DS Cosmetics & their Brass V92 twin cap.

[Halfbeard]

I can’t really say anything on the others you mentioned as I simply do not have them, just the DS-V92 that you see above.

Congrats on your purchase and hopefully it provides you excellent shaves. Do post when you receive and shave with it…

I received my DS C S9 razor yesterday. It took less than two weeks to arrive. It was in cardboard box in bubble wrap plast envelope. I choose it with Destroyer handle. In the box was piece of fabric to keep her shiny. And silicone washer.

I think it is perfect workmanship. Baseplate is shiny from top to bottom. Top cap is mirror polished on top and little rough inside. It looks very much like @GlazedBoker ' s V92 scalloped razor. Only a notch less gap 0,84.

Everything is precise. No wiggle, no aligment problems. Blade sit on the baseplate post so tight that you can turn plate arond and blade does not fall out. But no problem to remove blade.

Destroyer handle is too heavy for me. It has safe grip but knurling could be better. (My zamack AX-SE has handle with better knurling and grip, and they advertise it like stainless.)

Today's head and face shave:
S9 razor
Rubie blade (38)
Bodyshop Maca Root shave cream
Lustray BayRum aftershave

Very good two pass DFS+ shave. I rode the cap, shallow angle as usually. Very little blade feel. Never felt that there was danger for blood or weepers. Even my neck was near DFS.
I never challenge neck BBS . No sting from aftershave.

 

[amateur]

Here is my DS S9 razor. It is really very well made and provides an excellent shave.

 

[cmbrow]

I completely forgot about this razor as I had ordered it together with the Yaqi Sentinel about 2 months back. Plus a few other razors have been acquired and the V92 Brass by DS Cosmetics was sent to shave memory oblivion. I found it last night tucked away in a corner in my shave den cabinet, plastic coverings still attached. "Well I'll be" I said to self. Guess who was up for an initial run? Yup. How could I not?

View attachment 1743303

This razor was/is offered with two different top cap designs, a scalloped one and the other having an angular top cap design, almost Merica or Henson like. I went with the scalloped version and I'll try the other a few shaves from now. Installed a fresh Gillette Minora blade, made some suds by Ethos and got busy

This is not a mild shaver. It isn't an aggressive one either. You get good blade feel but, you also get a real nice feel on the skin that is quite smooth, better than average I would say. I completed 3 full pases and finished with a BBS result on both face and neck. 2 tiny weepers on the chin but, not a single other issue. Face was calm without a hint of irritation and the same went for my neck. For a first shave I will say that the V92 has me impressed and has shown me more than I was expecting. Don't get me wrong as I wasn't expecting this to be a dumpster fire of a shave but, I wasn't expecting a quality shave and better yet a real quality result. The razor has been mentioned a couple times on a few other threads but, there's very little information about how it shaves and if there is a perceivable difference between both top caps. I will say that the blade is held firmly and rigidly with very good support from both cap & base plate. The lather slot cut outs are spot on with excellent exit manners for cut whiskers and soap. Blade tabs are covered for those that look for that benefit in a razor. Balance and feel in hand are quite good though, I wish that the serrations or the look of knurling on the handle was a bit deeper and not so finely polished. Small nit picking I know and the handle never felt like a slip & slide during the shave. But, there's always something and though I'm not expecting Rex Ambassador type grip, a better tactile feeling handle would be nice. It works as it is and a rub on the alum block helps nicely with grip.

I'll put in a couple more shaves just to make sure that this one wasn't an aberration though, I have to admit that Chinese manufacturers are starting to pick up their tolerances and machining capabilities to some very impressive levels. Not saying they're world leaders in the cnc razor making wars but, they are certainly closing the gap and doing it with speed and quality. However, I do frown upon these manufacturers cloning and copying other artisan producers of their models/creations from across the globe that practically is or leads into product stealing but, that's something that has to be dealt with in world trade laws that international governing bodies must put a strict stop to with legislation and enforcement. Will it happen? I sincerely do doubt it but, you never know.

In the meantime, the V92 has some quality chops.

Great shaves to all....

