Twig & Thorn Passaround Review – An Outstanding Body Razor at a Bargain Price

Background:

I’ve been in the wet shaving world for a little over a decade and have tried a bunch of razors, soaps, etc. That being said, this month I have accepted the fact that I am not a “variety is the spice of life” shaver. I am an optimizer. I want to find the best and use it for the rest of my days. As such, this past month I’ve been going through all my DE/SE stuff, testing it, and making decisions to sell or not. I do not want to buy more things and I did not want to like these razors. I actually did not even spend time to research these two razors and just wanted to experience them in an unbiased way. I honestly didn’t know anything about them. Please also note I have not used the original Leaf either.

After a few days here are some prelim thoughts. Everything is subject to change, and I have had razors where I loved them in the beginning and hated them after some time for reasons that I have still yet to figure out. The mystery of shaving I guess.

I shave both head and face. Sensitive skin. Tough beard. I tend to like milder razors. Soap used DG Milksteak Unscented

What I like:

Singe blade – I’ve been getting some inconsistent shaves lately (with other razors) and I don’t know why so I’ve been playing with the idea of going 2 shaves and toss the blade instead of my usual 4 to see if I can get that additional sharpness. Using only half the blade makes it a lot easier (maybe I am cheap) for me to toss a blade after 1 or two shaves. I've actually never snapped a DE blade before. Super easy actually and I like this.

DE Blades - I've been going through three AC SE razors in my testing and I just can't seem to get along with the blades. I know everyone says they are sharper than DE but I am just not sure. They are super stiff but I am not convinced they are actually sharper.

Weight/Balance - I don't generally like heavy razors as I want to be the one providing micro pressure (if needed) instead of constant pressure from heavy head or heavy handle razors. The weighting on this thing is totally weird (in a good way). Its definitely not head heavy (good). However, it is handle heavy (not usually good) but only heavy at the end of the handle. This makes it so the weight of the razor is help you get momentum or assistance through the stroke but only downward and not increasing pressure against the skin or increasing face feel. You can clearly see this with the bigger ball at the bottom of the tapered handle.

Geometry – I looked at this razor and I think GEM. It has a super thin “top cap” and extended guard/safety bar. The angle the blade touches your face is really flat and I find that I really like that style. My two favorite DE razors at the moment are the Wolfman WR2 and RR BBS. However, once you get into the more aggressive versions of both, I think that geometry changes a bit and doesn’t apply. That being said, as with straight razors, I think the flatter you can get the blade to your skin, the better the shave. Also, with both versions of these razors, both the top cap and guard touch your skin while shaving. You can’t really ride one or the other and I think that is an optimal design.
The Shave - I looked at the geometry and thought this is going to be a good shave and it did not disappoint. In fact, they were great.

For head shaving – The Twig was amazing. I currently use a Merkur 15C or Razor BBS for first pass and then go to a Mach 3 for cleanup. I need to use the DE because a cartridge on the first pass will completely clog up. I literally go as fast as I can and both razors let me have a mindless easy shave where I don’t have to worry about pressure or anything. The Twig was equal to these if not better. I could not feel blade AT ALL and hair was disappearing. The top of my skull is the most sensitive as it is all bone and there is no give or cushion (like cheeks and face) and I loved it. I could definitely feel more blade feel in a side by side comparison with the Thorn and it was not enjoyable. Truth be told – I wouldn’t have even needed to do the side-by-side to figure out which one was more mild.

For Face Shaving – This was a little more complicated. My biggest problem is getting a consistent BBS with any of my razors. I will go a week straight with some amazing shaves and then the next week seems to be just ok and I don't think I actually changed a thing (clearly something is different). With these two I will say they were both really good. I had a harder time “feeling” the difference between them. I’m getting BBS is some spots and not others but I think that is because face stretching and direction of the grain can be a bit challenging at times for me to nail consistently. I still need to play with this but I will say these were in the top of the razors I have used so far. WTG they were like lawn mowers - reminded me of the WR2 in that regard. ATG was also really comfortable (Twig a little more so **I think**) - which is a HUGE challenge for me.

What I don’t like: 

Material – No research on these so I don't know for sure but honestly, I wish these were 316 stainless steel or titanium. Not that they have to be either of those materials to function fine but I just love premium materials. There is a certain pride of ownership that you get from knowing this thing is built like a tank from the best stuff.

