Cobra Classic INTERNATIONAL Tour

[nosedog]

It certainly is worth a go, Brian. Thanks for the tip. I had read that advice before and thought about acting on it then, but when you get the new toy in your hands you tend to forget about these things.

I've had my fourth shave (second with the feather) but forgot to write about it. I was very careful throughout but still experienced some mild irritation spread evenly. I've never got on well with Feather DE blades, so maybe it's just not for me. It wasn't bad though, and I'll keep going, and will try the double-WTG strategy.

Follow-up

I completed my fifth Cobra shave just now, two WTG passes and one tiny area of touchup. A very comfortable shave! Just a little less smooth than when XTG is performed, but it's a fair tradeoff. The appearance is still very clean-shaven. I expect I'll use this technique often from now on.

[Doug C]

I'm new to this site, but was fascinated with the amount of interest in the Cobra Classic. I recently purchased one (I have been buying from CS since the days of the original owner), and when this razor came out I was truly intrigued.

(Full disclosure; I am a long standing member of the Fountain Pen Network, have over $50k of pens and watches and am prone to collecting diseases..)

I have the toughest beard I know of; not that it is super dense, but the hairs themselves are tough. I used to use a Braun electric, and would go through one every 3 years or so (I still have one for back up and areas that are tough to get at).

For the last several years, I have been using a DE and doing the fine work with the Braun (I know it sounds unorthodox, but it works for me). I originally had a Merkur Futur, but for the last 4 years my razor has been a Merkur Vision. I know there is a great deal of division regarding this razor, but it has worked well for me.

This thread pumped me up again and I took another look at the Cobra. I finally bought one, and here are my impressions, which differ from others:

1. I don't think it is particularly heavy or large. In fact, I was surprised at how small it was. Agreed, the head is a little longer than most, but if I were to judge from some of the pictures, I would have thought it was much larger. It actually felt a little smaller than my Vision when I held them in each hand.
2) Admittedly, I have a heavy beard, but I didn't think it was that aggressive. This might be my beard as compared to most others.
3) I was impressed with the thickness of the SE blades; this allowed the blade to be more aggresive without bending. This is an issue with Vision. It has the neat feature of being adjustable and allowing the blade to stick out more. The problem is that unless it is a new blade it just bends.

Bottom line: I was disappointed to find that I only got 3 or 4 shaves out of the Feathers. I know that you should not wipe down the blade and other processes, but at the 4th or 5th, it was noticeally rough and didn't shave well. I just received the KAI Captain mild blades and I am in the second shave right now (first impression is that with a new blade I like the Feather better). I am very surprised that people routinely get 10 to 12 shaves out of a blade.

The upside? This is the very best shave I have ever had.

What more can I say???

[nosedog]

Thanks for the interesting review above, Doug. Are you likely to continue using it regularly even though you don't get good mileage out of the blades?

Today I posted the box to the UK. A few days later than I wanted to post it; sorry about that. It's registered post, receipt # RQ028112364AU.

Hope you enjoy it, David. Transit time should be 7-10 days.

And thanks again Michael for the privilege. It's a fine shaving instrument indeed.

[Doug C]

Nosedog,
There is no way I am going to get rid of this razor. I held off initially since the blades from Classic Shaving were around $28US, which was a little pricey. Now that I find I can get them for around $15 or so online, I'm inclined to use it often. If the KAI blades last longer than the Feather, then that will be icing on the cake.

[Bluebriz]

Nosedog,
There is no way I am going to get rid of this razor. I held off initially since the blades from Classic Shaving were around $28US, which was a little pricey. Now that I find I can get them for around $15 or so online, I'm inclined to use it often. If the KAI blades last longer than the Feather, then that will be icing on the cake.

I got more shaves out of my Feather than the Kai (although I've only used one of each and the difference could be due to improved technique!). Think I'll try a Dorko (Dorco?) next.

[jepeck]

Doug- I was only getting 5-6 shaves from the my Feather Pros initially. I'm on my fifth blade now and have seen a steady improvement in longevity. I just had my eighth shave on the blade this morning and it feels like I could do at least one more. Maybe its just just coincidence, but I'm beginning to think it could be due to increased proficiency and better technique with the razor.

I'm new to this site, but was fascinated with the amount of interest in the Cobra Classic. I recently purchased one (I have been buying from CS since the days of the original owner), and when this razor came out I was truly intrigued.

(Full disclosure; I am a long standing member of the Fountain Pen Network, have over $50k of pens and watches and am prone to collecting diseases..)

I have the toughest beard I know of; not that it is super dense, but the hairs themselves are tough. I used to use a Braun electric, and would go through one every 3 years or so (I still have one for back up and areas that are tough to get at).

For the last several years, I have been using a DE and doing the fine work with the Braun (I know it sounds unorthodox, but it works for me). I originally had a Merkur Futur, but for the last 4 years my razor has been a Merkur Vision. I know there is a great deal of division regarding this razor, but it has worked well for me.

This thread pumped me up again and I took another look at the Cobra. I finally bought one, and here are my impressions, which differ from others:

1. I don't think it is particularly heavy or large. In fact, I was surprised at how small it was. Agreed, the head is a little longer than most, but if I were to judge from some of the pictures, I would have thought it was much larger. It actually felt a little smaller than my Vision when I held them in each hand.
2) Admittedly, I have a heavy beard, but I didn't think it was that aggressive. This might be my beard as compared to most others.
3) I was impressed with the thickness of the SE blades; this allowed the blade to be more aggresive without bending. This is an issue with Vision. It has the neat feature of being adjustable and allowing the blade to stick out more. The problem is that unless it is a new blade it just bends.

