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Which is RazoRock's mildest Stainless Steel DE head? And other questions, please

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
@Marco - I have found the scale that italianbarber provides to be very accurate. However, your question is slightly nuanced. The mildest razors are the mambas (both versions). HOWEVER, the razor that would be most like the DE89 is the GC 0.68 SB. I also have a BBS (similar to the Mambas) and while it is incredibly mild, it doesn't have the **feel** of a DE89. The GC 0.68 *feels* like a traditional DE razor (for better or worse). One downside for me is that I hate loading the blade to the baseplate. I felt the GC 0.84 is way more aggressive for my face than the GC 0.68. The BBS series is also fantastic but they do not feel like a DE89. I hope this helps.

I LOVE the finish on the RR razors. It is not Wolfman but it is not trying to be. For the price it is fantastic. Only machine marks I can see are on the underside of the top cap.

The link posted in post 12 is the Gamechanger 0.68 straight bar and would be my recommendation for what you are looking for.

Sir, my sincere apologizes for asking a question that was technically not accurate. Only afterwards I realized that RazoRock's mildest razors are not what I'm actually looking for. Rather, I'm looking for a SS head design that shaves as closely as possible to the "89 Series". Thank you very much for pointing out my unintentional mistake and providing a very solid reply. :thumbup1:
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
By the way, it is my understanding that the GC 68P and the GC 68 SB are the exact same head, just called in two different ways. Is this correct?
 
@Marco

I own, used and have on loan - RazoRock BBS Standard plate, A plate, AS plate, Game Changer 84 Open Comb, Lupo 95 and Wunderbar.

Of these I must say that BBS Standard plate is the most well behaved razor and I often recommend it to fellow Wet shavers who seek mild razor in SS material and CNC machining.

I don't have any experience with the Mamba series of RazoRock, I've heard that they are also good, mild razors and cut the stubble when held at certain angles.

With BBS Standard razor the angle (for me) was very intuitive and since it needs the handle to be kept as close to the face as possible (due to curved blade not slant), the weight of the razor and gravity does most of the job and I can really get a very comfortable, clean shave without any (apart from contact pressure) pressure shaves.

It works well with a wide variety of blades for me - Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum, Gillette Nacet, Shark Super Chrome, Wilkinson Sword and others.

These are the photos taken by me with my outdated Android phone. Hopefully they'll provide you with some more information on the BBS razor from a user point of view.

Link
I've used the Mamba, Game Changer, Lupo, and BBS and enjoy the BBS the most for a mild shave. Lupo is a bit more blade forward and I enjoy that one a lot too. The Mamb and the GC both made the blade loading upside-down putting the posts on the base plate (a no-no in my book).
 
Hello Marco. Greetings. Having tried most iterations offerings from RazoRock (DE) I recommend the Lupo 72. Second, I would recommend the Mamba 70 and Third I suggest GC 68 Sb. Lupo is more enjoyable out of the 3 and has most efficiency out of the 3. Smoothness is debatable, but I would way say that GC 68 is smoothest out of all 3, but the margin is so small that it is not worth it at the cost of efficiency. Lupo 72, removes more whiskers per pass than either Mamba 70 or GC 68. -

**Lupo 72 also has the italian name “Lupo” wolf which you may be fond of.

**Lupo 72 also has a greater cult following, more so than GC and Mambas.

**Lupo also has a cooler more ergonomic head, meaning it matches the handle better and the posts come from the head rather the baseplate, which makes Gamechanger a pain to load.

**If it was me I would get all 3 and see what works and sell the other 2 razors.

Best,
C_S
 
Sir, my sincere apologizes for asking a question that was technically not accurate. Only afterwards I realized that RazoRock's mildest razors are not what I'm actually looking for. Rather, I'm looking for a SS head design that shaves as closely as possible to the "89 Series". Thank you very much for pointing out my unintentional mistake and providing a very solid reply. :thumbup1:
No worries! Happy to be of service!
By the way, it is my understanding that the GC 68P and the GC 68 SB are the exact same head, just called in two different ways. Is this correct?
Yes they are the same. Many regrets regarding the confusion of terms.
 
