FTFYFinal Word – Just another bloody razor
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FTFYFinal Word – Just another bloody razor
From my experience with this razor, your review is spot on @Errol. I picked up one with a faux horn handle and really like like it.
Saponificio Veresino SV2.0 (Italy)
Razors from Italy seem to come in spurts and then there is nothing for a long time. Sure, there are some constant manufacturers but it seems that individual outlets are now developing and releasing new models in small batches. Once stock in that batch is exhausted, they release a new model rather than do a resupply, a nuisance for collectors like myself, by the time I receive and schedule the razor, there is a new model, hopefully that won’t be the case with the Saponificio Veresino V2. 303 stainless steel has been used for the head but there is 14 different choices of wood or resin for the handle. Mine has the deep black Makassar Ebony wood handle with polished stainless steel fittings. To the naked eye there the Ebony is a solid black, however the camera can identify the wood grain. The design of the Veresino looks to be well thought out so I expect it to work exceptionally well. Round blade posts on the cap do not sit flush with the bottom of the plate, an observation and not a complaint. Something I’ve not seen before but really like, are the machined flats at the outer edge of round surface of the cap, they should accommodate a variety of shave angles (Mr Henson, please take note). On the underside, outer edge of the cap is another flat for blade clamping. One negative aspect to the quality of the machining is the thread engagement, it could be a lot better. Other than the underside of the cap which maintains its machine marks, the remainder of the metal work is deeply polished.
I was not at all surprised when the wooden handle provided true positive grip, all done without knurling or grooves for assistance, it looks good and wet or dry, it didn’t matter. Efficiency wise the Veresino was very similar to Karve CB level C, positioning it at the bottom end of my operational sweet spot. Even more appealing was the pleasant amount of positive blade that the Veresino has designed in. This allowed me to really enjoy the comfortable shaves on offer without any thought of self harm so long as I didn’t do anything really stupid. When a smooth shave is so easily achieved, it’s hard not be impressed by the performance of the Veresino.
Blades Used – Glatz and Gillette Minora
Material – 303 Stainless Steel and Makassar Ebony
Weight – 71.6g
Blade Tab - Covered
Head Width – 43.03mm
Handle Length – 85.66mm
Handle Diameter – 16.19mm
Availability – Saponificio Veresino
Final Word – Give me more
@Bladerunner7 you’re right about most Italian made razors being on the mid range efficiency side, there are very few that go much above that but every one is smooth. The Bayonetta is slightly more efficient than the Overlander but both will deliver comfortable shaves.@Errol , a much awaited and lovely review of a Brass razor that gained a lot of popularity during its release. Many had it plated in Nickel, Rhodium and even 24K Gold only to sell those off a month later. I don't know if its a trend but most Italian manufacturers seem to be concentrating on delivering mid aggression or milder razors, Goodfellas did that with the Aluminum Styletto, the Syntesi ( Al and SS) and the Valynor.
How would you compare this to the Karve Overlander in terms of smoothness and efficiency?
And would you say this is the best brass offering for under 60 USD?
Actually Errol I did get the Yintal with the old Head and the new design too. The older version was exactly as you reviewed it, smooth and efficient. It was hard to believe that it costs a fraction of what other brass razors do@Bladerunner7 you’re right about most Italian made razors being on the mid range efficiency side, there are very few that go much above that but every one is smooth. The Bayonetta is slightly more efficient than the Overlander but both will deliver comfortable shaves.
If I was in the market for a sub $60.00 razor I would look no further than a Yintal DE. Probably too mild for you.
All sorts of drama this morning so no photo.Shield Vortex (China)
I missed seeing that the Shield Vortex was dual sided, probably because I was overwhelmed by the machined features on the cap and the handle, after all, they immediately stood out. Along the length of the handle are machined out diagonal grooves that complement the grooved out sections on the cap. There is less thickness to the cap than any razor I can immediately recall, it is positively thin and being titanium there is the ever-present danger that it could blow away in a stiff breeze. Now to the most interesting feature of the whole razor, the edges of the cap do not extend equidistant; in effect this is going to produce different results depending on the cap/ plate combination in use; by my calculations, the Vortex can produce four different efficiency levels. There was a problem engaging the threads and at times they would not align without much fiddling, however once engaged there were no issues and the screw itself was reasonably smooth. There is a machine polished finish on the Vortex, but unlike some other Chinese brands it has not been overdone, the profile of the razor remains, it is not slippery and remains striking to look at.
With four different combinations of efficiency available, the decision was made to use one brand of blade only for this review, what better blade to select than the Wizamet Polsilver. With no reference to guide me, I had a think about the efficiency levels and came up with the list below mild to efficient – let’s see how my guess went.
Simplicity is the key to getting a pleasant shave that I can say I enjoyed. Four different options in one razor is not exactly simple and on top of that there was not one of the four options that I felt comfortable using. For those purists who delight in tracking how many shaves they get from each blade, the Vortex is going to have you pulling your hair out. I used 2 x Wizamet Polsilver blades for this review and only think I used a fresh edge for each shave. This razor is not for me.
- Safety bar with long cap edge – Looking at the lack of visible blade and I’m thinking this is going to be a mild shave. How wrong can I be; a wide blade gap made the razor feel like it was going to take large lumps out of the side of my face on every stroke. Karve CB level #D efficiency but far from comfortable.
- Safety bar with short cap edge – My guesstimations on efficiency was blown out of the water with my second selection. This combination was slightly down in efficiency but remained at around the Karve CB level #D efficiency, there was less blade feel but the shave was still less than comfortable.
- Open comb with long cap edge – Already out of contention in guessing efficiency, I also got this one totally wrong. This time the efficiency remained at Karve CB Level #D and the blade feel was not as noticeable as with the safety bar side. Sounds like a good thing but the feeling of less blade was destroyed immediately by the feel of the teeth as they raked the side of my face, again the shave did not impress.
- Open comb with short cap edge – This combination was never going to cut the mustard, I was using the open comb and knew it was going to rake the side of my face, and it did. Add in copious amounts of blade feel and I had a very uncomfortable shave. Again, the efficiency was around the Karve CB Level #D.
Blades Used – 2 x Wizamet Polsilver
Material – Gr 5 Titanium
Weight – 70.2g
Blade Tab – Covered
Head Width – 43.29mm
Handle Length – 99.4mm
Handle Diameter – 13.71mm
Availability – AliExpress
Final Word – Overly complicated
Aha. I was wondering if it was just me, or another of the ongoing "site broken" issues.All sorts of drama this morning so no photo.
Beautiful machine, shame it functionally fails. Shield usually does much better.