To me "delight" is a word I use to describe products when my expectations are surpassed. I was delighted by the Ti95, and it only took one shave to know it. Going in I was skeptical of two things, 1) that titanium would make on impact on either the quality or the empirical efficiency of the shave, and 2) that Timeless would be able to deliver a shave as close as either my Blackbird or Athena. Although it didn't achieve everything, what it did deliver was unique and enjoyable in its own right.
By way of exposition, before ordering the Ti95 I had already purchased a Blackbird (SS Polished) and Athena, and had a SS Overlander and SS Le Maurice 1.4 coming in the mail. My assumption when buying all 4 had been I enjoy, neigh prefer, the heft of a solid razor and therefore saw no need for the added expense of titanium. Moreover, I asserted that the added weight would actually aid the shaving process by allowing gravity to do more of the work.
I had read reviews of the Timeless 95 and knew that some believed its efficiency was lower than the BB or Athena. Even still, it's beauty and unique design kept me returning to it, and given its titanium version had a relatively lower premium to the base steel version than other razors I thought it would be interesting and fun to make it my first titanium experience. What I quickly realized was that if indeed titanium proved to be superior it might cast a shadow over my 4 existing SS razors in which I had just made a considerable investment.
As I shaved with the Ti95 the word which kept coming to mind was "fun". Whereas the BB is a sharp entrenching tool which lays waste to everything in its path, and the Athena is a deft scalpel, the Ti95 was like shaving with a conductor's baton. It swoops and glides across your face with ease. One of my favorite features of the Ti95 are the massive lather channels which make cleaning between passes the easiest of all my razors. The big domed head made finding the blade angle a little tricky, somewhere around neutral, but also made for a smooth and bouncy ride. Interestingly, the efficiency seemed higher than either my BB or Athena on my neck, about the same on my cheeks, but lower above the upper lip. Maybe this has something do with the bulbous shape of the head. When all was said and done, I think the overall efficiency falls short of either the Athena or BB, but still delivers a DFS+ with an experience which is unique and fun (there's that word again) combined with an old-world aesthetic.
As to the superiority of titanium, I think I'm a believer. The maneuverability and ease of use which comes from the light weight truly seemed to make the shaving process easier, and in turn more enjoyable. The good news is yesterday was day 28 since I received my SS Blackbird and I'm happy to report that they've accepted my exchange, and my SS Blackbird is on the way to them and a polished titanium BB is on the way to me. I guess it's lucky that neither the Overlander or Athena come in titanium (yet). The Le Maurice will just have to remain SS because I don't intend to ship it back to France and the premium for titanium is too high anyway. As with everything else, wet shaving is a journey not a destination and I'm having fun along the way. Love my new Ti95!
As a side note, I'm using Wizamet Superior Iridium blades for all my shaves until I learn the unique features of each razor.
By way of exposition, before ordering the Ti95 I had already purchased a Blackbird (SS Polished) and Athena, and had a SS Overlander and SS Le Maurice 1.4 coming in the mail. My assumption when buying all 4 had been I enjoy, neigh prefer, the heft of a solid razor and therefore saw no need for the added expense of titanium. Moreover, I asserted that the added weight would actually aid the shaving process by allowing gravity to do more of the work.
I had read reviews of the Timeless 95 and knew that some believed its efficiency was lower than the BB or Athena. Even still, it's beauty and unique design kept me returning to it, and given its titanium version had a relatively lower premium to the base steel version than other razors I thought it would be interesting and fun to make it my first titanium experience. What I quickly realized was that if indeed titanium proved to be superior it might cast a shadow over my 4 existing SS razors in which I had just made a considerable investment.
As I shaved with the Ti95 the word which kept coming to mind was "fun". Whereas the BB is a sharp entrenching tool which lays waste to everything in its path, and the Athena is a deft scalpel, the Ti95 was like shaving with a conductor's baton. It swoops and glides across your face with ease. One of my favorite features of the Ti95 are the massive lather channels which make cleaning between passes the easiest of all my razors. The big domed head made finding the blade angle a little tricky, somewhere around neutral, but also made for a smooth and bouncy ride. Interestingly, the efficiency seemed higher than either my BB or Athena on my neck, about the same on my cheeks, but lower above the upper lip. Maybe this has something do with the bulbous shape of the head. When all was said and done, I think the overall efficiency falls short of either the Athena or BB, but still delivers a DFS+ with an experience which is unique and fun (there's that word again) combined with an old-world aesthetic.
As to the superiority of titanium, I think I'm a believer. The maneuverability and ease of use which comes from the light weight truly seemed to make the shaving process easier, and in turn more enjoyable. The good news is yesterday was day 28 since I received my SS Blackbird and I'm happy to report that they've accepted my exchange, and my SS Blackbird is on the way to them and a polished titanium BB is on the way to me. I guess it's lucky that neither the Overlander or Athena come in titanium (yet). The Le Maurice will just have to remain SS because I don't intend to ship it back to France and the premium for titanium is too high anyway. As with everything else, wet shaving is a journey not a destination and I'm having fun along the way. Love my new Ti95!
As a side note, I'm using Wizamet Superior Iridium blades for all my shaves until I learn the unique features of each razor.
The Timeless Bronze .78 OC is a beautyful razor. But it's my most aggressive razor (it's sneaky in terms of biting without further warning)... I would have sold it already if there wasn't the .38 baseplate which hopefully will suit me way better. As some might recall I'm eagerly awaiting a friend of mine to import the plate to Germany. Bought the plate back in 2023.
