Irving Barber Co (IBC) Shavette

Snuff said:
...Great idea about the storage pouch!
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Thank you. The pouch actually was my idea. I have no idea what the final design for it looks like, but I planted the seed. Ricky gave me credit for that one. :)
Snuff said:
...II did find one area where a improvement could be made: The pivot screw is very difficult to use, a normal screwdriver doesn't fit in there (too shallow), I had to use the back of a small kitchen knife to tighten it up.
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I use my fingernail, but I agree that if it was widened slightly, a coin could be used instead. That would be more practical.
 
Some more info:
The head is somewhere between that of the DX and Feather SS in, blade exposure is the same (here with a super pro blades in both). Face feel with the IBC is a bit more like with the SS and might just require a little less precaution when shaving then the DX. But please remember I've used the DX for years so it's not fair to make a real review so soon of the IBC, so far I like it, I really do. Weight of the razor is 55 grams.

If you want to compare with other shavettes here are some weights:

15g Tondeo Ergo/CRP Sifter Ergo
15g Dovo Shavette Alu
16g Wilkinson
16g Tondeo
21g Dovo Shavette Stahl
22g Sedef
25g CRP Sifter
27g Jaguar ORCA
29g Hartmann 4/8
34g Tondeo TM
39g Sanguine X-D 20
40g Revisor 5/8
40g Vanta RA111
40g Dittmar
42g Dovo Prima Nr. 4 11/16
46g Rudi Schaaf, 6/8
47g Gold Dollar Nr. 66 13/16
47g Wacker Red Head 13/16
50g Monsieur Charles
50g Kai Captain Excelia (Kamisori)
51g Zwilling-Friodur inox, 11/16
53g Monsieur Charles
55g Feather AC
56g Kai Captain Excelia folding
59g Revisor 6/8
60g Wacker Dorko 7/8
61g TDJ China-Shavette
66g Malteser Nr. 44, 8/8

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They are back in stock and I just received this shavette from IBC yesterday!

This one should be really interesting to try out.....

I love the look, feel, shape and weight of it so far...next up is how it shaves...

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PLANofMAN said:
Well...?
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I 'unfortunately' ended up getting the King Cobra right around the se time ands have been trying that out this week and since I'm trying out a few different blades in it I wanted to do back to back shaves with it. King Cobra turned out to be one great razor btw :)

This coming week will be IBC- week though :) will see if I can't try all three blade formats in it next week.
 
Finally had my first shave with the Irving Barber Co (IBC) shavette this afternoon.
After some blond moments earlier on I found the blade loading mechanism very easy to use and it loaded the - in this case a Feather Pro - blade in even and securely.

This is one beautiful piece of shaving gear but as you start interacting with it you notice that nothing is there just because of the looks - it all has a function and it functions very, very well. The biggest concern people might have when looking at this razor may well be the 'wheel' on it that is used to open and close the blade holder. I found that during the shave it completely 'disappears' and does not in any way interfere with your shave.

Here's a photo with the blade holder taken off the razor to show how the Feather Pro fits. Did I mention there is a magnet inside it that helps hold the blade in place when you close it? Very, very neat.

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Popped the holder in place and headed off to the den...
Lathered up some Klar Kabinett with one of those wonderful New Forest brushes and started shaving.
Now, full disclaimer, I am rather terrible at straight razor shaving. I'm slow and I so far only feel comfortable shaving my neck, chin and cheeks - and only in WTG.
I normally finish with a DE/SE razor under the nose/around the mouth and then a complete ATG pass.
So that's what I set out to do with the IBC shavette as well.

I have used a Shavette in the past and really, really hated it (diaf Sanguine) and found regular straight to be much more forgiving and 'smoother' so I did approach this venture with a bit of apprehension.

First impressions of the WTG pass:
Left cheek and throat:
Wow, very smooth. Easy to find the right angle. Very comfortable handle.
I am moving rather slowly. The two days worth of stubble is no match to this razor and every stroke leaves my cheek and throat smooth.

Right cheek and throat:
This is my trouble-side. I insist on using the same hand (right) for this side and it always feels awkward.
Harder to find the right angle. Still shaves really well. This is eas.... ouch
Delusional confidence coupled with shaving a side of my face that is always awkward for me led me to plant the blade in my face.
Using well tested home treatment of toilet paper and cursing the bloodletting soon ended.
I was about 80% done with what I had set out to accomplish today so I decided to wrap it up with something..fool-proof so I brought out the Gillette blue tip and cleaned up what was left.

Initial impression summary:
Beautiful razor that is easy - and fun - to use. Capable of producing some very, very close and comfortable shaves - but won't, of course, save you from yourself :)

Can't wait to take it out again for a spin after my face has healed a bit (which again was my fault..not the razor's).

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Nice pictures and it seems to go in the right direction, you just need some more practice. I've tried mine with all 3 blades and must say it's definitely the best shavette I've ever tried (not including the Feather Artist DX and KAI razors here, those are for me still a class higher)
 
Snuff said:
Nice pictures and it seems to go in the right direction, you just need some more practice. I've tried mine with all 3 blades and must say it's definitely the best shavette I've ever tried (not including the Feather Artist DX and KAI razors here, those are for me still a class higher)
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Did you find it working better for you with one particular kind of blade in it?
 
My opinion is not objective as I have shaved a long time with the Feather/Kai/Dorco blades in my Feather DX razors and haven't used a lot of DE or injector blades in shavettes.
 
I suspect it will be a bit more tactile, and hopefully a little grippy. I must say I'm tempted with one in that new finish.

EDIT - Just spotted it's on the scales, could do with it on the shank really for grip, but a lovely look none the less.
 
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