RR Mamba vs Black Mamba

[BradWorld]

I just had my inaugural shave with the new Razorock Mamba. It is a fantastic razor and a terrific shave! As a huge fan of the original Black Mamba, i was very surprised to take this one out of the box and see how different it is from the original.

The finish is superb for a $50 razor! Shocked to see how shiny it is, as most of the other s/s RR razors are either coated or quite dull. The Black is UberGlide coated.

The handle is very nice and well balanced. The Black has an Icon handle, which is also very nice. Mine has the Ikon OSS, whereas it was available with the Ikon Bamboo as well. Both very nice handles. But this new RR stainless handle is quite a looker.

The biggest shock is that the baseplate is completely different. And the top cap is also somewhat differently machined as well.

The Black Mamba is a very efficient shaver. However, it gives me just enough irritation that I cant shave with it every day. I can do one or two shaves, then I have to put it away for a bit. But what awesome shaves they are! On this new one, my wish for increased smoothness has been granted! It is so incredibly smooth. There is no learning curve with this one. No need to take ones time. Just shave away and enjoy. No sound. No blade feel. No irritation. I was able to get a near-BBS result with zero effort. We definitely have a winner here!

On to the photos. I am not a great photog, and I just used the razor. So the photos dont really do it justice. This beast has a great polish, and i wish I were a better photographer so that I could capture that. Take a good look at the difference in the baseplates. You can really see the difference in their profiles from the assembled side shot. Enjoy your shaves!

 

[sw_]

Thanks for the report! And finally we've got some photos showing the underside.
What's the weight of the head?

 

[Tommy Tutone]

Awesome! Thanks for the comparison/review. Great pics, too. Was on the fence and missed the Mamba and am now suffering from non-buyer's remorse. An 'affordable', smooth and efficient SS razor. Enjoy!!

 

[BradWorld]

What's the weight of the head?

Not sure. I cant find my mini scale at the moment. But it feels quite a bit lighter than the Black head.

 

[gvw755]

Thanks for showing pics of the original Black Mamba. I was never able to get it when it first came out because of the price and limited quantity. I did get an Oristo, however, because of the rumors that it was an exact copy of the Black Mamba. When my Mamba arrived yesterday, I immediately compared the heads of the Mamba and Oristo and found the differences in your pics. The Oristo's top cap was slightly thicker and more domed, and the base plate had a thicker edge which formed an indented area at the bottom of the base plate and a raised area where the handle attached to the razor.

The shaves were opposite of what you had mentioned. I shaved with the Oristo over the weekend in anticipation of getting the Mamba yesterday. It was definitely milder than the Mamba, however both razors were equally efficient. I know that v2 of the Oristo, which did not get funded, was supposed to get a slightly redesigned head to make it more aggressive. If it was to make it more similar to the Black Mamba, maybe it was a good thing the project got cancelled.

Like you, I was totally impressed by the build and finish of the Mamba (I especially like the serial number like the Gillette OT). Certainly a steal at $50.

 

[BradWorld]

so to be clear, the end results of the shaves between the two razors are quite similar, with the exception that the Black Mamba leaves me feeling a little bit irritated, but not much. the efficiency is quite comparable. If anything the Black takes off a little more hair.

 

[ClubmanFan]

Thanks for the pics and review. I like those mini post blade holders.

 

[BigJ]

Terrific review! And great pics!! Enjoy your shaves.

 

[WalterK]

That is really a good-looking razor, and like seeing "Made in Canada" clearly engraved ("Made in the USA" would be OK too). I hope in they have an open-comb in mind for the near future.

How is the blade alignment?

 

[JOYCEfromNS]

That is really a good-looking razor, and like seeing "Made in Canada" clearly engraved ("Made in the USA" would be OK too). I hope in they have an open-comb in mind for the near future.

Agree on all points!

 

[Sharp&Shiny]

I have a dumb question. What's the point of removing the bottom of the Mamba handle? Is it to tweak the balance?

 

[WalterK]

I have a dumb question. What's the point of removing the bottom of the Mamba handle? Is it to tweak the balance?

It's officially to carry toothpicks but it's very useful to carry emergency matches when going camping.

