Stirling Soap 316 Stainless Steel Razor

You made the classic mistake of asking for permission instead of asking for forgiveness after the fact.

This was posted June 4 so fingers crossed we get them that soon. Absolutely getting that multicam bag with my razor!


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The package has been delivered. Unboxing in a few hours after I finish up with work, and I'll take the HA for a spin this evening. I've got 3.5 days of growth on the dome and 4.5 on the face, so it should be a great test.

Here's the most recent pass around list. As per the usual pass around rules, keep the razor for about a week and send it off to the next person in line. Once you're done with the razor, please share your feedback - whether good or bad - in this thread.

Also, as requested by Rod (ezlovan), please put the razors and cases in the provided box and ship the razors off to the next person in a priority mail flat rate padded envelope ONLY!!

**Please soak/spray the entire razor in alcohol or something similar before shipping it out and upon receiving it to reduce any virus risks!**

Pass Around list:

Hdad (Pennsylvania)
shaveSymptomatic (Florida)
Jimmyfn (Oklahoma)
LOOT (North Carolina)
george1906 (Georgia)
CK89 (Indiana)
slantman (Florida) *removed at the user's request*
Whisk-her Away (Florida)
GlazedBoker (New Jersey)
gwsmallwood (Arizona)
gvw755 (Washington)
Dave in KY (Kentucky)
CCity (Washington)
keto (Missouri)
MilkCrate (Texas) *removed at user's request*
bobmsp (Minnesota)
Einar (Wisconsin) *removed at user's request*
Dragonsbeard (New York)
Asafiev (Pennsylvania)
troydclayton (Illinois)
CzechCzar (California)
rawfox1 (Nevada)
AJSharp (New York) *removed at user's request*
Mr_Houston (Texas)
wyze0ne (Michigan)
kooshman7 (Washington)
andrewjs18 (Pennsylvania)

Question for ezlovan. Sorry if it's already been asked. Since you mentioned being able to buy just the plates, I'm assuming the two designs share the same top cap, right? I want to be sure not to mix them up if not.

Question for ezlovan. Sorry if it's already been asked. Since you mentioned being able to buy just the plates, I'm assuming the two designs share the same top cap, right? I want to be sure not to mix them up if not.

You won't be able to buy just the plates (you'll be able to buy both plates as a set with the top cap and handle). That said, yes, they do share a top cap. If you mix them up, they will be just fine.

My first shave is in the books with the HA.  These are certainly beautiful razors.  The Finish is perfect, I like the scalloping, and the knurling pattern on the handles are awesome.  The lather channels are great and the razor rinsed clean much more easily than most of my other razors, even my ATT H2, which has a similar pattern.

So, how does the HA shave?  I don't want to jump to conclusions too early, but my initial summary would be that if you like the Ikon Tech, you'll love the Stirling HA razor.  If you love the Ikon Tech, then this is a must have razor.  For me, it was a much more elegant and much more comfortable version of the Tech.  It does have a lot of blade feel, but doesn't have the blade chatter that was an issue for me with the Tech.  

I'm a single pass, mostly with-the-grain head (and currently face) shaver.  I do a second WTG pass on the goatee area of my face.  Because of that, I tend to like aggressive razors.  Some of my favorites are the MMOC, the R41, and a variety of wide open adjustables, most of which have custom blade gaps a bit higher than normal.  

The Stirling HA might be a bit too aggressive for me.  No nicks or weepers on the head or the face, and no irritation, but it's got so much blade feel that I think I was being a bit too cautious, and the shave suffered a bit as a result.  I tend to shave at a fairly steep angle, and I think this was built for shallow angle shavers.  I suspect it's much more comfortable if you ride the cap.

I also prefer handles no longer than 85mm, so while the Stirling handles look awesome, they're a bit longer than I prefer.  That tends to make it a bit more difficult for me to maintain a shallow angle as well.

I think I'll give the SA a try next, and I think I need to give the HA another shot with one of my shorter handles.  

Not the Ikon Tech  !!?

Not the Ikon Tech  !!?

It's been a while since I've used one, as I sold mine a few years ago, but yes.  Blade feel reminded me very much of the Tech.  As I mentioned, this razor feels more like what the Ikon Tech could have and should have been.

Not the Ikon Tech  !!?

It's been a while since I've used one, as I sold mine a few years ago, but yes.  Blade feel reminded me very much of the Tech.  As I mentioned, this razor feels more like what the Ikon Tech could have and should have been.

So you reckon its an improvement on the Tech?  I have a Tech and it scares me.  To be fair, I should probably try it with various blade combinations to see if I can land on something that I will actually use.  I think its great that Stirling has made an ultra efficient razor.