What exactly are the zamack trio you refer to? I have a T7-SE that I love by the way.
What's my upgrade path?
- Thread starter ShavethAndProsper
- Start date
I refer to DS Cosmetics AX-SE zamack Wolfie clone trio.
The Rockwell 6s is always a good option.
But if you want pure efficiency why not try a R41? It forces you to immediately work on your technique and you get a steep learning curve.. Well or some blood.
And you are not a beginner.
It's very direct. And efficient. But not at all harsh.
I usually like smooth razors and struggle with open combs, but the R41 is a dream.
But if you want pure efficiency why not try a R41? It forces you to immediately work on your technique and you get a steep learning curve.. Well or some blood.
And you are not a beginner.
It's very direct. And efficient. But not at all harsh.
I usually like smooth razors and struggle with open combs, but the R41 is a dream.
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Once you find your sweet spot with the Game Changer I think you'll be happier with it than the Rockwell 6S. Again, the trick is knowing which base plate will work best for you. Most people seem to consider the .68 too mild and prefer the .84's smoothness/efficiency ratio. I personally loved the .84SB but found it just a tad too aggressive for daily shaves; the .76 felt just a bit less harsh but still performed quite well overall. Maybe try the .76 to see how it works for you, and then scale it up or down with the .84 or .68 if needed? Another solution I found with the .84 was just using a lighter handle so dial back the aggression; RazoRock has a titanium handle option. And your preference for straight bar vs. open comb is a whole other factor...
Italian Barber only has the Lupo .58SB and .72OC so you might prefer to wait until more options are available. Depending on the blade gap and SB vs. OC selection you choose, I think you'll find it quite similar to the Game Changer.
I wouldn't rule out the Rockwell 6C either. It's a quite affordable at $60 and will help you zero in our your aggression preferences for your next purchase.
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
YMMV, but I’m always surprised at how many people recommend the Rockwell whenever someone asks for razor advice. It’s an anvil on a rod. And it’s not very efficient no matter which plate is used. It’s one of my most regrettable razor purchases.
One razor that is fantastic is the Blackbird the Stainless Steel is around $200.00 and comes with a 30 day money back warranty, that way you could try it without risk.
I am pretty sure you will end up keeping it.
Doug
I am pretty sure you will end up keeping it.
Doug
I haven't seen anyone mention the Karve CB in brass yet.
They have numerous choices of baseplates for varying aggression/efficiency, AA through G, in both SB and OC styles.
The starting price at Maggard's is $85.01 for a complete razor. Some plates might add about $15.00 to that. That assumes you buy the whole razor - if you just get the head and mate it to a handle you already have and like, you could leave enough room in your budget to add a few extra plate to suit your needs.
Worth a look.
They have numerous choices of baseplates for varying aggression/efficiency, AA through G, in both SB and OC styles.
The starting price at Maggard's is $85.01 for a complete razor. Some plates might add about $15.00 to that. That assumes you buy the whole razor - if you just get the head and mate it to a handle you already have and like, you could leave enough room in your budget to add a few extra plate to suit your needs.
Worth a look.
For your budget I would suggest Lupo 95, Karve Overlander, Yates921-M, Rocca, or maybe an adjustable Progress.
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I can use the 41 daily, but there's no way in hell I'd put it on my noggin.
+1. I have a Progress and Flexi.
An adjustable razor is the only way to avoid buying a new razor when your skill level changes.
. Charles
- Thread starter
- #32
Im not a beginner but far from seasoned (mmmm salt and pepper). I consider myself compitent but my technique needs work admittedly since I 1) Shave my whole head right handed, 2) Do occasionally find myself doing multiple passes, but that could be a shaver limitation, 3) My hair grows all sorts of crazy. One section in particular it feels like it grows one direction so for the against pass I go against but actually need to go with it? I fall for it every time.
With respect, why make your post to my question asking for my budget, I provide it clearly stating not a cent more and you immediately recommend something $50 over what I responded to you with?
Quick search has me convinced not wanting to try that either. Few people said it's scarier than GC84 and Lupo 95 which already seemed to be on the potentially cut you up list. I want to shave the hair, not my scalp. I think im with you on that.I can use the 41 daily, but there's no way in hell I'd put it on my noggin.
Well the R41 will make you an expert very quickly.
I am not an experienced head shaver, did it 3 or 4 times, before I got the R41. But a friend advised me to immediately shave atg, what was a good idea on the head.
In German forum there are a lot of people Shaving the head with a R41.
Comparing to the Gamechanger and the Lupo I can say I had a Gamechanger 84,84oc and 84 Jaws but didn't like them. I had a Lupo58 and sold it too, felt too harsh.
I am not an experienced head shaver, did it 3 or 4 times, before I got the R41. But a friend advised me to immediately shave atg, what was a good idea on the head.
In German forum there are a lot of people Shaving the head with a R41.
