First impressions of the OneBlade

This morning's OneBlade shave was the third on the Feather blade, and though it still went relatively well, it didn't feel quite as efficient and smooth as the two previous. The sharp blade in the OneBlade's design seems to contribute a lot to the razor's ease, and while I still ended up with a nice, irritation- and nick-free shave today, I could feel things were just a little, well, rougher? Not uncomfortable, really, just not as spry as the previous two days.

I do have thicker whiskers, and I also pushed the blade a bit the previous day. But I suspect two shaves per blade will be optimal for me with the Feather FHS. That's fine with me, as I'm in this for the quality of the shave more than economy of blade use. I've seen reports of other guys getting 4, 5, or even 7 shaves from these blades; I would guess that hair type and shaving technique (number of passes, etc.) affects this. I still need to try a de-spined GEM blade in the OneBlade; for some, it's the bee's knees.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this razor. Its ease and ability to provide a close shave with no harm — especially in areas that are usually tricky for me — while relying of the virtues of a single sharp edge, is remarkable. It isn't kicking other razors out of my roster, because I enjoy the skill involved in more traditional safety razors and straights, not to mention the variety of shave experience. But it's great to have the OneBlade as the tool (and a gorgeous tool at that) to get it done, no bites, no drama: quick, carefree, and smooth.

Three Pass Shaving Routine...

Hot Water prep & massage with Argan Oil
OneBlade Razor
Feather SE Blade New
Hans Baier Silver Tip Badger
Haslinger Tallow soap
Thayers Original Witch Hazel

I had my 2nd shave with the OneBlade Razor tonight with a New Feather blade..As far as I am concerned these blades are good for one good shave & that's it..I can actually feel them getting blunter towards the end of a shave..I wanted to keep an open mind here & give the OneBlade Razor the benefit of the Doubt..As they say in Scotland.."Gee the Wee Boy another Chance for Hells Sake"..I had a different Mind Set this Time because I had a better Idea of what the OneBlade is all about..I shaved with Cartridge Systems for most of my Life & Yes I have always been a Wet Shaver..There is nothing wrong with Cartridge Razors..I aint No Razor Snob that's for Sure..

During my 1st WTG & 2nd XTG Pass I was kinda thinking that I may have been a tad hard on the OneBlade Razor..I was using it with the Cartridge Razor Mind Set..As far as I am concerned the OneBlade is essentially a Stainless Heavy Weight Cardridge Razor Design albeit with a Single Edge Blade..I had two days of whiskers to cut down & after my 1st & 2nd Rinse between passes I wasn't that impressed with the reduction compared to what I remember getting with a Modern Cart Even..

During my 3rd ATG Pass the OneBlade was starting to annoy me because it was starting to Skate about my face because it was getting smoother..There is just far too much Smooth Surface stainless Steel on your face with this razor for me..If you look at the above photo you can see it has a huge smooth comb surface area..In addition to that it has quite a Large Smooth Face that goes upwards at quite a steep angle..I looked at this design & it became immediately clear to me that at least in part this is to clear those quite protruding hook type blade stops that would otherwise offer your Coupon a Very Nasty Time Indeed..I have other SE Razors like the Gem OCMM & Clog Pruf that have a large surface area on the skin but not at the OneBlades Steep Angle of Attack & they work on a different principle of No Pressure any roads & far more Aggressive & Efficient to Boot..The OCMM was introduced on 1929/1930 by the Way..

I decided to pull out that Gillette Mach 3 you see in the top photo that I had laying around for a couple of years..I finished off my 3rd ATG the Pass with this Deposable Piece of Plastic & ended up with a Lovely All Over Dolphin Smooth BBS Result..Not only that..The Gillette didn't clunk, didn't skate & it was far more Efficient, Manoeuvrable & More Comfortable in the Hand than the OneBlade & I mean by a Longshot..Dont get me wrong these Mach 3 Types are not my Cup of Tea but for bye the fact that its made of cheap plastic is sure Tasted a Darn Site Sweeter to use than the OneBlade..

This leads me back to my last shave..The design of the Oneblade feels very Primitive & Arcane..I find it quite an Awkward & Uncomfortable Razor to Use..The Paradox here of course is that the OneBlade in my humble opinion is an Over Complicated Design but at the same time feels very Primitive & Arcane..To sum up then the OneBlade in My Eyes is an Over Complicated Design..Some people might like that of course but for me personally the Simplest is the Highest..

Thank you @@Nico1970 for giving me the Opportunity to shave with your OneBlade Razor because I wouldn't otherwise have had the chance to shave with one.. I will Pass it on to the next person on the list either Tomorrow or Saturday..

