Carbon Shaving Co. Cx-316L & Ti DFS pass around

Here's a quick few tips/rules for the pass around.  Please try to be mindful of the creator of the razor and everyone on the pass around list.  If you're going to be out of town just before or during your turn, just ask us to bump you down on the list so you can have the proper time to use it and so you also do not hold up others from trying the razor(s) in a timely manner.

As this pass around includes more than 1 razor, let's agree to keep it for 10-14 days before passing it on so people have adequate time to use and judge everything.

Also, please insure the razor for $1,000 just in case it gets lost in the mail..

List:
andrewjs18 (Pennsylvania)
ewk (South Carolina)
Eleven (South Carolina)
MountainBear ()
Cino (Georgia)
Marhos24 (Michigan)
draebeard (Washington) *removed at user's request*
Calm_Shaver (New York)
BEARDoc (Rhode Island)
Dragonsbeard (New York)
NJDJ (California)
Time Bandit (California)
Lesser  (New York)
dtownvino (Pennsylvania)
andrewjs18 (Pennsylvania)

If it is possible I would love to get on the list.  I have 2 Ti Cx razors (- and original) but need to get new base plates as the mild was too mild for me…

DtownVino (in Pennsylvania)

Mailed back down South yesterday.  Should arrived Tuesday.  Tracking sent on to the next participant.

Thanks to Sean and Paolo.  I enjoyed my time and am missing all the options.

Paolo - I loved the simple barbershop roundel as the side label of the soap. Roundel label looks like something on a fighter jet for simple identification.  I like pictures and not text on soaps because they (soaps) last a while and should be cool to look at imo.   Best side label I have seen.  I also liked the black container - not a big fan of the white or green containers that the rest of the industry seems to prefer.  The size and ingredients on the inside bottom of the top lid I also appreciated.  I might prefer a paper insert and the ingredients on the web page.  Performance of the soap was good.  I tended to add too much water to it for some reason and felt it did better with less water added slower than usual.  I wished for a lot more scent in the soap.  I could only pick up the scent in the soap after applying the balm and then smelling the soap container.  I did not like the ingredients taking up prominent space on the balm label.  I visualized more of a barber pole graphic label on the balm especially after seeing some brilliance with the roundel on the soap.  The balm was great in terms of smell and performance - spot on. Thanks again.  I only scooped the soap.

Sean - already a big fan of Carbon Shaving equipment.  I have some Carbon already.  Only knock I had before getting the pass around was that the Carbon SS brush was too small.  After the pass around I learned that I like the Ti versions much more than the SS.  SS seemed to be a lot shinier with beefed up knearling compared to the Ti.  The weight of the Ti feels right and better balanced.  I really like the R2 in Ti - among my favorites - that is not in this pass around.  ++ plate surprises me in how great it feels during and after the shave.  I get a little skin irritation with ++ but have not let it plow though more than three days growth.  I spent most of my time with the + plate.  Seemed to be a good everyday and every other day fit for me.  I also love the - and original.  Very hard choice.  My old eyes did not like how the plates were marked.  The non-web plates are easier to see the icon.  I agree with Paolo that the web plates rinse well.  The original is not marked.  Given that one side is marked and the other is not I spent some time trying to figure out which was which.  In shipping it off I realized that the -, +, ++ icon can be loaded into the wool blanket so that the icon is visible.  The original goes on the razor with the head.  I wish this insight had come to me earlier.  If the wool is meant for storage beyond shipping - I would prefer a color to which lint is not so viable (so a grey) in a machine washable wool that might be thinner.  I appreciate Sean sending the SS in the pass around as I would have been tempted to keep the full Ti web set with the R2 handle and have asked for a bill.

A few questions I would have for Sean -

Some folks discussed washers on Carbon Shaving razors on another part of the form this weekend.   I would like to know if they are intended for more than shipping and if there is a right size?

Why is the SS shinier than the Ti in appearance or should I polish up my Ti with something?  What?

Thanks again much gratitude.

Mailed back down South yesterday.  Should arrived Tuesday.  Tracking sent on to the next participant.

Thanks to Sean and Paolo.  I enjoyed my time and am missing all the options.

