The razor and soap arrived last week and I now have five shaves with the razor. Here are some general thoughts:
1. Knurling – Prior to using the razor, I thought this could be an issue as the knurling doesn’t feel “deep”. But I never had any issues with the handle slipping and the knurling certainly does what it is intended to do
2. Head Design – Most GEM style razor heads angle at some point. The Starling angle is more pronounced. Initially, I never thought this could be an issue. But read on and hopefully you’ll understand why I note it here
3. Colors – Obviously, this is a very subjective element. I appreciate the different colors for various levels of aggression. But I prefer solid colors with other markings to identify the levels.
4. Straight Bar – The first 3 shaves were with the SB. Unfortunately, I never had a shave which was better than DFS. And it took a lot of clean-up to get to DFS which then resulted in razor burn for half the day.
5. Open Comb – The first shave with the OC wasn’t any better than the shaves with the SB. Then I had my second shave and during this shave, I concentrated on making sure the angle was “right” throughout the shave. After three passes and light clean-up, I was nearly BBS.
6. The ATG pass on the upper lips – This is my ultimate test for any razor. The Starling performed well throughout all the various shaves. The one area I wasn’t pleased was the smoothness factor. Each pass felt slightly rough…not a big issue, but there was some roughness.
7. Overall - In my opinion, the head design caused me some “confusion”. I’m used to the MMOC and the Bullet-tip and know the angles well on each of those. My “confusion” came in the form of trying to replicate the angles of those two razors. In the end, what worked well for me was opening the angle more as compared to the Bullet-tip. Once I did this and then concentrated on keeping the angle, I was able to get a really great shave. I do wish I had more time to use the razor since it took me too long to figure out what worked well for me. I’m curious as to whether I can get a better shave with the SB now that I have the angle figured out. And, once it is back in stock, chances are good I will pick one up.
8. Bonus – Doppelganger (CK6 soap-base): I used the soap twice and was thoroughly impressed. It doesn’t take much to load on a synthetic brush…maybe 5 seconds. I loaded too much each time and had to add-in more water to get the lather the way I like it. What was truly impressive about the soap was the post-shave feel. I wouldn’t put it in the same tier as Mystic Water, Mike’s, Shannon’s, or Wholly Kaw but definitely just a notch below those soaps. What’s truly impressive though is the fact CK6 is vegan and the others are tallow. Very well done and definitely on my wish-list
Also, if anyone has not signed up to try the razor because they don’t have the GEM-style blades, I am going to put a few blades in the package. Please don’t let the lack of blades prevent you from trying this razor…it really is a good razor
Thank you
CaD314 for the opportunity to try the razor and soap!!!