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I have been shaving with one of these in the .68 version, which is quite enough for me. I think you have caught its performance perfectly. I get very good shaves from this razor.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Thanks for the thorough review and thoughts, Gus! This one is less a direct clone than some, like their Sputnick. It seems like a bunch of influences were thrown into the blender and this came out.

How does this compare to the 86 and 99 plates on the Guerrilla? (You don't have a Game Changer 86, right?)

My apologies amigo. I missed this post somehow. Yes, you’re right that the V92 is not a direct clone of a particular razor but, rather it takes some of the better attributes from a few and combines them to make it its own. It’s quite obvious that it has styling cues from Karve, Timeless & Razorock and it’s a shame for those artisans that put in the time & effort to create their specific offerings. Yet, some of the aforementioned Artisans take design cues however subtle from other manufacturers and artisans that it pretty much is a melting pot of makers taking attributes from other makers designs with a slight tweak to make it their own. It’s evident across the board. Very little or rare is the razor design that is built from scratch that brings something new or original to the table.

On how it feels? I’d say it’s right in the middle of both the .84 & .99 on the Wolfman Guerilla with a slightly toned down feel of the blade yet it’s every bit as smooth as the Guerilla with nearly identical results. It’s an impressive razor to be honest and I think it delivers a fantastic shave equal to anything in its class and competes with the much higher priced luxury/performance razors as well.

Sorry for the late reply my friend. Happy shaves…

 

[GlazedBoker]

Fantastic shave with the V92 & scalloped top cap. Installed a 3rd use Schick blade and it was smooth sailing from first stroke to last. Shaves better and smoother than a Gamechanger .84, is on par with a Lupo .95 but, not as blade forward. Not that the Lupo .95 is aggressive or to blade forward because it isn’t, it’s just that the V92 is a bit mellower over the Lupo if that makes sense. I might have to do a shootout between the Lupo .95 & the DScosmetics V92 for my own experience and see how the V92 stacks up against the Lupo.

Great shaves to all…

 

[GlazedBoker]

Everytime I use this razor, I like it more & more. Fabulous shave with the Parallel cap. The Schick Blade is still going strong after 4 shaves. Fantastic piece of steel so far. Ethos Vetivert? You know what I think of it. Simply fantastic.

Great shaves to all….

 

[GlazedBoker]

An extremely satisfying & easy shave this morning. The Schick blade again delivered a very smooth feeling action while eliminating the whiskers with ease. The V92 with it’s clamping and blade support provides zero flex and does what it’s supposed to do with conviction of purpose. And that’s to remove hairs with authority and still have the manners to provide a comfortable shave that leaves little doubt on the end result. A clean face that is completely stubble or whisker free with zero disturbance of any kind on one’s skin. I think it’s the best razor I’ve ever sampled made in China. As a 3 pc. razor, this is one of the best offerings from Asia and with a very affordable price. I just might get the V95 just for kicks & giggles.

Great shaves to all….

 

[Pineapple]

@GlazedBoker sorry if missed this but do you have a preference between the scalloped or parallel caps?
I've got the scalloped V92 and wanted to know for a friend...

 

[Iridian]

@Pineapple no idea about his preference, but let me add my impressions: 1. Scalloped is my favorite 2. Prism, 5-sided cap, not so much, it is making the shave even milder. 3. Parallel, 3-sided: No idea, only have scalloped, smooth and prism. Thinking about it, I would even rather pick the smooth cap than the prism.

 

[GlazedBoker]

@GlazedBoker sorry if missed this but do you have a preference between the scalloped or parallel caps?
I've got the scalloped V92 and wanted to know for a friend...

Scalloped cap then the Parallel. Reason being is there is a wider range of adjustment with the Scalloped cap vs the Parallel which kind of limits the adjustments as the cap and the angled slope restricts said movement and sort of giving it a fixed set position. But, for me they are equally very easy to use and master. Scalloped cap is the one for me though.

Happy shaves.....

