H&S P076 316SS DC Passaround – New Standard in SS Artisanal Razors at a Bargain Price

I have gotten two more shaves with the P076 using the Valentynka soap and have a few more updated thoughts!



Updates on:

The razor - After experimenting a little bit more, I have decided that I really prefer this razor with the Super +  (Crystal) blades, where the OC side feels pretty darn good.  The Permasharp ended up feeling pretty terrible after the initial shave, with a lot of jumping around and difficulty in cutting through my hair, which is interesting because the Permasharp is typically much... well... sharper. 

Playing with the angle helps a bit, but ultimately letting the blade feel dictate the cutting angle was the way to go with a milder blade on the OC side.  The SB side is solid, but continues to not be as smooth in use as the OC side (again, I suspect it may be related to the amount of support and clamping the blade receives near the edge that makes the difference here).

The handle - This continues to be a miss for me in terms of how heavy it is in comparison to the light and nimble head, and the knurling reminds me of the inexpensive barbells that you see at a gym, which need to get worn down over months and years before they feel like they are "grippy" without tearing into your hands.  I am making it work, but the handle just feels like it isn't matched for this razor.

Valentynka Soap - My wife enjoys the scent well enough, but it isn't her favorite (she is obsessed with lavender and aquatics).  For me, it surprised me in that it is less dry and powdery than I had feared, but it isn't quite a hit for me.  It also lasts a very long time: I shaved at night last night and it still felt like the scent stuck around on my face all morning today.

Valentynka Aftershave Toner - I have not used this product as of yet.

Vor V Soap - I have loaded a sample into my metal shaving bowl and am very curious.  It has a sweet top end, but as it fades I am getting a bit of a Mousse de Saxe scent a la B&M Lavanille that starts to take over afterwards.  Lavanille is one of my all-time favorites, so this looks like it might be a winner for me!

Vor V Aftershave Splash - I used this in lieu of the Valentynka toner, and I like the performance a fair bit.  It feels like a pretty balanced splash, and despite some rough shaving with the Permasharp I did not get any burn, nor was the menthol strong at all  (although it was definitely something that I could smell quite a bit in use and shortly after, but did not feel any cooling at all).

Unscented Aftershave Balm - I have not used this product since my first crack at it.

TL;DR - A few rough shaves with the razor, a milder blade has fixed it; I'm excited to try Vor V.  I will probably ship out to the next person on Tuesday after having two more shaves and post my final thoughts then!

After a week+ of getting my butt handed to me in graduate classes, I can finally sit down and give some final thoughts on the P076 316 SS DC Razor and WK products.



Where I have settled:

The razor - I had a few more shaves with the razor and ran some side-by-side comparisons to what I typically use.  The P076 continues to be excellent with the Super+ (Crystal) blades, with a high level of efficiency on both sides.  The OC side works a little bit better for me, but is a little bit more aggressive, while the SB side works fine, albeit with a reduced degree of both smoothness (a bit of chatter) and aggressiveness.  Overall I would say that the razor in the OC model is what I would go for, as somebody who loves lots of blade feel with as little chatter as possible.

As far as comparisons go, the OC side is beat out in smoothness only by my Tatara Masamune Nodachi, but is easily as efficient as anything I have in my den.  The polish on it beats my WR2 in basic polish as well, if that is the aesthetic you desire.  For some general placement I have:

Ease of use: Tatara Masamune Nodachi = Karve F OC > H&S P076 > WR2 > Timeless .95
Efficiency: Tatara Masamune Nodachi > H&S P076 > Karve F OC > Timeless .95 > WR2
Smoothness: Tatara Masamune Nodachi  > H&S P076 > Karve F OC > Timeless .95 >> WR2
Aggression: WR2 >> H&S P076 > Timeless .95 > Karve F OC > Tatara Masamune Nodachi
Fit and Finish: H&S P076 >> WR2 > Timeless .95 > Tatara Masamune Nodachi > Karve F OC

I suspect that with a different handle setup, the H&S would work a little better in terms of "ease of use," but otherwise I would consider this to be a clear upgrade for me over the WR2, Karve, or Timeless, with only the Tatara really giving it any competition.

The handle - Not my preference.  I like the older version a lot better, so if swapping the handle out to that model is an option, that would be my choice.

