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Yaqi Mellon:incredible

I think you will :D for some reason they wouldn't let me order mine from Spain to N.Ireland so I have to wait. I'm looking forward to see what you think of it as it will be my first slant.
I have one, but I like my razors as aggressive as possible, so the Parker Semi Slant will only be used to practice this week. First slant shave ever. I'm very exited!
 

Dave himself

Wee Words of Wisdom
I have one, but I like my razors as aggressive as possible, so the Parker Semi Slant will only be used to practice this week. First slant shave ever. I'm very exited!
I'm the same ive only been wet shaving for around a year but I started off with half DE shavettes when I started using DE razors I quickly realised I like high efficiency/ aggressive razors. The only mild razors i have is a 1964 tech which is my birth razor and a kenzy razor which to me the head is like a tech clone.
 
On discussing head shaves and blades, @Babou wrote he has been using the Yaqi Mellon the past three weeks for his head shaves. "No more irritation, redness and clean in two passes".
Since this SLOC is considered very mild, I found his claim hard to accept. Having the head myself, I decided to give it a try.
For those who don't know this razor: it is part of a serie, also including my to go Yaqi DLC. Those two razors put together form the Yaqi Beast, a notorious aggressive razor.

I started with the Mellon loaded with a Iridium Super. A fantastic blade. Then I lathered my beloved Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite and off I went. I could feel and see how mild this razor is. I usually shave my beard with a Muehle R41 and am used to a very close shave. The Mellon didn't come close. I was able to achieve a nice shave, but not nearly as good as usual.

Very disappointed, I started the head shave. After two strokes it became clear that this razor and blade were not up to the tough head shave. I decided to listen to te lessons learned at Badger & Blade and try another blade. I read many times that superb blades achieving top notch shaves in one razor can perform like a dud in anonther.
So I loaded the BIC Chrome Platinum and dear, oh dear.... The tame Mellon turned into a Superbowl challenger. Two passes: bold as a snooker ball. And no nicks, no irritation, just nothing unwanted.
Truly incredible.

Even though I only started DE shaving some months ago, I recommend the Mellon, inspired by an ancient, almost forgotten American Razor, for rookies too.

I think you can only cut yourself if you do it on purpose.
Totally agree Jack. A new shaver is well served and protected using a Yaqi Mellon. I face & head shave as well. The Mellon is a mild razor. Only straights have better lather management. A DFS was as far as this razor goes. like all mild razors a BBS would require excessive clean up strokes. I started my journal with this razor. An excellent mild razor.
 
Totally agree Jack. A new shaver is well served and protected using a Yaqi Mellon. I face & head shave as well. The Mellon is a mild razor. Only straights have better lather management. A DFS was as far as this razor goes. like all mild razors a BBS would require excessive clean up strokes. I started my journal with this razor. An excellent mild razor.
What if I tell you I get BBS+ with the Mellon. Blades: Med Prep, Feather, Bic. And I am certain other blades loaded will achieve the same. Yesterday, I used the DLC Yaqi with a Gillette London Bridge. After WTG and XTG, I was shocked at the amount of stubble left. One XTG with the Mellon plus Med Prep: bald as a pool ball. This razor is a hidden gem.

I'll tell you what I'll do: I will use the Yaqi Mellon every beard and head shave from now on with another blade I own. Both Astras, Voskhod, Lord Platinum, Iridium, Gillette Platinum, Rapira, Nacet, Parker, Derby Extra, Personna Platinum, Silver Star, Minora and even the London Bridge and come back to you after use of each of these blades. Let's see what this weird razor can achieve. I'll use my beloved Snake Bite soap and Proraso Boar with each shave. How about that? Nice opportunity to see if my shaving technique has developed since I started this thread 😀

Are you listening, @Babou ?
 
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Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
This razor is a hidden gem.

