Professor Flanders's Journal of Nerdy Observations and silly camaraderie
- Thread starter Flanders
- Start date
He’s on it, Herr Guido.
- Thread starter
- #2,443
Thom, I can't talk about my robotic shaving device while I am still waiting on the patents!
(yes, it involves paintball tanks and pneumatic cylinders and...)
My first razor, the Claymore Evolution (as you no doubt know), was very handle heavy.... I adjust to it and was getting decent shaves... But as most of you who read the journals know, I copied David's (@never-stop-learning )Ti Crown handles from his posts in various threads, including his journal, and bought one... That changed everything for me... All my razors are set up for the balance to be tilted toward the razor head.... That does that "let the razor do the work" thingie.
I haven't had good luck with a complete titanium razor either... too light... But the experiments I did along with Mark (@BigAlVista ) over the summer with Timeless razors proved successful... Theo is going to make me a titanium Athena and include a marine bronze cap so I can play around with the balance. I haven't looked at the specs on the titanium Athena.... I wonder what it weighs in comparison to the Timeless Ti 0.68OC in full titanium... The information isn't available on the Lambda website... but I'm sure someone will weigh theirs.. or it could be posted somewhere.
I haven't had good luck with a complete titanium razor either... too light... But the experiments I did along with Mark (@BigAlVista ) over the summer with Timeless razors proved successful... Theo is going to make me a titanium Athena and include a marine bronze cap so I can play around with the balance. I haven't looked at the specs on the titanium Athena.... I wonder what it weighs in comparison to the Timeless Ti 0.68OC in full titanium... The information isn't available on the Lambda website... but I'm sure someone will weigh theirs.. or it could be posted somewhere.
- Thread starter
- #2,445
Just based on the material density difference, the Tithena will weigh about 58g. Most Timeless configurations are about 65g.
Wait a minute, that is based on the information on Lambda's website, I thought the Athena was around 140g? That would make the Tithena 88g which would be interesting. So, somewhere between those two numbers.
Just got home and inspected the GS. Wow, yeah. It's heavy. Hope I don't drop it on my foot.
Thank you, my friend. I still love using the Claymore Evolution - Timeless Crown TRH8 Ti Handle - Feather Pro Super blade combination.
Razor Weight: 105gr
Lambda Athena - Lambda Razors
The Iconic Silhouette Athena is the second model released by Lambda Razors in 2021 leaving an impact in the traditional shaving scene. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, so you would expect this razor to be clever in design and features. It's a closed comb head design that featues a very...
lambda-razors.com
- Thread starter
- #2,449
I saw that, but I thought somebody who owned one posted that it was heavier than that, I remember the handle being 80 something grams...Razor Weight: 105gr
Lambda Athena - Lambda Razors
The Iconic Silhouette Athena is the second model released by Lambda Razors in 2021 leaving an impact in the traditional shaving scene. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, so you would expect this razor to be clever in design and features. It's a closed comb head design that featues a very...lambda-razors.com
Edit:
Lambda Athena Titanium (Ti)
After the first few shaves with my bronze Athena, I already knew that I wanted to have such a razor made of the strongest material used for this type of tool. Although I didn't want to get on pesky waiting lists, there was no other way. So I contacted the engineer and owner of the brand asking...
www.badgerandblade.com
I just weighed my bronze Athena = 119g
I can weigh mine when it arrives in 2029!
- Thread starter
- #2,452
While I'm here, can I post about my shave with the Shield DE3?
This is still a weird razor for me and it is still mostly uncomfortable in use. And this is the day after using the R41GS in case one thinks I can't handle aggressive razors. I also have some thoughts about milder razors being more effective and the move that direction in general.
I have examined the Shield carefully and I can't help but conclude that it is very similar to the Blackland Era that I owned and sent back; the blade geometry, low profile head, etc. I would really love to know for sure how close this is to a WR2; the gap and exposure are nearly identical for the 1.15 and everything else looks very close. I am sure the Wolfman is somehow smoother, but I don't see how. This is a lot closer than the DSC Axe that has a huge gap and barely positive exposure, that's why I finally went for this one. The blade reveal on this one is more than I would care for and it definitely is noisy, how much that affects the shave I am not sure.
