It's sharp and it cuts. I like it...
Northeast, USA
I considered posting in either one or both of the threads for these exquisitely made razors, Rocnel Sailor ‘21 & HomelikeShaving Taiga. Then I thought those threads are dedicated to the daily talk of each respective razor and I didn’t feel comfortable posting in either one as I didn’t want any of those that post to those respective threads, including the OP’s that I would be stepping on anyone’s toes on my personal thoughts + or - on either of these razors. The last thing I want to do is create divisiveness or disagreement between shaving brethren. Plus, I can continue a bit of a shave series with some of the other adjustables out there without having to detract from the intended purpose of the other threads within this forum, respectively. Let’s get to this, shall we?
Today, I went right to the top of the heap. The Creme de la Creme of adjustable razors. Yeah, it can all go downhill from here as I’m starting off with the best two razors made (arguably) in all of wet shave land. But, I’ve been wanting to get these two head to head for a while now so, I didn’t want to waste any more time and just go for the two that I consider to be vying for the adjustable razor crown. And it can get a nice healthy debate going for those that are considering these and others in the adjustable realm. In this particular shave off, between these two razors I will have a full 3 rounds of shaves. As you read on you will understand why I’m making this statement.
![[Image: TACwoum.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TACwoum.jpg)
Tale of the Tape:
Weight: They are both over the 100 grams each. So, that makes them heavyweights plain & simple. Remember, on my scale keep a +/- 0f 5 grams to be on the safe side. Both have blades installed……
Taiga
![[Image: xobzqVh.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/xobzqVh.jpg)
Sailor ‘21
![[Image: TZV8jGc.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TZV8jGc.jpg)
Dimensions: The Taiga has a longer handle yet a smaller head profile as compared to the Sailor ‘21 with its shorter handle. Yet, they both are quite balanced from head to bottom of handle. See pics below
![[Image: GRtVBxs.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/GRtVBxs.jpg)
![[Image: uFIhXXE.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/uFIhXXE.jpg)
Aesthetically: They both have a gorgeous look to them. The Taiga has the adjustment dial very close to the head while the Sailor has it at the bottom of the handle. With the former I think one could move the adjuster inadvertently much easier than on the latter during a shave. I think the Sailor has the advantage on this particular set up. The knob feels a bit sturdier to move and there’s less chance of mistakenly moving the dial. Knurling wise they are very close in feel but, the Taiga offers a bit more tactile grip in my experience though, I never felt as though the Sailor would slip through my hands during the shave. Handle length is a wash for me as everyone has a different opinion on what is an ideal length for a razor. Some like a long handle, others prefer a short handle whether it be for balancing or adjusting one’s grip, for me it’s even. I will say that personally I like the longer length of the Taiga only because it gives me the added bonus of adjusting my grip at any point of my shave. I can see the dial #’s a bit easier on the Taiga (my vision isn’t what it used to be) over the Sailor but, not by much. Installing a blade is a simple procedure with both. Unscrew the bottom dial on each razor and the top comes right off. Insert your blade on the top cap and reinstall to the other half of the razor. Blades on both line up perfectly and rigidly. The Taiga though does have the blade tray that can be moved inadvertently during the process whereas the Sailor does not. Blade install & removal is easier on the Sailor. One more thing. The Taiga has the ability to be completely disassembled for cleaning or inspection, the Sailor is not. And if it is, it won’t be an easy task (I have not tried to disassemble the Sailor as of yet).
The Shave:
As can be seen in the first pic, a fresh Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow was used in each razor along with Eleven/DFS collaboration soap & splash. I hadn’t shaved since Last Tuesday so, this morning it was nearly 5 days worth of growth. Set the Taiga to 6 + 2, which is its highest setting and went with the same set up on the Sailor ‘21, full turn + 2.
