Hone Type 15a

riverrun said:
Hone Type 15a - Shave #4
  • Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream
  • Hot Towel
  • King of Shaves Sensitive Shaving Oil
  • Hone Type 15a
  • Voskhod blade (1)
  • Alum block
  • Cella Eau de Lavande
I like to do an oil shave with new razors. I like oil shaves because the results can be extremely close, yet skin friendly. I don't like oil shaves, because they aren't fun.
I did an all oil shave with the brass Type 15 not too long ago, so I'll compare.
I find it helps to apply the oil to my face with the left hand only and hold the razor in my right hand. There will still be oil on the razor and my right hand, but not too much.
The aluminium Type 15a feels a bot more grippy when oily. This could be due its lack of weight. The brass Type 15 needs more concentration when oily.
Again, I noticed that the head of the aluminium Hone is not as slick as the brass one. The brass just seems to have better glide over lather or oil.
The four pass shave was uneventful. One thing I like about oil shaves is, that at the end you can rinse your face with warm water and feel for any bits that could do with a little touch up. No need to reapply oil. There will be enough oil on your skin to go over those bits again. And again. With no irritation. I'm left with a perfect shave. Alum block and after shave have no complaints whatsoever. My skin is smooth, supple and relaxed. Wonderful.
To conclude, the aluminium Hone is easier to handle than the brass version when oily, but again, the brass Hone feels slicker (and hotter) on the face.
More to come...
Click to expand...
I have never tried an oil shave before but you can be sure I will be sometime very soon.
 
Hone Type 15a - Shave #5
  • Omega Hi-Brush 46751
  • Truefitt & Hill No.10 shaving cream
  • Hone Type 15a
  • Seygus 2016 spacer
  • Astra Superior Platinum blade (1)
  • Cella Colonia Classica
  • Truefitt & Hill No.10 ASB
Today I decided to check if the stainless steel spacer from the Seygus 2016 razor makes a difference to the Hone Type 15a. The spacer is the shiny bit between the head and the handle in the following picture.
SeygusSpacer.png

I did the first two passes with the spacer installed. The handle is quite a bit longer with the spacer, but the centre of gravity is so close to the head that the razor becomes quite unbalanced. I found myself holding the razor near the head to get any kind of balance, cancelling out any benefits from a longer handle. So I removed the spacer for the remaining two passes. Much better. Nice balance again. The Astra blade worked nicely with the Hone 15a. The T&H No.10 cream is very slick and I had a pleasant and close shave. No need to go into details again.
The Hone Type 15a is still a great razor, just don't bother with the Seygus spacer should you have one. I now wish I'd be able to compare to the longer handle everybody raves about.
Next I'll need to revisit the Feather blade again.
 
Hone Type 15a - Shave #6
  • Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream
  • MÜHLE 33K257 synthetic brush
  • Hone Type 15a
  • Feather blade (1)
  • Cella Colonia Classica as ASL
  • Castle Forbes Lime ASB
My first shave with the Hone Type 15a and a Feather blade was not great. I could feel the blade much more than I was comfortable with. Subsequent shaves with other blades felt much more comfortable. I have therefore decided to revisit the Feather/15a combination. I opened a new pack of Feather blades and I'm using a new blade from this new pack.
It's two days of growth today (the first time in about 3 months).
Four passes, etc… fast forward…
First the bad news: My Castle Forbes Lime cream is now pretty much finished. I used some of the last drags from under the rim of the pot and they let me down. Those bits must have dried out or something. Never before did I fail to get a decent lather from Castle Forbes. First I face lathered, but had to abandon the lather after two passes. Then I bowl lathered some more of the remains and the results were not much better. That's not how I want to remember my old friend Castle Forbes Lime. Sniff.
Now the good news: The Hone Type 15a with the Feather blade worked much, much better than the first time around. It's now official: the first blade was not up to the usual Feather standards. Ignore everything I said in my first review about 'too much blade feel' and any mention of the word 'aggressive'. The Hone Type 15a can handle a Feather blade.
Despite the shit lather I managed a very close shave and the Hone Type 15a is exonerated.
Unless I can get hold of a long handle (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) this is all the waffle I can come up with.
 
