J. Dinkins—July 3, 2013
If you're looking for an Atra razor, this is the nicest one out there right now that you can easily attain. The competition: * The current Gillette Vector: although inexpensive, it's mostly plastic and cheap (the parts that look metal are just chrome plated plastic). Apparently there is also a European version with the head made of metal, but you have to hunt around for it. * The Merkur Twin Blade Razor (with a plastic Atra adapter): while the handle is gorgeous, the plastic adapters that allow the carts to fit to the head have three problems: 1) they're plastic and will eventually break, 2) there's no button to pop off the head - you have to twist, push, and pull a bit to get the cart on and off. 3) it causes the whole cart to protrude from the head quite awkwardly. * A new or used original "vintage" Gillette Atra razor on ebay. They seem to go for between 20 and 40 bucks, depending on condition. And there aren't that many available at any one time. And then we have this little beauty. It's all metal (save for the black plastic push button), a really nice weight, and rock solid. I believe this should last many, many years. It feels great in hand, and the angle of the head is just right. I've tried this out with multiple carts, and they all fit perfectly: 1. Schick SlimTwin -- these are my favorite, they're slimmer than others, and have the nifty cleaning push-tab. No lube strip. 2. Merkur Twin Blades -- these fit *both* Atra and Trac II handles. Great razors, but pricey. Has a lube strip. 3. Personna Twin Pivot Plus - these also fit both Atra and Trac II. Has a lube strip. On the down side, it's a little bit pricey (but nowhere near what the Merkur costs), and it can be a bit slippery in the hand, depending how wet you get your hand while shaving. I may try some Sugru on the handle in the near future, I'll report back how that turns out. Oh - and the packaging is really cheap: a lightweight cardboard box, completely without markings, and no instructions. Not that you'll need any, and the box gets thrown away of course, but if you're giving this as a present, be aware that the box makes this look a bit cheapish. Overall though, this is a winner. Read more
Charles R Chandler—January 6, 2017
It is just what I was looking for... a way to use twin blades without having to buy the cheap plastic disposables. I didn't want to have to go to the 3 or more blades as they never shaved any better and cost so much more. I tried a double edged safety razor but always wound up with nicks. Twin blades disposable shaved me great, and this continues that. If you are tired of either using a cheap disposable or paying too much for more blades than you need, this fits the bill. It feels well made, the handle to cartridge fit is solid. The heft is good. Two drawbacks: First, yes it is slippery. Some practice has helped me control it better when shaving downwards but I still feel awkward when shaving upwards on the second pass. Being round there is no tactile feedback that tells you the razor isn't somewhat twisted instead of parallel to your face. Second, my razor had three rubber rings around the grooves near the bottom of the handle. Two of them were broken and fell off when I took it out of the plastic wrapping. Not a major problem, and I will contact the seller to see about getting two new ones. Bottom line is a good product that fills a need. Could be better, but there isn't anything out there that compares. Updated 12 January 2017: I contacted the seller and explained about the broken non-slip rings. Per their instructions I ordered another razor and returned the first one. The second one arrived perfect. Quick communications on their part as well. Second, I changed from canned shave cream to a shaving soap and brush. The end result is my hands are less slippery since the brush gets the soap on it rather than my hands. The razor doesn't slip anymore and the shave from the soap is even closer than before. Read more
Philz—March 1, 2014
I was very impressed with this razor when I first got it, for all the money I spent it felt solid and seemed like a handle I would own for many years. BUT... as others have pointed out, the handle is extremely smooth, a bad idea for something one handles when wet. I tried wrapping some waterproof first aid tape around the handle, which took away from the looks, but helped a bit when handling the razor. Sadly, it only took about a month until the razor slipped from my hands and fell onto the carpet from about 4 feet up. Which is when I discovered the weak point of this handle - the connectors to the blade are very cheaply made, and one dislodged and refused to re-seat itself, so the blade kept popping off, making shaving a very frustrating process. After a couple of days I gave up on the handle and bought a cheap knockoff from India, which is what I wish I'd done in the first place. The designers really should have given this handle some kind of grip - looking back at all the razors I've owned, every manufacturer had some kind of groove or rubber covering to stop the user from slipping or dropping it. This handle is ultimately very poorly designed for what looked on the surface to be a real quality item. Instead I have to rate this as the most expensive and shortest lived handle I've ever had. Read more
