena thread.
As of now, my gut feeling is they are so similar it’s mostly a styling choice and whether you prefer open comb or safety bar. But there’s something I still need to work out around the relative efficiency levels and the feedback.
@ClumsyBull do you also have an Athena? If so, how do you compare the two?
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Beautiful! In a few of these recent photos, the razors look more silver than gold. Where do the colors lie in real life? The Ares in your photo shows more hints of gold. But that Athena, wow!, what a great looking razor.
- Thread starter
- #34
Hi there, (thanks @Mr. Shavington) aesthetics aside, I would say that the Athena is slightly less efficient. It has a slightly less bow to the clamping, so the angle of approach is also slightly different.
Personally, I feel that the Ares gives a larger range of shave angles and certainly shaves deeper.
The Athena has an average shave longevity (for me) of about 24 hours, but the Ares shave will go up to 30 hours.
Finally, I feel that the Athena has slightly more audible/tactile feedback than the Ares.
Both have good blade-feel despite being zero exposure and "FEEL" mid aggressive despite the low gap.
Personally, I feel that the Ares gives a larger range of shave angles and certainly shaves deeper.
The Athena has an average shave longevity (for me) of about 24 hours, but the Ares shave will go up to 30 hours.
Finally, I feel that the Athena has slightly more audible/tactile feedback than the Ares.
Both have good blade-feel despite being zero exposure and "FEEL" mid aggressive despite the low gap.
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Good feedback clumsybull....I fell razor makers err on the side of caution
while using the word "aggressive".
Remember how Wolfman used to call 1.25mm aggressive and now he's up to
making 1.85mm gap razors.
The WR2 1.55 is a velvety smooth yet aggressive gap.
Based on feedback here I might estimate that the AresV2 clocks in at par with
a Wolfman WR1 0.74-0.86mm in efficiency (possibly milder due to 0 blade exposure)...just a guess
while using the word "aggressive".
Remember how Wolfman used to call 1.25mm aggressive and now he's up to
making 1.85mm gap razors.
The WR2 1.55 is a velvety smooth yet aggressive gap.
Based on feedback here I might estimate that the AresV2 clocks in at par with
a Wolfman WR1 0.74-0.86mm in efficiency (possibly milder due to 0 blade exposure)...just a guess
I know exactly what you mean. When I got my Athena I took a pic next to a stainless steel razor to show the colour better. It’s a pale bronze which I like a lot.
That all accords with my experience, except that I thought the Ares gave more feedback than I remembered from the Athena - but I could be wrong.
I guess the question I am leading towards is: which of the two Lambda razors should someone buy?
For most shavers, if they are able to get a more efficient shave without losing any comfort or mildness then they would take that. And it’s possible that the Ares may be just as mild as the Athena, but more efficient. So is there any downside to the Ares that would make somebody prefer the Athena?
Not everybody likes an open comb, but this one doesn’t seem to have any big effect on face-feel. Maybe the Athena looks more evolved (which it is). But other than the fantastic water channels on the Athena, is it only the looks that would cause you to choose it? I know they’re both great and there isn’t a lot of difference, but you know we are incrementalists here and any minor difference becomes the main discussion point.
That’s really what I’m wrestling with. I think I might like the Ares v2 a little bit more than the Athena, and considering only the shave it seems that the Ares offers more efficiency with no trade-off (but both would be top five razors for me). Would most people feel the same, or are there people for whom the Athena is going to be a better shaver?
At the moment, for me, the comparison of these two razors boils down to a closer but equally mild-feeling shave from the Ares versus the better looks and the cool water channels of the Athena. And both of them are fantastic.
Or could we say the Athena is better suited to daily shavers and the Ares more suitable for less frequent shavers? After all, the greater efficiency of the Ares may be undesirable or at least unnecessary for daily shavers.
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- Thread starter
- #38
Looks like you summed it up pretty exactly. I struggled to find a situation where I wouldn't want efficiency to be higher, but in the end, you nailed it by alluding to daily shavers who might prefer the Athena more.
I can certainly accept that statement, since not having quite enough to whiskers to shave can sometimes be slightly annoying for the lack of shaving satisfaction
While I think the Ares is also a beautiful razor, I'm not tempted to buy one at this point.. or on the next release, I should say. I'm glad the Athena was brought to my attention. It really is a wonderful sight to behold. And I'm relieved it shaves as well as it does.
And at @Mr. Shavington has said... it really has a lovely sound when it slices off my whiskers... So do the Elite and the Blutt... but the Athena has a lower timbre.... I tried to explain that yesterday..... not well, I'm sure... some musical instruments have the lovely middle tone timbre... some guitars, cellos, trombone, alto and tenor saxophone. Subjective, I know.
And at @Mr. Shavington has said... it really has a lovely sound when it slices off my whiskers... So do the Elite and the Blutt... but the Athena has a lower timbre.... I tried to explain that yesterday..... not well, I'm sure... some musical instruments have the lovely middle tone timbre... some guitars, cellos, trombone, alto and tenor saxophone. Subjective, I know.
I haven’t tried to classify my razors as tenor, baritone or bass so far, but I get why it might matter. You wouldn’t like the Blackland Blackbird - that’s a countertenor or falsetto.
No reason to get an Ares if you have the Athena. I am now getting shaves from my Athena that are as long lasting as I generally get from my WR2 1.55 or Rocnel Sailor. The Athena is plenty efficient for anyone when you get the optimal angle. And it shoots water from the sides, which never gets old.