Paolo - I loved the simple barbershop roundel as the side label of the soap. Roundel label looks like something on a fighter jet for simple identification.  I like pictures and not text on soaps because they (soaps) last a while and should be cool to look at imo.   Best side label I have seen.  I also liked the black container - not a big fan of the white or green containers that the rest of the industry seems to prefer.  The size and ingredients on the inside bottom of the top lid I also appreciated.  I might prefer a paper insert and the ingredients on the web page.  Performance of the soap was good.  I tended to add too much water to it for some reason and felt it did better with less water added slower than usual.  I wished for a lot more scent in the soap.  I could only pick up the scent in the soap after applying the balm and then smelling the soap container.  I did not like the ingredients taking up prominent space on the balm label.  I visualized more of a barber pole graphic label on the balm especially after seeing some brilliance with the roundel on the soap.  The balm was great in terms of smell and performance - spot on. Thanks again.  I only scooped the soap.

Sean - already a big fan of Carbon Shaving equipment.  I have some Carbon already.  Only knock I had before getting the pass around was that the Carbon SS brush was too small.  After the pass around I learned that I like the Ti versions much more than the SS.  SS seemed to be a lot shinier with beefed up knearling compared to the Ti.  The weight of the Ti feels right and better balanced.  I really like the R2 in Ti - among my favorites - that is not in this pass around.  ++ plate surprises me in how great it feels during and after the shave.  I get a little skin irritation with ++ but have not let it plow though more than three days growth.  I spent most of my time with the + plate.  Seemed to be a good everyday and every other day fit for me.  I also love the - and original.  Very hard choice.  My old eyes did not like how the plates were marked.  The non-web plates are easier to see the icon.  I agree with Paolo that the web plates rinse well.  The original is not marked.  Given that one side is marked and the other is not I spent some time trying to figure out which was which.  In shipping it off I realized that the -, +, ++ icon can be loaded into the wool blanket so that the icon is visible.  The original goes on the razor with the head.  I wish this insight had come to me earlier.  If the wool is meant for storage beyond shipping - I would prefer a color to which lint is not so viable (so a grey) in a machine washable wool that might be thinner.  I appreciate Sean sending the SS in the pass around as I would have been tempted to keep the full Ti web set with the R2 handle and have asked for a bill.

A few questions I would have for Sean -

Some folks discussed washers on Carbon Shaving razors on another part of the form this weekend.   I would like to know if they are intended for more than shipping and if there is a right size?

Why is the SS shinier than the Ti in appearance or should I polish up my Ti with something?  What?

Thanks again much gratitude.

Washers for Carbon I managed to get some perfect size and have to be scaled down for that perfection / perfection  ..it’s all hand finished!

andrewjs18

Please remove me from this pass-around.  Thank you.

Thanks MountainBear for the support and the comments...to answer your specific questions:

Some folks discussed washers on Carbon Shaving razors on another part of the form this weekend.  I would like to know if they are intended for more than shipping and if there is a right size?

I include them to protect the underside of the base plate during shipping, some folks like to keep that protection after it arrives but they are not needed and serve no other function but to prevent scratching where the handle and base plate meet. The size of the ones we use have a 11mm Outside diameter(OD) and a 5mm Inside Diameter(ID). A nylon 10-32 UNF washer should work(maybe a M5 nylon washer?)...if you are in the US, Home Depot hardware, I think they carry the washers in store(look for nylon washers).



If you are looking for the perfect size, AlanH81 custom makes his...but the thread on the cap is a ~4.6mm(.18") diameter and the handle diameter, where it meets the base plate is a ~8.1mm(.32"). The perfect washer would be  5mm(ID) x 8.2mm(OD).

Why is the SS shinier than the Ti in appearance or should I polish up my Ti with something?  What?

316L polishes up very nicely, even compared to other grades of stainless, the addition of molybdenum, which is added to enhance its corrosion resistance brings out a very bright luster when polished. The other process we do to the 316L stainless(vs the Titanium) is we electropolish razor parts in addition to manually sanding, polishing and finishing the pieces. Electropolishing is the most effective way to polish threads with out impacting tolerances to any great degree, this process removes microscopic layer of the metal and brightens the metal a lot. Here is more detail on electropolishing:



https://fzemanufacturing.com/blog/electr...ssivation/



We tried electropolishing titanium, very specialized capability, but it does not change the brightness or the corrosion resistance to any greater, practical degree at all with Ti.



