The World Shave Off Showdown

[DSR]

Once I got the polished Timeless Ti I sold off the rest of my Timeless collection, it’s that good IMHO

That’s certainly the kind of post that won’t help my bank account...

But yes, joking apart, the polished Timeless Ti is the one I keep thinking about, with a DC baseplate.
Not cheap, and, having never used a Timeless razor before, I would need to decide between .68 and .95, and which DC plate to get (OC/ SB or OC/ scalloped), etc

 

[Shavemd]

That’s certainly the kind of post that won’t help my bank account...

But yes, joking apart, the polished Timeless Ti is the one I keep thinking about, with a DC baseplate.
Not cheap, and, having never used a Timeless razor before, I would need to decide between .68 and .95, and which DC plate to get (OC/ SB or OC/ scalloped), etc

I use the .68 OC for daily shaves and the .95 OC/ SB when I skip a day or 2.

 

[DSR]

I use the .68 OC for daily shaves and the .95 OC/ SB when I skip a day or 2.

Thanks.
I shave daily, apart from some weekends when I also sometimes skip Saturday and/ or Sunday.
I used to use Rockwell 6S with plate 4 or 5, now mostly Karve, usually C-SB or D-SB plate for daily shaves, and D-SB or C-OC after the weekend.

 

[pbrmhl]

Hey there, Frank. I see you're still fighting the good fight. This thread is a wonder. 233 pages and still going strong! And you, my friend, are like the energizer bunny. I've not been around in a while. My interest rises and falls but you're always on. I tip my hat to you.

Good to “virtually” see you, Roy! If you’re around on September 14, we’re having a Seattle meetup. I think Bill is coming down. PM me if you’re interested...

 

[AJSharp]

Like the others have stated the Carbon handle is a real turn off especially if you compare it to the 17-4. Those shorter and heavier 17-4s are very artisan and unique - plus it's a very maneuverable razor.

The polished Timeless Ti is something else as its very smooth. I found the OC nearly as smooth as the SB/SCB as I could barely feel the teeth. I am not sure the OC version adds any more efficiency but it has got to be the smoothest open comb available.

Frank as far as using a straight I have used the AC Feather and have managed to get an efficient shave but it takes me too long compared to a 2 pass DE razor so I only do it on a weekend if I have an interest. No extra work as the AC blades just pop in and out. RAD for cut throats can be costly !

 

[AJSharp]

Ya right ? So now you can control RAD with only one ... just one. Kinda reminds me of this classic:

 

[Shavemd]

Nice one AJ

 

[Ray Settanta]

I had the Feather Professional shavette also but I want a real STR8 as I’ve been told they are a completely different shave experience than a Shavette.

Just one... no RAD allowed! Lol

Sorry, Frank, you have to have at least two. Since you’re going to be sending the razor out to be honed, you have to have another one to use while you are waiting.

 

[User 306]

UPDATE:

Still waiting on the two Timeless razors to get here.

So I need a shave and since the 2 Timeless razors aren't here yet I'd like to get back to doing the
" Smoothest Razor " Shave Off so below is the list of razors that are in this 2nd round as you can see there are 12 of them. So after 6 Shave Offs it will take us to the 3rd round with only 6 razors left and then we go into the final championship round with the final 3 razors. I'm going to try and do my best to do 2 Shave Offs a week so if all goes right we should be into the 3rd round in 3 weeks.

Also as I promised I'm picking the names of two razors randomly from the paper slips that have the names of all 12 razors on them and that are folded and in one of my dads old fedora hats. So things should get interesting to say the least in this next round. I'll do the first Shave Off tomorrow morning for my got to work shave and report first chance I get either tomorrow night or on Friday morning.

1.Gillette RFB - On to the next round
2. Gillette 1st Gen 15 OC Aristocrat - On to the next round
3. Gillette 2nd Gen SB Aristocrat - On to the next round
4. RR Gamechanger mild plate - On to the next round
5. Merkur 34C - On to the next round
6. Gillette President - On to the next round
7. Paradigm 17 4 - On to the next round
8. Raw Shaving RS 10 Mild plate - On to the next round
9. Stahly - On to the next round
10. Karve C baseplate - On to the next round.
11. Gibbs adjustable - On to the next round
12. Timeless Titanium .95 DC SB side - On to the next round

Thanks Guys and great shaves!

