Closed Pass Around: Hone Type 15 - Completed

Hi thanks @riverrun for your initial thoughts yesterday, glad you were satisfied with the result, I look forward to hearing how you get on today.

I like the idea of the table too @Darkbulb, it would be good to see how it compares to my own bench-marking. The columns line up nicely with the questions I ask people who have purchased a Type 15 if they wouldn't mind filling out www.hone-shaving.com/survey and gives some good extra information also, thank you for taking the time to put it together.

The product will evolve over the years. I am not someone who puts his fingers in his ears, and this sort of feedback will influence future iterations. I have a road-map of versions and things that I would like to do, and the feedback from The Shaving Room has already pushed the handle length up the agenda... I look forward to hearing more.
 
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Hone said:
@riverrun How did you find the grip? Its one question that comes up quite a bit when people see the razor for the first time.
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I had no problems. The surface feels similar in grippiness to a Standard razor (which is made from aluminium though) , i.e. it looks smooth and slippery, but it isn't - even when wet.
I probably didn't think it worth mentioning as I'm very familiar with the Standard razor and didn't think the grippiness of the Hone was unusual.....
 
Hone Type 15 - Shave 2

This morning I was still quite pleased with yesterday's shave. Not as ridiculously close as some (Wolfman, R41, Neo Gam, Schick with NOS twin blades), but perfectly acceptable. Better than the results from a Feather AS-D2 for example, and the Feather is good enough for me.
So, on day two I decide to find out if the Type 15 can tame a fresh Feather blade. Yes, they are sharp, but often at a price and they don't last very long - something that doesn't bother me - I hardly ever use a DE blade more than twice. There are other, better and cheaper blades, but I bought 100 Feathers before I discovered those. :rolleyes:
Prep is shower, hot towel and Geo F Trumper Coral Skin Food as pre-shave. To go with the rosy scent I pick Wickham Super Smooth English Rose soap. It performs well, but could have a stronger scent.
Four passes again. This time I pay more attention to the face feel of the blade as Nishy calls it. I can feel the blade, but not like with the R41 or even the Wolfman. It is definitely mild
I also notice that a reason why the razor stays nice and hot during the shave is that I tend to put it back into the hot water while re-lathering.
Even with the Feather blade the shave is uneventful. No nicks, no irritation. After four passes and some minor cleanup I feel that today's shave is closer than yesterday's. This razor can tame a Feather blade and benefits from a sharp blade like the Feather. Today I didn't notice the weight of the razor so much. I'd like it to be a bit lighter, but I could get used to its weight.
I use the alum block and there are no major complaints. After a rinse I put on Atkinsons Gold Medal EdC and again there is not much burning. I finish with Geo F Trumper Coral Skin Food as an ASB this time.
A very good BBS shave and my face feels good. I'm pleased.
I'm looking forward to doing some more intensive testing at the end of the pass around.

I've given the razor a good going over with washing up liquid and an ultra soft toothbrush I keep for this purpose, then gave it 90 seconds in the ultrasonic cleaner. Finally it got a 10 minute bath in freshly prepared Barbicide solution (‘hospital strength' according to the bottle) and a final rinse, before giving it a good dry with a microfibre cloth. I can't detect any ill effects from this. I declare the razor shave ready now.

tl;dr

Nice.
 
Thank you for sharing your findings Andreas, may I please be removed, I know instantly that this will be too mild a razor for my liking. I would rather someone who prefers milder razors have the opportunity.
 
Nishy said:
Thank you for sharing your findings Andreas, may I please be removed, I know instantly that this will be too mild a razor for my liking. I would rather someone who prefers milder razors have the opportunity.
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Certainly. So we have one more space to fill:

  1. Bechet
  2. mikebrownington
  3. rowlers
  4. Stacy555
  5. george
  6. Nico1970
  7. MPH
  8. Whosthedaddy
  9. Sir_eider
  10. DevonStan
  11. Dipesh
One more space left on the list..

Legend: Currently with, On the way to, Completed, Waiting
 
Sounds as if this is going to live up to my expectations. Comparing it favourably to the Feather is fair praise indeed, I'm sure that put a smile on Mr Hone's face, it certainly did mine.
If I sell an R/C truck on the bay I will probably pick mine up sooner rather than later, will keep you posted and if I do it will open another slot, but I will still post my thoughts.
 
