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Maxwell June Razor. Anyone try this razor yet?

RenoRichard, thank you for the thorough updates over the last several weeks. I too am using the Maxwell June and I am curious if your razor's head front (removable piece) is firmly locked into place, or if it can slide out fairly easily? In my experience, it depends on the blade. The razor head front will be firmly in place with some blades (Personna Lab Blue) and easily slip out with other blades. I have never had the razor head slip out of place while shaving. Just wondering how firmly seated the head front is with your razor?

Give Maxwell June a call. They sent me a new razor as I was having issues with the front piece coming off too easily. They have made a design change that seems to have helped with this. Great customer service.
 
RenoRichard, thank you for the thorough updates over the last several weeks. I too am using the Maxwell June and I am curious if your razor's head front (removable piece) is firmly locked into place, or if it can slide out fairly easily? In my experience, it depends on the blade. The razor head front will be firmly in place with some blades (Personna Lab Blue) and easily slip out with other blades. I have never had the razor head slip out of place while shaving. Just wondering how firmly seated the head front is with your razor?
Hope this helps- my Maxwell June seems to be pretty firmly in place with all the blades I've tried so far. I tried once and can remove the safety bar piece with my fingers, but it is tight enough to hold the blades in place. I have found that it is wise to make sure there is no soap or other residue in the razor before loading a new blade. The slot into which the blades and safety bar piece are inserted doesn't seem to have a direct outlet for any lather flow, so I make sure to clean that slot well before changing the blade(s). In loading a new blade I've been giving it a very firm, quick downward push with the middle plastic piece into the base to snap the new blade in half, which seems to seat the blades quite well. If your razor is loose enough when loaded that the safety bar piece moves around after it's been loaded with the blade(s), I would suggest you contact the makers. The safety bar piece shouldn't be wiggling at all when loaded; if I move the razor around it stays nicely in place for me. I wouldn't say it's super tight, but tight enough not to allow any ready movement of the safety bar piece once loaded. It's been cool here, so before loading the new blade(s) I have been running the razor parts under warm water as to insure they're not cold to the touch. If I can be of further assistance let me know. We'll be traveling all day today, so it might be tomorrow before I can respond. I am taking the Maxwell June with me.
 
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My one month update- I've used this razor for most of my shave for the last month and my initial review still holds- it's a fun razor and can deliver some really nice shaves. It's going to stay in my rotation for use. This past week both Gillette Silver Blue and the Gillette Platinum blades worked very well for me.

Overall, I enjoy the razor most with mid-level to sort of sharp blades- Astra, Lord Platinum, GSB, Gillette Platinum, Wizamet SI, and Med Preps all worked nicely and gave me close, easy shaves. The sharpest DE blades I have- Feather and Nacet were also useable, and very close, although I did get some weepers, so not as much fun. For me I'll use the Maxwell June with less than super sharp blades. I didn't try Kai or some others I have; perhaps in the future.

The other things to add are when I packed the razor to travel by car down to Arizona with me, the cardboard box the razor came with was useless. I ended up putting the razor in a small airline toiletries pouch. You also need to bring the plastic docking pieces, if you're going to be away awhile and changing blades. I put the plastic pieces into the same small pouch. If one was to travel for just a few days, you could load the razor, and leave the plastic parts at home. I wouldn't foresee any problem with taking the loaded razor through TSA security, as it looks just like any other twin blade cartridge razor.

Being aluminum the razor is quite lightweight, but after a few days you get used to it. Overall, the Maxwell June is a very clever, interesting, and fun razor for anyone who wants to get some easy cartridge-like shaves that are closer and better than a cartridge usually delivers. It may take a little more clean up work than your favorite DE for a BBS shave, but is very forgiving and low stress.

Shave well!
 
My one month update- I've used this razor for most of my shave for the last month and my initial review still holds- it's a fun razor and can deliver some really nice shaves. It's going to stay in my rotation for use. This past week both Gillette Silver Blue and the Gillette Platinum blades worked very well for me.

Overall, I enjoy the razor most with mid-level to sort of sharp blades- Astra, Lord Platinum, GSB, Gillette Platinum, Wizamet SI, and Med Preps all worked nicely and gave me close, easy shaves. The sharpest DE blades I have- Feather and Nacet were also useable, and very close, although I did get some weepers, so not as much fun. For me I'll use the Maxwell June with less than super sharp blades. I didn't try Kai or some others I have; perhaps in the future.

The other things to add are when I packed the razor to travel by car down to Arizona with me, the cardboard box the razor came with was useless. I ended up putting the razor in a small airline toiletries pouch. You also need to bring the plastic docking pieces, if you're going to be away awhile and changing blades. I put the plastic pieces into the same small pouch. If one was to travel for just a few days, you could load the razor, and leave the plastic parts at home. I wouldn't foresee any problem with taking the loaded razor through TSA security, as it looks just like any other twin blade cartridge razor.

