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RazoRock Wunderbar photo comparison with similar DSCosmetic DS-XT slant

Iridian

Cool and slimy
RazoRock inofficially announced in a support answer that there might be no future Wunderbars, as it and previous slants like the Stealth Slant might be covered through a new model with multiple plate selection: New RazoRock Slant design in the works! - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/new-razorock-slant-design-in-the-works.617761/

Quite interestingly, not so long ago DSCosmetics released a very Wunderbar-looking razor that copies a lot of its elements, called DSCosmetic DS-XT.
The handles used are the "Ladder" handle of DSCosmetics (LEFT) and the RazoRock Wunderbar uses an Alpha Shaving "Viper" handle that is rather meant for the Outlaw razor.

I will compare the two slants in photos and give my impression how they shave differently.

Summary: They are similar, but not quite the same.
Different are:
1. The safety bar of the XT is even more slanted and twisted
2. While exposure above the bar is even for both the Wunderbar and the XT, the blade support of the cap is uneven for the XT, it is more exposed the more you look tho the right side.
3. The baseplate of the Wunderbar has a recess that is perfect fit for an o-ring, while XT has a O-ring shaped metal protrusion there.
4. The screw of the XT is longer, in general every part is thicker, see photo 2 for example.
5. DSCosmetics has a more shiny, RazoRock a more silvery polish. This is not only true for these razorheads, but in general. Please note, the Wunderbar handle is from Alpha Shaving, it is a very fine handle I personally like better than all (but also very good) handles from both RR and DSC. It should also be mentioned that DSCosmetic always polishes their handles shiny and slippery, even the Super Knurl clones, they incredibly have slippery knurling, nice looking but not too useful.

Shaving wise, the Wunderbar wants you to ride the cap. It is very smooth, but it can cut deep if you don't pay attention. So one might call it aggressive, but as long as you don't kill yourself with it, it is actually a very smooth razor.

The DS-XT has way more leeway with the shaving angle and is easier to use. But it is more aggressive. It is, unlike the almost totally silent Wunderbar, this is IMO due to the parts of the blade unsupported by the cap.

It is in general less refined, a bit rougher all the time and more likely to bite. Unlike the Wunderbar the DS-XT is telegraphing the danger, you will feel it. The Wunderbar cuts cleaner, you might notice injuries only after a while.

TLDR while the DS-XT is a lookalike and shares some traits, it is not the same razor and has some characteristics of its own.

dsxtwunderbar1.jpgdsxtwunderbar2.jpgdsxtwunderbar3.jpgdsxtwunderbar4.jpgdsxtwunderbar5.jpg
 
Thank you for the photos and comparison.

My opinion is aligned with what RR said: a stainless slant only makes sense with the best possible machining and tolerances. This seems to be not the case with the DS-XT. You can't move the blade once it is put together (like you can with a merkur or fatip), so a perfect blade alignment can only be achieved by perfect machining. The Wunderbar is spot on. Bottom line: to me it does not make sense to buy a replica of the Wunderbar.

P.s.: I use the Wunderbar steep, but at least not with a shallow angle. only in some spots I switch to shallow.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
My next shave is with the Styletto, already took a photo of it in preparation! 😉

Give the XT some credit, though if one really needs it if one has the Wunderbar already, there I would indeed say rather not.

I would think of the XT as being different, not as inferior copy. It's a very good razor that I have a hard time to rate lower or higher than the Wunderbar for reasons stated above. I like the higher gap and flexibility a lot while shaving, plus increased audible feedback. It's the only thing I am missing when using the Wunderbar.

The blade doesn't move in the XT either, the cap just covers the blade in this weird uneven way.

What I find particularly interesting is that DSC is this time not undercutting the price at all.
 