DB

 

[BigJ]

UPDATE:

Still waiting on the two Timeless razors to get here.

So I need a shave and since the 2 Timeless razors aren't here yet I'd like to get back to doing the
" Smoothest Razor " Shave Off so below is the list of razors that are in this 2nd round as you can see there are 12 of them. So after 6 Shave Offs it will take us to the 3rd round with only 6 razors left and then we go into the final championship round with the final 3 razors. I'm going to try and do my best to do 2 Shave Offs a week so if all goes right we should be into the 3rd round in 3 weeks.

Also as I promised I'm picking the names of two razors randomly from the paper slips that have the names of all 12 razors on them and that are folded and in one of my dads old fedora hats. So things should get interesting to say the least in this next round. I'll do the first Shave Off tomorrow morning for my got to work shave and report first chance I get either tomorrow night or on Friday morning.

1.Gillette RFB - On to the next round
2. Gillette 1st Gen 15 OC Aristocrat - On to the next round
3. Gillette 2nd Gen SB Aristocrat - On to the next round
4. RR Gamechanger mild plate - On to the next round
5. Merkur 34C - On to the next round
6. Gillette President - On to the next round
7. Paradigm 17 4 - On to the next round
8. Raw Shaving RS 10 Mild plate - On to the next round
9. Stahly - On to the next round
10. Karve C baseplate - On to the next round.
11. Gibbs adjustable - On to the next round
12. Timeless Titanium .95 DC SB side - On to the next round

Thanks Guys and great shaves!

DB

Tough competition!!

 

[Calm_Shaver]

UPDATE:

Still waiting on the two Timeless razors to get here.

So I need a shave and since the 2 Timeless razors aren't here yet I'd like to get back to doing the
" Smoothest Razor " Shave Off so below is the list of razors that are in this 2nd round as you can see there are 12 of them. So after 6 Shave Offs it will take us to the 3rd round with only 6 razors left and then we go into the final championship round with the final 3 razors. I'm going to try and do my best to do 2 Shave Offs a week so if all goes right we should be into the 3rd round in 3 weeks.

Also as I promised I'm picking the names of two razors randomly from the paper slips that have the names of all 12 razors on them and that are folded and in one of my dads old fedora hats. So things should get interesting to say the least in this next round. I'll do the first Shave Off tomorrow morning for my got to work shave and report first chance I get either tomorrow night or on Friday morning.

1.Gillette RFB - On to the next round
2. Gillette 1st Gen 15 OC Aristocrat - On to the next round
3. Gillette 2nd Gen SB Aristocrat - On to the next round
4. RR Gamechanger mild plate - On to the next round
5. Merkur 34C - On to the next round
6. Gillette President - On to the next round
7. Paradigm 17 4 - On to the next round
8. Raw Shaving RS 10 Mild plate - On to the next round
9. Stahly - On to the next round
10. Karve C baseplate - On to the next round.
11. Gibbs adjustable - On to the next round
12. Timeless Titanium .95 DC SB side - On to the next round

Thanks Guys and great shaves!

DB

Can’t Wait for this shave-off Round! Looking forward to it! Thanks Frank

 

[User 306]

Shave Off complete:

Razorock Gamechanger Mild Plate vs Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate

Smoothest Razor Shave Off 2nd round underway and this is the first match up. I've been wanting to get back to this Shave Off but as I've posted up before I've been a little busy with a bunch of things that took up a lot of my time so it's time to get back to this Shave Off. As you know I'm pulling slips of paper out of the hat seem below which I liked the idea of as soon as one of the members suggested it. This way making a choice on which two razors to choose for a match up is not on me but rather on odds of what razors get picked randomly out of that hat. Some may not seem fair or exactly what your or I would want to see but this will surely be a test for all the razors involved in this 2nd round. This was an interesting pick and when I opened the two slips of paper I'm like this seems like a nice normal match up that made sense.