About a month later I had this to say about the Hone 15a:

Hone Type 15a - Shave #7
  • Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream
  • Omega Hi-Brush 46751
  • Hone Type 15a
  • Personna medical blade (1)
  • Cella Colonia Classica as ASL
  • Castle Forbes Lime ASB
I realised today that I haven't had a single DE shave for four weeks. So I looked at all the DE razors in my den and the one I fancied the most was the Hone Type 15a. Good choice. Paired with a fresh Personna medical blade and all my favourite citrusy products I had a wonderful shave. That's it really. No need to go into dreary details.
 
riverrun said:
About a month later I had this to say about the Hone 15a:

Hone Type 15a - Shave #7
  • Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream
  • Omega Hi-Brush 46751
  • Hone Type 15a
  • Personna medical blade (1)
  • Cella Colonia Classica as ASL
  • Castle Forbes Lime ASB
I realised today that I haven't had a single DE shave for four weeks. So I looked at all the DE razors in my den and the one I fancied the most was the Hone Type 15a. Good choice. Paired with a fresh Personna medical blade and all my favourite citrusy products I had a wonderful shave. That's it really. No need to go into dreary details.
Click to expand...
Your posts are never dreary @riverrun !
 
I'm posting here as a lead-on from the August 2016 Acquisitions thread, in order to give some first impressions of my newly-acquired Hone 15a.

Firstly, I chose the 100mm long handle version, as I prefer long handles. I've also decided that I like a long handle on a lightweight (in this case, aluminium) razor, as I feel I have better control over it. Obviously, it's a bit heavier than the short handle option, but I couldn't say how much.

For a first go, I'm using a Feather blade, Wickham's Club Cola, and dishing up lather with a Plisson synth. I decided on a WTG, XTG and touch-up approach. The usual YMMV qualifications apply.

  • Compared to the brass version, the 15a is a fraction of the weight and is therefore a lot easier to manipulate (or "throw around"). It gets into some of the more awkward spots a tad more easily.
  • Whilst the best working angle is pretty much the same for both, I found it easier to hit it quickly with the 15a. I think this is because of the lightweight responsiveness, combined with a certain amount of tactile and audible feedback. These are transmitted through the 15a, far better than the heavier, "absorbing" 15.
  • My impression is that the 15a is very slightly more aggressive than the 15, in which I have also used a Feather. This might possibly be so because there is less concern about control with the lighter razor, and/or the lightness encourages a bit more pressure.
  • As with the 15, with this blade and a good soap, the end-result is a very smooth and irritation-free shave. I do have the impression that the 15a is somehow a little bit more "efficient".
  • Of course, both razors are beautifully made, and cover the blade tabs; something I really like. Mine is the black model, which, if other black razors are anything to go by, will need more cleaning to keep it clear of soap residues and white marks. These don't bother me.
I like this razor very much. Provided that you don't mind a lighter instrument, teamed with a quality sharp blade (similar sort of thing to old Techs and other Gillettes), then it will likely suit you. Again, it's just my opinion, but I don't think that Derby, or some (most?) German and Indian blades would bring out the best in the 15a. I do have some of these, and may, in a spirit of self-sacrifice, see how they perform; but for the next two days, I'll enjoy the 15a with its present blade.

Downsides? I've now got another favourite razor, thus making my choices even more difficult. Life's tough like that.
 
Ferrum said:
I'm posting here as a lead-on from the August 2016 Acquisitions thread, in order to give some first impressions of my newly-acquired Hone 15a.

Firstly, I chose the 100mm long handle version, as I prefer long handles. I've also decided that I like a long handle on a lightweight (in this case, aluminium) razor, as I feel I have better control over it. Obviously, it's a bit heavier than the short handle option, but I couldn't say how much.

For a first go, I'm using a Feather blade, Wickham's Club Cola, and dishing up lather with a Plisson synth. I decided on a WTG, XTG and touch-up approach. The usual YMMV qualifications apply.

