DS Cosmetics & their Brass V92 twin cap.

[GlazedBoker]

It finally made it after a bit of waiting and a wrongly shipped item. The V95 plus a couple extra Ti handles.

A shave & report to follow in a bit…

 

[GlazedBoker]

A really good & comfortable shave that to be quite honest, didn’t tell me much of anything. The V95 felt quite similar to the V92 from recent memory but, there is the slightest uptick in blade feel without any trade off in smoothness and ease of feel on the skin. Aesthetically, they are identical in feel in the hands with a nice weight that is nicely balanced with weight biased geared to the head somewhat. The only difference between the two other than their respective gap sizes is the bottom plate on the V95 has a hallowed out recess for the handle where as the V92 has a flat plate with no recess. A few pics below to show this minor modification. Blade alignment and fitment is and was as expected, superb.

I enjoyed the heck out of the V95 and the shave was exquisite but, a true side by side is definitely called for just to get real time data as the shave is happening. I’m going to let a couple days growth go by before my next shave and I’ll get back to the thread with more info on feel and results.

Great shaves to all…

The V95 top. The V92 bottom.

V92.

V95.

 

[Halfbeard]

I see you are so good customer to DS Cosmetics that they reserved your personal number on every razor (V9X series at least).

 

[Iridian]

Yeah, seems 888057 seems to be the number of both the V92 and V95 razors. Weird!

I like the recess, hides my usual nylon washer.

Good pointing out this minor difference, the V92 shares the baseplate design of the S9, the V95 is apparently a new idea for the baseplate, geometry itself seems unchanged.

Kudos @GlazedBoker @Halfbeard - enjoy the Ti handles.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Well, it’s been a little over 4 hours since my shave this morning with these two razors by DScosmetics, the V92 & V95. Both took on 2 1/2 days worth of whiskers and to be truthful, they both were superb in feel, effect and results. I didn’t think there would be any major differences other than the tiniest of margins in blade gap with even a smaller effect on blade feel of the V95 over the V92. They each were designated to a specific side of my face for all 3 passes though, the 3rd pass was actually regulated to an extended buffing exercise for each razor respectively. Shave quality and finish were practically identical with neither razor gaining an advantage with maybe a slight edge going to the V95 in the WTG pass as that tiny increment in gap size allows for an easier path for the whiskers to get into and be cut but, everything else was equal. Smooth while both being efficient with excellent comfort and ease of use. The Brass alloy of both these razors allows for excellent heat retention which at least in thought & feel just gives an overall more pleasurable shave experience (that goes for nearly all Brass alloy razors, for me at least). All characteristics from the V92 are attributable to the V95 as well. Which means that both razors in real time use are nearly identical. Both shave flawlessly without a single issue. Blade rigidity is amongst the best in the industry with perfect tolerances on blade exposure on both sides while also covering the blade tabs, providing zero flex & zero chatter. Whomever says otherwise is either an Asian razor manufacturing hater, full of crap or has never tried the razor. Rinsibility is top notch on both and the finish is just simply superb. These are both world class shavers that are produced to the highest standards we see today with artisan razor manufacturers. The price is just astonishingly low for the level of product that one is getting on either one of these razors. Superb value with the chops to compete against razors costing 3 to 5 times as much and arguably excelling against many of those in their class. The only drawback I have or quibble is something that doesn’t exist. An open comb option. That would add another level of versatility plus cutting ability that would make either one a serious player for best razor in class, regardless of cost.

In conclusion, if one owns one or the other, there is no need to own both as they deliver nearly identical results. Maybe a few hours in I might feel a difference in returning whisker growth but, that won’t happen for a few more hours. As of right now, I have no preference as they are both that good.

Great shaves to all…

 

[JAHE]

Awesome, Gus!
Thank you for your comparison review.

Sure, we'd like to hear back from you later today regarding the longevity of shave results...

Do you have any initial thoughts wrt to the shaves with these brass beauties vs. the Lupo .95 SB?

Cheers and thanks again

 

[GlazedBoker]

Awesome, Gus!
Thank you for your comparison review.

Sure, we'd like to hear back from you later today regarding the longevity of shave results...

Do you have any initial thoughts wrt to the shaves with these brass beauties vs. the Lupo .95 SB?

Cheers and thanks again

Thanks amigo. Pardon the delay on my part in responding to your question. I shaved at about 7am. I easily got a full 8 hours out of it as I still felt smooth skin at nearly 4 pm. Honestly though, I lost track a bit and at about 5:30’ish I felt the lightest of growth on both sides of the jawline. They were both about equal in feel. So, somewhere between 4 & 5:30 pm growth was starting to show itself but, I just can’t tell you exactly when those first whiskers started showing up. I’ll call it at 8 hours minimum but, it could have been slightly more.

