Monsieur Charles = Monsieur Meh

[Jerome10]

I know there have been a small number of discussions around here, with a pass-around, but I figured I'd give my review of the Monsieur Charles after about 6 months of owning it. I'd probably used it 2x a week in that period.

In one word: Meh

Keep in mind this is my first straight / shavette, so I knew there would be problems, learning curve etc. My normal and absolute favorite is the Muehle R41 (2014 version, not the old extreme aggressive one), so most of my review is compared to this razor. I've used probably 5 of my favorite various soaps with it. I always do a WTG and then ATG shave with every razor I own.

The Charles is seemingly well made. It has some heft. Uses an injector blade (mine came with Personna blades as part of the entire package from Amazon). In this regard it seems fine.

But then the shave it falls apart. First is that brand new blades seem to give the worst shaves. Again today, installed a new blade, and, again, blood everywhere on my face. Even the usual stuff that is never a problem like cheek and sideburns were nicked. Happens every time with a new blade. Instead of cutting it pulls and seems to get hung up on the hair.

Things improve by the 2nd to 3rd shave. I don't know why but the Charles starts to glide better over my face, the blood goes way down, but it still seems to happen every shave where I need to use the styptic pencil in 3-5 spots. By about shave 5-6 it seems to start struggling again.

In the sweet spot of blade life, things improve to maybe average. But again I never seem to get 100% BBS, particularly on the neck and jawline and chin, whereas the R41 I can get BBS every single spot basically every time I use it. Part of it is the difficulty in getting a straight into these spots, and the awkward way it has to be held to get ATG in these areas. So I'm not sure that can be blamed entirely on the Charles. However the fact it pulls and never glides, no matter how shallow or wide I hold the angle can't be helping this.

And the other issue is razor burn and bumps. Again, the worst is the 1st new blade shave. Entire face is on fire. Neck gets bumps all over it. Again, nothing that ever ever happens on the R41, even when I've pushed the blade way too long. The aftershave sting is pretty brutal.

The other big issue that seems to result in actual pokes or slices in my skin is the edge of the Personna blades are not rounded. They seem to be almost squared off or even a bit beveled, and is not covered by any part of the Charles holding contraption. So these square / beveled edges are basically points on the blade and if you get them directly on the skin anywhere, you can feel it stabs you and draws blood. Or you'll be pulling the blade fine along taut skin along the jawline, but get a tad too close to a corner with the neck, and you get a nice slice right in the neck.

So, overall, I'd probably sell this if anyone would be interested. Frankly, its probably the worst shaving device I think I own. Others I have shave closer, slice right through my beard ATG, are far faster, rarely nick (and never slice) me, and never result in burn or bumps. So the question other than the enjoyment and time and paying attention to the shave is...why bother with the Monsieur Charles? The R41 kicks its tail in every single possible measurement. And there is no joy in time and attention when you get a worse shave with blood all over your face. The R41 requires its own time and attention, but I am rewarded with BBS Every. Single. Time. with almost never more than the tiniest 1 or 2 nicks somewhere that do not require the styptic.

I'm probably willing to try something else like a Parker and hopefully get a better feel if it is just I don't like straight / shavette shaving or if it is the Charles that is more the problem. If that fails then I probably won't move on to true straights as the investment in learning to stop and hone and all that probably won't matter if the Charles and a Parker are bad. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

Monsieur Charles - Would I buy again? No. Will I keep it just for those strange times where I get a straight shave bug? No. Disappointing is probably the best way I can describe it.

NOTE: I'll decide to maybe throw it on buy/sell/trade at some point, but if someone reads this and is dying to give it a whirl, PM me (I don't check the site terribly often but I will get back to you) and we can probably work something out to get it to you.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I have no experience with that one, but I do often use the type of shavette that uses a half DE blade, to good results. The one I favor is the "Magic Razor" brand, sold by Sallys. Incidentally they also have big bottles of Clubman, and Personna blue pack DE blades. That shavette is pretty cheap, so it is feasible to buy a pair, which gives you a place to put both halves of the blade when you snap it in half.

You might want to try your Monsieur Charles shavette with the Chinese Schick blades, often referred to on the forum as Chicks. I definitely prefer the Chicks in my injector razors. You might like them in your shavette.

 

[danbuter]

One thing you should do with any shavette with exposed blade corners is to dull them. Use wood or a smooth stone.

 

[OtterLunacy]

I think Slash has a point about blade choice. In an actual injector I have similar complaints to yours regarding the Personna blades. I have yet to try the Chicks but I would expect them to be a little better. However, I don't know that you'll enjoy DE shavettes. It sounds like getting a BBS is rather important to you--more than the actual device you are using. If that's the case then I doubt you will find anything better than your current shaves with the R41.

Straight razor shaving requires a lot of practice in order to give really good shaves. You'll have to decide whether or not its worth all the effort to you. If you decide to continue, you might want to try one of the shavettes that use longer blades, like the Feather designs. Those are a bit pricey, though certainly well made. I think a few cheaper shavettes use the same blades and there's also the "Chinese Feathers" that have been getting a fair amount of attention lately.

 

[Ice-Man]

A lot of great info guys I started only a few months back using a straight razor, and yes you need more time to shave if I'm in a rush I end up using a DE to save time. Yes I get great results from the straight shave but as said it takes time to get it down to fine art, the Personna blades are very coarse as I use them in a Durham duplex I have seen post where they say stropping the blade or even honing to get a good shave.

 

[BoldSpice]

Feather AC blades fit the Mr C, although part of the blade is hidden inside the razor. ProGuard and SoftGuard blades might be a good, safe way to learn the Mr C.

 

[dmatcuk]

I have never used a shavette of any type, but my friend who got me into straights had started with one. He said that with some blades he actually like to strop his shavette when it was a fresh blade to soften the blade some. Not sure if anyone has experience with that, but if it is too aggressive right out of the package, it may help.

 

[bahomebrew]

With 6 months of shaves at 2 per week, by my calculations you are sitting around the 50 shave mark with your Monsieur Charles. Many people say that 100 is more the magic number when adjusting to straights, though I haven't heard a similar comment about shavettes.

I also have a hard time getting the angles right with a shavette and find the DE's and SE's much more maneuverable, but I have been getting better with shavettes, and can get a close shave though consistency is still an issue and irritation is present when it goes. The cuts have gone way down, so maybe some of the suggestions above could be helpful, like trying different blades.

It's frustrating to devote 6 months to a thing and feel like the results you want are still far away. If you stop now, you know you'll get dynamite shaves from your current setup and there's nothing wrong with that. If you continue, the outcome is less certain and you may be making a similar post another 6 months from now, which would likely be more frustrating. Good luck figuring it all out, and keep reaching out for feedback and support if you feel you need it.