I'll tell you what I'll do: I will use the Yaqi Mellon every beard and head shave from now on with another blade I own. Both Astras, Voskhod, Lord Platinum, Iridium, Gillette Platinum, Rapira, Nacet, Parker, Derby Extra, Personna Platinum, Silver Star, Minora and even the London Bridge and come back to you after use of each of these blades. Let's see what this weird razor can achieve.
Well Fellows when it comes to blades don't rule out the Kai SS blade. If you need a little more blade feel I slip one of these in and it does a great job of just shaving a little closer because it is wider than a Standard Gillette Astra blade by 9/1000 of a inch.
YY KAI SS DE Blade Kai .871inch wide Astra SP .862 wide-2.jpg
Have some great shaves!
 
What if I tell you I get BBS+ with the Mellon. Blades: Med Prep, Feather, Bic. And I am certain other blades loaded will achieve the same. Yesterday, I used the DLC Yaqi with a Gillette London Bridge. After WTG and XTG, I was shocked at the amount of stubble left. One XTG with the Mellon plus Med Prep: bald as a pool ball. This razor is a hidden gem.

I'll tell you what I'll do: I will use the Yaqi Mellon every beard and head shave from now on with another blade I own. Both Astras, Voskhod, Lord Platinum, Iridium, Gillette Platinum, Rapira, Nacet, Parker, Derby Extra, Personna Platinum, Silver Star, Minora and even the London Bridge and come back to you after use of each of these blades. Let's see what this weird razor can achieve. I'll use my beloved Snake Bite soap and Proraso Boar with each shave. How about that? Nice opportunity to see if my shaving technique has developed since I started this thread 😀

Are you listening, @Babou ?
Sounds like a good work out with the blades Jack. I didn’t say that I couldn’t get a BBS with the Mellon, and I did. Extra strokes were required compared to the other two razors I was using. Both more efficient. Less strokes for a BBS.

Jack I would be interested to see how your shaves compare with a more efficient razor. After your blade trials.

Here is my review of the three razors May 2020.
Post in thread 'GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY'
GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/gc-68oc-gold-grande-yaqi-chrome-mellon-a-journey.585819/post-10734141

My shave is completely different now and I continue to enjoy the Grande.

I’m committed to a shave purchase sabbatical and a fixed four for this year. I’ll definitely follow your journey with interest.
 
Sounds like a good work out with the blades Jack. I didn’t say that I couldn’t get a BBS with the Mellon, and I did. Extra strokes were required compared to the other two razors I was using. Both more efficient. Less strokes for a BBS.

Jack I would be interested to see how your shaves compare with a more efficient razor. After your blade trials.

Here is my review of the three razors May 2020.
Post in thread 'GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY'
GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/gc-68oc-gold-grande-yaqi-chrome-mellon-a-journey.585819/post-10734141

My shave is completely different now and I continue to enjoy the Grande.

I’m committed to a shave purchase sabbatical and a fixed four for this year. I’ll definitely follow your journey with interest.
Fantastic read. Many thanks for linking.
 
Thanks Jack. The journey continues to be exciting and fun.
Jo, I keep reading the thread you've linked. I must thank you for the high quality and thouroughness of your posts and observations. More over: reading them is so up close and personal, it's almost as if you are sitting next to me, talking to me.
I really appreciate the love and intense passion that sparkles from your writing.
I have not yet read anything here that reflects what we all share so a accurate.
Thank you very much, I am looking forward to reading the rest of the thread 👏🏼
 
Tonight, I made a small pile of one blade from all blade brands in my stock.
It seems nice to choose a blade blind for every shave with the Mellon.

I drew the New Lord Platinum, never used them. They were included with a Lord Razor.
In stead of the Snake Bite, I decided to lather the Chiseled Face Cryogen, since my Snake Bite is running low.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this blade. Effective WTG and XTG. Just a few touch ups. No nicks, no irritation. I had to do one big touch up in my neck with the head shave. I thought the blade and razor had done a better job. Then again: this is the most difficult part of my head shave for any combo. To prevent irritation, I used the DLC plus Med Prep to maw down the obnoxious neck hair.

All in all a decent blade. It was not enough to help the Mellon to excel, but I'm sure this dirt cheap blade outperforms many other (popular) blades.