Being aluminum the razor is quite lightweight, but after a few days you get used to it. Overall, the Maxwell June is a very clever, interesting, and fun razor for anyone who wants to get some easy cartridge-like shaves that are closer and better than a cartridge usually delivers. It may take a little more clean up work than your favorite DE for a BBS shave, but is very forgiving and low stress.

Shave well!
Very informative and well put
 
RenoRichard, thank you for your detailed review and responding to my earlier post about how securely the head front (safety bar piece) stays in place. I did contact Maxwell June and they did send me another razor with a new safety bar piece. Rob is a very nice guy and the customer service is GREAT! One thing Rob shared with me is that the metallurgy of the blades is a variable that will change from manufacturer to manufacturer as well as different production runs from the same manufacturer. These variables may cause the blade to break differently resulting in it being loaded insecurely. To me, the revised safety bar piece looks the same with the only difference being 2 holes instead of just 1 hole and a polymer material that fills in the holes (looks like a tiny drop of glue inside the holes). I am attempting to provide feedback to Maxwell June on my experience using the revised safety bar.

I decided to purchase a few blade sampler packs and I have been trying them in the new razor as well as the original razor. For me, it really is hit-n-miss. Sometimes after loading a new blade, the safety bar piece slips out of position very easily. Sometimes, it is firmly in place. Sometimes, I have noticed one of the blades is slightly crooked and not parallel with the other blade. Other times, the twin blades are parallel. This is happening with the old safety bar piece as well as the new one. Weird. In general, I have had good blade loading experience with the Gillette brand of blades. I am not certain they are manufactured in the same facility, but the ones I have tried are: Gillette 7 O'clock super stainless (green pack), Gillette 7 O'clock sharp edge (yellow pack), Gillette Silver Blue, Gillette Platinum, Gillette Nacet, and Gillette Wilkinson Sword (didn't know Gillette made Wilkinson Sword). I have not shaved with all of these blades, and have been focusing on my blade loading issue.

The shaves I have had with the Maxwell June are very good... (Astra, Personna Lab Blue, Gillette Nacet). I have not had any problems with the blades becoming dislodged while shaving and I do not think there is a safety issue. I agree with RenoRichard, that this is a fun razor that I plan on working into my rotation. And at the moment I am enjoying helping an entrepreneur by providing feedback which may lead to a design improvement. I do try to support innovators and have backed several crowd-funded projects for new razors. Thank you again for sharing your experience.
 
After quite a bit of trial and error, I successfully loaded 27 out of 30 blades and may have figured out the issue (my issue). I have emailed Maxwell June and they are reviewing my feedback. In my case, when pressing down on the loader's middle piece, so it can grab the safety bar, the razor head rotated a little (caused by the downward force). When I removed the middle piece, the downward force was lifted and the razor head rotated back to its original position. My thought was to try and return the razor's head to the position it was in when the middle piece grabbed the safety bar. I simply raised the handle a little (approx. 1 mm) as I was inserting the blade. Success... blades loaded properly. The 3 unsuccessful attempts were caused by me raising the handle too much. Like I mentioned, Maxwell June is investigating.

One thing I would like to reiterate is that I am getting terrific shaves with this razor. I am confident Maxwell June will find a solution quickly. Perhaps they received a bad batch of loaders? Perhaps it's something else?
 

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After quite a bit of trial and error, I successfully loaded 27 out of 30 blades and may have figured out the issue (my issue). I have emailed Maxwell June and they are reviewing my feedback. In my case, when pressing down on the loader's middle piece, so it can grab the safety bar, the razor head rotated a little (caused by the downward force). When I removed the middle piece, the downward force was lifted and the razor head rotated back to its original position. My thought was to try and return the razor's head to the position it was in when the middle piece grabbed the safety bar. I simply raised the handle a little (approx. 1 mm) as I was inserting the blade. Success... blades loaded properly. The 3 unsuccessful attempts were caused by me raising the handle too much. Like I mentioned, Maxwell June is investigating.

One thing I would like to reiterate is that I am getting terrific shaves with this razor. I am confident Maxwell June will find a solution quickly. Perhaps they received a bad batch of loaders? Perhaps it's something else?
Curious if this loading issue has been corrected by MJ. Does anyone know?

I've been through the whole thread. Is it safe to conclude that the shaving experience of the MJ is very close to that of the Gillette Trac II, but with the advantage of being able to use different blades?
 
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Curious if this loading issue has been corrected by MJ. Does anyone know?

