Pass Around Carbon CX-316L including two new base plates

Stonec0ld

Stonec0ld

Forum GOD!
A week with the razor and I've not had chance to share my thoughts yet.

The first shave I went with the standard plate and a new Astra green, if only to remember what it was like and get a baseline. It was only February I had this razor before but it seems like so much time and so many different razors have passed. I remember enjoying the razor but not this much! Maybe all those other razors has made me appreciate this one more. Its got a good weight, the head is nice and slim but not light, there's a little blade feel but in no way intimidating and it gives a smooth efficient shave. I might seriously think about picking one up.

The next 3 shaves I moved up to the + plate with the same blade. Maybe a little more audio feedback and a touch more blade feel, but still super smooth and efficient. However I maybe rushed these 3 shaves as they were during the week and I did feel a little burn after.

The following 2 shaves I moved up to the ++ and fitted a new Astra green. The first was a little rushed and I got a few weepers and a little burn so I was starting to think it wasn't for me, but then I often get that with a new blade, I much prefer a blade with 2 or 3 uses on it. The second however was a delight! It was a Saturday and I could take my time, it is such a smooth razor, no drag at all just the lovely sound of hair cutting. No weepers or cuts and no burn after, just one of the closest shaves I've ever had, a real joy to use.

I'll have another couple of goes with the ++ and maybe one more with the +, if only to decide which one I want to buy.
 
carbold

carbold

Carlo
First of all, let me say that I already have a Carbon, the titanium version, standard head. With the standard head, although I enjoy the blade feel, I always thought I could do with a bit more efficiency. That's why I jumped on the ++ plate straight away, and loaded my titanium standard head as well.
The audio feedback of the ++ head was great from the start, much more than the standard head, however the ++ was a massive let down in terms of efficiency. It just misses the blade exposure that makes the standard head so efficient. Times and times again I would go over a spot with the ++ thinking the job was done, only to go over it again with the standard head, and find that it would still pick some stubble!

For me the ++ is a massive missed opportunity. Going up with the gap and down with the exposure doesn't make it so different to the Standard, it actually kills what is the strong point of the Standard. Of course I do enjoy blade feel, but if you are going for a ++ plate YOU ARE looking for blade feel and efficiency, so why do I feel that the Standard is more efficient? I was expecting Ikon Tek territory for the ++, instead it's almost a step down from the Standard.

One word about the finish. The underside of the top cap has visible machine marks, and I think for this price tag that is not good enough. You might think this only affects the passaround razor, but unfortunately I got the same marks in my Titanium version. The Timeless are marginally better in the same area, the Colibri' is better, the Wolfman massively better.

What I really like about this head design is the weight. I have been moving to lighter and lighter razors, and this head is brilliant in that respect at 28 grams. The titanium version is 16 grams!

I'm looking forward to trying the + head, but I'm not holding my breath. I think the Standard is a very good head, I was about to pull the trigger on a ++ a couple of times but I'll give it a miss. Thanks @Nishy for organising this, it really is a useful tool to help our decision process. And thanks to Carbon Shaving for providing the razors, as a manufacturer it's not easy to expose themselves to criticism more so when dealing with a very subjective field like shaving.

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Optometrist

Optometrist

Forum GOD!
carbold said:
First of all, let me say that I already have a Carbon, the titanium version, standard head. With the standard head, although I enjoy the blade feel, I always thought I could do with a bit more efficiency. That's why I jumped on the ++ plate straight away, and loaded my titanium standard head as well.
The audio feedback of the ++ head was great from the start, much more than the standard head, however the ++ was a massive let down in terms of efficiency. It just misses the blade exposure that makes the standard head so efficient. Times and times again I would go over a spot with the ++ thinking the job was done, only to go over it again with the standard head, and find that it would still pick some stubble!

For me the ++ is a massive missed opportunity. Going up with the gap and down with the exposure doesn't make it so different to the Standard, it actually kills what is the strong point of the Standard. Of course I do enjoy blade feel, but if you are going for a ++ plate YOU ARE looking for blade feel and efficiency, so why do I feel that the Standard is more efficient? I was expecting Ikon Tek territory for the ++, instead it's almost a step down from the Standard.

One word about the finish. The underside of the top cap has visible machine marks, and I think for this price tag that is not good enough. You might think this only affects the passaround razor, but unfortunately I got the same marks in my Titanium version. The Timeless are marginally better in the same area, the Colibri' is better, the Wolfman massively better.

What I really like about this head design is the weight. I have been moving to lighter and lighter razors, and this head is brilliant in that respect at 28 grams. The titanium version is 16 grams!

