I just finished maybe eight or ten shaves - over the past several months - with a Maggard V3A head. I wanted to give my impressions, in comparison to my DE89 & Piccolo.
As noted, I generally use Feather blades.
Compared to my DE89, the V3A is definitely both more efficient & more aggressive. The difference is fairly substantial. I distinctly feel the blade on my face with the V3A, but in a good way. You do have to be comfortable with blade feel when using a V3A, versus the DE89 which has much less blade feel. Though the V3A is more aggressive, I didn't suffer any more in the way of cuts or scrapes than with the DE89. But feeling the blade so obtrusively, I must admit I shave a bit more deliberately with it than my DE89. I also have been pleasantly surprised with it's ability to easily mow down 3 & 4 days worth of beard, without clogging (as the DE89 is more prone to do). Again though, please keep in mind I use Feather blades.
But unfortunately, the V3A does not shave as close & as smooth as my beloved Fatip Piccolo. Then again, nothing else really does. Also the V3A has the same problem as the DE89, in that there's a spot under my chin that is difficult to get done well, without a fair amount of buffing or re-do. My Piccolo does not have this problem, as it takes care of it in one clean pass. I'm thinking that the real difference for me might be the difference between OC & SB head characteristics. The Piccolo is an OC head, whereas both the DE89 & V3A are SB.
But that being said, I do like the V3A. It's fine for when I want a relatively easy & intuitive shave, that doesn't need to be absolutely BBS perfect, while still being pretty close & efficient. For some reason I can very easily & intuitively feel the angles with the V3A. And also, I get great aural feedback. I find the angle intuitive using my DE89 as well, with decent aural feedback with it too (though not quite as loud as the V3A). So in essence, the V3A feels like a DE89 on steroids. It has the same basic characteristics, but it's more aggressive & more efficient.
I get neither of the two aforementioned positive V3A qualities (aural feedback & intuitive angles), with my Piccolo. But the Piccolo's smoothness, closeness, and efficiency, is beyond comparison. My first & sometimes only pass with the Piccolo, is closer than any other razor I've tried. I literally can stop shaving after only one good pass-and-a-half with it, ending up with a great DFS or even BBS. And I often do stop then! But for some reason after 6 months of use, I still don't find the Piccolo angles as intuitive as with my SB razors (though the shave seems great regardless of the angle). And I do very much miss the aural DE89/V3A feedback, that's non-existent in the Piccolo. But damn, does it shave!
I would not recommend the V3A or Piccolo to a rank beginner. But, I would the DE89. However, I'd also recommend getting past the DE89, as soon as one has their technique down. I spent far too long with only my DE89 (18 mos), not realizing how much better another razor like my Piccolo shaves. I can't believe how much time I spent trying to force the DE89 to get that area under my chin, that the Piccolo takes out in one easy pass!
So my take on these three razors, is:
1] Piccolo - Nothing for me is as smooth, close, and efficient, as a Fatip OC. The shave is effortless & sublime. And beautifully close! With minimal work.
2] V3A - The V3A is a nice, reasonably efficient, reasonably aggressive, SB razor. If you like SB shaving characteristics and want to move-up from the ubiquitous DE89/Merkur 34C, while still keeping the same shaving characteristics, but you desire more efficiency and are willing to accept more aggression, then the V3A might be what you're looking for. Despite my heady praise for the Piccolo, I do indeed like the V3A. It feels easy & intuitive, and it's earned a place in toolkit.
3] DE89 - Ah, the DE89. The razor so many of us started with! I still believe it's a great razor to start with. It's a very safe razor, and can do a decent enough job with some work & effort. But for me at least, I believe there's better tools available that one grows into. But a DE89 is a decent place to start, before you move-up to the big boy's turf.
Thanks for reading.
[As an aside, it's been awhile since I used my Fatip Gentile, so a comparison between it & the V3A might be in order, since they're both SB heads. Maybe down the road]
As noted, I generally use Feather blades.
Compared to my DE89, the V3A is definitely both more efficient & more aggressive. The difference is fairly substantial. I distinctly feel the blade on my face with the V3A, but in a good way. You do have to be comfortable with blade feel when using a V3A, versus the DE89 which has much less blade feel. Though the V3A is more aggressive, I didn't suffer any more in the way of cuts or scrapes than with the DE89. But feeling the blade so obtrusively, I must admit I shave a bit more deliberately with it than my DE89. I also have been pleasantly surprised with it's ability to easily mow down 3 & 4 days worth of beard, without clogging (as the DE89 is more prone to do). Again though, please keep in mind I use Feather blades.
But unfortunately, the V3A does not shave as close & as smooth as my beloved Fatip Piccolo. Then again, nothing else really does. Also the V3A has the same problem as the DE89, in that there's a spot under my chin that is difficult to get done well, without a fair amount of buffing or re-do. My Piccolo does not have this problem, as it takes care of it in one clean pass. I'm thinking that the real difference for me might be the difference between OC & SB head characteristics. The Piccolo is an OC head, whereas both the DE89 & V3A are SB.
But that being said, I do like the V3A. It's fine for when I want a relatively easy & intuitive shave, that doesn't need to be absolutely BBS perfect, while still being pretty close & efficient. For some reason I can very easily & intuitively feel the angles with the V3A. And also, I get great aural feedback. I find the angle intuitive using my DE89 as well, with decent aural feedback with it too (though not quite as loud as the V3A). So in essence, the V3A feels like a DE89 on steroids. It has the same basic characteristics, but it's more aggressive & more efficient.
I get neither of the two aforementioned positive V3A qualities (aural feedback & intuitive angles), with my Piccolo. But the Piccolo's smoothness, closeness, and efficiency, is beyond comparison. My first & sometimes only pass with the Piccolo, is closer than any other razor I've tried. I literally can stop shaving after only one good pass-and-a-half with it, ending up with a great DFS or even BBS. And I often do stop then! But for some reason after 6 months of use, I still don't find the Piccolo angles as intuitive as with my SB razors (though the shave seems great regardless of the angle). And I do very much miss the aural DE89/V3A feedback, that's non-existent in the Piccolo. But damn, does it shave!
I would not recommend the V3A or Piccolo to a rank beginner. But, I would the DE89. However, I'd also recommend getting past the DE89, as soon as one has their technique down. I spent far too long with only my DE89 (18 mos), not realizing how much better another razor like my Piccolo shaves. I can't believe how much time I spent trying to force the DE89 to get that area under my chin, that the Piccolo takes out in one easy pass!
So my take on these three razors, is:
1] Piccolo - Nothing for me is as smooth, close, and efficient, as a Fatip OC. The shave is effortless & sublime. And beautifully close! With minimal work.
2] V3A - The V3A is a nice, reasonably efficient, reasonably aggressive, SB razor. If you like SB shaving characteristics and want to move-up from the ubiquitous DE89/Merkur 34C, while still keeping the same shaving characteristics, but you desire more efficiency and are willing to accept more aggression, then the V3A might be what you're looking for. Despite my heady praise for the Piccolo, I do indeed like the V3A. It feels easy & intuitive, and it's earned a place in toolkit.
3] DE89 - Ah, the DE89. The razor so many of us started with! I still believe it's a great razor to start with. It's a very safe razor, and can do a decent enough job with some work & effort. But for me at least, I believe there's better tools available that one grows into. But a DE89 is a decent place to start, before you move-up to the big boy's turf.
Thanks for reading.
[As an aside, it's been awhile since I used my Fatip Gentile, so a comparison between it & the V3A might be in order, since they're both SB heads. Maybe down the road]
