Ikon Shavecraft X3 Slant head

[Ferrum]

As a big fan of slant razors (and pretty much anything else, but that's another story), and forever searching for that elusive "best", I thought I'd get one of these.

The head is, like the 102, a matt aluminium casting, and looks clean and precise. Oddly, my other Shavecraft aluminium heads have "Ikon" or similar cast into the bottom of the baseplate, but this has no name at all. When supplied as the head alone, it comes in a small, neat black cardboard package with Ikon labelling

It's a "torqued blade" design, but, unlike the stainless Ikon slant, the blade loads easily and I haven't had to mess about with blade alignment. The scalloped safety bars are different on each side. One is coarse, with 10 scallops, and the other fine, with 15 scallops. I presume the purpose is to make one side more "efficient" than the other. In my use, I couldn't feel much difference, but I wasn't paying that much attention to which side was in use and when. I will in future.

The head, which continues my preferred design and keeps the blade tab ends within the razor head, has a thinner top cap than the Ikon stainless. The curvature of cap and base is slightly less i.e. the blade lies a tad flatter.

I used an 85mm stainless bamboo handle, a yellow Gillette, and Razorock Tobacco #1 soap. The razor shaves smoothly, and there is little audible feedback. I'm not that keen on razors which shout "I'm aggressive", and much prefer ones which do the job efficiently rather than brutally. This head is exactly that. In my personal ratings of "modern" slants, I'd set this at about even with ATT S1/2 and the Shavecraft 102, and more efficient than the Ikon stainless or IB Stealth V4. I don't have a Merkur 37C or 39C, so can't compare it with them.

 

[Drew71]

Nice review. Seriously thinking about picking one of these up but resisting temptation. Kind of swaying more to an adjustable as I already have a 37c and not sure it will be different enough to justify the price.

 

[MrK1]

Great review. Sounds like they tried to make each side shave different but didn't quite manage it.

Sort of what they did with the OSS where the difference between the SB and OC is so subtle it's negligible.

 

[Ferrum]

Nice review. Seriously thinking about picking one of these up but resisting temptation. Kind of swaying more to an adjustable as I already have a 37c and not sure it will be different enough to justify the price.

This and the 37C are designed on the same principle, and I guess are somewhat similar in performance. The "humpback" Ikon 102 slant design, however, is different, and I find it a very effective razor.
Out of interest, which adjustable(s) are you thinking about?

 

[Drew71]

This and the 37C are designed on the same principle, and I guess are somewhat similar in performance. The "humpback" Ikon 102 slant design, however, is different, and I find it a very effective razor.
Out of interest, which adjustable(s) are you thinking about?

Been looking at the progress for a modern adjustable but something is drawing me to a black beauty or slim. Like the idea of a vintage adjustable but just not knowing if it's going to be set up properly is putting me off.

 

[Ferrum]

Been looking at the progress for a modern adjustable but something is drawing me to a black beauty or slim. Like the idea of a vintage adjustable but just not knowing if it's going to be set up properly is putting me off.

The Progress models are a good razor. They're even nicer (but a lot dearer) when bought in the "Digress" or "Mergress" versions.

That is a very justifiable concern about vintage adjustables. When they're knackered, especially in the mechanism, it's an expensive and sometime impossible task to put them right. I've bought a number over the years, always successfully, but I have strict rules for myself (e.g. I only buy cased adjustable razors). It's still an expensive leap in the dark, and probably not worth the angst for anyone who just wants to buy a working razor with total confidence.
They do come up in the BST here, which is where I'd keep an eye.

Day 2 of the X3 convinces me that this is a smooth and efficient razor.

 

[gvw755]

Been looking at the progress for a modern adjustable but something is drawing me to a black beauty or slim. Like the idea of a vintage adjustable but just not knowing if it's going to be set up properly is putting me off.

If you can wait a while, Rockwell is coming out with a Model T razor which appears to be a modernized version of the Gillette Slim. The company had a rough start, but looks like they are running well and expanding now. Nothing wrong with vintage adjustables as I have a Fat Boy, Slim, and long handle and short handle Super Adjustable. Sometimes the doors take an effort to open and sometimes they don't close too well, but same goes with me and so I can't complain. they all shave very well.

