The Association of Yates Owners - AYO

[VaughnB]

I keep checking to see if they received the titanium. I'm queued in the 150's, so I'm thinking around July before I see a razor I'm sure it's worth the wait and I just have to be patient...

 

[WThomas0814]

Well, apparently my lovely wife was listening to some of my rants about communication, etc. She surprised me with this a couple of weeks ago. While this is stainless and my complaints were about titanium, this being her first active involvement in my hobby, I’m keeping it. I did replace the yard-long handle it came with.

 

[craigq]

I can partake. Yates Winning V2 in Ti. I like it.
SOTD photo, cheesy piece of paper background. Hate how the mirror shows up otherwise...
Bunch of you fellows really stage your photos well, I'm jelly

Yates Winning v2 Ti; Bolzano superinox; Grizzly Bay w/G5C; Noble Otter Northern Elixir

 

[Lil Cooties]

Tried a Feather out today, usually Feathers don't agree with me but I had a pleasant shave. Mostly smooth with some little patches, and no major irritation (only one weeper). I did have to go over some patches a few times (hence the weeper) which surprised me a little.

 

[gdawg55]

Been a Yates 921 fanboy for several years now. Excellent razor. I use the H plate and get superb shaves. I have a couple in stainless steel, one in brass, and a Ti and like them all.

 

[Codydog85]

In my experience with all of the 921 plates, if you need to shave everyday, the M plate will let you down. I think that folks who can go every other day would like this plate. I am an EH plate guy except for my head. On my head I use a H, scalloped. I cannot get a close enough shave with the M, face or head. I used an EH OC for over a year and just recently bought a scalloped EH. There is a difference in feel for me. Some days I really enjoy that raw feeling of the OC and some days not. There are occasional days where I just need to get through a shave and don't really care how the shave looks or feels. On those days I use the H plate. If any of this resonates with you, I caution you about the M plate. If you like an easy shave with no blade feel, and not smooth, the M plate might be for you.

Do you find you get a closer face shave with the EH plate than the H plate? I just recently got the Yates H scalloped and have about a dozen shaves under my belt with it. I love how this razor feels, it's a perfect weight for me, and is just so smooth, much smoother than my Henson medium. That said, the Henson gives me a slightly closer shave. Wondering if things might improve with an EH plate as might be suggested by your comment. Or perhaps I need to keep working on my technique. The angle seems to be steep, judging from the audible feedback I get.

 

[tomas1870]

@gdawg55 did you try EH plate too? And how do you compare H plate vs Blackbird?

I have now Blackbird Ti and 921-H Ti and I find results are very close. Blackbird little more deep cut and closer shave and Yates little more easy for skin (daily shaver 3 passes). I ordered now also EH plate what can be too much for daily but H is after 5 shaves one of my top DE razors already, why not try EH plate too..

 

[gdawg55]

@gdawg55 did you try EH plate too? And how do you compare H plate vs Blackbird?

I have now Blackbird Ti and 921-H Ti and I find results are very close. Blackbird little more deep cut and closer shave and Yates little more easy for skin (daily shaver 3 passes). I ordered now also EH plate what can be too much for daily but H is after 5 shaves one of my top DE razors already, why not try EH plate too..

Yes I tried the EH plate but didn’t like it as much as the H. It has more blade feel while not upping the efficiency as much as I thought it should. Some here like the EH plate but I’m definitely an H plate guy.

I shave daily and find, like you, the Blackbird Ti and Yates H Ti are vey close in performance. I agree with your assessment that the Bird shaves a tiny bit closer and has more blade feel…but the end results are very similar for me.

Hope you enjoy the EH plate when it arrives.

 

[ralph029]

Do you find you get a closer face shave with the EH plate than the H plate? I just recently got the Yates H scalloped and have about a dozen shaves under my belt with it. I love how this razor feels, it's a perfect weight for me, and is just so smooth, much smoother than my Henson medium. That said, the Henson gives me a slightly closer shave. Wondering if things might improve with an EH plate as might be suggested by your comment. Or perhaps I need to keep working on my technique. The angle seems to be steep, judging from the audible feedback I get.

I get a much closer shave with my EH plates. I "feel" like my EH OC plate is close than my EH Scalloped but I can't prove it. I cannot use an EH plate on my head; it's just too irritating. Do use the H plate every other day though.

 

[ric164]

So I have used my 921-M with the scalloped bar for 2 weeks straight now (15 days actually). It has performed absolutely perfectly. Each shave was a DFS or BBS.

I started with an Astra Superior Stainless on the blade’s 7th day. I followed that with 7 shaves using a Personna Medical Prep and finished up with 7 shaves with a Personna Red (Germany). The 921 seemed to like each blade without any issues.

I am very pleased with my purchase. I will continue to use this razor in my rotation of 5 razors. I will use each one for a week straight. So I will see the 921 in 5 weeks.

Have a blessed weekend everyone.

 

[tiberius]

I shave daily and find, like you, the Blackbird Ti and Yates H Ti are vey close in performance. I agree with your assessment that the Bird shaves a tiny bit closer and has more blade feel…but the end results are very similar for me.

Hope you enjoy the EH plate when it arrives.

Also owned BB Ti and 921-H Ti and just got another outstanding close and comfort shave out of 921-H last night.
But I went the other way - I think if I need efficiency I'll go for BB, so I ordered Ti 921-M baseplate since I'm very interested to see how it would make 921 more comfortable/autopilot. (Also an Merica handle. )

I get a much closer shave with my EH plates. I "feel" like my EH OC plate is close than my EH Scalloped but I can't prove it. I cannot use an EH plate on my head; it's just too irritating. Do use the H plate every other day though.

