Yaqi Tile - First Shave

[Steve_in_CT]

I recently discovered that I had a couple of extra stainless steel razor handles in my drawer, so I figured that was as good an excuse as any to order another razor head (which I certainly do not need). Looking around, I saw a Yaqi Tile solid stainless steel head on sale at Ali Express for under $20. From the looks of it, I would guess it's modeled after (if not copied from) the Henson - but I have never used a Henson razor or seen one up close. The Tile arrived yesterday and the workmanship seems very comparable to the RazoRock stainless steel razors. This is the disclaimer on the Italian Barber site for the RazoRock razors, "Please note, these razors are tools, not jewels. We use a vibratory tumbling finish process that maintains the highest possible tolerances for the razors. This means the razors will not be mirror finished and will not be mark-free. The razors may have some milling marks or finishing marks." I did polish the Tile a bit by hand with some Flitz liquid and a microfiber cloth, but it really didn't need it.

One of those spare handles was a RazoRock Bulldog, and the handle paired well with the tile. Another handle I had would not fit in the recess in the base plate on the Tile. So I fitted a new Personna Israeli Red blade into the Tile, lathered up and started to shave this morning with my new Yaqi Tile. The first thing I noticed was the weight of the razor; it is surprisingly heavy. Checking online I see that the Tile head weighs in at 40 gm. That may be the heaviest razor head I have used. Even my brass Karve Christopher Bradley seems to be only 35 gm, and my new Lupo .95 OC is only 26 gm. That said, the Tile is easily maneuvered around the face and neck, so the weight was noticeable but not in any way problematic. Blade feel was more than I had expected based upon what I've heard about the Henson, but then this was not a Henson razor. I would say it was similar to the aforementioned Christopher Bradley and Lupo .95 OC. There was no drama using the Tile; at all times it was smooth and comfortable through two passes and the usual touch-up. I wasn't sure how efficient it would turn out to be (I can never tell during the shave), and I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that the results were truly excellent. No cuts, nicks, or irritation and a perfectly smooth BBS shave!

Even at it's current $30 price, the Tile is a bargain.

 

[Iridian]

Thank you! A pity you can't compare it to the Henson. I always wondered if I would like it better with some more weight.

I always felt quite on rails when shaving with the Henson, even the Medium one.

I also read that it has more blade feel. Maybe others who have it will add their experiences to this thread.

 

[Ron R]

I recently discovered that I had a couple of extra stainless steel razor handles in my drawer, so I figured that was as good an excuse as any to order another razor head (which I certainly do not need). Looking around, I saw a Yaqi Tile solid stainless steel head on sale at Ali Express for under $20. From the looks of it, I would guess it's modeled after (if not copied from) the Henson - but I have never used a Henson razor or seen one up close. The Tile arrived yesterday and the workmanship seems very comparable to the RazoRock stainless steel razors. This is the disclaimer on the Italian Barber site for the RazoRock razors, "Please note, these razors are tools, not jewels. We use a vibratory tumbling finish process that maintains the highest possible tolerances for the razors. This means the razors will not be mirror finished and will not be mark-free. The razors may have some milling marks or finishing marks." I did polish the Tile a bit by hand with some Flitz liquid and a microfiber cloth, but it really didn't need it.

One of those spare handles was a RazoRock Bulldog, and the handle paired well with the tile. Another handle I had would not fit in the recess in the base plate on the Tile. So I fitted a new Personna Israeli Red blade into the Tile, lathered up and started to shave this morning with my new Yaqi Tile. The first thing I noticed was the weight of the razor; it is surprisingly heavy. Checking online I see that the Tile head weighs in at 40 gm. That may be the heaviest razor head I have used. Even my brass Karve Christopher Bradley seems to be only 35 gm, and my new Lupo .95 OC is only 26 gm. That said, the Tile is easily maneuvered around the face and neck, so the weight was noticeable but not in any way problematic. Blade feel was more than I had expected based upon what I've heard about the Henson, but then this was not a Henson razor. I would say it was similar to the aforementioned Christopher Bradley and Lupo .95 OC. There was no drama using the Tile; at all times it was smooth and comfortable through two passes and the usual touch-up. I wasn't sure how efficient it would turn out to be (I can never tell during the shave), and I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that the results were truly excellent. No cuts, nicks, or irritation and a perfectly smooth BBS shave!