Depending on the state of your Ti you can absolutely polish her. Assuming you don't have any deep scratches or machine marks, I would suggest trying this product as a step #1:



Its mild, not too aggressive....it will take longer with Ti but it will remove fine scratches.

This stuff works good as a final polish:


Very mild but will add a nice shine...works great for copper or mokume.

If your scratches are deeper or you are talking about a particular surface on your Ti...happy to help if you share specifics. I am assuming you are doing this by hand. A Dremel or a buffing wheel can take care of the job quicker but you need to be careful on the critical dimensions and critical surfaces. We use tools from a 320 grit belt grinder to a super soft wheel on a Dremel at low speed....depending on what surface we are polishing.

Yes, you can absolutely get Ti to a bright polish, white pigment is made with titanium so it will have that appearance, 316L will be brighter and has that bright metalic finish.

Thanks for your other comments, I agree the markings are small, we don't have a lot of real estate to work with anymore on the web plates. One change we made with this new web version is we also laser "engrave" the serial numbers, makers mark, year and plate level. Before we laser "marked" the piece. While the laser engraving is less visible, it is much more durable and harder to be polished off unlike the older laser marking. We contemplated using a black nail polish to fill the engraving but it would not be permanent(we will look into that again). Regarding handles, fair feedback on the knurling, I also like the R2. I get a lot of positive feedback on how light the R3 is with carbon fiber though...awesome to hear your preference.

Thanks again MountainBear...thanks for sharing the feedback! Keep me posted if you have more questions on your Ti...

Sean

Thanks Sean, I still find your polish on Ti the best of my Ti polished!!!

There is an M5 with a 8mm OD on Amazon, it is black. 

I picked up this one just because 

Cionyce 100 PCS Nylon Washers, M5 x 8mm x 1mm Nylon Flat Washers Insulating Washers for Faucet Pipe Water Hose https://a.co/d/3HpwpGk 

But I prefer these in my Carbon Razors:

Qjaiune 20 Pack M5 Nylon Washers Black Flat Washer, 5mm ID 8mm OD 1mm Thickness Faucet Plastic Gasket, Metric Nylon Gasket Sealing Washer Spacer Flat Hose Washer for Water Pipe Water Hose https://a.co/d/acWWccO  

I also use 10mm OD and a Derlin washer I paid a lot for from another razor manufacturer that has a .34” OD and is white.  It looks real good too, but I like the black top 2 the best that I’ve had access to. 

None the less, I can’t wait to throw a KAI in the + and ++ to see how they feel.  I just really like the original plate a lot!

Nice post MountainBear I think you covered a lot of really good points. dtownvino The Carbon razors, especially the + and ++ base plates paired with Kai blades were my best shaves these last two years. I used them together a bunch so I would highly recommend those pairings. Have fun

The eagle has landed. I'll need a few shaves before I can give any meaningful feedback. I can say that the Ti is the lightest razor I've ever used. Maybe bakelite would be lighter but not by much.

Five shaves into the trial and I think I can report a few opinions on the Carbon Ti.  I haven't tried the steel version yet because I've been so drawn to the Carbon-Ti handle.  I have several Ti razors all of which I like, but none are nearly as light as this thing.  If ever there were a razor for road cyclists, this is it.  I can easily imagine Vingegaard shaving with this while climbing Col du Granon.  Sorta.


My first four shaves were with the ++ plate.  That plate felt like all blade to me.  While it was very efficient, it  required some care.   I tried to dial it in but had a tendency to over-shave my neck, which resulted in irritation at the same location on my neck after each shave. It may have been due to the light weight, so possibly the steel handle could have improved things.  I'm sure I could get the hang of it if I kept going but in the interest of time I moved to the + plate.  


The + plate is really nice.  I think it strikes the right balance of efficiency and smoothness for me.   I want to give it a few more shaves.   I've had a Carbon Ti with the original plate for about a year now.  Even though it has a lot of blade feel,  it's quite mild but it's not as efficient as either the + or ++ plate.  For the next few shaves I think I'll focus on the + plate as I think I might pick one up down the road. 


On to more testing.