Billy..

Thank you guys for your excellent reviews! Since I like the "challenges" of the wet shave, I am going to pass on the OneBlade for now and stick with my ATTs, Mongoose, Mergress and Futur. Would like to get a Wolfman one of these days, though!

ironmaned1987 said:

Thank you guys for your excellent reviews! Since I like the "challenges" of the wet shave, I am going to pass on the OneBlade for now and stick with my ATTs, Mongoose, Mergress and Futur. Would like to get a Wolfman one of these days, though!

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Makes sense! As well as the OneBlade shaves, it does indeed remove a lot of the skill and challenge from shaving, which can be a real source of joy and satisfaction in this hobby. Enjoy your razors: that's a good line-up.

onethinline said:

Makes sense! As well as the OneBlade shaves, it does indeed remove a lot of the skill and challenge from shaving, which can be a real source of joy and satisfaction in this hobby. Enjoy your razors: that's a good line-up.

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Thanks David!

As the saying goes: to each his own. The OneBlade will be just what some guys want and not what others are looking for. The idea of a pivoting head does not appeal to me. I could be wrong. Maybe if I tried it I would love it. I seem to like the feel of the blade on my face which from what some have said here you don't quite feel the blade with the OneBlade.
I have many razors and right now I am enjoying my Mongoose and my ATT S2. Who knows maybe someday I will try the OneBlade but right now I am not tempted.

shave/brush said:

As the saying goes: to each his own. The OneBlade will be just what some guys want and not what others are looking for. The idea of a pivoting head does not appeal to me. I could be wrong. Maybe if I tried it I would love it. I seem to like the feel of the blade on my face which from what some have said here you don't quite feel the blade with the OneBlade.
I have many razors and right now I am enjoying my Mongoose and my ATT S2. Who knows maybe someday I will try the OneBlade but right now I am not tempted.

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Agree with you, Ron. I love my ATT S1 and tomorrow I will try my new Mongoose, which I just received!

shave/brush said:

As the saying goes: to each his own. The OneBlade will be just what some guys want and not what others are looking for. The idea of a pivoting head does not appeal to me. I could be wrong. Maybe if I tried it I would love it. I seem to like the feel of the blade on my face which from what some have said here you don't quite feel the blade with the OneBlade.
I have many razors and right now I am enjoying my Mongoose and my ATT S2. Who knows maybe someday I will try the OneBlade but right now I am not tempted.

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I agree, it's always "to each his own"! And as I said above, the OneBlade won't appeal to everyone. It's an excellent razor, though. To comment on two of your points: the pivot has some real resistance to it (as opposed to being "floppy") and seems to engage only subtly during the shave. I think it's mostly there to forgive extra pressure, or if you were to really careen around a curve, which we DE/SE shavers have learned not to do. As far as feeling the blade on your face, you do indeed; it still feels like shaving with a real single-blade safety razor in that sense, and not like a cartridge. It's just that the angle and exposure are carefully controlled so there's much less room for user error. But you do indeed notice the blade doing its work.

onethinline said:

Makes sense! As well as the OneBlade shaves, it does indeed remove a lot of the skill and challenge from shaving, which can be a real source of joy and satisfaction in this hobby. Enjoy your razors: that's a good line-up.

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The OneBlade does remove the challenge. It's a great I'm in a hurry razor.
It's good to have just to throw in to the rotation just to remind you why you love your other razors.
I'm fortunate to own a Wolfman, Mongoose and OneBlade, pulse about ten vintage Gillettes.

The first Pic shows that the Gem Blade has cut outs at the side..It different from the Feather..This design difference prevents the Gem being Locked down into place..The 2nd pic demonstrate that the Gem Blade does Not Lock Down..It only takes a Small amount of Touch for the blade to move back..I did however decide to lather up & have an attempt to have a proper 2 Pass WTG & ATG Shave with the Gem Blade to resolve this One for myself & others whom may be Wondering how this blade performs in the OneBlade..

I have already mentioned that the Gem Blade Moves very easily with the Slightest Touch..Anybody that loads the Gem blade into this razor will find the same..There is No Bones about that..That said..The one thing that I noticed straight away on my First WTG Pass the blade was shaving very well..I kept checking the blade for movement from the Stops & there wasn't any..This is because of the design of the OneBlades Pivoting Head..It puts downward pressure on the blade & this prevents it form moving back..This has just got to be experienced..The OneBlade is far more Aggressive with the Gem Blade that's for Sure..

