Alpha Bandit DFS pass around

blade posts have been addressed in the latest builds. They all fit now. Thanks for that feedback and I was aware of it for some months from other posting.

blade posts have been addressed in the latest builds. They all fit now. Thanks for that feedback and I was aware of it for some months from other posting.

The benefits of being last: being late to report everything!

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Prep: P.A.A. Cube 2.0 (face wash)

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit (prototype) open comb baseplate
Blade: Gillette Nacet Stainless

Soap: Tabac (tallow)
Brush: Omega Boar 10005/80005

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Aftershave: Tabac
Post 4: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid


Today's shave is a special one. Not only am I using Tabac for the first time but I'm lucky enough to be in possession of a prototype for Alpha Shaving Works new razor affectionately named the "Bandit".

This is an all brass razor weighting in at 138g (4.9oz)! This definitely puts it in the heavyweight class. The handle length is 90mm (3.6"). Blade gap is 0.70mm (0.027"). Exposure is neutral to slightly positive depending on the blade used.

My first impression is that the razor has a stunning design. Not only does the handle immediately grab my attention but the head as a whole is also very beautifully shaped. The head has a nice angle built into it with no sharp edges and the teeth of the open comb are nicely rounded at their bottom most edge. Again, nothing sharp. We're taking some fantastic build quality here.

I paired this razor with a Gillette Nacet Stainless blade and went for it on two days growth. Immediately I noticed the weight. I happen to have no issues with this though as my starting razor when I entered the wet-shaving world was an Edward Jagger DE89. That one's not as heavy as this Bandit but it has some weight to it so it got me used to letting the weight of the head and gravity do the vast majority of the work.

This razor and blade combo easily mowed down my facial hair. I felt no irritation on my face and only a little bit when going against the grain on my neck. I was really enjoying putting this razor to the test.

I did a three-pass shave and found that my face was as close to bbs as I've ever felt without having done a fourth pass, against the grain. Note that I always go atg on my neck but only do it on my face when chasing a bbs finish.

The (tallow) Tabac soap worked very well. I was impressed using it for the first time. My boar brush whipped up some lather in the ceramic jar quite easily. It provided a perfectly adequate amount of slickness and it smelled fantastic! I'm seriously falling in love with the stuff.

Overall the "Bandit" is a fantastic razor that I would absolutely love to own. It looks awesome. It feels awesome. And it shaves awesomely. Even screwing the handle on felt good to me.

I finished everything off as I always do with some P.A.A. Alum, Dickinson's witch hazel, (today) some Tabac aftershave and last but not least, some Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream.

I'm sitting here with a bbs face and am just loving basking in the scent of the Tabac aftershave. This really was a 5 star shave today.

Carry on gentlemen and enjoy your shave.

Prep: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel Cleanser w/ Hyaluronic Acid (fragrance free) for face wash used with a Clarisonic Mia Men

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ safety bar (no lather drains) base plate (prototype)
Blade: Gillette Nacet Stainless

Soap: Stirling Soap Co. Ramblin' Man
Brush: Omega Boar 10005/80005
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Aftershave: Stirling Soap Co. Ramblin' Man balm
Post 4: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid

Continuing on with testing this razor, today I chose to use the solid (no lather drains) safety bar base plate. My first shave was with the similarly lacking, no lather drains, open comb base plate. If you didn't catch this with my first shave that's okay. This "feature" is unique to this razor and one that I'm personally very curious about. So let's continue and find out.

I pulled out my Stirling Soap Company Ramblin' Man soap today as I love its scent and miss it. This one is a true favorite of mine across all of soap offerings I have. I really think a lot of men are missing out on this one. But I digress.

I did a three-pass shave and again let the weight of this all brass razor do the work. The razor really has some great geometry and am really liking the handle the more I use it. The more I hold it, the more I dig it's curves. They provide great pinch points to support the weight of the razor's head.

The head cuts well and I had no issues with the lack of lather drains. With both this base plate and the open-comb one, they seem to act as lather magnets. The spent lather just sticks to the underside of the base plate. Not once did I experience spent lather dropping from this razor.

The blade is on its 4th, 5th, I don't know, 6th use, so if I'm being honest I did feel some irritation from it but it wasn't so bad that I felt the need to replace it mid shave. I did a small bit of touching up after my three passes and ended up with an ultra smooth bbs shave. My face feels great!

