World Shave Off Showdown 2nd Edition

Look forward to it. That is a very nice photo Frank.
Happy shaves my friend
Jason

Shave Off: 

Gillette F4 Toggle vs Rex Ambassador 

I'll do the Shave Off now before going out and I'll report the results tonight. 

Gear used:
Razor - Gillette F4 Toggle
Razor - Rex Ambassador
Shave soap - Asylum Colonia made by SV
Aftershave - Asylum Colonia made by SV
Brush - WCS Synthetic
Bowl - TImeless grey
Blade - Hand stropped Feather



OH yeah this was a good one! I'll post up the results later on today as I'd like to see how the stubble grows back in. 

Great photo! Looking forward to hearing the results...

Hmmm...never tried a Gibbs or any of it's clone. I do have a thing for Toggles tho.

The Rex is probably more efficient by a little bit but the Toggle should win on points.

Toggle for the win.

Those are both nice looking razors, plus the uniqueness of that toggle.

Those are both nice looking razors, plus the uniqueness of that toggle.

Thanks my friend. It was in great original condition when I got it but I always wanted one plated in Rhodium and so I had a complete professional cleaning, tune up and replated about 2 yrs ago or so it's one of two Toggles I own. This one is the user of the two and I really like the way it shaves.

Those are both nice looking razors, plus the uniqueness of that toggle.

Thanks my friend. It was in great original condition when I got it but I always wanted one plated in Rhodium and so I had a complete professional cleaning, tune up and replated about 2 yrs ago or so it's one of two Toggles I own. This one is the user of the two and I really like the way it shaves.

Rhodium plated after a professional cleaning and tune up. Talk about a piece of jewelry, very nice bud!

Shave Off Report: 

Gillette F4 Toggle vs Rex Ambassador adjustables. 


Well I thought I'd get this report up sooner but life happens and I spent the whole day yesterday in the labs and part of today so this is the first chance I had to write it up but I remember this Shave Off well as it was a good one and I'm glad these two met again. The last time they were paired was way back in the original Shave Off on the other site. In that the Toggle took it as the earlier Gen Rex was harsh feeling on any setting higher than 4 1/2. So I was anxious to see if this Gen was any different than any of the other 3 Gen Rex's I've shaven with. The Rex got off to a ruff start as most know and my hats off to Matt for making continuous improvements to it. It certainly shows in the fit and finish compared to the 1st Gen I used way back when. According to Matt it's was inspired by both the Gibbs adjustable and the Gillette Fatboy. I personally see more of the Gibbs in it than Fatboy but now I see it as just a Rex as to me it has its own identity and from my personal experience shaving with the different Gens it doesn't have the shaving character of either of the inspirational razors I mentioned but and again it has its own shaving personality unique to itself. The F 4 Toggle is also a unique razor as I know of no other vintage razor with a Toggle but I'm no razor historian and the only one I know of is the upcoming Janus which I'm anxiously waiting for. I know some folks say it shaves like a Fatboy but I've done quite a few side by sides with the Fatboy and F 4 Toggle and to me there are 2 things that separate the two razors. One is efficiency. I find the Toggle on max setting to be just a bit more efficient than the Fatboy on max setting and I have a primo conditioned Fatboy that I had also replated in Rhodium and gone over completely so it's like a new razor. It is my belief that with Vintage razors the way they shave can vary from one to the other depending on condition. I mean these razors are from the late 50's to early 60's so yeah a lot of things can happen over a period of 60 years. So what I'm comparing here in my statement are two excellent conditioned razors. Others results may be different than mine. Anyway back to the Rex vs Toggle. So thanks to Shavemd Mark who sent me the Rex I was able to include it in this Shave Off thread and in the Efficient category which I think suits both these razors. Some may think the Rex on max setting should be in the " Very Efficient " category but after my Shave Off I'm convinced it was in the proper one. A full SS razor it is built like a tank but is pretty well balanced and the knurling is definitely a plus as even if you have soap on your hand it would be very difficult to have it slip out of your hand. With the Toggle it's different and the way I hold the Toggle is different and I've never had a problem with slipping when using it. As far as maintenance goes I'd have to give the nod to the Rex as I'd never attempt to take apart a Toggle if it got gunked up which can happen to any adjustable or TTO razor so you have to stay on top of them and keep them clean. The Rex is easy to clean in my opinion.  

So let's get on with the Shave Off with these two adjustables. 

