For my first comparison shave I chose to evaluate was my recently acquired Karve Christopher Bradley open comb C plate against the Eclipse Red Ring I was very fortunate to have received as an addition to the collection.
Karve CB OC-C
I have had this razor on my wish list for quite some time. I believe its design is beautiful and the fact that it is actually a razor system is a bonus. But mostly it is its beauty. These are harder to come by at this side of the globe and luck would have it that I got the chance to acquire one from a fellow brother and friend. I have the brass version and the OC-C plate turns out to be right in my sweet spot. The C plate has a gap of 0.85mm and a positive exposure of 0.09mm. According to Karve's website OC plates are the equivalent of the safety bare plate +1, so my OC-C plate has the same aggression level as the SB-D plate. I have the regular 3.5" handle. I have not weighed the razor myself, but it is on the heavier side and according to what I have read somewhere in the region of 110 grams. The CB is a three piece razor.
Eclipse Red Ring
The Red Ring is of course a staple in DE shaving and an 'adjustable' razor - you can loosen or tighten the razor and becuase of the spring action the razor puts on the blade everything stays in place while gap and aggression increase. There is a point though where the spring action can no longer compensate and the blade starts to get loose and move. I read somewhere that the Eclipse Razor company was actually started by an accountant which with my background is kind of fun to know (apparently the company still exists, but as part of mergers). There is a magnet on the bottom of the dial to pick up blades (that for some reason fell to the ground or so). Mine still works. I have polished the razor as well as fixated the crack that's in the handle (which is common for these razors unfortunately). It loads similar to a Game Changer: pins on the base plate hold the blade in place and the cap has to holes where these pins fit into. In my mind it is very much an open comb, although the teeth are connected to each other vis-a-vis the R41. I see the Athena having a similar design. The Red Ring is a three piece razor. Compared to the Karve CB the Red Ring is a very light razor (others have reported some 61 grams). PAA has made its Quantum razor after the Red Ring.
Summary of results
Notes
As you can see scores are very similar with a slight advantage of the Karve over the Red Ring. I found the Karve to be the smoother shaver of the two. Its weight somehow disappears when I start shaving and during the shave it is very versatile. The Red Ring can behave more as a scraper when opened up while fully closed it is less effective for me. The Red Ring is a joy to use however. Much smaller than the Karve and equally nimble.
Both razors have quite a bit of blade overhang to be aware of when shaving more sensitive areas or around the ears. Both razors allow for either steep or shallow shaving. The Karve did give me some weepers on the first go, but that was also with a fresh new blade and maybe using an unknown blade in an OC such as the Karve wasn't one of my better ideas. Blade does matter as can be seen on the scores for the PolSilver against the RK (which is a very nice blade in its own right). While today's shave was on the harsher side judging by the aftershave sting it was also one of the best shaves of October thusfar.
So I am declaring this one with a small margin to the Karve.
Karve CB OC-C
I have had this razor on my wish list for quite some time. I believe its design is beautiful and the fact that it is actually a razor system is a bonus. But mostly it is its beauty. These are harder to come by at this side of the globe and luck would have it that I got the chance to acquire one from a fellow brother and friend. I have the brass version and the OC-C plate turns out to be right in my sweet spot. The C plate has a gap of 0.85mm and a positive exposure of 0.09mm. According to Karve's website OC plates are the equivalent of the safety bare plate +1, so my OC-C plate has the same aggression level as the SB-D plate. I have the regular 3.5" handle. I have not weighed the razor myself, but it is on the heavier side and according to what I have read somewhere in the region of 110 grams. The CB is a three piece razor.
Eclipse Red Ring
The Red Ring is of course a staple in DE shaving and an 'adjustable' razor - you can loosen or tighten the razor and becuase of the spring action the razor puts on the blade everything stays in place while gap and aggression increase. There is a point though where the spring action can no longer compensate and the blade starts to get loose and move. I read somewhere that the Eclipse Razor company was actually started by an accountant which with my background is kind of fun to know (apparently the company still exists, but as part of mergers). There is a magnet on the bottom of the dial to pick up blades (that for some reason fell to the ground or so). Mine still works. I have polished the razor as well as fixated the crack that's in the handle (which is common for these razors unfortunately). It loads similar to a Game Changer: pins on the base plate hold the blade in place and the cap has to holes where these pins fit into. In my mind it is very much an open comb, although the teeth are connected to each other vis-a-vis the R41. I see the Athena having a similar design. The Red Ring is a three piece razor. Compared to the Karve CB the Red Ring is a very light razor (others have reported some 61 grams). PAA has made its Quantum razor after the Red Ring.
Summary of results
| Date | Razor | Blade | Quality | Comfort | Effectiveness |
| 10.10.2023 | Karve CB OC-C | RK Stainless (1) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 11.10.2023 | Eclipse Red Ring | RK Stainless (2) | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| 12.10.2023 | Karve CB OC-C | RK Stainless (3) | 10 | 10 | 8.75 |
| 13.10.2023 | Eclipse Red Ring | RK Stainless (4) | 10 | 8 | 8.75 |
| 24.10.2023 | Eclipse Red Ring | PolSilver (12) | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 25.10.2023 | Karve CB OC-C | PolSilver (13) | 10 | 9 | 9.25 |
| Summary | Karve CB OC-C | 9.33 | 9 | 8.67 | |
| Summary | Eclipse Red Ring | 10 | 8.67 | 8.58 |
Notes
As you can see scores are very similar with a slight advantage of the Karve over the Red Ring. I found the Karve to be the smoother shaver of the two. Its weight somehow disappears when I start shaving and during the shave it is very versatile. The Red Ring can behave more as a scraper when opened up while fully closed it is less effective for me. The Red Ring is a joy to use however. Much smaller than the Karve and equally nimble.
Both razors have quite a bit of blade overhang to be aware of when shaving more sensitive areas or around the ears. Both razors allow for either steep or shallow shaving. The Karve did give me some weepers on the first go, but that was also with a fresh new blade and maybe using an unknown blade in an OC such as the Karve wasn't one of my better ideas. Blade does matter as can be seen on the scores for the PolSilver against the RK (which is a very nice blade in its own right). While today's shave was on the harsher side judging by the aftershave sting it was also one of the best shaves of October thusfar.
So I am declaring this one with a small margin to the Karve.