Yes, I'd agree the GC .68 is what you're looking for.

I've had the GC.68, the GC .89, and the Mamba .70. The GC .89 was far too aggressive for my face, the Mamba requires a specific narrow blade angle, but the GC .68 feels just like a DE-89. If I were blindfolded and the weight difference was somehow disguised, I don't think I could tell the difference between a GC .68, a DE-89, and a pre-war Tech.

My Mamba had some milling marks on both sides that are barely visible when the light is exactly right. None of the other razors have had any imperfections.
 
Love the handle and also love the thinner one they sell. Great match for any of the Razorock heads. Personally, I love the Mamba 70 and Lupo 72 more than the Game Changer 68 or 84… but that’s just me. All three are great razors with different personalities.
 
I own most of the Razorock razors as well as 10+ Gillette Tech and their clones, as well as 5 or 6 DE 89 series. IMHO, the best razor fitting your requirements is definitely the Razorock Game Changer .68 SB. There is no way you can go wrong with that choice. For the price point, you will not find a better quality stainless steel razor which fits your requirements. The Lupo's (Aluminum and Stainless) are all more blade forward, and the Mamba's have a different shaving angle from the Tech's and DE 89's.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
I have an official retailer here in Italy where to buy from.
I think I know these good fellas (wink, wink), I got my Timeless from them and later ordered the plate from the USA. A full Timeless razor unfortunately just goes above certain customs limits in price where customs starts asking for even more.

I just checked, the GC .68 is already out of stock there. But they still have most of the other options discussed. I am looking forward to hear what you decided for in the end! 👍

Regarding the price, even with shipping and customs you can get away with less. But I often ordered from Italy and this shop in particular by now, particularly when I absolutely didn't want the razor to get lost in delivery. I had one lost razor from Italianbarber/Canada, it was my only international shipping loss at all so far except for two non-shaving related items from Aliexpress, but those were fully refunded.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I think I know these good fellas (wink, wink), I got my Timeless from them and later ordered the plate from the USA. A full Timeless razor unfortunately just goes above certain customs limits in price where customs starts asking for even more.

I just checked, the GC .68 is already out of stock there. But they still have most of the other options discussed. I am looking forward to hear what you decided for in the end! 👍

Yes Sir, it's Rasoigoodfellas. I order often from them because they stock a lot of brands (including RazoRock), offer free domestic shipping with express courier and parcels arrive safely and quickly, usually within 2 working days.

Right this morning I ordered 2x RazoRock Thick Bar handles, a spare Mühle R89 head and a bowl of Cella Extra Extra Bio.

The GC 68P at this point is my head of choice. Unfortunately, as you already noted, it's currently out of stock. But I've signed in in their notification system to let me know when it's available again. In the meantime, I'll put the spare Mühle R89 head on one of my Thick Bar handles and enjoy this combo!

Thank you everyone for the help provided! :a14:
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
1. As briefly asked above, I desire RazoRock's mildest Stainless Steel DE head. In other words, I desire a SS head that shaves like a vintage post-war Tech or a modern "89 Series" razor (Muhle R89, Edwin Jagger DE89, Gillette Heritage Inspired).

I owned and PIF'ed a RazoRock Mamba 70. It very much reminded me of a vintage Gillette Tech type razor in its configuration. As the RazoRock razors go, it's mild...in fact...over time, I found it to be too mild and not efficient enough for my needs. All of that having been said, I would consider the RazoRock Lupo SS SB .72. For my face and whiskers, it's mild enough and yet wonderfully efficient. My wife uses the RazoRock Mamba 53. She doesn't like aggressive razors and she finds it to be agreeable.

But, you did say you wanted extremely mild...so...the Mamba 70 might be the ticket. I do not have any experience with their BBS razor...also a potential choice for you.


2. This extremely mild head must perfectly fit in the Vintage THICK Bar attached above, which is my handle of choice. By the way, do all RazoRock's heads fit in all RazoRock's handles? Are the threads "universal" in their entire line-up?

Yes.

