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Frankenrazor Februar

Frankenrazor Feb 8 – Windrose Diagonal Cap/OC Base

The Windrose razor was a very heavy clone of a very nimble and light bakelite razor. It has a true humpback cap where one side is pent higher than the other side and if the angle is followed, it naturally falls into a slant. After taking apart the Windrose, I noticed that the screw post was straight and the base plate was what was slanted. This meant that I could use the cap with a regular base plate and so I tested it out with all the available interesting base plates I had. Unfortunately most base plates did not fit well except for the OC plates. I settled on the Fatip base. Next I noticed there was a problem with the screw post because it was very long and not threaded all the way up. Because the original base plate was so thick, this was necessary, however with a thin OC base plate, this meant that the handle would not fully tighten. I stopped by the local hardware store and bought a couple of 5mm nylon spacers and everything was set.

My first pass was WTG and I immediately noticed that the head was much easier to control because the major part of the weight came from that massive base plate, and without it, shaving was more like a regular razor. The OC also made the shave more comfortable, and I quickly finished the pass. I noticed that there was more stubble left over than with the sledgehammer version and so for the ATG pass, I took a little more time and stretched my skin. That effort resulted in a good second pass and all that was left was touch up. I again ended up with a two pass BBS.

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Frankenrazor Feb 9 – Lutz Diagonal Cap/OC Base

The Lutz was able to fit most open comb bases easily and so I settled on the Fatip because I had it out already from the day before. I did not need a spacer for this cap as I did for the Windrose. While both caps were similar in shape, the Lutz cap had a very defined angle to it, making it a slightly different shave. After my first WTG stroke, I found that the teeth of the Fatip base pushed the blade edge too far out and so I had to switch to the shorter teeth of the DOC base. The modified Frankenrazor was still quite mild, and after the WTG pass, there was a lot of whiskers left. Going ATG seemed to be more efficient and most of what was left was taken off. Because the shave was very mild, I did allow myself to use a little more pressure on touch up and stretched my skin more, all while making sure the cap rested against my face.

This was a little more work than I expected, but still a two pass plus touch up near BBS.

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Frankenrazor Feb 10 – Lutz Diagonal Cap/Apollo Base

The Lutz was able to fit just one other base plate, and that was the propeller base plate of the Apollo. This combination turned out to be a very comfortable and efficient shaver. The upward facing comb and the large lather holes of the Apollo base seemed to direct the lather to the proper place and then get rid of it very well. The diagonal cap constantly reminded me of the proper angle.

WTG went very smoothly with enough blade feel to know that the angle was correct and I was cutting whiskers. I could have stopped with just touch up and gotten away with a DFS. Instead I went with my ATG pass because with my last torqued Frankenrazor experience, I could not manage a clean ATG pass. This was not the case. The ATG pass was as comfortable and smooth as the first pass and I ended up with a two pass and minimal touch up BBS. This is definitely one of my favorites.
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Now for the more interesting razors. I decided to use the caps primarily from these three razors:

Fine Marvel (chiseled edge, flat top)
Alfa (triangular top)
DOC cheap clone from China (OC top)

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Base plates, I selected mostly because they were different:

Alfa (top left) – upward facing teeth similar to the Neillite, but not differential sides
Barbasol/Clix non floating (top middle) – small upward facing teeth
Open Comb (top right) – I used whatever available OC that would fit the cap
Apollo (bottom left) – upward facing teeth with large lather holes
Progress (bottom middle left) – trough base
Fine Marvel (bottom middle right) – extremely rounded safety bar that sloped down
Merkur clone (bottom right) – normal base plate

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The Marvel Frankenrazors

Overall, the Marvel cap is chiseled instead of domed and so it defines the proper angle for you. Of course, the proper angle is designed for the very unusual base, which has the thickest safety bar I have ever seen on a razor. Using the Marvel the way it came produces an efficient and smooth shave every time with no effort. Okay, so that was just too easy.
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Frankenrazor Feb 11 – Marvel Cap/Apollo Base

My first Marvel Frankenrazor used the Apollo base plate, which was a perfect fit. This base plate had upward facing teeth (similar to the Barbasol type razors) and large holes for good lather management.

