LRod's Acquisition and everything else Thread!

[LRod]

This is really insightful Larry. And helps me immensely in not pulling the trigger on an OC baseplate for my Ti95.

Yeah, unless you definitely would want the OC, it's not worth it (for me) to get it over the SCL.
I would have been happy with either one if I didn't already have both.
But like I said, I'm keeping both!!
The original plan was to try and keep the one I like most,
But:
When I like something a lot and find something that works really well, I tend to want a backup.
I know either one will last a lifetime but my brain is wired to always have redundancy for things
that work for me. Weird I guess!!

 

[LRod]

Remember, that's with the 0.68OC.... The 0.95 is a relative, but I doubt it's a more efficient twin

I actually think it almost is!
It feels and shaves just like the .68 (with more efficiency)
The difference: A miniscule difference in smoothness which I'd attribute to the increased blade exposure.

 

[LRod]

Looks like my Bronze Guerrilla is on the right path this time. It's left Regina SK., which means that the next stop will be in the USA. And it passed it's export scan back in Calgary which was the issue when they first shipped it last week.
Fingers crossed!!
Delivery estimate is shown for Thursday!

 

[BigAlVista]

Yeah, unless you definitely would want the OC, it's not worth it (for me) to get it over the SCL.
I would have been happy with either one if I didn't already have both.
But like I said, I'm keeping both!!
The original plan was to try and keep the one I like most,
But:
When I like something a lot and find something that works really well, I tend to want a backup.
I know either one will last a lifetime but my brain is wired to always have redundancy for things
that work for me. Weird I guess!!

Larry, I remember when my kids were little. One of their first words was "MINE!"

I don't think we ever truly outgrow that sentiment.

 

[Guido75]

When I like something a lot and find something that works really well, I tend to want a backup.

For a while I had the mindset that if I liked a razor and if it was available I wanted to have the OC and SB versions. But for my top razors that mindset has somewhat changed. They already are fantastic as they are. If a rare opportunity would present itself to get them cheap, then maybe, but for now I will stick with what I have. Especially with reports like yours on these razors!

 

[LRod]

The Colonial CR7 (plate 3) razor has just arrived!
After taking it out of the box and having a quick glance, this razor is beautiful.
Nice presentation too!
Fit & finish is excellent and the anodizing is perfect.
Despite being aluminum, it's on the heavy side which was one of the reasons why I bought it.
And the handle is thick (like the Guerrilla's handle) which I love.
It'll be up for tonight's shave!

 

[BigAlVista]

Very perrrty.

 

[LRod]

I just weighed it and it's 44g. Same as the Wolfman Guerrilla aluminum and the Design 94 aluminum!

 

[Slapo]

I just weighed it and it's 44g. Same as the Wolfman Guerrilla aluminum and the Design 94 aluminum!

Told you.

 

[LRod]

Told you.

Yep! You were right on the money!!

 

[LRod]

OK, so I had my first shave with the Colonial CR7 plate 3!
I used a German Schick blade and had my normal 2 pass WTG/XTG shave after showering.
1.5 days of growth (plenty)!
I'm the type of shaver that I can pretty much tell from the first few shaves whether a razor will work for me
or not in the long term. And sometimes even after the first shave!
I will also say right off the bat if a razor is good or if it stinks.

This is just day#1 results, but here it is:
This is a great razor, period!!
-The build, fit and finish: Excellent!
-Smoothness: A+
-Efficiency: A+
-Handle: Awesome with plenty of grip, perfect length and perfect width
-Weight & Balance: A+ for an aluminum razor. It feels like your shaving with a very solid mass razor.

The Wolfman Guerrilla is my other excellent aluminum razor but the Colonials head is heavier and it's balanced for the weight to go towards the head (a good thing for me). The Guerrilla is equally balanced across the whole razor.
I weighed both heads:
Colonial 14g, Guerrilla 8 grams. Big difference for an aluminum razor!
Another comparison I can make would be the Henson AL13 +++.
It's good but it ain't this good. The Colonial blows it out of the water!!

Why?
1. The Colonial has something I've never seen in an aluminum razor: No drag!
And I don't mean the suction effect. I mean drag from the aluminum material which is typical of aluminum razors.
I don't know how they did it (I guess something in the finish) but it's got zero drag!
Even the Guerrilla has a bit of this!
2. Zero suction effect (which is an issue with the Henson and most pre-set angle razors.
The Colonial doesn't have a limited angle head!
The gap is minimal and it's got positive blade exposure. Multiple shave angles are possible with this razor!
They don't publish any numbers but to my untrained eyes, I'd say the gap is somewhere between .50-.60
and the exposure .02-.05 (on plate #3). Very clamped & blade almost to the edge (1mm) resulting
in zero chatter. Nice lather slots too that work great!!

