First shave with the Asylum.
First things first, I think it is a pretty little thing. And I mean little! Even though I had read the previous posts in this thread I was still surprised by it's size. Perhaps just a touch too small for my largish hands, but that was not a major issue. Does it look and feel like a £200 razor? Well I'm not sure I feel experienced enough to comment to be honest. My only point of reference with a razor in a similar price bracket would be with the Wolfman Guerilla, and these are two very different razors. Of the two I prefer the look and feel of the Asylum. In terms of shaves, the Asylum is miles ahead in my opinion.
So the shave itself. I followed the advice of previous reviewers when inserting the blade (Astra SP) and had no problems with alignment. I lathered up with some NSS and got to work. A mighty fine shave was had. The Asylum is very manoeuvrable, and was easy to use under my nose, which I sometimes find tricky. I could certainly feel the blade on my skin, but the shave was at no point uncomfortable. Medium aggressive? I could probably have stopped after 2 passes but with absolutely no irritation, and with a brush full of lovely lather, I went for a third pass. The result - marvellous. This was right up there with my best shaves to date. Would I buy one? Probably not. Would I at some point pay £200 for a razor? Quite possibly as a special treat to myself. But it would have to be remarkable in some way. The Asylum isn't that razor. But I will certainly enjoy another couple of spins with the little darling.