- Joined
- Saturday November 6, 2010
- Location
- Round the bend
Splitting off from the thread about modern DE's I thought it would be best to start a whole new topic on handles as there is such a variety of stuff on offer and opinion.
I have a couple of the older iKon handles and like the feel of them in terms of weight and length (think Gillette Fat Tech Handle size, but with the weight of the FatBoy). They fit pretty much all the modern DE heads and quite a lot of the older ones too. The downside is they feel rough - the High Polished ones feel better, but the matte ones are quite utilitarian in their feel in the hand.
iKon Bulldog Handle lashed to 1940's Tech Head (older type with triangular slots)
I had a Cooncat Bull Mastiff (went in the great fire sale of last year sadly) which was a much more tactile piece than the iKon, much more pleasant to hold and slightly heavier - the downside is its plated brass, so will eventually wear. Again, Bobs handles will fit 80% of the heads out there, only very very old stuff wont fit.
Price wise - Bobs handles win hands down. This wasnt always the case, but recently Gregs stuff has gone through the stratosphere price wise, and Im not convinced that $55 for a handle when you can get other stuff out there cheaper and nicer feeling. Bobs handles are also available in different materials and lengths. I have placed on order an "improved" handle:-
Which at $35 i dont think is bad VFM.
As with anything though its a personal choice. I have had razors which have felt very imbalanced with a heavy handle and light head, and others that have needed the extra heft a heavy handle produces.
I have a couple of the older iKon handles and like the feel of them in terms of weight and length (think Gillette Fat Tech Handle size, but with the weight of the FatBoy). They fit pretty much all the modern DE heads and quite a lot of the older ones too. The downside is they feel rough - the High Polished ones feel better, but the matte ones are quite utilitarian in their feel in the hand.
iKon Bulldog Handle lashed to 1940's Tech Head (older type with triangular slots)
I had a Cooncat Bull Mastiff (went in the great fire sale of last year sadly) which was a much more tactile piece than the iKon, much more pleasant to hold and slightly heavier - the downside is its plated brass, so will eventually wear. Again, Bobs handles will fit 80% of the heads out there, only very very old stuff wont fit.
Price wise - Bobs handles win hands down. This wasnt always the case, but recently Gregs stuff has gone through the stratosphere price wise, and Im not convinced that $55 for a handle when you can get other stuff out there cheaper and nicer feeling. Bobs handles are also available in different materials and lengths. I have placed on order an "improved" handle:-
Which at $35 i dont think is bad VFM.
As with anything though its a personal choice. I have had razors which have felt very imbalanced with a heavy handle and light head, and others that have needed the extra heft a heavy handle produces.