I started with my WTG pass and found it extremely comfortable, maybe even more comfortable than with the original Marvel. After the end of the WTG pass, I felt my face and found more stubble than I expected. Not a problem, I can clear it up with the ATG pass making sure I go slow and stretch my skin. I did that and again, a very comfortable pass, and again (unfortunately), there was a little more stubble than I had wanted. It did not require a full XTG pass, but it did require more touch up than I had wanted. Comfort triumphed over efficiency in this case.
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Frankenrazor Feb 12 – Marvel Cap/Barbasol Base

After a very comfortable but not so efficient shave last night, it was time to try to see if the other upward facing teeth base plate could do better. On close inspection, the Barbasol Frankenrazor had the teeth closer to the blade and so there was a possibility that it would do better. WTG pass had slightly more blade feel, but not uncomfortable. I was surprised after the first pass as it was already a near DFS. ATG pass, for some reason, produced some noise. Normally, when this happens, I usually change the angle a little to produce less noise, however with the chiseled cap of the Marvel, I had to stay with that.

In the end, I was rewarded with a two pass BBS with minimal touch up. This combination is definitely worth noting.
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Hab die Tage selbst mal alle meine Hobel, also mein Sammelsurium,
versucht irgendwie anders zusammen zu bauen. Was gescheites ist
dabei nicht raus gekommen. Außer vielleicht ein Grifftausch hier und
da, ist nichts zu holen.

Es muss schon ein Fundus an Hobel da sein.
 
Frankenrazor Feb 13 – Marvel Cap/Brilliant Base

I originally used the Progress type base for this but found that there was not enough gap for the blade to shave. I used the Brilliant clone base instead that was given to me by @efsk . The Brilliant clone in it’s normal state had a tendency to be very efficient, but slightly rough in shaving. This did translate more with the Marvel top cap. I believe that the reason is because the top cap forced me to use a certain angle, which was not the angle I generally used.

WTG pass had a lot of blade feel and auditory feedback. Usually when this happens, I would change the angle to ride the cap more, but in this case I could not. Still, I was surprised how efficient that pass was. ATG was similar, but I had to slow down a little as I could feel where the blade might actually take off a layer of skin. Still, I ended up with a two pass plus touch up BBS, though not as comfortable as the original Marvel.

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Frankenrazor Feb 14 – Marvel Cap/OC Base

The original setup for this razor was a Pearl OC, which happens to be slightly on the aggressive side, similar to the Fatip. After yesterday’s shave with the Brilliant base plate where it became slightly more aggressive than the original Brilliant, I didn’t know what to expect.

I started with my usual WTG pass and was very surprised at how comfortable that pass was. Definitely not like the shave I got from the Pearl. I was even more surprised when I felt my face to find how efficient the pass was. I lathered up again and did my ATG pass. Again, a very smooth and comfortable shave. I found that after that pass that I could have stopped and ended up with a two pass near BBS, but went for the touch up just to be the same as the other shave. Not only was this a BBS, but a very comfortable one. This shave was definitely more comfortable than the original Marvel and more efficient.
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Frankenrazor Feb 15 – Marvel Cap/Slant Stroke Base

For my last Marvel cap Frankenrazor, I decided to pair it with the Slant Stroke base. The WTG pass was very comfortable, however like the Apollo, a lot of whiskers were left behind. For the ATG pass, I decided to go slow and stretch my skin. I went better than the Apollo, however there was enough for me to do an XTG pass on the underside of my face. Similar to the Apollo, this was a very comfortable shaver, but not very efficient. Still, I ended up with a two and a half pass near BBS.

Compared to my Frankenraozr Zero – the medium dome cap/slant stroke base, this was not as efficient and I believe it was because I could not play around with the angle as much as with the dome cap.

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Frankenrazor Feb 16 – DOC Cap/Marvel Base

Having previously put together a regular domed cap with the Marvel base plate to see how much the Marvel base plate contributed to the smooth shave of the Marvel, I ended up with one of the roughest and worst shave of all Marvel configurations. I truly believe that the Marvel base plate was specifically designed for the Marvel top, but that was not going to stop me from trying something else – the DOC cap. This seemed fitting as the DOC Frankenrazors come up next anyway.

