H&S P076 Ti DE SB & OC Passaround Review–Epitome of Craftsmanship & Efficient Comfort

Life got in the way, but finally here is my review of the H&S P076 Ti razor with the dual head (SB and OC).  Everyone prior to me has written about the “perfect” polished finish and overall quality, so there is nothing I can add.  All of those observations are accurate.  The finish on this Ti razor is astonishing.

I shaved with the H&S P076 Ti dual head razor 4 times.  I mostly used the SB side, but did use the OC side enough to get a comparative feel for each.  I used a different blade for each shave (Tatra, Wizamet, Nacet & Voskhod).  For me, the Nacet was the best pairing for this razor.  The Wizamet was my next favorite.  The milder Tatra and Voskhod worked well, and proved that this razor can take most any blade.  I typically shave every two to three days, which is how I tested this razor.

My second shave ranks as the best shave I have ever given myself with a DE razor. Equal to an Italian barber straight edge shave I had in NYC a few years ago.  I had nearly undetectable growth for 12 to 16 hours and could not justify shaving for well over 48 hours!

This razor’s light weight and small head make it very easy to maneuver and get under the nose effortlessly.  In that regard, it is very much like the Carbon head.  I prefer a smaller head and a 90-100mm handle.  I love the P076 handle design and it is one of my favorites.  The grippy knurling is the perfect length and placement.  For me, this razor is as good as it gets.  When shaving, I preferred the SB side to the OC side.  The SB side was smoother and the OC side was only slightly more efficient, based on my technique.

IMHO, what makes this razor different is it’s deceptive efficiency for a .076 blade gap.  It is much more efficient than I expected with a .076 blade gap.  It has positive blade exposure and minimal chatter with great audible feedback.  This razor has a perfect combination of smoothness, blade feel and efficiency.  Compared with all of my other razors:  This razor gave me the closest shave with 3 passes and required almost no clean-up.  I mostly judge the “value” of a razor by how it shaves.  This razor has earned the highest “value” I can assign, based upon performance.

I need to shave with the 17-4 or stainless steel version to determine which is best for me.  It is possible that with my shaving technique, the heavier stainless or 17-4 may be better. I am on the pass-around list for the 17-4 and look forward to shaving with it and comparing the two.

Included with the razor were 3 Ethos Grooming Essential soaps.  I tried all 3.  The performance of all 3 was above average for bowl lathering, slickness, protection and post shave feel.  All of these Ethos products are very high quality soaps.
The lavender was one of the best lavenders I have tried, since it has a stronger lavender scent than most.  I do not like minimal or weakly scented products.  The orange was very good, but not my favorite orange scented soap or cream.  The Succes was beyond fantastic in all metrics.  It was my favorite.  It is an homage Creed Aventus.  If you like Aventus, you really need to try this.  I ordered both the Succes soap and aftershave from Ethos Grooming Essentials (Dragonsbeard).

My thanks to Dan Law for his time and effort to coordinate this pass-around.  He is providing us a great service, by sharing his enthusiasm and giving us the opportunity to experience this exceptional razor and soaps.  Thanks to H&S for providing the DFS wet shaving community the opportunity to review their new Ti P076.  Lastly, thanks to Dragonsbeard for providing his Ethos Grooming Essentials soaps for our sampling.

It is interesting Captainjonny. We had a similar experience. I tried both Ti and 17-4 and preferred (and purchased) the 17-4. Both are wonderful, but the 17-4, while not heavy, had an ideal weight from my perspective.

The biggest mystery of this razor for me is how it can be so efficient in comparison to its blade feel and smoothness. The blade exposure isn't ridiculous and the gap is obviously sort of average, but I need almost no touch ups or additional clean up for BBS. I still say that it's quite sensitive to prep and lather quality, but that honestly applies to any extremely efficient razor. As of now, I don't have another razor I enjoy using as much as this one. The balance, weight, and shave feedback are all perfect and the shave quality is unmatched.

Aji has indicated an 80mm Ti handle will be available in the next month(ish)

The biggest mystery of this razor for me is how it can be so efficient in comparison to its blade feel and smoothness. The blade exposure isn't ridiculous and the gap is obviously sort of average, but I need almost no touch ups or additional clean up for BBS. I still say that it's quite sensitive to prep and lather quality, but that honestly applies to any extremely efficient razor. As of now, I don't have another razor I enjoy using as much as this one. The balance, weight, and shave feedback are all perfect and the shave quality is unmatched.

This one had me scratching my head as well, for the same reasons. The Ti is a pretty special razor.

Razor is off to the next participant. I truley wanted to love this razor but it just isn’t for me. I did manage to get some very smooth shaves out of it, but I shave daily and it still proved to be a bit much for me aggressive wise leaving irritation. I could see myself using this razor a lot if I shaved every two or three days though. At one point I set it up against my charcoal goods level 3. Much smoother and only a little less efficient than the level 3. Glad to hear about the new handle option coming, I don’t gel with long handles and the H&S handle isn’t really for me. Function wise it works fine, but aesthetically I do not enjoy it. As stated already, the polishing on this razor is amazing. Super smooth razor, but the gap/exposure is deceptive for me and easy to get complacent. From what I remember about the the 17-4 version, it was a bit more efficient for me due to the heavier weight. Having tried all of H&S offerings now, I can confidently say I would need something in between the NO75 & NO76. If the NO75 had a bit of positive exposure (not as much as the NO76 tho), it would be perfect for me. No face is the same tho and I envy those who get to enjoy these razors. 

