Lambda Athena

[Phoenixkh]

OK... I had my first shave with the Athena a few hours ago now. I didn't expect it to be as good as it is because of a few scattered comments. I thought it might end up being just a bit too mild for me.

I have to say... it surprised me. I had my usual two day whisker growth and it attacked it just like my other favorite razors. As @Mr. Shavington posted... it has a unique auditory feedback... the timbre is different from any other razor I have... This will mean more to me than you but it reminds me of my Petros Rosewood Dreadnought... sweet.. mellow.. yet very clear and concise. The Athena is a pleasure to use... from the way it sounds, to how it feels on my face, how my hand fits on the handle, the weight... everything. It shaves as beautiful as it looks, for me... I know... this is not an unbridled endorsement. You might have a completely different experience.

I now have 4 razors I can use without concern: the Blutt BR-1 w/Timeless Ti Crown Handle; the ATT X1 AC Slant w/Timeless Ti Crown handle; the Rocnel Elite w/OEM handle; and now, the Lambda Athena joins that fine group.

Edit: As I try and get comfortable with the other razors I have on hand, I hope others join this list. All of them are tried and true for several other people here. I do hope I have a shared experience with them but I won't know until I know.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

OK... I had my first shave with the Athena a few hours ago now. I didn't expect it to be as good as it is because of a few scattered comments. I thought it might end up being just a bit too mild for me.

I have to say... it surprised me. I had my usual two day whisker growth and it attacked it just like my other favorite razors. As @Mr. Shavington posted... it has a unique auditory feedback... the timbre is different from any other razor I have... This will mean more to me than you but it reminds me of my Petros Rosewood Dreadnought... sweet.. mellow.. yet very clear and concise. The Athena is a pleasure to use... from the way it sounds, to how it feels on my face, how my hand fits on the handle, the weight... everything. It shaves as beautiful as it looks, for me... I know... this is not an unbridled endorsement. You might have a completely different experience.

I now have 4 razors I can use without concern: the Blutt BR-1 w/Timeless Ti Crown Handle; the ATT X1 AC Slant w/Timeless Ti Crown handle; the Rocnel Elite w/OEM handle; and now, the Lambda Athena joins that fine group.

Edit: As I try and get comfortable with the other razors I have on hand, I hope others join this list. All of them are tried and true for several other people here. I do hope I have a shared experience with them but I won't know until I know.

Petros rosewood dreadnought is an acoustic guitar, right? You must be pretty serious about guitars. I’ve only got one acoustic - it’s a Lowden I bought during the original era when they were made in Northern Ireland by the founder - about 1990, I think. I’m left-handed so I had to custom order it.

Great to hear you get along with the Athena. I was sure you would, since it seems to me it is an easy razor to get a clean, comfortable shave with. I found that the more I got used to it the more efficient the shave became, and you can afford to experiment with it because it should be very gentle to your skin whatever you do. You can barely even see the edge of the blade, the clamping is so close and the gap is so small. I feel like it’s a razor that rewards spending some time to get to know it, though you should get a great shave out of the box. I still feel that it’s so unconventional there’s so much I still don’t understand about it. But it shaves great whether or not you can figure out why.

Do you see now why most people say the razor has a lot of blade feel? It really did seem like that until I trained my brain to pay closer attention.

By the way, my ATT X1 arrived but I probably won’t get to use it for a little while as I am testing my Lambda Ares first.

 

[bluewater23t]

Finally arrived. Thing of beauty. Will update after a few shaves.

 

[bluewater23t]

Ok, so a couple of shaves in now with the Lambda Athena, but still getting a feel for it.

As already noted by others, it is amazing how close to the ends of the blades the top cap clamps down. I thought my Overlander was close, but the Athena is even closer to the edges- so much so, my first thought was "wholly cow, there is almost no blade exposure, how is this thing gonna cut anything?!" I suppose that reduces blade chatter to nil and leads to a very stiff blade. First pass WTG, I get some audible feedback, but I cannot feel the blade? It seemingly cuts extremely well, as my second pass ATG is completely silent. Pretty damn good shave with only two passes. I did a third pass XTG only because I didn't want to put the razor down, lol.

Very efficient, but also very safe and mild. No nicks or cuts. A keeper for sure. My Overlander was my favorite, but this is as good if not better, and of course, in the looks department, a winner for sure. Congrats to Theo for a fantastic razor.

 

[Ron R]

Ok, so a couple of shaves in now with the Lambda Athena, but still getting a feel for it.

