Essence by Tedalus

hope it goes well for the first time, no matter what shavette or straight all things have to be learned, just go easy maybe just the cheeks the first time. I you use no pressure at all you should be ok. I just looked it up and this was my 87th shave with mine, still as happy as can be.

hope it goes well for the first time, no matter what shavette or straight all things have to be learned, just go easy maybe just the cheeks the first time. I you use no pressure at all you should be ok. I just looked it up and this was my 87th shave with mine, still as happy as can be.

One nice detail is the logo. Hard to see in the pictures, but it is inset and polished, which stands out nicely against the brushed finish.

How is the anodyzing of the scales holding up? I try to be careful, but with no stand, I do worry about it getting scratched up or worn off.

I'm sure it would, but at this point, it's still a single guy who paid to have 333 razors made out of his own pocket. He couldn't afford the stands too.

That being said, you are in for a treat. The razor is a work of art. Once you use it, you'll understand why the world needs a shavette like this. The bar on what we can expect a shavette to be has been set much higher by Tedalus.

I'm hoping to see a few video reviews while mine is in transit.

I don't do videos, but I just got mine today. It is gorgeous. Brushed finish on the blade. The purple charcoal scales are really nice. Really, the entire thing looks exactly like the photos that have been posted. I'll take some tomorrow under natural light for comparison; it's too dark now over here since it's about to rain.

I can see that removing the blade will be necessary. I don't know the terminology, but there's a cross section inside where the edge touches to stop the razor from going round and round. If you leave a blade in, it will hit the cross section, which will damage the blade and / or cut into the cross section. I would have thought it would be better to have that stopper just after the edge, such that the blade can be left in without hitting anything, but I suspect that piece needs to be where it is because of the stand. (I trust I have my terminology all messed up, so I'll try to show this in the pictures tomorrow.)

It has a decent weight. Compared to most of my stainless steel razors, it's a bit light, perhaps because of the slim profile and aluminum scales. It's kind of like a titanium razor in this regard.

It is very thin when looking at it from the front. It's not like a full hollow razor, but I do believe it is thinner than a Feather DX.

The loading mechanism is the part I think everyone is wondering about. It is pretty easy. I did load in an AC blade and it was simple. To open it, you just slide the removeable piece forward. When you want to close it, set the blade, and there is a clear path to slide the removeable piece back in place. The magnet holds it in securely. I haven't shaved with it yet, but it seems VERY secure and I cannot see this sliding open when being used.

In summary, keeping in mind that this is my first shavette and I've never shaved with a straight razor either, I have never been so excited to slice my face up!

 hopefully, that won't happen. 

I'm in Canada, so mine will be a while before it gets here, but I'm looking forward to it very much.

One nice detail is the logo. Hard to see in the pictures, but it is inset and polished, which stands out nicely against the brushed finish.

How is the anodyzing of the scales holding up? I try to be careful, but with no stand, I do worry about it getting scratched up or worn off.

I'm a very lousy photographer so I don't do the shaving stuff justice 

I have been using it a few months and there is no sign of wear.

Pictures to come. It was beautiful this morning, then clouds suddenly came rolling through. Tropical weather here, so it should clear in a few hours ... hopefully.

Anyway, I went ahead with my first ever shavette shave. I really, really enjoyed it. With a safety razor, I usually can shave in under five minutes ... just a one-pass (with simultaneous buffing) ATG shave. So I haven't really had a lengthy shave before, and as nervous as I was, it was a real pleasure. I think shaving with the Tedalus will end up being my weekend thing.

I was purposefully not too ambitious, so the end result was far from even a DFS shave, but I did do a full three-pass (WTG, XTG and ATG) shave. I was able to play around with the angle and ended with with a shallow angle ("riding the cap" in safety razor terminology). I never felt too worried about nicking myself. In fact, I only cut myself once when I stupidly jabbed myself in the chin with the blade, not even in the real shaving stroke; when shaving the curve of my chin with a safety razor, I sometimes touch the safety bar to my skin to get oriented (depth perception) ... and so that's a bad habit when considering there's obviously no safety bar with a shavette.

I'm not sure if the light weight of the razor will be for everyone. (For those with more experience with shavettes and straight razors, please do comment on the difference in weight and feel in the hand versus the Tedalus.) For me, I think the light weight was a good thing as it allowed me full control the razor, but generally I still prefer the heft of my stainless steel safety razors.

One other note:

The sliding mechanism is great. Very easy yet very tight. No slippage whatsoever. I am paranoid about rust, especially with magnets in there. So after each use, I plan to disassemble, pat dry and place separately in my dry cabinet, which has become less for photography and more for all of my razors.

