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A number of us ordered the RazoRock razor when it was released earlier this week and maybe we can use this thread as a group-review thread of the razor as it trickles into our mailboxes.
I ended up getting both the chrome and black versions and below are my own very, very initial thoughts on the Hawks.
Quick data points about the razor
Material: 6061 billet and rod aluminum
Manufacturing: CNC machined
Finish: Chrome plating and black anodize
Vendor: Italianbarber.com
Blade: Artist Club style - Kai/Feather SE blades
Dimensions: Handle: 90mm L and 12mm diameter. Total weight: 1.4oz
Availability: Currently (Oct 8, 2016) sold out but next batch is expected before end of October.
Price: Chrome: $19.99, Black: $24.99
Through enlisting the help of a friend I was today the happy recipient of both versions of The Hawk:
Initial impressions out of the box were both simple and positive:
"Wow, the black is REALLY black and the chrome one is REALLY shiny".
Told you. Simple.
They are, quite obviously lightweight razors but Colonial and Hone have both taught me that lightweight razors doesn't mean inferior in any way so I simply took a note of it and moved on with the 'inspection'.
Fit and Finish
I think Joe set the expectations rather well on the IB page where it says:
"Although the quality is extremely high, the razor probably will not be absolutely 100% perfect. They are machined and finished to a high user grade, not a jewel piece, the odd mark or blemish can be expected. Keep in mind you are buying a machined razor for $20-25 and nobody else offers such a thing. In all honesty, I'm not 100% sure we'll be able to keep the price this low on future batches because we added steps along the way that increased our cost; profit on these razors, after everything is factored in, is almost non existent. If you are looking for or expecting jewel quality, this probably isn't the razor for you."
I was, after reading that, rather prepared for some scratches, flaws and squeaky threading (which brings the up the question, if so, then why did I buy one...ney two?) but I must say I was rather pleased with what arrived.
Sure, this is not anywhere near the finish you find on your Wolfman, Timeless, etc higher end razors - but I don't think it has to be. Sometimes a lower priced (keep in mind it's a $20 razor) is perfectly fine. It will, hopefully, still shave and odds are it will still outlast you. Not everything needs to be a $250 showpiece - there is room for a spectrum of razors.
I inspected the chrome plating and the black anodization result and I was rather impressed.
The chrome plating does exhibit that little 'wavy' or 'heavy' plating result that you often see on more inexpensive razors but nothing that personally bothered me.
There were no scratches, dents or sign of uneven plating.
The few imperfections I could spot was on this inside of the head where you could see some machining marks that you quite honestly see on razors costing ten times of what the Hawk will set you back.
It's your traditional three-piece razor design with a rather interesting razor head profile.
The blade loads on the top cap rather securely
(Note: What appears to be plate loss at the end of the top plate is reflections from the sun outside. I double-checked
)
The blade loads easily and the blade alignment was spot on on both razor versions.
As far as size of the razor(s) goes here they are next to some other common, modern SE razors:
(Left to right: Black Hawk, King Cobra, Chrome Hawk, Mongoose)
If you end up with two of these you can of course also spend some time being creative and end up with the zebra-version of your choice. Here are two possible combinations:
How do they shave?
I decided to shave one side of my face with the BlackHawk and one side with the chrome version to try to get a sense for if there were any differences between the two.
Yes, I did end up changing the blade out four times during the shave..
Loaded a fresh Feather Pro blade, lathered up some 1912 Cashmere and off I went.
1st pass (WTG right side of my face) - BlackHawk
It's really lightweight but rather nimble. Finding the right angle was very intuitive and took no time at all.
There is a bit of audible feedback that is nice to help guide your angle a bit.
It feels as 'mild' as the Mongoose potentially just a little bit milder but hard to say for sure,
There is a slight 'drag' though...not making the shave uncomfortable...but it's still noticeable.
2nd pass (WTG right side of my face) - Chrome Hawk
Same mild feeling but it seem to be a very efficient razor. I'm tempted to say that it's in Colonial Razor's "The General" territory as far as mild-efficient combination goes. Not bad at all.
Interesting realization - there is no 'drag' with the chrome hawk. Very smooth. No resistance.
3rd pass ATG (left side of my face) - BlackHawk
Interesting - the 'slight drag' is back. I wonder if it's the black coating or simply a manufacturing tolerance difference. Still not an issue but it is noticeable.
4th pass ATG (right side of my face) - Chrome Hawk
Yup. No drag. Absolutely a difference. Right now impossible to say if it's due to the coating or if my black hawk is simply 'slightly off'.
After completing one WTG and one ATG pass I was left with a very nice, clean and close shave. Not bad at all.
Note: I can't stress enough that the above is based on ONE shave and all my 'thoughts' are subject to change as I try the razors more, put a different blade in, etc.
Are they 'a buy?'
Without a doubt yes.
They are mild enough to be a great, and rather inexpensive, entry into the world of SE razors for people - but at the same time efficient enough to satisfy even the most experienced user out there. If you're looking for something along the manufacturing quality of a Mongoose you won't find it here though but then again - I don't think anyone expect them to be.
The closest comparison I can think of - material and price - is probably the Colonial 'The General'.
The General sells for about $59 so about three times as much as the Hawk.
I will say that the General is in almost all ways a 'better' razor - fit, finish and shave but that doesn't make the Hawk(s) a bad razor. Just priced very appropriately.
It's a fun razor and if you can swing it I'd say pick one up and give it a try.
Looking forward to trying them out more in the week to come and to see how/if my initial impressions will change - but more so I am really looking forward to others reviews and thoughts on either or both of these razors.
