Yes the part where the blade is exposed should be at an angle, from what I understand. It is the part touching the counter top that I am wondering about. Shouldn't that be flat? Or is that a byproduct of the machining to get the bend of the blade gap?
Rex Konsul - eager for reviews!
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Yes, the top cap has a very slight bow in it longitudinally, in addition to the classic slant "twist." It's actually pretty complex geometry....
Thank you. That is good to know.
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As promised a couple of weeks ago, here are my initial thoughts on the Konsul.
View attachment 1442346
■ TL,DR:
Colour me impressed. Overall, the Konsul is a highly enjoyable shaving tool. Looks classy, works flawlessly. Surprisingly efficient, but a smooth shaver on all settings.
Now here's the longer version... I have had a couple of shaves with the Konsul in the last few weeks, so here are my (still evolving) thoughts.
■ First impression?
To my humble eyes the Konsul is a looker, which also feels super solid in the hand. I couldn't detect any technical flaws since I have started shaving with this efficient tool. It appears REX did it right this time right from the start. Thumbs up!
■ Fit and finish?
Despite the machine marks on the underside of the baseplate (which might not match the expectation of every consumer buying such a premium priced razor,) the fit and finish of the Konsul is nothing but excellent. The circular/swirly machine marks on the underside of the baseplate didn't bother me, since the marks are rather symmetrical on my copy and can be detected only under certain angles of view. However, given the rather high end price point, I'd say one might expect a different post production treatment and I truly see why the treatment of the baseplate given might be a valid point of critisism. The good thing is: this issue remained the only "issue" I found with this razor. Everyone has to decide on their own if the marks are a pita for them - or not.
The gap of the safety bar is even / symmetrical on both sides, I couldn't detect any "smiling blade effect".
View attachment 1442348
The knurling of the handle is one of the stars of the show, it's really grippy and an aesthetical pleasure to look at. It's definitely one of the most attractive handles I've put my hands on this far, both regarding aesthetical and tactile aspects.
Though it might be not as grippy as the benchmark knurling of the Ambassador, it definitely won't slip out of your hand easily. The handle of the Konsul can be turned easily in the hand but it won't slide up or down whilst doing so, this makes for a very high maneuverability whilst keeping control all the time. Weight-wise, the handle and head are outright balanced.
■ Ease of use?
Loading the blade was not an issue for me right from the start. Once the bottom knot has been locked in place the blade stays clamped down securely and remains chatter-free whilst shaving, that's excellent.
The adjustment mechanism (setting 1 to 6.5) rotates with a small amount of smooth tactile resistance, once you set the adjustment it keeps the choosen position without moving any further. Flawless performance, again.
■ The shaves?
All settings turned out to be very usable for my use case. Even on the lowest setting the level of efficiency didn't drop enough to make this setting useless for me. This point had been my major concern with this razor as the Konsul was reported to be the milder sibling of the Ambassador. Whilst this basically is the case with the Konsul in terms of blade feel, the Konsul turned out to be not too mild (for me). To put my preferences a bit into perspective: I basically prefer medium high to high efficient razors, I shave approx. 300 times per year. Furthermore, I have no issues with the Ambassador whatsoever (great shaver she is, too).
IMO the Konsul finds his place in the upper far end of the medium efficency group. FWIW I certainly could use it as a daily driver, but the Konsul will easily take care on a couple of days worth of growth, too. It's a very versatile shaver.
As per the lower settings: shaving on setting 1 - 1.5 felt effective and smooth atg (or in a full shave when the former shave took place less than 24 hours ago). Setting 1 makes shaving during the fool's pass (atg under the nose) easy and effortless. So, overall, for me the efficiency level of the Konsul gives no reasons to moan. The opposite is the case.
In my view, the Konsul neither is an aggressive razor nor does she provide an inconvenient level of blade feel.
I can see that someone who struggled with the Ambassador might like the shaves with the Konsul better, bladefeel wise. The Konsul feels very smooth and gentle on the lowest settings but still cuts effectively, the blade feel (mildly) kicks in at approx. setting 2.5/2.75. On higher settings (even if cranked up fully to 6.5) the blade feel still isn't meanicing and provides shaving comfort.