Le Superiore Dulci Tobacco Cream - The absolute, hands-down, knocked-it-out-of-the-park product of the bunch.  Performance is incredible, and I think it really carried my early shaves with the Permasharp blades: the moment I used a different software, my skin started to get ripped up.  Highly protective, good slickness, and extremely forgiving in use.  It needs a little bit more product than some other creams out there, so start with an almond sized amount or more.  I would love some different scents for this, as the tobacco scent was sweet, fine, but very strong.

Valentynka Soap - My wife likes this one a fair bit.  It is dry, sweet, slightly resinous, hints of floral.  In general I expect it would be agreeable to most people.  Performance is top notch for me: the Siero base rocks!

Unscented Aftershave Toner - Solid product, I tried it twice and my skin felt good and balanced afterwards as long as I wasn't going outside in the heat and sun very much.  On those occasions it felt very slightly tacky to me.

Vor V Soap - This was my favorite scent of the bunch, but it was not loved at all by my wife or children!  Strong floral notes that fade into something that is akin to mousse de saxe, but much more muted than you find in B&M offerings.  If you like Lavanille, Full Measure of Man, or Denarius, this floral take on the scent could be worth a try for you, just know that the floral component is very strong.  Think of it like Southern Witchcrafts' Tres Matres - very strong floral with a dirty and complex dry-down.

Vor V Aftershave Splash - Performance is phenomenal for me, and beats out Ethos aftershave, which is high praise indeed.  The scent is very much the same as the soap, with the addition to a menthol scent, which interestingly was not something I felt much of on the skin.  Smells more menthol-heavy than it feels!

Unscented Aftershave Balm - Too heavy for me, especially in the midst of the summer.  I might consider this in dry, winter months, but in the middle of the Oregon heat wave, it did not work well for me!

TL;DR - The razor is fantastic, especially the OC side.  Swap in a different handle for something that might feel better in the hands.  The WK products are fantastic, and the shaving cream is probably one of the best performing products I have tried in a long time.

Thanks for the chance to try it out, and best of luck to the next stop!

As far as comparisons go, the OC side is beat out in smoothness only by my Tatara Masamune Nodachi, but is easily as efficient as anything I have in my den.  The polish on it beats my WR2 in basic polish as well, if that is the aesthetic you desire.  For some general placement I have:

Ease of use: Tatara Masamune Nodachi = Karve F OC > H&S P076 > WR2 > Timeless .95
Efficiency: Tatara Masamune Nodachi > H&S P076 > Karve F OC > Timeless .95 > WR2
Smoothness: Tatara Masamune Nodachi  > H&S P076 > Karve F OC > Timeless .95 >> WR2
Aggression: WR2 >> H&S P076 > Timeless .95 > Karve F OC > Tatara Masamune Nodachi
Fit and Finish: H&S P076 >> WR2 > Timeless .95 > Tatara Masamune Nodachi > Karve F OC

Thanks for your reviews. The comparisons are really helpful as I have the Nodachi as well (and have the OC plate on the way). Can you or anyone else compare the P076 to the WR1?

Having owned WR1 in multiple models and gaps from 0,48 thru 0,74, and every P076 produced to date, require more specificity

I had the P076 Ti along with numerous WR1 gaps. To me, the P076 felt slightly more aggressive than the 0.80SB, but noticeably less aggressive than the 0.86SB. I'd say it's closest to the 0.80 and they got nearly identical results for me. I greatly prefer the Titanium Blackbird to either now, though.

Having owned WR1 in multiple models and gaps from 0,48 thru 0,74, and every P076 produced to date, require more specificity

Sorry that was non-specific. I'd be interested to know how the 316 (and even 17-4) and Ti compare to 0.67 OC and 0.74 OC. Sounds like the Ti is closer to higher gaps according to Mtt02263

I've tried the .80 OC but not the SB.

Thanks

Please excuse me if this review is a little subpar, but it's really my first one of this length and magnitude.  I generally only type something short, but I feel this razor needs a little more than that.

