Just received my ATT SE1 on the Kronos handle today. Purchased directly from the Above The Tie website. Also picked up Kai Captain Mild blades, which I used for the shave.
Little bit about me... Learned on a DE, I have shaved a few times with various disposable cartridge razors, don't like them. Unlike a lot of guys here, I don't spend a ton of time shaving, it's not some luxuriant morning-spa-me-time experience at all, it's purely utilitarian. I face lather, because it's quick. I don't prep beyond soaking my brush and wetting my face. I shave fast, usually two passes.
Right off the bat, this should have been a terrible shave. A few reasons for that... Firstly, I usually shave every 3-4 days because my beard grows slowly. It's full and relatively coarse, just slow. This time I shaved after 2 days, and with me that's asking for a bad shave. Secondly, I'm using a new brush I'm still figuring out, and not only did I only soak it for like 30 seconds, I didn't shake out enough water, so my lather was foamy and not as thick as I like. Thirdly, this is a new razor I'm unfamiliar with, and I shaved faster than usual, because I was in a rush. I just whipped it around my face.
As it turns out, this was a pretty fantastic shave, despite my apparent best efforts. Zero irritation, no nicks, and baby smooth after two passes, with and against the grain. This razor does not have the learning curve I was expecting. It just delivers. It's really sort of a hybrid experience... Half DE shave, half barbershop straight-razor shave. Like a barber shave, I could hear every hair being cut. Very audible experience. Love this razor under the nose... Detail work is easy, which I was surprised by, as it's a much wider head side-to-side than a standard DE, since the blades are longer. Probably helps that it's pretty thin (meaning the head is thin top to bottom) where the blade sits. The Kronos handle initially appeared a little short. When I first opened the package I thought I'd probably end up swapping it out for the Colossus. However I think that's just an optical illusion due to the wide head... the Kronos fills the hand just fine, and allows for multiple grips. All in all, the SE1 Kronos is just an excellent, highly functional razor.
I won't go into the finishing and build quality of the razor... Plenty of threads on that. Suffice to say, it's top-notch.
Little bit about me... Learned on a DE, I have shaved a few times with various disposable cartridge razors, don't like them. Unlike a lot of guys here, I don't spend a ton of time shaving, it's not some luxuriant morning-spa-me-time experience at all, it's purely utilitarian. I face lather, because it's quick. I don't prep beyond soaking my brush and wetting my face. I shave fast, usually two passes.
Right off the bat, this should have been a terrible shave. A few reasons for that... Firstly, I usually shave every 3-4 days because my beard grows slowly. It's full and relatively coarse, just slow. This time I shaved after 2 days, and with me that's asking for a bad shave. Secondly, I'm using a new brush I'm still figuring out, and not only did I only soak it for like 30 seconds, I didn't shake out enough water, so my lather was foamy and not as thick as I like. Thirdly, this is a new razor I'm unfamiliar with, and I shaved faster than usual, because I was in a rush. I just whipped it around my face.
As it turns out, this was a pretty fantastic shave, despite my apparent best efforts. Zero irritation, no nicks, and baby smooth after two passes, with and against the grain. This razor does not have the learning curve I was expecting. It just delivers. It's really sort of a hybrid experience... Half DE shave, half barbershop straight-razor shave. Like a barber shave, I could hear every hair being cut. Very audible experience. Love this razor under the nose... Detail work is easy, which I was surprised by, as it's a much wider head side-to-side than a standard DE, since the blades are longer. Probably helps that it's pretty thin (meaning the head is thin top to bottom) where the blade sits. The Kronos handle initially appeared a little short. When I first opened the package I thought I'd probably end up swapping it out for the Colossus. However I think that's just an optical illusion due to the wide head... the Kronos fills the hand just fine, and allows for multiple grips. All in all, the SE1 Kronos is just an excellent, highly functional razor.
I won't go into the finishing and build quality of the razor... Plenty of threads on that. Suffice to say, it's top-notch.
Last edited:
