Both were gods of war. Athena was known for strategy. Ares was renowned for bloodlust. To some degree these qualities are subtly manifest in the razors and it is here that they most differ.
Both are comfortable, consistent, and easy-to-use with moderate to high efficiency. The largest departure is blade reveal, which for both is among the smallest of all modern razors, but is slightly larger on the Ares, mainly on the underside due to the open comb. The result is the Ares has about 50% more blade-feel, but slightly weaker blade clamping.
Both razors have neutral exposures and narrow blade gaps, with the Athena at 0.34mm and the Ares at 0.30mm. This keeps the shave comfortable for both even with considerable buffing but conversely bridles efficiency from reaching the highest levels achieved by some razors with higher gaps and exposures. The larger underside reveal of the Ares gives it a higher initial efficiency, but the stronger clamping of the Athena allows for more buffing with higher pressure, equalizing the advantage of the Ares and bringing the net efficiency close to parity.
I’ve noticed that many of my most efficient razors don’t achieve ultra-close shaves on the 1st WTG pass, or even the 2nd XTG pass, but only become highly efficient on the 3rd ATG pass. I suspect this is because their power is in their blade clamping which comes into play most when going ATG, even for the Blackbird. Although the Ares V2, cannot achieve the net efficiency after 3 passes of the Blackbird, Greencult 2.II, Ti95, or Nodachi, its initial efficiency on pass 1 and 2 is higher, which I believe is due to the open comb and underside reveal, which might be more aptly called underside effective exposure.
In terms of scoring, I put the composite score of the Athena at 35 vs the Ares V2 at 34. As seen below, the main difference is Comfort, which due to the higher blade feel and impact on the skin is an 8 for the Ares V2 vs a 9 for the Athena. I considered giving the Ares V2 a higher score for Ease-of-Use due to its slightly lower weight and overall design which makes it nimbler, but the Athena’s greater ability to buff due to stronger blade clamping negates this advantage.
In the end, the main difference is stylistic and experiential, where some shavers who appreciate more blade-feel might prefer the Ares V2 while shavers who prioritize comfort may prefer the Athena. Both are engineering marvels and works of art, which are as much museum pieces as functional tools, and have among the highest composite scores in my collection. Frankly, I am happy and proud to own both and intend to keep both in my rotation.
Both are comfortable, consistent, and easy-to-use with moderate to high efficiency. The largest departure is blade reveal, which for both is among the smallest of all modern razors, but is slightly larger on the Ares, mainly on the underside due to the open comb. The result is the Ares has about 50% more blade-feel, but slightly weaker blade clamping.
Both razors have neutral exposures and narrow blade gaps, with the Athena at 0.34mm and the Ares at 0.30mm. This keeps the shave comfortable for both even with considerable buffing but conversely bridles efficiency from reaching the highest levels achieved by some razors with higher gaps and exposures. The larger underside reveal of the Ares gives it a higher initial efficiency, but the stronger clamping of the Athena allows for more buffing with higher pressure, equalizing the advantage of the Ares and bringing the net efficiency close to parity.
I’ve noticed that many of my most efficient razors don’t achieve ultra-close shaves on the 1st WTG pass, or even the 2nd XTG pass, but only become highly efficient on the 3rd ATG pass. I suspect this is because their power is in their blade clamping which comes into play most when going ATG, even for the Blackbird. Although the Ares V2, cannot achieve the net efficiency after 3 passes of the Blackbird, Greencult 2.II, Ti95, or Nodachi, its initial efficiency on pass 1 and 2 is higher, which I believe is due to the open comb and underside reveal, which might be more aptly called underside effective exposure.
In terms of scoring, I put the composite score of the Athena at 35 vs the Ares V2 at 34. As seen below, the main difference is Comfort, which due to the higher blade feel and impact on the skin is an 8 for the Ares V2 vs a 9 for the Athena. I considered giving the Ares V2 a higher score for Ease-of-Use due to its slightly lower weight and overall design which makes it nimbler, but the Athena’s greater ability to buff due to stronger blade clamping negates this advantage.
In the end, the main difference is stylistic and experiential, where some shavers who appreciate more blade-feel might prefer the Ares V2 while shavers who prioritize comfort may prefer the Athena. Both are engineering marvels and works of art, which are as much museum pieces as functional tools, and have among the highest composite scores in my collection. Frankly, I am happy and proud to own both and intend to keep both in my rotation.
Terminology update for you:
