Aylsworth Drakkant DE Razor, DFS pass around

Thanks to AylsworthRazors  for allowing us to use the razor. Razor is cleaned and safely packed and will be on its way to the next participant later today.

Some observations:

• I love the razor design. I appreciate that AylsworthRazors  is a designer in real life so has a good eye for pleasing designs. 
  
• The handle is incredible. I’m a sucker for good handles. I don’t own a handle like this and it is extremely comfortable, grippy, and aesthetically pleasing. 
  
• The razor is mild but relatively efficient. Easy to shave against the grain, a litmus test for me. The head is relatively slim so it is easy to get under the nose. 
  
• I did find that the razor works better with sharper blades. I preferred the shave with a Feather than with a London Bridge; I suspect it will work very well with Wizamets and Kais as well.
  
• I could use a touch more blade feel with the razor, perhaps this could be an idea for a future plate offering down the road. 
  
• One suggestion, as with many razors manufactured by Yates, I found there to be a bit of drag. The finish that I like best from Yates is the Bead Blast finish - for me (unlike with their Stonewash finish) - there is zero drag for me there. I would suggest you offer that bead blast finish as an option. It looks great too.
  

Congratulations AylsworthRazors for bringing an innovative razor to the market.

Thanks to AylsworthRazors  for allowing us to use the razor. Razor is cleaned and safely packed and will be on its way to the next participant later today.

Some observations:

• I love the razor design. I appreciate that AylsworthRazors  is a designer in real life so has a good eye for pleasing designs. 
  
• The handle is incredible. I’m a sucker for good handles. I don’t own a handle like this and it is extremely comfortable, grippy, and aesthetically pleasing. 
  
• The razor is mild but relatively efficient. Easy to shave against the grain, a litmus test for me. The head is relatively slim so it is easy to get under the nose. 
  
• I did find that the razor works better with sharper blades. I preferred the shave with a Feather than with a London Bridge; I suspect it will work very well with Wizamets and Kais as well.
  
• I could use a touch more blade feel with the razor, perhaps this could be an idea for a future plate offering down the road. 
  
• One suggestion, as with many razors manufactured by Yates, I found there to be a bit of drag. The finish that I like best from Yates is the Bead Blast finish - for me (unlike with their Stonewash finish) - there is zero drag for me there. I would suggest you offer that bead blast finish as an option. It looks great too.
  

Congratulations AylsworthRazors for bringing an innovative razor to the market.

Thanks for the notes Ali! Glad you enjoyed your time with the razor.

Regarding points 5 & 6:

I expect the tumbling process on the shipping razors, which will round off any hard machined edges, to give a slight bump in blade feel, efficiency, and also shave angle range. That said, I am also currently prototyping a 'heavy' plate that will have 0.25 mm larger blade gap and .05 mm more exposure, as well as an OC version of the same plate.

As for the finish, the prototype being passed around was actually done by an on demand service, and not by Yates, so the finish of the prototype was on the rougher side. The shipping razors will be made by Yates and will be offered in both the machined and bead blasted (satin) finish, as well as being tumbled and passivated, which should get rid of the drag and also the raw steel smell that some have noticed.

Thanks again for taking part and sharing!

Final takes from Raza in Las Vegas:

Below will be the pass around list. The standard pass around rules apply: keep the razor/items for 1 week, then ship them to the next person in line below your order. If the user isn't tagged and/or a member on DFS, contact either myself or KalebAylsworth to get the name & shipping details for the next person.

Please share your thoughts on the forum as well as filling out this feedback survey Kaleb created, if possible.

If you'd like to be added to the list, please reply that you're in and mention the state you live in. Do note that since this list will be blended between DFS users and people Kaleb knows, your order on the list might not be as you expect it initially.

This list is currently a work in progress and will be updated accordingly

Western USA:
brianTWSE (Oregon)
The Traveling Shaver (Utah)
ppfingsten (Hawaii) *removed at user's request*
draebeard (Washington)
The Razor Company (Michigan)
Marhos24 (Michigan)
Molecularjeff (Michigan)
MostlyVintageHeadShaver (Michigan)
CK89 (Indiana) *removed at user's request*
HoosierShave (Indiana)
Lbkindy (Indiana)
gregtardif (Wisconsin)
wyze0ne (Michigan)
bobmsp (Minnesota)
AASHAVING (Washington)
Newsy96 (Illinois)
MountainBear (Colorado)
dmshaver (Missouri)
ShavingLikeYouMeanIt (California)
Timeclo (California)
TST27 (California)


Eastern USA:
Heather - Zingari Man (Indiana)
LOOT (North Carolina)
Cape.Cod.Wet.Shaving (Massachusetts)
bhay1972 (Maine)
GlazedBoker (New Jersey)
dave in KY (Kentucky)
ServedUpShaves (New Hampshire)
ALI (Connecticut)
Sloppybadger (North Carolina)
ewk (South Carolina)
cornbread (New York)
Carlos Hernandez (Georgia)
jbreakfield (Alabama)
Alorenberg (Massachusetts)
Nh wet shaver (New Hampshire)
BEARDoc (Rhode Island)
Gbsher (Pennsylvania)
J33pGuy13 (Pennsylvania)
Asafiev (Pennsylvania)
Sethology96 (Virginia)
Blade4vor (New York)
Dpc007 (Connecticut)
MaineYooper (Maine)
andrewjs18 (Pennsylvania)


Canada:
M2shaves (Ontario)
Coyote Cuts (Ontario)
justino_14 (Ontario)
Nehbulah (Ontario) *removed at user's request*
Marko (Alberta)
Senate515 (Alberta)
TPearen (British Columbia)
raymoonie (Montreal)
Raza D (Nevada)
Ryan B (California)
aleksgc (California)
rockotto (California)
Oasisdave (California)
EricM (California)
OnePassBen (Alberta)

I think this is updated now, AylsworthRazors

andrewjs18   Looks about right, except Molecularjeff and MostlyVintageHeadShaver have gone now too. Thanks!

andrewjs18   Looks about right, except Molecularjeff and MostlyVintageHeadShaver have gone now too. Thanks!

updated. thanks

Update from the East Coast Passaround -- The Drakkant Arrived Today Further Down the Sunny South

The Drakkant razor arrived today in fine shape, along with extra soap samples! (Thank you Sloppybadger; I have been curious about Moon and 345) 

First use of the razor was a very good outing. The weight and balance of the razor worked for my shaving style. Shaving angle was located intuitively. Nice level of efficiency and a comfortable mild feel. 

The Western USA razor is on its way to the next destination

The Drakkant arrived to me last Thursday and I had intended to post over the weekend but had trouble logging into the site.  I was able to get 5 shaves in and, for the most part, I shaved with the same setup.  The only difference was the blade as I really wanted to try it with two of my favorites, Astra Sp and GSB.  Overall, this is a really great razor for a daily shaver.  It has just a bit blade feel but is very smooth.  The efficiency is good but I wouldn't classify it as highly efficient.  But little-to-no blade feel / smooth / good efficiency is exactly what I look for in a razor since I enjoy a daily 3-pass with cleanup. 

Package received. Trial begins soon. Thanks