Dang bro, looking forward to your report on it!
Yaqi Sentinel
- Thread starter osvaldo86
- Start date
Looks ok in pics
Wonder if Wolfman complained to eBay. Is that even an option?
I'm afraid that at some point in the near future most of the high-end razor manufacturing brands will end up also having clones on Aliexpress. Obviously, it will take the Chinese a bit longer to be able to make a good copy of some of the razor designs like the adjustable razors for instance, but if they see a huge profit out of it, they will do it sooner or later and with the technologies getting better and better each day as well as more accessible, this day might come sooner than we think.
First shave in - too soon too say much. It's clearly more aggressive than my Wolfman WR2 1.25 (which I sold because I found it too mild/had other razors I liked more)
The Sentinel just arrived. 8-9 days from China to Europe, customs done by Aliexpress and most of the time was spent in a DHL sorting center in Europe. This New Silk Road thing is working.
I picked the bullet handle. It is polished to the degree that touching it leaves traces in the surface. And now a big plus: this was not electropolish, but hand polish. While shiny, the handle is not slippery. I didn't clean up, this is how it comes out of the box
It was packaged in the usual cardboard but easy not only wrapped in paper, multiple layers, more than usual for Yaqi, inside it was wrapped in plastic foil as well. It even came with an O-ring preinstalled.
Some photos, shave report tonight. So far it's really good.
I picked the bullet handle. It is polished to the degree that touching it leaves traces in the surface. And now a big plus: this was not electropolish, but hand polish. While shiny, the handle is not slippery. I didn't clean up, this is how it comes out of the box
It was packaged in the usual cardboard but easy not only wrapped in paper, multiple layers, more than usual for Yaqi, inside it was wrapped in plastic foil as well. It even came with an O-ring preinstalled.
Some photos, shave report tonight. So far it's really good.
lasta
Blade Biter
That's a pretty good polishing job on that handle.
Just finished reading the Lambda Athena thread, give it a little dust-off and wipe, I don't think it's far behind!
What's the price on this? Is it an exact replica? This could be the new Gamechanger!
Just finished reading the Lambda Athena thread, give it a little dust-off and wipe, I don't think it's far behind!
What's the price on this? Is it an exact replica? This could be the new Gamechanger!
lasta
Blade Biter
Not too long actually.
But at what point do we call a copy cat?
Good or bad, I see enough subtle variations. Wolfman is not the first and only to use alignment tabs.
88,99 EUR for the combo of head and handle, the other handle is slightly less, shipping+customs all included.
I do not have a Wolfman, it seems this gap is not an exact copy of an existing Wolfman head. Eyeballing it the design seems to be very much copied/inspired from an existing Wolfman, I dare to speculate the 1.55 gap version.
I just shaved with it, the report will follow tonight. I have some criticism, but those are mostly about black gunk left in the handle, possibly from machining. The head gave me an extremely good shave. Got a small weeper and it is aggressive but mild. Efficiency is good, but had quite some cleanups. This is a new kind of head design for me. I definitely recommend it and will try it again ASAP. Detailed report tonight. It's 13.17 here.
Of course they are not the first and only ones who do that, but show that Chinese copy to anyone who's into DE razor for at least a few years and he will tell you right away that this is a Wolfman. I really don't care what the Chinese are doing, since it doesn't really concerns me and I neither gain or lose anything, but those who have invested in making new razor designs are and it all comes down to the angle you look at things.
lasta
Blade Biter
Thanks!88,99 EUR for the combo of head and handle, the other handle is slightly less, shipping+customs all included.
I do not have a Wolfman, it seems this gap is not an exact copy of an existing Wolfman head. Eyeballing it the design seems to be very much copied/inspired from an existing Wolfman, I dare to speculate the 1.55 gap version.
I just shaved with it, the report will follow tonight. I have some criticism, but those are mostly about black gunk left in the handle, possibly from machining. The head gave me an extremely good shave. Got a small weeper and it is aggressive but mild. Efficiency is good, but had quite some cleanups. This is a new kind of head design for me. I definitely recommend it and will try it again ASAP. Detailed report tonight. It's 13.17 here.
That's not a cheapo then.
If this was Gamechanger price, I might start to get worried.
Just wondered where you saw this razor. I also like the handle, but the alien symbols I can't read that are presumably insulting my mother must be Chinese, I suppose!
lasta
Blade Biter
"Xianyu", the Chinese version of craigslist. I've been living here for the past 6 years.Just wondered where you saw this razor. I also like the handle, but the alien symbols I can't read that are presumably insulting my mother must be Chinese, I suppose!
I always thought it meant salted-fish, until someone corrected me. Something along the lines of spare-fish, unoccupied-fish, idle-fish...
Don't worry, no mother-cursing. I used to live in Newfoundland, there salt-fish is akin to lifeblood, it's a compliment.