View attachment 1442352
■ Konsul vs Ambassador?
I have compared the Konsul's settings with the Ambassador's settings to find a similar level of blade feel extensity. Here are my results:
Konsul approx. 3.75 ~ Ambassador approx. 2
Konsul approx 6.5 ~ Ambassador: approx 3.75.
But mind you, this is only a statement on the perhaps equivalent amount of blade feel with these two razors on given settings. Unfortunately, it won't tell you anything on the overall shaving experience you'll get with them. However, I feel confident enough to say even on these maybe comparable settings the Konsul provided the overall smoother shave (at least on the higher pair of settings mentioned) without being less effective.
These two razors just have a different personality. I'm not entirely sure as yet which one is the more efficient one.
The shaves with the Konsul remained smooth on all settings and that's a the key feature to have here. In terms of smoothness the Konsul is in the same ballpark as the Flexi, I'd say - with the Konsul being a bit more efficient.
View attachment 1442358
■ Drag?
Some have mentioned drag. That's a wording which wouldn't have come to my mind whilst shaving with the Konsul. If at all, there was a very, very low level type of "suction feeling" between the safety bar and my skin (but this feeling is definitely less pronounced than the "suction feeling" one can get, say, with the Henson Shaving razor; the Konsul reminded me more of the shaving experience with my Blackbird SB is this aspect). Perhaps the better suited description is the Konsul glided "just a minor tad more slowly" over the skin than other razors, if this makes any sense to you.
Now, did this issue bother me? No, it didn't. The opposite is the case - I quite like this tactile feeling on the skin.
However, the already not very pronounced "suction feeling" was further weakened as I lowered the handle in parallel to my face (steep angle), which basically became my preferred angle of choice with the Konsul. On the lower end of the setting scale the feeling was rather hard to recognize. Overall, imo the Konsul is a smooth sailor all night long.
■ Sharp corners?
Someone mentioned sharp corners on the Konsul's baseplate. I didn't even recognize this point before this statement was made.
IMHO, one has to literally misuse (!) the shave angle of this razor to feel the edges on the baseplate. Maybe the situation is different for head shavers, however, it was absolutely not an issue whilst shaving my face. These edges were indescernable during my shaves. The edges on my ATT S2 look and feel rather similar, slightly pointy (if at all) if you press your finger on the edge (why would you do this?), but definitely not sharp or meanicing whilst shaving.
View attachment 1442357
■ Blade sensivity?
I have the feeling the Konsul isn't picky when it comes to blade choices, however, just pick a fresh Feather and this thing will shine. The combo really performered.
So these are my initial thoughts...
Thanks for your interest. Kudos to you if you made your way through this wall of text (I'm sorry for any typos I missed).
Maybe I have missed other aspects being of interest for you. Feel free to address them.
Happy shaves!
Thanks so much for a superbly written review and wonderful photos. A joy to read!
I too really like my Konsul and agree with your findings all around. I still would say to me a definite drag is there - which was clear to me this week when I shifted to my #70 Aristocrat which is crazy smooth and glide-free. Still, I love the heft and mildness of the Konsul and it will stay with me for sure.
First that I have heard of a bent cap on the Ambassador and I have a very early edition. You might want to ask Matt about this.
Contempt prior to investigation tells me more about the author than the product.
Have you read my own later reaction on this post?
Yeah, it's completely down to individual taste. I have no experience with the Ambassador but I picked up the Konsul because I was intrigued by the adjustable slant idea.
I quite like it. I was thinking yesterday while shaving with it that I totally get the razorness of it. (OK, old hippie..) It just works for me. I even like the machining marks on the underside of the baseplate -- I consider them an homage to the machine, a sign that certain processes were followed. Sure, my most expensive razor though not by much. I was prepared not to like it and to take a bit of a hit selling it on but that's not gonna happen.
O.H.