I finished things off with the ritual usage of some alum and witch hazel, followed by some Ramblin' Man aftershave balm. Don't sleep on this stuff guys. I did have a small bit of irritation on my neck but believe it was due to the overused blade.

All in all today's shave was another fantastic shave. I'll say it again, this razor cuts very well and I'd be proud to own one. This is a real man's razor.

Shave on gentlemen.

Prep: P.A.A. Cube 2.0 (face wash)

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ safety bar (has leather drains) base plate (prototype)
Blade: Gillette Minora Platinum

Soap: Barrister & Mann Death
Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze (synthetic)
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Post 3: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid


Today's shave was unique. First time using any B&M soap, first time using B&M's Death soap and the first time using a Gillette Minora Platinum blade. Third time using this Bandit prototype. This time I choose the only base plate with lather drains.

I have to say trying Barrister & Mann's Death soap was a nice treat I've been waiting for since receiving all of the Four Horsemen soaps earlier this week.

The scent is different. It's unique in a very familiar B&M way. I like it to say the least.

This Alpha Shaving Works Bandit razor again stood out from the rest of the razors I've tried. It shaves effortlessly and was a joy to use. The handle with its curves just works well. I have no issues with its design or feel.

It's interesting thought that not once did any used lather fall from this razor until today. The other two base plates had no lather drains and the used lather stuck to the bottom of the base plate like a magnet. Now this may be due to the fact that those two previous shaves were with Stirling Soap Company soaps. I don't know, I guess I'll just have to experiment more.

The Gillette Minora blade was interesting. Apparently it was very sharp. I had more weepers from this shave than I've had in a very long time.

I did a three-pass shave with some light cleaning up and ended up with a super smooth bbs shave. I followed this shave up with some standard use Alum and witch hazel. I intentionally didn't use any other scented aftershave. I didn't want anything to interrupt my time with Death's scent.

All in all a great shave today.

Shave on gentlemen.

Prep: P.A.A. Cube 2.0 (face wash)

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ open comb (no lather drain) base plate (prototype)
Blade: Gillette Minora Platinum

Soap: Barrister & Mann Four Horsemen Famine
Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze (synthetic)
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Post 3: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid

I decided to shave on consecutive days due to the limited time there is for me to try my Four Horsemen samples and put in a pre-order for any that I'd like to own in a full size.

Today I went with Famine. Right off the bat this one is the one I liked most when simply smelling them in their bags. It has more floral notes on top of Death's base, which I have to say makes for an overall very unique scent. These Four Horsemen scents are quite different from any fragrance I've smelled before.

I did a fairly quick three-pass shave, this time going back to using the open-comb base plate with no lather drains and again using the Gillette Minora Platinum blade. I'm loving the razor but man, this Minora blade keeps biting me. I've not cut myself more in the last, I don't know how many years, than I have in the last two days. I'm not sure if this is all due to this razor/blade combo or just the blade alone. I'll have to test this blade in a more familiar razor to come to any real conclusion.

I finished things off in my typical fashion and chose not to use any other aftershave so that I could allow the scent of Famine to linger as long as possible.

All in all a good shave but am left with some irritation. Thankfully the (unscented) Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream saves the day. This stuff really goes a long way to soothing razor burn.

Rock on gentlemen. ?
Enjoy your shave!

Prep: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel Cleanser w/ Hyaluronic Acid used with a Clarisonic Mia Men

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ safety bar (no lather drains) base plate (prototype)
Blade: Gillette Minora Platinum

Soap: Barrister & Mann Four Horsemen Plague
Brush: Van Der Hagen Pure Badger aka (Scritch Monster)
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Post 3: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid

Onward with the Four Horsemen trials. Today's shave was with Plague. I also went back to using the safety bar base plate with no lather drains.

I started this shave hoping to tame what seems to me to be quite the bitty blade by using the safety bar base plate. With these last few shaves chock full of weepers and only occurring since using the Minora blade for the first time, I went the safety bar route.

I did a three-pass shave with a tiny bit of clean up. I still had some weepers but overall my choice was a wise one. This shave was the third use of this blade. I will be switching back to my tried and true Nacets for my next shave.