Yaqi Sentinel 1.5 / Feather
Cella as most of the time, I had no Nacets anymore, so I picked Feather.
TL;DR short version: Surprisingly mild for the huge 1.5 gap, but with injury potential. The skin feels smooth after shaving, but I had some spots left that were easily corrected though. Handle was relatively grippy, better than expected.
Interestingly I started out riding the bar and tilting towards the cap to find the right angle, which seems to be a bit more on the steep side. Super steep and shallow are both prevented by bar and cap, but in between the razor shaves nicely at about every angle. It is rather silent while doing so, the blades are firmly clamped and while there is exposure, everything non-visible is locked down.
I had quite some stubble left around my chin and cleaned up after the shave, which was easy. The gap allows you to ram the blade into the skin if you are not careful, I had a weeper around the left corner of the mouth.
So is this razor mild or aggressive? It can potentially injure, but it is rather mild. It is very mild and friendly to the skin, I felt zero irritation after applying alcoholic after shave (Proraso Green).
The polish was done by hand, this has a nice side effect for the handle: The rings and spirals actually do have some grip, something that is notably absent from hyper smooth DSCosmetic handles. Soap still makes this handle slippery, but I have seen way worse when it comes to polished handles. Very good and a step up from DSCosmetics style. Still, no knurls and I want a beefier handle. This one is 91mm, 12mm diameter and 71g weight.
It is the larger of two polished handle options and is called "Bullet". It reminds me of a cross of a Fatip handle with a Razorock Halo. It is nice to look at but lacking imagination and I miss a knurled and polished option. What I did not like at all was black gunk inside the handle (!). I guess this is leftover metal or whatever from machining the threads and nobody ever bothered to pull it out. Water and Q-tips did...
The razor came with a preinstalled silicone ring under the baseplate. Very nice. Disassembling the razor with it after shaving was bad though, as it was like trying to get rid of bubble gum, making the removal of the blade a bit dangerous. I replaced it with a standard acrylic O-ring. I also do this for DSCosmetics, this silicone ring stuff isn't working out for me. But nice that they thought of protecting the polish!
Be it extreme care or Chinese Corona measures, baseplate, cap and handle were tightly wrapped into fitting foil. Every part was also wrapped with erm what was it actually, softish paper. This one won't be damaged in transit.
China-Europe took 9 days, rather 8, I ordered in the evening. Either there is not much to do atm or this "New Silk Road" thing is working out nicely by now. Customs and everything was handled for my by Yaqi/Aliexpress. Thinking about this, can't western allies like Europe and USA get something similar going, perhaps? It would be about time...
I have to experiment with this razor some more, I think potentially aggressive but mild describes it very well. It requires a bit more shaving experience than the Lupo. The way the head clamps down and locks in the blade is very interesting.
This is a very good and quite amazing razor. Price is around 90 EUR (88,99 EUR), shipping/customs and everything included.
It is testament to the head designs by Wolfman. I think these new Yaqi razors rather make people interested in Wolfman than losing Wolfman customers. More threatened by their step up in quality, but price as well, is Razorock: Their razors are by now more expensive than this one in Europe.
Now for the interesting questions:
Is it more efficient than a R41? NO, but way, way milder and gives a very good result.
Is it more efficient than a Lupo .95 OC? MAYBE, it's a very different style and a weird mix of aggressive while being mild.
Could you compare it to other razors? YES. I will try to do so in the next days.
Does it shave steep or shallow? NEITHER... but rather steep. See above.
Did you install the baseplate upside down as suggested in the product photos by Yaqi? NO, but I will try it soon
Does this razor come with a fitting stand? NO, but I am afraid not many besides me care for razor stands
Will you buy a Wolfman now? WHAT DO WE SAY? NOT TODAY! But this razor head is for sure inspiring me.
Cella as most of the time, I had no Nacets anymore, so I picked Feather.
TL;DR short version: Surprisingly mild for the huge 1.5 gap, but with injury potential. The skin feels smooth after shaving, but I had some spots left that were easily corrected though. Handle was relatively grippy, better than expected.
Interestingly I started out riding the bar and tilting towards the cap to find the right angle, which seems to be a bit more on the steep side. Super steep and shallow are both prevented by bar and cap, but in between the razor shaves nicely at about every angle. It is rather silent while doing so, the blades are firmly clamped and while there is exposure, everything non-visible is locked down.
I had quite some stubble left around my chin and cleaned up after the shave, which was easy. The gap allows you to ram the blade into the skin if you are not careful, I had a weeper around the left corner of the mouth.
So is this razor mild or aggressive? It can potentially injure, but it is rather mild. It is very mild and friendly to the skin, I felt zero irritation after applying alcoholic after shave (Proraso Green).
The polish was done by hand, this has a nice side effect for the handle: The rings and spirals actually do have some grip, something that is notably absent from hyper smooth DSCosmetic handles. Soap still makes this handle slippery, but I have seen way worse when it comes to polished handles. Very good and a step up from DSCosmetics style. Still, no knurls and I want a beefier handle. This one is 91mm, 12mm diameter and 71g weight.