Even at it's current $30 price, the Tile is a bargain.

I have one also and it works wonderfully and you will be happy with it for many years, some folks who have the Yaqi and Henson razors have mentioned the Yaqi is slightly more aggressive than the Henson+ closer to the Henson ++ or +++ if that matters. The big difference Yaqi is Stainless steel and affordable. Henson does build a great razor and the Yaqi is sort of a clone and now the Henson Generation 2 razors look more like the Yaqi head IMO.

 

[richy240]

I have been curious about this and the Henson razors, but I’m starting to feel some pretty heavy RAD fatigue so I’m going to have to abstain this time. Looks great though and I love aggressive razors, so this will probably be difficult for me. Please keep me in your thoughts.

 

[AvocadoKing]

I thought I was the only one trapped in the vicious cycle of "Oh look, I have an extra handle. Maybe I'll just add a few extra things to the cart to get free shipping on this razor head. *one month later* Oh look, I have a couple of extra razor heads. Maybe I'll just throw in a scratch 'n dent handle or two to get free shipping..."

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Several shaves later, I am still very enthusiastic about this razor. Every shave has been wonderfully close and without any nicks, cuts or irritation. Brass Fatip razors and stainless steel RazoRock GameChangers and Lupos are great bargains, but the Yaqi Tile outshines them both in terms of value for money.

 

[richy240]

Several shaves later, I am still very enthusiastic about this razor. Every shave has been wonderfully close and without any nicks, cuts or irritation. Brass Fatip razors and stainless steel RazoRock GameChangers and Lupos are great bargains, but the Yaqi Tile outshines them both in terms of value for money.

You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

 

[Steve_in_CT]

You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

You can give yourself an out by deciding to wait until the next sale on Yaqi razors at Aliexpress. That way it will be only $20 instead of $30.

 

[richy240]

You can give yourself an out by deciding to wait until the next sale on Yaqi razors at Aliexpress. That way it will be only $20 instead of $30.

Haha ok this is what I'll tell myself, hopefully it works

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I was curious to see how the Tile would compare to another heavyweight razor, the brass Christopher Bradley by Karve. These are easily the two heaviest razors I own. My Karve is fitted with the safety bar G plate, and both razors had Personna Israeli red blades with a couple of shaves on them. Yesterday I used the Karve on the right and the Tile on the left. I would give the Karve a slight edge in balance and maneuverability, but it is nothing you would notice if you weren't using them side by side during the same shave. Surprisingly, the Tile produced a shave noticeably less close than the Karve. I say "surprisingly" because the last several shaves with the Tile were wonderfully close BBS shaves. I know from personal history that as a righty I tend to shave my right side more closely than the left. (Perhaps I should try switching hands?) In any event, this morning was a rematch with the sides switched. And today's results were indistinguishable from side to side. So I'm going to chalk yesterday's results up as an anomaly. Maybe the optimal angle for the Tile is not the same as the Karve and I failed to make that adjustment when I switched from the Karve to the Tile on day 1. I do know that on any particular day with any particular razor I can achieve sub-par results, so I won't hold it against the Tile unless it becomes a recurring theme.

 

[Ron R]

I was curious to see how the Tile would compare to another heavyweight razor, the brass Christopher Bradley by Karve. These are easily the two heaviest razors I own. My Karve is fitted with the safety bar G plate, and both razors had Personna Israeli red blades with a couple of shaves on them. Yesterday I used the Karve on the right and the Tile on the left. I would give the Karve a slight edge in balance and maneuverability, but it is nothing you would notice if you weren't using them side by side during the same shave. Surprisingly, the Tile produced a shave noticeably less close than the Karve. I say "surprisingly" because the last several shaves with the Tile were wonderfully close BBS shaves. I know from personal history that as a righty I tend to shave my right side more closely than the left. (Perhaps I should try switching hands?) In any event, this morning was a rematch with the sides switched. And today's results were indistinguishable from side to side. So I'm going to chalk yesterday's results up as an anomaly. Maybe the optimal angle for the Tile is not the same as the Karve and I failed to make that adjustment when I switched from the Karve to the Tile on day 1. I do know that on any particular day with any particular razor I can achieve sub-par results, so I won't hold it against the Tile unless it becomes a recurring theme.

