Viking Razor

[shaveandahaircut]

I don't know what the handle and doors are made of but just heard back from Vikings Blade. My question to them was in relation to modifying the orientation of the safety bars on the Chieftain to make the razor more aggressive, and they said:

Since mid 2017 our baseplates are now constructed from zinc alloy and they should not be modified in any way.

 

[Joe Larsen]

Well, I can now say that I have shaved with the Chieftain. Truth is is that, it is a very good razor! Mild yes, but there is an efficiency to it also. It's well constructed and the fit and finish looks like Edwin Jagger could have Chromed it. I did notice that the angle is finicky but not so bad that its an issue just something to be aware of. I also have a Baili that I will do I side by side. So far though I think its a great mild daily razor.

 

[Joe Larsen]

So after going through several razors and soaps that i'd had and not used I finally got around to a side by side.
the Chieftain vs the Baili. First, Handles and are the same as far as I can tell, same with the tto mechanisim.
Second the fit and finish, again appears to be of the same High quality, actually it's impressively high quality.
Third the head, now here is where things differ, the Chieftain has a thicker base plate also 4 smaller lather holes compared to 2 longer oblong lather holes on the Baili, no clogging issues with either, also both razors have a straight bar with small i'm gonna call them little combs along the edge, the Chieftain has better micro combs, I didn't do a feeler gauge to check gap differences, now here is the big difference when shaving, the Chieftain is more efficient while still being mild. I used a brand new Shark super chrome in both razors, their inexpensive and smooth. both gave a nice mild comfortable DFS, but the Chieftain was closer and to my sensitive skin, med tuff whiskers an all around better shaver. I would guess that placing a GSB, or a Feather would make for a superb shave.
Is the price difference worth getting the Chieftain over a Baili? Well, that's up to you to decide, compare a Feather AS-D2 Roughly 170 on amazon to the Razorock Mamba at 50, both mild razors is the feather 120 better than the Mamba?
If I am in a hurry or need a quick DFS with no nicks or redness, i'm grabbing the Vikings Blade Chieftain!

 

[Rosseforp]

I am a new DE shaver and the Chieftain was my first DE razor. I got it just over a month ago and was quite impressed with the fit and finish when I received it. My first shave was OK, using the Mild Swiss blades it came with, as I was very nervous and cautious. After 4 shaves and lots of weepers and nicks I tried an Astra and got a better shave. 4 shaves later I tried a Derby, butchered my neck and went back to the Swiss blades.

I then started reading more and more reviews and watching lots of YouTube shaving videos. Over and over I keep hearing about how mild the Chieftain is, but it keeps biting me.

All this led me to believe I had fallen for internet hype and I got a Feather Popular for comparison.
To my surprise I found the Feather much milder and was able to get a much closer shave without any nicks, weepers or cuts.

Upon side by side comparison under a Micro-Vue comparator (very accurate non-contact measuring device), I could easily spot the differences in the head geometry. When I measured the blade gap it was .787mm on the Feather and a whopping 1.270mm on the Chieftain. The blade projection was 1.17mm on the Feather and .965mm on the Chieftain.
The bottom line is this increases the blade exposure on the Chieftain over the Feather and this is why it is less forgiving.

Is the Chieftain worth the $38 I paid for it? It sure is a beautiful razor, but I do think it is maybe a bit overpriced and over-hyped. I have no complaints at all about the quality, but I am comparing it to a plastic razor that gave me a better shave for $16......
For now I am using my Feather and I have a Razorock DE1 on order.
Doug
I can't ask my dad for shaving advise so I came here

 

[Joe Larsen]

For now I am using my Feather and I have a Razorock DE1 on order.

Well I hate to say it but the Razorock DE1 is the samething as the Baili, unless that's what you were going after. The Feather Popular is another of the razors that is better than you think it would be.
Also very cool info!

 

[Rosseforp]

Well I hate to say it but the Razorock DE1 is the samething as the Baili, unless that's what you were going after. The Feather Popular is another of the razors that is better than you think it would be.
Also very cool info!

I believe that is true, they are the same price. I got the Feather based on recommendations here, and I am very happy with it. Gives me better shaves than I ever got with a cartridge. As for the DE1, I believe I was told how can you go wrong for $5?

 

[Joe Larsen]

you can't go wrong for 5 bucks. but if your Chieftain is a recent model the head is different and more efficient, the key is to use a sharper blade, and less pressure.

 

[xiletero]

get an Edwin Jaeger on Amazon for $25 and use some decent sharp blades...can't cut yourself w this one if you are using the right technique...

 

[TonyTheRazorMan]

Hello all.


This is my first post. I know this is an old thread but I have read it with interest. My Baili 177 that I recently got from Maagards looks a lot like the current pics on the Vikings Blade site of the Chieftan. The differences I see are color, branding, different number of lather channels, and no diamond shape on the bottom of the baseplate on the Chieftan. The Chieftan looks different than the earlier pics on this thread.

Here are some pics of my Baili. It is mild, which I like, and gives a nice shave. And yes I have tons of other razors, both new and vintage.

So in 2021, the VB is now zamak, and the design has changed?

Thanks

 

[Billski]

I like a mild razor

 

[TonyTheRazorMan]

I like a mild razor

Yep, me too. With my fair and sensitive skin, razor burn looks horrible!!! I shave every day, and I think my whiskers are average, though I havent felt anyone elses whiskers! Lol