Alpha Shaving DE Razor Passaround - Call for Participants

I actually have one of the polished Alpha handles, so I did a quick weight comparison on that vs the matte just to see if there was any difference. Both came in the same at 77grams.

Also took a couple pics with the polished one so folks can take a look at it compared to the pics they've seen with the matte handle. My photo skills aren't good by any means, but I think it looks pretty sharp!

 
 

I hate to stir up a bees nest but I find it very poor that so many pass arounds have been made available to members on DFS and so few are willing to post their experience. If an Artisan is willing to let people try their product for the cost of shipping then any member who signs up should be willing to post their experience whether positive or negative to help other members. If you say you don’t have time then don’t sign up!

agreed all. if you're participating in these pass arounds, please share some feedback, whether good or bad. I ALWAYS tell whatever company is sending the item(s) for us to pass around that I want honest feedback, so some of it might be good and some of it bad...it's really meant to help them dial in their product offering.

the bonus is we all can try a razor for very little cost - $5-$10 to ship it to the next person in line..

Bottom line up front: Good experience with this razor. Shaved with it for five straight days and could definitely use it on a daily basis. Because of a super-sensitive neck, razors in the mid-aggressive and above category can be too much for daily shaving. The Alpha Outlaw was an exception, efficient without causing problems on the lower neck.

Really liked the look of the razor head. Nicely polished and had the look and feel of a premium razor. Used the stock handle (superior grip) once and had good results, but shaved the last four times with a trusty Hempel stainless handle (slightly heavier) and liked it better.

The synthetic brush was excellent. I only use natural hair brushes, but this knot had an impressive combination of softness and backbone. The handle is one of the best in the business and I have a couple of knots I wish were in that handle.

The razor had by far the loudest feedback of any that I've used. One definitely knows when it's cutting most efficiently. Found it most effective with a normal cutting angle, but also used it with a steep angle under the nose and had good results.

To compare the Outlaw head to the older Executive Shaving Braveheart head, the Outlaw head is noticeably smoother and less likely to bite, while at least equally efficient. Can't get more specific comparing efficiency because it's been a while since I sold the Braveheart head.

IMHO Alpha and Executive Shaving have a winner in the Outlaw razor. Personally, I'm going to wait and check out the forthcoming milder plate before making a purchase decision, but may wind up with both.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Razor went on a little side trip, but finally arrived yesterday evening. I will use for first shave tomorrow.

CC: velohammer

I have the M/Mild plate in stock now...

Ok so I got in a handful of shaves with the Alpha brush and razor. Thoughts about the brush:

I wasn’t expecting to like the handle type, I face lather and in looking at it the shape didn’t seem like it would be great for that ergonomically. I was pleasantly surprised though, I sat the base of the brush against what’s basically the bottom of my pointer finger and ended up with a very comfortable grip around the top of the handle. One thing I accidentally discovered is that the handle seems to conduct heat! Before one of my shaves I dunked the brush and ended up getting stuck on a phone call for a bit, and when I came back the handle was warm from the part that had been submerged in the warm water. I wasn’t expecting that and could see it being a pleasant feature in colder months.
The knot itself was really impressive, I haven’t used a G4 knot before but I like it. Of the synths I’ve tried I think its most similar to the Simpson Trafalgar synth, in that it has backbone and doesn’t want to splay easily and I really like the painting action. The G4 knot has a much nicer feel though, the Trafalgar knot does have a pretty synthetic/plasticy type of feel when you are touching the outside of the knot, the G4 is much silkier and luxurious feeling (as synths go). I really like the characteristics of the knot, loads and builds lather like a champ with a great face feel and doesn’t have the whippiness and lather flinging of the lower quality knots.

On to the razor. Definitely a solid piece, when you’re holding it there is good heft without feeling heavy or bulky, and it seems very well balanced. I really enjoy the handle length and grip, it sits comfortably in my hand with the way I like to hold the razor and the knurling provides great grip without being overly sharp or rough.  I used a Nacet as the blade for my shaves. You definitely get a lot of audible feedback, its not a silent shave by any means. It gives a very efficient shave, and when I would go through my standard 2 passes I didn’t experience any chafing or blade rash. I have fairly sensitive skin under my jawline, so with mild razors I’ll usually do some light buffing but I don’t get too aggressive in trying to go for a true BBS. I did some buffing a couple times with the Alpha and ended up with some irritation afterwards, so shavers with sensitive skin would probably want to make sure to utilize a light touch and watch your pressure/blade angle. I didn’t experience noticeable blade feel during my shaves, other than around my chin (which seemed odd, but the only spot I specifically noticed it). With my skin type I'm not sure that I would use this as a daily driver, but I don't think its so aggressive that I would avoid using it every other day. 

I think Steve did a really good job with this razor, the performance and the finishing are impressive. I appreciate him being willing send these out for the 2 passarounds.
Vlasta , this is kindof random but do you have any thoughts on the use of washers between handle and baseplate? I've seen a couple razor makers speak/post strongly against them, wanted to see if you had and specific thoughts either way.

I've pinged CzechCzar to get his info to send these along.

Many thanks for this feedback. Great and thanks again.

Washers? I don't use them and see little point in using them unless you are prone to over tightening. I am a Naked Razor User. I understand some think that it prevents damage to the underside of the plate - I say "so what" its a part of the razor no one ever see and its stainless steel - a light scratch here and there is going to make no difference whatsoever and unless you are planing to resell no one should be bothered about it.

OK, I am ready for the "naked razor haters" - come on, tell me why using a washer will save me from Armageddon...

Many thanks for this feedback. Great and thanks again.

Washers? I don't use them and see little point in using them unless you are prone to over tightening. I am a Naked Razor User. I understand some think that it prevents damage to the underside of the plate - I say "so what" its a part of the razor no one ever see and its stainless steel - a light scratch here and there is going to make no difference whatsoever and unless you are planing to resell no one should be bothered about it.

OK, I am ready for the "naked razor haters" - come on, tell me why using a washer will save me from Armageddon...

Naked Razor Users unite!
To that point, one thing that I do like about the design of the Outlaw head is the underside of the baseplate having the recessed inlet where the handle snugs up to (there's probably a much better phrase for it that I'm not coming up with while sipping on my negroni). Makes it to where you're not really seeing any potential marks from when the handle is tightened up, for anyone that might be concerned about that from a looks standpoint.

Many thanks for this feedback. Great and thanks again.

Washers? I don't use them and see little point in using them unless you are prone to over tightening. I am a Naked Razor User. I understand some think that it prevents damage to the underside of the plate - I say "so what" its a part of the razor no one ever see and its stainless steel - a light scratch here and there is going to make no difference whatsoever and unless you are planing to resell no one should be bothered about it.

OK, I am ready for the "naked razor haters" - come on, tell me why using a washer will save me from Armageddon...

Naked Razor Users unite!
To that point, one thing that I do like about the design of the Outlaw head is the underside of the baseplate having the recessed inlet where the handle snugs up to (there's probably a much better phrase for it that I'm not coming up with while sipping on my negroni). Makes it to where you're not really seeing any potential marks from when the handle is tightened up, for anyone that might be concerned about that from a looks standpoint.

Negroni - my favorite cocktail and a classic. The mark of a great bartender is a nicely mixed Negroni!!!