I'm very happy with the RazoRock Hawk V3 (stainless steel) I've been using for the last couple weeks, especially when coupled with the Kai Captain Titan ProTouch MG blades. I might have found my shave Nirvana.
A little background: I'm 64, with something like an average beard and not-particularly sensitive skin. I moved from multi-blade razors to DE about four years ago, when my local store moved blades behind the desk, making me wait in the lottery line to buy them. I immediately preferred the DE experience; now when I use a multi-blade while traveling carry-on I feel like I've run a cheese grater over my face.
In DE, after some experimentation, I settled for a couple years into a two-pass shave (WTG, ATG) with a RazoRock Game Changer .84 and Rapira Platinum Lux blades, and have zero complaints: It gives a comfortable, close, and easy shave. I did have to take my time or I'd either get weepers or get premature stubble, but taking my time is sort of a feature rather than a complaint.
I suppose I got a little bored, and I started thinking about the theoretical advantages of a thicker single-edge blade. I had an Eversharp-Schick G8 (what my father used, though my copy was bought later) that I'd never given a fair try, so I loaded a Chinese-made Schick blade. I liked it a lot. I could have stayed there, but the build quality - folded sheet metal and Bakelite - wasn't satisfying. I tried a modern injector which is much prettier, but has a thicker head that made it harder for me to know where the blade was, so my sideburns got messy.
Artist Club seemed like the logical next stop, so I bought the RazoRock Hawk V3, with standard base plate. First pairing was a Schick Proline blade, and I was immediately happy; I like the geometry, with a thin head that makes the blade location obvious; I'm happy with the build quality and feel like it will last forever; and the shave angle came naturally. I needed to shave every day for the first two weeks with this razor, and after 8 days with the first Proline I declared it at least the equal of the GC84. I had to be careful or I could get some razor burn and weepers, but less than with the GC84. The Proline was still going strong after 8 days, but I decided to bin it so I could move on.
Blade 2: Kai Captain Titan ProTouch MG. And wow.
I had some initial emotional resistance to a guarded blade; it felt like training wheels. But it's so comfortable! And I have freedom to use pressure, so it gives me more options for areas of wrinkled skin and old scars.
Today, 4th shave on the Kai, was the first time I had the chance to skip a day, and I'm just stunned: It simply wipes whiskers away. With two passes (WTG, ATG) and very minimal buffing I've got one of my top 5 shaves ever, and that includes some 3-pass DE days when I really worked at it.
I'll check out the rest of my Try-A-Blade sampler for the sake of completeness, but I really don't need to: This Kai is great.
I have the 100 mm titanium handle on the Hawk, and the jury is still a little out on it; I like the length, weight, and balance, but it's not a very grippy handle, and if I get soap on my hands (an old puck of Grooming Dept duck today) it's a little slippery. Any suggestions on a grippier Ti handle would be appreciated. And I might try the more aggressive Hawk base plate, not because I need it, but more just to buy a gift for this razor.
Overall, kudos to RazoRock and Kai. This is a great combination.
Tim
A little background: I'm 64, with something like an average beard and not-particularly sensitive skin. I moved from multi-blade razors to DE about four years ago, when my local store moved blades behind the desk, making me wait in the lottery line to buy them. I immediately preferred the DE experience; now when I use a multi-blade while traveling carry-on I feel like I've run a cheese grater over my face.
In DE, after some experimentation, I settled for a couple years into a two-pass shave (WTG, ATG) with a RazoRock Game Changer .84 and Rapira Platinum Lux blades, and have zero complaints: It gives a comfortable, close, and easy shave. I did have to take my time or I'd either get weepers or get premature stubble, but taking my time is sort of a feature rather than a complaint.
I suppose I got a little bored, and I started thinking about the theoretical advantages of a thicker single-edge blade. I had an Eversharp-Schick G8 (what my father used, though my copy was bought later) that I'd never given a fair try, so I loaded a Chinese-made Schick blade. I liked it a lot. I could have stayed there, but the build quality - folded sheet metal and Bakelite - wasn't satisfying. I tried a modern injector which is much prettier, but has a thicker head that made it harder for me to know where the blade was, so my sideburns got messy.
Artist Club seemed like the logical next stop, so I bought the RazoRock Hawk V3, with standard base plate. First pairing was a Schick Proline blade, and I was immediately happy; I like the geometry, with a thin head that makes the blade location obvious; I'm happy with the build quality and feel like it will last forever; and the shave angle came naturally. I needed to shave every day for the first two weeks with this razor, and after 8 days with the first Proline I declared it at least the equal of the GC84. I had to be careful or I could get some razor burn and weepers, but less than with the GC84. The Proline was still going strong after 8 days, but I decided to bin it so I could move on.
Blade 2: Kai Captain Titan ProTouch MG. And wow.
I had some initial emotional resistance to a guarded blade; it felt like training wheels. But it's so comfortable! And I have freedom to use pressure, so it gives me more options for areas of wrinkled skin and old scars.
Today, 4th shave on the Kai, was the first time I had the chance to skip a day, and I'm just stunned: It simply wipes whiskers away. With two passes (WTG, ATG) and very minimal buffing I've got one of my top 5 shaves ever, and that includes some 3-pass DE days when I really worked at it.
I'll check out the rest of my Try-A-Blade sampler for the sake of completeness, but I really don't need to: This Kai is great.
I have the 100 mm titanium handle on the Hawk, and the jury is still a little out on it; I like the length, weight, and balance, but it's not a very grippy handle, and if I get soap on my hands (an old puck of Grooming Dept duck today) it's a little slippery. Any suggestions on a grippier Ti handle would be appreciated. And I might try the more aggressive Hawk base plate, not because I need it, but more just to buy a gift for this razor.
Overall, kudos to RazoRock and Kai. This is a great combination.
Tim