Completed Supply Provision Single Edge - CLOSED

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Ho, ho, ho!

A Christmas Day pass around special

TSR member @Blademonkey asked me to organise a pass around of his Supply Provision Single Edge (V1) razor. The razor has been discussed ↪here.


Please read and agree to the following rules and remarks before joining the list:
If you are new to pass arounds, please read ↪this article on how pass arounds work first.
This pass around is available to members of both the ATG and TSR forums in the UK. If you don't want to post your reviews on both forums I will post a link to your review on the other forum.
The pass around is not limited to a fixed number of members. I’ll restrict the pass around to members who have been around for a while. Don’t apply with your first post. UK based members only, due to postage costs. EU based members are welcome if they are willing to cover the extra postage.
Please send the razor by a 'signed for' Royal Mail service or equivalent. You send the tracking number to the recipient and to me.
The razor will come with its original box. Do not put the box in a mail bag. Place it inside another box padded with bubble wrap or equivalent material.
The razor is your responsibility from the moment you receive it until the next person receives it. You break it or lose it - you buy it. If Royal Mail loses it, they’ll pay for it.
Don’t hog the razor. 7-10 days should be enough time to form an opinion.
Let’s know what you think about the razor. Post your thoughts on this thread and if possible on the other forum as well.
Make sure the razor is shave ready for the next person, i.e. cleaned and disinfected using for example ↪Barbicide.
The razor will be shipped with a magazine of 20 Personna injector blades. You can use your own injector blades, but be aware that twin blades are not suitable for this razor and would damage the razor. Do not attempt to use twin blades.

Important note:
Care must be taken with the thumb screw that holds the plates on the razor, (A) it is very small and if dropped would be easily lost and (B) it is only to be pinched up to tighten and must not be over tightened which may strip the thread on the razor head rendering the razor unusable. Remember - if you break the razor, you replace it.


Who is interested?
  1. sɐǝɹpu∀ / riverrun (ATG/TSR)
  2. You?
The list is open.
Legend: Currently with, On the way to, Waiting, Completed
 
Last edited:

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
The razor is now on its way to me.
Still plenty of room on the list.

  1. sɐǝɹpu∀ / riverrun (ATG/TSR)
  2. p.b (ATG)
  3. Mr Bigmem (ATG/TSR)
  4. Rowlers (ATG)
  5. You?
The list is open.
Legend: Currently with, On the way to, Waiting, Completed
 

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
The razor has arrived safely. First impressions and a shave report to follow later.
  1. sɐǝɹpu∀ / riverrun (ATG/TSR)
  2. p.b (ATG)
  3. Mr Bigmem (ATG/TSR)
  4. Rowlers (ATG)
  5. You?
The list is open.
Legend: Currently with, On the way to, Waiting, Completed
 

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Supply Provision Single Edge - Initial impressions and shave #1

Finally. A pass around injector razor I don't already know. The second one after the wonderful PAL Injectomatic. And this time it's a rare modern one. The closest comparison I have is the Bunny V3, so that's what I'll compare it to.

First impressions

It's heavy. 108.4g - just over twice the weight of the Bunny.
It looks good. Simple and elegant lines with a lovely flawless satin finish. The head is at a slight angle to the handle, something I initially wished the Bunny had, but after more than 50 shaves I love the straight line Bunny handle.
This Single Edge comes with three plates. The 'classic' plate is already installed and I'll keep it for my first shave. The screw on the underside of the head does look a bit clunky though. It removes easily enough and then the entire head comes apart, including the blade. It's quite easy to reassemble the head (with the same or a different plate) using the same blade. This means you can install a blade without using an injector magazine. However, I would not want to change plates mid-shave, something that can be done much more easily with the Bunny V3. I must admit that I've probably done this once in 50+ shaves with the Bunny and even then I didn't see the point.
To see how injecting blades from a magazine works I take my magazine of dulled "blank" blades. Mostly it works OK, but on one occasion the new blade started being injected above the old one, not pushing it out. Something I do not want to do with a precious Chinese Schick blade, so I decide to inject one into an empty head for my first shave.
Having done this with ease, we come to....