Not 3-piece design / Serviceability – I love 3 piece razors or razors that you can at least thoroughly clean. I have not researched if you can take this all apart and make sure it all dry but there are places of water ingress that I don’t think you can get access too. If you if you look up the handle you can see that water has seeped in through the threading on top and there is now some discoloration. I am not sure if that means anything but I don’t love that. I have similar experience with 2-piece Merkurs where the plating eventually came off. It may take effort but you can at least take them apart and clean them if you have the time.

No nostalgia – If you are somehow attracted to the nostalgia of wetshaving (I am), I just don't get the same **feeling** with the Twig or Thorn. At least I don’t get that warm gushy feeling from looking at them. But emotions and feelings often lie and if they were a 3-piece design or premium materials, maybe I wouldn't give a hoot like with a Paradigm AC or Blackland Vector which make no effort of hearkening back to the days of yore and I have no problems with them.


Where do we go from here?

If you are still living in the cartridge world and not a shaving enthusiast, this is a fantastic option to get better shaves with no new skills to learn. Twig all of the way! I am this person for my head shaves. It could totally replace my mach 3 as a clean up razor where I'm am shaving with little regard or thought to much of anything. I could actually use it for both passes and I did!

I would still like to play with them a bit more to get a more solidified comparison between the two on the face and between my current go-to razors. DanLaw - How much longer do I have with these before I have to send them to the next person?

I'm curious if there are any 3-piece designs that use DE blades that have similar geometry from other manufacturers. I've been in a selling phase and not acquiring so I don't really know.

I'm curious what they are actually made of and need to do some research on that and how serviceable they are.

I'm also curious on how this compares to the multi-blade Leaf??? with 1 blade? with 2 blades? with 3 blades?

At a minimum, the quality of the headshave with the twig was one of the best I have had and I might buy one just on that alone. However, the threading on my 10-year old zamac merkur looks awful. It would be cool if they did a special run of stainless options  . I know I am not their market but in a perfect world - turn this into a 3-piece design and make it with premium materials and I might be set for life.

I wanted to provide some additional thoughts on the two razors. I've used them extensively for both head shaves and face shaves, as well as with a few different blades

Twig - I think this could be the best head shaving razor I ever used thus far. I mean, I have had the most mindless, easiest, and closest shaves with it. I'm using Nacet blades and it just works. No blade angle to worry about finding. Just lay it flat and go to work. It was really good for face shaves too but I was unable to get the closest BBS. I am not sure if that has to do with the razor or just me. BBS for me is not always consistent. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it does not. That is true for all razors I have used.

So the question is would I buy one? - Very hard for me since I am trying to sell off hardware and don't really want to buy more things. I'd really love to try the original Leaf multi-blade first. If the Twig came in stainless steel, I probably would bite the bullet and do it, but at this point I want to cull my remaining collection and see where it takes me. I really love the razor though. If all the razors I have ever bought shaved this good, the only problem I would have would be choosing which one to use everyday. It is probably the best head shaving razor I've ever used in my 7+ years cutting the dome.

Thorn - This is a little complex for me. It was too aggressive for head shaving but one shave I did go as light handed as possible and it was fine. It just took too much focus and work. I did get a nice BBS for a face shave with it that I was unable to get with the Twig. However, it did leave my face a little sensitive afterwards (blade used was a Nacet). I'm a mild razor person so that is not necessarily a surprise. I decided to experiment a little with other blades (Gillette Yellow and Astra Green). The Gillette yellow gave a me a similar shave as the Nacet and the Astra Green was not sharp enough for me (painful tugging ATG). I'm not the biggest fan of "blade sensitive" razors. Maybe this isn't that but I think I would have to do a lot more experimenting to find the perfect combo. 

Overall - As I mentioned, the Twig was just absolutely fantastic. I have bought much more expensive razors that didn't shave nearly as well. I think anyone from novice to experienced razor aficionado would be pleasantly surprised with the quality of shaved you get from it. Highly recommended.

Throw an Astra at it.  They were Leaf's branded blade

I'm also curious on how this compares to the multi-blade Leaf???