 

[efsk]

Got my X3 and tried it once so far. First impression agrees with @Ferrum: a mild yet efficient razor. I think there's a difference between the sides, but it's not a big difference. All in all, this might be quite a good razor.
Mine did not come in a little black box though. It came in a plastic bag.

 

[Ferrum]

If you can wait a while, Rockwell is coming out with a Model T razor which appears to be a modernized version of the Gillette Slim. The company had a rough start, but looks like they are running well and expanding now. Nothing wrong with vintage adjustables as I have a Fat Boy, Slim, and long handle and short handle Super Adjustable. Sometimes the doors take an effort to open and sometimes they don't close too well, but same goes with me and so I can't complain. they all shave very well.

With my Gillette adjustables, I never, ever, dial them up or down without releasing the doors. I understand that not doing so puts excess strain on the razor's moving parts.
I've just had an update on my Rockwell adjustable Kickstarter, and it seems a lot of effort is going in to make it a durable, quality razor.


Ferrum

 

[Shemen Zait]

Got my X3 and tried it once so far. First impression agrees with @Ferrum: a mild yet efficient razor. I think there's a difference between the sides, but it's not a big difference. All in all, this might be quite a good razor.
Mine did not come in a little black box though. It came in a plastic bag.

How is this one compare with a Merkur slant?

 

[Miles853]

Used the X3 for a few days now. After my first use I wasn't too sure on it to be honest but after several other shaves I have got used to it and it is a keeper in the den. Compared to the 37C it is milder with less bite however the end results are good. There is a smaller sweet spot in my opinion with the cutting angle much like the feather As-d2 but maybe not quite as severe. Once you find the angle it is a sweet razor.
The fit and finish are great

 

[efsk]

I like both the old and the new 37c and its variants, and like the X3 as well. The X3 is a mild yet effective razor with the right angle, I have a spot of trouble under my right nostril where when shaving top-down the head is too big. This head has trouble following my jawline against the grain, it gets jumpy. Only razor I have that does that there, usually the troubles are with the throatarea. Tried with two blades, same problems. Still, it will deliver a comfortable shave with a bbs face after three passes.
The 37c will shave deeper. It is quite possible that experiences with the X3 will vary depending on the grip you use.

 

[Robwiz]

My new X3 was delivered this morning just in time for my morning shave. I really appreciate the weight, heft and balance. It seems to work better with the blade angle referenced from the safety bar rather than the cap.

I'm very pleased with the closeness of a two pass shave, especially for my first time using the X3, WTG followed by XTG on my face, and ATG on my neck. I used Taylors of Old Bond Street coconut shave cream and an Astra SP blade.

I'm looking forward to using the X3 again tomorrow. It has the look and feel of a really good quality instrument.

 

[gvw755]

I have it up in my rotation for tonight. It is a very good shaver. Mild, but efficient. Did you notice the difference between the two sides when shaving. One comb has more teeth than the other and some say that one side is milder because of that, but most (like me) can't see a significant difference.

 

[Robwiz]

I have it up in my rotation for tonight. It is a very good shaver. Mild, but efficient. Did you notice the difference between the two sides when shaving. One comb has more teeth than the other and some say that one side is milder because of that, but most (like me) can't see a significant difference.

No, I couldn't tell any difference between the sides at all. Neither in feedback from the razor or the quality of the shave from each pass. My overriding impression was being conscious of fighting the temptation to apply pressure – a bad habit from using cartridge razors! The X3 head did give the impression of just gliding over my skin so smoothly.

 

[gvw755]

Great! You have discovered the secrets of DE shaving - know your razor (align with the head or bar), little to no pressure, adjust your angle slightly when you get too much feedback. Another one that I found for the X3 and the Wunderbar is that if you can't feel it shave but the lather comes off your face cleanly, don't worry because it is doing it's job.