Shave #1
Oh, the tragedy! My last shave with Truefitt&Hill lavender shaving cream I'm afraid. I love that scent and I'm almost out. Truefitt&Hill in their definitely finite wisdom have decided to discontinue this lovely scent and I'll keep the last bits in the pot as a scent sample until I find something that smells exactly the same and works as well. For a reasonable price.
On to the shave! It's a pass around, so for a level playing field I do a four pass WTG/XTG/GTX/ATG shave. The angle is easy to find - think vintage Schick injector. It is heavy though. Much heavier than any other injector razor I have tried, including the metal early Schick repeaters. Luckily the handle is not slippery, despite being smooth.
Apart from the weight the shave is what I expect from a fresh Chinese Schick blade. No incidents, no tugging. A very sharp, yet smooth blade. Fast forward and after four passes there are one or two places where I need a little clean-up. Not quite as close as I'd expect from the Bunny V3.
Then again, the alum block and ASL have no complaints whatsoever. The overall result is a very close skin-friendly shave, but it didn't last as long as others.
Most of the razor cleans nicely after the shave, except for the underside of the head, but that's an issue for most injectors. At least you can completely disassemble this one for a good clean.
Tomorrow I might use the more aggressive plate - I don't think I need the razor any milder. I also want to try the razor with a Personna blade, as that's what it ships with. A shave-off with the Bunny V3 is mandatory later on.
TBC...
 

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Shave #2
I need to keep it brief today.
I used the aggressive plate with the Single Edge. Changing the plate while keeping the blade is doable, but too fiddly for my taste. However, I expect that once you have found the right plate for you, changing plates would be a rare occurrence. I hardly ever change plates on the Bunny V3 (although I remove it after each shave for cleaning) and I mostly use other adjustables on the same setting all the time.
The aggressive plate gives noticeably more blade feel than the 'classic' plate. In the end the shave does not feel any closer than that with the classic plate, but I get three tiny weepers (not even bad enough to get the styptic out) and the alum block and ASL sting more than yesterday. Overall the shave was not as smooth as I would expect from an injector razor. Also, I like how nimble my injectors are and the Single Edge is just too heavy to give me that feeling. Maybe I'll get used to it.
I think I'll give the 'mild' plate a go after all.
TBC.
 

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Shave #3
I need to use my Castle Forbes more often. They all smell great and perform as well as anything else. I had forgotten how little you actually need and overdid it. With the big Mühle brush I got so much lather that after four passes I had enough lather left for another four. Easily. My favourite scent is the Lime, but it's one of the few soaps I managed to finish. I miss it, but I'm not buying any more soaps or creams until I have finished a few more. Not this year then. :rolleyes:
I changed plates on the Single Edge again. Today I'm trying the 'Mild' plate. Changing plates while keeping the blade is still too fiddly for my liking.
The 'Mild' plate is 'Mild' with a capital M. I like 'em mild, but that's too mild even for me. It's so mild that I'm tempted to apply pressure. Except I don't. You know my mantra: NO PRESSURE. On the positive side there is no chance whatsoever that I'll nick myself. On the negative side, there is a little bit of sandpaper stubble left in places even after four passes. It's way milder than a Schick Adjustable on '1'. It makes a Feather AS-D2 feel aggressive. In a word - it's Mild. Too mild even for my liking. The alum block might as well been a piece of marble - it thinks I didn't have a shave at all. The Cella Eau de Lavande contains quite a bit of alcohol, but there is very little sting.
Now that I have tried all three plates I can say that they do make a difference. The plates on the Bunny V3 are all very similar on my face and give the same result, but with the Single Edge you do have a real choice. That's a good thing, but from now on I will stick with the 'Classic' plate. I suits me best.
TBC...
 