Many of you know that both these razors are almost exact opposites as far as price and obtainability. The RR GC is available often but in many cases does sell out fast. It's a very reasonably priced SS razor that many members really like. There are a lot of options now as far as plates like the mild .68 plate I'm using, the 84 gap, the OC and the Jaws. So a good selection of different baseplates and efficiency levels to choose from. The Raw Shaving RS 10 however was only in production for a short while before the company folded and at the time they were not cheap and I think the retail price for one was $375 for both mild and aggressive plates but on the aftermarket they usually sell for more than retail and are hard to find in SS and the 10 Titanium ones are almost impossible to find and the smoothest efficient razor I've ever shaved with and I'm kind of glad it's not in this competition as I'm not sure any other razor would stand a chance. BTW I was very lucky to be able to get one shave in with a friend of mines who has one of the 10 lucky people to get one. So very different price points and availability for both of these razors. When put side by side in person it's pretty obvious the RS 10 has better fit and finish but again when considering price difference it's totally irrelevant as the RR is pretty darn good for its price point.

So waiting for the two Timeless Razors to get hear which I found out yesterday were going to take a little longer than expected I thought let's see if I can get a couple of Shave Offs in to get this one going again. The reason I bring this up is because I was waiting I didn't shave for 3 1/2 days and so I thought as I was loading Polsilver blades into these two razors I'm hoping they can handle this much growth as I'd normally use a much more efficient razor on 3 plus days stubble. So a good challenge for these two!

Gear used:
Razorock GC 68. SB
Raw Shaving RS 10 SB mild plate
Asylum/SV Colonia Shave soap and aftershave
Elite Stone handle two band badger brush
Once used Polsilver blades
Thayers Lemon witch hazel tonic - not seen.


Decided to do two passes like normal to see what these two could do with 3+ days growth. So going WTG and ATG using my normal SSSST and using my newest X pattern strokes on my cheeks and neck on the WTG pass only as they get me even closer than my normal movements in those areas.

1st pass WTG - I started on my right side with my N to S pass and it's been a while since I used my RS 10 so I was anxious to take it for a spin. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well it was taking down my stubble and there was no blade chatter or hesitation going on and as always blade feel and audible feedback was at a very moderate to low level. On my cheeks using the X pattern strokes this razor was very smooth and yet surprisingly efficient in removing this much growth and I'll make a note so smooth around my mouth. So finished up the pass and grabbed the RR and headed down my most difficult to shave right side neck and again I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely the razor was shaving and knocking down my stubble. On a side note I've noticed that sometimes not always when I let my beard grow out longer than normal I get a great shaves out of a lot of razors that would be considered mild or mid level efficient besides the expected very and hyper efficient razors. Yes it may take a few more strokes and maybe even an extra pass or some buffing or touch ups but I've had some very nice shaves and I believe this may be one of them as things were already looking like it was going in that direction. BTW I took a hot shower and had some pre shave soap from Stirling in the shower so after washing my face with a regular face soap I put a layer on my bearded area of my face and neck and let it sit on there till my last rinse before getting out so my beard was really soft. I had my brush soaking in hot now warm water and I went right to it and I'm a fan of SV soap as I have it in my top 10 and this Colonia along with their Felice Aromatica are my two favorites. I love this scent as it's fresh and clean and perfect for a nice mild summer day. Anyway the GC did a very nice job on the first WTG pass on my neck and so with it in hand I headed over to the left side of my face and began taking X pattern strokes while heading S and just like the previous pass it's doing a nice job on the extra growth. While not as smooth as the RS 10 and with a tad more blade feel and audible feedback it's still what I'd consider a smooth razor and I like this much better than the RR GC OC that i just got that I just couldn't connect with and I'm definitely selling. Anyway rinsed and gave a quick face feel and so far it's the RS 10 that's taken down more stubble and it's noticeable but we have one more pass to go. So releathered and got ready to my ATG pass as things can change. I've seen it happen before.

