Shave Off report: Championship round.
Timeless Ti DC .95 SB side vs Raw Shaving RS 10 mild plate
So this was a very close Shave Off and as others that were this close I like to let my beard grow out a bit to get a good idea on efficiency and what razor gave me the longest lasting shave and this Shave Off was a good example of that and so I wanted to wait to do this report. As we have gone over both razors before on their specs and shaving proneness/characteristics I won't waste time repeating myself but I will say that both these razors have great fit and finish and in fact as I was cleaning them up after the Shave Off I was looking at both and saying to myself that they were both just a slight step down from a Wolfman High polished which to me is at the top of the heap in that dept and the standard I measure every other razor by when looking at fit and finish so the Raw and Timeless are amongst the tops out there in modern razors in my opinion. Also the feel of these two razors are different and I think the 2 biggest differences are in both weight because of the metals and the length with the RS 10 being the heavier of the two. I will note I have had the pleasure of using one of only 10 Raw Shaving RS 10's that was made in Titanium and that would have paired up well as far as weight goes with the Timeless Ti.. I will also note that at this moment in time that razor was the smoothest razor I have ever shaved with bar none but because of it's almost impossible to find status I did not want to include it in this contest even though I know the owner would have probably let me use it.
I started this Shave Off in search of the " Smoothest Razor " and yes some of the modern razors that have been in this contest are hard to find like the RS 10 and the Paradigm 17 4 for example or even some of the vintage razors like the President that made it so far in this competition or the Aristocrats because yes you can't find them now and then on the on the BST, online bidding sites or sometimes through a trade with a shaving buddy but to really get the most out of the vintages they have to be in great working order and all alignments perfectly in place. So take all that to heart when looking for a smooth shaving razor as there are plenty of easier to find razors that are very smooth shavers and they come in all different price ranges from $20 all the way up to $500 plus and everywhere in between.
For this Shave Off I just stayed with my normal 2 days growth/2 pass shave going WTG and ATG to keep things consistent. The reason I choose this so anyone in question knows is because my beard is perfect for almost any razor to take down on 2 days growth but with 3 or more days then things start to change for certain razors and my beard makes it difficult to get a great shave with in only 2 passes. The other thing is only doing the 2 passes without buffing afterwords gives me a much more clearer understanding of what kind of shave I got from each razor in the two passes because if I buffed the results would often be the same with both giving me a solid BBS so I'd have to wait to see how how my beard grows out in all areas to pick a winner in many Shave Offs I've done knowing how the razors I've used shave. Hopefully you can understand my logic.
Also as many of you know I use my SSSST which for me gives me a closer shave in less passes with no irritation. Also it has allowed me to use much more efficient razors as well compared to when I was using a traditional 3 pass taking long strokes type of technique and then buffining anything I missed so again consider this when choosing a razor if you are using a traditional 3 pass long stroke shave technique. I've done enough of those shaves to know there is a difference when using any razor I've shaved with. Just a heads up!
So let us get to the Championship round of this " Smoothest Razor " Shave Off
Gear used:
Timeless Ti DC .95 using only the SB
Raw Shaving SS RS 10 using the mild plate
New Polsilver blades
Mitchells Wolf Fat Shave soap
Asylum/SV collaboration Colonia Aftershave
AP Shaving Brush
1st Pass WTG - Lathered up and I started this Shave Off with the RS 10 on the right more difficult side of my face and began my N to S pass. This razor feels very good in hand and when I got it I wasn't sure about the handle as I generally like a handle with more traditional knurling on it or a barberpole type handle but as I shaved with the RS 10 more and more I came to like the stock handle although I'm planning on putting on one of my Ti handles just to see how it feels. Anyway this razor is so smooth and yet you get a little bit of blade feel and audible feedback just to let you know where you are but so smooth and surprisingly efficient for the mild plate. I gave my skin a good stretch all throughout this Shave Off to somewhat neutralize the difference in efficiency in both these razors as the Timeless normally would be noticeably more so than the mild plate on the RS 10 but the 10 had no problem taking down my 2 day growth and did so with incredible smoothness and this is very noticeably around my mouth especially on my the edges of my lips. Chin was no problem although the audible went up a notch in volume with my stubborn stubble in that area. So finished the pass and it was truly an excellent one. I then picked up the Ti Timeless and continued downward on my neck which is the most difficult area of my entire face. Timeless had no problem slicing through my stubble with confidence and yet smoothness. Same as the RS 10. Wonderful around mouth and on the edges of my lips. At this point something starts to take shape in my mind but I'm not convinced yet so we will move on with this and I'll explain in the next pass. So no issues tackling my Adams apple and finished up this pass with excellent results. On to the other side of my face to began the N to S pass this time using the Timeless and since this is my easy side the Ti hand no problems making its way through my growth and yet it retained its smoothness with just a little bit more blade feel than the RS 10 when comparing all areas but not by a whole lot. Audible feedback on the Ti like mose Ti razors I've shaved with have their own unique sound and the Timeless is no different. Face feel is like other Ti razors I"ve shaved with..softer against the skin is the way to describe "Face Feel " when it comes to Ti razors compared to SS razors.. at least for me. So another excellent pass from the Timeless. Grabbed the RS 10 for the last WTG pass on my neck and as soon as you pick it up you feel the weight difference between the Timeless Ti and the SS RS 10 but it was no problem for me I just thought I'd mention it for those that care. Once again the RS 10 displayed why it is associated with smooth shaving as this was a quick buttery smooth pass and another excellent one to boot. I'd like to bring some attention to the MWF Shave soap. I've always heard it was a slick soap with it's good dose of lanolin but I don't know why I never felt compelled to try it until a friend told me about the nice slick shave he got with it so I purchased just the bar on a early access Black Friday sale and got it in the mail before this Shave Off so I thought why not try it. I put the bar in an empty jar I had that fits the soap pretty good. Slickness on it was very good and I enjoyed the faint soapy like scent of it as it is just a simple clean scent and that's why I followed it with the Asylum/SV Colonia aftershave splash which paired very nicely with it. Post shave was not top tier for me and the only thing I can say that would be slightly negative about it but there's always a moisturizer when a shave soap doesn't give you the post shave you'd like. Also so glad I got talked into this Shave brush. I really like it and it didn't break the bank at all. Anyway finished up the WTG pass and it was a good one from both razors.