Stacy555 said:
Sounds as if this is going to live up to my expectations. Comparing it favourably to the Feather is fair praise indeed, I'm sure that put a smile on Mr Hone's face, it certainly did mine.
If I sell an R/C truck on the bay I will probably pick mine up sooner rather than later, will keep you posted and if I do it will open another slot, but I will still post my thoughts.
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You can can try before you buy here. Your choice... But I'm sure Andrew wouldn't mind terribly if you just go ahead and buy one ;)
 
Arrived safe and sound, thanks, Andreas.

Immediate thoughts: Sheesh! but it's heavy! The base plate could be a lot lighter with some re-design, but I'm hard-pressed to see how. The handle could be lightened by drilling out at the tapping diameter and slimming the whole thing down (need to re-design the base-plate to suit). I'm not immediately struck with the matt brass gold finish. It has a chunky, industrial prototype look and feel to me and the weight supports this view. I believe it could be refined considerably and, for me, a lengthier handle is required. The finish feels good in my hand. I hope it is grippy because I'd hate to drop this razor into my washbasin.

Onto the test shave tomorrow. Probably with a NOS Gillette but maybe safety first with a Green. I anticipate good results, the razor is clearly well designed where it counts.
 
Bechet said:
Arrived safe and sound, thanks, Andreas.

Immediate thoughts: Sheesh! but it's heavy! The base plate could be a lot lighter with some re-design, but I'm hard-pressed to see how. The handle could be lightened by drilling out at the tapping diameter and slimming the whole thing down (need to re-design the base-plate to suit). I'm not immediately struck with the matt brass gold finish. It has a chunky, industrial prototype look and feel to me and the weight supports this view. I believe it could be refined considerably and, for me, a lengthier handle is required. The finish feels good in my hand. I hope it is grippy because I'd hate to drop this razor into my washbasin.

Onto the test shave tomorrow. Probably with a NOS Gillette but maybe safety first with a Green. I anticipate good results, the razor is clearly well designed where it counts.
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Thanks for letting me know, Carl.
No need to slim it down. Just change the material to Titnanium and it will weigh about 85 grams. Perfect :D
If you like the looks of the finish or not is a very personal thing. I like it. It's bold, different and modern. It certainly stands out from the crowd.
The handle gives good grip when wet (maybe less so when soapy - I didn't try).
I wouldn't worry too much about 'safety first' with the blade. Even with a Feather blade in it, the razor didn't try to bite me.

Enjoy

Andreas
 
  1. Bechet
  2. mikebrownington
  3. rowlers
  4. Stacy555
  5. george
  6. Nico1970
  7. MPH
  8. Whosthedaddy
  9. Sir_eider
  10. DevonStan
  11. Dipesh
One place on the list remaining

Legend: Currently with, On the way to, Completed, Waiting
 
riverrun said:
Thanks for letting me know, Carl.
No need to slim it down. Just change the material to Titnanium and it will weigh about 85 grams. Perfect :D
If you like the looks of the finish or not is a very personal thing. I like it. It's bold, different and modern. It certainly stands out from the crowd.
The handle gives good grip when wet (maybe less so when soapy - I didn't try).
I wouldn't worry too much about 'safety first' with the blade. Even with a Feather blade in it, the razor didn't try to bite me.

Enjoy

Andreas
Click to expand...

This 'worries' me, not in the true sense of worry of course but is it over engineered to make it too safe or mild? Yes you don't want it stripping the face like an apple peeler but you, or should that be I want it to be efficient enough to get the job done without too much work or passes. This was my problem with the Feather, it also tamed the Feather blade, buffing was needed to finish the job instead of bing bang bosh and the jobs done.
 
Whosthedaddy said:
This 'worries' me, not in the true sense of worry of course but is it over engineered to make it too safe or mild? Yes you don't want it stripping the face like an apple peeler but you, or should that be I want it to be efficient enough to get the job done without too much work or passes. This was my problem with the Feather, it also tamed the Feather blade, buffing was needed to finish the job instead of bing bang bosh and the jobs done.
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I find the shave closer than the shaves I had with the Feather. Yes, I can get a closer shave with the R41, but sometimes I want to have a shave and not be threatened by the razor all the time. The Hone Type 15 has a larger blade gap than I'd expect from how friendly (some call it mild) the shave is. There is only one way to know if you like it or not and that knowledge doesn't come by hearsay ;)
What do I know? Don't trust me, I'm a Feather lover o_O
 
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