I’ve been lucky enough to have been loaned this razor and used it for a week before I needed to return it (please note that this was not as part of the pass around above).
I loaded a new Voskhod blade with the razor on each occasion I used it as I find these blades tend to give me consistently good shaves.
Here are my conclusions:
1). The Handle
I didn’t get on with the handle at all. It felt very slippery in use and I quickly swapped it out for a Tradere handle.
2). 0.69 Baseplate
This is definitely a mild plate and is very much on a par with a Karve A plate and a Rockwell 6S #2 plate. It is milder (but noticeably smoother) than an ATT M1 plate and, whilst it is not as smooth as the Karve, it is smoother than the Rockwell (which has some noticeable drag). It feels milder than a Feather AS-D2 and is very much in the Wilkinson Sword Sticky realm of mildness.
3). 0.90 Baseplate
I struggled more than I thought I would with this plate. I’d rate it as being equivalent to a Karve D plate (with very similar face feel) and somewhere between a Rockwell #3 and #4 plate in terms of both smoothness and efficiency. It is more efficient than an ATT R1 but, for me, the R1 shaves better. I also found it to be more efficient, but slightly less smooth, than the GC 0.84 plate.
4). 1.18 Baseplate
This has been the biggest surprise for me and has turned out to be the jewel in the crown. I would liken this baseplate in terms of both smoothness and efficiency to a Timeless 0.95. It’s smoother and more efficient than the 0.90 baseplate and out of the SB plates this is definitely the one I found worked best for me.
5). 0.90 OC Baseplate
This plate felt as smooth as the GC 0.84 OC and was noticeably more efficient. It was also smoother than the ATT M2 (however, I found the M2 to be a tad more efficient). I would rate it’s efficiency as being similar to the GC 0.84 Jaws but with significantly less blade feel.
Conclusion:
This is a great razor which is available at a very reasonable price.
I found that I got on with the 0.90 OC and 1.18 baseplates the best and this was something I did not anticipate as I tend to prefer milder razors.
I would not hesitate to recommend this razor and enjoyed using it immensely.
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