This razor came in yesterday and with great anticipation I looked forward to this morning's shave to road test my first contemporary production, all-stainless American made three piece shaving tool.
I studied the ATT options quite a bit before settling on the R1, which is advertised as ATT's middle of the road for blade exposure and sports a solid bar. I feared an M head might be a touch too mild and certainly didn't want to get near the H head. I picked the 3" Atlas handle because over time using vintage Gillette's with this handle length, I find it just fits my technique better.
Read up quite a bit on user impressions including some that called it their most often used razor, one gent who compared it to a Merkur 37C, and another that said it is "deceptively smooth but unforgiving" or words to that effect.
To put myself in perspective, I find a Gillette adjustable such as the Fatboy on 5 or a Gillette NEW to be about ideal for blade exposure. I like the 34C but sometimes struggle with its mildness. I loaded the R1 with a new Gillette Nacet and proceeded to get to business.
WOW this razor cuts close. The gents who compared it to the 37C and the gent who called it "deceptively smooth but unforgiving" pretty much nailed it. This combo is remarkably close cutting but any lapses in technique will not be tolerated :)
To me it felt like a Gillette adjustable on the higher end of the scale, approaching 8 or 9 even. I wound up with weeper on the bottom side of the right jaw line. Going ATG in some spots, I had to be extremely cautious with angle and could tell I was on the verge of courting trouble without extreme care.
All said and done this razor requires a learning curve for someone such as myself. It is not one I can start "drag racing" with. If you use super sharp blades like the Nacet, it will eradicate stubble with an unbelievable level of efficiency. I like the all-stainless, machined build quality, the weight and the feel. The spiral cuts in the handle make it virtually impossible to drop. However I will definitely be trying other blades in this razor as my first outing with the Nacet was not a slam dunk score by any means.
Purchasing through ATT itself, the product was shipped rapidly and delivered in a very nice looking foam lined packaging box.
An exceptionally well made tool that if used with the appropriate care and good blade selection will provide amazing closeness.
First shave with an ATT R1
شارك عبر الماسنجر