2nd Pass ATG - I started this pass with the GC at the base of my neck on the right side and giving my skin a nice stretch I begin my S to N pass and again this razor is consistent in blade feel and audible feedback as it attempts to take down the remaining stubble left from the last pass. So far so good as I move upward and it's still smooth as far as face feel goes and I'm thinking this razor must like the Polsilver blade. So up to my lower jawline and time to switch over to the RS 10 and continue up my face and it was on the switch over that I really noticed the difference in smoothness as the RS 10 definitely had the edge but I thought to myself wait to see how the efficiency of each razor plays a part on which one gets me the closest in 2 passes. Blade feel on this pass starts to diminish as always but I can still feel it enough to know my angle but honestly it's more intuitive for me than listening to the audible feedback once I get to know a razor and the smoothness of this razor translates into great face feel! So wonderful pass from the RS 10 and I can say that if I was a daily shaver I could be happy with just this one razor it's that good. On to the other side with the RS 10 at the base of my left side neck and what can I say than just a continuation of the last pass and even faster and easier so it was a very smooth quick pass. Picked up the RR GC to continue N and the difference between these two razors came out on this pass for me as the RR is just out performed by the RS 10 which was both smoother and more efficient. Maneuverability on both was good and just about the same so neither one really stood out as the better of the two in that area at least for me. So finished off the last pass in this Shave Off and went to post shave ritual.

Post shave:
Rinsed with warm and cold water and then splashed on some lemon Thayers and let it dry as I cleaned up my gear. After my face dried I did my face feel and there was no need for a cotton test as the RS 10 took down more stubble and I ended up with a solid DFS from the RR GC and a combo of BBS level 1 on most of my face and a couple of spots where it was DFS. So not bad from either mild razor on the 3 + days growth I had. This call was confirmed as it's been more than 24 hrs since this Shave Off and the RS 10's shave lasted a bit longer but the areas all stayed true to the first evaluation. So splashed on some of the aftershave and thought to myself what a nice all around shave and I smelled good which was also confirmed by the ladies at work! LOL

Scoring system:

Razorock Gamechanger mild plate

1. Smoothness = 53 points
2. Efficiency = 14 points
3. Balance = 5 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 points
5. Glide = 4 points

Total score = 80 points

Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate

1. Smoothness = 55 points
2. Efficiency = 15 points
3. Balance = 5 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 points.
5. Glide = 4 points

Total score = 83 points


So the winner of this Shave Off and moving on to the 3rd round is the Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate. So a big congrats and as of right now my prediction is that this razor is at least in the top 3 at the end because as smoothness goes it's excels. Hats off to the RR GC has it doesn't have to hold its head in shame as it is an excellent shaving razor especially for the price of entry.

Great Shaves my friend!

 

[Shavemd]

Very good review The RS10 will be hard to beat in Smooth category

 

[DSR]

Shave Off complete:

Razorock Gamechanger Mild Plate vs Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate

Smoothest Razor Shave Off 2nd round underway and this is the first match up. I've been wanting to get back to this Shave Off but as I've posted up before I've been a little busy with a bunch of things that took up a lot of my time so it's time to get back to this Shave Off. As you know I'm pulling slips of paper out of the hat seem below which I liked the idea of as soon as one of the members suggested it. This way making a choice on which two razors to choose for a match up is not on me but rather on odds of what razors get picked randomly out of that hat. Some may not seem fair or exactly what your or I would want to see but this will surely be a test for all the razors involved in this 2nd round. This was an interesting pick and when I opened the two slips of paper I'm like this seems like a nice normal match up that made sense.

Many of you know that both these razors are almost exact opposites as far as price and obtainability. The RR GC is available often but in many cases does sell out fast. It's a very reasonably priced SS razor that many members really like. There are a lot of options now as far as plates like the mild .68 plate I'm using, the 84 gap, the OC and the Jaws. So a good selection of different baseplates and efficiency levels to choose from. The Raw Shaving RS 10 however was only in production for a short while before the company folded and at the time they were not cheap and I think the retail price for one was $375 for both mild and aggressive plates but on the aftermarket they usually sell for more than retail and are hard to find in SS and the 10 Titanium ones are almost impossible to find and the smoothest efficient razor I've ever shaved with and I'm kind of glad it's not in this competition as I'm not sure any other razor would stand a chance. BTW I was very lucky to be able to get one shave in with a friend of mines who has one of the 10 lucky people to get one. So very different price points and availability for both of these razors. When put side by side in person it's pretty obvious the RS 10 has better fit and finish but again when considering price difference it's totally irrelevant as the RR is pretty darn good for its price point.

