Randy
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Grooming Cult - Queen's Ascendancy (Orion)
Nord Razors - Freyja
Wizamet Super Iridium #1
APShave Silksmoke 28mm
Cerave Dry Skin Baume
Total weight, almost 90gr (correct me if I'm wrong). Feels like it's a head driven razor but overall great balance.
Top cap: Brushed: Definitely a better choice than the basic polished. Has already some machine lines, gives Freyja an aggressive style too.
Baseplate: Efficient: Blade gap 1.20mm (all baseplates), Blade reveal: 0.20mm.
Handle: Spiral: Let's see how slippery it is when wet.
I did my lather thinner with more water and less product, to make it less dense to really test the blade feeling and avoid Orion's overprotective lather. Sometimes, a heavy glue like lather masks the razor's aggression for me.
Before I started, I checked the blade alignment: How silly I was to do that. You just throw a blade inside the top cap, place the baseplate and screw the handle. Every time the blade sits exactly as it supposed to sit. First thing I noticed is that Freyja's top cap clamps the blade very near the edge, leaving very little reveal. If you remove it, you can clearly see the marks near its edge, as something bit it.
Top cap and base plate have so high tolerances that once you placed them together they DON'T MOVE an inch.
There is a larger gap than I expected and the guard is way lower than expected too. Seems like the shaving angle is somehow being locked and there will be narrow "window" of the attack. We will see...
7 days of growth. No real preparation, just some water on the face before lathering.
WTG : The razor felt like I was holding a credit card and moving it over my whiskers. With the only difference that was also vanishing my heavy growth with ease. While there was a little to no blade feel, the removal was more efficient than I was expected when using my other razors, even the aggressive ones. The first pass overall was more like an auto pilot shave with not much participation from my side or my technique. The angle was very easy to maintain even for a newbie and the cutting "window" wasn't as narrow as I initially thought. The larger blade gap probably gives this high efficiency without any real aggression & the although the exposure is minimal can provide a wide range of cutting ability (shaving angle). Probably it's a combination of both.
It's practically impossible to cut your skin or the blade dig inside, no matter how much you press down. You have to overdo it, and even though, it will only irritate your skin. At least in the first pass.
ATG#1/XTG: With my lather thinner but not drippy, I couldn't enjoy Orion's full properties. On my left cheek, Freyja took no prisoners. VERY effective pass. The blade feels so secure that I could start buffering early. High clamping, no blade chattering, very rigid blade edge & low reveal. However, the efficiency is up there. Not sure if you get my point. Moustache & upper chin (the most difficult areas for me), although they weren't super smooth yet, because I only went XTG for now, felt really pleasant. I went directly ATG all over my neck with no problems. No pulling or dragging, it was a silent pass, this razor is not noisy when cutting hairs. The teeth on the baseplate help the lather flow through and never being clogged, rinsed easily.
Touch ups: I pulled the remaining lather from the Silksmoke and did the Nick Shaves move: I was searching for rough areas with the other hand, while holding the razor with the other to go ATG or buffing if needed. I hunted the BBS strongly this time but the skin was unaffected. ATG on the moustache had never been easier and more comfortable, even the black pores were invisible after the clean up. Pure BBS.
The result: Although I get often BBS with my other razors too, it was the way Freyja shaves and provided the BBS. The skin wasn't stressed at all, no roughness, no stinging, no burning sensation. I couldn't feel any stubble in all directions with my hand.
Disclaimer: I know that the fact that this is my one and only high end artisan razor, makes my opinion unreliable. You all guys can compare it with other top class razors but I cannot. So, take everything you read, with a grain of salt although many users said almost the same as me in their beautiful reviews from what I read. You all know that I'm always honest and I wouldn't praise something it didn't worth.
I look forward to trying the 8 OC variants that Dawid sent as well (v33 to v41 without including the v35 from what I noticed). They all fit perfectly in the Freyja.
Last but not least, the handle even when soapy or wet, feels like it has alum on it, the fingers never slipped during the shave. Didn't see that coming based on the surface of the knurling (didn't felt deep) when it was dry. But it works.
Congratulations @Nord Razors Dawid, no words can describe the feeling that I had after the shave. And I don't smile often as a person. It was a boost for me.
Insane build quality and tolerances. A piece of pure art. I'm totally impressed.
George
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dropped 🫳. 