  • Compared to the brass version, the 15a is a fraction of the weight and is therefore a lot easier to manipulate (or "throw around"). It gets into some of the more awkward spots a tad more easily.
  • Whilst the best working angle is pretty much the same for both, I found it easier to hit it quickly with the 15a. I think this is because of the lightweight responsiveness, combined with a certain amount of tactile and audible feedback. These are transmitted through the 15a, far better than the heavier, "absorbing" 15.
  • My impression is that the 15a is very slightly more aggressive than the 15, in which I have also used a Feather. This might possibly be so because there is less concern about control with the lighter razor, and/or the lightness encourages a bit more pressure.
  • As with the 15, with this blade and a good soap, the end-result is a very smooth and irritation-free shave. I do have the impression that the 15a is somehow a little bit more "efficient".
  • Of course, both razors are beautifully made, and cover the blade tabs; something I really like. Mine is the black model, which, if other black razors are anything to go by, will need more cleaning to keep it clear of soap residues and white marks. These don't bother me.
I like this razor very much. Provided that you don't mind a lighter instrument, teamed with a quality sharp blade (similar sort of thing to old Techs and other Gillettes), then it will likely suit you. Again, it's just my opinion, but I don't think that Derby, or some (most?) German and Indian blades would bring out the best in the 15a. I do have some of these, and may, in a spirit of self-sacrifice, see how they perform; but for the next two days, I'll enjoy the 15a with its present blade.

Downsides? I've now got another favourite razor, thus making my choices even more difficult. Life's tough like that.
Click to expand...
A tough question this early after receiving the 15a but which of the two Hones do you prefer over all?
I have not received my 15a yet but I think the 15 is going to be hard to beat, but then I absolutely love the origanal and everything about it.
 
Blademonkey said:
A tough question this early after receiving the 15a but which of the two Hones do you prefer over all?
I have not received my 15a yet but I think the 15 is going to be hard to beat, but then I absolutely love the origanal and everything about it.
Click to expand...

This is bound to be a bit "off the cuff" at this stage, but I'll try to answer that.

I like the brass version, not least for the quality, but it did take me a while to get the hang of it. I also find that I need to concentrate a lot to achieve a good result, mainly because of the razor's mildness.

Possibly through knowing the ways of the 15, I found the 15a instinctively much easier to use from the off, and to get a close shave. The handle length may also have some effect, and it could be that I'd not get on too well with a short-handle 15a. There's also the novelty factor, but, on balance, the 15a seems to suit me better.


Ferrum
 
Ferrum said:
This is bound to be a bit "off the cuff" at this stage, but I'll try to answer that.

I like the brass version, not least for the quality, but it did take me a while to get the hang of it. I also find that I need to concentrate a lot to achieve a good result, mainly because of the razor's mildness.

Possibly through knowing the ways of the 15, I found the 15a instinctively much easier to use from the off, and to get a close shave. The handle length may also have some effect, and it could be that I'd not get on too well with a short-handle 15a. There's also the novelty factor, but, on balance, the 15a seems to suit me better.


Ferrum
Click to expand...
Thankyou for your reply, I hope you continue to enjoy using both of your Hone razors.
 
Bank Holiday Monday, but that's no excuse to loaf around in bed, and certainly not when there's a new razor in the bathroom.

Day 2 of the 15a, with L'Occitane Cade hard soap, lathered in a low Woodhead shaving bowl with a large Razorock synth.

Again, a first-class shave to BBS. Being the wrong side of 65, my jawline isn't quite as chiselled as it once was, and I have a bristle patch which often eludes the razor. However, the 15a got it straight away, and an alum test shows that it wasn't by scraping away too much.

My feeling is that this razor works more easily, and slightly better for me than its brass brother, and I'm pretty sure that the reason for this is the longer handle, which gives me much better control. That leads me to think that the 15 would give an improved performance, (in my hands, at any rate) if the handle were 100mm. Then again, that would be one heavy razor. Maybe a longer handle in titanium would be the answer.

Post-shave treatment will be Trumper's Skye A/S and EDT, with Roger et Gallet balm. Then it's out to enjoy the rather nice sunny morning, glinting under last night's rain.
 
Picked up my Hone 15a from the sorting office this morning. Nice packaging - simple but sophisticated. Heavier than I was expecting and felt very solid robust in the hand. I owned a Standard for a while and this feels superior to me. Looking forward to giving it a run out sometime soon.
 
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