Apex by Aylsworth Razors

Beautiful ! Now get some rest Gus !

Thanks amigo. And welcome back to the fold. Red is your calling….

Beautiful ! Now get some rest Gus !

Thanks amigo. And welcome back to the fold. Red is your calling….

Thanks Gus, I'm the Black Sheep of the fold

Only one shave in with it so far and I will say that it exhibited excellent comfort & smoothness with an uncanny efficiency that was quite surprising. No doubt there will be more shaves to determine its true potential but, at first go, the Apex-Ti has the makings of a world class shaver in the premium division. Very impressive start…

An excellent shave this evening with the Apex-Ti. It was a very comfortable 2.5 pass shave that delivered exceptional results in both WTG & ATG passes with some minor buffing in the end to clear out some stragglers around the chin. A very gentle feel on the skin from the Apex-Ti but, an uncanny efficiency in taking down whiskers with ease. The balance in hand is nearly perfect with just the right amount of total weight to give it a substantial yet, an easy to maneuver feel & effect. It’s a complete 180 from what I first experienced a couple years back from the Aylsworth Drakkant razor that I sampled in a pass around here. It has morphed from an ok performer that was somewhat mild at that time to an elite level like shaver. First two shaves have shown me that from the start it provides an intuitive and easy to maintain shave angle regardless of pass one is in and achieves world class cutting ability with little blade feel. It’s there no doubt but, not overly so and it simply inspires one to just get more in tune with the interaction between razor, blade & skin. One gets comfortable quite quickly with the Apex-Ti however, it’s not a grab and forget tool. I did manage to give myself a couple of weepers that were imperceptible and I never saw them until I started working some lather on my face on the second pass. Two tiny red dots, one on the jawline and another near the bend on the chin. It’s so smooth and almost nonchalant that it can nibble at you and you won’t even feel it happening then  all of a sudden, there’s the red liquid oozing out lightly. That’s how comfortable and yet simultaneously it inspires shaving confidence within the first 3-4 strokes. It has been a very welcome surprise for me and even better yet is the performance that it has delivered. 

Looking forward to running some of my elite level blades in the Apex-Ti and see how it changes the shave feel on this unexpected but, very welcome surprise of a shaving tool.

Another excellent outing with the Apex-Ti but, went with a fresh Gillette blade and the results were simply superb. An extremely smooth and near effortless shave that just brought home the bacon in 2 superbly comfortable yet efficient passes. No struggling or need for a pick up or clean pass or my more times than not, chin & jaw buffing session. 4 shaves in with the Apex-Ti and only 3 tiny weepers in total with one of them this morning at the corner of the stache area. I haven’t had a nic or cut occur and even less the dreaded irritation & heat gremlins from being overly aggressive or having more blade feel on the skin than is required through repeated passes. The balance is near perfect with a fit & feel that announces pure performance yet a premium look that exudes quality craftsmanship & fitment. In use, the Apex-Ti has excellent lather channel exits that roll the cut whiskers & lather away from the skin and under the razor. A quick splash in the sink or a second or two run under the faucet is all that’s needed to clear it up nicely. For an as is machined finished it really exhibits a very smooth feel and warmth on the skin like some other Ti alloy razors in this class like the Timeless Ti, the Ti D-Back and the Osprey by Blackland. And just like those aforementioned 3 razors in this premium metal make up that deliver across the board in shave performance, comfort & quality. the Apex-Ti is definitely their equal if not better. One could argue that it just might be as it has the grip to equal them, the all around performance & comfort criteria and it actually has a lower head profile than the other 3. I can’t tell you how it works under the schnoze area as I maintain a mustache but, I can’t see this razor not doing that task equally as good if not better. If you look at the Apex-Ti and compare it in overall aesthetics, it looks like it was built or formed for the sole purpose of whisker annihilation. I mean all razors are produced for that purpose but, there is a high end performance look to it, like a Hellcat in the street car wars or even more so like the Cadillac CTS-V in SCCA GT class racing back in the day (2004) was clamped down by the racing organization because the almighty Audi, BMW & Porsche factory teams whined about getting their doors blown off when the caddy chased them down on the straights. That’s how I equate the Apex-Ti in the high performance shave arena. It has the looks, has the premium feel in alloy & construction and it is making a case to not just only compete in the big boy class but, it has the shave chip on its shoulder going out to prove that it’s a formidable shaving tool that deserves consideration & respect for the high end tool that it is.

