Rex Supply Co. Sentry DE Slant pass around

Well, two shaves in with the Sentry and unfortunately I have to say I'm not all that impressed with it overall. It looks good, is well made, and the handle is really nice. I love the knurling and the knob on the end, but why so short? Another 1/4-1/2" of length would be nice. The finish is also flawless. It would look really good polished.

I'm terms of the shave, I'll start with the blade loading. This has been the most trouble I've ever had installing a blade in a razor. It's hard to explain, but it has to do with the huge bend of the top cap and the posts not being long enough to hold the blade in place without bending it. Add in the bulkiness of the baseplate and it's tough to hold the two pieces together while screwing the handle on. Now that I figured out the best way to do it it's not hard, but it took some fiddling.

My first shave was with an Astra SP and it wasn't very smooth. About mid efficiency. I chalk that up to it just not being the best blade for the razor because today's shave with a fresh Wizamet was much smoother. I feel like the razor drags more than it should however. The design of the head is so bulky that I think it results in a lot more surface area coming into contact with your skin thus causing drag.

I did get okay shaves with no irritation, but I do have some stubbly spots left on my neck and chin. So far I think the results can be good, but it's just not as smooth or enjoyable as a host of other razors for me. I will give it a couple more tries before sending it to the next person on the list.

First shave with the Sentry, Trotter/STF brush, and my sample mashup. I didn't get a pic of today's, but it was with a C&H/faux horse brush and MacDuff's Trail Tobacco soap.

So I was part of the Konsul pass around and was really impressed with that razor.  When I saw there was a pass around for the Sentry it was a no brainer to give this a try.  I have 4 shaves in and do like the razor.  As others have mentioned it is very well made; fit and finish similar to other razors in this price category.  It has that typical Rex knurling that provides grip without worry of the razor slipping through your fingers.  Blade loading is a bit of an adjustment to the norm.  

I'm typically a daily shaver but I did get a shave with 48 hours of growth as well.  The Sentry performed well for me as a daily driver and had no problems with 48 hours of growth.  I have not doubt it would perform just fine with additional growth for my beard.  I find this to be a very smooth shaver and would put this as medium aggressive and mid efficient.  While I have other more efficient razors, the end results after 3 full passes were BBS on 95% of my face.  I did not push for BBS in my problem spots.  

The size of the baseplate/top cap and length of the handle are my only minor gripes.  Since many of my razor heads are a smaller profile the Sentry feels much bulkier.  I'm also used to shaving with a longer handle so the Sentry just feels different.  Neither of these had any impact on the end results of the shave.

Thank you to Matt and DFS for the opportunity to try this razor.  Will get this sanitized and clean up and mailed out tomorrow.     

I just received the East Coast razor from wyze0ne. I'm planning to use it for a head and face shave tomorrow and will report back.

I loaded up a blade and took a few pictures of the Sentry.

I had a great first shave with the Sentry. I briefly owned a Konsul a while back. I didn't seem to quite get along with it, so I traded it after a handful of shaves. Since that time, I've gotten more experience with slants, and I've realized that I'm not a huge fan of adjustable razors. So I was glad to have the chance to try out the three piece Sentry. 

I loaded it with a new Personna lab blue and did my usual head and face shave routine (two passes on my head (WTG & ATG) and three passes on my face (WTG, XTG & ATG)). I typically use razors with a bit more blade feel than this. But the Sentry gave enough feedback to let me know when it was cutting properly, and I felt like I had the angle dialed in by the second pass on my head. I found the razor to be very smooth and comfortable with good efficiency. My skin felt great after the shave. Looking forward to using it more over the coming week. 

Thanks to Razor Emporium and andrewjs18 for the opportunity!

Slant Battle - Rex Sentry vs. RazoRock Superslant L3

I own a RazoRock Superslant L3 that I've only used a handful of times, so I decided to do a side-by-side shave between it and the Sentry. I loaded both with a new Personna lab blue. I did a two pass shave on my head (WTG & ATG) and a three pass shave on my face (WTG, XTG & ATG). I used the Superslant on my right side, and the Sentry on my left side. 

The end result of the shave was pretty much identical on both sides (very close). The Superslant had a little more blade feel, and it could get uncomfortable if I didn't maintain the proper angle. The Sentry didn't seem to punish lapses in technique like the Superslant did. The Sentry also felt a bit "safer" and less likely to bite than the Superslant. I perceived more drag with the Sentry, but it wasn't uncomfortable or unpleasant. 

This is excellent, thank you for doing the comparison. I have a RazoRock BBS, which I like quite a lot. The Superslant has always intrigued me. The only issue with the BBS is that with the large radius of the head, it's a bit tough doing a WTG pass under the nose. Not a big issue really. 

Did you have any issue like that?

I have Superslant L2++ razor. Over my last 6-7 shaves, I've used different techniques, blades, and soaps. However, every time, I've been getting some razor bites. For me, Wunderbar was more comfortable than Superslant.

The only issue with the BBS is that with the large radius of the head, it's a bit tough doing a WTG pass under the nose. Not a big issue really. 

Did you have any issue like that?

It's a little tough to get all the way up under my nose WTG, but I could easily reach what's left by going across the grain (side to side) without any issue.

The Sentry arrived today. First shave tonight. Looks and feels great!