The 'A week with.....' series:

Like several other members on this site, I've collected a vast arsenal of shaving implements over the last couple of years. I have several dozen DE, SE, and straight razors.

I love collecting them, and using different implements, as each of them has their own peculiarities.

However, I've found that I don't adequately experience any of these wonderful razors, as I'm constantly switching back and forth between them. This is unfortunate, and is sad for a collector.

So, taking a page from my friend Mike's book (get well soon, Mike!!), I decided to stick to one razor/blade combination for the workweek, and write down my thoughts on the razor at the end of the week. The weekends are open for me to use whatever I want - no reviews on those.

I've been doing this one the grand total of ONE week so far , but it's a start!

I've been posting my daily experiences on my personal (we)blog, but I'll only include the final weekly review here.

Note 1: I have used all these razors before, so none of them are entirely new to me.

Note 2: There will be some straights thrown in, so those reviews will be in the straight razor forum.

Note 3: I use different 'software', and brushes throughout the week, as I don't have that many of those, and I'll tend to reuse them frequently. However, I am pretty good at getting the most out of the software I use.

I shaved with the Cobra Classic every day for the last five days. I used a variety of soaps/creams, and brushes during this time, but I stuck with a single razor/blade combination (Kai Excelia blade). Here are my thoughts on the Cobra Classic after this time.



First, a caveat: I have used the Cobra Classic before this. Never for this many days in a row, though. Still, I am pretty used to using it.

The razor is a lovely implement, that not only looks good, but also feels comfortable in the hand. At $125 (now $145) for a new razor, it needs to be built well. I like the fit/finish of the razor, and that it's made in the USA is an added bonus (no jingoism here, it's just nice to do my bit to encourage job retention in the place I live). Do I believe it is worth $125?............YES! I do!

I like heavy razors, and this one qualifies. At almost 100 g, this razor is pretty heavy. If there's one thing I don't like about the razor, it is that the handle doesn't allow proper balancing of the razor head. A longer handle would have served me better. It never felt slick, but then I dry my hands before shaving.

Blade placement is pretty easy, though I always need to flip the 'lip' back and forth before the blade sits right in the head. Once it's in, the blade is held secure. The Feather AC/Kai blades are very sharp, and I've yet to feel completely comfortable changing the blade in this razor. I'm more comfortable changing blades in a standard 3-piece DE razor, for a comparison.

The main reason to try this razor is that it uses Feather AC/Kai Excelia blades. These babies are sharper and smoother than any DE blade I've used. This razor allows people a nice 'safety razor' alternative to the replaceable-blade straights that the blades were designed for.

The blades are wider than standard DE/SE/injector blades, and that adds another peculiarity to the way this razor functions. When I was able to fully take advantage of the 2" width of the blade, the shave was absolutely brilliant!! Smooth, close....it felt like the blade was just gliding over my face. Of course, with the bumps and valleys in my throat area, I was only able to use a part of the blade at a time in some areas. I did find it harder to manipulate the head over some areas of my face that I do with a standard DE razor. It was only a minor issue, and given that it takes fewer passes with this razor to get a close shave than with other razors, I didn't find this irritating once I figured that out.

One area I was never able to get a properly close shave in was in a tiny patch on my upper lip, on either side of my nasal septum. Some aspect of the head design of the Cobra Classic kept me for ever being able to get that satisfactorily close.

Even with this drawback: the razor gets an A- on shave quality from me.

Over the past week, I tried this razor with soaps/creams, glycerin based/tallow based, and lanolin containing items. I used badger and boar brushes, and different aftershave treatments. Every time, I got a great shave. I have several much more expensive razors (straights, not safeties), and they don't shave me any better than this, so I'd say that this razor is worth the price.

As an added advantage, this razor looks lovely! It is the only razor displayed on my counter. I love he swooping lines of the 'back' and the ribbed underside, with the flare of the head like the hood and scaled underbelly of its namesake. It is a cobra indeed....and will bite if you're not careful around it. However, if you respect it, it will shave you like few other safety razors.

One note: The Kai blade started to deteriorate by Friday, and will be discarded. The blade had been used a total of 11 times. Pretty good for a blade, but the Feather AC blades usually give me about 20 good shaves. Not sure if I got a dud (this was my first Kai blade in this razor).

Given that the blades are now about $23/20 pack, the number of shaves/blade is pretty important for this razor.

Thanks for the review. I also have a CS Cobra which has become the only razor in my rotation since the purchase. I have both the Feather and KAI str8 razors and love them...but the Cobra is better then either for my taste.

I'm glad you mentioned how the razor looks like a cobra snake...it is the coolest looking razor that I have owned.

Thanks for your thoughts on the KAI blade. I have only used Feather Pro and am waiting on some Super Pro's.

With a lot of people trying high end razors I was surprised that no one was mentioning the CS Cobra, which I consider very unique for the shave it gives and stainless steel representation of a sssssnake!

Thanks for your review...look forward to your others.

I also have the Cobra and had "issues" with it. Turns out I was using the Feather Super Pro blades when in fact, confirmed by Classic Shaving, that the razor should only be used with the Feather Pro blades. Since using the Pros's I have no more "issues"-I love it.

Wonderful review but I have a couple of small requests:

Please post a picture of the razor of the week with the review? I had no idea what a Cobra Classic looked like (but I could easily google it).

How about a list of upcoming razors, doesn't have to be in sequence?

Something to look forward too!



-jim

Jim,

Next up will be the New Improved Big Fellow (one of my favourite razors).

It will have its own thread, I think.

MajorBurnz said:

Jim,

Next up will be the New Improved Big Fellow (one of my favourite razors).

It will have its own thread, I think.

Click to expand...

Looking forward that one!