Lambda razors

It’s about time that I posted my thoughts about the Lambda Ares v2. I was fortunate enough to get one from the recent batch, and I was already a big fan of the Athena (which gets better and better as I have learned to optimize the angle).



In a nutshell, I find the Ares to be highly efficient, and even more efficient than the Athena. It still feels mild-medium aggression in use, and it is very gentle to my skin. So I’d term it a mild razor with top level efficiency. I get very easy, quick and consistent BBS shaves and the shaves last as long for me as any razor has ever achieved. Like the Athena, there is no blade feel at all with the Ares v2, but it gives a ton of feedback. The most significant differences between the Athena and Ares, for me, are the feel of the different combs (Athena hybrid comb adds a bit more smoothness) and, while the Athena is very efficient the Ares is a bit more efficient. I also find the handle on the Ares a little more slippery if it gets soap on it, but it’s not slippery for me if it is just wet.

Do I like the Ares v2 or the Athena more? At the moment the Athena shades it very slightly for me - it is plenty efficient and the solid / hybrid bar makes it feel a little smoother (though both seem equally gentle to my skin - it is only a difference in feel). And the Athena shoots water from the sides, which is still not growing old for me. But I’m starting to feel that these are my top two razors.

These are really interesting razors, and very differently engineered to anything else. I want to work out what is happening, and how a razor like the Ares, with zero blade exposure and only 0.3mm blade gap, can be approximately as efficient as my Rocnel Sailor or Wolfman WR2 1.55, and how it can yield shaves that sometimes last even longer than those razors.

I’ve asked Theo what he thinks causes the efficiency (and he admits he was surprised that the Ares v2 is just as efficient as the v1, despite changing it from positive to zero blade exposure). He attributes it to the comb / safety bar together with the high blade curvature and shallow angle that the blade is presented to the skin. My experience suggests that the extremely close clamping of the blade (just 0.55mm from the blade edge) has a significant effect too, especially against the grain. I think these factors in combination result in a blade edge that is shallow to the skin, slicing (not scraping) at the base of the hair without any deflection or waviness, and the cutting gap is effectively extended by the gaps in the open comb, or the slots in the Athena safety bar. I suspect that the very long-lasting shaves I can get from the Ares are also due to the blade angle and rigidity - efficiency is not necessarily the same as longevity, and if the razor cuts hair more evenly and flat to the skin then, intuitively, it should feel smooth for longer than a razor that is cutting at an angle or cutting hairs unevenly (even when they both are BBS after the shave).

The outcome appears to be that the razor head derives its efficiency from blade angle, rigidity, and safety bar design - not from blade exposure or blade gap. And, since a high blade exposure and blade gap tends to increase aggression and skin irritation, this approach to razor design seems superior to me. You get all the efficiency without any of the harshness that other highly efficient razors have. You can have your cake AND eat it. This is a marvellous razor.

By the way, I asked Theo about the Ares v1 and he said the small amount of positive blade exposure (0.06mm), in combination with the other design elements, made the razor too much for many users (similar to some comments early in this thread). He said that more experienced shavers who are used to blade feel were fine with it, but others with less experience or who liked milder razors were not. As I mentioned in my post above, he says the Ares v2 is surprisingly just as efficient as the v1, without the blade exposure. I think when you add some blade exposure on top of the comb, and blade curvature, angle and clamping the Ares has, you get a razor that is a lot more aggressive than you would think.

Theo did say that he might someday do a one-off limited run of the Ares v1, and I asked him to let me know if and when he plans it, since I and some others here would be interested (I won’t forget you if it happens, LOOT). But for general production, with the characteristics of his razor designs, Theo plans to make only zero exposure razors since they work well for both new and experienced shavers.

Thank you sir for the very descriptive and informative impression of the Ares. Very helpful!

How are these two razors working out for guys with them?

How are these two razors working out for guys with them?

Still fantastic for me. I have both the Athena and Ares v2 and I am still surprised how efficient and gentle they are every time I use them. I just get perfect shaves, easily, with no drama or aftershave sting. These razors are a hell of a bargain compared to any other razor that is of comparable quality - and that’s ignoring the beautiful mahogany box that Lambda supplies with their razors.

I found they gave me excellent shaves every time, but when I learned to optimise the angle (I’d say neutral) and listened for where the feedback is loudest, they really cut very close indeed - so my shaves got even better after a few uses. With the Ares v2 I’ve had some shaves that lasted longer than I’ve achieved with anything else, and I think it must be to do with the high curvature and rigidity of the blade, and the shallow angle the blade edge slices the base of the hair.

It’s amazing that these razors are so efficient with zero blade exposure and around 0.3mm blade gap, and I have tried to understand better how this design works so well. I think with this design there is no need for blade gap or exposure. The blade edge sits near parallel over the top of the comb and slices as the hair and skin bulge into the slots in the safety bar (Athena) or open comb gaps (Ares). You could think of it as a variable blade gap - between 0.3mm and the length of the slots in the bar. And the blade seems to be clamped all the way along the comb, extremely close to the edge, so the blade is not deflected when it hits stubble. It’s a very interesting and effective design, and I think I can can see why the Ares v1 could feel quite fierce with just a small positive blade exposure, and why that exposure isn’t required to make the razor efficient.

I find it hard to choose a preference between the two razors. My sense is that, overall, on average, the Ares is a bit more efficient, and the Athena solid bar feels a little smoother (just from the different feel of the Ares open comb, but I don’t think the Ares is actually less gentle). But both are efficient and very gentle on my rather soft skin. Whenever I decide I like one better I will have a shave with the other and it impresses me so much that I don’t know any more which one is better. The Athena shoots water from the sides, so there’s that.

By the way, the colour of the Lambda aluminium nickel bronze alloy is very close to the Wolfman C954 Bronze, so if you have a bronze polished Wolfman you can swap handles around for a different look and weight balance.

That's great to hear that they are both such shavers.
   Since I'm shaving every day without off days skin recuperating is coming into play more it seems.
 It is amazing how the relatively narrow gap can be so efficient. 
 Im eager to try one or the other and patiently waiting on the list.

keto send me the razors to test before I buy. Everything about these razors is superb. I am in the waitlist, and will order both.
I felt more aggressive when I used the Ares V2 baseplate and Athena top cap. Is this the first version of Ares?
Did he redesign the top cap to make it more curved?

The Ares V2 doesn’t get enough recognition for what a great shaver it is - a marvel how it can be so efficient and comfortable with the minimal gap and exposure. 

Tremendous shaver and work of engineering

My 2023 Ares v2 is sitting in customs half hour from my house. Sold my original because it was too aggressive for me at the time. I’ve grown fond of aggressive razors in the past few years so I’m eager to try it out again even with the “reduced aggresion” Theo is a hell of an artisan and good guy.

My 2023 Ares v2 is sitting in customs half hour from my house.  Sold my original because it was too aggressive for me at the time.  I’ve grown fond of aggressive razors in the past few years so I’m eager to try it out again even with the “reduced aggresion”  Theo is a hell of an artisan and good guy.

My 2023 Ares v2 is headed my way as well. I’m excited to compare it to my 2023 Athena. I love a good OC.