Today is a great day for the single edge razor and for those that enjoy those types of razors. Italian Barber has just released a brand new single edge razor today that uses a half of a DE or Double Edge blade. For as long as I've been wet shaving, the only way to get a single edge was to either buy a razor that uses the Kai Captain or Feather Artist Club blades or go Vintage with a GEM style razor or a Schick Injector. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements does have a modern 3 piece GEM style razor but you really only have 3 kinds of blades to choose from. Then there's the One Blade and One blade core but once again there's only one blade choice for those 2 specific razors. With the Vintage Schick Injectors, you are limited to 3 choices. Schick's brand of single edge blades which are still available which are very inconsistent and somewhat expensive, Vintage Schick Injector blades which are extremely expensive and getting harder and harder to find or the Personna miniature hair shaper injector blades which are pretty good. The Supply company does sell a modern version that uses these very same blades but once again there's no variety. That changed today. Say hello to the RazoRock Eco Single Edge :
Before I get into the specs and what not, I'm going to give you guys a bit of a background story as to why I've been wanting this razor. My Twig Sculptor which can be seen below is on its last leg. That's my second one and I do have another ready to go but it has no weight behind it to plow through my tough beard. The cheap plastic twist to open Twig Sculptor came with my Leaf razor which I really like using with the Gillette 7 O'clock green label blades but I really enjoyed being able to use just a half a DE blade in the Twig sculptor. Due to its cheap construction, the Twig does not last at all. For over a year and a half, I've been hearing the Leaf Shave Company say that they are working on a prototype. I have yet to see one anywhere. I do believe they are indeed working on one but there's been no timeline given and all I keep hearing is "soon". Sorry Leaf Shave Company but I am done with you guys. This Twig sculptor is on borrowed time:
The RazoRock Eco does come in several colors. Black:
Gold:
Hulk Green:
And my personal favorite color, Electric Blue:
They do have a video up on how to snap a blade which is really simple to do. I've managed to squeeze 7 shaves out of half a Feather DE blade in the Twig Sculptor. So that's 14 shaves per Feather DE blade. I don't know how many shaves I will get out of a DE blade with this razor:
Another bonus is the fact that as of right now on their website, Italian Barber is throwing in a free package of 100 count Crown half DE blades which is an awesome thing to do:
^ That is a really sweet deal. Now onto the specifications:
^ This seems to be a little on the lighter side at 1.3 ounces or 38 grams, but that's okay because I have an extra handle here that could help if it needs it. I'll have to shave with it a few times before I can determine whether or not I will need to do that. After all, my monster handle that I currently have on my Hawk SE will add a ton of weight to it. It currently weighs in at 8 ounces.The length is 90 mm or 3.5 inches which is about normal for your average razor. The materials used are CNC machined billet aluminum so it will definitely have some strength to it which is a good thing. And it is a 3 piece so loading the blade should not be a problem as you saw earlier. The cost is excellent and extremely budget friendly my total is below:
I've not heard anything yet in terms of shipping but since I ordered this razor, I'm going to let my beard grow out to give it a real acid test:
If you have seen my videos, you know that my beard is insanely tough and grows extremely fast. 3 days of beard growth for me is equal to 5 to 7 days for some. Anything I can buy that can get rid of that kind of beard growth that does not cost a lot of money is a good thing. Straight razors are great and I have got one of mine dialed in perfectly and it is comfortable but I still have one more to test before I can call it good on my straights. I still need a razor like the Eco to trim and get my moustache area with because it's extremely sensitive to shave with except with my Twig sculptor. But if the Twig isn't going to hold up, then I will be back to using something else.
This is a game changer in my humble opinion because there's a ton of DE blades that you can try if you don't like the blades that come with it. I'm willing to bet that the Gillette 7 O'clock green labels are going to be perfect for it in addition to the 7 O'clock black label blades. I'm not willing to try Feather blades in it at all. I gave them a fair shot and it came down to using them in the Twig sculptor or Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's double open comb razor. I've also got a few other blades here to try in it as well if I don't like the Crown half blades.
Italian Barber says that it has a medium level of aggressiveness which is a good thing. You don't want it like the Muhle R41 where it can slice you all to pieces if you are not careful but you also don't want it too mild to the point where you have to make 4 passes just to get a decent shave either. I also recommend buying a small blade sampler pack as well just in case you don't like the blades that come with it.
