Stainless Steel DE purchase

[jhadsell1883]

A little background...Started a little over a year ago with wetshaving and have tried a few razors. Currently I am using my first razor (DE89) and the newest one (Progress) I have tried the 37c and R41, while I liked the efficiency of those, they were not smooth or easy shavers for me. I like the Progress on 4 (out of 5) and think I would like a fixed SS razor that is similar to that.

So far I have considered Ikon, Weber, and ATT, most of which are higher than I want to pay for a razor. I am currently debating between the Razorock SLAB and Ikon Shavecraft. It seems that they both have similar handles, which is another reason I am looking to upgrade. Anyone have advice or suggestions?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[santamariasteve]

Weber. It is low cost for a stainless steel razor. If it is too much for your budget you may be out of luck.

 

[FridayGt]

I wish I could give you an opinion based on comparison experience, but I haven't tried the others. I did, however, just receive my Slab and was blown away by its performance coming from an old tech. The gap and blade exposure of the slab had me really nervous, but the handle weight and blade angle had this razor shaving like melted butter for me. Blew me away how aggressively efficient it was while being so unbelievably smooth.

 

[Ozziedoc]

The Slab is a great razor but the head is NOT stainless steel. Only the handle is.

The Weber is a very smooth razor but I think it may be too mild for me but so are the 89 razors.

 

[kingfisher]

Shavecraft is a great razor, but the head is anodized alumnium. Only the handle is stainless steel, and to be honest the handle isn't the best part of this razor. In fact, I traded away the handle. I use this head on a Tradere or on a custom Kaiser and it is really nice.

Not particularly aggressive, though, so if you like your Progress on 4 it might not be to your liking.

Right now it is one of my two favorite razors. The other is the Tradere, which is all stainless, but quite expensive.

 

[JohnG10]

I. Have a weber ph bulldog. It's significantly more aggressive than my 40s SS, and noticeably less aggressive than my LC NEW. The precision of the parts fit on the a weber is awesome. Mine also has no machining marks that I could see, and is nicely shiny in the polished areas. The knurling is very very grippy, and my favorite of all my razors.

 

[MotoMike]

I have the Shavecraft 101 and my Progress both now in rotation. I use my Progress at 3 and find the 101 to be right around there. I know I've seen it written somewhere that the Shavecraft 101 has an aluminum head, but magnets adhere to all three pieces equally on mine. I checked initially because it just seemed heavy for aluminum. The whole razor is stainless. Despite the open comb on one side and the hybrid type closed comb on the other, I really don't find that it shaves differently from one side to the other. good luck

 

[Spang]

I haven't tried the Slab, so I can't proffer an informed opinion on that choice. But, as noted, it's only the handle that's stainless, and the price of course reflects this. The Weber, on the other hand, is all stainless and is less than half the price of anything comparable in all stainless. Whether it will shave to you liking is an individual thing. I generally prefer razors in the middle range of aggression, and I love my Weber PH. Plus, it's really a thing of beauty, with a great, simple aesthetic and beautiful workmanship.

Have fun.

 

[mswofford]

I haven't tried the Slab, so I can't proffer an informed opinion on that choice. But, as noted, it's only the handle that's stainless, and the price of course reflects this. The Weber, on the other hand, is all stainless and is less than half the price of anything comparable in all stainless. Whether it will shave to you liking is an individual thing. I generally prefer razors in the middle range of aggression, and I love my Weber PH. Plus, it's really a thing of beauty, with a great, simple aesthetic and beautiful workmanship.

Have fun.

Spang: Very well said. I have a Weber PH Bulldog and it is not for sale.

 

[lucdj3]

I have the Shavecraft 101 and my Progress both now in rotation. I use my Progress at 3 and find the 101 to be right around there. I know I've seen it written somewhere that the Shavecraft 101 has an aluminum head, but magnets adhere to all three pieces equally on mine. I checked initially because it just seemed heavy for aluminum. The whole razor is stainless. Despite the open comb on one side and the hybrid type closed comb on the other, I really don't find that it shaves differently from one side to the other. good luck

Are you certain the Shavecraft 101 is stainless? I have seen multiple places, including from the maker himself (I believe, might be mis-remembering), that the head is aluminum, this being the case to bring down the price of the whole razor to make it affordable to a wider range of shavers. I was considering the razor until I found out the head wasn't stainless (wanted a full stainless if I got one), but if you're certain the full razor is stainless I'll definitely reconsider getting it.

 

[Zeppelinkarte]

Are you certain the Shavecraft 101 is stainless? I have seen multiple places, including from the maker himself (I believe, might be mis-remembering), that the head is aluminum, this being the case to bring down the price of the whole razor to make it affordable to a wider range of shavers. I was considering the razor until I found out the head wasn't stainless (wanted a full stainless if I got one), but if you're certain the full razor is stainless I'll definitely reconsider getting it.

There has been a ton of speculation about this head and the material it is made of. Whatever it is it is well made and feels great in the hand. Magnets stick? Steel. It weighs more than entire aluminum razors. Probably sintered but well done. And I think the shave is outstanding. I did not weigh the head in comparison to its model, the Punktal 101 but that is Zamak so not a good comparison but similar in weight if I remember correctly. This is a serious razor and IMO you can't tell the difference from a Feather in terms of the head material.

 

[MotoMike]

Are you certain the Shavecraft 101 is stainless? I have seen multiple places, including from the maker himself (I believe, might be mis-remembering), that the head is aluminum, this being the case to bring down the price of the whole razor to make it affordable to a wider range of shavers. I was considering the razor until I found out the head wasn't stainless (wanted a full stainless if I got one), but if you're certain the full razor is stainless I'll definitely reconsider getting it.

