Closed Pass around: Option Five - Finished.

Evening folks. I'd love the opportunity to be added to the list. I've just had the best shave so far with my Progress and feel ready to tackle some new razors.
 
Evening folks. I'd love the opportunity to be added to the list. I've just had the best shave so far with my Progress and feel ready to tackle some new razors.
Alright then...
  1. sɐǝɹpu∀ / riverrun (ATG/TSR)
  2. p.b (ATG)
  3. Rowlers (ATG)
  4. Blademonkey (TSR)
  5. Mr Bigmem (ATG/TSR)
  6. Mr_Smartepants (ATG/TSR)
  7. Whosthedaddy (TSR)
  8. Les Dupondt (TSR)
  9. Wayne Pritchard (TSR)
  10. matt925b (TSR)
  11. You?
The list is open.
Legend: Completed, Currently with, Waiting
 
image.jpg Option five Pass-around, first shave report.

First things first....looks, well it's one of those razors that you will love or not..I'm in the second camp I'm afraid, I think it was very brave of Option five to design such a radically different looking razor but I'm sure there will be as many who do like it as those that do not.

The head of this razor is very clever in the way it secures the blade, it is so easy to load a blade by placing the blade on the posts and simply snapping the two parts of the razor together apon doing so you get a reassuring "click" like a car seatbelt being locked.

This is not a light razor but was not an issue for me at all, the point of balance is very good and feels most comfortable when holding up near the neck. The blade tabs are covered which I like, not only is it safer I think it cleans up the look of the head.

How did it shave I hear you ask, well ....very well to be honest although I thought there was a lack of blade feel but this may have been because you have to have it at such an angle that the cap is riding on your skin so it reduced the stubble very well without it feeling like it was doing anything at all. I tend to like to know that there is a blade doing something rarther than what I thought was quite a detached shave. Having said that it did give me a great close shave without any problems or irritation. I was able to shave every part of my face with no problems even under my nose with an XTG pass.
Very little sting from the alum so a close and smooth shave.

Removal of the blade was as easy as it was to put in, depress the two buttons and the cap is released along with the blade, turn the cap up and a sharp tap on the top of the cap and the blade fell out.
Cleaning was easy enough with a jet of water from the shower head and a good shake and pat dry.

Packaging.. A sturdy enough outer box ....understated with a small logo of the razor itself, the internal plastic tray that holds the razor In place reminds me of the quality of plastic you get in a box of chocolates...great for chocolates but next to useless for quite a heavy razor and is already looking worse for wear.

This razor shaves well enough albeit a little detached for my liking and I'm sure some will love the Robby the Robot looks but let's not forget this is only shave one so who knows, after a few more shaves with it I may feel some more love for it.

I will report back in a few days and give an update about how we are getting on.

Once again... Thanks to Option five for the generous loan of their razor and thanks as always to @riverrun for his admin. :)
 
I had my third shave with the Option five razor today, it gives a very good shave, close and smooth but for me I can't get excited about it.
I don't think its the very modern design that's not doing it for me I think it's because the shave feels very detached, maybe too easy.....I think this would be a perfect first razor, it never feels like it will bite you it just gets on and does the job and very well too.
Maybe if had bit me and I had to give it some respect I may not feel the way I do.
I still haven't got used to the looks of this razor and I don't think I will but I'm sure there will be many people who will love it.
It may sound strange not to like a razor that shaves well but I prefer something with more bite, something that makes me feel like....well I've got away with that.....no blood loss!!
I will have one more shave with it tomorrow and get it ready to send on.
Once again, a big thank you to Option five for the loan of this razor and also to @riverrun for his admin work.
 
@riverrun i'll be away for 2 weeks from tuesday, mindful I don't want to stop the flow of the pass around so could I be dropped down two places.

Thankies
Of course.
  1. sɐǝɹpu∀ / riverrun (ATG/TSR)
  2. p.b (ATG)
  3. Rowlers (ATG)
  4. Blademonkey (TSR)
  5. Mr_Smartepants (ATG/TSR)
  6. Whosthedaddy (TSR)
  7. Mr Bigmem (ATG/TSR)
  8. Les Dupondt (TSR)
  9. Wayne Pritchard (TSR)
  10. matt925b (TSR)
  11. You?
The list is open.
Legend: Completed, Currently with, Waiting
 
I have the razor in my possession. Looks great!
Thanks.
  1. sɐǝɹpu∀ / riverrun (ATG/TSR)
  2. p.b (ATG)
  3. Rowlers (ATG)
  4. Blademonkey (TSR)
  5. Mr_Smartepants (ATG/TSR)
  6. Whosthedaddy (TSR)
  7. Mr Bigmem (ATG/TSR)
  8. Les Dupondt (TSR)
  9. Wayne Pritchard (TSR)
  10. matt925b (TSR)
  11. You?
The list is open.
Legend: Completed, Currently with, Waiting
 
OK, I've used the razor twice now and I've got my opinion on the razor.
Here it sits in the box.


It's quite a large-ish razor and bulky but not "portly". It fits in the hand very well and the satin finish ensures that it is grippy when wet and there's no chance of dropping it unlike some smooth/polished handles.
To load/remove a blade, the user simply presses both buttons on either face of the razor at the same time. The top cap will then pop off.

The balance point is where the handle/head join at the pinch point.


The head has quite a bit of blade exposure while keeping the blade gap at a relatively 'mild' setting. Because of the added exposure, thin blades may flex more than on other razors. I found that the shave experience was a tad more aggressive than a Weber, or between a ATT M1 & R1. Not mild, but not aggressive either.


When the blade is seated on the razor head, the hollow posts keep the blade mostly centered but there is some "wiggle room" which could potentially allow the blade to become off-center.


The top-cap fully encloses the blade ends so there's no chance of scraping the ends against your nose/ear/etc. The only part of the blade that exposed is the cutting edges.


To remove the blade from the top-cap, simply press gently on one of the side tabs and the blade pops up out of the cap.


A couple of drawbacks however.
First; I use a tall barber's jar filled with Barbicide and the bulky razor handle is filled with some sort of weighted sand/grit/pebbles with no drain holes. So if you soak your razor in warm water while you lather up, you'll find that liquid will drain from the razor at the oddest angles either from the head or from where the head meets the handle.
Second; I found the razor to be very bulky for not having any adjust-ability. There's no reason for it to be that bulky other than for stylistic reasons. There's tons of room inside for adjustment mechanics.
Overall, a very nice shaver with some room for improvements.
 
Back
Top Bottom