Brass isn't affected by water like Zamak is and unless you use your razor as a an actual hammer, it will most certainly outlive you.
Pearl Hammer All Brass CNC Razor.
- Thread starter GlazedBoker
- Start date
Brass isn't affected by water like Zamak is and unless you use your razor as a an actual hammer, it will most certainly outlive you.
Perhaps not, Gus.The standard metric thread for DE razors is M5 x 0.8mm (coarse pitch). TMK Pearl uses M5 x 0.5mm (fine pitch).
I'd be interested if you would (gently) check that out, please.
My Pearl Hammer arrived today. Unpacked it a few minutes back. My first impressions.
Pearl has hit it out of the park with the Hammer.
It is truly a "Hammer". I was stunned and in shock for a few minutes just admiring the fit and finish of this heavy duty a
coated brass razor. The fit and finish is nothing like I've seen on any razor. Absolutely a looker with quite a heft.
It's 20.30 hours on Saturday here. I'll shave in around 12 hours on Sunday morning with this.
The fit and especially the finish is glorious. Cant stop myself from touching it, holding it and feeling it's heft. A top tier razor. Love the design of the base plates. Simple lines and curved safety bar and comb.
As someone commented earlier, I too am not a huge fan of the Taj Mahal minaret like handles, but this one is beautiful. With its heft and irs beautiful grip, it just flows with the design.
It can easily knock off $$$ costing razors in the design and looks department simply because of its "Hammer" personality.
Pearl has hit it out of the park with the Hammer.
It is truly a "Hammer". I was stunned and in shock for a few minutes just admiring the fit and finish of this heavy duty a
coated brass razor. The fit and finish is nothing like I've seen on any razor. Absolutely a looker with quite a heft.
It's 20.30 hours on Saturday here. I'll shave in around 12 hours on Sunday morning with this.
The fit and especially the finish is glorious. Cant stop myself from touching it, holding it and feeling it's heft. A top tier razor. Love the design of the base plates. Simple lines and curved safety bar and comb.
As someone commented earlier, I too am not a huge fan of the Taj Mahal minaret like handles, but this one is beautiful. With its heft and irs beautiful grip, it just flows with the design.
It can easily knock off $$$ costing razors in the design and looks department simply because of its "Hammer" personality.
beautiful looking razor. how does the grip feel to you?
nevermind, I see that you said beautiful grip, so that must mean it's a grippy razor to you. LOL
Yes it's pretty grippy. Not "micro cut the finger" grippy. Soft and firm.
- Thread starter
- #47
Congrats on the acquisition. I agree that the quality of make up of this razor truly befits it at a higher cost range than what the actual entry cost of the razor is available for. Parker produced an excellent looking razor at an even more astounding price to the shave consumer. I can’t tell you anything on shave quality but, from the couple of posts that I’ve read across The Net, it’s a very competent razor. Enjoy and look forward to your shave thoughts and initial shave impressions of the Hammer.
- Thread starter
- #48
The standard metric thread for DE razors is M5 x 0.8mm (coarse pitch). TMK Pearl uses M5 x 0.5mm (fine pitch).
I'd be interested if you would (gently) check that out, please.
I can confirm @Cal that the Hammer head assembly can actually be mated quite easily with other brand/aftermarket handles. I installed a couple Razorock handles (UFO & HD), Timeless Pineapple & Ti Crown handles, Blackland Dart handle and the Brass Hone Type 15 handle. All went on without a hitch and snugged right up to the bottom of the Hammer base plate. No roughness or wiggle in variance to thread pitch. As the pictures show below, they might not be the prettiest couplings but, if one wanted to use their own, it certainly is an option.
Many thanks for that, Gus, appreciated.
Delay of Game...not happy at all. My local USPS just plain blows. They have consistly sucked for a long time here. Not just me, it not unusal our area of rural NH to see a the ritual of neighbours exchanging mail and packages...But somehow, it was stated as delivered...but not to me. So many of us has called and they do crap. So now I just want to Hammer there heads....
First shave impressions
The setup
The Hammer package came with a set of 10 Silver Max blades, which are listed as "premium cryo sputtered platinum blades" made by Vertice India on their website. The package also included a free sample of the "Pearl Man" shaving cream. I had seperately purchased a heavy brass handle 22mm Pearl synthetic brush. The fibers would be like the synthetic silvertip fiber which many brush makers sell as a premium offering over the general plissoft. (Think Razorock BC brush fiber)
I decided to use all of this Pearl stuff for the shave plus my Captain's Choice rounded edge copper bowl.
