- Joined
- Saturday November 6, 2010
- Location
- Round the bend
IKON Bulldog Delux and Standard Head Razor.
Price:-
I paid £48 for the Delux with Buldog handle in hi-polished stainless steel including shipping. The item was sent “in my favour†(Ie marked as a gift with a low value on the customs lable) and as such didn’t attract any VAT or import duty. Be warned though technically the item should have had VAT at the prevailing 17.5% rate applied to the cost of the item AND shipping, and then also had import duty and the post offices own fees for handling the same – it can rack up (on a camera I once bought from HK it amounted to nearly £60). After a few weeks I also sent for the standard head as I wasn’t getting on with the open comb and found it too aggressive for me, this cost another £12. -
So all told £60 for two heads and one shaft. - Compare this with £90-100 for the Feather stainless or £160+ for the Pills Stainless and its not bad value.
Presentation:- It arrived very well packaged with each component wrapped and sealed in a zip lock bag – in turn packaged in a jiffi envelope and sent signed for delivery. The Ikon is sent with its presentation box ( a cardboard box sent flat in a faux chequer plate steel design) and comes with Ikons own take on the Gillette Baby advert with “Shave the Earth†printed on it. My own razor came with a presentation card stating it was number 34 out of a limited run of 99 razors.
Razor:-
The first thing that strikes you is the weight. Its heavy – about 100gms. There are heavy handled razors out there but the Ikon has a presence that dominates – as such you really do not need to apply much if any pressure when shaving, let the razor do the work. Made from solid stainless steel this should last almost a lifetime, it can be requested in gold plate or silver plate if you want. The balance is good with the mid point a little below the head. Obviously I suppose it varies to where you grip / how you grip – but for me it was very good.
The handle is in the typical “Bulldog†style and is laser etched on the end with the Ikon logo – a nice touch. It is comfortable to hold, the cross hatching on the handle makes for a good grip even when wet (I shave a lot in the shower to cut down on time).
The two part head is also in high polish stainless steel (though a brushed finish is available) – there is a choice of open comb head or standard head. The open comb has been likened by some to the Gillette New, This I cant comment on, but I did find the OC a bit aggressive - this is odd because for years I used an OC Souplex, but hey ho, probably down to my technique. The base plate (standard or open comb) comes laser etched with the web site address, the Ikon logo and in the case of the OC head the number (34) which denotes its place in the production run. The standard head does not have the number but is laser etched the same.
The deluxe (open comb) 11 tooth head is described as semi aggressive, but I found it a little too aggressive – part of this might be down to the weight of the razor (100gms) and part of this is probably down to my technique. I tried the handle (which I like) on a 1967 Gillette Tech head and found it damn near perfect. Blade exposure is good, with the blade sitting evenly and the blade flush with the combs.
I decided to see what the standard head was like and bought the base plate (everything else is the same) – as you can see from the photo comparing it with the 67 tech the base plate is similar, but a more sturdy design. The blade locates with the aid of a bar on the underside of the head and this sits in a groove on the base plate. I had been cautioned about blade alignment, but so far cant say I have any problems with how the blade sits. The head has four small locating lugs, one in each corner which corresponds with a notch in the base plate.
This photograph (above) compares the 67 Tech (left) with the Ikon (right) and there are striking similarities, though I like to think of the Ikon design as being more robust and hopefully long lived – that said as you can see from the photo there is some slight rust staining on the head.
Im not sure if this was from a blade or whether the head is developing a bit of rust (as the underside isn’t finished the same as the top side) Time will tell and I will report back on this.
Shaving:-
Its heavy (did I mention that??) so very little pressure is required. With a good blade (and so far Gillette Super Thins, Gillette Bleues and Feathers have all been excellent) – the razor “finds its own angle†I find too acute an angle and it drags, not enough and there is no blade contact – it seems to find its own angle. The razor is smooth thanks to the finish and the tech head exceptionally mild, to the point where I wondered if I was cutting hairs at one point (I was!) DO NOT DROP THIS IN AN ENAMEL BATH – you will damage the bath and cause £130 worth of repairs to the big chunk of enamel that you will knok off. Blade changing is the same as any other 3 piece (but usefully there is a diagram included!) The blade sits well in the head thanks to the long bar that sits in the blade slot.
To surmise:-
A very heavy but well put together razor.
The Tech (standard) head offers a mild shave, whilst the Open Comb (Deluxe) head offers a slightly aggressive shave.
Comfortable to hold (a longer handle is available) and feels solid. Easy to care for and if looked after should offer a lifetime of shaves. Possibly too heavy / to chunky for some people – but I like it. Price wise it compares with what you would spend on a good vintage razor, but prices are going up (from $39 shipped when Greg first started selling them in 2009 to $80 shipped today).
Customer service and communication from Greg are excellent, if you are considering getting one I would do so now before they get any more expensive. As an investment for the future (to hand down to your son / daughter) its probably worth it. Is it better than the mainstream? Well, only you can be the judge. Ikon is a young company and its products are evolving, by all accounts this is much better than the original – whos to say what comes after wont trump this? For me though the tech/standard head and bulldog handle are bloody good – I just need to keep an eye on that rust.