Comparing to the Gamechanger and the Lupo I can say I had a Gamechanger 84,84oc and 84 Jaws but didn't like them. I had a Lupo58 and sold it too, felt too harsh.
Another vote for the GameChanger. I have a lot of razors I’d still like to test but out of 30–40 it’s been my favorite. It seems to be a universally well liked razor. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the $200+ razors I buy in the future will be better but even if that happens it can’t beat the value of a brand new SS razor made in North America for $55.
I doubt the .84p would be too much for you. The first couple shaves for me felt a bit aggressive but after a couple years it feels quite mild and I shave every other day. I used the .68p for awhile when I was shaving daily and there’s definitely more stubble left. I’d say either get the .76p or .84p. The .76 is likely the safest bet but there’s a good chance the .84p would work even better for you but is a little bit more risky in case it’s too aggressive.
If you think the .84P is too aggressive then you can rule the Lupos out. I think both my .72 and .95 Lupos have a lot more blade feel then a GameChanger .84. I actually couldn’t tell much difference between the Lupo 72 & 95 on blade feel but the 95 was more efficient so is my overall Lupo pick. The 95 Lupo is the most aggressive I feel comfortable with and the R41 I tried early on was way too aggressive.
I have a 6C, it’s a good razor but the GameChangers a much better design for me. If you want multiple plates just buy extra GameChanger baseplates instead of a 6S.
For other razors I think the Karve Overlander, and the Athena may be good options but are both around $200ish. I see a lot of people like the cheap DS Cosmetics Wolfman clone for $20 with 3 plates - if you like it you can order your plate of choice in SS.
A lot of head shavers use SE blades and based on everyone’s reviews the La Faulx is getting lots of praise but is also around $200. Yaqi sells a AC style razor called the Romulus for about $50-60 but it may not be aggressive enough. The Shield SE razors are also worth a look.
If you look at vintage I really like the Gillette Red Tip for $20 but the handle is a little short compared to modern offerings. If you go to the single edge razors there are countless GEM blade razors like the Micromatic for $15-30 that may work great for you. My overall vintage recommendation would be a Schick Injector. Probably the model M since it has adjustable levels of aggression on a dial. Most injectors are $10-30.
I doubt the .84p would be too much for you. The first couple shaves for me felt a bit aggressive but after a couple years it feels quite mild and I shave every other day. I used the .68p for awhile when I was shaving daily and there’s definitely more stubble left. I’d say either get the .76p or .84p. The .76 is likely the safest bet but there’s a good chance the .84p would work even better for you but is a little bit more risky in case it’s too aggressive.
If you think the .84P is too aggressive then you can rule the Lupos out. I think both my .72 and .95 Lupos have a lot more blade feel then a GameChanger .84. I actually couldn’t tell much difference between the Lupo 72 & 95 on blade feel but the 95 was more efficient so is my overall Lupo pick. The 95 Lupo is the most aggressive I feel comfortable with and the R41 I tried early on was way too aggressive.
I have a 6C, it’s a good razor but the GameChangers a much better design for me. If you want multiple plates just buy extra GameChanger baseplates instead of a 6S.
For other razors I think the Karve Overlander, and the Athena may be good options but are both around $200ish. I see a lot of people like the cheap DS Cosmetics Wolfman clone for $20 with 3 plates - if you like it you can order your plate of choice in SS.
A lot of head shavers use SE blades and based on everyone’s reviews the La Faulx is getting lots of praise but is also around $200. Yaqi sells a AC style razor called the Romulus for about $50-60 but it may not be aggressive enough. The Shield SE razors are also worth a look.
If you look at vintage I really like the Gillette Red Tip for $20 but the handle is a little short compared to modern offerings. If you go to the single edge razors there are countless GEM blade razors like the Micromatic for $15-30 that may work great for you. My overall vintage recommendation would be a Schick Injector. Probably the model M since it has adjustable levels of aggression on a dial. Most injectors are $10-30.
One last thing. If you stick to DE it would still be worth trying out different blades especially if you get a more aggressive razor. They probably won’t cut any better then your Feathers but after trying 40-50 blades the Feather isn’t in my top 20. It’s a sharp blade but has a bit of roughness to it and may be more noticeable with certain razors.
If you want to try just one more blade type then try the Gillette Silver Blue. It’s like the Game Changer of blades… not everyone’s favorite but even the ones who don’t call it number 1 usually really like it. For me it’s the best currently available blade.
For runner ups I recommend Nacet, Permasharp, Astras, Personna Comfort Coated, and if you want a blade just as sharp as the Feather but a tad smoother the Bic Platinum. A few of these aren’t my top choices but I’m giving you the general top picks around the forum.
If you want to try just one more blade type then try the Gillette Silver Blue. It’s like the Game Changer of blades… not everyone’s favorite but even the ones who don’t call it number 1 usually really like it. For me it’s the best currently available blade.