For ETHOS soaps, I smear the soap/cream on my face and lather. This works fine, but if I don’t end up with enough lather for the 3 passes I’m kind of screwed. I don’t bowl lather which is what is recommended for this soap. I’d be interested to see ETHOS in a bit of a harder soap so I could load the brush from the container but that’s completely personal. The soap is very good, I don’t get a whole lot of residual slickness but maybe that is due to my method. Post shave is where it really shines tho, my face feels great afterwards. Really reminds me of the first time I used Grooming Depts Aion. Hydrated and smooth. I still believe his skin food splash is the star of the show for me. All in all a great soap for the price per oz.

Frank is in the process of firming the ETHOS by substituting a few ingredients - may also boost the slickness without deleterious impact which is already industry leading.

The biggest mystery of this razor for me is how it can be so efficient in comparison to its blade feel and smoothness. The blade exposure isn't ridiculous and the gap is obviously sort of average, but I need almost no touch ups or additional clean up for BBS. I still say that it's quite sensitive to prep and lather quality, but that honestly applies to any extremely efficient razor. As of now, I don't have another razor I enjoy using as much as this one. The balance, weight, and shave feedback are all perfect and the shave quality is unmatched.

This one had me scratching my head as well, for the same reasons. The Ti is a pretty special razor.

Along with the 17-4 P076, I still feel that the N075 is more efficient and much more mild feeling. The Ti is a surely a softer face feel but this razor still has a lot of blade feel. I agree that it is very sensitive to prep and lather quality or else it can feel harsh.

After trialing this razor for a week, I'm ready for my final impressions. These are beautiful razors, but unfortunately not for me. The fit and finish is the best I have experienced with any modern razor so far. All of the curves from the top cap to the handle blend beautifully into one unit. The aligning tabs on the top cap come perfectly flush with the bottom of the baseplate once assembled, leaving a smooth polished face of titanium. I see some people disliking no company logos or engraving (assuming for identification purposes), but the razor speaks for itself. With the design and polish quality, it would be extremely hard to replicate and/or reproduce. It will always be known that THIS is the H&S PO76. I personally like that the polish is not interrupted by a logo or text.

The unfortunate thing that I did not like, was the shave. Its more than likely on me and how I shave since so many members love these razors. They did not seem efficient enough for me, or atleast to work at the angle I'm comfortable using. I used Nacet blades for my first shaves and switched to a Kai for a little more aggression for my later shaves. The Nacet was smooth but the razors had trouble cutting through my thicker areas of hair, making me go over them multiple times causing irritation. With the Kai it was a little better, but caused more irritation. I really tried to like these razors, changing my technique, direction of shaving, and different lather densities, but the result was always the same.

ETHOS soap was stellar and is one of my top soap bases. I already own a tub of Succes so I mostly used the "Clean". The lather is slick and protective regardless of the water added. This soap makes a usable lather quicker than any of my other soaps. Frank is a great guy and answers any questions you have. Taking a quick read through his involvement in the forum, you can see the passion he has for his craft. I look forward to what else he has to offer in the future. If you have some of his soap and haven't purchased any of his post shave products yet, I highly reccomend it as they're pheonominal as well.

The beauty of this passaround is I was able to trial $1000 worth of razors for the cost of shipping. Had I not done this, I probably would have purchased one and been even more upset when I did not like how it shaved. Aji has an awesome operation going and is producing some world class razors at a reasonable cost. Thank you to H&S CO, DanLaw, and Dragonsbeard for putting together and participating in this passaround for the members to enjoy.

After trialing this razor for a week, I'm ready for my final impressions. These are beautiful razors, but unfortunately not for me. The fit and finish is the best I have experienced with any modern razor so far. All of the curves from the top cap to the handle blend beautifully into one unit. The aligning tabs on the top cap come perfectly flush with the bottom of the baseplate once assembled, leaving a smooth polished face of titanium. I see some people disliking no company logos or engraving (assuming for identification purposes), but the razor speaks for itself. With the design and polish quality, it would be extremely hard to replicate and/or reproduce. It will always be known that THIS is the H&S PO76. I personally like that the polish is not interrupted by a logo or text.

The unfortunate thing that I did not like, was the shave. Its more than likely on me and how I shave since so many members love these razors. They did not seem efficient enough for me, or atleast to work at the angle I'm comfortable using. I used Nacet blades for my first shaves and switched to a Kai for a little more aggression for my later shaves. The Nacet was smooth but the razors had trouble cutting through my thicker areas of hair, making me go over them multiple times causing irritation. With the Kai it was a little better, but caused more irritation. I really tried to like these razors, changing my technique, direction of shaving, and different lather densities, but the result was always the same.

ETHOS soap was stellar and is one of my top soap bases. I already own a tub of Succes so I mostly used the "Clean". The lather is slick and protective regardless of the water added. This soap makes a usable lather quicker than any of my other soaps. Frank is a great guy and answers any questions you have. Taking a quick read through his involvement in the forum, you can see the passion he has for his craft. I look forward to what else he has to offer in the future. If you have some of his soap and haven't purchased any of his post shave products yet, I highly reccomend it as they're pheonominal as well.

The beauty of this passaround is I was able to trial $1000 worth of razors for the cost of shipping. Had I not done this, I probably would have purchased one and been even more upset when I did not like how it shaved. Aji has an awesome operation going and is producing some world class razors at a reasonable cost. Thank you to H&S CO, DanLaw, and Dragonsbeard for putting together and participating in this passaround for the members to enjoy.

Thanks for your thoughts. I’m curious Marhos24hat are your top/favorite razors at this time?

ALI Currently my three razors in rotation are a Blackbird, CG level 2, and a CG level 3.