This is an efficient razor, just below the Blackbird so it's got that part right. It also gave me a more even shave than the GS, I have more to say about this later. I tried various different shave directions and angles and eventually came to the conclusion that this one must be used either very steep or very shallow and not in between. Pivoting off the safety bar and listening for the blade just pinging off the stubble and I can keep this thing tamed. This is not an option for my lower neck where I have to put it on its cap and carefully buff without much feedback to guide me. More important is eliminating shaving directions that cause the discomfort; strangely ATG is better on my jaw than XTG and I won't be doing that any further. Normally this risks ripping the hairs out and sending the blade into my skin, but floating off the safety bar allows this. This is not a casual nor predictable razor.
I wish I hadn't done as much experimentation as I had because my face paid the price for it with a FIS of 5; pink inflamed skin, but little AS feedback. This razor requires a careful strategy and no excess strokes. This is a similar closeness to what I get with the Aylsworth+ and an Astor, but that delivers a comfortable FIS 3. This is a little closer than the Lite Bird, but I still haven't found the right blade for that one. It's also pretty comparable with the Nodachi which I find much easier and more comfortable to use. When people say that the Nodachi has too much blade reveal, they need to compare it to this one because the noise difference alone will tell you what you need to know. This is one of the faults of the Lupo razors too and some of the older ATT razors, it used to be more common than not. This isn't really an aggressive enough razor to use for 1.5 pass shaves I don't think, but maybe.
By comparison, the R41 is tame and easy going yet it feels more intense, like the Blackbird, in use. The Shield just feels stingy. I really think the R41 has less blade exposure and it certainly has less gap and less blade reveal. When I get patchy shaves that are otherwise super smooth, it's those tough areas that nothing but blade exposure will handle. I do think there are work arounds now, at least with the R41. Part of the problem that I am having, and haven't solved yet, is that the R41 is best neutral to slightly steep. I did try shallow and the blade actually disengages some amount, maybe it's the blade reveal? The way to solve this is to hit the offending area at a different angle next time, but I had already used up my supply of excess strokes at that point.
This is where I get philosophical about the fine line that produces the highest efficiency with the lowest impact. I have a feeling that the R41 is doing something similar to the Lambda razors where the skin gets closer to the blade instead of the blade reaching out for the stubble. I also think that this intense feeling is partly a byproduct of a suction effect and I think this is where the magic is. The R41 has enough blade exposure that it can keep moving, maybe the suction is being formed and dissipated rapidly? Some other razors with neutral exposure have been known to have this mysterious characteristic of delivering a closer than expected shave, but the suction is stronger and inhibits the razor from moving through the stubble(which annoys a number of people). I am just throwing thoughts out there, I am not certain what is going on nor how to describe it.
What I feel more confident about is that the R41 is mild enough to actually use a neutral angle with both the bar and the cap at least partly engaged. And this is where I think the optimum aggression for a razor is. The confusing part is that the Blackbird behaves the same way, but it achieves it a different way. In spite of its massive blade exposure, the blade can flex like a leaf spring to contour to the face when different angles are selected. Put another way, I still don't think strictly neutral exposure razors work optimally and I only have one that I like to use. I think that what matters is the ability to select a neutral angle for maximum closeness and this is dependent on the razor design as a whole rather than a strict exposure measurement. The R41 really surprised me in a good way and it is making me think a lot about what I think I know. I think the combination of an optimum angle and either light suction, or whatever is pulling the skin closer to the blade, is producing the amazing results that the R41 delivers not some huge blade exposure. It's interesting to look at some of the historic razors that inspired modern razors like the Athena and wonder how much they actually knew what they were doing or whether they somewhat accidentally created a combination of features that multiplied instead of just adding up.
I am looking forward to trying to figure the Onelade out again after reading some instructions on their website, it will make for a good every other day mild shave. It sounds like I need to use a similar technique that I figured out with the Proof razor, but I just haven't been able to get there yet.
This is still a weird razor for me and it is still mostly uncomfortable in use. And this is the day after using the R41GS in case one thinks I can't handle aggressive razors. I also have some thoughts about milder razors being more effective and the move that direction in general.
I have examined the Shield carefully and I can't help but conclude that it is very similar to the Blackland Era that I owned and sent back; the blade geometry, low profile head, etc. I would really love to know for sure how close this is to a WR2; the gap and exposure are nearly identical for the 1.15 and everything else looks very close. I am sure the Wolfman is somehow smoother, but I don't see how. This is a lot closer than the DSC Axe that has a huge gap and barely positive exposure, that's why I finally went for this one. The blade reveal on this one is more than I would care for and it definitely is noisy, how much that affects the shave I am not sure.
