Mongoose

[Ferrum]

I suppose it depends to some extent on which blades you use, but where would you say the Mongoose falls in terms of aggressiveness compared to other razors?

It's very difficult to say, as the whole handling and performance is very different to any DE razor.

At a pinch, I'd say it's roughly about 2.5-3 on a Merkur Digress, and perhaps 4 or 5 on a Slim; a bit more aggressive than an Ikon slant or 102. All of these using good sharp blades like Feathers or some of the Russian ones (definitely not Derbys).

In SE razors, I can only compare it to EverReadys and Valets. It's about the same as a Valet with a Feather blade. I use Personna blades in EverReadys, and those blades are nowhere near as good as Feathers; occasionally giving a "harsh" shave rather than being aggressive. However, the ER can be a nightmare of aggression if you get the angle wrong, whilst the Mongoose seems quite forgiving, at least with the Pro blade. It's also probably twice the weight at least of vintage SEs.

As you suggest, I think that the aggression is dictated more by the blade in use than the design. The Feather Super blade has more exposure, and I plan to give that a try sometime.

At the moment, the Mongoose is, for me, still in the "love it, but how the heck does it do it?" category; along with the Standard DE razor.

 

[MPH]

Funny how everyone is different but i own a mongoose and recently sold an ikon slant and I would say the slant was way more aggressive???

Admittedly I have still only using the 'proguard' blade in the mongoose, but I wouldn't imagine it makes THAT much difference. I haven't cut myself at all with the mongoose yet or had any irritation, but would regularly get numerous weepers and rash with the slant.

 

[Ferrum]

Funny how everyone is different but i own a mongoose and recently sold an ikon slant and I would say the slant was way more aggressive???

Admittedly I have still only using the 'proguard' blade in the mongoose, but I wouldn't imagine it makes THAT much difference. I haven't cut myself at all with the mongoose yet or had any irritation, but would regularly get numerous weepers and rash with the slant.

Maybe I'm just lucky, or perhaps half a century of scraping has given me the hide of a rhinoceros, but there are very few razors that have achieved an entry in my Bad Books for aggression.

The razor I most dislike (for unnecessary aggression, low build quality and poor handling) is the Merkur Futur. Others love it, apparently.

 

[Captain Bb]

Never tried the 102 Slant but I'd say the Mongoose is definitely milder than the regular iKon Slant. It's milder than the Cobra Classic also.

The only aggressive razor I couldn't get on with was the R41 (2014 version). I always came out the loser with the damned thing!

 

[MPH]

Funny how everyone is different but i own a mongoose and recently sold an ikon slant and I would say the slant was way more aggressive???

Admittedly I have still only using the 'proguard' blade in the mongoose, but I wouldn't imagine it makes THAT much difference. I haven't cut myself at all with the mongoose yet or had any irritation, but would regularly get numerous weepers and rash with the slant.

Maybe I'm just lucky, or perhaps half a century of scraping has given me the hide of a rhinoceros, but there are very few razors that have achieved an entry in my Bad Books for aggression.

The razor I most dislike (for unnecessary aggression, low build quality and poor handling) is the Merkur Futur. Others love it, apparently.

Yeah I had a Future but sold that too after it took a slice off the bottom of my nose! I looked like an idiot for weeks. All the razors fault and had nothing to do with a bottle of wine before shaving! (You live and learn!!!).

I definitely like the mild yet efficient razors like as-d2, and I love the mongoose!!!!

 

[p.b]

Admittedly I have still only using the 'proguard' blade in the mongoose, but I wouldn't imagine it makes THAT much difference.

Try a Super and tell us that it doesn't make THAT much of a difference... ;-)

 

[Ferrum]

To be honest, I was a bit sceptical that Pro blades could run to 20 plus shaves. I find that I'm up to 15 on the same blade, with no degradation in performance. Good preparation and plenty of lather is still essential.

Given the cost of blades, this longevity is very welcome. It's also perhaps a little irrelevant in my case, as, in the interests of trying every Mongoose-compatible blade, I have mysteriously ended up with 5 dispensers of them (about 100 blades in all). That's me all over - RAD, BAD and dangerous to know.

Edit

10 days on and still using the same Feather blade, which performs as well as, if not better than when first loaded.

 

[Ferrum]

After 23 uses, the Feather Pro blade is no longer nice to use, and would need endless scraping and touching up (plus a lot of alum) for a reasonable finish.

However, I'm pleased with its longevity, and even with a less-than-perfect blade the Mongoose is a pleasure to use.

 

[jds]

Mongoose - Latest developments - Open Comb base plate out for testing. And it looks superb...

I genuinely think that when this gets into my hands sometime this year I will not want any more razors. Just the 'Goose and my two Digresses.

Could it be time to reduce the den?

 

[Randomangle]

Mongoose - Latest developments - Open Comb base plate out for testing. And it looks superb...

