Razorock BBS Razor coming soon

[mrdoug]

On the Razorock / Italian Barber Twitter feed I happened upon a new razor they are going to be releasing soon, 'the BBS'.

I sent them an email for some more details. Here's what they said:

"Hi Paul,

You can see more details here and sign up for an email notification.

RazoRock BBS "Standard" Stainless Steel Double-Edge Safety Razor

RazoRock BBS "Standard" Stainless Steel Double-Edge Safety Razor PROUDLY MADE IN ONTARIO, CANADA What makes the RazoRock BBS safety razor so unique and wonderful? Our testers have told us the RazoRock BBS is the smoothest shaver they've ever used! We chalk this up to two reasons. Reason number...

www.italianbarber.com

It should release mid next week

It's an updated version of the baby smooth with some slight geometry changes in stainless steel... "

 

[slantman]

I am interested. Been following Razorock on Instagram for years. Joe is a great guy to do business with. When he ships to USA its usually UPS no longer using USPS.

 

[gwsmallwood]

I'm curious, as I've noticed that I tend to prefer razors that add more blade curve (like the Fatip for one). The product page doesn't mention any comparisons to the other RR stainless razors. It would be nice to know how it ranks in aggressiveness and/or efficiency with respect to their other offerings.

 

[GearNoir]

It’s very different than other RR razors. The blade curvature was pretty decent. I had an aluminum version for a while, used it a number of times, but just couldn’t get along with it. It had a very narrow cutting window and was a bit of a rough shave. I’d rank the original as low-mid to mid aggressive. More aggressive than the GC .68 and less aggressive than the .84...but a rougher shave than either.

If they’ve tweaked the specifications a bit though, my experience may no longer apply.

 

[mrdoug]

That's interesting. It has been a while since I used the Babysmooth (had an aluminum). What I recall most was issues with avoiding irritation. I guess that's par for the course with a high exposure razor.

Still, the first shave with my new Merkur 45 did very well. Smooth(ish) and close. If the BBS is like that, it could be a good choice for me. Still, I'd be inclined to use the Merkur a bit more first. I know what battles I had with the Babysmooth (though I want to remember it being with comfort, not closeness).

Since we're close to release, I think it might be time to shave exclusively with the 45 for a bit and see how it goes. [emoji106]

 

[AJSharp]

I had picked up the brushed Titanium Baby Smooth when it was available a couple of years ago with the same geometry. Apart from it being an absolute bargain at $125 (the initial $100 run had sold out rather quickly) it is a very smooth flowing razor with a middling efficiency which is what was advertised. Nevertheless I could get a quality 2 pass shave with 6 hours of smoothness. Now when I shimmed it the results were even better. I still use it periodically for a change of pace but I passed on the other metals and will likely not get a stainless version at this point.

 

[slantman]

Okay I ordered one. Suppose to be an improved Baby Smooth.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Just came in...

 

[GlazedBoker]

Just got done and it was a two passer with a slight touch up. Phenomenally smooth yet a deceptively efficient shaver. Not at the mid-aggressive level and geared more towards the milder side of the shave spectrum. But, it knocked down a nice full days worth of growth without a hitch. The shave angle came very natural to me but, that cutting window is quite small and you have to be on it to get the BBS to work at its most effective cutting position. If memory serves me correctly it does feel a bit like the Mamba .70 perhaps just a tad bit more efficient. Might have to do a side by side to really see if they’re similar or there are some differences. I think the BBS feels better. On a side note the Tatra Platinum blade is a player with better than average smoothness and quite sharp. Also, the Stirling MITA is awesome for the brutal heat. Face chillers will LOVE this stuff....

 

[GlazedBoker]

Went in and decided to write up my thoughts on my 2nd shave tonight with the RR BBS Stainless. I’ll keep it short and sweet. As @ShaveMD posted earlier In another forum, I can’t say that the duration of my shave lasted a certain amount of hours. I shaved yesterday at about 5:30 pm and I woke up this morning at about 4:30 am and did feel some light stubble. Feint but, there nonetheless on face & neck. Can’t give a time frame of duration as it was lights out for me at 10:30 pm. I was clean as a whistle when the eyes shut. Perhaps in the weekend I can get a day shave in and gauge duration. Needless to say, this will not give you a deep and super close shave say, a la Timeless .95 or an Ikon Tech but, that’s not what the BBS Stainless was designed to do. If that’s what you’re looking for, move on because this ain’t your champ.

