Thoughts/Opinions on Razorock Vintage Thickbar and Thinbar handles?

[NorthernBoy]

I noticed each of them were on sale right now so I ordered one of each. I've been wanting something with better grip for my DE86 for a long time and figured I'd give them a try. I like the handle on my Kelvin, so I'm hoping these work. I guess they'll work for some Frankenrazors down the road.

So, what do you guys think of them?

 

[NorthernBoy]

I thought this would have generated more interest.

 

[Mike M]

I have the thin bar handle (my RR Lupo originally came with the HD handle). The HD was so heavy I genuinely couldn't use the Lupo properly, and cut myself a few times. I tried some of my other handles and they were too heavy or long to get the most from the Lupo head. Eventually after seeing the thin bar and a post about it on the Lupo thread I took the plunge. When I received it and used it I found it made the Lupo useable. It is short and, for a solid SS handle, light, but it made the Lupo much more nimble and easier to use (it is now similar in dimensions to the Fatip Piccolo). It is a good grippy handle, although I am not used to the American obsession with deep knurling and prefer the lightly textured hollow handles offered by Muhle which strike the right balance between grip and comfort to my mind. To my mind the balance of a razor is all important and the addition of a heavy handle just spoils that. There is a good post that discussed the thick and thin bar handles by @know1special RazoRock Lupo Club - The Pack - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/razorock-lupo-club-the-pack.617387/post-12225368 the original posts re the thin bar came from @velocityboy so search him up in that thread

Hope this helps

 

[gpjoe]

I have both. My thoughts:

If Razorock was trying to make a stainless steel bar handle that was an homage to the Gillette handle, they missed the mark.

The thin handle is thinner, and the thick handle is thicker.

Why not just make the handle the same diameter as the original Gillette handle (which would be juuuust right)?

Of the two, the thin bar is more usable, for me.

 

[velocityboy]

I have the thin bar handle (my RR Lupo originally came with the HD handle). The HD was so heavy I genuinely couldn't use the Lupo properly, and cut myself a few times. I tried some of my other handles and they were too heavy or long to get the most from the Lupo head. Eventually after seeing the thin bar and a post about it on the Lupo thread I took the plunge. When I received it and used it I found it made the Lupo useable. It is short and, for a solid SS handle, light, but it made the Lupo much more nimble and easier to use (it is now similar in dimensions to the Fatip Piccolo). It is a good grippy handle, although I am not used to the American obsession with deep knurling and prefer the lightly textured hollow handles offered by Muhle which strike the right balance between grip and comfort to my mind. To my mind the balance of a razor is all important and the addition of a heavy handle just spoils that. There is a good post that discussed the thick and thin bar handles by @know1special RazoRock Lupo Club - The Pack - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/razorock-lupo-club-the-pack.617387/post-12225368 the original posts re the thin bar came from @velocityboy so search him up in that thread

Hope this helps

Thanks for the shout out Mike! NorthernBoy I have several of the RR SS handles including both the Thick and Thin Vintage Bar handles. They are all great and I do love the rounded end of the UFO handle but I pretty much exclusively use the Thin Bar handle on my Lupo. It suits my preferences (short and light for balance and maneuverability) for a handle just right and I think you will like it with your DE86.

 

[NorthernSoul]

The original Gillette handles were hollow. They make the razor feel nimble and easy to control.

The Razorock handles are solid stainless steel, so they are quite a lot heavier. For some razor heads, that works all right. For the most part, I've come to prefer the lighter handles. I like the nimble feeling such as the Gillette NEW razors have. If a handle is too heavy, it can make the razor feel clumsy and unbalanced in comparison.

 

[Tanuki]

I use the thin bar with a variety of stainless heads. It works well for me. It is quite comparable to the short, skinny Merkur chromed brass handle or the Geisen&Forstoff short stainless handle. Definitely heavier than the Gillette standard common bar. I have Ti handles to use when I really want lightness equivalent to the old hollow handles.

 

[Goblin]

The HD was so heavy I genuinely couldn't use the Lupo properly, and cut myself a few times. I tried some of my other handles and they were too heavy or long to get the most from the Lupo head.

We are all different. I own 4 Razorock handles and the HD is by far my favourite. The compactness combined with the weight is what I like, plus unlike a a couple of other handles (barberpole, radioknob) the balance point isn't pushed towards the bottom of the handle by having a bulk of material there.

I recently realised that my choice of favourite Razorock razor kept changing, and the favourite was always whichever one had the HD handle on it!

I thought the thickbar might be even better for me, although looking at the length, I think I would find it a bit too short. The HD is maybe a couple of millimetres shorter than perfection at 82mm, but the 85mm offerings tend to move the balance point down the handle, for the reasons descried above. I do like the barberpole and UFO that I own - particularly the UFO,which doesn't shift the balance point down - but the HD wins due to the additional weight.

 

[Iridian]

@NorthernBoy I got almost every Razorock handle with this or that razor, the vintage handles are sold separately and I didn't bite yet.

If you are looking for a premium handle, @lasta knows a guy who makes superb resin handles and I personally like the Alpha Shaving/Executive Shaving VIPER handle a lot. The Timeless Ti Crown handle is also fantastic, among the many other also extremely nice looking Timeless handles. Yaqi and DSCosmetics lately released also very nice copies in polished SS of many well known and popular handles.

 

[nemo]

I thought this would have generated more interest.

It did -- back in 2022

Any comments on the "new" RazoRock Thin and Thick Bar handles?

These have been out for a while but I haven't read any comments on them. Has anyone picked them up, how do they feel? From the photos they look pretty nice.

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Goatrope]

I thought this would have generated more interest.

I like my RR thickbar handle, but I don't own a thinbar to compare it to. I will say it's a little on the heavy side though. I feel like I need to grip it a little tighter to make sure it doesn't slip out of my hand because of the weight. My preference leans towards thick, short handles.

I tend to agree with @gpjoe. I would have liked a true reproduction of the Gillette common BAR handle, slightly thinner (than the RR thickbar), and lighter.

The only 'tweak' to the original design I would suggest is a little deeper knurling on the handle for a sure grip to help reduce risk of slippage when you have wet soapy hands. But that's just me.

Currently, my favorite razor handle is the Maggard MR11.