The "King" Cobra Classic Tour

glassmtn99 said:

I just finished my week with the King Cobra. It is now on its way to Georgia. Let me say, I am very impressed. Its chief advantage over the Cobra Classic lies in its ergonomics. Even though the King is much larger than the Cobra Classic, I found it easier to maneuver. And, I usually prefer small razors in the size range of the Merkur 42C or 33C. The King's shave is outstanding.

I will go back to the more elegant Cobra Classic now. Over the next month or so, I will have to decide which I prefer, the King or the Original.

A big thanks to Michael for putting the tour together.

eric.

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Great review my friend thank you .

I finally had a chance to pick up the razor today from the post office. Because of the high insured amount, USPS tacked on signature confirmation automatically. I wasn't able to sign for the razor when it was attempted to be delivered since I was working.

The hours of the pickup office are like 9 AM to 4 PM and I wasn't able to make those hours during the week either and I don't work close to home so there was a delay. I'm not sure what the insured threshold amount is before USPS adds mandatory signature confirmation. I forgot to ask when I went to go pick up the razor. Does anyone know? I think it's $250.00.

I just had a chance to look at the razor and the handle is big! I think it's one of the biggest handles I've seen, as big as my UFO Goliath handle. I'll have to take comparison pictures later.

The grip on the handle is substantial too. I don't foresee anyone saying that this handle gets slippery.

AABCDS said:

I finally had a chance to pick up the razor today from the post office. Because of the high insured amount, USPS tacked on signature confirmation automatically. I wasn't able to sign for the razor when it was attempted to be delivered since I was working.

The hours of the pickup office are like 9 AM to 4 PM and I wasn't able to make those hours during the week either and I don't work close to home so there was a delay. I'm not sure what the insured threshold amount is before USPS adds mandatory signature confirmation. I forgot to ask when I went to go pick up the razor. Does anyone know? I think it's $250.00?

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If we can confirm that official "signature required" threshold is $250 I fully support lowering the insurance to something less. I would like to cover the majority of the cost of the razor, but having to coordinate a trip to the PO can be a pain. I want this tour to be easy.

Over $200 of insurance will require a signature with the US Postal Service. I ran into this with the Cobra Classic Tour when I had to go to the post office and sign for it because the value was set at about $230. It delayed the tour about 3 days as it sat in the post office over the weekend taunting me. I insured it for $200 when I sent it along and figured I'd pony up the extra $30 if there were any problems so that the next person didn't get a delay by having to go to the Post Office and sign for it.

In the event of a loss all that would really have to be replaced are the razor and a pack of blades. All of the samples and other stuff in the box shouldn't need to be insured.

dfoulk said:

Over $200 of insurance will require a signature with the US Postal Service. I ran into this with the Cobra Classic Tour when I had to go to the post office and sign for it because the value was set at about $230. It delayed the tour about 3 days as it sat in the post office over the weekend taunting me. I insured it for $200 when I sent it along and figured I'd pony up the extra $30 if there were any problems so that the next person didn't get a delay by having to go to the Post Office and sign for it.

In the event of a loss all that would really have to be replaced are the razor and a pack of blades. All of the samples and other stuff in the box shouldn't need to be insured.

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Thanks for the info, David.

AABCDS said:

Thanks for the info, David.

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+1

Point forward I would request the package be insured for $200. I will see if I can get a mod to correct my original post (or if someone reading can do that it would be appreciated).

Thanks again, David.

Hi Gents: I look forward to hearing your reviews of the King. Also... we need pics. Kindly post your pics, gents. You know how much we love pics here at B&B.


WARHAWK

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First off, I'd like to thank Michael for putting together this tour! This wouldn't have been possible without him.

Well, my week with the King Cobra Classic is up and I'll share some of my thoughts.

Bottom Line Up Front

I wouldn't purchase this razor because:

1. I already have a Cobra Classic.
2. I like big handles but I feel like this handle makes the head less maneuverable.
3. I purchased my Cobra Classic for $145.00 on November 15, 2011. $239.99 seems too expensive to me.
4. The male thread on the head is not compatible with other handles.
5. The head on this particular King Cobra Classic is not level. Maybe someone who purchased one from the first batch that sold out can confirm that this was fixed.

I took a picture of some of my larger handles to compare with the King Cobra Classic size. Directly below from left to right are:

1. UFO Tornado
2. UFO U-3
3. King Cobra Classic
4. Cobra Classic
5. Bob's Razor Works (BRW) Bull Mastiff Deluxe
6. BRW Bull Mastiff XL
7. BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe XXL

After taking the picture, I noticed the how the head of the King Cobra Classic was not even. I thought this was my fault because I had the front of the razor angled away from the camera lens so I then took the second picture below.



