First outing with the Zeppelin head.
New Sputnik blade, Zenith synth barbershop brush, and the last vestiges of P&B Obsidian, whipped up in a Giles Shaving bowl.
As I'd postponed shaving until the Zeppelin arrived from Spain, it had a bit more stubble to contend with.
First WTG with the .7 side whipped most off, and I could have left it at that, and felt well-shaved. However, I soaped up again and had another run over with the .5 side, which in my case is a mix of XTG and ATG in some tricky places. That removed any remaining rough patches, and all was done.
When using ether side, the razor is as smooth as silk, with no tugging, catching or blade feel; so much so, that I wondered if it had done anything in the first pass. I was a bit surprised, and very pleased, to find that it had done about 85% of the work already. I give it top marks for both efficiency and smoothness.
The head isn't as heavy as some stainless ones, such as Ikon and Timeless models, but it's no lightweight, at 41g. I found it balanced perfectly with a titanium 90mm handle, and the whole set-up had quite enough weight to be able to shave with minimum pressure, which is what I prefer. It might be even easier with a stainless handle, but I certainly didn't need any extra weight. I may, out of interest, try it with a heavier handle, but, for me, it doesn't warrant one.
The head is, as I expected, very well-machined, and polished to a mirror finish on all outward surfaces. As
@Jan Zoethout has observed, the blade tabs are within the cap, a la Standard and some other makes, which I find a desirable feature. The post threads are perfectly formed. The baseplate is etched, in elegant fonts, with "Seygus", "Espana", "316L" and the model, which is "Zeppelin V2" on mine. Also etched on either side are the blade gaps; "0.5" under the plain safety bar, and "0.7" under the scalloped. Obviously, you can tell at once which side you're using depending on the bar.
The novel feature, which I guess is the origin of the name, is the curvature of the baseplate and corresponding curves on the top cap. This is so unusual, and outside my experience, that I really have no idea what contribution it makes to the efficiency of the razor, but one way or the other, the razor shaves as well as my best "straight" models (principally Timeless, Blackland and Standards), and far better than most of the rest. The ends of the head are also "curved", in a mix between curves and slight facets, which gives it a very neat look.
The head is presented in a neat, brown leatherette pouch with the Seygus logo, name and "Zeppelin", and this is a nice touch.
Whilst the Zeppelin would probably work just as well for some people with both sides being one or other of the blade gaps, I do like the different gaps. Firstly, there aren't many new razors about configured like this, and, secondly, they work for me as being good for the first and subsequent passes. If you prefer one gap over the other, there's nothing to prevent you using just that side, but you'd probably need to even out the blade wear by turning it around. It's the sort of "smooth efficient" razor, where I suspect quite a few people might unwittingly use the "wrong" side, yet still achieve a perfect result.
To complete the Iberian theme, and in honour of the razor's place of birth, the finishing touches today are Myrsol "Plastic" aftershave and "Emulsion" balm. Unfortunately, I've recently finished my Adolfo Dominguez "Vetiver Hombre" EDT, so it's a Spanish trio rather than quartet.
All in all, I love it.