Being a CNC milled razor, with tight tolerances, the blade dropped in accurately with zero wiggle and was perfectly aligned. A visual inspection revealed good amount of blade feel with the razor tightly clamping the blade, though not very near the edge. The blade exposure is high compared to normal razors. I compared to my Stirling Standard Aggressive razor as it had a blade loaded in it. The Stirling has higher blade gap and exposure.
The shave
The shave cream lathered up pretty quickly in to thick yoghurt like thick lather with an extremely nice summer scent. The Captain's choice curled edge bowl filled with enough lather for 4 pass shave.
I applied the lather using the Pearl shave brush. The shave brush is extremely base heavy being solid brass, however it has a firm grip for applying lather with the slightly springy knot.
Pass 1
I tend to use a new razor with a standard neutral angle with zero pressure, tending more shallow than steep angle. Two strokes and I sensed that the razor has plenty of blade feel making it an aggressive razor. It is NOT a mild razor. It is a blade forward razor. First impressions - it falls in a category a notch below the ATT H1 classic razor, Stirling Standard Aggressive and it felt most similar to the Blackland Dart in the shave quality. The Blackland Dart however is more aggressive when shallow. As I shaved with this extremely blade forward razor, I could hear blade chatter. It's not loud blade chatter like in razors with poor blade clamping, however I feel it's due to the fact that the blade exposure is high and there is room to chatter.
The razor took down my one day old whiskers effortlessly, it was no beard reduction - it was merciless annhilation.
Pass 2
I decided to use the technique recommended for the Blackland Dart - Ride the bar, for the second pass.
My second pass on the neck was with a steep angle, which gave me better control on the pressure and how much the blade touches the skin.
ATG Pass
I did a third touch up pass which is traditionally a final ATG pass on some areas like the portion on the neck under my chin and my upper lip. Surpirsingly ATG was not difficult or aggressive with this razor. I could do it effortlessly riding the bar.
Post Shave
the alum block set my neck on fire, I guess from my untrained first pas. Anyone using this razor with muscle memory from a normal razor like DE89 or Merkur or Game Changer is in for a shock due to the blade forward nature.
I got zero nicks, cuts or weepers. My skin did not feel raw or violated inspite of the alum block stinging like hell.
Final impressions
The razor is heavy, but it is agile, its weight does not affect maneuverability. Ride the bar and allow the razor weight to do all the work. In fact ride the bar and control the pressure to be less than what the razor weight alone would do.
I loved the blade forward Pearl Hammer. It does justice to its name. A very nice showy and grippy razor. A very blade forward razor which needs to be controlled best by going steep.
Can it be my daily driver ?
I love aggressive razors and I am confident I can use it daily once I dial in to the shave angle which will be steep.
First use of the supplied silver max blade was promising. The blade is sharp and smooth - the blade forward razor amplified its sharpness. It paired up with the hammer very well and gave a great shave.
I used the free sample of Pearl Man shave cream which has a wonderful summer scent and is pretty slick and pleasant with substantial cushion. It has good slickness and plenty of residual slickness. I would buy this cream again. The bottle lists multiple natural ingredients which makes this a good cream.
The Pearl Synthetic brass handle brush is stupid heavy like a dumbell in a gym. The "imported" (read China ?) synthetic fibers are superior and do an excellent job. Wish it was a 24 mm knot, however the 22mm does a good job. The fibers are a notch above the usual plissoft like fibers. The knot is springy but not "fling the lather all over the bathroom" springy.
All in all a good razor for anyone who loves a steep angle whisker whacker. I will place it in my drawer alongside the ATT H1, Blackland Dart, Muhle R41, Stirling SA and HA razors - reserved for days when I feel adventorous and bored of using usual shaving tools.
The setup
The Hammer package came with a set of 10 Silver Max blades, which are listed as "premium cryo sputtered platinum blades" made by Vertice India on their website. The package also included a free sample of the "Pearl Man" shaving cream. I had seperately purchased a heavy brass handle 22mm Pearl synthetic brush. The fibers would be like the synthetic silvertip fiber which many brush makers sell as a premium offering over the general plissoft. (Think Razorock BC brush fiber)
I decided to use all of this Pearl stuff for the shave plus my Captain's Choice rounded edge copper bowl.
Being a CNC milled razor, with tight tolerances, the blade dropped in accurately with zero wiggle and was perfectly aligned. A visual inspection revealed good amount of blade feel with the razor tightly clamping the blade, though not very near the edge. The blade exposure is high compared to normal razors. I compared to my Stirling Standard Aggressive razor as it had a blade loaded in it. The Stirling has higher blade gap and exposure.