I've been through the whole thread. Is it safe to conclude that the shaving experience of the MJ is very close to that of the Gillette Trac II, but with the advantage of being able to use different blades?
I would say yes. I haven't had any loading issues once I figured it out. It's lightweight and, like the Trac II, requires a little more pressure than a traditional DE. I really enjoy this razor. Honestly I enjoy the DE experience more (plus I've got a bazillion razors to use), but this is great in a pinch and I might break it out for the holiday.
 
I would say yes. I haven't had any loading issues once I figured it out. It's lightweight and, like the Trac II, requires a little more pressure than a traditional DE. I really enjoy this razor. Honestly I enjoy the DE experience more (plus I've got a bazillion razors to use), but this is great in a pinch and I might break it out for the holiday.
Great info, thanks! Your "in a pinch" might be what I mean when I say "quick blind shave in the shower" i.e. I'm hoping to find a double edge blade using razor that can be a viable sub for my Mach 3 when I'm in too much of a hurry to use a DE.
 
Great info, thanks! Your "in a pinch" might be what I mean when I say "quick blind shave in the shower" i.e. I'm hoping to find a double edge blade using razor that can be a viable sub for my Mach 3 when I'm in too much of a hurry to use a DE.
I saw your posts over at The Henson Razor Club and was thinking about sending you over to this thread. I am glad you found your way! :thumbup1:
 
Great info, thanks! Your "in a pinch" might be what I mean when I say "quick blind shave in the shower" i.e. I'm hoping to find a double edge blade using razor that can be a viable sub for my Mach 3 when I'm in too much of a hurry to use a DE.
you hit the nail on the head, yes it's great for the "hasty" shave.
 
Well, probably my best shave with MJR today. New Parker Premium blade, loaded like a dream now that I know what I'm doing. Used Vitos shave soap and Captain's Choice Venture aftershave. DFS and 3 hours later still feels pretty smooth.
I just might have to get one
 
Over the last few months I have been communicating with Rob at Maxwell June. What a great guy! To summarize, Maxwell June has a Version 2 of the blade loader in production. The new loader reduces human error, making blade-loading more consistent. I tried the new loader and it works GREAT! Rob is updating the MJ website and new videos will be posted soon. To see images of the new loader, go to the Maxwell June website, at the top of the page, click Shop and you will find images of the new loader. One other thing to note is that MJ has introduced a new color called "Dusk Grey" and it looks terrific.
 
I have always enjoyed innovative design - Leaf razors, OneBlade and MARS for example. So I ordered it and it arrived from the US a few days ago. I’ve been shaving with it since.

My first observation is that, while the loading of the blade is a little finicky to start, it doesn't take long to get used to it. Certainly more complicated than dropping a blade onto a top cap. However I find it strangely satisfying.

Others have commented on it’s lightness and looks so I won’t delve into that. What I will say is the sweet spot angle surprised me. I found it shaved me best if I treated it like a GEM. A very shallow angle - nearly flat to the face - gave me a fabulously satisfying result.

I see from previous posts it had its troubles with a loose fit of blades. No doubt mine was version II or maybe III after all this time. I had no trouble with it as to that. All in all it is a very pleasing offering in the DE world. It won’t be gathering dust at the back of my bathroom cupboard. I recommend it.
 
I really like the concept but needing another gizmo to load two 1/2 blades doesn't do it for me. When they produce a razor that doesn't need this device than I'd be interested.
 
OBIF'23 Astra SP (24/28)

Cream: Lucky Tiger Cream Shave
Razor/Blade:
Head - Maxwell June w/ Astra SP
Face/Neck - F4 Toggle w/ Astra SP (24/28)
Alum: Omega stick
Aftershave:
Face/Neck - Wild Country
Head/Neck - Nivea Sensitive

full


Face/Neck - 9/10
Head - 1/10

I opened up a new Maxwell June yesterday to try out on my head. I've been using a Highproof which works fantastic except right around the top of my ears. I just can't get it and use my other razor I'm using for the day to get there.

The Maxwell June has zero issues shaving everything. It's shaped like a cartridge razor and has the pressed in twin blade. This thing can shave but it is NOT a cartridge razor. Yikes! With the Highproof I was shaving like I was using a cartridge razor and it would not draw blood. I made the mistake of doing so with the Maxwell June.

I didn't feel it right away but I made a nice bloody mess of my head. Several little cuts all over the place. Plenty of reviews saying there's no way one could cut themselves with the razor as it just stops cutting if the angle is off. I proved that wrong.

But it was able to shave very efficiently and a lot less touch ups then I have to do with the high proof. But dang the Highproof is so much more foolproof. I'll give the Maxwell June a go again once my cuts heal up with a lot more care.
 
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