 

[WalterK]

I honestly don't know.

 

[User 306]

Just got home from work and the new Mamba was at my door. Can't wait to take it for a spin tomorrow morning. Looks really good and for the price it may be one of those " I feel like it should cost more " razors. Heavier than I thought it would be based on the reviews I've read so far.

 

[DEdestroyer77]

I just had a 1st shave with a Mamba, unfortunately it was just meh for me. Lots of irritation on my trouble areas due to multiple attempts at buffing. It sounds like it works for you, its a great deal at $50, fit and finish are very nice for the price.

I've come to the conclusion I just cant get along with Razorock razors which stinks. The Black Mamba was far to mild but that Uberglide coating was incredible, Mamba too mild for BBS and I found the head too light for my prefrences, Wunderbar didn't like at all, German 37 blade alignment issues. Oh well, I tried.

 

[Nate B]

I just had a 1st shave with a Mamba, unfortunately it was just meh for me. Lots of irritation on my trouble areas due to multiple attempts at buffing. It sounds like it works for you, its a great deal at $50, fit and finish are very nice for the price.

I've come to the conclusion I just cant get along with Razorock razors which stinks. The Black Mamba was far to mild but that Uberglide coating was incredible, Mamba too mild for BBS and I found the head too light for my prefrences, Wunderbar didn't like at all, German 37 blade alignment issues. Oh well, I tried.

Want to sell it?

 

[1Vader]

I just had a 1st shave with a Mamba, unfortunately it was just meh for me. Lots of irritation on my trouble areas due to multiple attempts at buffing. It sounds like it works for you, its a great deal at $50, fit and finish are very nice for the price.

I've come to the conclusion I just cant get along with Razorock razors which stinks. The Black Mamba was far to mild but that Uberglide coating was incredible, Mamba too mild for BBS and I found the head too light for my prefrences, Wunderbar didn't like at all, German 37 blade alignment issues. Oh well, I tried.

What razor’s work the best for you? I didn’t care for the Wunderbar either, nor the Black Mamba, but had a blast with the Baby Smooth Ti.

It’s surprising cause the Al version wasn’t my favorite either.

 

[vachgh]

I just had a 1st shave with a Mamba, unfortunately it was just meh for me. Lots of irritation on my trouble areas due to multiple attempts at buffing. It sounds like it works for you, its a great deal at $50, fit and finish are very nice for the price.

I've come to the conclusion I just cant get along with Razorock razors which stinks. The Black Mamba was far to mild but that Uberglide coating was incredible, Mamba too mild for BBS and I found the head too light for my prefrences, Wunderbar didn't like at all, German 37 blade alignment issues. Oh well, I tried.

What blade did you use in Mamba?

Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

[DEdestroyer77]

What blade did you use in Mamba?

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Gillette Platinum. It's the only blade I use

 

[DEdestroyer77]

What razor’s work the best for you? I didn’t care for the Wunderbar either, nor the Black Mamba, but had a blast with the Baby Smooth Ti.

It’s surprising cause the Al version wasn’t my favorite either.

The Aluminum Baby Smooth I felt like had a lot of drag to it, I am assuming it'a characteristic to aluminum because my titanium version didn't. That said the titanium BS didn't wow me so I sold it.

What works for me? After trying many razors I settled on the ATT S2 slant for quite a while until one day I got a itch out of nowhere and bought a .68 SB Timeless with the dimpled handle. Lights out, end of game. The Timeless dominated every other razor I owned and sold in every aspect, and what I thought was an incredible shave with the ATT S2 became just a good shave and was sold. I've never hoaded razors, just soaps lol.

Enter the Bronze Timeless .38. I received the email from Timeless and thought holy cow, that is one beautiful razor, saw the pricepoint of $120 and I had one on the way within 2 minutes. Today was shave 5, 10 if you include head shaves, and I have to say it is the best shaving razor I have ever had the pleasure of using. I prefer heavier razors in the mid aggressive range and this nails it.

The Mamba is a fine razor truly, it is finished nice and the fit is good, it just didn't work for me for a few reasons. If Razorock came out with a little more aggressive razor with that Uberglide coating I would have to try it, the Black Mamba was the best gliding razor I've ever used.