JL 52’s 2025 Shave Log - (Recovering From Severe Case of RAD)

[JL 52]

2024 for was a record RAD year for me, which included a few higher end purchases that I surprised even myself with. I decided that I had picked up enough razors to pump the brakes on new purchases for 2025 and to instead focus on rotating through and enjoying my current collection, and I figured I’d start this thread to review and compare the razors in my den as I revisit them throughout 2025.

To start the year, my baseline daily driver is going to be the Ti Blackbird and then I’ll haphazardly cycle through my other razors as curiosity strikes me. So far the Ti Blackbird gives me the best combination of shave closeness while also leaving me with zero post shave irritation, and I think my skin will thank me for prioritizing this razor in particular for the upcoming year.

For additional context, I’m black with thick curly hair and I use all of my DE razors solely for head shaves. All of my razor opinions are based on my head shaves.

Current Collection:

Higher Ends -

Ti Blackland Blackbird (standard and lite plate)
SS Blackland Osprey
Bronze Wolfman Guerrilla (.84SB and .69DC)
Bronze Lambda Athena

Mid Tier -

RazoRock Game Changer (.68OC, .76SB, .84SB)
RazoRock SLOC
King C Gillette

Aluminum -

RazoRock Lupo Al
Timeless Al
RazoRock Cyber Razor Medium
ATT Windsor Pro SB90 Al
Colonial CR7 (1-3 base plates)

Vintage -

Merkur Progress
Gillette Fatboy
Gillette New Long Comb
Schick Krona

Previously Owned -

RazoRock Lupo (.58SB, .72SB, .72OC, .95SB)
Rockwell 6C
Gillette Tech Aluminum
RazoRock Hawk V2
Parker SoloEdge

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Welcome to the journals, sir. I look forward to reading more.

 

[JL 52]

Entry #1 - 1/1/2025

First shave of 2025 went to the RazoRock Cyber Razor Medium and a second use Gillette 7 O’Clock Black blade. Overall it’s a very solid razor but I’ve got mixed feelings about it. The Cyber Medium is respectably efficient and feels like a safe autopilot option, but I just don’t enjoy using it that much. It’s very light but with the larger head it doesn’t feel all that maneuverable. The biggest issue I have with it is the suction effect that happens due to the flat face of the razor; this is easy enough to work around but it’s still annoying. I never got around to trying a Henson razor because I figured I’d find the fixed angle design boring to use, and unfortunately the Cyber razor is in line with what I was expecting with the Henson.

That said, my ending shave results were decent. No cuts, no nicks, and minimal irritation.

Not my favorite razor but I don’t regret it at all, especially for the $40 it cost. The aluminum super knurl handle it came with is a huge bonus as well; it pairs very well with one of my favorite razors, the Lupo Al.

 

[Eric_75]

Welcome to the Journals and Diaries!

 

[bk200006]

Welcome to the journals section. Happy to follow along on your journey.

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you for sharing your journal with us!

I like how your tiers are high, mid, aluminum, vintage, and no longer owned.

 

[Balin]

Welcome to the journal section! I will be following along!

 

[JL 52]

I appreciate all of the responses fellas! Starting a journal seemed like a good way to organize my thoughts/opinions and hopefully it'll help anyone who was on the fence about trying one of the razors I have. It'll also help keep me honest to make sure I'm actually cycling through each of them this year.

I already a few true side-by-side comparisons planned for the coming weeks:
Guerrilla .84 vs. Game Changer .84
Merkur Progress vs. Gillette Fatboy
Gillette NEW Long Comb vs. Game Changer .68OC
Open to suggestions as well.

 

[JAHE]

Welcome to the journal section, enjoy! *



(* Uh, that felt like a senior's move when, in fact, I started my own journal only ten days ago )

 

[JL 52]

Planning to return to my 2025 baseline razor, the Blackbird Ti for the my second shave of the year later today. The success I have with this razor has helped me further zero in on the type of razor that I think works best for me, higher efficiency and lighter weight. I think I unknowingly stumbled into conclusion through trial and error this past year before the Blackbird Ti.

At least medium to high efficiency feels like a requirement for me as I aim to be done shaving after two passes. Needing to buff or add more passes is frustrating and also increases risk of irritation for me. I moved onto the RazoRock Game Changer .84 from the King C Gillette and Rockwell 6C earlier last year and the extra efficiency is what made that razor such a night and day difference for me. Despite how much I loved the GC .84, I did struggle with irritation when I tried to use it on back to back days. I stumbled into two solutions; one was pairing it with a lighter titanium handle and other was alternating my shaves with the less aggressive .76 version.

On the lighter end of the spectrum, I also had success with the RazoRock Lupo Al early this past year. Until the Blackbird Ti, the Lupo Al was the only razor that left me consistently with ZERO irritation. My sole complaint with the Lupo Al is that it would often struggle to move through my hairs on the first pass due to its light weight. My solution here was to pair it with a sharper blade and to simply not use it when I had too many days of growth.

Long story short, I prefer more efficient razors and then my scalp prefers for them to be lighter.

I don’t have the same lighter weight requirement for adjustables because I can have the all the efficiency I what on the first pass and then I can dial it back on my second pass to minimize irritation. I can also use on a less aggressive setting out the gate if I shave on back-to-back days.

I added two more aluminum razors to my collection right before the end of 2024 that I still need to experiment with; the ATT Windsor Pro SB90 Al and the Colonial CR7 (purchased based on reviews from @LRod and @gdawg55). Aside from adjustables, I see myself gravitating towards aluminum and titanium razors going forward now that I’m realizing how little irritation they cause me.

The Bronze Guerrilla and Lambda Athena are going to be the heaviest razors I use this year, and I won’t swap out the handles for these specific razors. I’ll likely save both of these options for when I have a few days of growth built up.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Cheers to you! Like you, I find the Game Changers work much better with a lighter handle. I find the same for the Athena, give it a try sometime.

 

[JL 52]

Cheers to you! Like you, I find the Game Changers work much better with a lighter handle. I find the same for the Athena, give it a try sometime.

Despite being heavy, I did really enjoy the feel of the Athena’s handle. But that’s a solid recommendation still, I’ll try it with the Ti Timeless Crown I have next time.

 

[JL 52]

Entry #2 - 1/3/2025

Ti Blackbird is king of my den for a reason. Closest shaves I can imagine, yet my skin feels like the blade never touched it.

 

[JL 52]

Entry #3 - 1/5/2025

Had my first shave with the ATT Windsor Pro Aluminum SB90 and was pleasantly surprised. I’ll need to do a true side-by-side comparison but it felt to be a tiny bit more efficient than my Lupo Al. There was noticeable blade feel as well, but the light weight made it feel manageable and non-threatening. I suspect the light weight will cause it to struggle with multiple days of growth but it’s excellent for a quick 1 day shave.