Option Five DE Razor

Looks to much like the future head to me and I hated that razor, wouldn't shave under my nose properly. I'm by no means saying this razor wont too but I will stick to my traditional style razor heads just because I like them and they get right up under my hooter. Well done to the designer and I hope they fly off the shelves for him as i'm sure they will. P.S. great work darkbulb it is very much appreciated on this forum. Plus your name is up in light's albeit until the 24th.
 
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Great review kevy.
 
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Up for today's shave is the maiden voyage of the Option Five Razor. The razor is made of Nickel Alloy and is on the heavy side at 120 grams or 4.2 ounces. It is looks very futuristic and is advertised to appeal to both men and women. It is so very different from all my other razors, that I am surprised at how much I like the looks of the razor. I loaded up a new Feather blade. I found the blade to be very easy to load and the blade exposure even on both sides. The handle appeared like it would be slippery with wet hands but this is not the case. I had no issues with the handle slipping during use. I did find myself gripping the razor in the waist section of the handle. Going with a three pass shave, WTG, XTG & ATG followed by touch ups ended in my usual near BBS. I found the razor to be mild, not as mild as a Merkur 34c, but efficient. You can really hear the razor cut the whiskers especially on the XTG pass. Even though it is the first shave, I am impressed with the Option 5 razor. I will continue using the razor alternating it with the R1 Calypso over the next week or so. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.
 

Great review. Seems like you're liking it
I'll be having my first shave with mine tomorrow morning.
 

Thanks Option Five ! I was wondering if the razors are in stock. I ordered one on Saturday but haven't had it shipped out yet. Thanks! Can't wait to try it!!
 
Received my @OptionFive (referred to as O5 going forward as I'm lazy ) razor yesterday and had a chance to take a closer look at it today.


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First impressions are very much the same as others have already expressed - very positive. Nice, solid weight to it, great looking finish - both on the inside and outside of the razor - and everything lines up and functions w/out any issues (blade alignment, top cap release buttons, etc).

There's already been quite a few photos and videos of the razor so I'll keep it "short"

It arrives in a rather nice looking box with a good looking 'velvet'(?) lined razor cut-out on the inside to hold the razor.



Apart from the obvious - how the razor shaves - I think there will be three main aspects of it that will determine if people are attracted to it or not;
- Weight/size,
- Comfort of handle, and
- Looks

Weight
At 120gr/4.2 oz it's not a lightweight razor and that might already be a deal-breaker for you. Personally I like some heft to my razors and when picking up the O5 for the first time it 'felt right' to me.

Handle/Comfort
The handle does have a rather unorthodox shape to it and at first I questioned how I'd naturally hold it and found that, after fiddling around with it for some time, that I ended up placing my thumb on the 'neck' of it closer to the head.
It's not an uncomfortable grip but I'll get back to how it actually worked out once I've had a shave with it tomorrow
It doesn't have any knurling or roughness to the handle but I haven't had any issues with razors of similar design slipping so I'm not overly worried about that. Also, @Kevy 's great shaving review video made me worry even less about that aspect of it.


The looks
Well, this is where it gets very subjective and there really is no 'right' or 'wrong' camp as it's all based on personal preferences. I do see a rather feminine 'shape' in the razor but I think more than anything I think futuristic and SciFi.
This is the razor you would have shaved with on Moonbase Alpha.
I found myself surprisingly attracted to the looks of it.
That combined with the nice weight and near flawless finish makes me even more curious about how it will shave.


It's almost impossible not to think of some Merkur designs when you pick up the razor such as the Futur and Vision 2000.
Here's some comparison shots featuring them;



..once they were next to each other the similarities felt less apparent.

The O5 does sport a rather nifty and novel blade loading and release mechanism;
- press the two buttons on opposite sides of the handle at the same time and the top cap opens up and releases, and
- simply load the blade onto the base plate and push the top cap onto it until it locks.

The mechanism worked smooth and without any faults on my razor as I tried it a good 8-10 times.

Top cap off (this looks better than what I expected from a $60 razor by a company that is releasing its first product);


..blade loaded and very securely held by the base plate pins;


..and with the top cap back on again.
Even blade alignment and I do like that the top cap hides the blade overhang on the sides.
I know that the gold blade that you get in the razor is just a 'teaser' for their upcoming razor blade offering and I do hope that they come out with them as, well, gold razor blades looks awesome in this - and other -razors


Makes me think if "Option Five" means that they are planning to have five product lines... Razor, blade, brush and...?

Anywho, for less than $60 shipped (free international shipping) this razor so far seems to be punching significantly above it's price tag (I believe the discount code is valid until Dec 24th).

For me I of course still have to shave w/ the thing so final verdict in 12-14 hours or so
 

As you say in your review, the golden blade does add to the looks. It'll be interesting to see what they'll cost us in the UK.
 
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