As already noted by others, it is amazing how close to the ends of the blades the top cap clamps down. I thought my Overlander was close, but the Athena is even closer to the edges- so much so, my first thought was "wholly cow, there is almost no blade exposure, how is this thing gonna cut anything?!" I suppose that reduces blade chatter to nil and leads to a very stiff blade. First pass WTG, I get some audible feedback, but I cannot feel the blade? It seemingly cuts extremely well, as my second pass ATG is completely silent. Pretty damn good shave with only two passes. I did a third pass XTG only because I didn't want to put the razor down, lol.

Very efficient, but also very safe and mild. No nicks or cuts. A keeper for sure. My Overlander was my favorite, but this is as good if not better, and of course, in the looks department, a winner for sure. Congrats to Theo for a fantastic razor.

Very nice looking razor and still enjoy looking at this thread.
You could try a Kai SS DE blade if you want a little more blade exposure, it is 9/1000 of a inch wider or .0045 per side and should drive it up a slight notch if you desire a little more blade feel. I use this in my mild razor and it is sharp & smooth with excellent longevity IMO. I will always have a few tucks of these around. Nothing wrong with a mild razors either but I seem to like some blade feel now as my technique has matured over the years.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Very nice looking razor and still enjoy looking at this thread.
You could try a Kai SS DE blade if you want a little more blade exposure, it is 9/1000 of a inch wider or .0045 per side and should drive it up a slight notch if you desire a little more blade feel. I use this in my mild razor and it is sharp & smooth with excellent longevity IMO. I will always have a few tucks of these around. Nothing wrong with a mild razors either but I seem to like some blade feel now as my technique has matured over the years.

I have been using Kai blades in my Athena and I still get no blade feel. But don’t be fooled into thinking the Athena is numb-feeling, it gives you very strong feedback when you shave. Most reviews I’ve read said it has a high amount of blade feel and it is fairly aggressive, but that’s just the feedback, not actual blade feel. I think @bluewater23t has it figured out pretty well. It shaves differently from other razors.

It’s all what makes the Lambda razors formula, based on the two razors they offer. Mild to the skin, zero blade exposure, strong feedback, and efficient. After I dialled in the optimal angle for the Athena I get a really efficient, long-lasting shave from it, but it was always easy to shave with from the start, and you feel plenty - you just get surprised how gently it treats your skin after how much feeling you get from it.

 

[Ron R]

I have been using Kai blades in my Athena and I still get no blade feel. But don’t be fooled into thinking the Athena is numb-feeling, it gives you very strong feedback when you shave. Most reviews I’ve read said it has a high amount of blade feel and it is fairly aggressive, but that’s just the feedback, not actual blade feel. I think @bluewater23t has it figured out pretty well. It shaves differently from other razors.

It’s all what makes the Lambda razors formula, based on the two razors they offer. Mild to the skin, zero blade exposure, strong feedback, and efficient. After I dialled in the optimal angle for the Athena I get a really efficient, long-lasting shave from it, but it was always easy to shave with from the start, and you feel plenty - you just get surprised how gently it treats your skin after how much feeling you get from it.

A like the Athena razor a lot because some thought went into it, a closed comb is superior to anything out there for lather protection reaching the blade edge to skin contact and just mechanical strength if dropped accidently. I have been using closed combs for years with my ASR razors and I think they are under appreciated and are smoother than a open comb IMO.
Very nice looking razor and glad you fellows are enjoying them.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

A like the Athena razor a lot because some thought went into it, a closed comb is superior to anything out there for lather protection reaching the blade edge to skin contact and just mechanical strength if dropped accidently. I have been using closed combs for years with my ASR razors and I think they are under appreciated and are smoother than a open comb IMO.
Very nice looking razor and glad you fellows are enjoying them.

I agree - I’ve been seduced by open combs before but, really, I prefer a closed comb now and it’s just a more comfortable shave. I’ve wondered, though, whether the slots in the Athena safety bar are part of how it becomes so efficient and generates the feedback. I kind of view it as a hybrid comb, as I guess it has some of the properties of open and closed combs. But it does ‘feel’ like a closed comb to me. The Ares is definitely open comb and with fairly long teeth - it’s probably the main difference between the two razors.

Honestly there’s a lot about the Athena and Ares that I don’t fully understand. They don’t shave like you would expect a zero exposure, 0.3mm gap razor would. Things I thought I knew about razors don’t seem to be so simple now.

 

[APBinNCA]

I agree - I’ve been seduced by open combs before but, really, I prefer a closed comb now and it’s just a more comfortable shave. I’ve wondered, though, whether the slots in the Athena safety bar are part of how it becomes so efficient and generates the feedback. I kind of view it as a hybrid comb, as I guess it has some of the properties of open and closed combs. But it does ‘feel’ like a closed comb to me. The Ares is definitely open comb and with fairly long teeth - it’s probably the main difference between the two razors.