Pictures to come. It was beautiful this morning, then clouds suddenly came rolling through. Tropical weather here, so it should clear in a few hours ... hopefully.

Anyway, I went ahead with my first ever shavette shave. I really, really enjoyed it. With a safety razor, I usually can shave in under five minutes ... just a one-pass (with simultaneous buffing) ATG shave. So I haven't really had a lengthy shave before, and as nervous as I was, it was a real pleasure. I think shaving with the Tedalus will end up being my weekend thing.

I was purposefully not too ambitious, so the end result was far from even a DFS shave, but I did do a full three-pass (WTG, XTG and ATG) shave. I was able to play around with the angle and ended with with a shallow angle ("riding the cap" in safety razor terminology). I never felt too worried about nicking myself. In fact, I only cut myself once when I stupidly jabbed myself in the chin with the blade, not even in the real shaving stroke; when shaving the curve of my chin with a safety razor, I sometimes touch the safety bar to my skin to get oriented (depth perception) ... and so that's a bad habit when considering there's obviously no safety bar with a shavette.

I'm not sure if the light weight of the razor will be for everyone. (For those with more experience with shavettes and straight razors, please do comment on the difference in weight and feel in the hand versus the Tedalus.) For me, I think the light weight was a good thing as it allowed me full control the razor, but generally I still prefer the heft of my stainless steel safety razors.

First off, congratulations on your shavette maiden voyage!  Any three pass shave on your first attempt is quite an achievement, even more so with only a single concentration related mishap.  Second,  IIRC Snuff said the the Essence weighs in at 61 grams, which is heavier than any shavette I own, and heavier than all but one of my straight razors!  So my guess is that the weight won’t trouble most prospective buyers.  OTOH I would expect the stiff, tight, solid build and the excellent balance will appeal quite a bit. 

—  Congrats again Zhang Doe.  You bought well and shaved well!    

You did very good for a first time, with a shavette or straight razor it’s best not to try for a certain kind of shave but to learn the handling and moves. Some people finish with a DE for appearance. It just requires a certain amount of shaves before you become really proficient at it.

One other note:

The sliding mechanism is great. Very easy yet very tight. No slippage whatsoever. I am paranoid about rust, especially with magnets in there. So after each use, I plan to disassemble, pat dry and place separately in my dry cabinet, which has become less for photography and more for all of my razors.

I know it's a different Shavette, but I've had an IBC razor for a good year and a half, which also uses magnets. 

Zero issues with rust.

...How is the anodyzing of the scales holding up? I try to be careful, but with no stand, I do worry about it getting scratched up or worn off.

I put mine through a torture test. It rode in my front trouser pocket all week long while I crawled through the bowels of the destroyer U.S.S. McCampbell plying the old boilermaker trade. Welding, cutting and grinding. At the end of the day you empty your pockets of metal filings, and brush yourself off as best you can. Aside from a tiny bit of wear on the corners and a very small scuff on the anodizing in one spot, it's like new. After wiping off the furry coat of filings on the razor, I'd slide it open to check the magnets. They were untouched. The razor itself got a small scuff near the tang. It could be easily repaired with a few swipes of steel wool.

Also the opening and closing become smoother after you open and close it about 40 times, as the pins, channel, and other surfaces bed together.

I'd say it's the equivalent of living in a barber's pocket for 10 years or so, condensed into a week. It held up fine.

Why? Cause I wanted to see how well it would hold up, and figured no one else would do such a thing. It's not like I would ever sell it. It's now a family heirloom.

...

I'm not sure if the light weight of the razor will be for everyone. (For those with more experience with shavettes and straight razors, please do comment on the difference in weight and feel in the hand versus the Tedalus.) For me, I think the light weight was a good thing as it allowed me full control the razor, but generally I still prefer the heft of my stainless steel safety razors.

It's heavier than most shavettes.

One other note:

The sliding mechanism is great. Very easy yet very tight. No slippage whatsoever. I am paranoid about rust, especially with magnets in there. So after each use, I plan to disassemble, pat dry and place separately in my dry cabinet, which has become less for photography and more for all of my razors.

It gets even smoother over time.

One other note:

The sliding mechanism is great. Very easy yet very tight. No slippage whatsoever. I am paranoid about rust, especially with magnets in there. So after each use, I plan to disassemble, pat dry and place separately in my dry cabinet, which has become less for photography and more for all of my razors.

I know it's a different Shavette, but I've had an IBC razor for a good year and a half, which also uses magnets. 

Zero issues with rust

No rust issues with mine either. I believe the magnets are set below the surface of the stainless and so should last the lifetime of the razor. They are a mm thick, and triple plated (nickel, copper, nickel).