Gear used: 

Razor - Rex Ambassador 
Razor - Gillette F4 Toggle 
Shave Soap - Asylum Colonia made by SV 
Aftershave - Asylum Colonia made by SV 
Blades - Hand stropped Feathers 
Bowl - Timeless Graphite ( New Color ) 
Brush - WCS Synthetic 


I'm doing my normal 2 pass WTG and ATG shaves with these two and I know what to expect face feel wise from the Toggle but I also know if this Gen of Rex is anything like the other 3 I've shaved with on max setting ( which is a little past # 6 on the dial ) this may not be a real comfortable shave especially when I get to the ATG pass but I'm hoping it's not so. Also using the SSSST does help with that as your always shaving on a smooth landscape. So no pressure and stretch the skin as much as needed to avoid any nicks or weepers not to mention irritation. 
Oh and BTW for those that asked about the drawings on the SSSST that a member did for me on the other site I was able to find the file and I'll put it up in the Shave Off Showdown Guidelines Thread and please if you have any questions on it either post them in there or pm me as I'd be glad to go over them with you. 



1st Pass WTG - I start out my N to S pass with the F4 in hand with the presumption that the Rex on max setting will be a bit more efficient I choose to give the F4 my more difficult right side of my face and the even more difficult right side of my neck to the Rex. Obviously that changes on my left side. The Toggle is one darn smooth razor even on max setting. I think of it as a gentlemen as it shaves with confidence or maybe it just instills it in me but to me it's reacking of what I call " Mojo " that some may call character. For me a razor either has it or it doesn't and this one has it in spades! The F4 shows no hesitation in taking down my 2 days growth and does it with a little bit of blade feel which I like and a nice mellow song of audible feedback. I guess by now you've figured out I like this razor and I have no qualms about admitting that! Lol.. the rather low profile of the head for an adjustable gets under my nose with no problems and around my mouth/lips it's very smooth and yet effective at reducing my 2 day growth with no self induced warriness of the razor being set on max which is # 9 which unlike the Rex clicks into place. So I finish up an excellent pass with the F4 and continue downwards on my N to S pass with the REX and you feel the weight and length difference right away but it's not anything that throws me off or anything you just feel it. So I take a few strokes and to my surprise I notice right away that this Gen is not as harsh as all the 3 previous Ambassadors I've shaved with. Don't get me wrong you still get a good solid dose of blade feel and the audible feedback is a little more rock and roll compared to the Toggle but at this point I'm very happy things have changed but I'm still focused and don't want to get cocky with and start doing J hooks with it Lol. So on my really badas* nasty cowlick on the right side of what Gus GlazedBoker calls Mr. Apple is the most difficult area of my whole entire face to shave and I gotta say the Rex went right after it and did a nice job of taken some whiskers down as it passed over it. Also did a nice job on the other weird growth pattern I have on my neck on my right side. So another excellent pass out of the Rex and with it in hand I headed over to the left side of my face just south of my sideburn to begin the other N to S WTG pass and comparing it to the Toggle on my face it was a little bit more noticeable that it wasn't as smooth as the F4 so I slowed down a bit and gave it more respect as I went down my face and it was behaving but the real test is how's it going to do around my mouth and under my nose. Well the answer is if I were to advise someone I'd say take your time. Shorten your strokes a bit and stretch your skin and you'll be fine. Just don't treat it like your driving a sports car and take big long fast strokes or you may end up with a nick or a weeper etc. The bottom line is the razor on max demands a little focus and respect and I would not recommend using this razor on max if your a new to wet shaver. Start out on a lower setting and work your way up if you need to go beyond 4 or 5 and maybe use a milder blade as well. So finished the pass and as far as beard reduction goes the Rex did it's job so good pass. With one WTG section left to go I picked up the Toggle and this was a very easy to do pass. I even increased the length of my strokes as I had that much confidence in the razors predictable character and I'd highly recommend if you get a chance to use one or pick one up do so as it's just a classic great shaving razor that just needs to be taken care of properly. Not a shave, quick rinse and throw it on the counter with the blade left in it type of razor. So finished the pass and it was another excellent pass from the F4. So rinised and lathered up with the Colonia shave soap which btw is to me a classic Italian barber type scent. Clean & light and if some of you are wondering why it's in a different jar I had to because I dropped the alumunium one it came in and it was bent and dented up pretty good and I have a lot of spare laying around to use. 