I had a great shave with the Dscosmetic slant clone this morning . It is attached to the Dscosmetic Ti handle. I used an Astra SS blade. Very close and smooth. One word of note this is not a cheap razor. About $100 with the handle. Slightly less with a stainless steel handle. Shipping was fairly quick at two weeks.
Dscosmetic Slant.JPG
 
You might also want to consider the Parker Semi-slants. The degree of slant is not nearly as pronounced as in the razors shown. The Parker is made of brass, blade allignment is excellent and the head clamps the blade tightly near the edge so there is no blade chatter. It is one of my favorite razors even though I have several more expensive razors.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
You might also want to consider the Parker Semi-slants. The degree of slant is not nearly as pronounced as in the razors shown. The Parker is made of brass, blade allignment is excellent and the head clamps the blade tightly near the edge so there is no blade chatter. It is one of my favorite razors even though I have several more expensive razors.
I've never even seen one of these! I'll have to correct that.
RazoRock inofficially announced in a support answer that there might be no future Wunderbars, as it and previous slants like the Stealth Slant might be covered through a new model with multiple plate selection: New RazoRock Slant design in the works! - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/new-razorock-slant-design-in-the-works.617761/

Quite interestingly, not so long ago DSCosmetics released a very Wunderbar-looking razor that copies a lot of its elements, called DSCosmetic DS-XT.
The handles used are the "Ladder" handle of DSCosmetics (LEFT) and the RazoRock Wunderbar uses an Alpha Shaving "Viper" handle that is rather meant for the Outlaw razor.

I will compare the two slants in photos and give my impression how they shave differently.

Summary: They are similar, but not quite the same.
Different are:
1. The safety bar of the XT is even more slanted and twisted
2. While exposure above the bar is even for both the Wunderbar and the XT, the blade support of the cap is uneven for the XT, it is more exposed the more you look tho the right side.
3. The baseplate of the Wunderbar has a recess that is perfect fit for an o-ring, while XT has a O-ring shaped metal protrusion there.
4. The screw of the XT is longer, in general every part is thicker, see photo 2 for example.
5. DSCosmetics has a more shiny, RazoRock a more silvery polish. This is not only true for these razorheads, but in general. Please note, the Wunderbar handle is from Alpha Shaving, it is a very fine handle I personally like better than all (but also very good) handles from both RR and DSC. It should also be mentioned that DSCosmetic always polishes their handles shiny and slippery, even the Super Knurl clones, they incredibly have slippery knurling, nice looking but not too useful.

Shaving wise, the Wunderbar wants you to ride the cap. It is very smooth, but it can cut deep if you don't pay attention. So one might call it aggressive, but as long as you don't kill yourself with it, it is actually a very smooth razor.

The DS-XT has way more leeway with the shaving angle and is easier to use. But it is more aggressive. It is, unlike the almost totally silent Wunderbar, this is IMO due to the parts of the blade unsupported by the cap.

It is in general less refined, a bit rougher all the time and more likely to bite. Unlike the Wunderbar the DS-XT is telegraphing the danger, you will feel it. The Wunderbar cuts cleaner, you might notice injuries only after a while.

TLDR while the DS-XT is a lookalike and shares some traits, it is not the same razor and has some characteristics of its own.

View attachment 1380083View attachment 1380084View attachment 1380085View attachment 1380086View attachment 1380087
Well done on the review and on the photos my friend!

I only have one slant, my RR German 37. It does a wonderful job. But stainless sounds interesting!
 
I have a genuine Wunderbar head on a DS Cosmetic 316L handle, which matches it nicely. The Wunderbar has no blade alignment issues at all and shaves as close as an R41. It's also very hard to nick yourself. Here's a stock picture of the 316L handle with the clone head, but the genuine RR head looks almost identical.

Dscosmetic-XT-316L-Stainless-steel-double-edge-safety-razor.jpg_Q90.jpg
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
but the genuine RR head looks almost identical.
Yeah. Does yours have this blade alignment, or rather, it isn't, it is more an uneven cap support thing, too? The blade is actually dead centered. I think this is how it is supposed to be.

Because I have read how some people found they had to "align the blade" in their Merkur 37c slant and therefore twisted it at the tabs till it went evenly with the way the blade was seen from above under the cap, rather than the bar. Which turned their razors into something nasty.
 
