Hi Guido. My Eclipse Red Ring just arrived. Not bad condition at all, I think. All the serial numbers are crisp so it might actually be original condition without replating. If so, it has no scratches or wear to the plating anywhere. From what I’ve seen these often sell in the US for between $200 and $300, so this doesn’t seem bad at all for the £80 I paid.
Razor Blade Brush Lambda Athena
Eclipse Red RingPerma Sharp (1) FNX Barber boar Preshave Soap Postshave Cold splash
KCG Face Wash
Proraso Green preshaveKox Dutchy Bergamot
Cold splash
Aftershave
Balm
Passes WTG XTG ATG and touch up Efficiency
(details here)Quality / My process 8/10 (~20m) 9/10 (Two small red spots) Effectiveness Comfort / Blade condition 9.5/10 (BBS+)
10/10 (GlideFest)
Notes:
Summary - Fantastic double shave today with two top razors from different shaving eras delivering an excellent BBS approaching marble status end result.
Razors and blades - @Mr. Shavington and I had a small chat about potential similarities between the Athena and Red Ring (see here for a comparison photo). And I promised to do a comparison shave. For a fair comparison I had the Eclipse all closed. I loaded both razors with a fresh Perma Sharp (Perma Sharps are not my favourite blade - they are a little harsher, but this is for science and so I take one for the team as these are one of Mr. Shavingtons current goto blades). WTG: Eclipse on the left and Athena on the right. XTG: Athena on the left. Eclipse on the right. ATG: Eclipse on the left and Athena on the right again. Touch up: Eclipse left and Athena on the right (and chin). I am a daily shaver and so stubble is a maximum of 24 hours.
The feel of these razors is strikingly similar with the Athena feeling more solid compared to the Eclipse which is to be expected given the huge difference in weight - although weight is not an issue when shaving with the Athena. The Eclipse has more blade exposure (also blade overhang to be aware of), but because of the clamping this doesn't lead to increased chatter. Blade clamping for the Athena is at a higher level given its design and CNC precision. Blade feel is on par and in both cases I had this sensation of feeling the blade without actually feeling the blade if that makes sense.
WTG touch test revealed no specific differences. XTG was more in favour of the Athena when touch testing again, but splitting hairs in terms of real differences. ATG is usually the area where the Athena shines and today was a shiny day so a very smooth finish. However, the Red Ring is similarly excellent in ATG. Again a slight nod to the Athena as I had to do an additional buffing in my problem area although I had already done some buffing during XTG with the Eclipse. After touch ups and rinsing I immediately felt the smoothness all over. A superb end result as far as I an concerned.
The overall verdict based on this one shave - so more might follow - is that the Eclipse Red Ring and Lambda Athena are very similar in shaving experience - both in actual experience as well as in aesthetics. Both are very well designed with the Athena obviously benefiting from today's technologies as well as artisan attention to details. The Eclipse however holds its own in modern times and paired with the Perma Sharp delivers a very close shave with excellent results.
Enjoy your shave!
I’m happy to have it - I guess the genesis for the Athena design. Even though I do not normally buy dead men’s razors.
Last edited: