If I was in the market for a stainless razor ...

Paul, I think it is again down to individual taste, fit and finish out strip most razors if not all razors i have. Sadly I do not take too much notice of the ins and outs of a razor.
Basically, any blade I stick in it is held securely, it then goes on to deliver a sublimely smooth efficient shave without phaffing about with minute angle changes, you find the sweet spot quickly and it goes.
 
Tony'schin said:
Paul, I think it is again down to individual taste, fit and finish out strip most razors if not all razors i have. Sadly I do not take too much notice of the ins and outs of a razor.
Basically, any blade I stick in it is held securely, it then goes on to deliver a sublimely smooth efficient shave without phaffing about with minute angle changes, you find the sweet spot quickly and it goes.
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Sound! I've had a soft-spot for the PILS ever since I came to traditional shaving. One to mull over ...
 
I find the Rocca, Gamechanger (.68SB & .84SB), ASD2, Karve and Olaf Rasmussen all great shavers and I suspect you would easily get terrific, fuss free shaves out of any of them. The Rocca is the standout for me, Muhle's heritage shines through. It is a complete razor in that it is clear the weight, balance point, handles tactile feel and cutting angle (30") has been thought through. Although the ASD2 is a beautifully designed, efficient razor the cutting angle is not intuitive or ergonomic and the sweet spot of the razor is narrow to the point of being like an on, off switch. Very satisfying once mastered but takes time to tune-in if you are using it in rotation. The Gamechangers are superb also, particularly the .68 in terms of smoothness and efficiency but just does not have the depth that the Rocca has in terms of feedback and efficiency and smoothness. As ever we are talking about small differences overall once the razors are learnt. I would also not discount securing a Weber which defies logic and just shaves so damm well, it should not but it does. Hope this helps...
 
Bogeyman said:
I have a Game Changer head ( no handle) .68 straight bar and it is IMO the best for the money. If by chance not aggressive enough then they make the .84. It's like a stainless Gillette Tech w/ covered end tabs, but a bit less top cap curve that makes for under the schnozz shaving easier.
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Under the schnozz ...

Hmmm! Looking at the PILS and then at the GC (both razors that cover the edge tabs), I notice the GC had a lot of metal at the corners where the blade has no chance of reaching. On the PILS, the bar is just as wide as the blade. I actively use the corners of the blade and wonder if that might be a show-stopper. Thoughts, folks?

Actually, this chap explains the issue exactly (at around 16:40):

 
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For me, each razor has a learning curve, once the quirks and foibles are learned you should have no problem.
"Scratched" myself a few times with vintage stuff and them sharp cornered sticky out GEMS, especially in the Kampfe Star.
Saying that you learn quickly.
When I started out and was wide-eyed I was educated by an older, respected member of another forum that said a razor is "just a blade holder" its down to us to sort the rest out. ;) :cool:
 
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Missoni said:
I find the Rocca, Gamechanger (.68SB & .84SB), ASD2, Karve and Olaf Rasmussen all great shavers and I suspect you would easily get terrific, fuss free shaves out of any of them. The Rocca is the standout for me, Muhle's heritage shines through. It is a complete razor in that it is clear the weight, balance point, handles tactile feel and cutting angle (30") has been thought through. Although the ASD2 is a beautifully designed, efficient razor the cutting angle is not intuitive or ergonomic and the sweet spot of the razor is narrow to the point of being like an on, off switch. Very satisfying once mastered but takes time to tune-in if you are using it in rotation. The Gamechangers are superb also, particularly the .68 in terms of smoothness and efficiency but just does not have the depth that the Rocca has in terms of feedback and efficiency and smoothness. As ever we are talking about small differences overall once the razors are learnt. I would also not discount securing a Weber which defies logic and just shaves so damm well, it should not but it does. Hope this helps...
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This is a very useful insight into these razors - thank you.
 
pjgh said:
Absolutely @Mike Smart - I was just commenting above that unless you source very rare and likely impractical surgical instruments, the one thing you can't readily get from the vintage world is precisely machined stainless. I'm intrigued about it and it's absolutely for the performance of the shave rather than for collection (as per the vast majority of my razor stash).

Off the top of my head I can only think of the Olaf Rasmussen in the DE world, which is stainless (and so can survive Autoclave) and of quite a primitive design. I gather the shave is "not all that" but then it is intended for pre-surgical prep. Nowadays, pre-surgical prep is all single use disposable. In the SE world, there's the Weck (which I have) T shape (kinda like a vintage Cobra) or the disposable blade straight.
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iv found on the short time iv been on here that most people strive for a bbs which is pretty much unachievable for most and therefore judge their razors on this one thing that they might not achieve.
To me it's quite underestimated between razor & blade, iv found some blades i rate highly then stick them in another razor and they seem to be dreadful.
Finding the perfect razor & the perfect blade is a challenge but it's a challenge i love.
i'm sure you'll make the right decision when choosing your razor
i'm thinking of heading down the vintage feather route although i'm more than happy with what i have at the moment
 
pjgh said:
Under the schnozz ...

Hmmm! Looking at the PILS and then at the GC (both razors that cover the edge tabs), I notice the GC had a lot of metal at the corners where the blade has no chance of reaching. On the PILS, the bar is just as wide as the blade. I actively use the corners of the blade and wonder if that might be a show-stopper. Thoughts, folks?

Actually, this chap explains the issue exactly (at around 16:40):

Click to expand...
If the issue is shaving under the nose as, Nick describes it, I have a big nose and nudging the tip of it to the side allows for easy access with almost any razor design.
If you'd rather not do that, then the PAA Ascension, Homelike Colibri, RazoRock Lupo, Timeless or Tatara razors would do.
I had a Feather AS-D2s that I'd sold, because the Techs and the Mambas I have were giving me better results with the same effort. Lovely build, though.
The iKon OSS is basically a SS Tech with an OC side. It shaves the same as the AS-D2, though (which is why I'm selling it).
You might like Fendrihan's Merkur-like SS heads. I am not a fan of that type of design, so they are for sale now, though.
I reckon the Ascension or the Colibri would be worth a look.
Also, new Lupo variants should be coming out soon, and the Hone Type 15s a few months into 2021. I've only had one shave with my Type 15 so far, but it's a really nice razor and its build is about on par with the Feather. Timeless is pretty, but I used the master kit during a passaround a few years ago and while it was nice, it didn't impress me that much shave-wise as much as its build did. I am really liking their bronze OC, though.
 
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