2nd Pass ATG - I picked up the Timeless to start at the base of my neck on my right side and began my trip northward and this pass went really good but I had to work at it a bit around my nasty cowlick and on my difficult weird beard growth as it is a stubborn area for sure but I've found aggressive skin stretching in that areas allows any decently efficient razor to take it down and take it down the Timeless did. Awesome pass. I also noticed the soap dried out a bit and when doing the kind of skin stretching I do I need lots of residual slickness and I'd say this is very good as long as you refresh an area if it takes a little more time to get through a shave as it did in this Shave Off. So got done with the pass and a good one it was and picked up the RS 10 to scoot up my face and what a pleasure to use this razor on the ATG pass. Its buttery smooth and yet is outperforming my expectations on efficiency thinking this is just the mild plate. I went ATG all around my mouth and under my nose and on my chin with no issues whatsoever so another excellent pass with the RS 10.. With it still in hand I went over to the base of my neck on the left side and started my journey north and this was the fastest section of the entire Shave Off and whatever little bit of stubble was left the RS 10 was taken them down and sending them below my skin. So a wonderful pass with the RS 10. Last ATG pass goes to the Timeless and no disappointments there as it took down what little remaining stubble I had with no problems! So finished up the ATG pass and this Shave Off is in the books! What a way to end this Shave Off with an excellent shave like these two razors provided.
Post Shave
Rinsed with warm then cold water and patted dry my face. I wanted to let it dry and use both my hands and the cotton test to see the shave I got without putting any post shave product on it even my trusty Thayers witch hazel unscented. So after testing I got a solid BBS level 2 Shave out of both of them which actually surprised me but I have to admit I was really aggressive with my SSSST in this Shave Off because I wanted the best I could get out of the both of them and I think I achieved that in this Shave Off.
On to the scoring system after waiting 24hrs before reporting.
Timeless Ti DC .95 SB
1. Smoothness = 56 1/2 points
2. Efficiency = 15 points
3. Balance = 4 1/2 points
4. Maneuverability = 5 points.
5. Glide = 5 points
Total score = 86 points
Raw Shaving RS 10 SS
1. Smoothness = 58 points
2. Efficiency = 14 1/2 points
3. Balance = 4 1/2 points
4. Maneuverability = 4 1/2 points.
5. Glide = 5 points
Total score = 86 1/2 points
Summary
Well this one was so close in every way but what I really noticed is the RS 10 Stepped it up on efficiency even with the mild plate on. The Timeless .95 SB was a very tiny tad bit more efficient but feeling my face it had just as much regrowth in certain areas as the RS 10 in others so it came very close to matching the Timeless in efficiency. Smoothness is where the RS 10 shined and even though the Timeless is super smooth as well the RS 10 proved smoother. Like I had mentioned in another post I still feel unsatisfied that I did not put the Timeless .68 up against the mild plate of the RS 10 and then the .95 up against the RS 10 with the more efficient plate. On. I can't predict what the scores would have been but I think it is safe to say that the Timeless with the .68 plate on would be smoother by a bit than the .95 just as the more efficient plate of the RS 10 would be much more comparable and maybe even more efficient than the Timeless .95.. Of course this is all should have, could have. would have at this point. So the RS 10 is the winner of this contest by a slight margin and congrats to the razor and congrats to the members who choose the correct 3 razors to be in the finals and picked all the winners correctly. Also like to add with these last final 4 there are absolutely no losers and they all have their own unique shaving characteristics but one thing they all share in common is they are all " Smooth Shavers " and most all of the razors that have been in this competition can make that claim. I know there are some new razors that have either come out recently or will be coming out in the near future that should have been in this Shave Off and I'm sure will will revisit some individual Shave Offs with them moving forward.
I went over all the names of those that got all 3 picks right including the semi and then picked the overall winner correctly. So we have 3 names. @kingfisher - @AJSharp and @Darktrader as the 3 names that went in the hat.
So drumroll please!
And the winner who was picked out of the hat by my assistant Emma who also sends her congrats to our winner @Darktrader !!! You will receive the brand new Gillette Heritage razor and a extra surprise in your box as well. I will need your address so I can ship the prize to you so please pm me with the info. Big congrats on getting all 3 right and ultimately naming the winner!
Thank you all for the support and encouragement with keeping this thread going. More Shave Offs to come...
Great Shaves my friends!
DB
View attachment 1042060
Outstanding tournament!!