First Pass, WTG: The Sailor went first on my right side and it was downright criminal on how good this thing feels when you perform that first stroke on the pass. Top of the sideburn to jawline was nothing but a buttery smoothness with blade feel that tells you this razor means business. Cleared out the cheeks and rinsed and went right to half of the chin and neck. What a smooth operator as it cleared the right side with an audible authority yet a pleasing smoothness that was divine. Put it down and did a quick face feel. That 1st pass on the Rocnel side was somewhere between CCS & DFS. Yes, that good. Picked up the Taiga and went to the left starting at the top of the burns. Man, that first stroke was just as good as the side with the Sailor. Cleared out the cheeks to jawline and moved onto the the neck & half chin. Just a smooth and perhaps even smoother. Or, should I say I think there was a bit more blade feel just by the slightest of margins with the Sailor over the Taiga and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Just an observation. Full rinse and face feel and all around they were identical on both sides. Extraordinary first pass from both….
Second Pass, ATG: Grabbed the Sailor again, dropped the dial down to V and went at it. Sweet, sweet pass. I went with short strokes while pulling the skin taught, never going over the same area twice. Again, a sweet melding of efficiency and smoothness from the bottom of my neck to the top of the sideburns. Blade feel yes but, not intimidating at all. Next with the Taiga on 5 and ditto. Just a tremendously smooth pass and yet again, a bit less blade feel and just a notch down on the audible tone of the shave. Still, sublime and effortless. I did a full rinse and a complete face feeling massage. I was at BBS already with just the slightest of stragglers in my tough spots which are just below the earlobe heading to the jawline and a couple of stragglers on both sides of the Adam’s Apple. I really could have stopped there and been totally happy with the shave as the cheeks, chin and the rest of my neck was flawless as that’s how efficient these two Titans are. Hell with it, went for a 3rd and final pass….
Third & Final Pass, XTG/ATG Hybrid: The Sailor again to start the final pass that was merely a clean up pass just for those two spots that I had mentioned previously. I still lathered up my face completely as I had far to much lather than was needed. I dropped it down to III and magnificent, a superb, splendid whatever superlative you want to fit in here, that was it. The right side was done and completed to perfection or as close to shave perfection as a man can get. Over to the left and grabbed the Taiga and went down to 3 as well and proceeded to finish off what little remained effortlessly & smoothly. both razors were excellent in the lower ranges as they are as smooth as smooth can get. But, in this particular pass I actually preferred the feel of the Sailor on III over the Taiga on 3 as it still had the tiniest amount of more blade feel and to me I enjoyed it more over the Taiga on this final clean up pass. The razor is down, a full face rinse and feel and I was/am wonderfully astonished at the final result. Smooth almost rubbery like feel on the skin. Post was a quick alum pass that gave up absolutely nothing on burn or discomfort. The splash confirmed from the alum pass that there was no irritation to speak of. Noteworthy as well is the fact that not a single nic or cut was sustained. Granted, I took my sweet old time and longer than usual during this shave to get equal shave results on both sides as best I could. I think an overwhelming mission accomplished to my standards.
Post Shave thoughts: I cleaned up my gear removing the blades from both and thoroughly rinsing and drying the razors. Dipped both the razors and blades in Isopropyl Alcohol to displace any remnants of H2O and reinstalled the blades back into their respective razors. That was nearly 6 hours ago and honestly my face feels exactly the same as if I had just finished the shave 5 minutes prior. I’d classify this as a brilliant shave and one of the best ones in recent memory. Not that it’s the best shave ever just one of the best in a category with some of the best ever. I hope one can understand my point.
I have a real conundrum in my hands as to which was better. In the first WTG pass, while I enjoyed both passes immensely I preferred the feel of the Taiga at its highest limit over the Sailor. It was slightly smoother and just as efficient as the Sailor. In the second ATG pass, things were a whole lot closer with the Sailor still displaying a bit more blade feel over the Taiga. That second pass was truly amazing from both razors. One had less blade feel, the other more yet they managed to accomplish the same thing. My feeling is that the Sailor can bite easier and without warning over the Taiga if one makes a false move and truthfully, the Taiga is a little bit easier to move around with and offers the easier feel on the skin. However, on the final clean up pass the Sailor for me was the more enjoyable razor because of that extra blade feel even though the Taiga was more manageable during the final pass. Blade feel was minimal with the Sailor but, still better than the taiga on setting III. Higher up, I liked the Taiga. Getting down low, I liked the Sailor.