Bottom line: I was disappointed to find that I only got 3 or 4 shaves out of the Feathers. I know that you should not wipe down the blade and other processes, but at the 4th or 5th, it was noticeally rough and didn't shave well. I just received the KAI Captain mild blades and I am in the second shave right now (first impression is that with a new blade I like the Feather better). I am very surprised that people routinely get 10 to 12 shaves out of a blade.

The upside? This is the very best shave I have ever had.

What more can I say???

[chicken neck]

The Cobra has landed in London! First trial tomorrow morning. Will report back in a couple of days ...

Thank you again Michael for your generosity.

[Doug C]

Jepeck,

I think you might be correct.
I just got though with my 6th shave with the KAI mild blades, and although I do have some weepers now, the shave is still reasonable. I am expecting to get one or two more shaves out of this blade.

This makes me think that I might have damaged the Feather blade is some way since initially it was noticeably sharper. I'll continue to provide updates on both blades, but in any case; this is the best shave I have ever had.

[jepeck]

Doug- Just finished my 10 shave on a feather Pro and binned the blade. To be honest, I probably could have pushed another 2 shaves out of it but pushing blade life always ends badly for me. I'm still allowing for the possibility that this was a freak blade, but I'll be sold on the blade life if I can get 8-10 out of the next one. I've come to the conclusion that this is the best razor I've ever used.

[chicken neck]

Hi All

I have been enjoying the Cobra immensely, although I wouldn't say I have tamed it completely yet! These are my impressions:

1. It is an unusual (but good looking) razor

2. Much to my surprise, I find the balance and grip superb. Probably as good as or better than any other razor in my large portfolio

3. Although the head is wide, it is very slim. Therefore shaving under the nose is superb. Again, probably better than any other razor I have

4. The Kai blades are OK, but the Feather blades are sharper and smoother. I have seen hardly any deterioration in either blade during my use of the razor. Much better blades than the Feather DE blades

5. The loading system does not appear to be very sound. It just looks very crude and unreliable. However, it does seem to work (the blade does not move)

6. Loading the blade is fairly straightforward. Unloading is slightly fiddly, but it is workable. You may need to use something sharpish to prise out the old blade

7. The razor is fairly well made, but it is certainly not top class engineering (as I have heard other new top end razors are)

8. The shaving results I have achieved on my face (ie above the chin) have been superb (sorry to use that word again). The razor glides across the face and the large razor head does not affect the ease of the shave. I have consistently had some of the smoothest shaves of my career

9. The neck area for me has been a challenge. I have consistently been getting some weepers (nothing serious). I have a small, thin neck (hence the pseudonym) and the wider head and very sharp blade may be making this area more difficult. It means I can only really shave up or down (as I normally do anyway). However, the razor doesnt seem to be that great for me against the grain on the neck ...and if I repeat a pass with the grain on the neck I am susceptible to irritation. Perhaps it is just difficult to hold the razor lightly enough in the neck area to prevent irritation / weepers. I would really welcome advice from other users as I really REALLY like this razor

10. The razor requires a very light touch (much lighter than most DEs), but you will soon realise this and pick up the technique. Similarly the angle of the razor to the face is completely intuitive and comfortable

I could add lots more, but it would be fair to say that this is probably one of the best razors I have ever used. I just need to get the hang of the neck area!

I would be happy to answer any more questions people may have on this forum.

I cannot get to the post office before Monday, but will post on to Tordu then.

Michael: a massive thank you. It has been a delight to use this razor.

David

[chicken neck]

One more observation: it has been a while since I have used a standard SE blade, but my impression is the the blades for the Cobra are slightly less stiff. With an SE, I have always find the razor mows down anything in its path partly because of its stiffness (rather than its sharpness). This seems to be less true with the Cobra blades - the efficiency seems to be more due to the sharpness (rather than stiffness) of the blade. Again, I am interested in other members observations

[nosedog]

David: your comments are excellent and worthy of an official review so other people can easily find them later on.

[chicken neck]

David: your comments are excellent and worthy of an official review so other people can easily find them later on.

Thank you Nosedog. I have copied my comments into a review.

[Landri]

This seems like a lot of fun!

[poonjaji]

Two more members added to the tour.

International Cobra Classic Tour
Tordu (France) - Awaiting delivery
<your name goes here if you live in France>
.
.
Landri (Chile)
<your name goes here if you live in Chile>
.
.
Smoothy (Singapore)
<your name goes here if you live in Singapore>
.
.
<your name goes here if you live elsewhere on the globe >

[Tordu]

nice ! I'm impatient to try the cobra, and see how it compares with the feather non folding straight that i use almost every day.
Also its good to know that i am not the last one to benefit from this opportunity . Many thanks to poonjaji.

[poonjaji]

Another member added

International Cobra Classic Tour
Tordu (France) - Awaiting delivery
<your name goes here if you live in France>
.
.
Landri (Chile)
<your name goes here if you live in Chile>
.
.
Smoothy (Singapore)
<your name goes here if you live in Singapore>
.
.
maxman (Canada)
<your name goes here if you live in Canada>
.
.
<your name goes here if you live elsewhere on the globe >

[Smoothy]

Thank you for the opportunity, poonjaji! I am very much looking forward to trying out that Cobra Classic! I am familiar with the Feather Pros as I have used those in an Artist Club straight but am curious about the KAI ones. From the DE blades of both manufacturers, I prefer the Feather ones, so this will be round 2 of the blade duel for me ;-)

[Tordu]

Package arrived today in France, its really a nice looking razor . I'll have my first Cobra shave tomorrow , and post my results in a couple days .

[Landri]

Package arrived today in France, its really a nice looking razor . I'll have my first Cobra shave tomorrow , and post my results in a couple days .

Is getting closer!!!