So waiting for the two Timeless Razors to get hear which I found out yesterday were going to take a little longer than expected I thought let's see if I can get a couple of Shave Offs in to get this one going again. The reason I bring this up is because I was waiting I didn't shave for 3 1/2 days and so I thought as I was loading Polsilver blades into these two razors I'm hoping they can handle this much growth as I'd normally use a much more efficient razor on 3 plus days stubble. So a good challenge for these two!

Gear used:
Razorock GC 68. SB
Raw Shaving RS 10 SB mild plate
Asylum/SV Colonia Shave soap and aftershave
Elite Stone handle two band badger brush
Once used Polsilver blades
Thayers Lemon witch hazel tonic - not seen.


Decided to do two passes like normal to see what these two could do with 3+ days growth. So going WTG and ATG using my normal SSSST and using my newest X pattern strokes on my cheeks and neck on the WTG pass only as they get me even closer than my normal movements in those areas.

1st pass WTG - I started on my right side with my N to S pass and it's been a while since I used my RS 10 so I was anxious to take it for a spin. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well it was taking down my stubble and there was no blade chatter or hesitation going on and as always blade feel and audible feedback was at a very moderate to low level. On my cheeks using the X pattern strokes this razor was very smooth and yet surprisingly efficient in removing this much growth and I'll make a note so smooth around my mouth. So finished up the pass and grabbed the RR and headed down my most difficult to shave right side neck and again I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely the razor was shaving and knocking down my stubble. On a side note I've noticed that sometimes not always when I let my beard grow out longer than normal I get a great shaves out of a lot of razors that would be considered mild or mid level efficient besides the expected very and hyper efficient razors. Yes it may take a few more strokes and maybe even an extra pass or some buffing or touch ups but I've had some very nice shaves and I believe this may be one of them as things were already looking like it was going in that direction. BTW I took a hot shower and had some pre shave soap from Stirling in the shower so after washing my face with a regular face soap I put a layer on my bearded area of my face and neck and let it sit on there till my last rinse before getting out so my beard was really soft. I had my brush soaking in hot now warm water and I went right to it and I'm a fan of SV soap as I have it in my top 10 and this Colonia along with their Felice Aromatica are my two favorites. I love this scent as it's fresh and clean and perfect for a nice mild summer day. Anyway the GC did a very nice job on the first WTG pass on my neck and so with it in hand I headed over to the left side of my face and began taking X pattern strokes while heading S and just like the previous pass it's doing a nice job on the extra growth. While not as smooth as the RS 10 and with a tad more blade feel and audible feedback it's still what I'd consider a smooth razor and I like this much better than the RR GC OC that i just got that I just couldn't connect with and I'm definitely selling. Anyway rinsed and gave a quick face feel and so far it's the RS 10 that's taken down more stubble and it's noticeable but we have one more pass to go. So releathered and got ready to my ATG pass as things can change. I've seen it happen before.

2nd Pass ATG - I started this pass with the GC at the base of my neck on the right side and giving my skin a nice stretch I begin my S to N pass and again this razor is consistent in blade feel and audible feedback as it attempts to take down the remaining stubble left from the last pass. So far so good as I move upward and it's still smooth as far as face feel goes and I'm thinking this razor must like the Polsilver blade. So up to my lower jawline and time to switch over to the RS 10 and continue up my face and it was on the switch over that I really noticed the difference in smoothness as the RS 10 definitely had the edge but I thought to myself wait to see how the efficiency of each razor plays a part on which one gets me the closest in 2 passes. Blade feel on this pass starts to diminish as always but I can still feel it enough to know my angle but honestly it's more intuitive for me than listening to the audible feedback once I get to know a razor and the smoothness of this razor translates into great face feel! So wonderful pass from the RS 10 and I can say that if I was a daily shaver I could be happy with just this one razor it's that good. On to the other side with the RS 10 at the base of my left side neck and what can I say than just a continuation of the last pass and even faster and easier so it was a very smooth quick pass. Picked up the RR GC to continue N and the difference between these two razors came out on this pass for me as the RR is just out performed by the RS 10 which was both smoother and more efficient. Maneuverability on both was good and just about the same so neither one really stood out as the better of the two in that area at least for me. So finished off the last pass in this Shave Off and went to post shave ritual.

