Just a quick note on yesterday's shave with the Pearl Hammer...my face is still fairly smooth. Had to be pretty close.
Pearl Hammer All Brass CNC Razor.
- Thread starter GlazedBoker
- Start date
I've had 4 shaves on the hammer. The first 2 with the supplied Silvermax blades and thereafter lazor super platinum.
I've been able to dial in the razor and noticed it's sweet spot is indeed a slightly steep angle than normal.
The razor is extremely efficient. The smoothness and blade feel is pretty addictive. The Alum block feedback has reduced as I dial in the razor.
While it's called the Hammer, the weight is just right and doesn't make it unwieldy to move around the face.
It's a winner in my book.
I've been able to dial in the razor and noticed it's sweet spot is indeed a slightly steep angle than normal.
The razor is extremely efficient. The smoothness and blade feel is pretty addictive. The Alum block feedback has reduced as I dial in the razor.
While it's called the Hammer, the weight is just right and doesn't make it unwieldy to move around the face.
It's a winner in my book.
Would you consider it aggressive?
Yes pretty aggressive. Blade feel is pretty high.
Ugh, now I’m going to have to pick one up…
I had my first shave with The Hammer. I gotta say, it was quite good. I have always said since day one that I loved the Flexi, but I wished it would have settings 8 or 9. Because as good as the shave was on setting 6, I was always left wanting more. Well, the hammer is more. It feels very similar in nature to the Flexi. Same finish. Similar weight and balance. But more. More blade. More efficiency. What it does not have more of is any sort of irritation. This is one smooth shaver. I am not a fan of the handle though. But that can be lived with... or changed... pretty easily. I shaved with the SB plate.
You can read my thoughts on this razor and today's shave in my journal linked in my signature.
Overall, the Hammer may just be a great razor! We will see how it goes.
You can read my thoughts on this razor and today's shave in my journal linked in my signature.
Overall, the Hammer may just be a great razor! We will see how it goes.
just curious, why don't you like the handle? does the handle have a good grip according to you? have you shaved with the open comb plate as well? does the razor have good audible feedback?
As I mentioned above, first shave. So no. Did not shave with the OC plate yet. I expand on my thoughts in my shave journal, which I also stated above. I don’t have any grip issues, or slippage, even with perfectly smooth handles. But no, I do not think this handle has good grip. I think this handle is not pleasing to look at. And I find it does not have a nice feel in the hand. Although I do think it has a great weight and good balance. And the finish of the whole razor is very high quality. I may get more accustomed to this handle over time. But if I don’t, I have dozens of better handles laying around. The razor does have good audible feedback.
just got my pearl hammer and shaved with it for the first time. Funny story first though. I purchased this razor on pearl's amazon page and they sent me a feminine female body gel/wash instead of the razor, so I had to send that back and get a refund. I ordered this razor off of maggards a few days ago and just got it today. So, to the razor itself. when you take it out of the package, it's a beautiful and stunning razor to look at and hold. it already comes with a nylon washer on it which I think is kinda neat for pearl to do. I gotta say, this razor has some bite to me. it is an aggressive razor at least to me, but a very smooth razor AS LONG AS YOU let the razor do the work. use very little pressure when using this razor. the handle has some heft to it and the knurling on it is pretty good if you're concerned with grip, but to be honest, I almost always use alum on my hands before shaving so gripping a razor is no problem for me. This razor to me does clog very easily and in my first experience with it, it's not easy to rinse the shaved off hair, so I had to take the head apart once or twice to rinse off the hair that was kinda stuck under the razor blade. I personally love the long handle of this razor. the razor comes with 2 heads, a nice box, a microfiber cloth, 5 nylon washers, 10 razor blades, etc
I think it's a steal for the 44 bucks plus shipping you pay for it. I shaved with the closed comb, so I suspect the open comb will be even more aggressive. I love looking at the razor because it's so dam beautiful and stunning to look at. this razor should last me a very long time. I read the blade gap of this razor for the closed comb is supposed to be 0.75 or 0.76, but it feels more aggressive to me than the gamechanger .84 or lupo .95 open comb and closed comb. I was wondering if anyone else has this same experience with this razor being more aggressive than just about all the lupos and game changers with maybe the exception being the razorock jaws .84 which I have. This razor is an aggressive smooth razor that gave me close to BBS in 2 passes.
