Oneblade Core First Impressions

[gvw755]

Okay, this thread seemed to get hijacked by folks talking about blades and not the razor, so let me bring it back. I was scheduled to shave with a different razor tonight that I just received this afternoon. Unfortunately I came home late and the other razor needed time in Dawn and the ultrasonic cleaner. I decided at the last minute to do a fourth shave with my Core. This time it was an effortless two pass shave with no touch up. I also began to notice something with tonight's shave. I remember a lot of folks when talking about the Genesis mentioning that the one drawback was that the shave was too easy and brainless and required no skill or attention. That was how tonight's shave went. I was totally unprepared to shave with my Core and I had to rush things a bit because I had other things to do, and this was my best shave so far. When you consider that this was shave #3 using a mod Gem Blue Star, it puts things further in perspective. The Core is just two shaves short of being declared a keeper and finding a place in my Gem blade rotation. I got a Sabre coming in this week and it will be interesting to see if a $50 razor can beat a $190 one.

Oh, and for all those that hijacked this thread to talk about where to find blades, I have yet to load a Feather in either of my Cores. In fact, I have been using the Gem carbon steel blades exclusively up until now. I might eventually get to a Gem ptfe blade since I am down to two carbon steel blades.

 

[Wil_D]

With how loose the core holds the blade, absolutely not.

No, the FHS is .23 and the Best is .25. The Core V1 holds them all, and they fit well (both blades give an audible click when I insert them, as does the FAS at .245). I am curious about V2 though (and the Genesis) as they have two points in the head to lift the blade. This could mean there is less space for a thicker blade.

 

[paintflinger]

No, the FHS is .23 and the Best is .25. The Core V1 holds them all, and they fit well (both blades give an audible click when I insert them, as does the FAS at .245). I am curious about V2 though (and the Genesis) as they have two points in the head to lift the blade. This could mean there is less space for a thicker blade.

You're talking about 6 thousandths tolerance on a razor that does not hold the blade tight. Those 6 mils aren't going to matter.

 

[Wil_D]

You're talking about 6 thousandths tolerance on a razor that does not hold the blade tight. Those 6 mils aren't going to matter.

I am not an engineer, but those 2 points have a hight, and it could be more than 6 mils. In fact I expect they are more than that. But again I am not technical, just wondering. Could even be OB's defense against using other blades than FHS ;-) Both the FAS and the Best are thicker than a FHS.
My Core does hold the blade tight, btw. And I must admit, apart from the work for sending my V1 to the US to exchange it for a V2, it is also a reason why I do not exchange. The V1 works with those blades without a problem.

 

[rabidus]

You're talking about 6 thousandths tolerance on a razor that does not hold the blade tight. Those 6 mils aren't going to matter.

It's actually 6 ten thousandth of an inch!

 

[paintflinger]

It's actually 6 ten thousandth of an inch!

Oh yep, just noticed that. Reinforces my point further.

 

[rabidus]

Oh yep, just noticed that. Reinforces my point further.

I agree with you, I don't think it matters at all.

 

[Wil_D]

Oh yep, just noticed that. Reinforces my point further.

But I think you are missing mine. It is not the 6 whatever, but the height of the 2 points they put in the head of the V2 to lift the blade (the Genesis V2 had them from the beginning) that bothers me. This could be a problem. But perhaps some one with a V2 can fill us in.

 

[paintflinger]

And my point is that the difference of 6 ten thousandths of an inch is going to have no affect on whether different blades will work with the two posts. The tolerance on that plastic is certainly not tight enough that you would notice a difference between inserting/shaving with either blade. The two support posts do not interact with the cutouts in the blades (if I remember correctly), so there are going to be no issues as long as the side cutouts are the same.

 

[cyberdog]

If those two points interfere with the blade on the Core, it would probably just shave them down the first insertion. Apparently several early buyers have mis-inserted blades and cut right through the end caps the cover the corners, so in a blade vs head material, the blade is going to win.