 

[Pineapple]

Thank you @Iridian and @GlazedBoker . I bought the scalloped cap for the looks and same with the V92 plate. Wanted the V95 for the larger gap but preferred the look of the V92 with the extra milling on the underside. It looks not as chunky, possibly a tad lighter. But appreciate the opinions on the differences on the caps.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Thank you @Iridian and @GlazedBoker . I bought the scalloped cap for the looks and same with the V92 plate. Wanted the V95 for the larger gap but preferred the look of the V92 with the extra milling on the underside. It looks not as chunky, possibly a tad lighter. But appreciate the opinions on the differences on the caps.

Congrats on the acquisition. Do post your thoughts & impressions once in your hands and you’ve put in some shave time with the V92.

Good luck & happy shaves to you….

 

[Pineapple]

Congrats on the acquisition. Do post your thoughts & impressions once in your hands and you’ve put in some shave time with the V92.

Good luck & happy shaves to you….

Thanks, but I have had the V92 head for a while. I was enjoying reading your thoughts on the V92, and the pictures as always. I like the V92 a lot, it looks great and works well for me. Smooth shaving with a little blade feel if I remember correctly. I have it on top of a RR barber pole and it's balanced and feels nimble. I don't use it as much as I would like, going through pictures the last use was in November. I'll get it in again, just currently on a tech kick.

 

[Pineapple]

So I made it through the Tech kick, took all of January. Had to compare a few them, then double check and use a few new to me that had been waiting to be tried for a while.

I originally picked up the V92 because the head profile looked so similar to the game changer but it had the blade alignment tab/pins in the cap which I prefer. I don't have the game changer but always liked the way it looks. I'm a huge fan of the Lupo and from many posts comparing the 2 I didn't feel I had to pick one up. But then the V92 was released with a larger gap than the current offering for the GC at the time and brass. It's over a year old now and hasn't needed to be polished just wiped clean after use.

There's definitely some blade feel but with a light touch it's smooth and shaves close. It has decent audible feedback but isn't extreme. With the barber pole the balance and grip are perfect, center point is about a finger length from the top of the knurling. Shave is close and long lasting, with no sting from the alum. The V92 does leave a really smooth feeling shave with no irritation.

 

[Amorphous Metal]

I'll put in a couple more shaves just to make sure that this one wasn't an aberration though, I have to admit that Chinese manufacturers are starting to pick up their tolerances and machining capabilities to some very impressive levels. Not saying they're world leaders in the cnc razor making wars but, they are certainly closing the gap and doing it with speed and quality. However, I do frown upon these manufacturers cloning and copying other artisan producers of their models/creations from across the globe that practically is or leads into product stealing but, that's something that has to be dealt with in world trade laws that international governing bodies must put a strict stop to with legislation and enforcement. Will it happen? I sincerely do doubt it but, you never know.

I would just like to comment that it is not that straightforward as it seems at first glance. Copyright, design patents and trademarks are the tools that could be used generally speaking. Though it differes depending on where you live, for instance in Europe there is more instruments for design protection whereas in USA there is less and they are also more vague resulting also with Supreme court having to weigh in on certain aspects from time to time. Anyhow multibillion company will protect everything it can under different protection schemes be it trademark, design patent or copyright and then also act upon that with lawsuits. For small artisans it is a pricey mess.

Protection does not come in itself to you, and courts will not prosecute anybody in absence of manufacturer interest to do so. It is even worse. In most cases you have to file a claim for protection (for trademark and design patent) and PAY for it.

But in mentioned case of DE razors, copyright protection is mostly out the window, as almost everybody is copying something from the "original" razors of past 100 years. For instance lets mention Rex Ambassador, which is a Gibbs clone. A good clone (one of the best) but a clone none the less, even if the company owner has a penchant for dissing other Gibbs clones. Copyright impossible. Exceptions are few, to my mind comes maybe Tatara with its new implementation of adjust-ability that they claim that they also filed a patent for. Probably a lot of novel designs fell into obscurity in the past. In parallel thread on DE designs a few obscure ones from the past are shown that I never knew existed. I that light ... I wonder how novel artisan DE razors really are. For instance, I have a hard time believing that since the invention of DE razors more than 100 years ago, there really was not a single DE slant adjustable, that then fell into obscurity, now waiting and sleeping in some antique shop to be awaken from sleep and go haunt some artisan machine-shop - webshop owner for his bouts of pointing fingers at others.