I would Go as far as saying that its a Totally Different Razor..Its more aggressive but I didn't find it anything near as smooth as with the Feather..My first WTG Pass went well without any blade movement from the stops as I checked & Double Checked with a Surgeon's Precision..On my 2nd ATG Pass on the Neck & although I never felt it moving..I checked & the blade had indeed moved from its Stops..It was ever so slight but it had moved from One of the Stops..I squared it up & continued on my ATG Pass & it was fine until I hit some heavier stubble & it moved again..I was aware of it moving this time though as there was a tad more vibration coming through the Gem Blade..The OneBlade makes a Different noise with the Feather Blade..

To Cut a Long Story Short..I am in No Doubt that some people are shaving with the Gem Blade in the OneBlade because it is indeed possible to Do so as Andreas has said..One of the reasons that the Gem Blade is making a different Noise is because its Not Locked Down and as Rigid as it should be..The Feather Blade is Locked Down & Rigid So there are no Tell Tail Signs of any Vibrations..Its a Different Story with the Gem Blade because its Not Locked Down..This on its Own Changes the Characteristics of the OneBlade Quite Dramatically..

These are My Findings with the Gem Blade & I was Meticulous on my Research Here..

Billy

So Billy, you find the Gem more aggressive but not as smooth. Are you certain it does move during use?

shave/brush said:

So Billy, you find the Gem more aggressive but not as smooth. Are you certain it does move during use?

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I am certain it moved when I was using it.It moved twice..The blade didn't hurt my face or anything but it moved for sure..I was surprized that it didn't move before that because its not locked down..And because its not locked down there is vibration that comes through the blade..The blade is not entirely secure..

I found it to be more aggressive but not as smooth as the Feather blade..There was more obvious audible feedback because the blade is not locked down..I had the OneBlade on a Pass Around & not mine so I wasn't going to start using a Shim to secure it or anything because that's what is required to prevent the vibration & the blade from moving..


Billy

Scooby Doo said:

I am certain it moved when I was using it.It moved twice..The blade didn't hurt my face or anything but it moved for sure..I was surprized that it didn't move before that because its not locked down..And because its not locked down there is vibration that comes through the blade..The blade is not entirely secure..

I found it to be more aggressive but not as smooth as the Feather blade..There was more obvious audible feedback because the blade is not locked down..I had the OneBlade on a Pass Around & not mine so I wasn't going to start using a Shim to secure it or anything because that's what is required to prevent the vibration & the blade from moving..


Billy

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As I said before,YMMV--I don't know how you loaded the blade but I have no such problems as you described with either the feather or gem blade --AGAIN YMMV

YMMV Just doesn't come into it..It doesn't Lock Down & that's a Fact..


Billy

I used my OneBlade this morning.

You can't fault thus razor for a really great quality shave!

Its a great shave!
Is I an effortless razor? Yes. Some days that's good.

Scooby Doo said:

YMMV Just doesn't come into it..It doesn't Lock Down & that's a Fact..


Billy

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mine also doesn't move with the gem--not 1 inch

Mischief said:

I used my OneBlade this morning.

You can't fault thus razor for a really great quality shave!

Its a great shave!
Is I an effortless razor? Yes. Some days that's good.

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I have been wet-shaving for over 30 years straight--SO for me, its all about results and longevity of the BBS. The mongoose and oneblade give me my longest-lasting BBS of all my razors I have ever tried.

beisler said:

I have been wet-shaving for over 30 years straight--SO for me, its all about results and longevity of the BBS. The mongoose and oneblade give me my longest-lasting BBS of all my razors I have ever tried.

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Same here! But also add Wolfman OC, and my straights.
I am doing a lot of face stropping today!

Mischief said:

Same here! But also add Wolfman OC, and my straights.
I am doing a lot of face stropping today!

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+1--I wish I could get my hand on a wolfman

onethinline said:

My disappointment right now, as funny as this might sound, is that the OneBlade feels so forgiving and easy that it sort of takes the fun out of wet shaving as a hobby. We all know how satisfying it is to master a skill, and traditional safety razors and straights offer a learning curve to traverse. The OneBlade is sort of fool-proof, a no-brainer. Which is great! And yet... potentially less gratifying.

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That is my feeling exactly using Schick or other Injector razors. They give very good results but no real challenge or work on your part to get that shave. They all remind me of cart. shaving too much. I have a nice Injector that gets occasional use when I am in a hurry to get a good shave in the shortest time. But it hardly ever gets used otherwise.

They are great razors with much to like, but for me they are not interesting enough. YMMV!