New Karve razor "Overlander"

[Nehbulah]

My first shave with it was this morning.
Great head and face shave.
Great for daily shaves and sensitive skin. Mild and efficient.
I definitely prefer this over the Christopher Bradley.
I'm partial to razors that shave steep.
This to me has similar shave characteristics to that of the Henson razors.

 

[APBinNCA]

After reading the specs this morning and now reading these reviews, it appears the actual blade exposure is less than published just like the CB. It is supposed to be more than my Timeless .95, which while comfortable, is not mild. I have seen pictures of the C or D plate showing it as neutral with a typical blade while published at positive. I would be curious what the new owners think. I like the new shape of the head and it's geometry.

 

[NovaDave]

You seem more learned than I, but I do also have the Timeless .95, and the Overlander indeed seems to me much milder (based on one shave). Neither good nor bad, a welcome addition to my toolbox.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Instagram gets way more views than a niche forum. Many forums are difficult to navigate and have limited utility on a mobile device. Instagram is simple and the viewer experience is much easier.

My take on it is that, given the choice, customers would rather look or watch instead of read. Thus the popularity of Instagram and Youtube versus choosing to read a blog. Remember blogs? How many people read a blog anymore, not many I'd wager.

On top of that mobil devices have overtaken desk top computers altogether. This chart is not up to date but the trend is pretty clear:

Instagram is a good platform for marketing to a specific demographic.

Instagram: Global user age and gender distribution 2024 | Statista

As of January 2024, just over 16 percent of global Instagram users were men between the ages of 18 and 24 years.

www.statista.com

Limiting your marketing to a narrow demographic is a poor strategy. I don't have any data for DE shavers, but I would venture a guess that the age range of DE users is quite wide.

Yes, Instagram is for a younger demographic and where it ends that is where Facebook picks up and goes on toward middle age. Our experience is that the younger guys want to shave like grandpa did and so are just as interested in DE shaving and all that goes with it.

This is old but worth repeating. Most companies know that half of their advertising dollars are wasted. They just don't know which half! So they do it all. There is posting on Facebook; posting on Instagram; advertising on both of those platforms; activity on shaving forums; an email list of customers who have purchased in the past; etc.

 

[Rhody]

Well the new karve razors are all sold out in all metals so they are doing something right and reaching the right people.
Thanks for the review @NovaDave and @Nehbulah

 

[kingfisher]

Probably because you aren't allowed to advertise here as a vendor unless you pay the forum something like $500 a year, iirc.


GameChanger was "inspired" by Wolfman Guerilla, the predecessor to the WR1 (which "inspired" the Lupo).

I am surprised to see that the last part of this comment was not addressed. The Guerilla was in no way the predecessor to the WR1. Both the WR1 and WR2 existed and were very popular razors before the Guerilla was made. In fact, if memory serves, the Guerilla was made as a cheaper alternative, and was really only sold for a comparatively brief period of time before he took it off the market. It was loved by some, to be sure, but reviews were decidedly mixed. A fair number of those razors hit the buy/sell/trade forums of various shave sites pretty quickly.

 

[Wal59]

For those of you not living on the North American continent, get used to long delays from Canada. Karve got my order to the post in good time. However I have been waiting 5 weeks since then. It has still not been delivered to Australia Post for delivery to me. Much quicker from England to Australia than USA or Canada.

 

[USS-SpongeBob]

I am surprised to see that the last part of this comment was not addressed. The Guerilla was in no way the predecessor to the WR1. Both the WR1 and WR2 existed and were very popular razors before the Guerilla was made. In fact, if memory serves, the Guerilla was made as a cheaper alternative, and was really only sold for a comparatively brief period of time before he took it off the market. It was loved by some, to be sure, but reviews were decidedly mixed. A fair number of those razors hit the buy/sell/trade forums of various shave sites pretty quickly.

Oops. You are correct! Guerilla was a budget alternative to the WR1. It's still the razor that inspired the GameChanger afaik.

 

[Wal59]

For those of you not living on the North American continent, get used to long delays from Canada. Karve got my order to the post in good time. However I have been waiting 5 weeks since then. It has still not been delivered to Australia Post for delivery to me. Much quicker from England to Australia than USA or Canada.

Received today. 6 weeks. Bloody COVID.

 

[Iridian]

Received today. 6 weeks. Bloody COVID.

Seconded. I hope you will post a review or a short report on the SOTD thread, I would appreciate that.