Just curious - when you using H and EH plate are you always making baseplate touch your face? (so the blade angle are different to make a comparison.) I'm kind of always cap-riding so I think I probably didn't feel the "actual potential" of the H plate ...

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

So I have used my 921-M with the scalloped bar for 2 weeks straight now (15 days actually). It has performed absolutely perfectly. Each shave was a DFS or BBS.

I started with an Astra Superior Stainless on the blade’s 7th day. I followed that with 7 shaves using a Personna Medical Prep and finished up with 7 shaves with a Personna Red (Germany). The 921 seemed to like each blade without any issues.

I am very pleased with my purchase. I will continue to use this razor in my rotation of 5 razors. I will use each one for a week straight. So I will see the 921 in 5 weeks.

Have a blessed weekend everyone.
View attachment 1848220

I have one of the first hybrid M plates produced... the M plate performs very well for daily shaving, however I always recommend getting Hybrid plates to have that extra efficiency, especially on the M plate
Good shaves

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

I get a much closer shave with my EH plates. I "feel" like my EH OC plate is close than my EH Scalloped but I can't prove it. I cannot use an EH plate on my head; it's just too irritating. Do use the H plate every other day though.

The EH plate is something fabulous...too bad I didn't get the OC

 

[Sweeney_]

Great shave today with the 921-EH

 

[ralph029]

Also owned BB Ti and 921-H Ti and just got another outstanding close and comfort shave out of 921-H last night.
But I went the other way - I think if I need efficiency I'll go for BB, so I ordered Ti 921-M baseplate since I'm very interested to see how it would make 921 more comfortable/autopilot. (Also an Merica handle. )


Just curious - when you using H and EH plate are you always making baseplate touch your face? (so the blade angle are different to make a comparison.) I'm kind of always cap-riding so I think I probably didn't feel the "actual potential" of the H plate ...

I have to be honest, I don't pay attention. I adjust my slope based on the resistance I get from the whiskers. I shave with the lightest pressure possible. With the many and severe angle changes on the face and head, I just find it easier to adjust based on resistance.

 

[ralph029]

The EH plate is something fabulous...too bad I didn't get the OC

I have been trying to pay close attention the last week or so to the OC and Scalloped plates. The difference in the quality of the shave is almost undetectable. Where I am experiencing the most difference is in the soap I use in relation to the comfort of the shave.
I am a soap junkie! I make my own soaps as a hobby. I own a disgusting and irrational amount of soaps. As of this morning, I have 23 different soaps in my daily rotation and easily 5 times that amount in storage. That said, certain soaps work better with the OC vs. the Scalloped. Some soaps are very obviously better than others with a certain plate. I try to always pair the plate with the soap depending on how close I need the shave to be.

 

[ralph029]

Great shave today with the 921-EH
View attachment 1848411

That is one of my favorite soaps. I use that combination a lot.

 

[GoodShave]

That said, certain soaps work better with the OC vs. the Scalloped. Some soaps are very obviously better than others with a certain plate. I try to always pair the plate with the soap depending on how close I need the shave to be.

That is very interesting!
Would you mind giving a few examples?
I would love to find a soap combination that would work well with my Ti H OC or my original hybrid (brass,M) plates.

 

[ralph029]

That is very interesting!
Would you mind giving a few examples?
I would love to find a soap combination that would work well with my Ti H OC or my original hybrid (brass,M) plates.

Sure. Everything I am going to say concerns unscented/fragrance free soaps (except Ogallala). There are very few scented "anythings" that I like that are not fruit based or baking spices that can be equated with winter in New England. A fragrance or essential oil can impact a soap's performance as well.

As of today...

Soaps that I have found that work well with my H plate are:
Soap Commander
Mike's Natural
Ogallala
Stirling (Naked & Smooth)

Soaps that I have found that work well with my EH OC plate
Chiseled Face
Stirling Unscented with Beeswax
Phoenix Shaving
The shave soap that I make

You can use any soap for EH plates, but I find soaps with less lubrication require a lot more concentration. Keep in mind, this is what I've got going on today. The soaps listed for the EH plate work well for the H plate as well in my experience.

One additional comment. I'm not the biggest fan of the Ogallala. I use it because I love their Bay Rum. The soap is one that I struggle with to get to work. I find it to be a very very dry soap and by the time I get enough water into it, it just doesn't work. I am going to melt down a stick that I have and try adding some glycerin and silk to it to see if I can get it slicker.

 

[GoodShave]

Sure. Everything I am going to say concerns unscented/fragrance free soaps (except Ogallala). There are very few scented "anythings" that I like that are not fruit based or baking spices that can be equated with winter in New England. A fragrance or essential oil can impact a soap's performance as well.

As of today...

Soaps that I have found that work well with my H plate are:
Soap Commander
Mike's Natural
Ogallala
Stirling (Naked & Smooth)

Soaps that I have found that work well with my EH OC plate
Chiseled Face
Stirling Unscented with Beeswax
Phoenix Shaving
The shave soap that I make

You can use any soap for EH plates, but I find soaps with less lubrication require a lot more concentration. Keep in mind, this is what I've got going on today. The soaps listed for the EH plate work well for the H plate as well in my experience.

One additional comment. I'm not the biggest fan of the Ogallala. I use it because I love their Bay Rum. The soap is one that I struggle with to get to work. I find it to be a very very dry soap and by the time I get enough water into it, it just doesn't work. I am going to melt down a stick that I have and try adding some glycerin and silk to it to see if I can get it slicker.

Thank you so much for this great information!
It has been a long time since I tried Ogallala. I have never tried with the Yates 921 razors.
Generally, do you face lather or bowl lather these soaps?
What type of brush do you tend to use with these soaps (synthetic, badger, boar, horse, etc.)?