Honestly there’s a lot about the Athena and Ares that I don’t fully understand. They don’t shave like you would expect a zero exposure, 0.3mm gap razor would. Things I thought I knew about razors don’t seem to be so simple now.

I will try not to go on too much, but I read back when I started that the reason an OC shaves closer is because it doesn't displace the skin ahead of the blade the same way that an SB does. They were trying to say that it lowers irritation somehow, but the part about skin displacement has always stuck with me. The Feather SS, with it's bulbous bow, explicitly claims to be safer due to the extra skin displacement vs other AC razors. They also have a nice picture of this, but I have seen others demonstrating this. I think with safety razors with large gaps and OC, this doubles their danger by actually allowing the skin to bunch up into the gap. With a light touch this could be an advantage, right up until it bites!

What I wonder is, is the Athena possibly exploiting this and keeping the skin flat ahead of the blade? With the razors that I have with OCs, I get more blade feel not just more efficiency though. The best SB razors that I have with zero exposure will cut right at skin level and won't skip on the hairs, and cut slightly higher, so maybe it is the rigidity after all?

 

[spacemonkey42]

The blade gap of a safety bar razor is the distance between the blade and the bar. The blade gap of an open comb razor is the distance between the blade and the combs, right?

So the blade gap for the Athena would be the gap between the blade and the fins, correct? If so, then one would also have a much larger gap between the fins, which would be the distance from the blade to the safety bar below. So in some ways there are two different blade gaps, similar to an open comb.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

The blade gap of a safety bar razor is the distance between the blade and the bar. The blade gap of an open comb razor is the distance between the blade and the combs, right?

So the blade gap for the Athena would be the gap between the blade and the fins, correct? If so, then one would also have a much larger gap between the fins, which would be the distance from the blade to the safety bar below. So in some ways there are two different blade gaps, similar to an open comb.

Exactly. At least that’s what I assume is going to happen with this design. And Theo said something similar to me when I asked how the Ares can be so incredibly efficient. He mentioned the blade curvature / angle as well.

 

[Phoenixkh]

As I've said repeatedly.... I'm sort of shocked at how "mild but efficient" the Athena is for me and my face. It seems to be pretty flexible with the shave angle one uses. I think, as my technique is continuing to develop, it is a bit easier for me to find the most effective angle earlier on than when I first started. With the Athena, it was very intuitive for me: not that I've found the "absolute perfect" angle but it sure provides a smooth, comfortable, relaxing shave for me.

And I have to admit, I do like how the water shoots out both ends when you are rinsing the razor head in hot water throughout the shave. It is just that little added bonus. I would have never expected something like that had @Mr. Shavington clued me in.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I will try not to go on too much, but I read back when I started that the reason an OC shaves closer is because it doesn't displace the skin ahead of the blade the same way that an SB does. They were trying to say that it lowers irritation somehow, but the part about skin displacement has always stuck with me. The Feather SS, with it's bulbous bow, explicitly claims to be safer due to the extra skin displacement vs other AC razors. They also have a nice picture of this, but I have seen others demonstrating this. I think with safety razors with large gaps and OC, this doubles their danger by actually allowing the skin to bunch up into the gap. With a light touch this could be an advantage, right up until it bites!

What I wonder is, is the Athena possibly exploiting this and keeping the skin flat ahead of the blade? With the razors that I have with OCs, I get more blade feel not just more efficiency though. The best SB razors that I have with zero exposure will cut right at skin level and won't skip on the hairs, and cut slightly higher, so maybe it is the rigidity after all?

I think it’s a combination of three things: the hybrid slotted comb; the high blade curvature (i.e. blade edge is shallow and slicing rather than scraping); and the extreme rigidity of the blade edge. I think these factors combine to present the blade and slice the hair at the base, without any deflection.

It’s very much of interest to me since, judging by the results, this gives us a razor that shaves very efficiently but has no trade-off in aggressiveness and is gentle to the skin.

Now, how do we explain the loud, hollow-sounding feedback? I wonder if the channels inside the head create an echo or resonance chamber and an amplification effect. Could that make sense? I’m sure some of the feedback comes from feeling the hair being cut, but it’s more than you expect and it makes people perceive a lot of blade feel (which cannot be there because if you run the razor over completely smooth skin you feel nothing).

