I've had a bit of time with my Sailor now and I've gotten a pretty good feel for it. Setting 3.5 is a sweet spot for me, tons of efficiency, but extremely smooth without excessive blade feel. 4 seems just slightly past this, you get even more efficiency, but it enters a region where I start to get irritation and some aftershave burn. The razor is more nimble than I expected and I don't have any trouble getting in to right spots, I expected it to be more cumbersome.
Despite the adjustable nature of the razor, it has a distinct personality to me at all settings. It has the same heavy, smooth characteristic of something like the WR2. Very high efficiency for a given level of blade feel and the weight to plow through tough stubble and troublesome areas. I actually think it's probably even smoother than most WR2 gaps and being able to go from something more mild than a 0.95 to more aggressive than a 1.65 makes this razor a serious bargain if you plan on using all the settings.
Despite all this praise, I'm not sure if I will end up keeping it. I gravitate towards razors like the WR1 and Blackbird, lighter razors that are more responsive and communicate more. The Titanium Blackbird remains the best razor for my face and technique that I've ever used, by a fair amount actually. I have to run the Sailor over 4 to match the efficiency and the BB leaves me with zero burn every time.
The Sailor has impeccable craftsmanship, a unique look, and an almost limitless range of adjustment/efficiency. If you like razors like the WR2 and the Timeless 0.68/0.95, this is right up your alley and probably the best razor on the market. I just don't think it's perfect for me, but I sure do love looking at it.
AQU,
CK89,
keto and
7 others like this post