Review Parthenon Razor

Boojum1

Cosmic Cowboy
Was looking up info on the v2 version of the Occam's Razor and came across an interesting project. It is the Parthenon Razor done by a partnership with Weishi and Qshave. They have created a TTO adjustable razor, however with both companies having expertise in TTO and adjustable manufacturing, I am pretty sure this project won't have as much delays as the other TTO adjustable project. Razor seems big (like the Qshave), but definitely looks well built. AND if you act right now, all this can be yours for $49. I have no idea what the production price will be, however it will not be an under $10 razor like their respective current offerings.
Beautiful!
 

Str8Mug

Forum GOD!
Just a quick update on the Parthenon Adjustable razor.
Yesteday, on their KS follow thread, I posted a question to the creators of the Parthenon razor concerning the lather exits/holes on the bottom of the razor. A member had mentioned it previously here that it might be an issue with clogging and rinsing, can't remember who the member was, but I asked as it was a valid point and here was their response:

Missing avatar
Augustin J. about 20 hours ago
Looking forward to this razor and how it will shave. If it performs as good as it looks, this can change the wet shaving landscape in terms of quality, performance and affordability. From your last update on April 11th, are you still on target to meet the projected delivery time frame of June? Also, if I may ask. Is there a reason for going to circular lather/hair exits rather than the traditional longer, rectangular or ovalized lather slots that run the length of the razor under the safety bar? Would those exit holes make rinsing out the razor more necessary than others? Not saying that it won't work, just would like to know if you see an advantage over the traditional lather slot exits. Thanks in advance....

Regards,
Augustin


QSHAVE Creator about 4 hours ago
@Augustin J, yes we are still in the schedule. Actually the first 300 pcs are already in the coating process, and will be assembled in early May


About the circular exits (if I understand it correctly you are referring to the eight holes on the bottom of the blades holder), these exits were designed for rinsing the razor, and we were hoping these holes could guide the water flow, and keep the razor dry. After dozens of testing, we found out they weren't helping, and might be chocked up with the mix of lather/hair. We have removed these exits on the mass production versions. But don't worry, the razor has plenty open areas on the both sides and bottom, the razor can be easily rinsed.

So, to their credit they did some R&D and figured out that the lather holes were a no go. Now, concerning the exits on the sides if that will suffice, I don't know. And I don't see any other exits on the bottom of the base plate unless they are incorporating that into their production models. Remains to be seen. On another note, they are on schedule to getting these razors out. Good news, I think....
 

gvw755

Forum GOD!
The Merkur adjustable razors (Progress and Futur) does not have holes or slots at the bottom of the base plate. They do, however have a deep trough behind the guard, which helps to make it an efficient shaver and seems sufficient enough for lather management. It is not the best design for lather management as I often times have to rinse running the water directly down the trough. The Parker Variant, while using the same trough design, does have slots on the bottom, making it easier to rinse. Although the Parthenon does not seem to have a trough design, there does seem to be enough space for lather to pass on it's way out through the sides where the TTO hinges are.

As you pointed out, though, Weishi and Qshave have a lot of experience in this area and seem to be on top of testing and modifying the design as things pop up.
 

Str8Mug

Forum GOD!
The first 200 are ready to go. The latest update:

Update May 7th 2018
Posted by QSHAVE (Creator)
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Hi all,

The first batch of Parthenon razors about 200 pcs are ready. Looking good! We are doing the final quality check and packaging. We will ship them out based on the backer number.

The rest of razors are already in production. They will be ready very soon.

Regards,

QSHAVE TEAM
 

Str8Mug

Forum GOD!
Good news. Razors are starting to ship. But, the black coated ones will be delayed for a few days. Customer service for a minor shipping snafu not too shabby either...

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Hi all backers,

Few updates we would like to share with you.

1. We have shipped 130 razors out in this week. Some of you may receive it already. If you have any question regarding to order or product, please contact service@qshave.com. We will take care of your case.

2. We found out a a coating issue with the black version in the final quality check, so we did not ship them. We worked together with coating factory, and solved the problem. The new black version razors will be ready May 20th, and we will start to ship them by then.

