- Joined
- Wednesday August 12, 2009
I know this is a DE review section, and the Cobra is an SE razor, but I didn't know where else to put this review.
I have a couple of Injector Razors, and enjoy using them a great deal. They're easy to use, they do a good job, and changing the blades is fun! Then one day, I stumbled on to the Classic Shaving site and saw the Cobra Classic.
The Cobra is a razor that is designed to use the Feather Pro blades that fit the Feather AC straight razor, and is a bit like an Injector on steroids, but the blades don't 'inject' as such. I was quite disappointed by the fact that the Cobra was only available from the USA, because I have had one or two bad experiences shipping stuff from the states, so this made me reluctant to order one. So imagine how pleased I was to see that Executive Shaving had them in stock.
Fit And Finish
The razor is very well made. It's quite heavy, and the handle has an almost triangle cross section and is smooth on the top, but heavily knurled (I love that word) on the underside for improved grip. The plating (chrome?) is well done and has a nice shiny, almost mirror finish. The lever to release the lower 'jaw' of the head of the razor feels very positive and solid. The only place I can find anything that's not quite 100% is the lower jaw where the blade sits. The plating is slight rough where the blade sits, but doesn't affect the performance of the razor.
In Use
Fitting or changing the blade can be a bit fiddly, and maybe a little bit dangerous. The Feather Pro blades are about 2 inches wide, and very sharp! You have to be very careful, but if you pay attention to what you are doing and don't touch the sharp bits, you'll be ok. The blades don't 'inject', you slide them from the dispenser and place them on the open lower jaw of the razors head, and then CAREFULLY close it again. You do have to handle the blade quite a bit.
When you start to shave, the first thing that you have to adjust to is the width of the head. Its about 2 inches wide, so considerably wider than an Injector or a DE, and it took me a couple of shaves to really get used to this.
If you have ever shaved with an Injector, a single-blade cartridge, or a BIC single blade razor, using the Cobra will be that little bit easier. The is a guard bar, but the usual shaving rules still apply. NO PRESSURE, and you still have to keep an eye on the angle.
Feather DE blades, as most of us know, are sharp, and the Pro blades are no different, so a bit of caution is required, but I have to say that (as with the Slant) the vicious reputation and some of the reviews of this razor, from my experience, are poppycock! If you're careful with it, you get a nice, close and comfortable shave. Over the 6 complete shaves I have had with the Cobra, I think I have had a couple of weepers on my neck (the growth pattern swirls around, and it's my trouble spot), but no proper cuts or slices. It will get me eventually, when I'm not concentrating, but so far so good.
I mainly only shave WTG and XTG, and in this format it removes more beard than anything else I have tried except for my Futur, which seems to be more aggressive than both my Cobra and my Slant.
Summing Up
Cons
It's expensive.
The blades are not easy to get here in the UK.
Blade changing has some potential for accidents (don't they all?).
If you use a DE exclusively, it may take some getting used to.
Pros
Easy to use.
Mows any beard down.
Built like a tank.
Looks good.
Is that little bit exclusive.
I'm still getting used to it, but I'm getting close, comfortable shaves with no irritation and little effort, and I'm glad I took the plunge.
Any comments or questions welcome.
Ian
I have a couple of Injector Razors, and enjoy using them a great deal. They're easy to use, they do a good job, and changing the blades is fun! Then one day, I stumbled on to the Classic Shaving site and saw the Cobra Classic.
The Cobra is a razor that is designed to use the Feather Pro blades that fit the Feather AC straight razor, and is a bit like an Injector on steroids, but the blades don't 'inject' as such. I was quite disappointed by the fact that the Cobra was only available from the USA, because I have had one or two bad experiences shipping stuff from the states, so this made me reluctant to order one. So imagine how pleased I was to see that Executive Shaving had them in stock.
Fit And Finish
The razor is very well made. It's quite heavy, and the handle has an almost triangle cross section and is smooth on the top, but heavily knurled (I love that word) on the underside for improved grip. The plating (chrome?) is well done and has a nice shiny, almost mirror finish. The lever to release the lower 'jaw' of the head of the razor feels very positive and solid. The only place I can find anything that's not quite 100% is the lower jaw where the blade sits. The plating is slight rough where the blade sits, but doesn't affect the performance of the razor.
In Use
Fitting or changing the blade can be a bit fiddly, and maybe a little bit dangerous. The Feather Pro blades are about 2 inches wide, and very sharp! You have to be very careful, but if you pay attention to what you are doing and don't touch the sharp bits, you'll be ok. The blades don't 'inject', you slide them from the dispenser and place them on the open lower jaw of the razors head, and then CAREFULLY close it again. You do have to handle the blade quite a bit.
When you start to shave, the first thing that you have to adjust to is the width of the head. Its about 2 inches wide, so considerably wider than an Injector or a DE, and it took me a couple of shaves to really get used to this.
If you have ever shaved with an Injector, a single-blade cartridge, or a BIC single blade razor, using the Cobra will be that little bit easier. The is a guard bar, but the usual shaving rules still apply. NO PRESSURE, and you still have to keep an eye on the angle.
Feather DE blades, as most of us know, are sharp, and the Pro blades are no different, so a bit of caution is required, but I have to say that (as with the Slant) the vicious reputation and some of the reviews of this razor, from my experience, are poppycock! If you're careful with it, you get a nice, close and comfortable shave. Over the 6 complete shaves I have had with the Cobra, I think I have had a couple of weepers on my neck (the growth pattern swirls around, and it's my trouble spot), but no proper cuts or slices. It will get me eventually, when I'm not concentrating, but so far so good.
I mainly only shave WTG and XTG, and in this format it removes more beard than anything else I have tried except for my Futur, which seems to be more aggressive than both my Cobra and my Slant.
Summing Up
Cons
It's expensive.
The blades are not easy to get here in the UK.
Blade changing has some potential for accidents (don't they all?).
If you use a DE exclusively, it may take some getting used to.
Pros
Easy to use.
Mows any beard down.
Built like a tank.
Looks good.
Is that little bit exclusive.
I'm still getting used to it, but I'm getting close, comfortable shaves with no irritation and little effort, and I'm glad I took the plunge.
Any comments or questions welcome.
Ian
