New type of razor on Kickstarter with MICARTA handle

Interesting razor but I am having trouble seeing what problem it solves. I regularly use DE and SE razors that are at least twice as old as the warranty on the Beluga razor. There are plenty of old vintage DE and SE razors out there that only need a clean up to be put back into service. A pivoting head means little if you know how to shave with a DE or SE razor.

Bob

 

It says their razor blades are made from 316L. I Googled that and found the Data Sheet for 316L. On page two of the data sheet it says, "HEAT TREATMENTS: Types 316 and 316L are non-hardenable by heat treatment." I didn't know what steel double edged razors are typically made of, so I found a video from How It's Made at Shaving101.com. The video shows blades being made. While it doesn't specify the steel, it does show the blades being hardened by heating and quenching. So, assuming that double edged blades are typically hardened, I wouldn't think you would get much life out of the Beluga Razor blades.

 

It says the razors head is made of 316L stainless and you can use your choice of DE razor blades available on the open market. Regular DE blades are made with either a carbon steel or stainless steel and can be coated.

Bob

 

i signed up for one of these last week.
seemed interesting enough to give it a try.

longer handle, pivoting, you can use any double edged blade.

 

Just use a double edge. These guys are trying to reinvent the wheel.

 

I've used an ancient (ca 1950's) Gillette adjustable DE razor since I was old enough
to shave (60+ years ago). Nothing better. Why reinvent the wheel?
Rich S

 

I don't think these guys are trying to reinvent the wheel. They're offering what looks like a modest improvement. It has a pivoting head, which many people seem to like. As easy as a safety razor is to use, this looks substantially easier. Not all innovations need to be revolutionary to be a valid improvement.

I'm sure there were plenty of men who dismissed the safety razor because their straight razors had served them well for decades.

Even the wheel has been improved upon... First they were made of wood with a flat steel tire. Then they were made of steel with a rubber and air tire. Then came the caterpillar treads. Now they're developing a wheel that is one piece with the tire combined (tweel), and only the hub is metal.

 

This razor is designed to be "easy for the beginner" If you've already learned angle control on a straight or DE, part of the fun IMO, I would expect you would find this lacking at best as it does not appear to allow fine tuning angle-wise. This will probably be a great stepping stone however for people who are interested in a better shave but are afraid to cut themselves.

 

Not sure I like the idea of only having one edge at a time exposed. Takes away one of the major benefits of a double edged safety razor!!

Good on them for having a go, but in my view by taking on the safety double edge razor they picked something that will be very hard to beat.

 

For somebody that enjoys "the ritual" of DE shaving, maybe this wouldn't appeal, but for the fella in a hurry, this may do the trick nicely.

 

Yeah it would be a great tool to have if you need to shave ASAP

 

And considering the other edge will micro-rust before it even gets used, you're basically wasting an edge. I wonder if the system will still work if you snap a blade in half and just use one edge at a time the same way shavette razors are used.

 

Why would this shave faster than a standard double edge? Other than a pivoting head it is just a double edge that covers one side of the blade. You could actually make the argument that double edge razors could save you time by only needing to change the blade half as often. With a double edge when one blade gets dull you just keep shaving with the other side. With this system you have to take it apart and reinstall the blade the other way around. Plus there is the advantage of cost, my Edwin Jagger ran me about $30 brand new but this thing is about $100. Plus they already made trimming razors that look similar to this but used single sided blades that allow them to be much more compact.

 

It's interesting and I would be curious to try one. I have been using German made Merkur razors for years. I don't have to do anything more complicated than turn the razor 180 degrees to use the other side of the blade.

High quality traditional razor blades are a fraction of the cost of cartridge style blades. In think the price point of this razor is a bit high.