I ended up getting both the chrome and black versions and below are my own very, very initial thoughts on the Hawks.
Quick data points about the razor
Material: 6061 billet and rod aluminum
Manufacturing: CNC machined
Finish: Chrome plating and black anodize
Vendor: Italianbarber.com
Blade: Artist Club style - Kai/Feather SE blades
Dimensions: Handle: 90mm L and 12mm diameter. Total weight: 1.4oz
Availability: Currently (Oct 8, 2016) sold out but next batch is expected before end of October.
Price: Chrome: $19.99, Black: $24.99
Through enlisting the help of a friend I was today the happy recipient of both versions of The Hawk:
Initial impressions out of the box were both simple and positive:
"Wow, the black is REALLY black and the chrome one is REALLY shiny".
Told you. Simple.
They are, quite obviously lightweight razors but Colonial and Hone have both taught me that lightweight razors doesn't mean inferior in any way so I simply took a note of it and moved on with the 'inspection'.
Fit and Finish
I think Joe set the expectations rather well on the IB page where it says:
"Although the quality is extremely high, the razor probably will not be absolutely 100% perfect. They are machined and finished to a high user grade, not a jewel piece, the odd mark or blemish can be expected. Keep in mind you are buying a machined razor for $20-25 and nobody else offers such a thing. In all honesty, I'm not 100% sure we'll be able to keep the price this low on future batches because we added steps along the way that increased our cost; profit on these razors, after everything is factored in, is almost non existent. If you are looking for or expecting jewel quality, this probably isn't the razor for you."
I was, after reading that, rather prepared for some scratches, flaws and squeaky threading (which brings the up the question, if so, then why did I buy one...ney two?) but I must say I was rather pleased with what arrived.
Sure, this is not anywhere near the finish you find on your Wolfman, Timeless, etc higher end razors - but I don't think it has to be. Sometimes a lower priced (keep in mind it's a $20 razor) is perfectly fine. It will, hopefully, still shave and odds are it will still outlast you. Not everything needs to be a $250 showpiece - there is room for a spectrum of razors.
I inspected the chrome plating and the black anodization result and I was rather impressed.
The chrome plating does exhibit that little 'wavy' or 'heavy' plating result that you often see on more inexpensive razors but nothing that personally bothered me.
There were no scratches, dents or sign of uneven plating.
The few imperfections I could spot was on this inside of the head where you could see some machining marks that you quite honestly see on razors costing ten times of what the Hawk will set you back.
It's your traditional three-piece razor design with a rather interesting razor head profile.
The blade loads on the top cap rather securely
(Note: What appears to be plate loss at the end of the top plate is reflections from the sun outside. I double-checked
)
The blade loads easily and the blade alignment was spot on on both razor versions.
As far as size of the razor(s) goes here they are next to some other common, modern SE razors:
(Left to right: Black Hawk, King Cobra, Chrome Hawk, Mongoose)
If you end up with two of these you can of course also spend some time being creative and end up with the zebra-version of your choice. Here are two possible combinations:
How do they shave?
I decided to shave one side of my face with the BlackHawk and one side with the chrome version to try to get a sense for if there were any differences between the two.
Yes, I did end up changing the blade out four times during the shave..
Loaded a fresh Feather Pro blade, lathered up some 1912 Cashmere and off I went.
1st pass (WTG right side of my face) - BlackHawk
It's really lightweight but rather nimble. Finding the right angle was very intuitive and took no time at all.
There is a bit of audible feedback that is nice to help guide your angle a bit.
It feels as 'mild' as the Mongoose potentially just a little bit milder but hard to say for sure,
There is a slight 'drag' though...not making the shave uncomfortable...but it's still noticeable.
2nd pass (WTG right side of my face) - Chrome Hawk
Same mild feeling but it seem to be a very efficient razor. I'm tempted to say that it's in Colonial Razor's "The General" territory as far as mild-efficient combination goes. Not bad at all.
Interesting realization - there is no 'drag' with the chrome hawk. Very smooth. No resistance.
3rd pass ATG (left side of my face) - BlackHawk
Interesting - the 'slight drag' is back. I wonder if it's the black coating or simply a manufacturing tolerance difference. Still not an issue but it is noticeable.
4th pass ATG (right side of my face) - Chrome Hawk
Yup. No drag. Absolutely a difference. Right now impossible to say if it's due to the coating or if my black hawk is simply 'slightly off'.
After completing one WTG and one ATG pass I was left with a very nice, clean and close shave. Not bad at all.
Note: I can't stress enough that the above is based on ONE shave and all my 'thoughts' are subject to change as I try the razors more, put a different blade in, etc.
Are they 'a buy?'
Without a doubt yes.
They are mild enough to be a great, and rather inexpensive, entry into the world of SE razors for people - but at the same time efficient enough to satisfy even the most experienced user out there. If you're looking for something along the manufacturing quality of a Mongoose you won't find it here though but then again - I don't think anyone expect them to be.
The closest comparison I can think of - material and price - is probably the Colonial 'The General'.
The General sells for about $59 so about three times as much as the Hawk.
I will say that the General is in almost all ways a 'better' razor - fit, finish and shave but that doesn't make the Hawk(s) a bad razor. Just priced very appropriately.
It's a fun razor and if you can swing it I'd say pick one up and give it a try.
Looking forward to trying them out more in the week to come and to see how/if my initial impressions will change - but more so I am really looking forward to others reviews and thoughts on either or both of these razors.
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