I'm betting that this razor would probably suit most shavers (unless you want an aggressive razor)
which this razor isn't. The blade feel is there but it's toned down to the point of total comfort.
Remember, this is plate 3, I don't know what the other two plates must be like but I don't need them.
Specs. from the Colonial website:
Plate 1: Neutral exposure & aggression 2/10
Plate 2: Positive exposure & aggression 4/10
Plate 3: Positive exposure & aggression 6/10

Bottom line:
No negatives to speak of, they did their homework on what works and what doesn't.
This wasn't some randomly made razor to simply throw into a crowded market.
This razor works exceptionally well and I'd recommend it to anyone that likes what they've read
up above. I don't know how long they'll be around (hopefully a long time) but I'm sure I'll order
a second one soon to keep as a backup. It's a perfect travel razor!
If they'd make one in another heavy metal, I'd buy it today!
As always though, YMMV!

 

[Flanders]

That sounds a lot like a Chiselled Face or the Syntesi(SP?) except in Al, barely positive exposure.

 

[LRod]

That sounds a lot like a Chiselled Face or the Syntesi(SP?) except in Al, barely positive exposure.

I guess but the Chiseled Face has a huge blade gap and I believe is neutral. And the Syntesi isn't very efficient, has a very flat head and a limited range of angles. I've had both and sold them!
Again, this was my first shave with the Colonial so we'll see what future shaves are like.
But I'm pretty certain that they'll match (or exceed) today's results.
The Timeless .95 SCL & OC, Nodachi/Masamune OC & Guerrilla were like that:
First shave was great and all subsequent shaves have been just as good.

 

[huck1680]

Looks like my Bronze Guerrilla is on the right path this time. It's left Regina SK., which means that the next stop will be in the USA. And it passed it's export scan back in Calgary which was the issue when they first shipped it last week.
Fingers crossed!!
Delivery estimate is shown for Thursday!

That's quite the journey from Edmonton...which is 300 km north of Calgary which is 800 km west of Regina where I live.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm sort of relieved I don't care for aluminum razors. There are some very nice ones on the market at the moment at decent price points.

 

[LRod]

That's quite the journey from Edmonton...which is 300 km north of Calgary which is 800 km west of Regina where I live.

Yep!
It's actually quite a total journey from there to Florida. No planes involved since it's UPS ground that they use.
It's trucked all the way here!
Last time I ordered something from them it went: Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg then down to North Dakota and worked it's way down to Florida from there.

 

[LRod]

17 hours since I shaved with the Colonial CR7 and my face is still smooth (very little visible stubble) and it feels great.
Those many hours long results is what I always seek and this razor delivers.
I was certain after I shaved that it was a close shave but didn't expect it to last this long.
This razor is awesome!!

 

[Phoenixkh]

17 hours since I shaved with the Colonial CR7 and my face is still smooth (very little visible stubble) and it feels great.
Those many hours long results is what I always seek and this razor delivers.
I was certain after I shaved that it was a close shave but didn't expect it to last this long.
This razor is awesome!!

If they end up releasing one in another metal.. Stainless Steel... or a more exotic one, I'll probably put one on my "must buy" list. It's just that I've found a way to get razors assembled so the balance is a bit towards the razor head. That isn't an option with most aluminum razors.. or even most titanium razors...That's why I used different metals with my Timeless razors. With my other SS steel razors, using a titanium handle gets the balance perfect for me.

 

[LRod]

If they end up releasing one in another metal.. Stainless Steel... or a more exotic one, I'll probably put one on my "must buy" list. It's just that I've found a way to get razors assembled so the balance is a bit towards the razor head. That isn't an option with most aluminum razors.. or even most titanium razors...That's why I used different metals with my Timeless razors. With my other SS steel razors, using a titanium handle gets the balance perfect for me.

If they'd make a stainless or brass one, I'd buy it in a heartbeat Kim!
But to be honest, as I mentioned before, this is aluminum but it it feels on the heavy side. Almost like a titanium razor!
And it feels really solid and not plasticky like some other aluminum razors.
You can feel that it's actually metal!
Another thing is the balance. I mentioned before that it's head heavy (which you favor). You can definitely feel it when you shave. The head is 14g which is really heavy for an aluminum razor. None of my other aluminum razors have a head that weighs that much.
I was curious and weighed them all last night!
Note: Not enabling!

 

[Phoenixkh]

If they'd make a stainless or brass one, I'd buy it in a heartbeat Kim!
But to be honest, as I mentioned before, this is aluminum but it it feels on the heavy side. Almost like a titanium razor!
And it feels really solid and not plasticky like some other aluminum razors.
You can feel that it's actually metal!
Another thing is the balance. I mentioned before that it's head heavy (which you favor). You can definitely feel it when you shave. The head is 14g which is really heavy for an aluminum razor. None of my other aluminum razors have a head that weighs this much.
I was curious and weighed them all last night!
Note: Not enabling!

I'm looking on my iPhone right now...I made a note on them.

Stainless Steel/Titanium Razor head weights.

ATT X1: 41g
La Faulx: 30.9
Blutt BR-1 1.20: 32.6g
Claymore Evolution: 33.8g
Rocnel Elite SS: 43.1g
Timeless hybrid 0.68OC heads: 34.4g and 28.4g respectively