I'm looking forward to trying the + head, but I'm not holding my breath. I think the Standard is a very good head, I was about to pull the trigger on a ++ a couple of times but I'll give it a miss. Thanks @Nishy for organising this, it really is a useful tool to help our decision process. And thanks to Carbon Shaving for providing the razors, as a manufacturer it's not easy to expose themselves to criticism more so when dealing with a very subjective field like shaving.

View attachment 77656
Click to expand...
Snap.
 
carbold

carbold

Carlo
Gents,
In a dramatic turn of events, I have to put my review on hold as I realised that the Titanium standard plate that I own (and used for the comparison) has a rather different geometry compared to the same Standard plate in steel.
The Titanium plate is thicker (which you'd expect because it would be tricky to machine titanium to the same thickness as the steel plate), but more importantly the safety bar is different, in angle and geometry, and so are the slots and the contact area between top cap and base plate.
Apologies for the confusion, I'll try again during the week, using just the steel heads.

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Ventastic

Ventastic

Forum GOD!
Interesting. Having had both the titanium and stainless original razors here at one point, I never made the geometry comparison. I did have the feeling that the Ti version was more efficient however.
 
Nishy

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
Just to throw another spanner into the mix, Sean (Carbon) is sending me a: - plate providing a milder shave option, I will send this to whoever is next on the list or to @carbold if it arrives in time, from memory I don't think Carlo (Carbold) is interested in a mild plate if not more efficient than the standard, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
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carbold

carbold

Carlo
Hi @Nishy you remember right, not interested in a "-" plate for sure.
I just posted the box to @jeepie as @Danjo312 is pulling out.
For me Sean is going in the wrong direction, after another couple of shaves I regret to say there isn't a linear scale of efficiency between standard, + and ++. Changing the exposure has mixed the cards between plates, however I can positively say that I much prefer the standard TITANIUM head which has great blade feel and good efficiency. I won't be buying a titanium ++ plate as planned, simply because I have no idea of what I will get in terms of geometry. Something similar to the SS ++? Or more like the titanium standard but bigger gap? Not going to spend £150 to find out
 
CarbonShavingCo

CarbonShavingCo

Forum GOD!
Artisan
Guys, thanks again for taking the time to try the Cx and for the extra time to respond. I really appreciate the commentary, feedback, concerns and preference. As small business it is invaluable to hear this kind of feedback, it really does help shape our plans. Truly thank you...

To provide more colour to this new plate, here are some details:

For this "Mild" plate we reduced the blade exposure(although still positive) from the original plate but increased the gap from .67mm(the original plates gap) to a .71mm gap.

I have attached a photo of where the "mild/-" plate is configured in relation to the other plates for your reference.

Mild plate.jpg


Some notes about the image:

1) The dotted or dashed lines represent what I have seen referred to as the "Shave plane"(Credit: @ShavingByTheNumbers) or the path the razor runs in relation to the skin. This could also be referred to as the "skin plane" or the theoretical plane of the skin. Blade exposure is how far the blade protrudes outside this line.

2) I have noted the blade (although slightly exaggerated in scale)

3) The red dots represent the end of the horizontal section of the base plates, where blade gap is measured.

Our philosophy is that blade gap is not the only measurable of a razor's "aggressiveness/efficiency" but blade exposure is just as important. We also subscribe to having some element of positive blade exposure...

@Cobald thank you again for your early support, we really appreciated your feedback, both critical and positive. I also want to recognize you for your help and tips with bonding carbon fiber/composites to metal...thank you!

One thing about our product and production is that we still only make the Cx in small batches...we believe it allows us to adjust to feedback, improve and to continue to innovate. While we could look for volume to increase profits we think it would compromise these benefits. Since introducing the Cx we have made changes to both the design and finishing. We do our best to make sure our photos are up-to-date and that we disclaim as much as we can.

A couple of things that have changed include:
- Improving the finish (Including process)
- You can also see from the photo we have increased the size of the lather holes (In all Cx models)

But the critical dimensions have not changed on the original plate (exposure, gap, etc...)

What we discovered very early is that everyone has a preference and we continue to try to address these preferences...some of that early feedback included:

New handle options
Improved finish
Damascus, Mokume, Titanium...other cool materials?
Shave preferences, ie. smoothness, efficiency, less irritation, shaving frequency, etc...hence the new plates.

We have had a number of requests for a mild plate...we have also had requests for a "more aggressive" razor, we need to look at all of this...the question we struggle with in regards to a more efficient razor is:

- More exposure?
- Larger gap?
- Both?
- Does one shift to a a straight razor at this point?

Technically there are an infinite number of combinations but totally open to any feedback as you check us out...

While these "pass-arounds" can be unerving for us...we count on you to be vocal and opinionated and for that we thank you.

Stay well and healthy in this crazy world...we hope this pass around gives you some joy!

Thanks again for the support and for trying the Cx,

Sean
 
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