Ditto, the Ambassador is what I meant with Rex, sorry. That's their true masterpiece.
Two New Yaqi Adjustables
- Thread starter Clouds
- Start date
Kevyshaves recently posted a video with the new slant adjustable. He seemed rather happy with it.
He gets a lot of FREE goods from Yaqi.
enough said. His videos are entertaining.
Tell me how you really feel about Yaqi products and Kevy Shaves. But don’t hold back this time.
Actually I enjoy Kev’s videos. I believe that there is room for Yaqi products. I just wish the YouTubers would give honest reviews. Silly I know. If they did they wouldn’t get any more free products. There is one YouTuber who drools over Yaqi. And all the while he is disassembling the razor and installing a Rex spring because the Yaqi product is junk. Now I didn’t hold back.
For the sake of shave science, I did pick up a Yaqi slope adjustable and shaved with it this morning. The verdict?
The slant is noticeable when looking at the razor but not when shaving.
In essence, it’s a milder version of the original TFC and stainless with the lowest blade gap starting at 0.50 vs 0.70 for the Ultima and 0.9 for the TFC.
I’d recommend it to anyone who likes the previous Yaqis but wants a milder starting point.
Blade exposure? Your guess is as good as mine. But I’d say it’s positive, slightly less or equal to the Muramasa at setting 5
Compared to other razors,
Muramasa just has more adjustment due to the blade gap and exposure adjustment capabilities. But doesn’t have the high end that other adjustables have. I find that I get the best shaves no matter what with this razor even if my skin is dry or if it’s irritated but I really have to dial in the right setting since I’m adjusting two variables at one time.
Taiga has a more consistently smooth shave overall across all settings. Probably the most effortless shaves of all my razors. Like an even smoother irritation free Rockwell type feel.
Less initial bite than the TFC and Ultima at lower settings but equally smooth. I had the brass as well but didn’t like the drag.
About on par with blade feel as the Merkur progress and feels about as aggressive on lower settings.
YMMV, yada yada yada
The slant is noticeable when looking at the razor but not when shaving.
In essence, it’s a milder version of the original TFC and stainless with the lowest blade gap starting at 0.50 vs 0.70 for the Ultima and 0.9 for the TFC.
I’d recommend it to anyone who likes the previous Yaqis but wants a milder starting point.
Blade exposure? Your guess is as good as mine. But I’d say it’s positive, slightly less or equal to the Muramasa at setting 5
Compared to other razors,
Muramasa just has more adjustment due to the blade gap and exposure adjustment capabilities. But doesn’t have the high end that other adjustables have. I find that I get the best shaves no matter what with this razor even if my skin is dry or if it’s irritated but I really have to dial in the right setting since I’m adjusting two variables at one time.
Taiga has a more consistently smooth shave overall across all settings. Probably the most effortless shaves of all my razors. Like an even smoother irritation free Rockwell type feel.
Less initial bite than the TFC and Ultima at lower settings but equally smooth. I had the brass as well but didn’t like the drag.
About on par with blade feel as the Merkur progress and feels about as aggressive on lower settings.
YMMV, yada yada yada
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- Thread starter
- #27
Mail call today.
I still haven't decided which one is going to do the honors tomorrow.
Has nobody else noticed that they have changed the TopCap. The top has been flattened so its thinner and more angular.
The TopCap from the Ultima SB on the left and the OC on the right in the image above.
I still haven't decided which one is going to do the honors tomorrow.
Has nobody else noticed that they have changed the TopCap. The top has been flattened so its thinner and more angular.
The TopCap from the Ultima SB on the left and the OC on the right in the image above.
Subieshaves and Kevy both have good Yaqicentric channels and I enjoy both
Heiko shaves IMHO has the best most informative non biased Yaqi videos . So I will be on the lookout to see what he says about these before deciding if they are worth a purchase when the next 1111 sale rolls around
Heiko shaves IMHO has the best most informative non biased Yaqi videos . So I will be on the lookout to see what he says about these before deciding if they are worth a purchase when the next 1111 sale rolls around
I only have one Yaqi Ultima, the SB version with the spiral handle. So no change for me to notice that difference.
BUT Yaqi did a similar thing already with the Sentinel, their WR2 clone:
The Yaqi Sentinel 1.5 SB was not as efficient as I hoped for.
Some preferred it to the later...
... Yaqi Sentinel 1.5 OC, where they changed the CAP and also geometry a bit, or maybe it was just the OC, but shaving angle and cap were slightly different. And it shaved better, but also much more aggressive.
They remind me of Mühle with the Rocca. They made some changes over time and never communicated them. The Romulus SB (clear Vector clone, but way milder) got now its Romulus OC version, where they changed the handle very slightly, it now has four groves along the previously plain middle of the handle.
