Following on from my original review of the Yates razor with M and Hybrid plates...I received my H plate with updated top cap and have been using it daily for the last week.
This time, I got the best blasted finish and it's gorgeous! The stonewash finish is somewhat unique and different to most finishes on the market. But if one is a fan of bead blasted, they will not be disappointed with this!
The top cap was redesigned, late last year I believe. It is not as rounded as the original cap and this really helps to find the optimal angle. But this is not to say it's a very narrow range angle, like the Fine Marvel for example. It's kind of like a hybrid cap where it's in between a standard rounded cap and the "set" angle of the Marvel or a GEM razor.
Finding the angle is super easy and the razor feels very intuitive in use.
The YPM logo on the cap has been reduced in size and looks very classy!
The extreme blade bend is an aspect of yates which I love! Firstly, such a bend minimises any blade chatter so even with a gap of 1.03mm (and exposure of +0.13mm), it feels smooth as silk! Surprisingly for me, the aggression H plate compared to the M plate feels to me like the H plate would have a marginally higher gap/exposure but in reality, the difference is huge (M: 0.68mm/neutral to H: 1.03mm/+0.13mm).
So there's a slight increase in aggression with a big jump in efficiency. What more could one ask for?!
The geometry of the Yates is still one of my all time favorites! It never feels like it's going to bite (I get zero nicks, weepers, creepers!), it's very smooth, easy to find the angle and is highly efficient.
Note: the handle is one I had. I prefer slightly lighter handles on my more efficient razors and this one is a good fit for the H plate for my preferences.