2nd Pass ATG - Ok this one starts at the base of my neck on my right side with the REX and I gave my skin a good stretch before heading north and the Rex once again did a nice job of taking down what stubble was left from the WTG pass. On my neck it was from a comfort standpoint a 8 1/2 out of 10 if I were to have to give it a score. Also on my neck I didn't feel the need to shorten my strokes or have laser like focus with the like did around my mouth on the last pass. Still a bit of blade feel and audible feedback but it quieted down quite a bit compared to the first pass. So a very good pass from the REX on this pass. Continuing my journey north with the F4 I'm going to run into an area along side my right ear that's got a little weird growth pattern to it so a good test for the Toggle and it cut through it nicely but I had to do what I call a little X pattern to address the growth pattern but other than that area it was a gliding on an ice skating rink as the razor is very smooth even going ATG. Around my mouth it behaved really well. No problems on my chin which sometimes can be a little tricky. I finished the pass and it was another really good one from the F4 and with it still in hand I went over to the base of my neck on my left side and started my S to N ATG pass and once again and it must be getting boring hearing this but effective and smooth is the best way I can sum up this razors shaving characteristics. Finished the pass very quickly and grabbed the REX for the last ATG section and once again it just has more blade feel and is singing a louder song as it effectively takes down my stubble on my cheeks and along my lower jawline leading up to my sideburns. Now I slow down a bit and focus on the areas around my mouth, under my nose and on my chin and again I gave the skin a good stretch everywhere I went with the REX and the end results were a very good pass to end this Shave Off with. So bravo to these two! 

Post Shave: 

Rinsed with warm then cold water and put little Thayers Lemon witch hazel on and let it dry while I cleaned up my gear. After that I did a face feel and I had what I call a entry level BBS 1 on every part of my face and neck with the exception of my nasty cowlick that was a solid DFS and the area right under my right ear where I have some swirling weird beard growth. So far this was the closest shave I've gotten in this Shave Off using these two razors set on max. As you know I've had some time to analyze this Shave Off and observe the regrowth and I'd say this one was a tie as far as efficiency goes because if I had switched razors and sections I think based on the shave I got and the way my beard grew out the results would have been the same with the Toggle given me a DFS on my cowlick and under my ear and BBS everywhere else just like the REX did. Again as far as the BBS goes this is what I called an entry level BBS 1 which means it lasted about 6 hrs at the most before I started to feel some regrowth. So I got to go to the scoring system for this one as there is no clear winner as far as efficiency goes. Splashed on some of that good smelling aftershave and I forgot to put it in the photo but used some Acqua Di Parma Colonia cologne afterwards and got told by a lovely lady at the labs that I smelled good! I'll take that every time lol. 





[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Scorin[/font]g System: 

REX Ambassador 

[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Efficiency - 45 points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Smoothness - 14 1/2 points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Maneuverability - 3 1/2 points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Balance - 4 points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Glide - 4 points [/font]

[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Total = 71 points [/font]


Gillette F4 Toggle 

[font=Roboto, sans-serif][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Efficiency - 45 points [/font][/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Smoothness - 16 points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Maneuverability - 3 1/2  points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Balance - 4 points [/font]
[font=Roboto, sans-serif]Glide - 4 points [/font]

Total = 72 1/2 points 


Well there you have it! The winner using the scoring system is the Gillette F4 Toggle and it's moving on to the next round. The Rex unfortunately has been eliminated from this Shave Off but I gotta say this Gen of the REX is a big improvement to the other's I've used in the past and again my hats off to Matt for continuing to improve on his design. So please remember this is about the overall shaving characteristics that I experience when shaving with any two razors. Also since I pick these razors randomly out of a hat maybe if I'd picked another razor for the REX or the Toggle to shave up against it may have been a different outcome. So when thinking about getting any one of these razors in this whole entire Shave Off hopefully the info you get from the report and even the scoring system gives you some kind of insight into what all these razors are about and some of their shaving characteristics are like and then the rest is up to you to determine if a razor has everything you're looking for. 

Index updated. 


Great Shaves all 


DB 

Yes for that smoothness in the Toggle ! Way to go Frank in explaining your terminology (again) to refresh our collective memories. I know the modern Toggle called the Janus is not out yet but if it has the smoothness of the original and improves on the efficiency then that's a winning combo. Maybe it can be entered later in the competition.

Yes for that smoothness in the Toggle ! Way to go Frank in explaining your terminology (again) to refresh our collective memories. I know the modern Toggle called the Janus is not out yet but if it has the smoothness of the original and improves on the efficiency then that's a winning combo. Maybe it can be entered later in the competition.
.  

Thanks AJ and if you look at the list I’ve already put on there as I’m assuming that by the time I get that category the Janus will be in my den

Frank, I may have missed it, but which version of the Rex did you use? I believe mine is an N2. I don't have many adjustables (and I've given away most of them), as I always set them on the highest setting and never adjust. Why pay for the engineering and execution if I don't use them? The only two I still have are the Rex and the Mergress, having given away my Slim, Parker Variant and a few others. I continue to enjoy my Rex at 6.5, but have not used a Toggle. For some reason I don't get (and am disappointed by), none of my vintage Gillettes work for me. Oh, well.