3. What can be said about the finish on RazoRock's Stainless Steel razors? On their web site they declare that their SS heads and handles are "milled and finished to a tool grade and may have small machining and finishing marks. If you are expecting a perfect finish this may not be the head and handle for you". So, is the overall finish good, excellent or should I expect visible blemishes?

I never purchased a RazoRock 316L Stainless Steel razor that was poorly machined or badly nicked or marked. They all have what I would describe as a better semi-polished finish. The handle in the image you posted would make a good match for the RR 316L SS razor heads. The un-knurled portions of the handle in your image would be a good match.

And of course, best of luck with your choice!
 
GC 68 solid bar is a good choice. But I would recommend you order 84 solid bar plate as mentioned above. I found the GC68 quite a bit milder than a DE89. The 84p is just about right in my opinion.

Agree, the .68P is a great razor if you're looking for mild yet reasonably efficient shave. Good for every other, if not daily, shaving. In my case however, I found I had to work at it, which was fine - the usual 3 passes and touch ups, lots of touch ups. But I've recently gave the .84P another chance. I initially found it too aggressive for my liking and didn't care for the blade feel. I've been allowing a bit more growth between shaves and this seems to have helped. 3 or 4 shaves and about a week later I seem to have successfully switched over. The aggressiveness and the blade feel seems to have tempered considerably. I find that with the .84P the typical three passes are much more effective, leaving me with fewer (if any) touchups. That's a good thing in my opinion, because it's with the touchups that one is prone to overdoing it.

My GC came with a bull dog handle which was just stupid heavy in my opinion. I ended up buying a $10 Muhle style replacement handle from Walmart and the weight and balance is much, much better. And I think it looks far more classier too.
 
I have had dozens of Razorock heads and handles and all have fit every combination I have tried. The mildest for me has been the Mamba 53, followed by the Mamba 70. Silly mild. I could do 5 passes with those razors and not get an adequate shave. The Game Changer 68 is crazy mild too. I have to go up to the GC 84p before I can get a decent shave. I get great shaves with the DE89 and R89 razors, so that should give you some relative reference. I think the GC 84p is closest to an 89 shave wise, but more refined… and stainless of course. The BBS razor is also quite mild and forgiving. But overall, I like the GC 84p the most out of all those RR razors. And despite the fact that you load the blade onto the baseplate, the GC 84 is the most traditional out of the bunch from a shaving feel perspective. I hope that helps.

BW, do you have or have you tried the RazoRock Baby Smooth? That's the only RR I have and I'm interested in how it compares with the other silly/crazy mild heads you mentioned in case I decide to pick any one of those up. They would need to be only slightly more aggressive or slighty less aggresive than the Baby Smooth (or the same of course) for me to consider.

Also for a rule of thumb, I use the Rockwell 2C razor on the R3 setting for most blades of average sharpness.
 

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
I had a Baby Smooth for a long time. For me, it provided poor shave results and nicked me up every time I tried it. Something about it was not working for me at all. I think the Razorock BBS razor, the original gap version, was a better attempt at what the Baby Smooth was trying to accomplish. At least for me, anyway. Smooth easy shaving, with decent results. They both hold the blade in a similar way.
 
I had a Baby Smooth for a long time. For me, it provided poor shave results and nicked me up every time I tried it. Something about it was not working for me at all. I think the Razorock BBS razor, the original gap version, was a better attempt at what the Baby Smooth was trying to accomplish. At least for me, anyway. Smooth easy shaving, with decent results. They both hold the blade in a similar way.

Thanks. It's difficult for me to relate to that because the Baby Smooth for me has been, well, Baby Smooth :c9:

Though we both seem to favor the less aggressive razors I guess there can still be a significant difference in what we mean by less aggressive? The BS has never nicked me and I have used everything in it from Derby Extra's to the much sharper Gillette Yellow's and Personna Reds.

If you have used a Rockwell 6S or 2C and knew which setting was best for you that might give a better indication of how aggressive the other's you mentioned were. For me, the #3 setting is best for the blades I just mentioned, the #2 is too mild and the #4 is just a BIT too aggressive.
 
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