I, too, am a long-time head shaver coming from carts. If you are still using a Mach 3 for clean-up, the 3-blade Leaf is definitely worth a look to get the whole job done with one razor. The pivoting head and the 3 blades make for a very efficient head shave. I have only every used it with all 3 blades.

Excellent and thorough write-up. Thanks!

Have a Leaf for body shaving. It quite good but imagine will still need a Twig for tight confines be it head, face or body. To date, not found one razor capable of shaving expanses as well as tight confines with equal efficiently.  Would suggest, if compromising, go with trimmer such as Twig vs expanse shaver such as Leaf sacrificing quickness for ability to cover all areas, even if requiring more swipes.

Twig and Thorn Arrived 



I am a long-time head and face shaver. I purchased a Leaf late last year and it quickly became my go-to head shaver. The great performance of the Leaf also won my wife over from cartridge razors. I have therefore been very curious to try the Twig and Thorn. Tonight I shaved with the Twig.

During January I shaved with Schick injectors exclusively with the exception of one week. I am therefore "in the single blade zone." The Twig gave a DFS on the face and BBS on the dome. Comfortable mild razor. Very much looking forward to giving the Thorn a run on Saturday morning.

Rare to see much LASSC product these days - Brown revolutionized razor production deserving far far better than he got.

We tend to lose the merits of the innovators in the fog of boasting by the self promoters, a clear tell of our culture's lack of discernment

Saturday Morning Luxury Thorn Shave

Razor: Leaf Thorn
Blade: Astra SP
Brush: WCS synthetic
Soap: Talbot Shaving - Howick Hall
A/S: Old Spice

From the first stroke I could tell the Thorn is much more to my liking. I could immediately tell the razor was efficiently engaged at the perfect angle. The angle is very intuitive, but I had to guess whether it was shaving or not with the Twig. The Thorn provides comfort, is not aggressive, and I received great feedback from the razor. Three passes on the face required no touch ups at all. Head shave was done in two passes with touch ups required as head shaving is done without the aid of a mirror. In short, the Thorn performed as efficiently and as comfortably as my favorite razors. No irritation at all, true BBS with normal amount of passes, today's shave with the Thorn is a big winner.

Sunday Evening Twig/Thorn Impressions

This evening I replaced the Astra SP with a half Nacet blade in each razor. Nacet is my all-around Goldilocks blade.

Twig: I used the Twig on the face shave tonight with the Nacet. Three passes and light buff left me with an easy BBS result, more efficient than with the Astra blade. Very light feedback from the alum.

Thorn: The head shave was devoted to the Thorn. Two passes and light pickup left a very smooth cue ball dome. Compared to the Leaf, I believe the Thorn offers greater efficiency and a longer-lasting shave. The larger head of the Leaf makes a smooth and time-efficient shave, but the Thorn shave from Saturday lasted longer than a Leaf shave. The Leaf is also deployed under the arms every week or two. Tonight the Thorn assumed that duty, and performed smooth and easy. Alum made no sting on the head, but the under arm area is still stinging a little, but that is not at all unusual for that sensitive skin.

45 minutes after the shave, and all skin is feeling very smooth. The Twig and Thorn are two excellent razors. If I did not own a Leaf, I just might choose a Thorn in its place.

Final Thoughts on Twig and Thorn


I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Twig and Thorn. Both provided a week worth of easy, comfortable, BBS shaves. They worked particularly well on the chin area compared to other DE razors. Not once did they draw blood. Most important for me, the Thorn provides me with a longer lasting head shave than the 3-blade Leaf. The Leaf still beats the Thorn for speed and ease of use on the dome.

As I was gathering my thoughts, it occurred to me that a blade would lose efficiency twice as quickly as normal. Duh! Of course it does; it is half a blade. I used the Astra SP, Nacet, and Leaf blades. I do not detect significant difference in blade performance.

The razors are well designed. Fit and finish is very good. Mechanical parts work well and feel solid. Weight is not too heavy, not too light. I like the unique design. The handle, although fat bottomed, is not at all awkward or uncomfortable. The razor balances well. 

My only suggestion to Leaf is to extend the grooves or add knurling to the smooth middle section of the handle. My hand naturally wanted to hold the razor on the middle section, but it is too smooth and slick. I had to dry both my hands and razor with each rinsing.

Thank you very much to DanLaw and Leaf Shave for allowing me to try these two excellent razors.