3. The warehouse made a mistake. Few backers who ordered the black version (with and without engraved) will receive a silver version Parthenon without engraved letters. But don't worry, we will send your black one with correct engraved letters later next week. The silver one you can keep it as a gift. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will send out email today to inform those backers.

4. Next week, we will ship another 200 razors (silver ones) before Wednesday. As the black version will be ready by May 20th, we will ship out them too.

Regards,

QSHAVE
 

Rowlers

Massive Member
Staff member
First Shave in!
Blade Gaps:
#1


#3


#5


#7


#9


Initial impressions are that it is a but of a brute! Thinking Merkur Futur here; but it is SO much more nimble that you feel it is a smaller razor than it actually is... The finish is outstanding, no issues at all. Everything is shiny shiny! The handle is quite long, but I have no issues here either as I'm comfortable using anything from 80-110mm.

First issue:

The #9 doesn't line up with the marker!:cry:

Not a major issue but it is playing with my OCD!

On a similar light the adjustment ring is a little bit meh... It is sloppy in comparison to a Gillette Adjustable, it is not as smooth as even its partner in crime the Q-Shave Futur Clone... Maybe I'll contact them to see if this is normal...

Onto the shave. I started on 5 with feels plenty efficient to deal with 2 days growth, I'd put this on a similar level as the Fatboy on 8/9, or Progress at 3.5/4. Very nice first pass, smooth and quite, you can feel the blade, but at no point did I feel in "danger!"
I opened it up to #9 for the second XTG pass and it does feel a bit more aggressive, slightly more blade feel but still nothing that would trouble most experienced shavers. This would be 4.5 on a Progress - I don't think it open quite as much as a Progress, but I have not used one for a long time.
Back down to 5 for the ATG pass and again, nice and easy, smooth ATG.
I'm sitting here typing this whilst faceterbating, yeah that was a DFS shave!:cool:

Recommended :okay:
 

celestino

Forum GOD!
I didn't even get to use mine for one shave.
I received it, yesterday and I was about to use it for my head shave, but the adjustment dial 1-9 seized after a few turns.
I contacted Q Shave and they offered me suggestions on how to remedy the problem, but I tried explaining to them that the dial had completely seized.
I am awaiting a reply as I want a full refund. I don't want to deal with an exchange seeing as this should never have happened, in the first place, in my opinion.
 

Rowlers

Massive Member
Staff member
I didn't even get to use mine for one shave.
I received it, yesterday and I was about to use it for my head shave, but the adjustment dial 1-9 seized after a few turns.
I contacted Q Shave and they offered me suggestions on how to remedy the problem, but I tried explaining to them that the dial had completely seized.
I am awaiting a reply as I want a full refund. I don't want to deal with an exchange seeing as this should never have happened, in the first place, in my opinion.
Yeah, I've seen an few comments about seized adjustment dials on the KS page. Mine got stuck too, but came free again.
 

Rowlers

Massive Member
Staff member
Reply from Q-Shave:
Hi Lee,

Good to hear that you like the shave!

If the adjustment ring gets stuck, you can twist the bottom dial (open/close the butterfly open tops) a little bit. It shall be fine.

And during the first few uses, the ring could be tight. When we designed the Parthenon, we want it to have extreme long use life. And one thing which will significantly affect the use life is the spring in the adjustment mechanism. So we choose a very hard spring which can be used for years. After few uses, it will become much smoother.

The marker should be lined up with the middle of (max #9). If you have any other question, you can contact me anytime, or service@qshave.com. We will take care of your issue. :)

Thanks for your support!
 

slantman

Forum GOD!
Sorry to hear that Celestino. Unless things change drastically and quickly I will pass no matter how cheap they are.
 

Rowlers

Massive Member
Staff member
Sorry to hear that Celestino. Unless things change drastically and quickly I will pass no matter how cheap they are.
I find that you need to move the bottom knob, to get the adjustment ring to move. It's not great TBH, but it does shave really well..
 
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