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A view from the UK - ajc347’s Shaving Journal
- Thread starter ajc347
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Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Gorgeous brush 
ajc347
Jr. Shave Member
ajc347
Jr. Shave Member
I’ve just ordered a Yates Precision Manufacturing Razor. I’ve been looking at them for same time and pulled the trigger once I realised that they also come with a dual SB/OC brass head as well as the original stainless head.
It’ll take a few weeks to arrive and I hope it’ll be worth the wait. [emoji846]
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Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
I've heard VERY good things about that set up. Looking forward to your thoughts
I’ve just ordered a Yates Precision Manufacturing Razor. I’ve been looking at them for same time and pulled the trigger once I realised that they also come with a dual SB/OC brass head as well as the original stainless head.
It’ll take a few weeks to arrive and I hope it’ll be worth the wait. [emoji846]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ajc347
Jr. Shave Member
First use of a Barbaros TR-2, another Alpha G4 brush and some Zingari Man balm today.
I've been kicking myself for some time for not purchasing one a few years ago when they were still being made and am very pleased that I purchased this one. The razor has zero blade feel and felt both smooth and efficient in use. It reminded me very much of a Timeless 0.95 SB in this respect.
What I found really interesting was the design of the top cap. It is almost identical to those used by Rocnel on the 2017 and 2018 Elite razors and very similar to the earlier Rocnel DE-P. I'm aware that Hasan, the owner of Barbaros, changed the design in the TR-2 in order to incorporate round pins. I do very much wonder whether this part of the razor (and potentially the baseplate) were made by Rocnel. I'm aware that they were collaborating together at the the time on the B&R adjustable and the most interesting factor, for me, is that not all blades will fit this razor easily.
Rocnel's 2017 Elite was built around a Feather blade and a few other blades (notably those manufactured by Rapira and Lord) also fit it. All P&G blades (i.e. Gillette, Spunik, Astra, Polsilver and Permasharp etc) do not fit. The top cap of this razor has a similar issue. Feather's, Voskhod (which is made by Rapira), Rapira Platinum Lux and a number of Lord blades fit perfectly. P&G blades and Rapira Swedish Supersteel will just about fit, but end up needing to have a small amount of force applied in order to do so. This also makes them a bit more difficult to remove. Rocnel removed this problem in the 2018 Elite by changing the pin tolerance which meant that all blades will fit the razor.
Given that the Barbaros and Rocnel Elite top caps and baseplates fit each other without problem and are interchangeable means that this razor definitely has a place in my collection and strikes as being something of a missing link between the two Rocnel Elite models.
Like the other Alpha brushes I already own this is a well made brush. The resin handle is nice and weighty and the G4 knot in it performed excellently. These are fast becoming my favourite synthetic knot and are up there with the Muhle STF v2 and Cashmere knots in terms of quality and usability.
Finally, onto the Zingari Man balm. This is an interesting balm and I need to use it a lot more before I can form a firm view on it. The scent was light and pleasant and it seems like it has the potential to be a pretty good balm. It feels glycerin rich and does have something of an oily consistency much like Executive Shaving's own brand balm. Any balm I use has to go a long way to match the performance of the balms offered by BBA, T&H, the aforementioned Executive Shaving balm, and the now unavailable I Coloniali Mango balm. I'm hopeful that the Zingari Man balm will perform as well as these. Only time will tell, though.
Have a great rest of he weekend guys.
ajc347
Jr. Shave Member
After a brief respite, it was back in the Wabbit trail tonight following the arrival of the v3 prototype on Friday.
I tried it for the first time this evening and really struggled to find the correct blade angle. The blade isn’t angled in the same manner as the v1 and v2 versions.
As a result, I ended up with a pretty poor shave. It’s a shame, as I really like the handle on this version.
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I tried it for the first time this evening and really struggled to find the correct blade angle. The blade isn’t angled in the same manner as the v1 and v2 versions.
As a result, I ended up with a pretty poor shave. It’s a shame, as I really like the handle on this version.
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Sorry to hear about the shave Andy. But we live and learn. I am seeing a lot of the 3D printed razors lately. I might need to pick one up and see what all the hub-bub is about...bub. 
ajc347
Jr. Shave Member
Sorry to hear about the shave Andy. But we live and learn. I am seeing a lot of the 3D printed razors lately. I might need to pick one up and see what all the hub-bub is about...bub.
Thankfully, Tom is open to feedback and has taken my thoughts on board. Hopefully, he’ll be able to tweak the design a bit as this has the potential to be an awesome razor. As it is, I could happily shave with the v2 when it is released.
I was initially sceptical about trying a 3D printed razor, but can see a definite future in them, especially as the technology and materials will undoubtedly improve over the next few years.