I have found with upper mild range razors that BBs is still attainable but you have to do more buffing and passes usually but not always to get a very close shave.
I find the Yaqi Tile upper mild to tame mid range and it is a worthy razor made of 316 Stainless but the first few Tile razors produced the machining was not accurate but they have greatly improved their QC considerably IMO. Yaqi is a reasonable company to deal with also and manufacture affordable shaving products when buying their sales IMO.
I have shaved with both aggressive and mild razors and it is always good to have a few mild razors about for a change of shave, some aggressive razors when used properly will produce less irritation when using proper technique and that was hard for me to understand until trying improvements in my technique using aggressive or large positive exposure blade feel but blemishes (pimples) they will shear the tops off where a mild razor will usually just roll over them.
Anyway the Yaqi Tile is a nice razor IMO but there are very similar ones out there also that are very effective if not better like the old story goes, operator preference.

 

[SunShave]

Happy to see this thread! I also got the Yaqi Tile head on sale recently, it arrived late this last week. I haven't tried it out yet, as it's come with a few other acquisitions, but I'm thinking I'll give it a go around Thursday or Friday.

Really looking forward to it. I don't have any CB razors (yet) or Hensons, but I heard this was somewhere in the mold of a Henson/Winning razor.

I thought I was the only one trapped in the vicious cycle of "Oh look, I have an extra handle. Maybe I'll just add a few extra things to the cart to get free shipping on this razor head. *one month later* Oh look, I have a couple of extra razor heads. Maybe I'll just throw in a scratch 'n dent handle or two to get free shipping..."

I got two Yaqi handles with it, so I'm sure I'll fall into the same cycle here soon

 

[saj]

top razor, one of my faves

 

[fast shaver]

I recently received my Yaqi Tile Razor. After four smooth shaves I love the way it glides on my face.

 

[100pctFragranceFree]

You can give yourself an out by deciding to wait until the next sale on Yaqi razors at Aliexpress. That way it will be only $20 instead of $30.

So when is the next sale?

 

[100pctFragranceFree]

The Tile seems quite a bit like the Winning razor, which is much heavier but only a little more aggressive than the Henson Mild AL 13.

Ideally we need someone to weigh in who's shaved with all three.

 

[kaufdrop27]

I have all three. To me the Yaqi Tile shaves more like a traditional DE than the Winning or Henson. The Henson is so easy and effortless to use. The Winning for me requires a bit more attention but shaves closer than most other razors I’ve tried and with less irritation. I like the tile but it’s 3rd of the 3 in question if I had to choose. All worth a try.

 

[fast shaver]

The Tile seems quite a bit like the Winning razor, which is much heavier but only a little more aggressive than the Henson Mild AL 13.

Ideally we need someone to weigh in who's shaved with all three.

Here is mine in gm's for the Tile Razor:
Top Cap = 18.9 gm
Base = 23.6 gm
Cap & Base together = 42.5 gm
Razorock Handle 72.8 gm
The handle don't really count as you can use any handle that is light or heavy.

 

[100pctFragranceFree]

I have all three. To me the Yaqi Tile shaves more like a traditional DE than the Winning or Henson. The Henson is so easy and effortless to use. The Winning for me requires a bit more attention but shaves closer than most other razors I’ve tried and with less irritation. I like the tile but it’s 3rd of the 3 in question if I had to choose. All worth a try.

Thanks for the feedback. In what categories does the Yaqi Tile lag the Winning and Henson?

 

[kaufdrop27]

Thanks for the feedback. In what categories does the Yaqi Tile lag the Winning and Henson?

I wouldn’t even say it lags them. It’s just not as effortless for me as the other two. It’s definitely worth the $30 I think I paid for it.