I genuinely think that when this gets into my hands sometime this year I will not want any more razors. Just the 'Goose and my two Digresses.

Could it be time to reduce the den?

Is there pictures anywhere? I'm considering a Mongoose but haven't got round to figuring out the ordering process. I know it's well documented on the forum but I don't think I can deal with all the kerfuffle of waiting lists, etc. ... will there be a website eventually?

 

[jds]

It is on there Facebook feed. Not sure how the next batches or variants will be sold, but there has been talk that the razors will henceforth be distributed through established retailers. I believe that for UK Executive Shaving will be the exclusive sales outlet. However I have no official or otherwise confirmation that this will be the case.

Mongoose - Latest developments - Open Comb base plate out for testing. And it looks superb...

I genuinely think that when this gets into my hands sometime this year I will not want any more razors. Just the 'Goose and my two Digresses.

Could it be time to reduce the den?

Is there pictures anywhere? I'm considering a Mongoose but haven't got round to figuring out the ordering process. I know it's well documented on the forum but I don't think I can deal with all the kerfuffle of waiting lists, etc. ... will there be a website eventually?

 

[Randomangle]

It is on there Facebook feed. Not sure how the next batches or variants will be sold, but there has been talk that the razors will henceforth be distributed through established retailers. I believe that for UK Executive Shaving will be the exclusive sales outlet. However I have no official or otherwise confirmation that this will be the case.

Mongoose - Latest developments - Open Comb base plate out for testing. And it looks superb...

I genuinely think that when this gets into my hands sometime this year I will not want any more razors. Just the 'Goose and my two Digresses.

Could it be time to reduce the den?

Is there pictures anywhere? I'm considering a Mongoose but haven't got round to figuring out the ordering process. I know it's well documented on the forum but I don't think I can deal with all the kerfuffle of waiting lists, etc. ... will there be a website eventually?

Thanks, I'll keep myself abreast of the situation from now on!

 

[Al H]

Is there any news on the "mini goose" the one that takes standard injector blades

 

[Mr_Smartepants]

From the team facebook page...

UPDATE - SOME ADMIN STUFF:
First - WELCOME, to all our new members. It's been a while since we said hello. Any questions regarding the Mongoose Razor, you've come to the right place.
BATCH 2 - we should be invoicing and shipping our final few hundred units in the next few days. If you are on the Batch 2 wait list, we're almost there. If you are not (and no, we can't add you at this point), please keep reading.
NEXT PRODUCTION RUN - we are beginning our next production run and expect to have inventory in the next few weeks. Many of you have emailed us to get on the notification list (some as far back as December). If you received a reply from us, you are on the list and don't need to do anything else. When we have razors available, we will contact you at the email you provided. Please note that this production run is our HIGHEST PRIORITY item, and the new products described below all take a back seat to it.
If you are interested in a Mongoose - please email us at "mongooseorders - at - gmail - dot - com". You will receive a reply, which means we have you on the notification list. No need to keep emailing to ask where we stand or PM Bruce or me to inquire as to what's going on. If we replied, we have you, and you can't 'fall off' the list or be forgotten.
OPEN COMB - this item has just gone in to prototyping and will be getting reviewed and tested over the next several weeks (we already have testers). We are not yet taking names, keeping lists or otherwise accepting requests - once we are ready to go into production, we'll make an announcement and let you all know we are open for orders.
MINGOOSE - you may have seen the smaller-headed MinGoose (the one that takes the injector-style - Schick, Personna, Ted Pella - blades). That is also in the prototyping phase, but is being developed as a lower priority item. As with the OC, if and when we decide to go into production, we'll make an announcement.
TITANIUM MONGOOSE - the Ti version of the Mongoose is still in development. We had to refuse the first delivery of materials as the custom alloy didn't meet our specs. Once we've run some sample units to ensure it all meets our expectations, we will plan a production run that will be done on a pre-order-only basis. That is, we will make an announcement, including pics and prices, leave the order period open for a period of time (a few weeks), and then go into production for the quantities subscribed for. We are planning this for a few months from now.
ALUMIGOOSE - you'll see some prototype aluminum Mongoose heads (and handles) showing up in SoTD pics. We're working on the pricing to see if this option makes any sense to bring to market. Right now, getting the next production run up and going is our highest priority.
Thanks for all the ongoing support, good wishes, kind words and interest. We truly appreciate it.
Mongoose Team

 

[Al H]

Cheers erik.

 

[dodgy]

MINGOOSE - you may have seen the smaller-headed MinGoose (the one that takes the injector-style - Schick, Personna, Ted Pella - blades). That is also in the prototyping phase,

Nice post Erik,

If that other injector razor becomes a reality the importance of loading a good blade becomes even more so. Even if that thing's great, I don't believe it can overcome a mediocre blade.

This is the weak link for regular type injectors and people need to try other blades that aren't made anymore....sharper blades. That's the only way the Mingoose would really shine, or at least have the best chance to.

Martin