 

[muzichead]

I am not an engineer, but those 2 points have a hight, and it could be more than 6 mils. In fact I expect they are more than that. But again I am not technical, just wondering. Could even be OB's defense against using other blades than FHS ;-) Both the FAS and the Best are thicker than a FHS.
My Core does hold the blade tight, btw. And I must admit, apart from the work for sending my V1 to the US to exchange it for a V2, it is also a reason why I do not exchange. The V1 works with those blades without a problem.

You should contact OB. Earlier today a customer in Dublin posted in the other thread that OB is sending him a V2 at no charge and they told him to just keep the V1... Here's the post in the other thread...
OneBlade Core updated Version Shipping Tomorrow!

 

[Wil_D]

You should contact OB. Earlier today a customer in Dublin posted in the other thread that OB is sending him a V2 at no charge and they told him to just keep the V1... Here's the post in the other thread...
OneBlade Core updated Version Shipping Tomorrow!

Thanks, might just do that.

 

[cgr86]

Okay, this thread seemed to get hijacked by folks talking about blades and not the razor, so let me bring it back. I was scheduled to shave with a different razor tonight that I just received this afternoon. Unfortunately I came home late and the other razor needed time in Dawn and the ultrasonic cleaner. I decided at the last minute to do a fourth shave with my Core. This time it was an effortless two pass shave with no touch up. I also began to notice something with tonight's shave. I remember a lot of folks when talking about the Genesis mentioning that the one drawback was that the shave was too easy and brainless and required no skill or attention. That was how tonight's shave went. I was totally unprepared to shave with my Core and I had to rush things a bit because I had other things to do, and this was my best shave so far. When you consider that this was shave #3 using a mod Gem Blue Star, it puts things further in perspective. The Core is just two shaves short of being declared a keeper and finding a place in my Gem blade rotation. I got a Sabre coming in this week and it will be interesting to see if a $50 razor can beat a $190 one.

Oh, and for all those that hijacked this thread to talk about where to find blades, I have yet to load a Feather in either of my Cores. In fact, I have been using the Gem carbon steel blades exclusively up until now. I might eventually get to a Gem ptfe blade since I am down to two carbon steel blades.

What gem blade have you found the best?

 

[munch]

I currently have both the V1 and V2 OB Cores as well as the Genesis V2. So far so good with the FHS blades. 2-3 shaves are my average. I have yet to try GEMs. But I do have a 50 pack of Kai best 0.25's on the way... will be sure to share my results when I receive and compare them.

 

[Neil4Real]

I currently have both the V1 and V2 OB Cores as well as the Genesis V2. So far so good with the FHS blades. 2-3 shaves are my average. I have yet to try GEMs. But I do have a 50 pack of Kai best 0.25's on the way... will be sure to share my results when I receive and compare them.

Any feedback on the 4 OBs?

 

[cyberdog]

Well, my V2 or revised/improved Core arrived yesterday, so this morning was it's first go. I stuck with one of the Feather blades, just for a fair comparison. Definitely more efficient than the original Core, and you can definitely tell it's removing more growth than the original. Need another shave or two for a fair assessment, but so far, it appears to more like I was expecting/hoping. Need another shave or two, just to be certain, and need to work on the ideal angle to hold the razor.....using the edge of the guard, allowing the razor to flat itself, might just be better than placing it flat and apply pressure.

I was short on time, and didn't have enough growth left to confirm that assessment, so I'll experiment a bit over the next day or two. I also want to try both a Gem & KAI Carbon-Steel blade in it. Carbon Steel should hold an edge longer, or I would expect it to. It should also benefit more from lapping/hone on a glass hone than the stainless Feathers.

Shave was a 5:00AM, so excuse any typos on my part, neither my eyes or my fingers are working at 100% at the moment, only got to bed after midnight.

 

[munch]

@Neil4Real I think you mean 3 OB's.

I didn't have blade loading issues as others did with the OB C-V1. However it seems to require more pressure than the C-V2 to achieve a 3 pass shave. I've had the Genesis V2 for less than a week with only one shave down... first impressions are decent. I still need to get used to the pivoting head on all of them. The Genesis seems to be More efficient than both Cores and a more balanced feel due to weight distribution. The jury is still out for me whether the genesis is worth the price I paid. Will report back after I've had more blade time with OB G-V2.