I love all my Ti produced razors and consider this class to be the epitomy of alloy construction (not the epitomy of razor design or function as one can get tremendous shaves from a Gillette Pre-War Tech or Slim just as easily & comfortably) and the best for my personal use in terms of how the alloy feels on skin and it’s tremendous feel of balance in hand. Ti alloyed razors are the thoroughbred razors of the 3 pc. safety razor division. The alloy exhibits near perfect characteristics in durability and wear with excellent anti-corrosive properties that is nearly unsurpassed in high end alloy use. It’s practically overkill for the shaving community as Brass/Bronze & Stainless Steel have proven through the ages (more Brass as it has been around with safety razor creation for over a century before Stainless showed up many decades later) to be up to the task in those same aspects of wear & tear. Ti just has the “it” factor for me and the Apex-Ti exudes that in spades. What’s the downside? Well, it’s all about perspective and what one values individually. If you like American Made Manufacturing and rely on that principle heavily, then this razor will not please you. Yes, it’s produced overseas in the Chinese mainland and opinions are strong here (I’m in the US) about outsourcing services & production out of the USA. Unfortunately, that’s something we can’t control as the world still is gearing up to be a more globalized economy. Not saying it’s good or bad, it’s just a fact. I don’t want to politicize this thread as that is not my intent nor do I care to bring that topic to light. It’s not needed here. Just stating the facts of how the Apex-Ti came to be and why it’s there. The razor is world class in quality make up and it’s significantly cheaper than any other Ti produced razor in the USA by a wide margin. I own 3 of those that I mentioned earlier and the Apex-Ti undercuts the lowest priced one of them by almost $130US. That’s a big difference when one looks at value/performance ratios and ultimately, affordability. I’ll never take away from a razor and its maker the price of entry as that is their choice to do so as that is what they believe their product is of worth to them. The consumer just makes the decision to purchase or not by evaluating their needs against affordability. The Apex-Ti offers the best entry level price of the high premium alloy division but, with the characteristics of a superbly crafted & performing tool to equal the best in its class. 

This is a real, real good razor that backs it up with excellent cutting ability and offering superb comfort & ease of use to go along with its overall well balanced package. The Apex-Ti is a night vs day transformation from what I experienced from the Drakkant some time ago. This time though, I don’t have a bad or negative thing to say or comment on about this razor. I haven’t tried any other offering from Aylsworth since the Drakkant until this one but, if they claim it to be their pinnacle razor in design & function, the team at Aylsworth have definitely produced a world class blade tool holder that hangs with the “elite”  in said high end premium razor division. It’s that good, for me anyways…

The razor is world class in quality make up and it’s significantly cheaper than any other Ti produced razor in the USA by a wide margin. I own 3 of those that I mentioned earlier and the Apex-Ti undercuts the lowest priced one of them by almost $130US.

Great write-ups! Thanks for taking the time to share your insights. 

As far as your point about price, the titanium razors from Timeless start at $250 ($1 more than the APEX-Ti).

The razor is world class in quality make up and it’s significantly cheaper than any other Ti produced razor in the USA by a wide margin. I own 3 of those that I mentioned earlier and the Apex-Ti undercuts the lowest priced one of them by almost $130US.

Great write-ups! Thanks for taking the time to share your insights. 

As far as your point about price, the titanium razors from Timeless start at $250 ($1 more than the APEX-Ti).

You are correct sir. Missed that one....

You are correct sir. Missed that one....

I don't mean to take away from your other observations about the razor. Your posts inspired me to use my APEX-SS Plus today to see if I should make the switch to titanium when it's available again.