I think it's a steal for the 44 bucks plus shipping you pay for it. I shaved with the closed comb, so I suspect the open comb will be even more aggressive. I love looking at the razor because it's so dam beautiful and stunning to look at. this razor should last me a very long time. I read the blade gap of this razor for the closed comb is supposed to be 0.75 or 0.76, but it feels more aggressive to me than the gamechanger .84 or lupo .95 open comb and closed comb. I was wondering if anyone else has this same experience with this razor being more aggressive than just about all the lupos and game changers with maybe the exception being the razorock jaws .84 which I have. This razor is an aggressive smooth razor that gave me close to BBS in 2 passes.
I have a Lupo 95 SB and GC 84. Both closed comb safety bar. So I will tell you my thoughts.
In my book, aggressive and efficient are two different things. Efficiency indicates how effective and how close a razor shaves. Aggressiveness indicates how the razor feels on your skin, as well as it’s potential to bite and do facial damage.
And theoretically gap measurements mean very little unless all the other shave dynamics are exactly the same. Exposure, blade angle, blade clamping, etc, have a pronounced effect. That is why the Timeless Bronze with a .38 gap is more aggressive and more efficient than the Timeless .68.
These are my initial observations based on my face and my level of skill. This razor has some blade feel. But it is not aggressive. It is super smooth like the Flexi on #6. If the Flexi had a setting #8, this is what I envision it would feel like. At no time did I feel any unwanted levels of aggressiveness on my skin. At no time did I feel any danger of getting cut or nicked. The level of aggression is about the same as the Lupo 95. The GC 84 has zero aggression for me, so that is lower in my experience.
Regarding effectiveness, the GC 84 is the least efficient of the three razors in question. The Lupo 95 is the most efficient. And the Hammer sits just a hair below the Lupo right now. However, this is my first shot with the Hammer, while I have had the Lupo for a long time. So this may change as I get more accustomed to the Hammer. I foresee the Hammer turning out to be a more efficient shaver than the Lupo 95 once I get through the learning curve, find the best blade, and get some more shaves under my belt. But only time will tell this.
For another comparison, my prior shave before the Hammer was with a Wolfman WR2 1.15 SB in stainless. It is now approx 27 hours since my first Hammer shave. I have noticeably more stubbles on my cheeks right now, than at this point after that Wolfman shave.
@BradWorld has covered across the wide spectrum on where the Pearl Hammer falls. I prefer using steep angles with most razors, which is what I settled in with my initial shaves.
To dial in the razor angle I experimented with the shave angle going shallow to steep.
The hammer is pretty smooth even when riding the cap and extremely efficient. It's a wonderful tool for both shallow and steep angles. I am leaning towards it being a notch more efficient when riding the cap, but habits die hard with steep muscle memory, I end up rolling along form shallow to steep and ended up nicking myself a few times mostly on the chin.
I can add the Timless Slim Titanium which has only a 0.50 gap and a 0.05mm exposure. It's extremely efficient but at in narrow angle. I can find that angle only by pivoting off the bar. I've used a Feather with the slim, but it didn't feel a threatening razor at all even its classified an aggressive razor by its makers on the product page.
The hammer is unlike the slim and cannot be used on autopilot .
The ATT H1 classic SB and the Blackland Dart are two razors which feel similar in shave quality. The hammer has better blade clamping than the H1, while the Dart works best only steep, unless you want to indulge in a blood war with it.
To dial in the razor angle I experimented with the shave angle going shallow to steep.
The hammer is pretty smooth even when riding the cap and extremely efficient. It's a wonderful tool for both shallow and steep angles. I am leaning towards it being a notch more efficient when riding the cap, but habits die hard with steep muscle memory, I end up rolling along form shallow to steep and ended up nicking myself a few times mostly on the chin.
I can add the Timless Slim Titanium which has only a 0.50 gap and a 0.05mm exposure. It's extremely efficient but at in narrow angle. I can find that angle only by pivoting off the bar. I've used a Feather with the slim, but it didn't feel a threatening razor at all even its classified an aggressive razor by its makers on the product page.
