From not having any safety razors taking the Feather AC blades, within a matter of a month I now have three, the last two coming within the past three days. So now, I own the least expensive, the most expensive, and one in between.
From left to right: Asylum RX, Razorock Chrome Hawk, and Executive Shaving Claymore. The only similarity between the three is that they all take the Feather AC blades. The Asylum RX and the ES Claymore are both made of stainless steel and are both very hefty The RR Hawk, on the other hand, is made of coated aluminum and extremely light. All three have different head designs. The RX has a very thin head, not unlike the Cobra or the Schick injector razors. The Hawk has a chiseled head similar to the Mongoose. The Claymore has a domed head similar to most of the new Feather AC safety razors such as the ATT SE1 (and now SE2), the Colonial General, and the soon to be released Ikon El Jefe.
As for prices, the RR Hawk is the least expensive of all coming in at $20. The RX is the most expensive at $230, and the Claymore is in between at about $100. The RX has a unique tongue and groove head design that allows the user to change a blade without completely disassembling the razor like all others. This is probably why it cost so much because tolerances need to be very close or the parts will not fit.
Of the three razors, the RX is the best finished of them because of the way it goes together (and for $230 it should be). The Claymore is finished well on the outside, however the inside of the head does show some roughness. The Hawk, while machined very well, does show some imperfections with the plating, with it being uneven in areas, and having small bubbles in other areas. I don’t think this will do harm to the razor in the long run and if it does, a new one is $20. In all fairness to the Claymore and the Hawk, th eweb sites for both warns the potential buyer that these may not have perfect finishes.
Okay, enough talk, how does it shave? For consistency, I used the same Feather Pro blade for all three razors and the same soap.
First up is the Hawk. It took some getting used to the lightness of this razor. IB web site say it is 1.4 oz, but it feels lighter. Luckily, I had some practice recently with bakelite razors and this experience was similar. I used very light pressure and followed the angle of the head, not unlike I do with a Gem type SE razor. Unlike the Gem types, this angle was shallower. I soon realized that the light razor was much more responsive and maneuverable while shaving. I first went WTG and then XTG. Both were smooth and effortless. I could hardly feel it cutting my whiskers. Most times, I will go with a touch up after the two passes, but with the Hawk, I did not have to as I had a very close shave.
Second night, I took out my Claymore. I had this razor for nearly a month now and had a lot of experience shaving with it. The big difference between the Claymore and the Hawk was that it was a hefty razor, weighing in at 5 oz. The other difference was that it had a domed head and so the shaving angle could be adjusted a little more than the Hawk. Still, I settled for a shallow angle on my WTG pass, but I was able to go with a steeper angle on my XTG pass because of the domed head. Again the shave was smooth and effortless. It was easier to let the razor do the work because of the weight, however this was not a razor you use for a fast shave. Like the Hawk, it was a two pass shave without needing touchup.
Tonight I shaved with the RX. This razor was also a pretty hefty razor weighing in at 4 oz. Not quite the heft of the Claymore, but not a Hawk either. First thing that came to mind was that this was an injector razor on steroids, and it shaved like one. The thin head made it very nimble and easy to get around my face. Initially I was worried that the Tradere styled handle would cause some problems, but it actually felt comfortable in hand and that counter balance at the bottom of the handle worked well in guiding the razor.This shave was totally effortless and at times I needed to check if the blade was cutting anything as it glided across my face. I started with WTG and could have stopped with just a touch up afterwards, but I completed the XTG pass just to see what it was like. Definitely the best shave of the three razors. After I finished, I tried treating it as a Hydro Magic by just loosening the head and rinsing the blade and head without completely disassembling it. At that time I noticed hat either the blade sat too close to the bottom plate or the holes on the bottom plate was too small, but a lot of soap was trapped in that area and I had to disassemble the head to rinse it off.
Okay, so three razors all giving me a smooth and effortless shave. It is not like I have a limited vocabulary, but as I learned in they ears of using Feather AC straights, the blade itself is so good that it makes any razor great. I think that finally folks out there are recognizing this. I,unfortunately, can’t describe the shave in terms of mild or aggressive as I would not know what those terms mean. I prefer using the term efficient and all three razors exceeded that.
I think that depending on what you are comfortable with will determine which razor is right for you. If you come from a DE background, then the Claymore, with the domed top cap, will feel very comfortable. If you are from a Gem SE background, the chiseled head of the Hawk will be more familiar, and if you prefer injector razors, then the RX will feel at home.
For myself, I have since changed the handle of the Claymore to a wood handle to lighten it a bit, and also changed the handle of the Hawk to give it more heft. Of course this would make the Claymore top heavy, which I am able to compensate for by being allowed to change the shave angle a bit. The Hawk is now bottom heavy, which works well with keeping the same angle as the head and letting the weight of the handle control the stroke.