Links:
Ikon Razors Sales Site
Price:-
I paid £48 for the Delux with Buldog handle in hi-polished stainless steel including shipping. The item was sent “in my favour†(Ie marked as a gift with a low value on the customs lable) and as such didn’t attract any VAT or import duty. Be warned though technically the item should have had VAT at the prevailing 17.5% rate applied to the cost of the item AND shipping, and then also had import duty and the post offices own fees for handling the same – it can rack up (on a camera I once bought from HK it amounted to nearly £60). After a few weeks I also sent for the standard head as I wasn’t getting on with the open comb and found it too aggressive for me, this cost another £12. -
So all told £60 for two heads and one shaft. - Compare this with £90-100 for the Feather stainless or £160+ for the Pills Stainless and its not bad value.
Presentation:- It arrived very well packaged with each component wrapped and sealed in a zip lock bag – in turn packaged in a jiffi envelope and sent signed for delivery. The Ikon is sent with its presentation box ( a cardboard box sent flat in a faux chequer plate steel design) and comes with Ikons own take on the Gillette Baby advert with “Shave the Earth†printed on it. My own razor came with a presentation card stating it was number 34 out of a limited run of 99 razors.
Razor:-
The first thing that strikes you is the weight. Its heavy – about 100gms. There are heavy handled razors out there but the Ikon has a presence that dominates – as such you really do not need to apply much if any pressure when shaving, let the razor do the work. Made from solid stainless steel this should last almost a lifetime, it can be requested in gold plate or silver plate if you want. The balance is good with the mid point a little below the head. Obviously I suppose it varies to where you grip / how you grip – but for me it was very good.
The handle is in the typical “Bulldog†style and is laser etched on the end with the Ikon logo – a nice touch. It is comfortable to hold, the cross hatching on the handle makes for a good grip even when wet (I shave a lot in the shower to cut down on time).
The two part head is also in high polish stainless steel (though a brushed finish is available) – there is a choice of open comb head or standard head. The open comb has been likened by some to the Gillette New, This I cant comment on, but I did find the OC a bit aggressive - this is odd because for years I used an OC Souplex, but hey ho, probably down to my technique. The base plate (standard or open comb) comes laser etched with the web site address, the Ikon logo and in the case of the OC head the number (34) which denotes its place in the production run. The standard head does not have the number but is laser etched the same.
The deluxe (open comb) 11 tooth head is described as semi aggressive, but I found it a little too aggressive – part of this might be down to the weight of the razor (100gms) and part of this is probably down to my technique. I tried the handle (which I like) on a 1967 Gillette Tech head and found it damn near perfect. Blade exposure is good, with the blade sitting evenly and the blade flush with the combs.
I decided to see what the standard head was like and bought the base plate (everything else is the same) – as you can see from the photo comparing it with the 67 tech the base plate is similar, but a more sturdy design. The blade locates with the aid of a bar on the underside of the head and this sits in a groove on the base plate. I had been cautioned about blade alignment, but so far cant say I have any problems with how the blade sits. The head has four small locating lugs, one in each corner which corresponds with a notch in the base plate.
This photograph (above) compares the 67 Tech (left) with the Ikon (right) and there are striking similarities, though I like to think of the Ikon design as being more robust and hopefully long lived – that said as you can see from the photo there is some slight rust staining on the head.
Im not sure if this was from a blade or whether the head is developing a bit of rust (as the underside isn’t finished the same as the top side) Time will tell and I will report back on this.
Shaving:-
Its heavy (did I mention that??) so very little pressure is required. With a good blade (and so far Gillette Super Thins, Gillette Bleues and Feathers have all been excellent) – the razor “finds its own angle†I find too acute an angle and it drags, not enough and there is no blade contact – it seems to find its own angle. The razor is smooth thanks to the finish and the tech head exceptionally mild, to the point where I wondered if I was cutting hairs at one point (I was!) DO NOT DROP THIS IN AN ENAMEL BATH – you will damage the bath and cause £130 worth of repairs to the big chunk of enamel that you will knok off. Blade changing is the same as any other 3 piece (but usefully there is a diagram included!) The blade sits well in the head thanks to the long bar that sits in the blade slot.
To surmise:-
A very heavy but well put together razor.
The Tech (standard) head offers a mild shave, whilst the Open Comb (Deluxe) head offers a slightly aggressive shave.
Comfortable to hold (a longer handle is available) and feels solid. Easy to care for and if looked after should offer a lifetime of shaves. Possibly too heavy / to chunky for some people – but I like it. Price wise it compares with what you would spend on a good vintage razor, but prices are going up (from $39 shipped when Greg first started selling them in 2009 to $80 shipped today).
Customer service and communication from Greg are excellent, if you are considering getting one I would do so now before they get any more expensive. As an investment for the future (to hand down to your son / daughter) its probably worth it. Is it better than the mainstream? Well, only you can be the judge. Ikon is a young company and its products are evolving, by all accounts this is much better than the original – whos to say what comes after wont trump this? For me though the tech/standard head and bulldog handle are bloody good – I just need to keep an eye on that rust.
Links:
Ikon Razors Sales Site