The shave
The shave cream lathered up pretty quickly in to thick yoghurt like thick lather with an extremely nice summer scent. The Captain's choice curled edge bowl filled with enough lather for 4 pass shave.
I applied the lather using the Pearl shave brush. The shave brush is extremely base heavy being solid brass, however it has a firm grip for applying lather with the slightly springy knot.
Pass 1
I tend to use a new razor with a standard neutral angle with zero pressure, tending more shallow than steep angle. Two strokes and I sensed that the razor has plenty of blade feel making it an aggressive razor. It is NOT a mild razor. It is a blade forward razor. First impressions - it falls in a category a notch below the ATT H1 classic razor, Stirling Standard Aggressive and it felt most similar to the Blackland Dart in the shave quality. The Blackland Dart however is more aggressive when shallow. As I shaved with this extremely blade forward razor, I could hear blade chatter. It's not loud blade chatter like in razors with poor blade clamping, however I feel it's due to the fact that the blade exposure is high and there is room to chatter.
The razor took down my one day old whiskers effortlessly, it was no beard reduction - it was merciless annhilation.
Pass 2
I decided to use the technique recommended for the Blackland Dart - Ride the bar, for the second pass.
My second pass on the neck was with a steep angle, which gave me better control on the pressure and how much the blade touches the skin.
ATG Pass
I did a third touch up pass which is traditionally a final ATG pass on some areas like the portion on the neck under my chin and my upper lip. Surpirsingly ATG was not difficult or aggressive with this razor. I could do it effortlessly riding the bar.
Post Shave
the alum block set my neck on fire, I guess from my untrained first pas. Anyone using this razor with muscle memory from a normal razor like DE89 or Merkur or Game Changer is in for a shock due to the blade forward nature.
I got zero nicks, cuts or weepers. My skin did not feel raw or violated inspite of the alum block stinging like hell.
Final impressions
The razor is heavy, but it is agile, its weight does not affect maneuverability. Ride the bar and allow the razor weight to do all the work. In fact ride the bar and control the pressure to be less than what the razor weight alone would do.
I loved the blade forward Pearl Hammer. It does justice to its name. A very nice showy and grippy razor. A very blade forward razor which needs to be controlled best by going steep.
Can it be my daily driver ?
I love aggressive razors and I am confident I can use it daily once I dial in to the shave angle which will be steep.
First use of the supplied silver max blade was promising. The blade is sharp and smooth - the blade forward razor amplified its sharpness. It paired up with the hammer very well and gave a great shave.
I used the free sample of Pearl Man shave cream which has a wonderful summer scent and is pretty slick and pleasant with substantial cushion. It has good slickness and plenty of residual slickness. I would buy this cream again. The bottle lists multiple natural ingredients which makes this a good cream.
The Pearl Synthetic brass handle brush is stupid heavy like a dumbell in a gym. The "imported" (read China ?) synthetic fibers are superior and do an excellent job. Wish it was a 24 mm knot, however the 22mm does a good job. The fibers are a notch above the usual plissoft like fibers. The knot is springy but not "fling the lather all over the bathroom" springy.
All in all a good razor for anyone who loves a steep angle whisker whacker. I will place it in my drawer alongside the ATT H1, Blackland Dart, Muhle R41, Stirling SA and HA razors - reserved for days when I feel adventorous and bored of using usual shaving tools.
- Thread starter
- #52
Very good write up & read. I’m really looking forward to trying the Hammer very soon once the Fixed Four Event is done. I’ve never shied away from a blade forward feeling razor. From your initial experience and comparison to the Blackland Dart in feel which, happens to be one of my favorite razors, the Hammer is in my wheelhouse for sure.
Happy shaves….
Very good write up & read. I’m really looking forward to trying the Hammer very soon once the Fixed Four Event is done. I’ve never shied away from a blade forward feeling razor. From your initial experience and comparison to the Blackland Dart in feel which, happens to be one of my favorite razors, the Hammer is in my wheelhouse for sure.
Happy shaves….
I intend to use a familiar blade for towmorrow's shave for an accurate assessment of the Razor's capabilities. This is a refined Dart of sorts. Will look forward to your reviews in April.
It will be quite a wait for FFFMM to end. I quit midway post using the Rockwell 6S mostly out of my anxiety on the Rockwell SS T2. Luckily they sent me a replacement which would arrive tomorrow. Using the 6S daily was sort of rubbing it in for the SS T2, hence I kept it aside last week.
Oh well. You enablers got me. Hammer ordered. 
Anyone tried the open comb? That is the plate I am interested in. For what it's worth, I like the handle's Taj Mahal looks but like so many modern razors it will likely be to long. A shorter handle option would be nice but not expected.