Both tremendously good shavers, the best in their class hands down. To come to a conclusion is too early as only time will tell which side will have the longer lasting smooth shave before whiskers start to show themselves. Now you know why this shave off needs to be continued for a couple more rounds. Additionally, I have a lot more familiarity with the Taiga with a couple dozen shaves minimum. This is only my third shave with the Sailor. The feel for it will only get better as I get more shaves with it. That said, it’s relatively easy to get an excellent shave with the Sailor from day 1.
For now, it’s a draw…….
![[Image: HRHkCrM.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/HRHkCrM.jpg)
Today, I went right to the top of the heap. The Creme de la Creme of adjustable razors. Yeah, it can all go downhill from here as I’m starting off with the best two razors made (arguably) in all of wet shave land. But, I’ve been wanting to get these two head to head for a while now so, I didn’t want to waste any more time and just go for the two that I consider to be vying for the adjustable razor crown. And it can get a nice healthy debate going for those that are considering these and others in the adjustable realm. In this particular shave off, between these two razors I will have a full 3 rounds of shaves. As you read on you will understand why I’m making this statement.
Tale of the Tape:
Weight: They are both over the 100 grams each. So, that makes them heavyweights plain & simple. Remember, on my scale keep a +/- 0f 5 grams to be on the safe side. Both have blades installed……
Taiga
Sailor ‘21
Dimensions: The Taiga has a longer handle yet a smaller head profile as compared to the Sailor ‘21 with its shorter handle. Yet, they both are quite balanced from head to bottom of handle. See pics below
Aesthetically: They both have a gorgeous look to them. The Taiga has the adjustment dial very close to the head while the Sailor has it at the bottom of the handle. With the former I think one could move the adjuster inadvertently much easier than on the latter during a shave. I think the Sailor has the advantage on this particular set up. The knob feels a bit sturdier to move and there’s less chance of mistakenly moving the dial. Knurling wise they are very close in feel but, the Taiga offers a bit more tactile grip in my experience though, I never felt as though the Sailor would slip through my hands during the shave. Handle length is a wash for me as everyone has a different opinion on what is an ideal length for a razor. Some like a long handle, others prefer a short handle whether it be for balancing or adjusting one’s grip, for me it’s even. I will say that personally I like the longer length of the Taiga only because it gives me the added bonus of adjusting my grip at any point of my shave. I can see the dial #’s a bit easier on the Taiga (my vision isn’t what it used to be) over the Sailor but, not by much. Installing a blade is a simple procedure with both. Unscrew the bottom dial on each razor and the top comes right off. Insert your blade on the top cap and reinstall to the other half of the razor. Blades on both line up perfectly and rigidly. The Taiga though does have the blade tray that can be moved inadvertently during the process whereas the Sailor does not. Blade install & removal is easier on the Sailor. One more thing. The Taiga has the ability to be completely disassembled for cleaning or inspection, the Sailor is not. And if it is, it won’t be an easy task (I have not tried to disassemble the Sailor as of yet).
The Shave:
As can be seen in the first pic, a fresh Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow was used in each razor along with Eleven/DFS collaboration soap & splash. I hadn’t shaved since Last Tuesday so, this morning it was nearly 5 days worth of growth. Set the Taiga to 6 + 2, which is its highest setting and went with the same set up on the Sailor ‘21, full turn + 2.
First Pass, WTG: The Sailor went first on my right side and it was downright criminal on how good this thing feels when you perform that first stroke on the pass. Top of the sideburn to jawline was nothing but a buttery smoothness with blade feel that tells you this razor means business. Cleared out the cheeks and rinsed and went right to half of the chin and neck. What a smooth operator as it cleared the right side with an audible authority yet a pleasing smoothness that was divine. Put it down and did a quick face feel. That 1st pass on the Rocnel side was somewhere between CCS & DFS. Yes, that good. Picked up the Taiga and went to the left starting at the top of the burns. Man, that first stroke was just as good as the side with the Sailor. Cleared out the cheeks to jawline and moved onto the the neck & half chin. Just a smooth and perhaps even smoother. Or, should I say I think there was a bit more blade feel just by the slightest of margins with the Sailor over the Taiga and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Just an observation. Full rinse and face feel and all around they were identical on both sides. Extraordinary first pass from both….
