The Mongoose Has Arrived

[mjclark]

After hearing only good news about the Mongoose, I ordered one and it arrived today:

There was something really fun about the delayed gratification of being on the waiting list for a couple of months, getting the emails from Mongoose for pre-order and order and then tracking the parcel via USPS (although the tracking didn't work in UK).

It got here really quickly (less than two weeks from when I paid the invoice) and surprisingly there were no customs charges.

I'm a bit shocked by how heavy it is with the Dr Bomber handle but this has got to be a good thing:

So is this late-2015 release the fourth batch of Mongeese?

And is this the ultimate razor?

I'll let you know tomorrow morning

 

[xxvaleria]

Congratulations, Marcus. I'm looking forward to one of your insightful reviews.

 

[drifter]

First let me say congrats, and yes its a heavy razor, even more so with the Dub Legend handle.

I'm also looking forward to your review. I gave the Feather AC a second chance because of your write up, besides I already had some pro blades.

Thanks.

 

[mjclark]

Thanks guys!
Turns out that this is referred to as a Batch 3 model due to some design changes to the blade tabs from the previous two releases.

So first shave with the Mongoose B3 this morning.
I was concerned that after all this anticipation there might just be nowhere to go, but I needn't have worried

I used a Feather Pro Super blade and have learned from the Feather Artist Club that these blades like a nice slick prep, so I used shaving oil under the lather and a lot of water.
The result was shaving nirvana!

I was pleasantly surprised by the loud audible feedback from this razor, easily as loud as an ER 1912 and the blade feel on the face which reminds me a lot of the 50s Streamline.

The head geometry is brilliant and the angle is easy and intuitive. Steeper angles are alsopossible and effective which makes for a very good and easy shave round the jawline - as the angle varies on these tight curves the shave is still consistently efficient.

The other Pro blades have less extension than the Super that I used, so maybe there is less noise and fewer effective angles with those, but the Super seems perfect here.

And the result, as expected, is magnificent.
Effortless ATG is possible and this gives that rare thing, a true BBS.
Some of my top performing DEs give my skin a waxy feel, but with the Mongoose my face feels like a piece of polished marble.

This is an absolutely incredible shave, and I wonder how long it will last and if the regrowth will be smart.
The next 24hrs will bring the answers.

This is definitely love at first shave

 

[BSAGuy]

Nice score, Marcus. Thanks for your insightful review.

 

[bruzz]

I ordered from Mongoose over three weeks ago and never received a razor. I've e-mailed them a bunch of times and got nowhere. So let the buyer beware.

 

[mjclark]

I ordered from Mongoose over three weeks ago and never received a razor. I've e-mailed them a bunch of times and got nowhere. So let the buyer beware.

Did you receive an invoice?
These weren't sent out until Nov 25th.
The shipping is USPS tracked and their customer service is absolutely brilliant.
I have received replies to all of my emails to them within 24 hours.

And 12 hours on from this morning's shave, I'm still DFS+ and my face feels like I just shaved with a nice straight.
It's too early to tell if the regrowth is smart, but it's looking very promising

 

[bruzz]

Did you receive an invoice?
These weren't sent out until Nov 25th.
The shipping is USPS tracked and their customer service is absolutely brilliant.
I have received replies to all of my emails to them within 24 hours.

And 12 hours on from this morning's shave, I'm still DFS+ and my face feels like I just shaved with a nice straight.
It's too early to tell if the regrowth is smart, but it's looking very promising

Yes i did. They claim that they dropped off the package for me at the post office on 11/18 - using two day priority mail. There has not been an update to the tracking since 11/18. i e-mailed mongoose and on Dec 7th they said..

"Hi Tom - we opened an investigation w/ the USPS. They are not terribly responsive, but we'll stay on them."

I have opened a complaint with PayPal on them.

their customer service sucks.

 

[mjclark]

Wow, that's grim! But it sounds like the fault is with USPS not Mongoose Razors who have replied to your email.
I hope you get your razor or your money back (which is certain with PayPal of course).

And as I said, my experience of Mongoose Customer Service is totally positive.

And all that aside, this IS an incredible razor.

 

[mjclark]

I watched a ShaveBusta vid in which he said he'd been told "As long as the blade is cutting hair, you know the Mongoose is at the right angle" and I think that sums it up.

Part of the brilliance is the geometry, there is a large range of effective angles which virtually guarantees a good shave if you can keep the pressure down to zero.

And the regrowth is starting to look very smart now in a similar way to the stubble I get from ER 1912, Streamline and Sextoblade.
Perfect!

 

[malocchio]

A real beauty Marcus,you're in for decades of great shaves with this one...

 

[williabe]

beauty!!

 

[JaredB]

Really nice, congrats!

 

[DrColossus11]

Congrats!

 

[imatabor]

That is a gorgeous razor. I was offered a loaner to try but declined. If I keep following this thread I may have to reconsider.

 

[mjclark]

Thanks guys?
Could this be the RADkiller?

 

[spidey9]

Some users have reported that the razor is on the mild side, to the point that a few guys have experimented with shims.

What's your opinion re: aggressiveness?

--Bob

 

[mjclark]

Some users have reported that the razor is on the mild side, to the point that a few guys have experimented with shims.

What's your opinion re: aggressiveness?

--Bob

No no no no no no no no no....no.
Seriously Bob, this is easily more aggressive than ER 1924 and OCMM and with the Feather Pro in it is one of the most efficient razors I've ever used, along with the Artist Clubs, Sextoblade, Shavecraft Tech and R41.
It has a lot of blade feel and a lot of effective angles, the very opposite of a mild razor, but it's also very well behaved and only bites if you use pressure.

Perhaps those guys used a milder blade - the Pro Supers I'm using have the biggest blade exposure and are the most aggressive.
How did they shim it (there's not much play between the depth of the blade and the depth of the blade tabs)?

And I wouldn't want to mod this razor head in any way because the geometry is very carefully thought out and also spot on!
Shimming this razor would be like trying to rewrite Shakespeare.

24hrs on from the first shave with the Mongoose I'm still DFS and would happily go to dinner like this...

 

[spidey9]

I'm in complete agreement with you on this. For this kind of money I expect a great shaving experience "out of the box."

I can see the rationale for using shims on vintage razors in order to simulate the blades in use when the razor was manufactured, but it shouldn't be necessary on modern razors, especially one as carefully engineered as the Mongoose.

Anyway, here is one thread on this:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/447943-Shimming-the-Mongoose

--Bob

 

[mjclark]

Thanks Bob! The guys in that thread weren't using the Pro Supers, and I also wonder if maybe they were using too shallow an angle on their trouble spots.
YMMV of course but for me the Mongoose is the EXACT OPPOSITE of a mild razor - in terms of BBS and DFS longevity it has surpassed my Shavecraft Tech!

But perhaps the key is the extra extension of the Super blades.

I love the way that the characteristics of the shave can be varied by choosing from the range of Feather Pro blades rather than adjusting the razor itself (or shimming it!)
This is one big advantage of the Mongoose over the Cobra (which won't take the Super or Lite blades I think - perhaps a Cobra owner can verify this), as is the way that you can vary the heft of the Mongoose by changing handles.

I have some standard Pro blades too which have the smaller extension so maybe I'll try one of those when this Super is done, but who knows how long that might be?