I know that magnets stick to all three parts with equal tenacity. If the composition were different, you'd expect the magnet to hold stronger on one than the other. since stainless is steel with chrome and nickle added, the hold won't be as strong as when you put it on a creasant wrench. Magnets don't stick things I have I know to be made of aluminum. It would be nice if Ikon had a decent web site where they discussed their products but if you look for evidence that this razor it is as if it never existed. This is a real disapointment when it comes to the Ikon brand.

Possibilities that occur is that the razor almost seem like a prototype the way it was sold. Maybe there were aluminum iterations. Another thing that occurs to me is that this razor seems to always be at deep discounts which the sellers owe to the manufacturer's picky attention to quality control. I have seen some pics that show some real sloppy mancining on the threaded stud exiting the cap. And one member here reported that the handle stripped out. It is my belief that Ikon made a bunch of these of stainless and they were not bad enough to throw away but not perfect, so they went on the block at a reduced price. If you look at the suggested retail, they are right there with the Webers.

As far as sintered? Sintered what? nothing seems to be sintered to me. I don't think it is cheaper to make a scintered product than it is to just melt down the metal and cast it and or machine machine it.

Maybe I got lucky, I don't find anything about my shavecraft that is bad. perhaps a couple spots of near microscopic flash on the underside of the bottom plate. My blades self center and give equal reveal. It is nicely balanced, I like shorter handles so for me the bulldog is perfect. it is deeply knurled and nicely grippy. If you are lucky like me, it is a great deal. As I said it seems comparable to my Progress at the 3 mark. not aggressive but not super mild. A fine razor.

 

[jhadsell1883]

Thanks for all the feedback, still undecided but definitely more informed. I will be watching and waiting on the BST for a good deal, or I will wait till I save up enough money to purchase all of them...

 

[owrichards]

I've got an Ikon Standard head purchased in a moment of early RAD. I'd been back to DE shaving for about 2 months with the Jagger 89 and then a Shavecraft 101. What I found was that this version of the standard Ikon was super aggressive; I'd read an older Shaving 101 post that had it on par with a Feather Stainless...wow found out the hard way about what aggressive means! I've probably used it about 5 or 6 times and have just looked at it as a work of manufacturing beauty much more. In my novice hands it's been a hazard...I find that the stainless steel tends to NOT glide across my face like the Jagger 89 (not enough prep, too much pressure, etc)
For me the Ikon Standard is a razor I'd like to really use someday...it's a harsh mistress of a safety razor to be respected...

 

[kingfisher]

I love the Shavecraft head. Don't get me wrong. It's one of the two best heads I've tried. If it were open comb on both sides it would be my Desert island razor and my RAD killer.

 

[Karlo]

I like all things Japanese but at $200, the Feather was just too much. The Weber was only a dollar more than my R89 so I rolled the dice and ended up happy.

I find it a touch more aggressive than my Muhle but not by much. If you're looking for a good deal in stainless , it's probably your best bet right now.

 

[BBS Kirk]

I have the Weber PH with Bulldog. What a razor!

Kirk

 

[ok2shave]

I know that magnets stick to all three parts with equal tenacity. If the composition were different, you'd expect the magnet to hold stronger on one than the other. since stainless is steel with chrome and nickle added, the hold won't be as strong as when you put it on a creasant wrench. Magnets don't stick things I have I know to be made of aluminum. It would be nice if Ikon had a decent web site where they discussed their products but if you look for evidence that this razor it is as if it never existed. This is a real disapointment when it comes to the Ikon brand.

Possibilities that occur is that the razor almost seem like a prototype the way it was sold. Maybe there were aluminum iterations. Another thing that occurs to me is that this razor seems to always be at deep discounts which the sellers owe to the manufacturer's picky attention to quality control. I have seen some pics that show some real sloppy mancining on the threaded stud exiting the cap. And one member here reported that the handle stripped out. It is my belief that Ikon made a bunch of these of stainless and they were not bad enough to throw away but not perfect, so they went on the block at a reduced price. If you look at the suggested retail, they are right there with the Webers.

As far as sintered? Sintered what? nothing seems to be sintered to me. I don't think it is cheaper to make a scintered product than it is to just melt down the metal and cast it and or machine machine it.

Maybe I got lucky, I don't find anything about my shavecraft that is bad. perhaps a couple spots of near microscopic flash on the underside of the bottom plate. My blades self center and give equal reveal. It is nicely balanced, I like shorter handles so for me the bulldog is perfect. it is deeply knurled and nicely grippy. If you are lucky like me, it is a great deal. As I said it seems comparable to my Progress at the 3 mark. not aggressive but not super mild. A fine razor.

Got my SC101 today and love it. I suspect the price is low because of the head's material though I think it's stainless steel and that it doesn't have iKon stamped on the bottom of the handle.

 

[sanch]

Got my SC101 today and love it. I suspect the price is low because of the head's material though I think it's stainless steel and that it doesn't have iKon stamped on the bottom of the handle.

I own both the SC101 and the "slab" the 101 is not a SS head nor is the "SLAB" but both are fine razors although the quality of the threading of the "SLAB" is better than that of the SC101....I do love the size of the head assembly of the SC101 it covers almost 100% of the blade....

 

[MotoMike]

what is the SC101 head made of? Magnetic aluminum?