For runner ups I recommend Nacet, Permasharp, Astras, Personna Comfort Coated, and if you want a blade just as sharp as the Feather but a tad smoother the Bic Platinum. A few of these aren’t my top choices but I’m giving you the general top picks around the forum.
The problem with razors is you won't really know what works until you try some. You know you don't want a really mild razor, and that has helped get you better suggestions, but you're essentially asking what worked for us in this general area of aggressiveness. That gets you some good suggestions, but doesn't necessarily get you all the way home. Every razor you try will move you further down the road to that goal, but nobody wants to buy 20 razors to find a good one. A 30-day trial period sounds perfect to me, you get to try one with no financial risk.
Zamak isn't great for longevity, but many careful shavers use them for many years - and they're cheap. So the threads rot off and you buy another one. You're probably still under the price of most (all?) razors with good longevity. At this point in the search you may not want to put too much weight on the metal (no pun intended).
Just wanted to chime in with the little I know. I'm very much in the camp of the Razors that Halfbeard, Iridian and Gdawg55 love. I totally lean on mid to high aggression tools and cherish even the American, European and Chinese offerings. Having said that, I'm not a Head Shaver but can relate the recent experiences of two friends who are head shavers.
For the first pal of mine who regularly took off bits of his scalp with a multi blade cartridge razor, I requested help on this forum for a SE razor and then Iridian suggested the Henson Medium as being the safest bet even though both of us aren't fans of the Razor. I took the suggestion, my pal picked it up and even though he uses shaving gel from a can , he now loves every shave with the Henson Medium. This buddy of mine is always in a rush and needed a razor that was easy to load and shave. Worked beautifully for his scalp.
The second pal of mine Started Head Shaving two years back with the Rockwell 6 S. I somehow outgrew this razor a long time back but respect the time I spent with it. So this bloke picked up a Wolfman Wr 2 1.25, A Blackland Blackbird, A Rex Konsul Adjustable, A Parker Variant OC, A Merkur Futur and a Tatara Muramasa Adjustable in the last twelve months, he used them all like four or five times and landed up selling them but he still has the Rockwell 6S and swears by it for Head Shaving as he finds it smooth and forgiving yet efficient enough for his needs. None of the top end razors served his purpose for some reason. I'm a Wolfman fan and was shocked to see him sell off his WR2 but then I guess each shaver has his needs, preferences and comfort zone with certain razors.
Oh yeah, both my buds have coarse hair so i guess two suggestions would be The Henson Medium or the Rockwell 6 S or even 6 C depending on how much you want to shell out. I forgot about the 6 C, was just as good as the 6S for me back then.
For the first pal of mine who regularly took off bits of his scalp with a multi blade cartridge razor, I requested help on this forum for a SE razor and then Iridian suggested the Henson Medium as being the safest bet even though both of us aren't fans of the Razor. I took the suggestion, my pal picked it up and even though he uses shaving gel from a can , he now loves every shave with the Henson Medium. This buddy of mine is always in a rush and needed a razor that was easy to load and shave. Worked beautifully for his scalp.
The second pal of mine Started Head Shaving two years back with the Rockwell 6 S. I somehow outgrew this razor a long time back but respect the time I spent with it. So this bloke picked up a Wolfman Wr 2 1.25, A Blackland Blackbird, A Rex Konsul Adjustable, A Parker Variant OC, A Merkur Futur and a Tatara Muramasa Adjustable in the last twelve months, he used them all like four or five times and landed up selling them but he still has the Rockwell 6S and swears by it for Head Shaving as he finds it smooth and forgiving yet efficient enough for his needs. None of the top end razors served his purpose for some reason. I'm a Wolfman fan and was shocked to see him sell off his WR2 but then I guess each shaver has his needs, preferences and comfort zone with certain razors.
Oh yeah, both my buds have coarse hair so i guess two suggestions would be The Henson Medium or the Rockwell 6 S or even 6 C depending on how much you want to shell out. I forgot about the 6 C, was just as good as the 6S for me back then.
Love the R41 to bits mate. Use it only for Face Shaving but what an Amazing Razor at a superb value.
Bang on Keith, I have two Muhle Zamak Heads and a bit of OCD so I rinse, clean them thoroughly and clean em dry after each use. The R41 is fairly new but my R89 Twist (doesn't see the light of day much now) is two years old and well used but shines like it's brand new.
Finding the right Razor or the right razors takes time and whoever is searching for that Golden Door to that one perfect razor, once you're on board DE shaving, "Welcome to the Rabbit Hole."
Best advice I received through this forum even when I wasn't a member. Was a Feather Loyalist for long but now it's mainly Wizamet Super Iridium, Gillette Nacet, Voshkod and Personna Comfort Coated Blades for me.
Trying out different blades is a must and everyone does find their favorites soon enough
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