In this picture, you can clearly see that the left side of the razor head is lower than the right side. Thinking this might be because I had not tightened the razor head onto the handle fully, I tried tightening it some more but it was fully screwed down.



To end with some good points, the shave is just as good with the King Cobra Classic as the Cobra Classic. I had no ideas with a slippery handle or loading and unloading the blade. The shave with both razors are effortless.

Hi James: Thanks for your review and beautiful pics.

WARHAWK

My production model has a level head on it. I am in the process of evaluating the King Cobra against an early Cobra and a Cobra from the March batch. When I am done I will post my view on the shaves from these three razors.

I received the razor yesterday and shaved with it today.

A few initial impression when I opened the box:

Wow! That's a big handle.
The grip is nice. It's very grippy.
It's a giant razor.

During and after use impression:

The shave is the same as with my Cobra Classic.
The handle is big. Big and awesome.
The handle is a huge improvement over the original. With the original I grip the razor with one or two fingers and a thumb. With the King it's no trouble to get all four fingers on the handle. I found it to be much easier to maneuver than the Classic Cobra.
The latch feels and sounds much more secure on the King.
Surprisingly, the noise of whiskers being cut is different with the king than it is on the Classic.


So far I'm really liking the King Cobra.

AABCDS said:

Well, my week with the King Cobra Classic is up and I'll share some of my thoughts

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Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed review, James. I was shocked to see the head alignment in your photos, but there it is plain as day. I am happy this appears to have been corrected on those Kings purchased by other members!

poonjaji said:

Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed review, James. I was shocked to see the head alignment in your photos, but there it is plain as day. I am happy this appears to have been corrected on those Kings purchased by other members!

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That must be the King Cobra Slant model.

Sullybob said:

So far I'm really liking the King Cobra.

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Any updates on the tour?

poonjaji said:

Any updates on the tour?

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It's on the way to me

Oh good. Did it skip the Alabama lawyer?

MondoJ said:

It's on the way to me

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Sullybob said:

I received the razor yesterday and shaved with it today.

A few initial impression when I opened the box:

Wow! That's a big handle.
The grip is nice. It's very grippy.
It's a giant razor.

During and after use impression:

The shave is the same as with my Cobra Classic.
The handle is big. Big and awesome.
The handle is a huge improvement over the original. With the original I grip the razor with one or two fingers and a thumb. With the King it's no trouble to get all four fingers on the handle. I found it to be much easier to maneuver than the Classic Cobra.
The latch feels and sounds much more secure on the King.
Surprisingly, the noise of whiskers being cut is different with the king than it is on the Classic.


So far I'm really liking the King Cobra.

Click to expand...

Most of my initial impression of the King Cobra didn't change. The Handle is a huge improvement over the Cobra Classic. It's much easier to use and the grip is outstanding. The latch gate lock is better designed and more secure.

I thought that the King shaved the same as the Classic, after shaving with the King for a week I don't think that's accurate. It's still a phenomenal shave but I think the King is slightly milder than the Classic. I normally get 15-20 shaves with a Kai Mild blade in the Classic, with the King the blade was done in 5 shaves. I decided to use a Feather Pro for my last two shaves, normally Feather Pro's give me great close shaves but they are rough shaves. Feather Pro's were great in the King, better than the Kai Milds, the shaves were close but with out the roughness. I transferred the Feather Pro to my Classic Cobra and the difference in post shave feel was apparent, after two shaves I tossed the Feather Pro in my blade bank and went back to Kai Milds. I know some guys prefer Feather Pro blades over Kai Milds. I wonder how much variation it the head design there is from batch to batch or even within batches of the Classic and how much of a difference does this make on how a particular blade perform feel in the razor?

Overall I really like the King Cobra and I could see myself getting one in the future. However, I find the price off putting for a razor that isn't stainless steel, and that doesn't have standard sized threads so that the user can use any number of after market handles. I can see Classic releasing a number of different handles, the problem is that the only razor they will work on will be the King. I know of at least two other people who are in the process of making a razor that will compete with both the Classic and King Cobra. It will be interesting to see what happens when or if they are able to bring these razors to market.

Thank you Michael for organizing another pass around and letting me use your King Cobra.

Got the KC today resisted the temptation for a night shave. Will be awaking early tomorrow for the shave

I have used my KC at least 15X,I never had the chance to try the classic so I can't compare the 2.I can say I did compare shaves to both the ATT H1 & R1 plate using new feather blades & I thought the KC was the best shave.Early in the week I tried a new Kai pink blade & went back to the Feather blade,guess I like the more aggressive shave although I did think the ATT H1 was a little more aggressive but not quite as smooth as the KC.

Just my .02cents,felt like I should add to the reviews.......................