Post shave:
Rinsed with warm and cold water and then splashed on some lemon Thayers and let it dry as I cleaned up my gear. After my face dried I did my face feel and there was no need for a cotton test as the RS 10 took down more stubble and I ended up with a solid DFS from the RR GC and a combo of BBS level 1 on most of my face and a couple of spots where it was DFS. So not bad from either mild razor on the 3 + days growth I had. This call was confirmed as it's been more than 24 hrs since this Shave Off and the RS 10's shave lasted a bit longer but the areas all stayed true to the first evaluation. So splashed on some of the aftershave and thought to myself what a nice all around shave and I smelled good which was also confirmed by the ladies at work! LOL

Scoring system:

Razorock Gamechanger mild plate

1. Smoothness = 53 points
2. Efficiency = 14 points
3. Balance = 5 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 points
5. Glide = 4 points

Total score = 80 points

Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate

1. Smoothness = 55 points
2. Efficiency = 15 points
3. Balance = 5 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 points.
5. Glide = 4 points

Total score = 83 points


So the winner of this Shave Off and moving on to the 3rd round is the Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate. So a big congrats and as of right now my prediction is that this razor is at least in the top 3 at the end because as smoothness goes it's excels. Hats off to the RR GC has it doesn't have to hold its head in shame as it is an excellent shaving razor especially for the price of entry.

Great Shaves my friend!

View attachment 1010869

View attachment 1010870

View attachment 1010871

Great shave off, thank you!
Yes, it’s a shame that RS 10 is no longer being manufactured.
Quite expensive, but I’ve seen numerous posts and reviews praising its smoothness.

Do you know which two razors are up next?
Or will you keep it as a surprise...?

 

[DSR]

Yes it will and like I said earlier in the post thank God your Titanium version is not in this competition or I might as well just name it the winner and move on to another Shave Off!

Interesting....
Following these shave offs (and other posts and reviews seem to support it as well), it certainly looks like Titanium razors are almost always smoother when going against their SS equivalent.
Wolfman, Timeless, Raw Shaving....

Is it mainly because they’re lighter, easier to manoeuvre and therefore have a “softer face feel”?
Any thoughts?

 

[AJSharp]

Nice one DB but you know my feelings on these 2 excellent razors. I’m not suprised that the RS10 won this last round and expect it to go to the finals.

@DSR I have wondered the same thing as titanium razors compared to their exact SS counterparts always “seem” smoother and softer on the face. Perhaps (I am guessing) it has to do with the relative non reactivity Ti (like 90% pure) has in comparison to SS (an iron alloy mixed with carbon, nickel etc) ? How about some chemists or engineers out there commenting ?

 

[Graydog]

Nice contest Frank, you have a picture of Gibbs
showing is Leroy up next ?

 

[DSR]

Nice contest Frank, you have a picture of Gibbs
showing is Leroy up next ?

8F898276-D34B-4271-8E76-3718B295C2A7

• DSR
• Aug 24, 2019

Leroy...??

 

[smurfups77]

Well I guess my game changer had a pretty good run. It took a razor that cost 5.6 times as much to knock it off. In my experience the GC is the best dollar for dollar razor out there I have tried. Even if I had no idea what the price of it was I would still love it. The Rs-10 is an awesome razor to and I agree it is smoother. I hope it comes back at some point. You will be getting my Ti95 soon enough, just hold your horses. Haha

Happy Shaves
Jason

 

[Graydog]

8F898276-D34B-4271-8E76-3718B295C2A7

• DSR
• Aug 24, 2019

Leroy...??