It is the larger of two polished handle options and is called "Bullet". It reminds me of a cross of a Fatip handle with a Razorock Halo. It is nice to look at but lacking imagination and I miss a knurled and polished option. What I did not like at all was black gunk inside the handle (!). I guess this is leftover metal or whatever from machining the threads and nobody ever bothered to pull it out. Water and Q-tips did...
The razor came with a preinstalled silicone ring under the baseplate. Very nice. Disassembling the razor with it after shaving was bad though, as it was like trying to get rid of bubble gum, making the removal of the blade a bit dangerous. I replaced it with a standard acrylic O-ring. I also do this for DSCosmetics, this silicone ring stuff isn't working out for me. But nice that they thought of protecting the polish!
Be it extreme care or Chinese Corona measures, baseplate, cap and handle were tightly wrapped into fitting foil. Every part was also wrapped with erm what was it actually, softish paper. This one won't be damaged in transit.
China-Europe took 9 days, rather 8, I ordered in the evening. Either there is not much to do atm or this "New Silk Road" thing is working out nicely by now. Customs and everything was handled for my by Yaqi/Aliexpress. Thinking about this, can't western allies like Europe and USA get something similar going, perhaps? It would be about time...
I have to experiment with this razor some more, I think potentially aggressive but mild describes it very well. It requires a bit more shaving experience than the Lupo. The way the head clamps down and locks in the blade is very interesting.
This is a very good and quite amazing razor. Price is around 90 EUR (88,99 EUR), shipping/customs and everything included.
It is testament to the head designs by Wolfman. I think these new Yaqi razors rather make people interested in Wolfman than losing Wolfman customers. More threatened by their step up in quality, but price as well, is Razorock: Their razors are by now more expensive than this one in Europe.
Now for the interesting questions:
Is it more efficient than a R41? NO, but way, way milder and gives a very good result.
Is it more efficient than a Lupo .95 OC? MAYBE, it's a very different style and a weird mix of aggressive while being mild.
Could you compare it to other razors? YES. I will try to do so in the next days.
Does it shave steep or shallow? NEITHER... but rather steep. See above.
Did you install the baseplate upside down as suggested in the product photos by Yaqi? NO, but I will try it soon
Does this razor come with a fitting stand? NO, but I am afraid not many besides me care for razor stands
Will you buy a Wolfman now? WHAT DO WE SAY? NOT TODAY! But this razor head is for sure inspiring me.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Excellent review!
Yes, great review. I would find it hard to believe that this thing would ever even remotely approach the shave qualities of a $400 Wolfman WR2 1.55. But then again, I have seen crazier stuff in this hobby. I will keep my Wolfman razors for now.
I think I agree with Iridian that this won't hurt Wolfman's business.
If they become available for the same price, I'm going to buy one. If I like it then I'll feel confident enough to put myself on the Wolfman order list.
If they become available for the same price, I'm going to buy one. If I like it then I'll feel confident enough to put myself on the Wolfman order list.
Thank you for your detailed review.
Nick,
If you seek to know how the Wolfman WR2 shaves just skip this copycat offering and stick with the real deal. A Wolfman is an investment, no doubt. But is not an risky one. If you end up not liking the shaves the Wolfman gives, you'll have no issues to sell it on BST without relevant financial loss, I'd say.
Having read @Iridian's detailed review there is not much which reminds me of the shave experience a, say, WR2 1.45 or 1.55 will give (I have the WR2 1.55 in my den - as Brad does). These razors might be a decent point of reference point due to the gap of the Yaqi clone.
Anyway, my point is, if you are looking for an attractively priced razor with the characteristics as described by Iridian, by all means, go for it. Nothing wrong with the razor, it looks like an interesting offering then.
But TBH I fear you won’t tip your toes into Wolfman waters with ordering this clone, if this is your primary goal wirh buying this razor. Yaqi has failed in the past to copy the unique shaving experience one gets with the Henson Razor with their Henson head clone, Razorock failed to copy the shaving experience of the WR1 with the Lupo (but created a brilliant, brilliant shaver with the Lupo!).
I might be proven wrong by someone who both owns the Sentinel and one of the said higher gapped WR2s. We shall see. For the time being I'll remain sceptical.
My 2 cent.
I agree. We need to hear from someone who has a high gap Wolf. The two people whom have report back so far have both indicated mild shave with the need to touch up spots. Completely unlike a Wolfman. If those were reviews of a razor with the shave quality of a high gap Wolfman they would be saying how ridiculously efficient, and how unpredictability smooth the shave was. And how they were baby butt smooth for 24-plus hours.
Yes, I know how harsh and unforgiving people review their latest razors in general, hellbent on holding back enthusiasm and achieving balance in product discussions. 
