Razorock Hawk V3

I grabbed the standard Hawk plate and I really wish I got the A plate instead. Now I guess I have to wait until IB release the plates separately for purchase.

I tried both a Kai pro touch and a Feather super pro and I could not get an acceptable shave after my usual three passes. I like the feel of the razor and I tried every angle possible but I just couldn’t knock down all of my stubble without extra buffing that left my face pretty sore.

I grabbed the standard Hawk plate and I really wish I got the A plate instead. Now I guess I have to wait until IB release the plates separately for purchase.

I tried both a Kai pro touch and a Feather super pro and I could not get an acceptable shave after my usual three passes. I like the feel of the razor and I tried every angle possible but I just couldn’t knock down all of my stubble without extra buffing that left my face pretty sore.

The A plate is fantastic! Here it is with a Feather Super blade

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-sotd-26...#pid321527

I just bought a RazoRock SS Hawk V3 with the A plate, from a gentleman on this forum, and I am very impressed.  I think it might be the best shaver,
of all the AC SE razors that I have used.  That would include the Mongoose, AlummiGoose 1 and 2, Classic Cobra, The General V1, iKon El Jefe, Enoch razor, and the Blackland Vector.  This razor works fine for me with a Feather AC Professional blade.  All the others required a Pro Super blade for me to get a clean shave in 1 pass.  Nonetheless I wouldn't call this an aggressive razor, but a razor that excels in both smoothness and efficiency. 
By contrast the Blackland Vector (which is a much cooler design) does not give me as good a shave and has a harsh face feel, and for a lot more money.  I suggested to Shane that he might consider another iteration of the shaving geometry, but my suggestion fell on deaf ears.  So in my opinion, at this time, the RazoRock SS Hawk V3 SB A plate, is the best of the AC SE razors.  But that may change as invention and innovation proceed apace.

IB has the V3-A w/Super Knurl as of this writing. Me says "what the hell" so, I purchased it along with a couple of items to get free shipping. We'll see how it goes. Overall, the reports have been quite favorable.

Is there any gap or exposure info on the v3 A head?

Finally got to try out the Hawk V3-A after using a couple others razors for a few days, especially the Stirling prototypes. Anyways, loaded up a Schick Proline and went to work on 2 days worth of facial hair growth. I also changed out the handle that it came with, the Super Knurl and installed the 2 piece Halo handle. I love the Super Knurl but, I felt that the 2pc. Halo actually offered a bit more balance while still keeping a good feel and grip in the hands. My first impression is that it’s not an aggressive razor nor blade forward feeling. Not an intimidating shave by any stretch of the imagination. I will say that it is a smooth and yet efficient feeling shaver that produced a great shave. I still felt it towards the milder side but, it can cut and it cuts comfortably and decisively well. The Proline is about as smooth a blade that can be used in the AC realm. A good blade for trying out an unknown razor and just for one to get their footing and establish a base point on how a particular shaver feels. Then one can go from there with a different blade and search for the right combo that works. I’ll get a couple more shaves in with the Proline before making a switch and see if I can play with angles a bit to find some extra hidden efficiency or blade feel that can help in finding the optimum cutting angle.

No Wow factor or shocking revalation nor does it have to Illicit any of those emotions from one to determine if it’s a dealer or a klunker. I won’t say anything until I run through some shaves and some blades through it. Looks good, feels good and shaves good. We’ve set a base and I’ll go from there.

Happy shaves...

I'll throw my 2 cents in the ring having used all 3 versions of the V3 Hawk.

V3 standard plate is mild, only razor in the AC injector realm I can compare it to is the Colonial General which I have a V1 aluminum model. They are about the same in mildness but the Colonial is much more efficient than the V3.

V3-A is a misnomer, this is not an aggressive plate and is not an apples to apples revision on the V3 standard plate. If you look at both plates they are not the same length. That affects where the blade crosses the shave plane on each razor. So even though it does have more of a blade gap that change in plate length in essence decreases how much blade you can get on the face compared to the V3 standard plate. It feels more aggressive but still on the mild side and doesn't perform much better.

V3-OC is by far the most aggressive of the 3 and the only one that can hang with the big boy aggressive razors. It is also the best performer of the 3 but will bite you if you aren't careful unlike the other 2 V3 Hawk plates. If you like an aggressive AC injector the V3-OC is by far one of the best values out there retailing at $59.99 as of the date of this posting. You won't find many AC injectors let alone ones made completely out of stainless steel in the sub $100 realm or this aggressive either.

I will also add the razors are blade dependent. I had gotten okay and good results depending the razor using Proline P-30 blades and good and excellent results once I switched over to the Feather Professional blades. I also know of people who find the less sharp blades better than ones like Feathers also. If you are new to AC injectors I would recommend buying a sampler pack from tryablade.com to dial in which blade works best for you with you razor before buying a larger quantities. I'd also like to add that the reason I recommend tryablade is they are the only vendor I know of that offers a sampler option for AC injector blades.

As of today they are listed at $69.99 and $74.99 with the 100mm Ti handle so the introduction price is over. Still an amazing value. I'm just waiting for the baseplates to try. I have the regular V3 and the closest shave I can get from it is paired with a Feather Super Pro. Normally that's a blade I can't use in an aggressive SE razor but in the Hawk V3 it really shines with comfort, smoothness and closeness although I have to add some minor buffing to get the last remaining stubbles removed. I tried the different Kai and Feather blades, guarded blades and Schick 30. The Feather Super Pro ups it to the maximum the standard V3 can give me without losing smoothness and comfort.

I was finally able to use all 3 plates. The standard plate gives for an extreme smooth and close shave paired with a Feather Super Pro. 
The A plate wasn't any better. On the contrary it gave me a less stellar shave compared to the standard plate. As BBS mentioned before, they made the back plate wider which makes no sense at all. It's definitely not Aggressive as advertised. For me it was worse than the standard. The OC gave me the closest shave I've had from a SE for a very long time while still feeling smooth. There is more blade feel. I used a Kai Protouch MG. The OC is legit and the standard plate makes for an easy, for me efficient and smooth shave.

The more I think of it the more I believe they made a manufacturing error with the A plate or someone needs to go back to the drawing board. The standard and OC are identical in size and width. The A plate is wider. It defies all logic to me. If the width would have been identical as the other 2 plates paired with a higher gap it would have been more aggressive as intended.

The OC gave me the closest shave I've had from a SE for a very long time while still feeling smooth.

Three passes (WTG / XTG / ATG) ?