Lambda Athena

[LRod]

Alright, so shave #2 tonight with the Athena (using a Feather blade).
Was it better, yes!
Was it perfect, no!
Today I had 1 day of growth vs. 2 days on my first shave.
The Feather helped because it's super sharp but pass #1 was still a bit rough.
Pass #2 was much smoother. I tried the super shallow angle and it didn't feel good,
plus it barely cut. I went neutral and it was better. But believe it or not, the best was
using a very steep angle.
So a super sharp blade and very steep angle is what yielded the most comfortable shave.
Smooth? Nowhere near as smooth as my top gun razors!
Efficient? Same as above!

Analysis:
Shave #1 (first pass) was 2 days of growth and it was super rough
(second pass) was OK
Shave #2 (first pass) was 1 day of growth and it was less rough
(Second pass) smoother than the second pass on shave #1 but still not acceptable.
My face feels OK but not great!
Conclusion (as of now):
This razor can't handle my super hard stubble!
Why? Tiny blade gap and almost non-existent blade reveal (I think!)
Semi-sharp blade, super sharp blade (the sharpest), shallow, neutral or steep and it's a rough shave!
It'll get a couple more runs and if it shows no improvement, it'll be Adios for the Athena!
A shame since it's beautiful but it is what it is!!

 

[MikeyTX]

I use and love the OEM handle. If you want a great handle and something lighter, try the Timeless Ti Crown handle.

It took me awhile to find a Crown handle that @Phoenixkh hasn't bought yet, but I managed to find one at Maggards.

 

[walpan]

Alright, so shave #2 tonight with the Athena (using a Feather blade).
Was it better, yes!
Was it perfect, no!
Today I had 1 day of growth vs. 2 days on my first shave.
The Feather helped because it's super sharp but pass #1 was still a bit rough.
Pass #2 was much smoother. I tried the super shallow angle and it didn't feel good,
plus it barely cut. I went neutral and it was better. But believe it or not, the best was
using a very steep angle.
So a super sharp blade and very steep angle is what yielded the most comfortable shave.
Smooth? Nowhere near as smooth as my top gun razors!
Efficient? Same as above!

Analysis:
Shave #1 (first pass) was 2 days of growth and it was super rough
(second pass) was OK
Shave #2 (first pass) was 1 day of growth and it was less rough
(Second pass) smoother than the second pass on shave #1 but still not acceptable.
My face feels OK but not great!
Conclusion (as of now):
This razor can't handle my super hard stubble!
Why? Tiny blade gap and almost non-existent blade reveal (I think!)
Semi-sharp blade, super sharp blade (the sharpest), shallow, neutral or steep and it's a rough shave!
It'll get a couple more runs and if it shows no improvement, it'll be Adios for the Athena!
A shame since it's beautiful but it is what it is!!

Larry, I completely understand your situation. I would recommend you start using a chisel and hammer and do a post shave with a sander

 

[walpan]

It took me awhile to find a Crown handle that @Phoenixkh hasn't bought yet, but I managed to find one at Maggards.

I understand that Timeless Razors has officially designated @Phoenixkh as the Southeast US distributer.

 

[Scaramouche]

Landed in NYC! I'm guessing a wait to the Midwest with the current blizzard blowing through, but all good things....

 

[walpan]

Landed in NYC! I'm guessing a wait to the Midwest with the current blizzard blowing through, but all good things....

Mine landed on the 1st and hit St Louis MO yesterday.

 

[J-MN]

Second shave today with the Athena. Once again, the results were good, although I'm not a fan of the handle. While the handle is beautiful to look at, I just don't like how it feels in my hand due to the combination of its heavy weight, weight distribution, not being super grippy, and not being perfectly round in the area where you grip it, so you have to adjust your grip a bit to accomodate the handle. I can see myself liking the handle more with the Ti version since that would at least eliminate any issues related to weight. I think I'll be trying a different handle for my next shave.

With all that said, it does perform great and it sure is a looker.

 

[Scaramouche]

You want slick and slippery? I give you the Asylum Evolution ...:

 

[walpan]

You want slick and slippery? I give you the Asylum Evolution ...:

View attachment 1971797

Beautiful razor combo. But, still not an Athena.

 

[Scaramouche]

Beautiful razor combo. But, still not an Athena.

Referring to the grip - in addition to being heavy, it's small, highly polished with basically no purchase on the handle, even though the grooves hint at a grip. It's actually my baseline for a grip-less razor, to the point of being hazardous (a Darwin clone, the actual Darwin has a very fine texture to the handle, deep grooves, and works). The Ambassador is the other end of the spectrum, and my baseline for the perfect grip. Will be interested to see where the Athena falls between the two....

 

[idjekyll]

Second shave today with the Athena. Once again, the results were good, although I'm not a fan of the handle. While the handle is beautiful to look at, I just don't like how it feels in my hand due to the combination of its heavy weight, weight distribution, not being super grippy, and not being perfectly round in the area where you grip it, so you have to adjust your grip a bit to accomodate the handle. I can see myself liking the handle more with the Ti version since that would at least eliminate any issues related to weight. I think I'll be trying a different handle for my next shave.

With all that said, it does perform great and it sure is a looker.

The part about the handle not being rounded in the area where you grip it is the deal breaker for me. For the head to be flush against the skin in order to shave, I am usually holding the ridge on the handles. This creates an unnatural holding position and that's why I sold it after 1 shave. I will be wary of similar handles in the future.