 

[cyberdog]

Well, had shave #2 with my replacement OB Core V2. Three passes and a tiny bit of touch up here and there, under ear lobes, spot on chin (there's a scar that sort of blocks the blade on any razor), and I was BBS without a whole lot of effort. - It was also a quicker shave than usual, or most likely would have with a DE, the idiot proof is pretty much in tact with the improved Core. The OB, or at least the Core V2, likes long strokes, I'm starting at the side-burn area, and stroking strait down to the neck line for with the grain, reverse for pass two, and ear to chin for pass three. (I've found over time that seem to be the preferred progression for my growth).

What I've noticed thus far, which is a bit different than the original Core, is as follows:

As a few others have posted, you don't need to push as hard on the pivot against your face for the blade to stay in contact and remove the growth. The spring doesn't seem to be quite as stiff either, and pivots a bit easier from what I recall of the original.

There is a touch more blade feel, but not much, but no where near uncomfortable. And I'll attribute that to the blade being locked down tighter, the 'giggle' forward and back of the original is nearly completely gone in V2. There's a fraction of a hair movement fore and aft, but barely noticeable. The original Core (v1 if you will) allowed the blade to move what must have been a good 1/16th, maybe even close to an 1/8th of an inch, this simply doesn't happen with the revised head. I described it as 'giggle' as you could shake the razor and it would giggle or rattle on the original. As a result, the blade stays farther forward, up against the corner guards. - I'm willing to bet that is why those using the GEM in the original received better shaves, they may have clipped the blade such that it didn't move as much. Maybe it's my copy, but the blade channel seems tighter width wise, and you need to keep the blade strait sliding it into the head.

As a result of the changes, the angle you hold the blade against your face seems wider. With V1, attacking your beard with the edge didn't really cut anything, with V2, lifting the face to allow the edge to make contact first actually seems to be the preferred angle, as it allows the head to pivot on it's own. - And apply the force/pressure from just below the pivot with you index finger, allowing the pivot to work more naturally than pushing the razor into your face.

This is what the Core should have been to begin with in my opinion. The changes aren't substantial, but they're enough to really make the Core a pretty good shaver. Granted I've only shaved twice with my replacement, both on the same blade, which alone speaks volumes, as I could only get one close shave per blade with the original, and that shave took some work to even get close to my idea of BBS. The 2nd shave wasn't even close to BBS on the original, and I'll be trying for shave #3 tomorrow. - I'm rather picky about how smooth my face feels afterwards, basically as smooth as your lower lip pulled taught, would be the best way I could describe it.

Once this Feather is shot, I want to try a KAI and see how that performs. The KAI is carbon steel, and a lot cheaper than the few sources of Feathers out there at around $0.42 per blade delivered vs $0.89.

All in all, I'm beginning to warm up to the OB Core V2, possibly making this one a keeper. Yes, I'd love for it to be metal and not a resin/plastic, however, it does shave pretty good and I know I can knock out a quick shave if necessary. Am I willing to upgrade to a Genesis, probably not, I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a razor. - If they could bring the Core down bellow $200, I might just be tempted, but doubt that's going to happen anytime soon.

 

[rabidus]

Fool me once, shame on you... Fool me twice, shame on me!

 

[mjclark]

So I got a OneBlade Core and have enjoyed reading through this thread.

What an annoying razor!
I'm sure Feather just conned the manufacturers into making a razor that exclusively uses their SE blade,a blade which is universally acknowledged as being a bit rubbish.

It's such a poor blade choice, it requires pressure, looks like a glorified cartridge razor but it gave me such an easy comfortable shave.
Aaargh! I want to hate this razor but it's such a fun shave with a really nice result:

And then there's all the messing about with blade mods too.
How we laughed
And you have to UN-learn technique for it to work well.
Forget about angle and apply pressure.
Aaaargh! I hate how much I like this razor!!