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Paradigm Shaveware Javelin.

Looks like Andy widened the raised portion of the baseplate compared to his original design. This should help with blade rigidity.
 
Interesting. He keeps using the word aggressive in one statement and then smooth in another and comparing the razor to the Charcoal Goods Level 2 and the Timeless .95. I for one did not get a clear message out of this video as to what this razor is really all about. Maybe it's just me.
Maybe he meant efficient instead of aggressive. I don’t find the Timeless or charcoal to be aggressive, but they are efficient.
 
I wonder if he did enough to differentiate this offering from the rest of the
crop....I mean, if I have a CG Lvl2 or Timeless 95, why would I be looking for a razor
that shaves like them. And that handle sort of looks like a dart without the pointy bit at the end.
If it was priced at blackbird levels, it would probably fare well.
 
I don’t like the handle design of this razor as much as the other handles. I really like the handle on the 17-4, but I read there wasn’t any blade feel which usually doesn’t work well for me because I’ll use too much pressure. I don’t like a whole lot, but I do like to know where it is. I would be interested in this head and the 17-4 handle, but not as it is now.
 
I agree and I’ve been holding back to be polite but I think the entire presentation could have been done a whole lot better than it was. He spent way to much time with lathering up. He could have fast forwarded during those parts of the video. It also looked like he added to much water to his soap as it looked very thin and bubbly especially on the 2nd pass. He also missed a few spots in his shave and he was really awkward at shaving under his nose. In fact the stubble looked darker on the one side if you look at it closely. So not only did he not explain and present the razor properly even his Shave was a bit off!
Hey just my two cents and I’ll cut him some slack cause maybe the guy is new at doing a video review as it seemed to me like he was new at it when comparing his to some of the seasoned guys that do those shaving vids.
If I'm not mistaken, he's mostly a straight razor user. Probably isn't as proficient with DE's.
You find the paradigm 17-4 closer to the RS-10 than a Wolfman in terms of smoothness vs efficiency?
 
I am surprised Andy is leaving his handle designs as they are sort of his trademark. I found the 17-4 to be the best combination of smoothness to efficiency until I got the RS10.
 
Well that’s a tough one because the RS 10 with what they call the aggressive plate is a bit more efficient than the 17 4 and smoother as well which is a strong statement as the 17 4 was the standard on how I’d judge a razor by on both efficiency and smoothness but the RS 10 kicks both of those up a notch.

You know I’m a big fan of the high gap Wolfman Razors and both my WR1 custom .94 DC and even more so my Titanium WR2 custom DC 125/135 are both more efficient than the RS10 but to me the RS 10 is the Smoothest Shaving modern razor up to this point I’ve shaved with.
I have a wr2 .95 on the way, I'll be very happy if it matches the RS-10. If not, then I'll probably stop buying DE's for the time being and focus on SE's.
OK, I'll stop derailing this thread any more.
Thank You
 
He did say the handle will be changed as that was the pre production razor.

With that said I don’t know who told you the 17 4 has no blade feel but that would be incorrect info. I’ve shaved with all the Paradigms and the 17 4 is the 2nd most efficient of the lot of them with the Titanium 1 definitely being the most efficient but there were only 50 or 51 of those sold.

The 17 4 has modest blade feel all the way through a shave and just about a perfect balance of both efficiency and smoothness which is only exceeded by the RS 10

The handle that was shown looks like a of the Wolfman HR7, the Stork copy of a Hr7 and a TiBam I have on my RFB.
I’d definitely like to see him stay with the pattern type handles that he’s used on all his handles which helps to distinguish the Paradigm brand.

Just my two cents
I read several reviews talking about the lack of blade feel. I guess that’s why you never know unless you try it yourself. I guess it doesn’t matter either way at this point since it’s out of stock and might not be made again. I’ll definitely give it a shot if it is produced again.
 
Probably is not going to happen. I'm a big fan of the 17-4 but the Javelin is more efficient and doesn't feel all that aggressive IMHO. If however you use pressure your skin won't be happy afterwards. Have been enjoying this one for several months. Lets hope it goes in production, it's a fantastic razor.
 
So i happen to see the new javelin razor that is currently in production. The handle will be totally different beautiful. It is cloying to be in stainless steel and it shaves amazingly.
 
So i happen to see the new javelin razor that is currently in production. The handle will be totally different beautiful. It is cloying to be in stainless steel and it shaves amazingly.
I didn't need to read that. Taking the month off.
 
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Maybe, maybe not. I prefer the looks of this to the original Javelin handle
 
Up for pre-order, with a new name.

After many months and a couple of false starts, the new Paradigm DE has arrived. Rechristened “Diamondback” for the distinctive diamond pattern on the handle, the razor is machined in the US from 303 stainless steel. The gap is .8mm, and it weighs 114 grams. It’s great to be here with WCS, and I am looking forward to our collaboration on this release.The question of how a razor shaves is always subjective, but we shot for (and I believe achieved) the objective which always informs Paradigm designs: maximize efficiency while maximizing smoothness. These goals don’t always harmonize that well, as a more efficient razor is necessarily more aggressive. This doesn’t have to be in a harsh or biting way, but as the factors which create efficiency are modified in a positive direction, primarily gap and shave angle, it’s difficult to retain the same mild, smooth quality. The solution lies in modifying other aspects of the geometry, in particular the blade guard.

As many of you will know, this razor was prototyped in stainless, but the actual release was to be in aluminum. I was intrigued by the thinness of the blade guard in the Raw Shaving model 18. It gave a good initial skin stretch and a very nice shave. And so the aluminum iteration had a thin guard, and it worked quite well. However, in the change back to stainless, I was disturbed by the face feel, just seemed a bit too — ahem — aggressive. We went back to the drawing board, and the bottom plate and guard were made thicker. The idea was to decrease pressure by creating a larger surface area on the guard in contact with the face. The appearance of the bottom plate was also streamlined. The RS18 is a great razor, but I think that the thicker guard is beneficial, and the added skin stretch is not missed.

Speaking of aluminum. It’s light, but in the appropriate design, it’s a terrific material for a razor. Our Artist Club was prototyped in aluminum, and it shaved great. What is light in the hand is also light on the face, and it’s easy to shave with minimal pressure. The reason we backed off the aluminum was that we couldn’t find a good protective coating, at least not without additional R & D. The most straightforward solution is anodizing, but it doesn’t work well on alloy 7075, which is high in copper. We had trouble with flaking, which made it a non-starter. A literature search revealed that 7075 simply does not anodize well. Same problem with the 2XXX series of aluminum alloys. Solutions other than anodizing were also tried, but came up wanting.

We’d like to get back to aluminum however, so stay tuned. Alloy 6061 anodizes fine, but it’s bit soft for my taste. 7075 is harder, and the threads have greater longevity. Hard anodizing shares the same flaking problem on 7075. So we’ll probably come up with a new approach.

For now, 303 stainless it is. The corrosion resistance is excellent, but we recommend removing the blade, rinsing and drying the razor, and replacing the blade loosely after every shave. The same would be true for 316, 17-4, or any other grade of stainless.

This razor will be produced initially exclusively for WCS. A second run will be available immediately thereafter for direct sale from Paradigm.
 
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