Pre-Shave: Cold water splash, Lucky Tiger Liquid Cream Shave
Soap: Frankensoap (Ogallala Bay Rum with Tabac tallow shavings)
Brush: AP Shave Co Silksmoke synthetic
Razor: Pearl Hammer OC
Blade: Silvermax 'Cryo' Sputtered Platinum (1)
Post-Shave: Cold water splash, Stirling Orange Chill Witch Hazel and Aloe, Lucky Tiger Face Tonic
AS: Lucky Tiger Bay Rum aftershave splash (decanted into glass)
A very late night shave...was one heck of a long day...figured I would take a shower and take the new Pearl razor for a spin. It's all brass, but coated with a matte silver finish. They call it the Hammer...and for good reason...it's got some weight to it. I'm so used to shaving with much lighter razors...but, that was ok...I expected that from an all brass razor. I did my usual routine and I can honestly say that this razor along with one of the blades they give you in the box, pack of 10 Silvermax, did a surprisingly good job. I am feeling my face after the Witch Hazel and Lucky Tiger face tonic and it's smooth...DFS/BBS with no blood. I looked the razor up on their website and they rate the gap at .80. Well...I used the open comb base plate...it comes with an OC and an SB base plate and I prefer OC razors. It didn't feel like a .80 gap to me, but there's more to that science than just the gap. All in all, for $44, it's not bad at all.
So, here's the laugh...even better than the razor...was the blade they give you with it! I was thoroughly impressed with the Silvermax razor blade I dropped into this Clue murder weapon. Plenty sharp and smooth for my face. Will keep the new razor in the rotation and see how much I want to reach for it. It's running with some seriously stiff competition, Wolfman, Blackland, Muhle R41 SS, RR Lupo and GC...but...will let it run around in the stable for a while and see how it does. If it doesn't earn a spot, it'll make a heck of a paper weight.
Happy Shaves, Everyone!
Soap: Frankensoap (Ogallala Bay Rum with Tabac tallow shavings)
Brush: AP Shave Co Silksmoke synthetic
Razor: Pearl Hammer OC
Blade: Silvermax 'Cryo' Sputtered Platinum (1)
Post-Shave: Cold water splash, Stirling Orange Chill Witch Hazel and Aloe, Lucky Tiger Face Tonic
AS: Lucky Tiger Bay Rum aftershave splash (decanted into glass)
A very late night shave...was one heck of a long day...figured I would take a shower and take the new Pearl razor for a spin. It's all brass, but coated with a matte silver finish. They call it the Hammer...and for good reason...it's got some weight to it. I'm so used to shaving with much lighter razors...but, that was ok...I expected that from an all brass razor. I did my usual routine and I can honestly say that this razor along with one of the blades they give you in the box, pack of 10 Silvermax, did a surprisingly good job. I am feeling my face after the Witch Hazel and Lucky Tiger face tonic and it's smooth...DFS/BBS with no blood. I looked the razor up on their website and they rate the gap at .80. Well...I used the open comb base plate...it comes with an OC and an SB base plate and I prefer OC razors. It didn't feel like a .80 gap to me, but there's more to that science than just the gap. All in all, for $44, it's not bad at all.
So, here's the laugh...even better than the razor...was the blade they give you with it! I was thoroughly impressed with the Silvermax razor blade I dropped into this Clue murder weapon. Plenty sharp and smooth for my face. Will keep the new razor in the rotation and see how much I want to reach for it. It's running with some seriously stiff competition, Wolfman, Blackland, Muhle R41 SS, RR Lupo and GC...but...will let it run around in the stable for a while and see how it does. If it doesn't earn a spot, it'll make a heck of a paper weight.
Happy Shaves, Everyone!
The reason I bought the Hammer is quite simple. And very singular in nature. I travel a lot. And I have settled in with the Flexi as my travel razor of choice for approximately the past year. But the issue I have is that I can only use the Flexi on setting 6. I have tried other settings repeatedly with no luck. #6 is the sweet spot for me. In fact, I think it could use a setting of 8 or 9. As great as the Flexi shaves, it leaves me wondering what a higher setting could do. However, setting #6 is just about perfect. I have been getting excellent shaves with it consistently. The fit and finish of the razor is excellent well beyond the price point. And I like the weight too. But to have an adjustable razor where I can only use the last setting seems pointless to me. I am predominantly a 3 piece razor user. So when this razor came out, and some reviews started coming in, I thought this might be a good candidate for my next travel razor. It’s been shipped, and I should have my Hammer any day now. Looking forward to it.
And your curiosity is about to be answered..
On a serious note, you will find this more like the Rex Ambassador on steroids on setting 8