Anyhow’s to the shave. And I think this shave was actually a bit better in both smoothness and efficiency than yesterday’s shave. I used a bit more skin stretching and shorter quick strokes and got a wonderful 2 pass plus minor chin buff BBS finish everywhere including the toughest spot for me which is both sides of Sir Adam. I performed a couple touch up strokes there and not a single whisker straggler left behind. Again, no irritation to speak of and just an easy smooth and comfortable shave. This is really an easy to use daily and is actually easier to get the cut angle and keeping it there than with the Mamba .70 imo. A definite shave off between the two is in the works along with a few other GC’s to throw in for giggles.....

 

[GlazedBoker]

Went all in and decided to see how the 2 Razorock razor stablemates compared to one another in terms of shave performance & feel. The BBS Stainless is the RR new kid on the block and I pulled out the Gamechanger .68-P SB to see how these two matched up. Decided to stay with the Tatra Platinum and just installed a fresh new blade In each to keep it even. Used the same soap from yesterday, the Stone Cottage Bayberry test formula which by the way, is an upgrade from their previous release. That’s for another thread. On with how these two performed.

Each razor took a side, BBS on the right & GC .68-P the left. And quite honestly, the shave from the two razors were nearly identical in feel. Blade feel is minimal and they are both muted sounding razors in comparison to those like a Blackbird, Timeless .95 or FatBoy/Slim from Gillette. Don’t get me wrong, they both give some audible feedback it’s just not very loud. But, they hum nicely. Again, it was a 2 pass affair with some slight touch ups from both parties and mostly in the same areas. A bit of a chin buff and a couple of extra strokes on each side of Sir Adam and they both left a BBS finish on their respective sides. Nothing to report on any minor mishaps nor any irritation. Just a real good, close and comfy shave. But, there are a couple of things that I did notice, not standout in force or obvious but, noticeably present throughout the whole shave. One is that I find them both having a narrow window of cutting angle or “sweet spot” as some would say and yet, I found it just a bit easier to maintain that angle with the BBS over the GC .68-P. Second, the BBS exhibits just a bit more smoothness or should I say, a softer feel on the skin during the shave against the GC .68-P. Again, I’m just perhaps splitting hairs here but, to me it felt a bit softer/smoother on the skin. And a final thing is that they weighed very close to each other with the BBS a few grams lighter than the GC .68-P. Of course that could be attributed to their respective handles but, on just the head assemblies without the handles there was only a 1 gram difference on my kitchen scale. Just putting it out there for those that like to look into weight bias and such. They both felt equally balanced in the hands and the handles from RR offer excellent grip top to bottom. Arguably some of the best in the business regardless of price point and manufacturer.

Overall they both gave a great easy shave. But, I felt that the BBS was easier to manage and like I had mentioned previously it just felt smoother overall. Neither one of these will cut you unless you’re all thumbs or mindlessly careless, they are that easy to use while exhibiting minimal blade feel. Both give comfortable and easy shaves, the BBS though was just a bit easier in my hands.....



BBS Head....


BBS complete razor...


GC .68-P head...


GC .68-P complete razor...

 

[slantman]

A truly smooth and close shaver even using a Feather blade. There is absolutely no blade chatter. I am really enjoying using this razor.

 

[mrdoug]

I'm curious if this razor still gives a shorter lived BBS than others, with all things equal (blade)?

I know that is the problem I run into with others. Some I can't get a BBS, period. Others I can, with more effort. However, it usually doesn't last last as long. Example... The GC 68 compared to the 84 (which is why I usually go with the 84). [emoji106]

Thanks!

 

[jgreenepa]

A truly smooth and close shaver even using a Feather blade. There is absolutely no blade chatter. I am really enjoying using this razor.
View attachment 31290

Thanks, for the thoughtful review! It sounds like a very smooth shaving razor!