CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
Also, thank you for posting such a detailed reply. I know that must have taken awhile, and your effort is much appreciated.Of course, my pleasure.
The head profile of the Lupo 95 and the Yates H are very different. The Yates H head profile resembles the Blackbird and locks you into its given geometry, so the angle is easier to find. The Stonewash finish on the Yates doesn't impede the shaving experience as I experienced very little drag but with an elite soap like Kaizen/Milksteak I didn't experience any drag.
The Lupo clamps the blade closer to the edge and the blade is more flattened. Meanwhile the Yates H curves the blade more and clamps the blade a little more back. Both razors hold the blade down very tightly with no blade chattering. Both razors display tight tolerances.
The Yates has 2 lather channels while the Lupo has 4, so I had to do more rinses on the Lupo.
Yates H is quickly becoming one of my most enjoyable razors. I really enjoy how locked in the shave is, and the results are BBS with no irritation or weepers.
The Lupo 95, based on my initial impression is definitely a RAD killer if you want to stop here. But it's not a razor for a beginner imo. The Yates H is more so for the beginner if he/she likes high efficiency razors imo.
The Lupo 95 has a narrow angle, but it is easy to find. Because it has a good amount of blade feel you can get it to smooth out significantly. So the feedback is better on the Lupo 95 than the Yates H if you prefer feedback and rely on that to do fewer strokes like I do.
So to me, again YMMV, the Yates H is smoother than the Lupo 95, meanwhile the Lupo 95 has greater efficiency. They are very close to each other, actually tied in my ranking.
Which is more enjoyable to use? You may ask.
-- the Yates H because it's more unique in it's stonewash finish, can do a more mindless shave and not pay attention as much as Lupo 95, has better balance with that awkward skinny handle (will have to try a titanium handle next on the Lupo), and lastly I got the best customer service from Jake over at Yates, much better than RR experience from the past. The customer service and forum involvement matters to me and is appreciated.
@CzechCzar I would get both and sell the one you don't like for a small loss on BST. If I had to choose one it would be the Yates H ($125), but the Lupo 95 ($72.99) is not far behind.
The deciding factor to me would be face feel - Do you enjoy the Blackbird razor face feel than Lupo 95 would be it.
Do you enjoy Paradigm Diamondback face feel with less blade feel but still high efficiency than the Yates H would be my choice.