New Focus SE

Mine should appear today or Monday, and I'll be using it directly it does.

I like the idea but it s a bit expensive for an aluminium razor.I ll wait to see a few reviews before i make up my mind as i trust the community for unbiased opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I like the idea but it s a bit expensive for an aluminium razor.I ll wait to see a few reviews before i make up my mind as i trust the community for unbiased opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Someone has to be an "early adopter", and I've had my eye on this since it was first announced. I'm hoping the halfblade concept implemented in this razor will be a little more user-friendly than the Rocnel version.

I will be giving my impressions once I've had a day or two using it.
 
I like the idea as the blade selection is infinite and better quality than the AC style, however the big question is aggression and "feel".
 
OK this is a genuine question. Could someone explain to me the point in this? I use SE razors predominately to benefit from the AC blades, which are excellent. But I also have a whole bundle of DE razors and blades, and enjoy them also. So, why design a razor which requires the user to break a blade in half, hopefully without hurting himself. Why not just build a DE razor?
 
OK this is a genuine question. Could someone explain to me the point in this? I use SE razors predominately to benefit from the AC blades, which are excellent. But I also have a whole bundle of DE razors and blades, and enjoy them also. So, why design a razor which requires the user to break a blade in half, hopefully without hurting himself. Why not just build a DE razor?

... to make the blades last twice as long, silly :D
 
Lol ok thanks! Seriously, though, why?
You can make a smaller head (front to back) with half a DE blade than with a full one.
You can make a smaller head (side to side) with half a DE blade than with an AC blade.
You can make an SE razor with a wide choice of blades.
Because breaking a DE blade in half is not as dangerous as it looks.
Because you can.
And all the other reasons I can't think of right now...

P.S. I don't want or need one...
 
Why this razor? For the same reason half blade shavettes are made. You don't have to break the blades---you can use half DE blades such as Lord, Sharp, Derby, etc. that are already half blades neatly packaged for barbers to use in shavettes, which this company also makes. I think it's a cool looking razor--not ugly to me.
 
Why this razor? For the same reason half blade shavettes are made. You don't have to break the blades---you can use half DE blades such as Lord, Sharp, Derby, etc. that are already half blades neatly packaged for barbers to use in shavettes, which this company also makes. I think it's a cool looking razor--not ugly to me.

You get the form factor of an SE razor with the variety and lower expense of DE blades, which granted are thinner blades than AC or GEM blades.
 
If the head clamps them well enough, close to the honed edge, it could be very effective - I recall the Golf razor, which takes full DE blades exposing just one side, which has just the honed edge protruding and it's rigid with no chatter.

It could work ...

But no, not a great looker ... not to my eyes anyway, which are always misty with my love for the 1912.
 
If the head clamps them well enough, close to the honed edge, it could be very effective - I recall the Golf razor, which takes full DE blades exposing just one side, which has just the honed edge protruding and it's rigid with no chatter.

It could work ...

But no, not a great looker ... not to my eyes anyway, which are always misty with my love for the 1912.

It certainly does clamp the blade properly and, with a bit of lateral thinking, it's easy enough to do. Hold the top cap almost vertical with sb uppermost and the blade on the stops, then put the baseplate/handle over the stops and slide it or the top cap sideways to lock.

Unlike the Rocnel SE-P, the blade ends are covered and the chance of cuts from corners are eliminated.

I have no experience of swinging head razors, cartridge or otherwise, and I think this is where I'll find a steep learning curve.

The head pivots against a sprung-loaded rod in the handle end. The default position of this means that the head is pushed back with the SB towards the handle. I need to use it a bit more to work out how and when it pivots; and how to use that feature to best advantage.

It's very well made, with the pivot hinge and the cap pegs in, I guess, stainless, with miniature peg spanner closure. Thought has gone into the handle, which has flats, cutout and scalloped sections to aid grip (they do).

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to razor design, but, having "got my head round", amongst others, the Rocnel Gem and the Option 5 DE, this razor is a nice modern take, in my estimation.

Ever-eager to try it out, I've had one rather rushed shave with it, but that produced a near perfect result in two passes. I think that's more luck than anything else, which is why I need to spend time getting to know how it works best. That, of course, is the matching of the old faithfuls angle and pressure.

I'll try to describe how I find it in use when I've got the measure of it.

PS Another big plus is that it ain't a Kickstarter!
 
Last edited:
Focus recommend halved DE blades rather than the Shark/Derby Saloon blades. The break creates a spring to help secure & position the blade.

"For proper fixing it is advisable to use whole universal blades broken in half; this creates a slight curvature of the extremities in the area of the break, which once secured at the base of the razor head, creates a light pressure during the insertion of the movable head, this desired spring effect is essential & necessary for precise fixing & correct positioning of the blade."
 
Back
Top Bottom