WTG pass was promising. It was not as harsh as the regular domed cap, however I had to find a balance between riding the guard and allowing the comb of the cap to assist the shave. The first pass was successful in clearing most of the whiskers. ATG pass was a totally different story. I played with different angles, but could not find an angle that efficiently cleared whiskers, although the aggression was there. Stretching my skin helped, but not by much. I actually had to do an XTG pass and even then, the best I ended up with was a DFS.

Though slightly better than the domed cap, this combination will not be tried again.
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DOC Frankenrazors

So now the Frankenrazors with the Marvel caps are done and we transition to the DOC. I recently got a DOC head from Aliexpress for $3. Assuming that it isn’t a Yaqi Mellon, it is probably a cheaper Chinese clone of a cheap Chinese clone. Not having a Yaqi in hand, I don’t know if there are any differences. I found the unaltered razor to be a very mild shaver, but with some effort, it was also efficient. It barely made my two pass plus touch up requirement for keeping a razor. Beginning tomorrow we shall see if I can coax better performances from it.
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Frankenrazor Feb 17 – DOC Cap/Merkur type Base

Shortly after the DOC head was listed on the Yaqi site, a version with the OC cap and a regular base plate was listed with a name of “Beast Hybrid”. Well, I just had to follow up with creating my own Beast for Frankenrazor February. So how did the Beast do?

At first I stared at the large space between blade and safety bar and wondered if Yaqi knew something by naming this Beast. My WTG pass had a bit more blade feel than the original DOC, but not a rough shave. It did clear much more on the first pass than the original.

Second pass was ATG and again, a little more blade feel, but no discomfort and I could have stopped there with a near DFS. I did minimal touch up and ended up with a surprisingly comfortable BBS. I was definitely impressed with this Frankenrazor and it will become a regular.

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Frankenrazor Feb 18 – DOC Cap/Alfa Base

After being pleasantly surprised by the “Beast” clone last night, I was anxious to try the Alfa base on the DOC head. From the first stroke of my WTG pass, I realized that this was going to be the real Beast. Blade feel was more than the previous night, but again, not to the point of being uncomfortable. In return for the added blade feel came added efficiency. I could have stopped after one pass plus touch up and ended with a DFS. I instead went for an ATG pass and ended up with a two pass BBS with minimal touch up.

I was very impressed with the shave, but preferred the feel of the original Beast clone from last night.

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Frankenrazor Feb 19 – DOC cap/Apollo Base

It seems that as I change the base for the DOC cap, it becomes significantly more aggressive. From the first WTG stroke, I knew this was going to be a rough shave. After finishing the WTG pass, my discomfort was rewarded by a near DFS. I attempted an ATG pass only because I did one for the other shaves. ATG went slightly better, probably because most whiskers (and possibly a layer of skin) were taken off with the first pass. Very uncomfortable shave, but a two pass BBS with minimal touch up. I am believing that the design of the DOC prefers keeping the lather around more, while both the Alfa and Apollo base plates were very efficient in redirecting lather away from the shave, and the Apollo left a very large blade gap, making it past aggressive.

This is one Frankenrazor that will not be combined again!

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Frankenrazor Feb 20 – DOC cap/Progress Base

It seemed that the past two nights my DOC combinations have gotten progressively aggressive with last night’s shave being close to uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to expect tonight when I paired the DOC cap with the Progress base plate. When I started my WTG pass, I immediately noticed significant blade feel, slightly more than the Barbasol and less than the Apollo. I also noticed significant audio feedback. It seems that the trough base combined with an open top produced an amplified sound chamber. I was very surprised how efficient and comfortable the shave was despite the blade feel. It seems that the Progress base plate kept the lather in place and added to the comfort. This was another time when I could have stopped with one pass plus touch up and gotten something better than a DFS, but I continued to the ATG pass.

ATG pass went very well, again with blade feel and a lot of noise, but I ended up with a two pass and minimal touch up BBS. This was a very nice ending to the DOC Frankenrazors.

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