Three shaves in with the mighty PILS

Chris

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Staff member
Thanks to enabling by @Nishy and a good deal with @scarface, I have become the proud owner of a PILS 101NE.

It's a beautiful chunk of Teutonic engineering, I own a few stainless razors including Wolfman, Timeless and ATT and the PILS hangs with the best of them, it's beautifully machined and finished and fits together with precision. Blade loading is lightly fiddly but no big deal and the blade is held absolutely central and solid. If I was being picky I'd prefer the handle to bit slightly shorter and fatter, but even with wet hands grip is sure.

As for the shave, Thor's Hammer does a fantastic job. I found the angle on the first day only struggling a bit at the back of my head, but I got the hang of it quickly. Previously I'd tried a PILS on the pass-around and had not been impressed with the shave, however for the last few days I'd been using a Tech and so was used to taking care with the angle. The PILS rewarded this handsomely, it's actually very efficient, the mass of the head sheared the blade right through my stubble and it's extremely comfortable. The result was as close to BBS as I ever get with absolutely no irritation even on my neck. You do need to be careful with the angle but, like a Tech, if you do your bit the shave is stellar.

This one is a keeper!

clicky to embiggen
 

Nico1970

Forum GOD!
Chris, you've made fantastic progress in mastering the angle so quickly - the key to it I think, is regular use given that it is very different to other DE razors.

For me, the PILS is an absolute legend and now well and truly established as one of my top 5 razors. As is customary, when there is an extraordinary general meeting of the PILS fanboy club (I'm a fully paid up member of course), I feel compelled to share this review :notworthy:
 
Great razor, great looks and great shaves. Loved mine since day one. Heard a few conflicting views from people not being able to get good shaves with it or too mild ect..now it seems to be getting the love it deserves from the shaving community!:thumbsup: A total classic IMHO.
 

Chris

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Staff member
IMO the PILS is definitely medium rather than mild within its optimum angle. With something like the Timeless 0.95 you can vary the angle quite a bit and still get good results; you can't with the PILS, you have to play on its terms, but the reward makes it worthwhile.

I've found that razors with more blade exposure can leave me feeling a bit raw if I've been heavy handed or sloppy with the angle, whereas the PILS stops working instead of scraping. I've not tried it on a couple of days' growth yet but have no doubt that it's up to the job as the large blade gap and holes in the bar should prevent clogging.
 

MPH

Forum GOD!
Given all the recent posts on the PILS razor I dusted mine off yesterday and used it. I have to admit I'd forgotten how good it was as I use my mongoose 90% of the time.

I remember thinking this before, but I am sure the correct angle for the PILs is the same as the mongoose. I used to occasionally struggle with the PILs but having used the mongoose for so long, I now pick up the PILs and the correct angle is just second nature.

Anyone else found this????

Matt
 

Chris

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Staff member
I'm not sure whether I found the angle to be similar to a Tech or the attention thereto, but there is something deeply satisfying about getting the best out of either.
 

SweeneyTodd

Forum GOD!
Mine gets an outing quite regularly. I bought it some years ago, and, apart from being difficult to find one in stock anywhere, I recall that, at the time, it was the most I had ever paid for any sort of razor. It remains a superbly-built thing and, when the technique is right, can deliver as good a shave as anything I've got.
 

Nishy

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Staff member
Great to hear Chris, brilliant razor and one which I consider to be in the top 3 of my collection.
 

Chris

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Staff member
So after ten days how are things going?

This razor is *fantastic*. The combination of closeness and comfort is unrivalled, it will shave as close as any razor I've tried but do it in an incredibly gentle and efficient manner. Honestly, I think if this was my only razor I'd be happy. Consider me a fully paid-up member of the PILS fan club!

BTW, I've been diassambling and drying the razor after use, is everyone else doing this or is it happy just being left to dry out on its own?
 

MPH

Forum GOD!
So after ten days how are things going?

This razor is *fantastic*. The combination of closeness and comfort is unrivalled, it will shave as close as any razor I've tried but do it in an incredibly gentle and efficient manner. Honestly, I think if this was my only razor I'd be happy. Consider me a fully paid-up member of the PILS fan club!

BTW, I've been diassambling and drying the razor after use, is everyone else doing this or is it happy just being left to dry out on its own?
I just rinse and undo the handle a little to allow air in for it to dry. Been fine for me.
 

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
So after ten days how are things going?

This razor is *fantastic*. The combination of closeness and comfort is unrivalled, it will shave as close as any razor I've tried but do it in an incredibly gentle and efficient manner. Honestly, I think if this was my only razor I'd be happy. Consider me a fully paid-up member of the PILS fan club!

BTW, I've been diassambling and drying the razor after use, is everyone else doing this or is it happy just being left to dry out on its own?
Just a quick wipe with the towel for me, the notes suggest no water actually enters the 'internal' parts of the razor.

I keep thinking what if I had bought this razor earlier on. Game changer.
 
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