Str8Mug
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Two shaves in so far with the Aluminum Guerilla with this one being the 3rd and to be quite honest, this razor has shown me everything that it can offer in a lightweight package. I felt like getting another one in with the same Feather blade on its second use just for my own interest and to see if there is a difference in shave feel. The other two base plates won’t be here for another week or so and I have a couple new to me vintage Gillette’s that I want to try out in the meantime. Today was a 3 pass affair WTG, ATG & XTG. The Feather still felt nice and sharp but, there was a subtle increase in smoothness as the initial harshness from the first shave with the Feather was practically nonexistent here. Simply controlled easy strokes from every pass as the razor cuts through the whiskers with ease yet still giving an authoritative audible sensation to the ears that’s like listening to the great composers like Beethoven, Bach & Mozart (I’m not a big follower of classical compositions but, I have a few in my music library). If you like sound, this one delivers in huge helpings to one’s shave delight. An excellent finish that left no disturbance anywhere on the skin except for two tiny weepers under the chin. The Alum pass gave zero feedback on heat/irritation and the splash from RR’s X was a finishing touch that Zeus & the Olympians from their watchful perch on Mt. Olympus would approve of. Tremendous shave, tremendous shaver.
Sounds good right? Yes, it does and the Aluminum Guerilla .99 delivers in every aspect in terms of efficiency and total shave performance. However, if one is expecting that efficiency to be wrapped up in a bed of melted butter smoothness say like a Timeless Ti/SS .95, you will be slightly disappointed. The Guerilla is not a rough feeling shaver and is far from that. It delivers positive blade exposure coupled into a lightweight package that for some who traditionally enjoy a heavier razor may find some difficulty in balancing that lighter weight and applying the appropriate amount of pressure to find a happy balance between cutting and comfort. A great lather helps immensely as that goes for any and all razors but, dialing in the suds gives this razor a nice medium to help it deliver at its best. Pressure and suds can make this razor a stud or a dud. I’ll put it this way. If you’ve ever shaved with a Muhle R41 post 2013, the Guerilla will give you somewhat that relative shave feel (in the ballpark) in a lighter package with better face feel and a broader range of angle adjustment. It also offers better forgiveness if one makes a slight miscalculation during the shave process. I’m also saying this while using a Feather blade in the last two shaves. So, finding a blade to match with your cutting ability and skin tolerance will help substantially in mitigating any harsh or semi-aggressive feeling of the razor & blade combo.
More blade experimentation on my end will obviously tell a better story down the road in the long term and I will eventually get to that but, those other plates with their smaller gap sizes will definitely bring a softer or less aggressive feel (and by no means is this razor aggressive, mid level and a tic above at best) to the Aluminum Guerilla package. The .99 is great but, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that is perfectly fine. Those other gaps though might just do it for many others.
Stay tuned…..
Sounds good right? Yes, it does and the Aluminum Guerilla .99 delivers in every aspect in terms of efficiency and total shave performance. However, if one is expecting that efficiency to be wrapped up in a bed of melted butter smoothness say like a Timeless Ti/SS .95, you will be slightly disappointed. The Guerilla is not a rough feeling shaver and is far from that. It delivers positive blade exposure coupled into a lightweight package that for some who traditionally enjoy a heavier razor may find some difficulty in balancing that lighter weight and applying the appropriate amount of pressure to find a happy balance between cutting and comfort. A great lather helps immensely as that goes for any and all razors but, dialing in the suds gives this razor a nice medium to help it deliver at its best. Pressure and suds can make this razor a stud or a dud. I’ll put it this way. If you’ve ever shaved with a Muhle R41 post 2013, the Guerilla will give you somewhat that relative shave feel (in the ballpark) in a lighter package with better face feel and a broader range of angle adjustment. It also offers better forgiveness if one makes a slight miscalculation during the shave process. I’m also saying this while using a Feather blade in the last two shaves. So, finding a blade to match with your cutting ability and skin tolerance will help substantially in mitigating any harsh or semi-aggressive feeling of the razor & blade combo.
More blade experimentation on my end will obviously tell a better story down the road in the long term and I will eventually get to that but, those other plates with their smaller gap sizes will definitely bring a softer or less aggressive feel (and by no means is this razor aggressive, mid level and a tic above at best) to the Aluminum Guerilla package. The .99 is great but, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that is perfectly fine. Those other gaps though might just do it for many others.
Stay tuned…..