Regardless, both of these razors will give a very nice shave result that can last a full work day and perhaps more. Great shaves to you my friend…

 

[m949]

@GlazedBoker I truly enjoyed your comprehensive review and I concur that the V92 is an amazing razor. The (shaving) value one gets with this razor is outstanding. I must admit that being relative new to DE shaving, I stuck with mostly well known producers - mostly Mühle; you can't do much wrong with German engineering. But I have to say that ever since following your thread and the very in depth discussion about those razors here I am kind of hooked on the DSC razors - got myself the AX Ti head 1.55 mm as well. I truly am grateful for the time and effort you put in to bring this razor to a wider audience.

With every shave I am in awe of the precision engineering which went into this razor and I catch myself throwing admiring looks at it whenever I enter my den and sometimes just picking it up and holding it for a minute ... it's very shiny and I do like shiny things.

I also do love your photos, they are well composed and always in a lovely setting. Oh, and the TdH - Eau Intense Vetiver is also one of my most favorite scents. This is one of those which grows on you after a while. I hated it at first in a sample I got, but bought a bottle anyway and now I can't live with it anymore.

 

[JAHE]

Thanks amigo. Pardon the delay on my part in responding to your question. I shaved at about 7am. I easily got a full 8 hours out of it as I still felt smooth skin at nearly 4 pm. Honestly though, I lost track a bit and at about 5:30’ish I felt the lightest of growth on both sides of the jawline. They were both about equal in feel. So, somewhere between 4 & 5:30 pm growth was starting to show itself but, I just can’t tell you exactly when those first whiskers started showing up. I’ll call it at 8 hours minimum but, it could have been slightly more.

Regardless, both of these razors will give a very nice shave result that can last a full work day and perhaps more. Great shaves to you my friend…

Thank you! Your detailed feedback is appreciated. Food for thought, for sure
Cheers!

 

[m949]

After three lovely shaves with the DSC AX Ti 1.55 mm, I wanted to revisit the V92 as it is a beautiful and highly efficient razor. I went today with the parallel cap and a brand new Suneko Amorphous Diamond blade and like before the V92 did not disappoint. Apart from the AX the V92 is one of the most efficient razors I have, giving me consistent DFS results in 2 passes WTG with touchups.

The V92 is a heavy razor with a total weight of roughly 118 g (4.16 oz), which is about double the weight of my AX Ti with DSC Destroyer handle at 68 g (2.4 oz). Of course brass is much heavier than Titanium. Surprisingly, both razors are working very well for me, the balancing is excellent for both.

The blade gap on the V92 is relatively high and that may be scary at first, because like me many consider blade gap an indication of aggressiveness. But as I have learned, blade gap is not really an indicator of aggressiveness. Blade exposure, guard span and blade angle are the determining factors of aggressiveness and efficiency. I'm not sure about guard span and blade angle of the V92, but I read in one of the posts here that DSC's blade exposure would be consistently 0.01 mm. Detailed specifications aside, the V92 never feels aggressive or biting to me. It is very efficient though. Sometimes I feel it's a tad too efficient as the actual shaving with this razor is over too soon. I wish I could spend a bit more time with this razor. As it stands now, preparation and cleaning up take up the majority of my shaving time and the actual shaving is done within about 5 minutes.

I don't have much of a comparison to other razors as my collection is rather small, but the V92 is truly one of the best razors in that small amalgamation of shaving tools.

The only small issue I have, is that the brass needs a tad more TLC than other razor materials. The three razor parts need to be thoroughly cleaned and dried after each use as to avoid an uneven development of patina over time. That adds a bit more time to the morning shave but that's just an intricacy of the material. Some parts of the base plate are also difficult to clean from soap residue. Finally, the highly polished parallel cap is very prone to fingerprints. In the end this is just a small issue, after all it is a brass razor and I would like it to develop a natural patina ; I won't try any artificial "patinification" (not a real word), as I don't think it's really necessary.

In the spirit of sharing my enthusiasm about the V92 I have included a few close ups; you will be able to see where some of the difficult to reach areas are. Please bear with me, this is a razor in action.

 

[Halfbeard]

I brought my S9 razor to country home. So I needed wanted similar razor in my city appartment.

I have quite some time watched how some secret agents of DSC have done their nasty enabling campaign. Simple man like me was a easy pray for them.

So today was the day when arrived V92 scalloped head and I ordered matching brass handle from Yaqi. Both of pieces are marvelous tools. Everything is perfect, both head and handle. I like the feel of brass much more than SS.

I hade first shave (head shave) with newcomer. Had a stellar two pass BBS shave.
Very similar feeling to S9. No wonder - gap difference is small - 0.86 vs 0.92.

Have a nice day !

 

[Iridian]

@Halfbeard isn't that the Yaqi Brass Spiral handle? It's a perfect match!

The S9, I already had a suspicion it has a slightly larger gap than the .84P Original. Or rather the first Guerilla clone, but I don't want to derail.

Someone measured .91 for the S9 and the V92 is supposedly... well, .92. I think they are identical except for the material and the V95 has an altered baseplate with near identical geometry. The round hole drill one could use for a 10mm/1mm nylon washer for M5 thread.

I might buy another razor soon just because this annoying rain every other day around here right now is really messing up my trailrunning plans. Yep, I am a nice weather runner.

