The LEAF Razor, Reviewed...

[rostern]

I bought a Leaf razor. I am not a head shaver, just a daily face shaver. I used the Leaf with all three slots filled with Feather blades. It gave a reasonably close 2-pass shave. I just don't have time for the third pass on work mornings.

Things I liked about the Leaf razor:
1. The build quality.
2. It looks cool.
2. The blade cost.
3. No cartridges

Things I disliked about the Leaf razor:
1. The large head of the razor. I needed to use another razor, my OneBlade around my nose.
2. I found it too fiddly to load quickly as part of my morning routine.

Ultimately, the "dislikes" prevailed, and I returned the Leaf, no questions asked.

 

[JasonJT]

I don't know. I have looked at the Leaf razor myself. What I don't understand is why would you want to convert a DE blade into a Mach 3 if you see what I mean? If I wanted a multi-blade razor I'll continue using my Mach 3.

Sorry I am lost here.

Jason.

 

[AaLF]

Hi all. Senior citizen. Never ever used a safety razor. I only shave my head. The Leaf (& Twig) are on my shortlist I'm narrowing down to find a GENTLE blade for headshaves.
1) Is the LEAF way in front of the TWIG and plenty of other razors for a bloodless headshave?
2) Reference is made in the thread to a new/updated version coming (2020). Has it been released?

 

[ewk]

Just finding this thread tonight. Recently acquired a Leaf. My previous go-to was the Henson for shaving the dome. The Leaf is so much more efficient. @AaLF , yes it is out in front for a bloodless headshave in my experience. Two passes, and I am done.

As others have shared, once the SO tries it, you can get used to swapping the blades out every time you want to use it, or get your own

@JasonJT , the pivoting head makes the Leaf ideal for shaving the curves on the head. I do not use it on the face. I get to choose which blades I use in the Leaf, and I believe they are of a much higher quality than Mach 3 blades. Cartridges like the Mach 3 could never fully get the back fringe on my head. The Henson was the first razor to successfully get the back fringe smooth. The Leaf does it even more efficiently than the Henson.

 

[JasonJT]

Thanks for your reply. I’m sure the Leaf razor has found a niche in the market (I may even give it a go myself if it continues to evolve) but for now I’ll keep my Mach3 for travelling purposes and my Sledgehammer as my main razor.

Jason.

 

[tm3]

I don't know. I have looked at the Leaf razor myself. What I don't understand is why would you want to convert a DE blade into a Mach 3 if you see what I mean? If I wanted a multi-blade razor I'll continue using my Mach 3.

Sorry I am lost here.

Jason.

For me, currently not a Leaf owner but with an interest, while the Mach3 provides unmatched overall shave quality for me I would love to completely divorce myself from Gillette. DE shaving is more fun and pushes the Mach3 to the back burner but it is still nice to have the option for a quick, "mindless autopilot" shave when needed.

 

[Ivo4u2]

For me, currently not a Leaf owner but with an interest, while the Mach3 provides unmatched overall shave quality for me I would love to completely divorce myself from Gillette. DE shaving is more fun and pushes the Mach3 to the back burner but it is still nice to have the option for a quick, "mindless autopilot" shave when needed.

Oneblade core is a mindless shaver in se gem
A Broman is an I idiot shaver with half de blades but difficult to get.
A Henson al13 comes pretty close in de
A occam Oren with a protected artist club proguard se blade is my current go to for mindless or recovery shaving.

 

[tm3]

Oneblade core is a mindless shaver in se gem
A Broman is an I idiot shaver with half de blades but difficult to get.
A Henson al13 comes pretty close in de
A occam Oren with a protected artist club proguard se blade is my current go to for mindless or recovery shaving.

Thanks for the suggestions! The Henson AL13 caught my attention and I'm looking into it as a contender, although with the delivered price closing in on $100 I'm not so sure.

I definitely want something that uses DE blades, either whole or halved, so that I can fine tune and because they are cheap and readily available.

The money back return policy of the Leaf is impressive. There is only so much that can be figured out without actually trying something yourself, given the YMMV factor.

 

[Ivo4u2]

Thanks for the suggestions! The Henson AL13 caught my attention and I'm looking into it as a contender, although with the delivered price closing in on $100 I'm not so sure.

I definitely want something that uses DE blades, either whole or halved, so that I can fine tune and because they are cheap and readily available.

The money back return policy of the Leaf is impressive. There is only so much that can be figured out without actually trying something yourself, given the YMMV factor.

If you are conus (I am from europe) I would suggest looking into the buy sell trade section. I had my first Henson from there (until it got a serious accident and I replaced it for a mild instead).

A focus dynamic r48 evo might also be a thing but for some they are love or hate. And the evo solves the blade alignment issues which some cause it to bloody hate it.

 

[juan3268]

I am looking at the Leaf and found different versions. Anyone has any comments? Some have a capital L on the handle, others just say LEAF. What's the difference?

 

[Ivo4u2]

I am looking at the Leaf and found different versions. Anyone has any comments? Some have a capital L on the handle, others just say LEAF. What's the difference?

Most likely design changed in time and photos not updated

 

[Slapo]

I am looking at the Leaf and found different versions. Anyone has any comments? Some have a capital L on the handle, others just say LEAF. What's the difference?

Newer Leaves have the logo on the handle, the earlier ones did not.

 

[juan3268]

The image on the left shows the L the image on the right shows the LEAF. The one on the right looks like the pictures from the Leaf website. I am thinking the one on the right is the newer style? I have not noticed any differences so far.

 

[Slapo]

View attachment 1382903 View attachment 1382906

The image on the left shows the L the image on the right shows the LEAF. The one on the right looks like the pictures from the Leaf website. I am thinking the one on the right is the newer style? I have not noticed any differences so far.

That's likely the third iteration. The first one I got after their Leaf Kickstarter campaign had nothing there, a replacement I'd been sent had an embossed L like the ones in the photo on the left.

 

[juan3268]

My mercury leaf is en-route. Can't wait to try it and get post comments on the shave. USPS tracking has been the same since 12/27 Hopefully is still on its way and not just sitting somewhere in Narnia.

For those who use it, do you prefer 2 or 3 blades loaded? What positions if less than 3?

 

[Slapo]

My mercury leaf is en-route. Can't wait to try it and get post comments on the shave. USPS tracking has been the same since 12/27 Hopefully is still on its way and not just sitting somewhere in Narnia.

For those who use it, do you prefer 2 or 3 blades loaded? What positions if less than 3?

I only really use one blade, loaded in the position closest to the "safety bar". I didn't find the extra positions to be of enough benefit to use them.

 

[frbock]

I just ran into references to the Leaf recently. A swivel head single edge. I saw something similar a couple years ago, but the razor was $200 and blades were $1 a piece. It made the Mach 3 look like the inexpensive choice. I bought an Edwin Jager and a sword edge that have a lot more mass than the factory handle and it helps a lot.
Using actual soap instead of can o'foam makes the blades last a lot longer. My DE experience convinced me the blades don't last as long, but they're sharper.
Fortunately, I have at least 6 months of Mach 3, so I can watch and learn.

 

[borwish]

I pulled my Leaf out of the back of the cabinet today and got a fine shave. I don't remember what blade as I loaded the blade halves a couple of weeks ago. It was probably a Wizzie or a Nacet. I've found that just two blades in the outer two sections works just dandy for me. I have an epic stache, so around the nose isn't a problem currently.