The scent on this Plague soap is one I feel positive about but, to me, is ever so edged out by Death. In case you're wondering, my favorites in order so far are Famine in first, Death in second and Plague in a close third. War is yet to come... tomorrow. ?

Post was kept scentless to allow me longer time with the soaps fragrance. All in all another awesome dance with the Alpha Bandit.

Happy shaves gentlemen.

Prep: P.A.A. Cube 2.0 (face wash)

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ safety bar (has lather drains) base plate (prototype)
Blade Gillette Nacet Stainless

Soap: Barrister & Mann Four Horsemen War
Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze (synthetic)
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum w/ No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Aftershave 1: Proraso
Aftershave 2: Aqua Velva Ice Sport
Post 5: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid

I went to "War" today and survived.... just barely.

This was an interesting shave. One I'm not sure I've ever had. I usually take my sweet time because I love basking in the scent of my shaving soaps and honestly don't want my shaving time to end. For me, doing a four-pass shave is a great time and overall time well spent. Not today! I did a quick three-pass shave. I mean quick.

Ever make home made tacos? You know those taco seasoning packets you mix with your ground meat? That's what War smells like, but with some cilantro on top as a garnish.

I stitched back to my tried and true Nacets with the Alpha Bandit and what do you know? No cuts and only one small weeper. I guess those Minora blades at sharper or something. Either way I'm more than happy with the cut I get from the Nacets so...

The more time I spent with the Bandit the more I get the feeling it could very well be the razor Vikings use, or dare I say, Thor might use. It really is a finely tuned tool but one that exudes a sense of masculinity. This isn't your son's razor.

As my quick shave came to an end I had to use TWO different aftershaves to try and cover the scent of the soap up and it still didn't work. I first used Proraso then after five minutes or so threw on some Aqua Velva Ice Sport.

I'm a very open-minded person. I mean very open-minded. With that said, this soap just doesn't work for me on any accord. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of this soap as I don't think I'll ever use it again. This soap performs well but the scent is a no-go.

That's all for me now... Shave on gentlemen.

Prep: P.A.A. Cube 2.0 (face wash)

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ safety bar (has lather drains) base plate (prototype)
Blade Gillette Nacet Stainless

Soap: Barrister & Mann Four Horsemen War
Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze (synthetic)
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum w/ No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Aftershave 1: Proraso
Aftershave 2: Aqua Velva Ice Sport
Post 5: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid

I went to "War" today and survived.... just barely.

This was an interesting shave. One I'm not sure I've ever had. I usually take my sweet time because I love basking in the scent of my shaving soaps and honestly don't want my shaving time to end. For me, doing a four-pass shave is a great time and overall time well spent. Not today! I did a quick three-pass shave. I mean quick.

Ever make home made tacos? You know those taco seasoning packets you mix with your ground meat? That's what War smells like, but with some cilantro on top as a garnish.

I stitched back to my tried and true Nacets with the Alpha Bandit and what do you know? No cuts and only one small weeper. I guess those Minora blades at sharper or something. Either way I'm more than happy with the cut I get from the Nacets so...

The more time I spent with the Bandit the more I get the feeling it could very well be the razor Vikings use, or dare I say, Thor might use. It really is a finely tuned tool but one that exudes a sense of masculinity. This isn't your son's razor.

As my quick shave came to an end I had to use TWO different aftershaves to try and cover the scent of the soap up and it still didn't work. I first used Proraso then after five minutes or so threw on some Aqua Velva Ice Sport.

I'm a very open-minded person. I mean very open-minded. With that said, this soap just doesn't work for me on any accord. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of this soap as I don't think I'll ever use it again. This soap performs well but the scent is a no-go.

That's all for me now... Shave on gentlemen.

I must say, your reviews have been top drawer quality, thanks. With a Razor name of "Bandit" I would think it's nearly a MUST have for a Time Bandit

...

I'm a very open-minded person. I mean very open-minded. With that said, this soap just doesn't work for me on any accord. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the rest of this soap as I don't think I'll ever use it again. This soap performs well but the scent is a no-go.
...

I've recently been down mixing less desirable soap samples with an unscented base that I enjoy. Might reduce War down to a minor skirmish.  

I guess the other option would be to go the Franken soap mix route. Maybe mix it with a more peaceful soap... Ok, I took it too far that time.