Whichever you choose, it will be a good choice, and I truly believe that the other Feather AC type safety razors will probably produce similar results. The only difference will be your preference.
From left to right: Asylum RX, Razorock Chrome Hawk, and Executive Shaving Claymore. The only similarity between the three is that they all take the Feather AC blades. The Asylum RX and the ES Claymore are both made of stainless steel and are both very hefty The RR Hawk, on the other hand, is made of coated aluminum and extremely light. All three have different head designs. The RX has a very thin head, not unlike the Cobra or the Schick injector razors. The Hawk has a chiseled head similar to the Mongoose. The Claymore has a domed head similar to most of the new Feather AC safety razors such as the ATT SE1 (and now SE2), the Colonial General, and the soon to be released Ikon El Jefe.
As for prices, the RR Hawk is the least expensive of all coming in at $20. The RX is the most expensive at $230, and the Claymore is in between at about $100. The RX has a unique tongue and groove head design that allows the user to change a blade without completely disassembling the razor like all others. This is probably why it cost so much because tolerances need to be very close or the parts will not fit.
Of the three razors, the RX is the best finished of them because of the way it goes together (and for $230 it should be). The Claymore is finished well on the outside, however the inside of the head does show some roughness. The Hawk, while machined very well, does show some imperfections with the plating, with it being uneven in areas, and having small bubbles in other areas. I don’t think this will do harm to the razor in the long run and if it does, a new one is $20. In all fairness to the Claymore and the Hawk, th eweb sites for both warns the potential buyer that these may not have perfect finishes.
Okay, enough talk, how does it shave? For consistency, I used the same Feather Pro blade for all three razors and the same soap.
First up is the Hawk. It took some getting used to the lightness of this razor. IB web site say it is 1.4 oz, but it feels lighter. Luckily, I had some practice recently with bakelite razors and this experience was similar. I used very light pressure and followed the angle of the head, not unlike I do with a Gem type SE razor. Unlike the Gem types, this angle was shallower. I soon realized that the light razor was much more responsive and maneuverable while shaving. I first went WTG and then XTG. Both were smooth and effortless. I could hardly feel it cutting my whiskers. Most times, I will go with a touch up after the two passes, but with the Hawk, I did not have to as I had a very close shave.
Second night, I took out my Claymore. I had this razor for nearly a month now and had a lot of experience shaving with it. The big difference between the Claymore and the Hawk was that it was a hefty razor, weighing in at 5 oz. The other difference was that it had a domed head and so the shaving angle could be adjusted a little more than the Hawk. Still, I settled for a shallow angle on my WTG pass, but I was able to go with a steeper angle on my XTG pass because of the domed head. Again the shave was smooth and effortless. It was easier to let the razor do the work because of the weight, however this was not a razor you use for a fast shave. Like the Hawk, it was a two pass shave without needing touchup.
Tonight I shaved with the RX. This razor was also a pretty hefty razor weighing in at 4 oz. Not quite the heft of the Claymore, but not a Hawk either. First thing that came to mind was that this was an injector razor on steroids, and it shaved like one. The thin head made it very nimble and easy to get around my face. Initially I was worried that the Tradere styled handle would cause some problems, but it actually felt comfortable in hand and that counter balance at the bottom of the handle worked well in guiding the razor.This shave was totally effortless and at times I needed to check if the blade was cutting anything as it glided across my face. I started with WTG and could have stopped with just a touch up afterwards, but I completed the XTG pass just to see what it was like. Definitely the best shave of the three razors. After I finished, I tried treating it as a Hydro Magic by just loosening the head and rinsing the blade and head without completely disassembling it. At that time I noticed hat either the blade sat too close to the bottom plate or the holes on the bottom plate was too small, but a lot of soap was trapped in that area and I had to disassemble the head to rinse it off.
Okay, so three razors all giving me a smooth and effortless shave. It is not like I have a limited vocabulary, but as I learned in they ears of using Feather AC straights, the blade itself is so good that it makes any razor great. I think that finally folks out there are recognizing this. I,unfortunately, can’t describe the shave in terms of mild or aggressive as I would not know what those terms mean. I prefer using the term efficient and all three razors exceeded that.
I think that depending on what you are comfortable with will determine which razor is right for you. If you come from a DE background, then the Claymore, with the domed top cap, will feel very comfortable. If you are from a Gem SE background, the chiseled head of the Hawk will be more familiar, and if you prefer injector razors, then the RX will feel at home.
For myself, I have since changed the handle of the Claymore to a wood handle to lighten it a bit, and also changed the handle of the Hawk to give it more heft. Of course this would make the Claymore top heavy, which I am able to compensate for by being allowed to change the shave angle a bit. The Hawk is now bottom heavy, which works well with keeping the same angle as the head and letting the weight of the handle control the stroke.
Whichever you choose, it will be a good choice, and I truly believe that the other Feather AC type safety razors will probably produce similar results. The only difference will be your preference.
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