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Goodfellas Smile Bayonetta

Hello all, I have just bought this razor for a gift and, unfortunately for me, I can relate to what other gentlemen said about the possibility of excessive blade play causing alignment and exposure issues. After careful examination, nothing seems to be crooked or misaligned on the razor itself, but it is undeniable that there is excessive play between the blade and the top cap and also between the top cap and the base plate, so that can add up and cause real problems. While it is not as bad as with my two charming yet bipolar Fatips, the real problem here is that manual adjustment is impossible since the blade tabs are totally covered. So sadly for me, after trying with most of my 50 different brands of blades, using every orientation, arcane spell, conceivable method I could think or have read of, this razor is a fail, since it tends to align the blade pretty bad and there is no way to reliably and safely correct that. I have writtern to the manufacturer to see what they have to say about this matter.

For science, I took some measurements to compare with other razors that I have, and which have flawless alignment using a similar pin system, and it turns out the Bayonetta alignment pins are way too thin in comparison to the usual 2.15mm inner cutout width of double edge blades. As a curious fact, the Razorock Lupo top cap pins fit absolutely perfect in the Bayonetta base plate holes, zero wiggle room, first time I have seen that.



PD: excuse the rusty english skills from this long time lurker first time poster deciding to make his first contribution to this great forum.

The Bayonetta curves the blade much more than many other razors, including the ones that you've measured. As the blade is bent and curved, the width of the blade's slot cutout is reduced and that's why the Bayonetta's top cap has thinner projections. They're needed to enable the blade to be so curved within the razor. If the blade is placed into the top cap and curved against the top cap before the bottom plate is inserted, the blade alignment works out. At least it does on my example.
 
Sorry to hear it’s not working for you. There is some wiggle room with mine - similar to my Blackland Era. With both of them I’m able to center the blade by pushing it down into the top cap with it upside down in the palm of my hand. I push it to the cap so that it bends to fit its shape and hold the edges of the blade to keep it centered as I place the base plate on it and screw the handle on. It can be a little fiddly because the tabs are covered, but after a couple of times it seems second nature.
Thank your for your advice. Yes, I have tried that and it ends up kind of working, but unfortunately this razor was intended as a gift and I prefer something less fussy. I might end up keeping it to channel my inner McGyver and make some lateral indentations.
 
The Bayonetta curves the blade much more than many other razors, including the ones that you've measured. As the blade is bent and curved, the width of the blade's slot cutout is reduced and that's why the Bayonetta's top cap has thinner projections. They're needed to enable the blade to be so curved within the razor. If the blade is placed into the top cap and curved against the top cap before the bottom plate is inserted, the blade alignment works out. At least it does on my example.
That is a very good point, and I have to admit I had already given some thought to it. However, at the moment, my conclusion would be the opposite, that is, when you bend a blade in the way a razor does, the slot cutout width would increase. Hmm, it seems more science is needed on my part, and a pair of cut resistant gloves.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Maybe I just got lucky. I do always lay the razor cap on a towel, center the blade, push the base plate down with my fingers... then screw in the handle. I haven't seen any alignment issues at all. Nor did I notice any blade movement during the shave. I've used it quite a few times and had stellar shaves each time. As I said... Maybe I was just fortunate.
 
For science, I took some measurements to compare with other razors that I have, and which have flawless alignment using a similar pin system, and it turns out the Bayonetta alignment pins are way too thin in comparison to the usual 2.15mm inner cutout width of double edge blades. As a curious fact, the Razorock Lupo top cap pins fit absolutely perfect in the Bayonetta base plate holes, zero wiggle room, first time I have seen that.
I measured my Bayonetta top cap in the same manner as you. Mine measures 1.80mm - so yours seems to be in the normal tolerance. I install the blade as alreay mentioned - hold the blade in place with a bow in the blade, insert plate and handle. No issues that I've noted.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
The Bayonetta curves the blade much more than many other razors, including the ones that you've measured. As the blade is bent and curved, the width of the blade's slot cutout is reduced and that's why the Bayonetta's top cap has thinner projections. They're needed to enable the blade to be so curved within the razor. If the blade is placed into the top cap and curved against the top cap before the bottom plate is inserted, the blade alignment works out. At least it does on my example.


Me, too.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
I had my first shave with Bayonetta using a Feather blade two days ago. I was sufficiently impressed with how smooth and efficient the shave was especially given the rather low cost ($58) of the razor by today's standards for CNC machined razors. I prefer mild razors but I also value razors that are efficient and don't require me to shave again the following day. Bayonetta delivered on both counts. It was very pleasant to use and gave me a super smooth shave that lasted 24 hours. No nicks, cuts, or weepers and very little blade feel.

