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Your Smoothest and Most Efficient Razors

The iKon Tek is a little higher than the R41 on the efficiency scale, but you pay for it with smoothness.
I'd rate the Tek as very agressive, probably a 10 vs 8 for the R41. The Ikon B1 Standard fits neatly between them for efficiency.

R41 8 8
B1 7 9
Tek 5 10
 
Has anyone found anything with the efficiency of the Dart and R41, but which is noticeably smoother?

When all is said and done, I evaluate my razors on two things: smoothness and efficiency. Smoothness is quite subjective, but for me it is a composite of all of the factors that make the shave comfortable during the shave. Efficiency is perhaps measurable, but I have no effective tools to do so. I rate a razor's efficiency by feeling how smooth my face is after my normal two pass shave. Here is how my current razors, DE and SE, rank on those two criteria:

View attachment 1374992

Perhaps interestingly, the razors with the highest composite score are not the ones I use most often. I am biased towards efficiency over smoothness, and the Dart gets used as much as all of the others combined. What razor(s) do you have that excel in both smoothness and efficiency? Has anyone found anything with the efficiency of the Dart and R41, but which is noticeably smoother?

Edit: Looking this over, I wonder why I didn't rate the Dart and R41 higher in efficiency. I have never used anything more efficient, but I guess I'm just leaving open the possibility that such razors exist. That said, after reconsidering, I would probably push both of those up to a 9 in efficiency.
For me the RazoRock Wunderbar Slant shaves exactly as efficiently as the R41 but is slightly smoother.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
DE Razors, smooth & efficient
-Razorock 2nd Gen Lupo.72 Stainless steel. :001_wub: mid range.
-Razorock SLOC :thumbup: mild range.
-Gillette Fatboy E4 -mfg. 1959 :thumbup: any range.

SE Razors, smooth & efficient
-Gem 1912 models, :001_wub: mid range.
-Gem Featherweight, :001_wub: tame mid range.
-Star bar #4 Lather catcher or a Gem Junior bar lather catcher :001_wub: tame mid range.
-Schick injector M3 adjustable :thumbup: any range.
-Yaqi V2 Excalibur AC 50mm :thumbup: tame mid range.

Most razors with good matured hand technique and feel can almost make any razor smooth & efficient over time IMO.
 
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Iridian

Cool and slimy
For me the RazoRock Wunderbar Slant shaves exactly as efficiently as the R41 but is slightly smoother.
Very much agreed in regards to their efficiency.

Both shave and feel very differently instyle and how they get there, but both are marvelous when it comes to giving a close shave.

The Wunderbar is an oddball, soooo smooth... I don't find it aggressive. Unlike the R41 it doesn't telegraph ahead of time when it is about to bite though. I find its lack of felt and heard feedback a bit unsettling and irritating. The R41 isn't lacking in this department Hence I am cautious to call the Wunderbar my favorite razor, but it is definitely one of my favorites.
 
For me, the key to an exceptional shave is not any particular razor in my sizable accuulation of vintage Gillettes, nor ny particular blade, but the selection of the best soap. This week I've been using an X2 Superspeed and SuperMax Blue Diamond blade, but tonite I used Shannonsoaps Indigo Oud, which whips up smoother, denser. creamier and more slick than any other soap on my sink at the moment. Tonite's shave was the best this month, using the same razor & blade combo I've used for the past 3 shaves.
 
Greetings all!

Here's an update to my previous post, taking into consideration a few new additions to my lineup:

Most EfficientSmoothest
1 Karve Alu OC-G1 Blackland Era Level 5 OC
2 Karve Alu SB-G2 Henson AL-13 Agressive
3 Muhle R413 Karve Alu OC-G
4 Blackland Era Level 5 OC4 Karve Alu SB-G
5 Fatip Piccolo OC5 Fatip Piccolo OC
5 RR Lupo 95 OC *5 RR Lupo 95 OC *
6 Henson AL-13 Aggressive6 Fatip Piccolo SB
7 Fatip Piccolo SB7 Muhle R41

* I've only had the RR Lupo 95 OC for a few weeks, so more shaves are definetively needed for a more accurate assesment.
 
Smooth and efficient are a little hard to accomplish in the same package. The AS-D2 is possibly the smoothest razor made today but while efficient enough for my needs, not so much for the guys with heavy coarse beards. All but a couple of my razors are considered to milder to mid (like the adjustable 195 and Slim). Just got a new R41 and efficient is it. Smooth? Not for me yet but I hope we can get there. I think the Muhle Rocca series and Tatara Masamune might be contenders depending on the plate but probably not to those of you who want or need truly aggressive razors.
 
Gillette New (short comb)!
 

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I started this thread nearly a year ago, and since then I have added two razors that go to the top of the list with ratings of 8 in both smoothness and efficiency: the Razorock Lupo .95 OC and the brass Karve Christopher Bradley with the G safety bar. Also new is the Yaqi Tile which doesn't quite make the top of the list but is more like an 8 in smoothness and a 7 in efficiency.
 
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