H&S P076 316SS 

Aesthetics:  I have to say that this razor, in my opinion, is gorgeous.  Just from it's appearance, you can see it's a finely crafted shaving instrument.  I like the mixed (open comb and straight bar), although some my find it odd in appearance.  The handle is the least glamorous part of the razor in my eyes, but it in no way is ugly.  This razor looks expensive and well made.

Build Quality:  It's a solid feeling razor with a nice hefty handle.  I couldn't find any flaws or defects, and I could only think that it was fine precision instrument as I was using it.  The head is well designed, allowing for blades to fit securely without wiggle room.  The handle screws in nicely, without much effort (anyone who's used a RR G37 knows that isn't always the case).

Performance:  I must honestly say this razor is one of, if not the, smoothest razors I have ever used.  It seemed to just glide so easily over my skin and caused me no irritation. I have used an Above the Tie S1 also, which is a very smooth razor in my opinion.  This was a tad smoother.  It wasn't the most efficient razor I've used though.  The Razorock Wunderbar wins in that category, although this razor is no slouch. (I must note, I haven't tried an extensive amount of razors, so others may know of smoother and/or more efficient razors.)  

The knurled grip of the handle prevents slippage quite well, and it feels very comfortable in the hand.  It's solid and hefty, which I like.  The handle is longer than my other razors, so it took a little adjusting to.  

Overall:   The H&S P076 316SS is a very precise and well crafted piece of shaving equipment that is definitely an upper tier razor in my opinion.  Is it worth the price?  Honestly, I don't think any DE razor is worth over $200 (and even that could be argued), but then again, I've never tried anything more than that.  I will say this though, I would easily buy this if it was within my price range.    

Blades

They're Nacets.  Enough said.

Soap/Creams

Before I begin individual reviews, let me just say that Wholly Kaw is a top tier soap, and I won't be reviewing their performance.  By now, everyone has probably tried a product from the artisan.  If not, just know it produces a wonderful lather that is slick and cushiony, and it leaves your shaved area feeling great afterwards; definitely an elite soap.  Also, know that I do not have a super sophisticated sense of smell.  I can't tell individual notes unless they are extremely prominent (e.g. mint, lemon).  I only know what I like and don't like, so take this for what it's worth.

Vor VL:  Right off the puck the smell is strong and I like it.  It's got a fruity, slightly sweet smell to me.  

Valentynka: Off the puck, I didn't really like this.  However, once it was lathered, the scent changed and was quite a bit better.  To me, it smelled like a subdued cotton candy.  Odd, I know, but what I smelled.

La Superieure Dulce Tobacco: This is easily my favorite scent of the three.  Honestly, it is one of my favorite scents just in general.  It kind of reminds me of something in the vein of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille.  It's not the same, but in that type of scent wheel.  The cream was a bit harder for me to lather, but this I attribute this to more of my lack of experience than the cream being an issue.  It did have a nice post-shave feel too.  I really want to learn to use this better.

Overview:  It's Wholly Kaw, so you know the soaps and creams are excellent.  Scents are always subjective, but I believe the Dulce Tobacco will be the most appealing to the majority of folks.  Lastly, I suck at using shaving cream.

AS/Balm  

Vor V & Bare Naked AS: These left my face feeling very nice and I would easily buy them again.  Of course the Vor V smells like the soap and the Unscented is, well, unscented.  Great products.

Bare Naked Balm: The balm was a little disappointing to me.  For some reason, it had a weird scent that i didn't quite care for.  I know it is unscented, but it had a lotion (not fragrance) type smell when I used it.  I have not noticed this with some other unscented balms I've used.  To be fair, it wasn't overpowering or unusable, but noticeable.  I think the container is neat looking, but has a big issue.  The inside container is solid white, which doesn't allow you to see how much balm is left in it.  This to me is a bit unacceptable considering the top isn't an easy screw off (or it might be, but I was afraid I would break it).

Overview:  Wholly Kaw aftershaves provide a great post shave feel, and left my face feeling nice.  The balm was a little underwhelming for me, but it's still very decent.  I guess I was expecting something more from it.

Thanks for taking some time to read this.  Hopefully, my future reviews will improve.

Nice review: great job conveying your experience

The eagle has landed.  Here's a first impression unboxing video.  My first run with the razor is in just a few hours...

Not typically a big video fan but this was exceedingly well done. Kudos