 

[Senate515]

The Overlander is a great razor, feels extremely smooth and mild but delivers a close shave. I feel it's a razor that would suit most people, IMO it should have been called the Everyone razor. It feels smoother and milder than my C plate CB that I travel with but gives me a shave close to my E plate. I think it will fill the role for most shavers that just want a carefree close everyday shave. That being said if you like aggressive razors stick to the Karve CB E-G plates

 

[APBinNCA]

The Overlander is a great razor, feels extremely smooth and mild but delivers a close shave. I feel it's a razor that would suit most people, IMO it should have been called the Everyone razor. It feels smoother and milder than my C plate CB that I travel with but gives me a shave close to my E plate. I think it will fill the role for most shavers that just want a carefree close everyday shave. That being said if you like aggressive razors stick to the Karve CB E-G plates

I am assuming the smoothness is because it bends the blade a lot more than the CB, correct? Closeness must be a combination of some blade feel and the weight? I am just waiting to see if they actually do produce more...

 

[Senate515]

There is no blade feel, it states positive blade exposure but I can't feel it, it just seems to have everything dialed in well for a goldilocks zone of mild feeling but close cutting. Don't get me wrong it's not going to replace My Blackbird, WR2 1.15 or Carbon ++ but it will see use and stay around

 

[Wal59]

Seconded. I hope you will post a review or a short report on the SOTD thread, I would appreciate that.

Cheers mate. Will do. I’ll have a few shaves and compare it to the Christopher Bradley I have.

 

[Wal59]

Having finally received the Overlander, I have had three runs around the block with it. These are my first impressions.

It might help to have some background information about the way I shave. I am a daily shaver because of work. My beard is of medium thickness and the hair is neither fine nor coarse.

I always shave after a shower. After giving my face a thorough rinse, I apply a pre-shave gel and lather up. My blade of choice is Gillette 7 O’clock Green. Three passes normally does me with the occasional touch-up if technique has momentarily abandoned me.

The razor itself is quite hefty. It is clearly well over 100 g in weight. The handle length is at the upper ranges for my liking. I have relatively small hands (you know what they say. Small hands small… gloves). Most blokes will have no trouble with handle length. The blade reveal was consistently good each time.

I did notice that there seemed to be a larger space than usual between the end of the blade and the end of the cap. I find the smaller that space, the easier it is to get into awkward places like under the nose. In my case, unlike my hands, the hooter is a reasonably large protuberance. Having said that, I had no difficulty in that regard with this razor.

The first thing I noticed, while shaving, was a lack of blade feel. The second was an absence of blade chatter. I could hear, slightly, the beard being mown down but it was nowhere near as loud as I have sometimes heard.

This razor is very efficient. A first pass would nearly have done me except by 3 o’clock in the afternoon I would have felt sandpaper-like. After three passes (WTG, XTG and ATG) my cheeks and jawline were BBS. My neck, especially the lower part, will never achieve BBS. But with some J-hooking was more than passable. That is my problem not the razor’s.

It is also very smooth. I had no cuts or weepers and at no time did I think the ambulance should be called on the off chance I was going to bleed out.

During the course of the shave, the handle did not allow for any slippage. At no time did I feel anything other than comfortable with that regardless of how wet or soapy the handle became.

Perhaps a comparison for Karve lovers. I also have (amongst other razors, the number of which I choose not to reveal) the Karve Christopher Bradley SB D plate (with a number of other plates which I also choose to reveal). I gave that a trot the day after I had finished with the Overlander. The two shaves were remarkably similar. The major difference I found was greater blade feel with the D plate. Efficiency was similar but the D plate was more aggressive.

All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and can recommend it.

 

[MtView]

Thanks for the review! I have one on the way from Sunday's drop and I'm looking forward to trying it out. I'm hoping it comes in between the D and E blades.

 

[UncleBob59]

I feel like Karve was a one-time innovator in the DE shaving market, but is now floundering. And after treating its customers very poorly, I don’t expect them to be forgiving of the company’s misfires. Hope I‘m wrong, but it seems their star is flaming out. Nothing at all inspiring about these new releases.

Karve has its niche and it will do just fine. They can't be all things to all people.

 

[Rhody]

Great review thanks although resisting still. I need a new razor like a 🕳 in the head. But I was checking the karve sure they have cone a long way. Most items seem in stock the prices are great. Excellent value. Variety of metals and handle length. Even though I’m resisting I might try the color aluminum handle they look sharp. I recently started using the karve brass c plate oc after 6+ months of a break and it’s an impressive razor. I forgot how it clamps the blade almost hard to get out. Excellent shave. I’m a brass, stainless and aluminum graduate.

 

[ButterfaceX]

Guess it ain't new anymore.....

 

[Fiddler]

Their model of "pay now and wait while we make your razor" works for them.
Not for me.