What you could do is switch the caps for both razors, and see if it makes a difference and which cap you prefer for SB and OC, maybe.
Ceterum Censeo Carthaginem esse delendam, but also hear that I really like the Yaqi Mellon SS and the Yaqi Harlequin. The Yaqi Duomo is nice as well, but Harlequin and Mellon really <3 it for me. Note that the Mellon SS has rectangular posts as compared to the zamac Mellon with rounded posts and is also rather medium than mild in aggression.
I can’t say that I’m a huge fanboy of Yaqi products. I really enjoyed the original TFC when it came out and just wanted something similar but a tad on the milder end as its starting point. I got all the other versions since and none have quite worked as well as the initial less expensive one for some reason, or I just had higher expectations with the higher cost. But not sure why that’s the case. I’ve since purchased other razors I like as much as the original TFC and also the similar HSC Gibbs Replica but to me, the subsequent Yaqi razors while excellent in their own right, were not outstandingly smooth, or efficient or just really did it for me. I think I appreciate the scalloping on the original that the others since have lacked that for some reason gives me a closer shave and smoother as well.
Curious on the comparison, since I don't have either of the SS versions.
one day they will even make a clone of the clone …
- Thread starter
- #33
My two Yaqi's arrived on Thursday.
First impressions on them. I personally find them well made and their polish is next level, far better than the premium razors that cost us double the price. As indicated a few posts above they changed the profile of the TopCap and I'm still undecided whether I prefer it or not. I don't think that it makes any noticeable difference to the shave, its really just the aesthetics.
For me personally, I find that shaves 3 to 5 on a Wizamet are when the blade is at it's best, so in anticipation of their arrival I had one that had 2 shaves under the belt.
The soaps are both from Master Soap Creations. The bases are the same, its just the scent profiles that are different.
After changing my mind a few times, I decided that I would use the Open Comb first.
The Open Comb shave:
I dialed it to 3 for the first pass, and pushed it up to 4 for the second pass. There is a bit of blade feel, which does translate into efficiency during the shave. I ended up with a great shave after my typical 2-Passes plus some touch-ups shave and couldn't find any missed or skipped spots.
The Slant Shave:
The "slant angle" (which calculates out at 1.32degrees) is so small that frankly I can't see it making any noticeable difference to the shave. I found it pretty much the same as their SB version.
Again I started on 3 for the first pass but moved it up two settings to 5 for the second and "touch-up" passes. It felt pretty similar to the OC shave except for a few of the difficult patches that were not quite there.
For me the best way to tell how good a shave was, is the stubble growth late in the afternoon / early evening.
I found that the OC version gave the closer/better shave.
Future plans:
Of course I am going to over-clock them. Should I find that the bigger gaps improves them, they will then get their own dedicated custom dials - lets see!
These are well priced enough that you can have both and still have bit of change when compared to the premium brands, however.....
Were I were forced to choose only one, you can put my name next to the Open Comb!
The Wolfman Guerilla was the inspiration for the Razorock Game Changers, and those were copied by DSCosmetics, sooo... I am also fairly sure some Tech clones got cloned.
Inspiration for your next "Razor Battle", @Guido75: Razor Wars - the Clone Wars. SCNR.
Wow thanks for this detail
Do they not overclock at all? ie just max out at 6
I just put a blade in my TFC and it goes all the way to 10.75 ! and you can drive a lorry through that gap !!
I have only ever taken it to 5 as I am on blood thinners and I have to err on the side of caution a bit as compared to previous years , I think @GlazedBoker took TFC to its max settings when he did his reviews, But have never had any feedback from anyone else who did
- Thread starter
- #36
They both go to 7.
I turned a Overclock dial for my SB Version, which will/should also work on these two. I'll use it on them before I do anything else.
I find the Ultima is a very similar shave to the original TFC but setting for setting - it's about 1 setting behind.
At the high settings in the overclock area both are highly efficient, but with lots of blade feel. One pass BBS/near BBS shaves are well within their capabilities, but a lot of care needs to be taken.
I fully understand why Yaqi no longer do this.
Putting the part with the half open metal ring back in is much harder than pulling it out.
I got inspired to try this as at least the first steps are identical to those shown in a Merkur Futur disassembly video.
Edit: This is the Yaqi Ultima SB with the spiral handle.
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I have had my eye on the Yaqi Ultima SB with the "ribbed" handle, but I can't bring myself to buy one after being so disappointed with the brass v1 model. If they released a Ti version I may be interested in that, but it's going to be tough to beat the original Yaqi TFC (especially at $28), not to mention a Ti version would be really expensive and I'm pretty much over spending a lot on shaving gear.
