What's new

BBS-1 #13 First Impression

Thin Crust

Thin Crust

This morning was the first shave with my new BBS-1. Holy Cow. This razor is nice, very nice. First stroke on my cheek provided serious audio feedback. I mean crap, it's just loud. Initially I suspected that either my angle was just right for the razor, or I had removed a few layers of skin. No skin loss.......this is good. I did my usual three pass with a touch up, fully expecting a little neck irritation. This is not a mild razor, so I was surprised to find no such irritation. No blood loss, and no sore spots anywhere. Okay, I'm going to forego my usual aftershave balm just to see what presents itself. An hour later, nothing. All I'm left with is a very fine, comfortable shave. Cudos to John at LA Shaving. Yes, there's a wait. And yes, it's toward the upper end price wise. But in my modest collection of stainless razors, this may very well have taken the number one slot. It's really that good. :thumbup1:

proxy.php


proxy.php
 
Last edited:
BSAGuy

BSAGuy

I agree. Pics, please. I am sure those razors are nice and very well made, but for that price, the whiskers ought to fly off your face almost magnetically and adhere to the razor!


Glad it is working so well for you.

gibsonx4 said:
Pictures please.
Click to expand...
 
chamm

chamm

I'm glad I'm finally not the only person saying this! It's human nature to decide that you like something, then block out everything negative you experience about that thing. (i.e. politics, sports, religious fanaticism, etc.) Being mostly human myself, I was a little worried that I was subconsciously building this razor up so much in my mind that I wasn't being fair and objective. As you well know, I haven't been shy about shouting from the rooftops about how incredible this razor is, but with its high price tag, I was a little worried that I might have lost my objectivity. I would hate to recommend something so thoroughly, have someone spend their hard-earned cash on it, then end up thinking I'm a big dummy because it wasn't very good.

Turns out the razor is really just that good! :lol: What's more, John made the second batch even better than the spectacularly perfect prototype I was lucky enough to score. I've been using the "production" model for about a week now, but this morning took a really hard look at the two side-by-side. I guess I didn't really notice it, but the fit on the newer one is significantly better than the prototype. And I'm not knocking the prototype; it is absolutely amazing.

I think this razor is the ultimate RAD killer. Since I started using it, I honestly haven't had even the slightest inkling to check out any other razor. I got the RazoRock Paperweight in the interim, and had to practically force myself to try it out. (Don't misread this, the Paperweight is also an amazing piece of shaving gear. I'm not knocking its performance in the slightest.)

I've shared this sentiment with John at LASSC, but here is the fact that really just blows my mind: Gillette literally had entire buildings full of design engineers for decades. I would have thought they had studied every possibly permutation for how a razor could be designed. They tinkered, calculated, prototyped and tried thousands upon thousands of different razor designs. Yet one passionate wet shaving enthusiast and one particularly gifted Canadian machinist have made a razor which, hands down, bests anything the Gillette company ever produced. I'll grant the fact that designing the razor itself was only a portion of Gillette's task, and John wasn't burdened by the need to be able to produce millions of razors per year. But still, it's just amazing to me that two guys could out-perform over a half-century of the world's best engineers working on a product which is, at its core, so incredibly simple.

It just goes to show that there is always room for improvement. (Although the BBS-1 might have made that room just a little bit more cramped...)
 
chamm

chamm

Also, I'm going to take some pictures some time today. I've got both the prototype and the production razor with me, along with a fat Tech for reference. I only have my iPhone, but I should be able to get some acceptable pics. Stay tuned...
 
Jinx18

Jinx18

chamm said:
I'm glad I'm finally not the only person saying this! It's human nature to decide that you like something, then block out everything negative you experience about that thing. (i.e. politics, sports, religious fanaticism, etc.) Being mostly human myself, I was a little worried that I was subconsciously building this razor up so much in my mind that I wasn't being fair and objective. As you well know, I haven't been shy about shouting from the rooftops about how incredible this razor is, but with its high price tag, I was a little worried that I might have lost my objectivity. I would hate to recommend something so thoroughly, have someone spend their hard-earned cash on it, then end up thinking I'm a big dummy because it wasn't very good.

Turns out the razor is really just that good! :lol: What's more, John made the second batch even better than the spectacularly perfect prototype I was lucky enough to score. I've been using the "production" model for about a week now, but this morning took a really hard look at the two side-by-side. I guess I didn't really notice it, but the fit on the newer one is significantly better than the prototype. And I'm not knocking the prototype; it is absolutely amazing.

I think this razor is the ultimate RAD killer. Since I started using it, I honestly haven't had even the slightest inkling to check out any other razor. I got the RazoRock Paperweight in the interim, and had to practically force myself to try it out. (Don't misread this, the Paperweight is also an amazing piece of shaving gear. I'm not knocking its performance in the slightest.)

I've shared this sentiment with John at LASSC, but here is the fact that really just blows my mind: Gillette literally had entire buildings full of design engineers for decades. I would have thought they had studied every possibly permutation for how a razor could be designed. They tinkered, calculated, prototyped and tried thousands upon thousands of different razor designs. Yet one passionate wet shaving enthusiast and one particularly gifted Canadian machinist have made a razor which, hands down, bests anything the Gillette company ever produced. I'll grant the fact that designing the razor itself was only a portion of Gillette's task, and John wasn't burdened by the need to be able to produce millions of razors per year. But still, it's just amazing to me that two guys could out-perform over a half-century of the world's best engineers working on a product which is, at its core, so incredibly simple.

It just goes to show that there is always room for improvement. (Although the BBS-1 might have made that room just a little bit more cramped...)
Click to expand...

Yea I would appreciate any pics you could post I am super interested in this razor. I think the absolute key why this razor is nice is from this on their site.