 

[m949]

Pre-Shave: cold water splash / YBN Glycerin
Razor: DSC V92, brass, scalloped cap
Blade: Suneko Amorphous Diamond
Brush: Arno Brush, 26mm Classic #12, Gen5 synthetic
Bowl: DSC scuttle
Soap: Smoking Monster - Red Dragon (tallow)
A/S: POLA - Galantom II after shave lotion
Aftercare: Aloe Vera Gel
EdT: Fées Beauté - Reims Vetiver

Returning to the V92 scalloped cap and I am amazed what a great razor this is. Unlike Wednesday's shave, which was a DFS, today I achieved a BBS with the scalloped cap. And pretty much still BBS after 4 hours. I can't quite pinpoint whether the altered geometry is the reason for such a better performance or whether it had something to do with the lather, or the new blade. If you look at my previous post, I am still using the same blade brand.

In any case, this was a rather comfortable shave, though I may have overdone the buffing on the neck where I had a few minuscule weepers.

The V92 is lots of fun, very efficient and I don't feel it to be aggressive. After a total of seven shaves with the V92 I am leaning a bit more to the scalloped cap rather than the parallel, but this may be subjective as I just had this lovely shave with it today. I'll still rotate the caps regularly as I believe in using every tool at my disposal for variety... and science of course.

 

[Halfbeard]

Today's face shave was much more challenging.
WTG was proceeded normally. But second XTG/WTG pass suddenly turned to evil
battle. I was thinking that my true Rubie demanded retirement at his 30th shave. Got two minor cuts and my face feels sore.
I was taking razor apart when discovering that handle was come loose. It was my fault not Rubie's. I'll continue til its true retirement.

 

[m949]

Today's face shave was much more challenging.
WTG was proceeded normally. But second XTG/WTG pass suddenly turned to evil
battle. I was thinking that my true Rubie demanded retirement at his 30th shave. Got two minor cuts and my face feels sore.
I was taking razor apart when discovering that handle was come loose. It was my fault not Rubie's. I'll continue til its true retirement.

I had the same issue a while back. I'm not sure whether it happened with the V92 or the AX; I can't find my notes on it. But exactly same thing. I had a very aggressive blade feel and also blade chatter and after checking realized that the handle wasn't properly secured. Luckily, I caught it early after maybe 2-3 strokes and fastened the handle properly before anything could happen. Of course, this was complete user error on my part and after properly assembling the razor it all went very smoothly.

By the way, that handle looks gorgeous with the V92 head. I might just copy you and get one myself.

Edit: Dang it, I couldn't wait. And at the price I got (USD 15), who could blame me. I just ordered it.

 

[Iridian]

I once didn't screw my handle tight for my Wunderbar and also had a weird shave till I noticed halfway done what's up.

I didn't tighten it while storing the razor as I had a Nacet glue together cap and baseplate before. I had to unglue it with zippo fuel and quite some effort.

 

[Halfbeard]

I had the same issue a while back. I'm not sure whether it happened with the V92 or the AX; I can't find my notes on it. But exactly same thing. I had a very aggressive blade feel and also blade chatter and after checking realized that the handle wasn't properly secured. Luckily, I caught it early after maybe 2-3 strokes and fastened the handle properly before anything could happen. Of course, this was complete user error on my part and after properly assembling the razor it all went very smoothly.

By the way, that handle looks gorgeous with the V92 head. I might just copy you and get one myself.

Edit: Dang it, I couldn't wait. And at the price I got (USD 15), who could blame me. I just ordered it.

Yes this handle is gorgeous ! Perfect match for head. Good grip too.
I was hesitant to buy original KMV handle. @Iridian claims it to be slippery.

 

[Iridian]

Yes this handle is gorgeous ! Perfect match for head. Good grip too.
I was hesitant to buy original KMV handle. @Iridian claims it to be slippery.

KMV is the Karve copy? DSCosmetic in general has a not so grippy electroplish for their handles, I like the "Ladder" handle which solves the problem through a grippy shape. My SS Destroyer handle is very heavy and not so grippy, best grip between the segments, the knurling itself isn't grippy.

 

[Halfbeard]

What a disappointment ! Yaqi Sentinel head arrived yesterday and I cannot shave with it !
NOTHING TO SHAVE !!

I have still DFS- from yestermornings face shave. And Thursday evenings head shave result is still SAS !

Unbelievable !

 

[m949]

What a disappointment ! Yaqi Sentinel head arrived yesterday and I cannot shave with it !
NOTHING TO SHAVE !!

I have still DFS- from yestermornings face shave. And Thursday evenings head shave result is still SAS !

Unbelievable !

Got the same problem as you. The Yaqi brass handle will arrive tomorrow and I changed my setup for Monday’s shave to try this one out right away. So I squeezed in a morning shave with the R89 today.

There wasn’t much to shave, I also still had a DFS from the day before (DSC V92). I went ahead anyway and it was an okay shave but nothing to really write home about.

I’ll wait until Monday to premiere the Yaqi handle on the V92 parallel cap. Until then I hope for accelerated whiskers growth.