Lambda Razors - Questions about materials, cleaning/maintenance etc

[BelfastBlade]

Hello folks,

I've been in the market for my next razor. I've began to buy myself one nice razor every few months instead of buying other things and I'm currently debating between a few.. Timeless, Blackland and finally Lambda.

I'd been on the Lambda waiting list for a few months and I got an email just a few days ago to say it was my place on the waiting list and an invite me to buy one of the razors.

However, I've been wondering about Lambda. They look amazing to me and of course they get some great feedback.. I really like both the Ares and the Athena.. But about the material used to make them.. more so, does it require a lot of cleaning/polishing/maintenance to keep it looking good?

On the website it says they are made from "nickel aluminium bronze alloy.. used for marine applications.. not just plain old brass" Forgive my ignorance on metals.. but is it like a special type of brass that won't tarnish or require much upkeep? Or is it going to require similar to brass just not as often?

I've always been a little reluctant to buy razors of bare brass or bronze etc for upkeep reasons, I just wonder does it apply to these.. I wouldn't be one for patina so I'd have to keep a razor of those materials clean.. and it's not just the cleaning but a lot of things, like getting the right product suited to the job.. I've heard people using products and then the smell won't leave the razor and they're concerned about residue from the cleaning product on their face etc.. besides, a lot of the suggestions for products to clean them aren't even available here.. I'm sure there are alternatives but even so, I just don't really want all that. I typically just buy nickel coated or stainless steel for the reason it's pretty easy to keep clean.. it doesn't really give any problems.. for the most part it's just a matter of rinsing it off or giving it the occasional scrub up and it's good to go.

Like I say, I love the look of these Lambda razors but I'd just love to hear from anyone who owns one how they are in this regard.

Many thanks,

 

[Iridian]

I have two bronze (and a few brass) razors, alloys might be slightly different:
Timeless Bronze .78 OC and the Lambda Ares v2.

The Timeless developed slight black patina between the teeth where I didn't dry it. The Ares came with cleaning instructions, which can be boiled down to use a cloth/towel, don't let the blade in, put back in its wooden coffin.

Well, I cleaned it after every shaved, used a towel-style microfiber cloth, cleaned the blade with water or a gentle wipe with the same microfiber cloth, put it back in... all good. No patina, no problem.

In a nutshell, you should wipe it dry if you want to avoid patina, but otherwise use like any other razor. I even doubt if taking out the blade is necessary at all, I just clean it as well and put it back in, often with weeks between shaves - I have many razors and use different ones all the time for NOCvember.

 

[lasta]

Lambda is coming out with stainless versions.

On the other hand, it's not hard to keep brass polished.

 

[bonjing]

I love the shave I get from the Athena! With that said I absolutely did not want a razor that develops patina and the care needs to prevent it. I use the the Athena randomly for a few weeks at a time. The only cleaning I have added is using toothpaste vs soap when I clean the razor using a toothbrush. I store the razor on a rack in the bathroom and it still keeps it’s shine.

The only downside I find with the Lambda is the weight. If he made a titanium Athena, knowing the way the current one shaves, I will gladly pay.

 

[Big_T]

Here's a recent thread on the subject.

My Athena requires minimal maintenance. It's nowhere near what my brass Christopher Bradley took (part of the reason I sold it).

HOW TO CLEAN THE PATINA OFF A BRONZE RAZOR

My Lambda Ares was starting to patina and I wasn't much of a fan. So, I decided to check out different ways to clean it. Keep in mind that the Bronze metal that Lambda uses is very hard and may be the reason it reacts differently to the cleaning process. With that said, and after watching...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[purecro]

There is some maintenance as I had some patina develop on mine but it can be taken care of. The thread above will tell you, I have done it myself. I still have a little to take off but Cape cod will take care of that for my Ares. Over time the Lambda's do develop patina but its slow. I never had a bronze razor so I had to learn how to take care of it myself because patina is a big no no for me as the razor is too nice for that to develop. I asked alot of questions and people were most helpful here.

I also have a Karve Brass Overlander, that was a bit more work and I ended up hand polishing more than I thought I needed but so the satin finish went away but I don't mind, I can always let that patina over time, that one I don't care for as much or I can keep it patina free.

 

[wetshaver233]

Whitening toothpaste is all I use on my bare brass razors and I use my fingers to clean them, but a soft toothbrush would probably work as well. After a minute or two, my razors become as shiny as the day they were made.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I use Simichrome to polish all my matte finishes so I have a dedicated micro fiber cloth I use for the final polishing. I’ve had to use it on the cap once in over a year. It just had two spots I wanted to remove. I didn’t have to use more Simichrome, just the cloth where I could see residual Simichrome, that was it. It took less than a minute.

 

[ButterfaceX]

Just take to the Lambda dealership every 3,000 shaves!
Note: check the dealers site for coupons for service savings...

I what I do for my Fatip, yearly all blade aliment...

Hey, if you are not have fun. You are doing it all wrong.
BFX

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

I have Athena and Ares in bronze and a Wolfman WR2 in bronze
No particular maintenance, as he said @Iridian
I dry each part of the razor with a cloth and let it dry before reassembling it and putting it back in its wooden case, no particular patina

 

[House Boy]

For brass I use Bar Keepers Friend soft cleanser. I use Bar Keepers Friend powdered cleanser for cookware on my stainless, works great.