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Shave-off/throwdown between my two favorite DE razors... which will win?

Ok, folks, here is the shave-off you didn't necessarily need, but I did, so I'm doing it anyway. It is between two of my favorite current DEs. Unfortunately, only one of them is still in production.

The contenders are the following: in this corner, my 0.58 stainless steel Lupo; in the other corner, one of the six configurations that were available with the Occam's DE when it was made. It came with three baseplate and two caps. I don't know which were supposed to be more aggressive, etc, but it turns out that the baseplate with the wide lather holes coupled with the smooth top cap is my favorite (yes, the razor also came with a top cap that had a ridge like a Rhodesian ridgeback, said to be to help beginners find and maintain a proper angle).

I like to make my shave-offs as fair as possible. I don't have two identical handles so I picked two that have approximately the same weight. For tonight's shave I got two fresh Polsilvers from the same pack. I loaded up the razors, lathered up some Stone Cottage Soapworks cream, and set to work. For this first shave, I used the Lupo on the left side of my face and the Occam's for the right. This will be reversed for the second shave, and then the handles will be swapped for the last two shaves.

I made a nice lather and got started. Right off the bat the Lupo had a fair amount of blade feel. The Occam's felt smoother. After the first pass, I felt around to see if either side had an advantage and it was fairly even. If anything, it was perhaps slightly closer on the Occam's side.

I lathered up again and did an XTG pass. On this pass, curiously, the difference in blade feel was nil. Both sides were smooth, and feeling the face after two passes showed reduction was equivalent.

I then lathered up for a third pass/clean-up. This went well everywhere. During the rinse I felt one tiny spot of irritation on the Lupo side. Stubble reduction was identical; DFS bilaterally.

I applied an alcohol splash to see if there was any sting. There was only the tiniest amount, and it was equivalent.

The shave looked and felt good. There were no cuts or red spots or weepers. The Lupo is more like a sports car, but I didn't feel that it was any particular advantage during the shave.

Overall, the first shave is close to a tie, but I give the slight advantage to the Occam's because the first pass felt a bit smoother during the shave.

Next round in a couple of days. Here are a couple of pics of the contenders:
 

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Glad to see this thread getting the attention it deserves... virtually zero. I mean, what am I trying to do? Convince people to get excited about a razor that is no longer in production? Sheesh!

I did the second shave today, anyway. This time, I shaved the right side with the Occam's and the left side with the Lupo. Lather was a simple, quick Truefitt and Hill WIL scent.

First pass was quick and easy. On a again, the Occam's felt a little smoother. Reduction on the first pass was about the same.

Second pass went well on both sides. No cleanup was done. Shave was CCS. Reduction was similar. A tiny bit of irritation under the chin on the Lupo side. No sting from the aftershave.

Second shave winner is again the Occam's, but only by a tiny bit. Felt smoother and no irritation.

Is it the head, or the handle, or the blade? For shave three I will switch the blades and switch the handles to find out.

I thought the Lupo was going to be untouchable, but so far the Occam's DE is just slightly better.
 
I'm pressing on to finish the shave-off. Shave three was this morning.

Switched blades and handles last night to make sure as many variables as possible were covered.

Lathered up with my favorite cream and went at it; Lupo on the left side, Occam's on the right. First lass was fine. More blade feel on the Lupo side. Surprisingly, reduction was slightly better on the Occam's side. After the second pass, though, it evened out.

The Occam's, I forgot to mention, stores a bunch of water in its head and lubricates during the shave, like the Grand Shave King does.

Anyway, since it was a Sunday and I was playing the organ for our church services, I decided to do a quick third pass/clean-up.

After all the passes the end res lt was near BBS. One spot of very mild irritation on the left low neck, but it didn't last long. No weepers. Finished with a non-alcohol aftershave.

I guess I have to call round three a virtual tie. I do like the Wolfman handle better, but evan with the shorter handle, the Occam's shaved with a tiny bit less blade feel and efficacy was about the same. The head of the Lupo is definitely smaller, which a lot of people like. It is really easy to shave with, and tight spots are never a concern (like the Wolfman WR1).

One more shave remains, then I will either crown a champion or call them essentially equivalent. If you have made it this far
 
Well, I guess I'm stubborn, because I finished the shave-off this morning. Used Wickham's Club Cola soap. Occam's on the left, Lupo on the right.

Long story short, the win goes to the Lupo this morning by a very slight margin, with better first-pass reduction.

Overall, the shave off is either a tie or a slight win for the Occam's. Both razors are fantastic for me. Both amazing for people who like a mild but efficient shaver. Probably best for every day or every other day shaving. If you shave every 4-5 days or once a week I would look elsewhere.

Differences:
1) The Lupo is thinner, lighter, and more maneuverable; fantastic for under the nose.
2) The Occam's holds and releases a lot of water during the shave, which questionably helps to keep your lather properly hydrated. Probably more important if you shave slowly or tend to make a drier lather to begin with.
3) The Occam's makes a louder and more 'hollow' sound when shaving. Whether the sound is better than the Lupo is subjective.
4) The Lupo covers the blade tabs entirely, whereas the Occam's does not.
5) There is slightly less blade feel with the Occam's. Again, whether this is good or bad depends on your perspective. I prefer less blade feel, generally speaking.

Both of these will remain in my rotation. I slightly prefer the Occam's, but they are both wonderful for me.

Now, a few final pics comparing the razors.
 

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never-stop-learning

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Well, I guess I'm stubborn, because I finished the shave-off this morning. Used Wickham's Club Cola soap. Occam's on the left, Lupo on the right.

Long story short, the win goes to the Lupo this morning by a very slight margin, with better first-pass reduction.

Overall, the shave off is either a tie or a slight win for the Occam's. Both razors are fantastic for me. Both amazing for people who like a mild but efficient shaver. Probably best for every day or every other day shaving. If you shave every 4-5 days or once a week I would look elsewhere.

Differences:
1) The Lupo is thinner, lighter, and more maneuverable; fantastic for under the nose.
2) The Occam's holds and releases a lot of water during the shave, which questionably helps to keep your lather properly hydrated. Probably more important if you shave slowly or tend to make a drier lather to begin with.
3) The Occam's makes a louder and more 'hollow' sound when shaving. Whether the sound is better than the Lupo is subjective.
4) The Lupo covers the blade tabs entirely, whereas the Occam's does not.
5) There is slightly less blade feel with the Occam's. Again, whether this is good or bad depends on your perspective. I prefer less blade feel, generally speaking.

Both of these will remain in my rotation. I slightly prefer the Occam's, but they are both wonderful for me.

Now, a few final pics comparing the razors.
The Occam was very underrated. It scored very well in my comparison of mid-priced razors.

I don't have the Lupo .58 to be able to compare and appreciate your thorough review and write-up. :)
 
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