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Karve razor, : My thoughts

The Monkey

"I See the Good in Every Shave"
Legacy
It has been a while since I posted a review. You know how life goes and we get busy but sometimes something happens that stops us in our steps. Well this happened a few days ago....this happened...



The razor came with a whole set of plates and 2 handles. Let me start off with I don't like the look of bare brass. To me it just looks cheap. To let you know how much I dislike bare brass I bought a brass General and had it replated in nickle. So this brings us the bare brass Karve. I just love the looks of this thing! The patina is just beautiful. The handle grips remind me dragon scales. The top cap is cut out for the blade ends to stick out. While I don't care for function of this feature it does add to the cool look.
Holding the razor is a joy. I was afraid that the weight of this would be too heavy. So many of the modern razors could be confused with hammers due to their weight. This razor is balanced just right. It just fits in the hand and the angle of the shave was simple to find.

Onto the shave. The razor came with the C plate already installed so I went with that first. Being a new to me razor I was careful not being sure how aggressive it would be. I had no reason to fear. The C plate is efficient but smooth. It has some blade feel but since I like that this was wonderful . 3 passes without an issue. I haven't had RAD for a long time but this razor brought up some of it's old tinges.

I next jumped right up to the F plate. I had gained so much confidence from the C that the F didn't seem like an unsafe thing to do. The F plate brought up the blade feel to high. This is an aggressive plate for sure. Going with the grain was fine but
when I went XTG this is when it felt like the blade wanted to dig in. Whether I got sloppy with the angle or went to fast I don't know but I felt a little sense of fear. I didn't cut myself but the Karve got my attention. Ended with a great shave.

A step down to the E plate was next. As expected this tames the beast just enough that I was back into my comfort zone. Over all I think if I was to buy a plate this is the highest I would go. I saw someone say they wanted a K plate, we'll with all due respect.... you're nuts.

Tomorrow I will break out the D plate for a few days before this razor goes back home.
 
Good thoughts John.

I like the naked brass look, it’s one of the things that attracts me to the Brass General too. DFrom what I continually read, definitely a lot of bang for your buck with this razor!
 
Good thoughts John.

I like the naked brass look, it’s one of the things that attracts me to the Brass General too. DFrom what I continually read, definitely a lot of bang for your buck with this razor!

Bright brass just reminds me of a cheap ceiling lamp from my parents house from the 80s. I might need therapy on that but I love the aged look.
 
I loved the look and feel of it too. But I need a B plate I think. I thought the C was pretty aggressive and couldn’t even get by with the D.
 
That was a great write up. I have enjoyed every shave with my Karve from the C to F plates. My best shaves have come from the E plate.
 
That was a great write up. I have enjoyed every shave with my Karve from the C to F plates. My best shaves have come from the E plate.

The Karve I used developed a water spot on the underside of the plate. This bothered me as it looks dirty. I think this maybe the nature of the raw brass. While some might like the aging brass look for me it would drive me nuts. If I owned one I would have to somehow clear coat it somehow so that the patina wouldn't get worse.
 
Yesterday the Gamechanger, today the Karve with the D plate. And yes, another exceptionally good shave that was close, smooth and very comfortable. Though I prefer the E & F plates on the Karve, if I’m not in the hunt for a BBS finish the D fits the bill nicely. Light blade feel yet still good efficiency with just enough audible feedback to let one know that it’s taking care of business. Just an absolute joy of a razor to use for whatever shave situation may arise. As a shaving system razor with multiple plates, it only really has one competitor, the Rockwell 6s/6c. And in my humble opinion, it beats it any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Superbly engineered and manufactured for not much $$$. A steal if you ask me....

 
I'm a big fan of the Karve. I use the D plate with the 3" handle. I tried the 3.5" handle but it was just too much weight and the balance seemed off.

I also hand polish it with Flitz Polish and it looks beautiful.
 
I'm a big fan of the Karve. I use the D plate with the 3" handle. I tried the 3.5" handle but it was just too much weight and the balance seemed off.

I also hand polish it with Flitz Polish and it looks beautiful.

Been wanting to do a polish on mine also, just haven't had the time to get to it. But, I'll be getting it done real soon. They look really amazing with that high gloss looking finish...
 
Been wanting to do a polish on mine also, just haven't had the time to get to it. But, I'll be getting it done real soon. They look really amazing with that high gloss looking finish...

To remove that water stain some idiot left on it.
 
I have the Karve with the 3" handle and the A, B and C plates and I agree with everyone's assessment about performance and build quality. I really enjoy the shave and look of the razor, however, I still find myself using my vintage Gillette's more than anything else. The only thing missing from the Karve is the nostalgia associated with memories of watching my dad using a Gillette SS at the farmhouse sink. Despite the excellent shaves, the Karve will eventually find a new home; nostalgia seems to be my weak spot.
 
I love my Karve. I don't care for OC's so I'll skip this new offering. Biding my time for a possible Stainless version if it comes to fruition.
 
Why skip a plate?

Open Combs in theory are a bit more aggressive feeling. A B open comb plate should feel like a C straight bar more or less. Same with D & F with F perhaps feeling like G+ straight bar. Like I said, in theory it should work out that way. We’ll see once they get here.....
 
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