The genuine Wunderbar seems to have much better blade alignment than the DS-XT, although I've never seen a DS-XT in the flesh.

Blade alignment is very positive on the Wunderbar and can't be tweaked, so it's a good job that it's spot-on. Chinese copies generally seem to be less accurately made and with loose tolerances. I have clones of the R89 and the Futur and they're both a bit shoddy.

Whether you like the Wunderbar or not, there's no denying that it's a lovely piece of engineering. It's just a shame that RazoRock seems to sell it with random mismatched handles. DS Cosmetic has the better handle for sure.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
I've never seen a DS-XT in the flesh.
(...)
Chinese copies generally seem to be less accurately made and with loose tolerances.
I would rather say this is becoming a thing of the past, the DSC heads went disappoint you either. I somehow assumed you had both razors.

The Wunderbar is unique as far as the Slants I have here right are concerned!

I just checked my iKon B1 Slant, it also has the blade aligned with the bar but unequally covered by the cap. Same style as the DS-XT. I don't have a Merkur slant here anymore but there it was the same.

DSCosmetics has quite some nice handles, wish they would polish them a bit less, they are always slippery due to polish. I have the Pioneer as well, it is beautiful but one of their hardest to hold. If you can deal with it, their others won't be a problem then either. 😀

DSCosmetics has quite a high standard and their customer service seems to work. Getting something in case of problems from RazoRock is yet to happen to be reported. I didn't have problems with either company yet, one RazoRock razor supposedly got destroyed by customs. 😦

DSC puts more emphasis on finish than Yaqi. They sometimes tweak copied designs, for instance compare the GC .84 head with their S9 head. The sides are still covering the tabs but have two indents to make grabbing the blade a bit easier.

RazoRock had once a bit fancier handles. The first Wunderbars had some more choices like the so called vertigo handle that is no longer being made.
 
I just checked my iKon B1 Slant, it also has the blade aligned with the bar but unequally covered by the cap. Same style as the DS-XT. I don't have a Merkur slant here anymore but there it was the same.
I have a 37C and I have always used it with the blade aligned with the cap. There are several threads about this and it is the manufacturer's recommendation. I have to fiddle with the blade mostly, but the shaves are great. The Wunderbar is absolutely perfect in terms of alignment.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
I have a 37C and I have always used it with the blade aligned with the cap. There are several threads about this and it is the manufacturer's recommendation.
Hm yeah. Wonder if about every slant I have is crooked or if it is by design in some cases. Both the iKon and XT do this aligning with the bar, bit not the cap as mentioned.
 
Hm yeah. Wonder if about every slant I have is crooked or if it is by design in some cases. Both the iKon and XT do this aligning with the bar, bit not the cap as mentioned.
The FOCS also aligns with the bar(comb). The Merkur might be the odd one.
 

ERS4

My exploding razor knows secrets
I've purchased Dscosmetic's products more than once, including during the pandemic, so recent purchases are also covered.

It is a pity that their processing details and precision are indeed inferior to Razorock, so that they must be disguised with external polishing, but excessive polishing results in too low handle friction + blurred geometric ridges on the inside of the head.

I even ran into an unfinished handle screw with a lot of machining residue left in the hole that I had to rework myself.
I can still understand describing the DS as "not bad," but it's really hard to describe them as "quality-focused."

Now I only use DS products as travel spares, and RR still has relatively stable quality.
 
Purchased this one off of the b/s/t some time ago and just got around to using it for the last 3 shaves. I've never sampled the RR Wunderbar and have limited use with slants from the Parker Semi Slant & the Rex Konsul Slant prototype. The DS-XT here actually exhibits good cutting pedigree with very good smoothness and easy efficiency. An angle adjustment can either produce a mild feeling but, effectively close shave or a bit more blade feel for those that want a bit more feel and aggressiveness in their shave routine. Fit and feel are excellent with a nice finish and semi polished look. Blade is held tightly and precisely in a very rigid platform.

So far, it's a good shaver....

IMG_52871.jpg
 
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