Does anyone here have experience with Rex Konsul and Timeless 0.68 smooth bar? My Timeless 0.68 SB in titanium is hands down my smoothest shaver. Because of the smoothness while still being relatively mild, it's my current daily shaver. Just curious how it compares to Konsul in terms of smoothness.
For those questioning the visual finish of the Konsul’s baseplate (I don't), there a good news. According to a post on another forum Rex intends to sandblast the baseplate which will completely remove the machine marks, starting with the upcoming batch. So if in doubt, just wait a bit...
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I'm still deciding on the Konsul, and I'm not in love with it. However yesterday I got my best Konsul shave so far.
It checks my boxes in everything I can evaluate in a razor other than the shaves. I'm not saying its shaves are not good, but I've not determined whether or not they are for me Top Drawer.
To me, it's all about the razor's shave first and foremost.
With the Konsul it wasn't for me love at first shave, but I've not enough experience with this adjustable to say very much. Just a handful of shaves so far with the Konsul.
Happy shaves,
Jim
It checks my boxes in everything I can evaluate in a razor other than the shaves. I'm not saying its shaves are not good, but I've not determined whether or not they are for me Top Drawer.
To me, it's all about the razor's shave first and foremost.
With the Konsul it wasn't for me love at first shave, but I've not enough experience with this adjustable to say very much. Just a handful of shaves so far with the Konsul.
Happy shaves,
Jim
According to your shave reports it sounds pretty obvious to me that you've already made your judgment.... somehow I can't get rid of the impression anyway...
It's too bad this razor doesn't satisfy you, Jim.
I'm looking forward to somebody trying the Konsul for a head shave and reporting their thoughts.
Thus far its my favorite head shaver of all time. Prefer it over the leaf for sure. This razor, especially on 1-4 settings, works at every angle. I have a full head of hair and it just annihilates it. Still have yet to find an easy way to navigate the whorl on the back of my head tho with any razor.
Old Hippie also only shaves his head, so all of his impressions have been based on that
Thank you, this is great to hear. Especially the comparison to the Leaf. I’ve been using one on and off for a couple of years with blades loaded in the middle and top positions and it’s a very good reference to me for head shaving. I prefer and need a mild razor for my head, if not I get cut quite easily.
Besides the Leaf, I get fantastic head shaves with a Game Changer 68.
I have a Lupo 58 on the way to try. The Mamba 53 also is pretty decent but a bit too mild for me. I’ve also tried a Blackbird Era with a level 1 plate. I need to buy a #2 as the 1 is too mild. I’ve also used a Rockwell 6S up to a #4 with good results.
The Konsul intrigues me and I thank you for the reply.
Please let me know if you are able to compare it with any more of the razors I’ve listed.
I can only compare it to the gamechanger. The gamechanger is one of my favorite razors...for my face. The konsul has made it hard for me to use any other razor on my head. The angle is automatic. As in I can just put the razor on my head shallow or steep and ill get similar results. I have yet to find any other de other than the Att s1 that had such an intuitive head shaving angle akin to a cartridge. And the S1 isnt clamped as well so. Also find the slant helps smooth the overall experience out.
4 months in and I am very happy with the Konsul. Finding the correct shaving angle did take a few shaves but that learning curve is well behind me now. The Konsul is a solid and smooth shaving tool.
OK, I've just finished reading this thread, as earlier this week, I learned that the Konsul was a new razor for me to consider. I only own one razor and have a mild and medium/aggressive plate for it, so I believe my sweet spot is between. My Yates 921 M plate is .64 mm and the H plate is 1.02 mm. The H plate is nice, but I wish it had a more neutral blade exposure. From what I'm reading and watching on YouTube, the Konsul appears to fit the bill. It seems that all the owners on this thread are pretty satisfied with it. I also love the handle, so aesthetically, it's quite appealing. Curious if there might be a July 4 sale coming up or something better than the 10% offering from the website.
Never having shaved with a slant, I was concluding that it would be an aggressive shave based on the geometry, but all reviews seems to state the opposite. I'm quite intrigued.
Never having shaved with a slant, I was concluding that it would be an aggressive shave based on the geometry, but all reviews seems to state the opposite. I'm quite intrigued.
