New CORE razor from OneBlade

The only problem with that argument is that you don't have to be careful with those razors that you mentioned.

Like China cares about patents LMAO.  Look at the $10 Futur clone for a quick reference, or Ping golf clubs, or whatever else they can copy without penalty.  And people will buy it.  Anything that is cheap.  It's why people shop at Walmart with their store items being from there.  Nobody cares, and yes it is sad, but it is true.

US and EU retailers care and I doubt would be offering the Mingshi were the Futur still patent protected. It does matter, it's why people obtain patents. Whether it matters to a Chinese manufacturer obviously depends on the target market.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

The internet makes it easy to buy anything from anywhere. Most people don't give a rats arse about patents when buying off of the internet from China. Just ask the NFL official jersey folks and Roger Goodell at the head office in NYC.

This has been quite a controversial rollout of a razor. I am happy for those that received a functioning product. From everything that I have read here and elsewhere, I am beginning to suspect that there are a few shills out there. I am just happy that this debacle only cost me about $10. Lesson learned.

With a modified angle I am now getting great shaves; and with a Feather blade no less. There really could be something to this "floating blade" technology if I'm able to use a Feather blade regularly. Now to see how long a Feather blade will last for me and then to revisit the GEM blade using the new shave angle.

SharpSpine, what do you mean by floating blade technology? Also, please report back when you can make a call regarding whether the GEM works.

primotenore , The controversy about the Core pales in comparison to what we have seen from the OneBlade folks in the past. While I would like to see this razor do well, I certainly wouldn't bet on it.

EFDan, you are correct about not having to be careful with the other razor. My hope is that this razor could bring more people to classic shaving, which would benefit all of us. Having said that, there are three things in line with your point. First, the GEM blades have to be de-spined. While it is really easy, I personally refused to do it for a long time, my thinking being, "why should have have to tinker with the blade to get a reasonable cost?"

It was easy once I gave in and tried it, though many won't want to do that. As well, folks have to make sure the blade is straight as well as not force it into the blade stops.

Pete123 in the v2 of the stainless model, they touted a 'floating blade' technology. I have the original v1, and when the blade is inserted, there's no give at all-it's locked in. With the CORE, there's some give to the blade from the back to the front of the razor, and a tiny bit from side to side. I actually thought it was a bad idea, and wouldn't buy the v2 for that very reason. Now, seeing how good the shave is with the CORE and a steeper angle, I'm wondering, like SharpSpine, whether this added to the closeness and comfort of the shave.

I must admit, I'm a bit surprised to see some of the vitriolic comments about this razor in the various fora. I'm well aware of the customer service issues some have had-most notably Andrew's-and the fact that they sent out some defective razors is awful. However, they give a 30-day money back guarantee. Grab the razor, shave with it for a couple of weeks, like it, keep it, hate it, return it.

There are other $50 razors I have with which I can get an excellent shave-the Rockwell 6C, the Mühle R41, the Fatip, are three that come to mind. But, like many here, I'm an experienced shaver. Put an R41 in the hands of an inexperienced or newbie wet shaver, and the results are likely to be uncomfortable. Perhaps enough to put that person off on the whole wet shaving process. Put one of these OneBlades in their hands, and they'll get a decent shave, because it's not technique dependent.

I guess it's a good thing overall for wet shaving. I'm not sure how many people out there treat shaving as a hobby, and could give a hoot about technique, blade gaps, angles, etc. etc. For them it's a chore to be gotten over and completed. I can see this razor as an affordable way to get the single-blade wet shaving experience without much fuss. And perhaps that will pique their curiosity and they'll become involved in the hobby we all enjoy so much.

This is the third shave with the Core. I did alter my approach with less pressure and moving the handle more parallel to my face and let the pivot on the razor find the correct angle. Thanks Michael P for posting the tip. I have also found that the Core does not do well with a thick lather. The razor works best for me with a thinner slicker lather. This is really not much different than some of my artist club razors. Three passes and minimal touch ups ended in my a near perfect BBS. The results mirror the results of my other razors but without any real thought or attention to technique and skill. For this reason, I will certainly reach for this razor for future road trips.

I think much of the issues with the release can be traced to poor quality control with non working razors being delivered to customers. (I did have the one cosmic issue where the molds were cut.) I discarded the Feather after today's shave since it just seemed tired by the end of the three shaves. After confirming a Gem with the spline removed will fit, I will try a shave with a Gem blade in the future. However, I am satisfied with the Feather and see no need in rushing to make the razor use a blade it was not designed around.

For the record, I ordered and paid for the razor just like any regular customer. So no shilling here. I am hopeful OneBlade will clean up the manufacturing process correcting the cosmetic issues and improve quality control. The Core will not replace my nicer razors but it does have me considering purchasing a Genesis model. Overall I am a pleased with my purchase and yes I would buy the Core again.

Pete123, here's the info on their floating blade technology. I copied the text from their website article titled "The OneBlade Razor "2.0" Changelog".

"Update #1: Incorporating an “Active Floating Blade Approach System”

The main finding from our latest round of R & D was that by changing our blade latching system from our original design whereby the blade, once latched into place, was restricted from moving in any direction relative to the razor — to a completely opposite design approach whereby the blade, once latched, is still able to move in all three dimensions (side to side, up and down, back and forth)— could equate to an overall improved shaving experience.

Achieving this motion allowance meant that we had to figure out how to not only allow the blade to float in all three dimensions but to simultaneously ensure that the relationship between the critical measures of blade angle, blade exposure, and blade gap were consistently maintained (in harmony) throughout the shaving experience.

Ultimately we were successful in our goal by slightly expanding the blade insertion area and by adding a longitudinal pivot point approximately half way back from the cutting edge of the blade which allows the blade edge to rock up and down during the shaving process.

This innovation is the creation of our patent-pending “Active Floating Blade Approach System” (AFBAS).

Through user-testing, we found that AFBAS affected a significant increase in the comfort and the effectiveness of the shaving experience with our OneBlade Razor, including a significant improvement in the ‘Forgiveness’ aspect of our razor.  So, in addition to the extraordinary ‘Forgiveness’ that comes from the pivoting head design of our razor, our AFBAS innovation gives us substantially increased ability to overcome many of the typical user errors as well as deal with the extreme differences in skin topography and skin types of our users.  We know that the comfort level experienced during shaving along with being able to avoid nicks or cuts are key drivers in overall customer satisfaction.

In essence, we have increased the mildness of our razor while increasing the efficiency and closeness of the shave - no other single edge or double edge razor can make this claim"

Fourth Shave with the core
Used the feather blade fourth time in a row. I think I can get one or two more shaves out of this blade, but let's see.

All I can say is that I am really glad I didn't get rid of the razor without trying. And I was too quick to judge this razor. After my fourth shave, I have 0 issues with this razor.

I have also found that the Core does not do well with a thick lather.  The razor works best for me with a thinner slicker lather.

My thoughts exactly. Not thick creamy lather, but super slick thin lather (the kind I usually use for straight razors).

After reading some posts here, I felt persuaded to give this a chance. My Core has no defects, but you can see a rough spot on the back of the head, as others have mentioned. Absent of that, it feels very nice. It's hefty and doesn't feel cheap to me.

The shaving experience was surprising. I have not tried the Genesis, but I do get good shaves from cartridges, particularly the Feather MR3 Neo. This felt just as safe, and I was able to shave around my Adam's apple area better than with any other razor. I did not have any issues with the balance of the razor. I don't feel like I was "riding the pivot," so perhaps next shave will be even better.