Rate for Yaqi Mellon plus New Lord Platinum: 7.
 
Tonight, I made a small pile of one blade from all blade brands in my stock.
It seems nice to choose a blade blind for every shave with the Mellon.

I drew the New Lord Platinum, never used them. They were included with a Lord Razor.
In stead of the Snake Bite, I decided to lather the Chiseled Face Cryogen, since my Snake Bite is running low.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this blade. Effective WTG and XTG. Just a few touch ups. No nicks, no irritation. I had to do one big touch up in my neck with the head shave. I thought the blade and razor had done a better job. Then again: this is the most difficult part of my head shave for any combo. To prevent irritation, I used the DLC plus Med Prep to maw down the obnoxious neck hair.

All in all a decent blade. It was not enough to help the Mellon to excel, but I'm sure this dirt cheap blade outperforms many other (popular) blades.

Rate for Yaqi Mellon plus New Lord Platinum: 7.
Forgot to mention: apart from my neck jungle the Yaqi Mellon and the Lord Platinum did achieve BBS on the rest of my dome, and I am enjoying it as I type. Nice, smooth, a joy to caress. I think all head shavers know what I mean. Cheers 👍🏽
 
Second shave in a long row.
The Iridium was chosen blindly from the pile of blades that will be loaded in the Yaqi Mellon the next few weeks. Goal: to find out if and which blades can perform a BBS with this razor.

Today was confusing. Although it was my intention to only change blades and do the same prep and use the same razor, brush and soap in order to have the same parameters for judging the blades, I felt like using a soap sample I got from Maggards. Cat Sidhe from Murphy and McNeil. Here's where the confusion starts. I found the lathering slow. The soap was thirsty, but in the end produced a good lather. Smell was nice too. Only thing was: my impression was the soap was "skinny". Don't know how to explain exactly what I mean, but it just didn't look and feel rich and fat as some soaps do.

If something does not go as I want to or expected, first of all, I force myself to consider my own behaviour as the cause. So: it might be my lathering technique (with this soap or in general) is below par. Fact is, this shave was not perfect.

Both the soap and the Iridium did not work well today. Maybe it was the combination, maybe the soap, maybe the blade, or maybe just me.
The Iridium felt rough. The beard shave left more tiny stubble than I like and I even had a small spot of red. I thought it might be the blade needed to lose its coating, but the head shave felt rough too. No blood whatsoever, but I had the feeling I had to be careful. That has never been the case with the Mellon. Ever. The Iridium did a good job with the jungle like hair at the bottom of my neck, but left patches of tiny stubble at different areas during the head shave. Even a second xtg did not achieve true BBS. this in contrast to the first time I used this blade in the Yaqi Mellon.

As stated: a confusing shave. It was below my expectations. I have been contemplating the reason, and cannot come to a conclusion yet. That is why I decided not to change the soap anymore as of now and give the Iridium a second chance. Today, I'll take another Iridium from the tuck and put it in the small pile of blades I gathered to use in my experiment.

Rating: 7. The Iridium deserves a reasonable score, because it took care of the neck bottom hair nicely.

Grumble 🧐
 
Second shave in a long row.
The Iridium was chosen blindly from the pile of blades that will be loaded in the Yaqi Mellon the next few weeks. Goal: to find out if and which blades can perform a BBS with this razor.

Today was confusing. Although it was my intention to only change blades and do the same prep and use the same razor, brush and soap in order to have the same parameters for judging the blades, I felt like using a soap sample I got from Maggards. Cat Sidhe from Murphy and McNeil. Here's where the confusion starts. I found the lathering slow. The soap was thirsty, but in the end produced a good lather. Smell was nice too. Only thing was: my impression was the soap was "skinny". Don't know how to explain exactly what I mean, but it just didn't look and feel rich and fat as some soaps do.

If something does not go as I want to or expected, first of all, I force myself to consider my own behaviour as the cause. So: it might be my lathering technique (with this soap or in general) is below par. Fact is, this shave was not perfect.