Last edited:

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Shave #4
I meant to put a Personna blade into the Single Edge, but I was absentminded (pondering the best workflow for animated GIF images) and put another Chinese Schick blade in instead. Oh well.
Nothing much new to be reported about today's shave (except that the 'Classic' plate is definitely the one I prefer), but there are some observations I'd like to share:
Firstly, you can't tell which plate is installed by looking at the razor. The dots are on the inside of the head. You have to disassemble the razor or look at the two other plates. Bad user interface design.
Secondly, the top of the razor is wonderfully elegant and beautiful. Clean lines, smooth, just right. In comparison, the underside of the razor is a mess.
Exhibit A:

I rest my case.
To be continued...​
 

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Shave #5
First some thoughts on the price of the Single Edge. To be quite honest I hadn't looked at the cost of acquiring the razor until today. This is odd, as I bought a small part of this one before :D:D
I personally would buy the razor with the 'Classic' plate only. The other two plates would not be used, so why buy them? The costs for buying one in the UK are:
Classic razor: $75
Shipping: $14.95
Total: $89.95
In GBP £73.16
No duty payable
VAT @20%: 14.63
Royal Mail ransom: £8
Total: £95.79
If you lived in the US there would be free shipping and no VAT/RM penalty, so the total cost would be $75, or £61. At £61 this razor is a bargain and at £96 it's still quite reasonable. Would I buy one? Not so fast... wait until I'm finished with this razor.

The shave - Personna and Speick

Today I finally put a Personna blade into the Single Edge. While doing so it's still fiddly, I like the fact that the only once used Schick blade I took out can be (and will be) put back into the razor at a later date without having to put it back into a magazine. Also, some of my Personna magazines are of dismal quality and I need to put the blades into a Schick magazine before using them in other injectors. I know that most people don't have this problem, but I do. So it's nice that you can put a blade into the razor without using a magazine.
The Personna blade performed nicely. I had a very pleasant shave. No tugging or pulling, even ATG under the nose. They are good blades for a good price and work well with this razor. I may be imagining things, but I think the Schicks are a little bit smoother. Just a little bit.
Again, the shave is not as close as it could be. Don't get me wrong... I'm clean shaven and mostly smooth, but I can still feel a tiny bit of stubble just under my jawline when checking ATG. I need to do a shave-off with the Bunny V3 soon, an injector razor that masters this difficult area quite well.
To be continued...
 
Last edited:

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Shave #6 Singe Edge vs. Bunny V3

The Single Edge on the left hand side of my face, the might Bunny V3 on the right hand side. I'm using the Bunny with the 'Mild' plate - my standard setting and the Single Edge with the 'Classic' plate. I started the shave with the Single Edge and then switched to the Bunny. Something was wrong on the Bunny side and I remembered that the Schick blade in the Bunny had been used for quite some time. I checked later and it would have been shave number 10 with the same blade. I quickly injected a new Schick blade and all was well.
The two half-shaves were similar in blade feel, but very different in razor feel. The Single Edge needs the normal injector angle, the Bunny needs its own very quirky angle. I have no real preference. However, the Single Edge is too heavy. Injectors are nimble - the Single Edge isn't. The Bunny is so much more fun when moving it around my face. Razor weight is a very personal thing, but I believe the Single Edge would be a better razor if it was made from aluminium.
In the end I had a pleasurable shave all over, helped by the excellent De Vergulde Hand soap. Good stuff. As I expected, the Bunny gave me a slightly closer shave and the shave lasted longer. The difference is not massive, but it's there.
I'll have at least one more Bunny vs Single Edge shave.
To be continued...
 

sɐǝɹpu∀

riverrun
Shave #7 Singe Edge vs. Bunny V3 - Round 2
I switched sides today. The Single Edge on the right hand side of my face, the Bunny V3 on the left hand side. I also used the 'NOTSO' plate on the Bunny.
I was hoping to learn something new today, but I haven't. The Bunny still gives the better shave, but the difference was a little bit less than yesterday.
I'll have another shave with a Personna blade tomorrow and then I'll have run out of things to try with the Single Edge and it will be time for my final verdict and for the next person on the list (@p.b) to have a go.
To be continued...
 
Top