This is an efficient razor, just below the Blackbird so it's got that part right. It also gave me a more even shave than the GS, I have more to say about this later. I tried various different shave directions and angles and eventually came to the conclusion that this one must be used either very steep or very shallow and not in between. Pivoting off the safety bar and listening for the blade just pinging off the stubble and I can keep this thing tamed. This is not an option for my lower neck where I have to put it on its cap and carefully buff without much feedback to guide me. More important is eliminating shaving directions that cause the discomfort; strangely ATG is better on my jaw than XTG and I won't be doing that any further. Normally this risks ripping the hairs out and sending the blade into my skin, but floating off the safety bar allows this. This is not a casual nor predictable razor.
I wish I hadn't done as much experimentation as I had because my face paid the price for it with a FIS of 5; pink inflamed skin, but little AS feedback. This razor requires a careful strategy and no excess strokes. This is a similar closeness to what I get with the Aylsworth+ and an Astor, but that delivers a comfortable FIS 3. This is a little closer than the Lite Bird, but I still haven't found the right blade for that one. It's also pretty comparable with the Nodachi which I find much easier and more comfortable to use. When people say that the Nodachi has too much blade reveal, they need to compare it to this one because the noise difference alone will tell you what you need to know. This is one of the faults of the Lupo razors too and some of the older ATT razors, it used to be more common than not. This isn't really an aggressive enough razor to use for 1.5 pass shaves I don't think, but maybe.
By comparison, the R41 is tame and easy going yet it feels more intense, like the Blackbird, in use. The Shield just feels stingy. I really think the R41 has less blade exposure and it certainly has less gap and less blade reveal. When I get patchy shaves that are otherwise super smooth, it's those tough areas that nothing but blade exposure will handle. I do think there are work arounds now, at least with the R41. Part of the problem that I am having, and haven't solved yet, is that the R41 is best neutral to slightly steep. I did try shallow and the blade actually disengages some amount, maybe it's the blade reveal? The way to solve this is to hit the offending area at a different angle next time, but I had already used up my supply of excess strokes at that point.
This is where I get philosophical about the fine line that produces the highest efficiency with the lowest impact. I have a feeling that the R41 is doing something similar to the Lambda razors where the skin gets closer to the blade instead of the blade reaching out for the stubble. I also think that this intense feeling is partly a byproduct of a suction effect and I think this is where the magic is. The R41 has enough blade exposure that it can keep moving, maybe the suction is being formed and dissipated rapidly? Some other razors with neutral exposure have been known to have this mysterious characteristic of delivering a closer than expected shave, but the suction is stronger and inhibits the razor from moving through the stubble(which annoys a number of people). I am just throwing thoughts out there, I am not certain what is going on nor how to describe it.
What I feel more confident about is that the R41 is mild enough to actually use a neutral angle with both the bar and the cap at least partly engaged. And this is where I think the optimum aggression for a razor is. The confusing part is that the Blackbird behaves the same way, but it achieves it a different way. In spite of its massive blade exposure, the blade can flex like a leaf spring to contour to the face when different angles are selected. Put another way, I still don't think strictly neutral exposure razors work optimally and I only have one that I like to use. I think that what matters is the ability to select a neutral angle for maximum closeness and this is dependent on the razor design as a whole rather than a strict exposure measurement. The R41 really surprised me in a good way and it is making me think a lot about what I think I know. I think the combination of an optimum angle and either light suction, or whatever is pulling the skin closer to the blade, is producing the amazing results that the R41 delivers not some huge blade exposure. It's interesting to look at some of the historic razors that inspired modern razors like the Athena and wonder how much they actually knew what they were doing or whether they somewhat accidentally created a combination of features that multiplied instead of just adding up.
I am looking forward to trying to figure the Onelade out again after reading some instructions on their website, it will make for a good every other day mild shave. It sounds like I need to use a similar technique that I figured out with the Proof razor, but I just haven't been able to get there yet.
You know how I figured out the OneBlade?
Ignoring the instructions they provide!
The only part I followed was step #1 which is where (at what angle) you place the head to start with.
From there I left the handle at the same exact angle throughout the whole stroke from cheek on down to my neck.
By doing that, I allowed the head to swivel as it should (which you won't even notice it doing it's job because it seems stiff).
And counterintuitively to what we do with DE's, you do need to apply some pressure with the OneBlade. That will help it cut
and will counteract the chatter that it naturally has (even though it's actually minimal because of the super rigid blade).
They call it a "Floating blade system" which is their modern day marketing term for blade chatter!!
We enthusiast know this, the average Joe shaver doesn't!
And lastly, use long strokes with this razor. It doesn't do good (for me) using short strokes.
Give it a shot & report back!
Good luck!