Bayonetta and four razor blades.JPG


But there is some truth in what @lecaront is saying. And even though I normally do the same maneuver that @rudygu recommended, I wasn't able to rectify the issue. So, I decided to investigate a bit more, which is why you see four different razor blades in the picture above:

1) Feather New Hi-Stainless (Japan)
2) Astra Super Platinum (Russia)
3) Gillette Super Silver (UK)
4) Schick Ultra Platinum (Holland)

The asymmetry observed by @lecaront was evident in every combination. I loaded each blade carefully by making sure it conforms to the top cap curvature and base plate can be attached with no resistance. When I observed asymmetry, I disassembled the razor and loaded the blade again. Then I flipped the blade to make sure the issue persisted, which it did in every case except it presented itself as a mirror image of the original asymmetry. I use a nylon washer, and, in each case, I tightened the handle all the way.

Here are some pictures:

Feather New Hi-Stainless (Japan) - you can just barely make it that the blade is rotated slightly clockwise.

Feather and Bayonetta.JPG



Astra Super Platinum (Russia) - easy to see that the blade is rotated clockwise.

Astra SP and Bayonetta.JPG



Gillette Super Silver (UK) - no issue as far as I can tell.

Gillette Super Silver and Bayonetta.JPG



Schick Ultra Platinum (Holland) - worst fit and most pronounced rotation.

Schick Ultra Platinum and Bayonetta.JPG



Therefore, I concluded that my copy of Bayonetta can give me good repeatable shaves especially if I pay attention to which blade I am using. Based on my experience, Feather and Gillette Super Silver should be just fine. If the blade doesn't fit correctly, there wasn't much I was able to do to make it align properly. For example, pressing the blade into the curved top cap and holding the tabs with my fingers prior to attaching the base plate, didn't make a difference. Neither did reassembling the razor or flipping the blade.

Just to check what happens with other razors I had handy during the experiment, below are two more pictures demonstrating that Tatara Masamune and Karve Bison didn't have any issues holding the worst performing blade (Schick Ultra Platinum) in perfect symmetry.

Schick Ultra Platinum (Holland) with Tatara Masamune - perfect fit, no issues.

Schick Ultra Platinum and Tatara Masamune.JPG



Schick Ultra Platinum (Holland) and Karve Bison Glacier - you can barely make the edge of the blade but it's perfectly symmetrical.

Schick Ultra Platinum and Karve Bison Glacier.JPG



In summary, I recommend the Bayonetta but also wanted to acknowledge that I encountered the same issue as some other forum members mentioned in this thread.
 
That is a very good point, and I have to admit I had already given some thought to it. However, at the moment, my conclusion would be the opposite, that is, when you bend a blade in the way a razor does, the slot cutout width would increase. Hmm, it seems more science is needed on my part, and a pair of cut resistant gloves.
Try this experiment. Take a sheet of paper and draw equally spaced parallel lines on it. Now bend the paper to form a "U" shape at the center point between the parallel lines. Do the lines get closer together?
 
Fiddling with blade alignment is not my favorite thing to do either. An occasional dud is one thing, but there are now two people with this problem? Definitely NOT an optical illusion (for both of you)?

There have been no issues with my Bayonetta during a month of using Feather, various Treets, a German Personna, Dorco, and a couple PPI blades. I stopped looking closely after the first couple uses though, despite being plenty gunshy coming from Fatip. Nothing has ever felt "off," but I will pay attention and post back if anything surfaces.

The general fitment & use has been excellent so far.
 
I checked my Bayonetta today for misalignment. Every time I loaded blade (BiC) my usual way ( cap with blade laying on board and screwing handle on) alignment was perfect.

Then I tried to force misalignment . It is possible, but hard. If head is not tightened there is some room for play and it is possible to force diagonal movement of blade. By tightening it almost every time aligned itself. But some times was it possible to force misalignment.

My conclusion: checking alignment never hurts !
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Good reminder for people to check and inspect their razors right after opening the package. And asking for a refund/sending it back if necessary. Always a bit problematic with international orders, I know.

Local vendors carry the Bayonetta in the US and within Europe sending back should be no problem either.
 
I make it a habit to check the alignment every time I load any razor. It’s part of my routine. I’ve never had an issue with the Bayonetta. It could be that all my blades are fine with it.
I think it’s more of a tolerance thing than actual misalignment issues with the posts. My Blackland Era has similar style posts and exhibits the same behavior. If I make sure the blade is centered and hold it there while I place the base plate it works every time. It’s not self-centering like my Henson or Above the Tie razors. I totally understand why some guys don’t want to deal with that, but for me it’s not a big deal considering the quality of the shave.
 
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