Second Pass, ATG: Grabbed the Sailor again, dropped the dial down to V and went at it. Sweet, sweet pass. I went with short strokes while pulling the skin taught, never going over the same area twice. Again, a sweet melding of efficiency and smoothness from the bottom of my neck to the top of the sideburns. Blade feel yes but, not intimidating at all. Next with the Taiga on 5 and ditto. Just a tremendously smooth pass and yet again, a bit less blade feel and just a notch down on the audible tone of the shave. Still, sublime and effortless. I did a full rinse and a complete face feeling massage. I was at BBS already with just the slightest of stragglers in my tough spots which are just below the earlobe heading to the jawline and a couple of stragglers on both sides of the Adam’s Apple. I really could have stopped there and been totally happy with the shave as the cheeks, chin and the rest of my neck was flawless as that’s how efficient these two Titans are. Hell with it, went for a 3rd and final pass….
Third & Final Pass, XTG/ATG Hybrid: The Sailor again to start the final pass that was merely a clean up pass just for those two spots that I had mentioned previously. I still lathered up my face completely as I had far to much lather than was needed. I dropped it down to III and magnificent, a superb, splendid whatever superlative you want to fit in here, that was it. The right side was done and completed to perfection or as close to shave perfection as a man can get. Over to the left and grabbed the Taiga and went down to 3 as well and proceeded to finish off what little remained effortlessly & smoothly. both razors were excellent in the lower ranges as they are as smooth as smooth can get. But, in this particular pass I actually preferred the feel of the Sailor on III over the Taiga on 3 as it still had the tiniest amount of more blade feel and to me I enjoyed it more over the Taiga on this final clean up pass. The razor is down, a full face rinse and feel and I was/am wonderfully astonished at the final result. Smooth almost rubbery like feel on the skin. Post was a quick alum pass that gave up absolutely nothing on burn or discomfort. The splash confirmed from the alum pass that there was no irritation to speak of. Noteworthy as well is the fact that not a single nic or cut was sustained. Granted, I took my sweet old time and longer than usual during this shave to get equal shave results on both sides as best I could. I think an overwhelming mission accomplished to my standards.
Post Shave thoughts: I cleaned up my gear removing the blades from both and thoroughly rinsing and drying the razors. Dipped both the razors and blades in Isopropyl Alcohol to displace any remnants of H2O and reinstalled the blades back into their respective razors. That was nearly 6 hours ago and honestly my face feels exactly the same as if I had just finished the shave 5 minutes prior. I’d classify this as a brilliant shave and one of the best ones in recent memory. Not that it’s the best shave ever just one of the best in a category with some of the best ever. I hope one can understand my point.
I have a real conundrum in my hands as to which was better. In the first WTG pass, while I enjoyed both passes immensely I preferred the feel of the Taiga at its highest limit over the Sailor. It was slightly smoother and just as efficient as the Sailor. In the second ATG pass, things were a whole lot closer with the Sailor still displaying a bit more blade feel over the Taiga. That second pass was truly amazing from both razors. One had less blade feel, the other more yet they managed to accomplish the same thing. My feeling is that the Sailor can bite easier and without warning over the Taiga if one makes a false move and truthfully, the Taiga is a little bit easier to move around with and offers the easier feel on the skin. However, on the final clean up pass the Sailor for me was the more enjoyable razor because of that extra blade feel even though the Taiga was more manageable during the final pass. Blade feel was minimal with the Sailor but, still better than the taiga on setting III. Higher up, I liked the Taiga. Getting down low, I liked the Sailor.
Both tremendously good shavers, the best in their class hands down. To come to a conclusion is too early as only time will tell which side will have the longer lasting smooth shave before whiskers start to show themselves. Now you know why this shave off needs to be continued for a couple more rounds. Additionally, I have a lot more familiarity with the Taiga with a couple dozen shaves minimum. This is only my third shave with the Sailor. The feel for it will only get better as I get more shaves with it. That said, it’s relatively easy to get an excellent shave with the Sailor from day 1.
For now, it’s a draw…….