The hammer is unlike the slim and cannot be used on autopilot .
The ATT H1 classic SB and the Blackland Dart are two razors which feel similar in shave quality. The hammer has better blade clamping than the H1, while the Dart works best only steep, unless you want to indulge in a blood war with it.
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Another Hammer shave this morning. Used a vintage Polsilver Stainless in the gold tuck. This blade had a lot of shaves on it. But it still shaved a lot closer than the new Platinum I used on the last shave.
I also changed out the handle to this one in the photo that matches the razor perfectly. It is the exact same length as the original handle. It is either very close to the same weight, or maybe a smidge heavier, which is a good thing in my book. Probably stainless instead of brass. But the finish is an exact match to the Hammer razor head! I do not remember where I got this handle. It has been sitting in my spare handle pile for a few years. This may be the handle from the original Kickstarter Rockwell S6 razor that sliced up everyone that tried it. It was so bad, Rockwell had to send everyone new razors for free. Anyways, I am not really sure where this handle came from. But, it has improved my enjoyment of this razor tremendously. It looks better, and it feels better in the hand. So I am going to keep it with this one. Not going back to the Taj Mahal handle. LOL.
Shave results were super close. Strong DFS+. No issues at all. We will see in 24 hours how much stubbles grow back, and compare to the Platinum shave from the other day.
So far this razor is a great one. It is not sending that Flexi to the BST just yet. We will have to see how things shake out. Some more Hammer shaves will be coming up in a week or two.
I also changed out the handle to this one in the photo that matches the razor perfectly. It is the exact same length as the original handle. It is either very close to the same weight, or maybe a smidge heavier, which is a good thing in my book. Probably stainless instead of brass. But the finish is an exact match to the Hammer razor head! I do not remember where I got this handle. It has been sitting in my spare handle pile for a few years. This may be the handle from the original Kickstarter Rockwell S6 razor that sliced up everyone that tried it. It was so bad, Rockwell had to send everyone new razors for free. Anyways, I am not really sure where this handle came from. But, it has improved my enjoyment of this razor tremendously. It looks better, and it feels better in the hand. So I am going to keep it with this one. Not going back to the Taj Mahal handle. LOL.
Shave results were super close. Strong DFS+. No issues at all. We will see in 24 hours how much stubbles grow back, and compare to the Platinum shave from the other day.
So far this razor is a great one. It is not sending that Flexi to the BST just yet. We will have to see how things shake out. Some more Hammer shaves will be coming up in a week or two.
I have 9 shaves on the Pearl Hammer with 3 brands of blades so far.
I am getting excellent results since I've got my muscle memory locked on to this razor's shave angle. All my experiments have me convinced that this razor works best off the guard.
I am getting excellent results since I've got my muscle memory locked on to this razor's shave angle. All my experiments have me convinced that this razor works best off the guard.
I just ordered one yesterday. Looking forward for the open comb shave.
Mine came in yesterday. Great packaging, too. First impression is that it's heavy and seems massive, but very well balanced. The handle is thick but doesn't seem as heavy as a SS one of the same size, but I could be wrong. I put a Treet Black Beauty on top of the OC plate. Lathered up some Mogno with a brand new Semogue 1250, and went to town.
It was a great shave. As close as any other razor I've used, no burn or weepers. A great value, if you're on the fence I say go for it.
It was a great shave. As close as any other razor I've used, no burn or weepers. A great value, if you're on the fence I say go for it.
My Pearl Hammer shave today with the OC plate. I find the OC plate smoother and a tad milder than the SB plate.
It doesn't seem like either puts much stock in clamping, for what it's worth.
I just had my 2nd shave with the hammer. first time I used the sb plate, 2nd time I used the open comb plate and having used both, I can say they are equally efficient at least to me, but if I had to pick, I like the sb plate more than the open comb plate. Also, I think I am gonna try the sb head on another handle. Most likely a stainless steel handle with better grip. Nothing really wrong with the pearl hammer handle, but to it doesn't provide as much grip as I would like and sometimes it feels a little awkward to hold it while shaving. The knurling on the handle is not as deep as I would like. Nice looking handle none the less. I am still glad I bought this razor. For 44 dollars, you really can't go wrong.
