A copy & paste from another forum that I frequent as well….
There have been some excellent posts here on this new Sabre and it shows that every take is unique to every individual that brings a different perspective about the qualities & attributes of this tool. Really some interesting and very detailed posts that have provided excellent info and reads that I have enjoyed.
On my end, I got to use the L4 guard plate for my 4th shave with the same GEM blade from the start. And all I can say is “what a doozy!”. I hadn’t shaved since this past Tuesday as I wanted at least 3-4 days of whiskers to work with the larger gap that the L4 plate provides. Make no mistake, the larger gap and blade feel of the GEM blade will tell you from the moment you place it on your skin and start the shave stroke, it means business on your whiskers and your face if you’re not careful. It’s not intimidating but, just be aware that the L4 & new Sabre are telling you that this is for heavy beard work or the shave performance enthusiasts as it brings the cutting prowess to MMOC levels just in an SB configuration. To me, it feels better than an MMOC concerning comfort & ease of use while being equal to the vintage GEM if not better in cutting terms. To me, the new Sabre with the L4 gives me an easier experience with equal level efficiency. It only took me 2 solid passes with lightest of touch up work around the Adam’s Apple area. There is enough blade gap with the L4 where one can play with the cutting window to balance blade feel, cutting ability and more importantly one’s comfort zone for the shave. I will also state and recommend to all that if you’re into the feel and challenge of using the L4 plate, make sure you use lather at every pass even during buffing and clean up work. The Sabre & L4 completely remove lather at every pass and while residual slickness is felt, the added aggressiveness that this gap enables can and will leave the skin bare. I experienced the heat gremlins in a couple of spots as I thought it unnecessary to add any lather for the finishing touches on my shave. A BBS achieved but, at the cost of some discomfort and irritation especially along the jawline & throat area. That is completely on me and not the razor as it does what it is supposed to do quickly, efficiently and mercilessly. I paid for the result out of pure ignorance to what this set up can potentially do. Performance wise and for the aggression seekers in the shave game, it brings it in spades but, I don’t think it’s a dangerous nor unforgiving shaver in the least. Nothing like an Ikon Tech or pre 2013 Muhle R41 and even the MMOC but, it has the chops to give that type of performance and results. With the discomfort I gave myself I would still wholeheartedly consider this gap to be a wonderful size option for the individual that wants a potential 2 pass shaver and doesn’t want to spend a lot of time during the process of shaving. Fans of the MMOC and to a lesser extent the Clog-Pruf will find the L3-L4 combo quite to their liking. That’s just my opinion and observations during these first 4 shaves. There is no doubt that more shaves are needed and will be performed to gain a better understanding of what this razor offers on my end but, preliminary thoughts however are that this razor covers a very big group of users from the efficiently mild gang to the very nicely aggressive performance seekers that has not been seen in the GEM bladed format.
I will say that the GEM SS ptfe blade as it has gotten more use has been a total dream to use in the new Sabre. On its 4th shave and it feels as if it’s really coming into its own. I can easily see another 10-12 shaves minimum with this particular one. And yes, it is the rebranded Personna GEM’s now labeled as the Accutec Pro Premium blades. These are identical to those Personna’s and there is no worry as to the quality of the blade. I’m going to run this razor until the blade gives it up so, I should be in for about another 2 weeks worth of shaves with this combo. I’ll chime in from time to time and give a full on impression of the new Sabre once I get through those shaves. It’s going to be a fun ride working this awesome tool.
Great shaves to all…