" The increased blade gap provides a more efficient shave, with a greater sense of audio feedback, but the unique design of this razor, and the fairly neutral blade exposure, ensures that the increased efficiency does not come with unduly increased harshness."

A large blade gap and low exposure makes for a super efficient but not harsh shave.
 
Thin Crust

Thin Crust

Pics added to original post. And gee-whiz Chamm, I didn't realize you liked this one so much. :lol:

Oh come on, that was funny.
 
Thin Crust

Thin Crust

I'll be anxious to see the side by side of the prototype and production as well. Personally, I liked the look of the original handle, though I have no clue as to its grip.
 
chamm

chamm

I took tons of pictures tonight, but they're uploading to photobucket, and I want to go to bed! I'll make a nice post tomorrow. :)
 
Thin Crust

Thin Crust

Second shave with the BBS-1 this morning. What a wonderful razor IMO. And I agree with Chamm about often "wanting" to love something new.......especially when it's expensive. I was recently in that state with the PILS. The first few shaves with that one and I wondered if I was going to keep it. Rather than rave about this great new razor, I held back. Fortunately I can rave about it now, but it took some practice to find what the PILS wants.......which is complete attention and total control of the shaving experience. Of course this is all just my opinion, and I love the PILS......now. The BBS-1 has been something different. On the surface it looks aggressive. Blade gap and exposure are on the high side. It's even advertised as not being for inexperienced wet shavers. But the BBS-1 is actually very forgiving IME. The machining is superb, and perhaps the close tolerances add to the smooth shaving experience. Honestly, I have no idea. Here's what I do know however: I've collected several modern stainless razors. It's what I like. I like good vintage razors as well. In fact, it's what I started shaving with, before they were considered "vintage". But modern stainless designs are my thing now. And if I had to sell one, it absolutely would not be this one. If I could only keep one, this just might be it.
 
Last edited:
chamm

chamm

VedderLG said:
Really interesting thread! Is there a member that has tried the BBS-1 and the equivalent ATT (R1?)? Opinions?
Click to expand...

I have both razors. I'll let you guess which one I prefer... ;-D
I also have a Tradere OC 1st Gen and SB, ATT H1 and H2, Weber PH, iKon DLC Slant, OC and SB, and RR DLC Slant.

Never tried a PILS or Feather...
 
rabidus

rabidus

chamm said:
I'm glad I'm finally not the only person saying this! It's human nature to decide that you like something, then block out everything negative you experience about that thing. (i.e. politics, sports, religious fanaticism, etc.) Being mostly human myself, I was a little worried that I was subconsciously building this razor up so much in my mind that I wasn't being fair and objective. As you well know, I haven't been shy about shouting from the rooftops about how incredible this razor is, but with its high price tag, I was a little worried that I might have lost my objectivity. I would hate to recommend something so thoroughly, have someone spend their hard-earned cash on it, then end up thinking I'm a big dummy because it wasn't very good.

Turns out the razor is really just that good! :lol: What's more, John made the second batch even better than the spectacularly perfect prototype I was lucky enough to score. I've been using the "production" model for about a week now, but this morning took a really hard look at the two side-by-side. I guess I didn't really notice it, but the fit on the newer one is significantly better than the prototype. And I'm not knocking the prototype; it is absolutely amazing.

I think this razor is the ultimate RAD killer. Since I started using it, I honestly haven't had even the slightest inkling to check out any other razor. I got the RazoRock Paperweight in the interim, and had to practically force myself to try it out. (Don't misread this, the Paperweight is also an amazing piece of shaving gear. I'm not knocking its performance in the slightest.)

I've shared this sentiment with John at LASSC, but here is the fact that really just blows my mind: Gillette literally had entire buildings full of design engineers for decades. I would have thought they had studied every possibly permutation for how a razor could be designed. They tinkered, calculated, prototyped and tried thousands upon thousands of different razor designs. Yet one passionate wet shaving enthusiast and one particularly gifted Canadian machinist have made a razor which, hands down, bests anything the Gillette company ever produced. I'll grant the fact that designing the razor itself was only a portion of Gillette's task, and John wasn't burdened by the need to be able to produce millions of razors per year. But still, it's just amazing to me that two guys could out-perform over a half-century of the world's best engineers working on a product which is, at its core, so incredibly simple.

It just goes to show that there is always room for improvement. (Although the BBS-1 might have made that room just a little bit more cramped...)
Click to expand...

I feel this way about the Gillette English flat bottom Tech with ATT Kronos handle. Have you compared the BBS-1 to this one? It has the largest blade gap of any of my Gillette's, yet it is very smooth, efficient and forgiving. The blade gap is .030(0.762mm) with a feather blade.
 
chamm

chamm

I've been on the hunt for a raised-bottom English tech for nearly a year. The are NOT easy to come by... :-(
 
rabidus

rabidus

chamm said:
I've been on the hunt for a raised-bottom English tech for nearly a year. The are NOT easy to come by... :-(
Click to expand...

Not the raised flat bottom Tech, that's the hybrid... I have the English Flat bottom Tech... How does it compare to this one?

$20140921_134733.jpg$20140921_134758.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Lambda Athena First Impression
Replies
2
Views
501
Galibier_Numero_Un
Galibier_Numero_Un
Umma2gumma
Rant: Just can't get a good shave with vintage Gillettes...
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
NorthernSoul
NorthernSoul
Umma2gumma
New LC impression - more aggressive than I expected
Replies
17
Views
2K
Umma2gumma
Umma2gumma
shave/brush
Gillette NEW razors
Replies
11
Views
983
shave/brush
shave/brush
Umma2gumma
Super 109 Adjustable - mixed first impression, any tips on this particular model ?
Replies
13
Views
2K
Umma2gumma
Umma2gumma
Top Bottom