Trademark. Sure, but that is mostly for logos and characteristic shapes that represent the company. Though in USA also as another instrument for design protection due to patent law weaknesses. Probably artisans have their logos registered, or they would be copied also. But i reckon, it is an acceptable cost for artisans, for any company really to register its name and logo. If you do not protect your company trademark, better not start anything.

Design patent, sure. Have to establish originality, innovation and "visual difference". Especially due to small market, artisans are forced to make a bunch of models, handles, baseplates and topcaps ... as a way to ensure income from the small (hoby) customer base that buys new pieces for their collections. More pricey for the artisans.
Actually, at least in Europe, artisans do have 3 years of design protection that they need not pay for but still need to register for (Unregistered Community Design - UCD). After 3 years no extension is possible and anybody can copy your design.

And now in addition to above mentioned instruments of protection to actually try to use court's protection ... lawyer fees will sap any life from even the best of artisans. Good luck with that. My critique is not to the instruments but access of them, because they protect exploitation of multi-billion corporations due to huge costs that such protection entails. You have to have a lot of money to benefit from it. If right from this moment on, DE CNC market would be magically increased to billions, some big corporate players from Wall street would take the best unprotected design, copy it and take the profits. With little concern for the initial creator.

Compare a bunch of models and constituent parts of a small DE artisan trying to bestow import restrictions on "copies" with protections of a few coca-cola bottles and their logo of a multi-billion corporation willing to sue the living day out of any person or company that tries to copy some aspect of it and enough momentum to actually succeed in doing so.

 

[Amorphous Metal]

Great shaves to all….

Oh I almost forgot. A nice razor.

 

[Iridian]

ELI5 (Explain Like I'm Five) of the postings above for me: It's almost impossible to patent razor designs.

 

[Amorphous Metal]

How can Coca-cola have a wavy pattern on a simple bottle protected. It's synonymous with the company trademark.

It's a process is all I am saying. In theory artisans could protect their "distinct" design, that has not been done before. A design so characteristic and novel that when compared with what was and is, would unequivocally be connected with the artisan as a trade dress and be a part of their trademark. The first original razorhead implementation of Wolfman/Timeless/Tatara/etc. with engraved ornaments (specific 3D shapes, engraved specific patterns, graphical motifs etc.) and connected with one of their distinct handles with again characteristic engravings, when it came out could probably do it. Their "trademark razor". Not now of course. They could make a logo of their trademark razor also just to connect the dots. But the costs of using that "protection" are prohibitive. The profits are too low for lawsuits, that could go into multi-million sums just in lawyers fees.

 

[Goblin]

Is not the crux of this issue simply that state-capitalism as practiced by the Chinese government is completely unconcerned with western intellectual property laws?

At one point, I saw a poster here objecting to the copying of razor designs by a Chinese manufacturer because, "The US constitution protects manufacturers." I am pretty sure the CCP doesn't give a damn about the intellectual property protections offered by the US constitution or any other western legislation, so even if a US razor manufacturer did try to assert their rights to some particular razor design, those rights are completely unforcable in a global marketplace.

 

[Amorphous Metal]

I am not objecting to that. But other side of the medal is also dark. Attainment of western intellectual property rights is prohibitively expensive for creative people with ideas if not backed by sufficiently large funds. If you tried to file for a patent protection with worldwide protection as your goal, you would quickly learn the price for that protection. Which is not a singular fee but paid continually for the duration of protection lest the patent ceases.

I am saying that it practically probably is not enforcable also in the USA or Europe among competing small manufacturers due to prohibitive costs for small artisans, if for instance some small competing manufacturer in Europe or USA would start to make copies. What protection exactly would you want to base your claim on when pointing at copies? Would other artisans really start a lawsuit that could amount to spending millions and to what end ... to save thousands. Pirrhic victory since I think the market is too small and the number of artisans too large. But what do I know, I could very well be wrong of course.