Couple of weeks ago I ordered a cheap Feather clone kamisori off Alibaba. It turned up today, thought I'd post a pic and my initial thoughts:
TL
R - it is not bad.
More detail:
Negatives: it's not as well made as a Feather, nowhere near really. It holds the blade securely enough but the removable side of the head is easily displaced by wiping the head clean with a towel or flannel. The jimps are stamped rather than machined and lack any kind of grippy texture. There is up and down play in the tail end of the handle, but it seems well-fixed axially. Strangely there is very little play side to side.
Positives: Paired with a Feather Pro blade, it works just fine. Like the SR (I have the folding version) this is another minimum pressure required razor. It gets the job done with the lightest touch. The handle seems grippy enough, on a par with my AC SS kami. Probably not as good as the new AC SR kami with its textured handle. But it works and is comfy in the hand. The chrome finish on the head feels smooth and doesn't get hung up on the scalp (I head-shave). I've had a few straights that really struggle here, something that makes them drag or stick. But the Uni kami is absolutely fine.
Overall: it's not a special bit of design and engineering like a Feather. But, it cost me 10 quid. Is a Feather 10-15x better (current UK prices are between £100-150). For me, it's debatable, but in a practical sense and so long as the Uni doesn't break, it's a moot point. It does everything a Feather does.
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially for people who might include one in a collection, or only use it occasionally. For daily use I can see its small quirks and quality issues annoying me, so will probably get the SR kami at some point regardless. But this is a fine razor and at the price represents really good value.
TL
R - it is not bad. More detail:
Negatives: it's not as well made as a Feather, nowhere near really. It holds the blade securely enough but the removable side of the head is easily displaced by wiping the head clean with a towel or flannel. The jimps are stamped rather than machined and lack any kind of grippy texture. There is up and down play in the tail end of the handle, but it seems well-fixed axially. Strangely there is very little play side to side.
Positives: Paired with a Feather Pro blade, it works just fine. Like the SR (I have the folding version) this is another minimum pressure required razor. It gets the job done with the lightest touch. The handle seems grippy enough, on a par with my AC SS kami. Probably not as good as the new AC SR kami with its textured handle. But it works and is comfy in the hand. The chrome finish on the head feels smooth and doesn't get hung up on the scalp (I head-shave). I've had a few straights that really struggle here, something that makes them drag or stick. But the Uni kami is absolutely fine.
Overall: it's not a special bit of design and engineering like a Feather. But, it cost me 10 quid. Is a Feather 10-15x better (current UK prices are between £100-150). For me, it's debatable, but in a practical sense and so long as the Uni doesn't break, it's a moot point. It does everything a Feather does.
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially for people who might include one in a collection, or only use it occasionally. For daily use I can see its small quirks and quality issues annoying me, so will probably get the SR kami at some point regardless. But this is a fine razor and at the price represents really good value.
