Guerrilla Razors
Machined safety razors made in Canada by James Dufour (JD CNC Machining / Wolfman Razors)
First, at the risk of "looking a gift horse in the mouth", I need to be a bit upfront about my personal razor biases. I generally do not like lightweight razors, have a strong preference for Stainless with Brass and Bronze being good alternatives and, I like a shiny razor generally more than a matte or bead blasted version though grip with wet soapy hands can be an issue if the handle isn't highly figured or bead blasted.
With that out of the way, I was blessed with the loan of a Black Aluminum "Wolfman" Guerrillia razor with 0.84mm and 0.99mm base plates. For ~$175CAD (~$130USD) plus shipping for the aluminum model similar to this one, I think is a steal!
To be fair, I am doing an every other day shave at the moment with this razor alternating the base plates with a DE blade I pulled from my "daily" DE safety razor. Why not daily? This razor shaves so close that after 24 hours, my face has the slightest whisker feel if I rub my face pretty hard. I'm not often this impressed with a razor these days with so many really good safety razors waiting their turn at a bat but, it is so good that on the second day there really isn't enough whisker growth for a shave to yield meaningful data points for me.
My first shave was with the 0.84mm base plate and about 3 days of whisker growth so, fairly long 'bristles' provided a good initial test and challenge for many otherwise good razors. My first pass was simply excellent using my go to canned goo for tests like this, Walmart/Equate Gel. With ~30 seconds of warm water on my face, a dab of shave Gel, so not the "best shave prep" but a good representation of many morning routines for a wide variety of users.
Shave one: A single pass on my cheeks was almost BBS on the pass With The Grain! Under my chin, I think my angle was off a little but, that skin is more supple too so if I don't apply some tension, I typically don't get as close there. The ATG pass on my cheeks was almost worthless because there was so little cleanup. The ATG clean-up pass under my chin resulted in one weeper which I take ownership of due to user error with this new to me razor. Witch Hazel afterward had the faintest burn under my chin and neck, and nothing on my cheeks. It was very nimble and effortless to shave under and around my nose and on my lower lip which is often a bit of a challenge with many safety razors unless they are pretty nimble.
Shave two: I loaded up the 0.99mm base plate and essentially repeated the first shave. Much to my surprise, overall I found this shave to be gentler, not that the first was rough by any means but, this base plate seemed a bit more effortless and easier to get BBS results. I was not expecting this base plate to be more user-friendly and effortless to use but it was. In fairness, with some additional razor experience, that could have skewed things a little in its favor so, I need to repeat this shave again with the 0.84mm base plate. And, no weeper this time!
Now to personal aesthetics and general thoughts: I don't like the black finish for general visibility reasons against darker backgrounds. That little black handle washer stuck to the base plate was missed until I cleaned it and almost washed it down the sink drain! That being said, the low-sheen finish never slipped in my hands even though it is smooth with no meaningful texture. The large diameter of the handle was a joy to hold and use being super friendly and accommodating to my shave. The one benefit I did not expect that doesn't really add anything to the shave itself, the razor blade is clearly shown against that black matte surface when I looked at it. The low weight is something I have personal mixed feelings about with this razor. With other razors I have tried with a lighter weight and a heavier weight shave comparison in the same model, I generally found the heavier razor provided a better shave experience which I attributed to more consistent shave pressure but, this razor challenges that thought!
Overall, an excellent razor and at $175CAD, not as expensive as other premium Safety Razors! This price puts in the range of razors like the Edwin Jagger 3one6 and Muhle Roccas series as a couple of examples. It is too early to say with certainty from my perspective if it is better or worse than my other razors due to limited shaves with it but, I am comfortable saying it is definitely competitive with my favorite razors!
Best Regards,
Sid