Both the soap and the Iridium did not work well today. Maybe it was the combination, maybe the soap, maybe the blade, or maybe just me.
The Iridium felt rough. The beard shave left more tiny stubble than I like and I even had a small spot of red. I thought it might be the blade needed to lose its coating, but the head shave felt rough too. No blood whatsoever, but I had the feeling I had to be careful. That has never been the case with the Mellon. Ever. The Iridium did a good job with the jungle like hair at the bottom of my neck, but left patches of tiny stubble at different areas during the head shave. Even a second xtg did not achieve true BBS. this in contrast to the first time I used this blade in the Yaqi Mellon.

As stated: a confusing shave. It was below my expectations. I have been contemplating the reason, and cannot come to a conclusion yet. That is why I decided not to change the soap anymore as of now and give the Iridium a second chance. Today, I'll take another Iridium from the tuck and put it in the small pile of blades I gathered to use in my experiment.

Rating: 7. The Iridium deserves a reasonable score, because it took care of the neck bottom hair nicely.

Grumble 🧐
If you are testing one component of the four in comparison. The other three must Always be the same for each comparison of the fourth. Unless you have a Well Established Three, you can not test the fourth. Pre shave also must be exact, each and every test. Check out some of the parameters used in this blade testing.

Razor Blades – Refined Shave - https://www.refinedshave.com/category/reviews/razor-blades/

I had posted their Feather Blade review for my opinion on Feathers. At the time I was a multi pass shaver and my habits and shaves were pretty much the same. As a head shaver you should appreciate some of the nuances.
 
If you are testing one component of the four in comparison. The other three must Always be the same for each comparison of the fourth. Unless you have a Well Established Three, you can not test the fourth. Pre shave also must be exact, each and every test. Check out some of the parameters used in this blade testing.

Razor Blades – Refined Shave - https://www.refinedshave.com/category/reviews/razor-blades/

I had posted their Feather Blade review for my opinion on Feathers. At the time I was a multi pass shaver and my habits and shaves were pretty much the same. As a head shaver you should appreciate some of the nuances.
Thanks, Jo.
Fully agree. I should have known better. When I first came here, others advised me to shave with the exact same gear for a month. Which I did. It was very helpfull indeed.
So from now on: same prep, same razor, soap and brush 👍🏽
 
I didn't feel like writing much yesterday, so today I will.

Next in line was the Silver Star. I had my doubts, since this blade did not do as well I expected in my Parker Semi Slant. That was disappointing because the Silver Star is highly praised.
But this shave, the blade showed why many like it.
While being not extremely smooth, the Silver Star turned out both sharp and forgiving. After one WTG and two XTG, the Silver Star and the Mellon delivered a good BBS. The blade deserved extra points for taking care of my neck hair during the head shave. Excellent.

As promised, I did use the Cryogen soap as planned. I have to say the lathering gets better and better. This time I put some extra effort in the lathering, adding more water and swirling, I got a much better lather. Nice.

After discussing this experiment with @JoWolf My conclusion is Jo is right. The Yaqi gives a good shave and delivers a BBS, but it takes more effort than with my more aggressive razors. That means more strokes, lesser comfort. I am contemplating what this means for this experiment. Right now I am not sure if and how I will continue. Since my next shave will be tonight, I still have some time to decide. I might continue (for now) or I might end here. I am not one who quits easily, but on the other hand I have learned a lot from the last few shaves, maybe even enough for now. I am tempted to switch focus and restart the experiment using the Yaqi DLC.
 
Last shave as I wrap up the experiment.
Learned a thing or two, thanks to @JoWolf and these shaves.
The Yaqi Mellon is a great razor, it can and will achieve BBS with most blades.
An easy BBS requires a real sharp blade.
Less sharp blades can do that too, at least some of them, but the shave will not be easy, nor comfortable.

The Gillette Platinum did great. Two passes and some touch ups: nice BBS.
No nick, no irritation. Small touch up in my neck after the head shave.

All in all: a very good and efficient razor. Excellent for starters, great for experienced users too.

That's all folks 👍🏽
 
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