 

[Phoenixkh]

I think it’s a combination of three things: the hybrid slotted comb; the high blade curvature (i.e. blade edge is shallow and slicing rather than scraping); and the extreme rigidity of the blade edge. I think these factors combine to present the blade and slice the hair at the base, without any deflection.

It’s very much of interest to me since, judging by the results, this gives us a razor that shaves very efficiently but has no trade-off in aggressiveness and is gentle to the skin.

Now, how do we explain the loud, hollow-sounding feedback? I wonder if the channels inside the head create an echo or resonance chamber and an amplification effect. Could that make sense? I’m sure some of the feedback comes from feeling the hair being cut, but it’s more than you expect and it makes people perceive a lot of blade feel (which cannot be there because if you run the razor over completely smooth skin you feel nothing).

That's how I evaluate it... mainly because of the timber. As I said earlier, it has a very mellow tone. I think it's due to the Bronze alloy Theo uses... and I do think there is some sort of "echo or resonance chamber" going on that make the razor project the sound. You see/hear the same things with different guitar woods and how they are braced inside the body. There's magic that happens. With the Athena, I wonder if that was intentional or just a lucky break. We'd have to ask Theo.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

That's how I evaluate it... mainly because of the timber. As I said earlier, it has a very mellow tone. I think it's due to the Bronze alloy Theo uses... and I do think there is some sort of "echo or resonance chamber" going on that make the razor project the sound. You see/hear the same things with different guitar woods and how they are braced inside the body. There's magic that happens. With the Athena, I wonder if that was intentional or just a lucky break. We'd have to ask Theo.

It could be intentional. I don’t know. I don’t ask too many questions because it is proprietary design, which he should keep to himself, and I’m sure he is very busy. I also feel like Theo enjoys letting us try to figure it out and learn about his razors for ourselves, and decide what we think about them rather than pointing us in any direction. I think in some sense he has given us a puzzle to solve (even though the letter we got with our razors gives us far more of the razor’s measurements than I’ve seen any other manufacturer publish). He did say he thinks feedback is an essential part of shaving - he thinks it is an essential part of everything we do - so I’m sure feedback was something he designed into the razor one way or another.

I just know he is aware that the razor provides a lot of feedback and that many people perceive it as aggression, which it isn’t. He agrees with us on that. I like the idea that something feels aggressive and gives a strong feeling, but then you are surprised when it doesn’t translate into irritation. I certainly had moments with the Athena where I forgot what I was shaving with and I thought, jeez, that’s a lot of blade feel - but it was only a perception, and it became sound again as soon as I paid closer attention.

Anyway, at the moment I am alternating shaves between my two Lambda razors, still observing and trying to understand them better. I could not say which one I like more, and, whenever I think I am favouring something about one of them, I shave with the other and I feel differently again. I think where I’m at is that the solid bar on the Athena makes it a bit milder feeling, and the Ares can be even a bit more efficient - I think I like them equally.

I think if I only had these two razors I would still be in shave nirvana every day. I only like them better as I get more used to them and I think they repay the time spent getting to know them. The last shave I had with the Athena was perfection - it was just an hour before I had to go out to a party and I had to trust the Athena to not cause any redness (fresh Kai blade, by the way), but I still gave myself an unbelievably close, thorough shave and my skin felt wonderful.

 

[mgweatherly]

I want one of these

 

[corlay]

if anyone reading the comments in this thread, that doesnt already own this Athena, doesnt pine for one as a result?

Well, you are obviously an emotionless zombie who has survived beyond the series finale of ‘The Walking Dead’. lol

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I want one of these

Haha. Well, last time it was about three months between batches, but Theo said the next one shouldn’t take as long. So I guess it’ll be around the end of the year or early January when they are available again.

Last time very few hit the website, though, so if you really do want one the best way is to email Theo ([email protected]) and ask him to add you to the waitlist. Then he will reserve one for you and email you when he has them. You can pass, of course, when he contacts you, and you don’t pay until you buy it.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

if anyone reading the comments in this thread, that doesnt already own this Athena, doesnt pine for one as a result?

Well, you are obviously an emotionless zombie who has survived beyond the series finale of ‘The Walking Dead’. lol

Yours must have arrived by now, I trust?

 

[Phoenixkh]

I just finished shaving with my Athena a few minutes ago. I'm not what I can add to what I've said before as well as what others have added.... but I will say this: the Athena is one heck of a razor. I don't know if its efficiency will work for those who need the very upper end of the aggressive/efficiency scale, but it's certainly enough for my old man, grey whiskers.

I had 5 days of growth today.... two passes and a few minor touch-ups... lovely shave and wonderful results. I couldn't be happier. And.... I get to look at the Athena in its box on top of my dresser every day.