Janus Razor Shave Experience

Well I showed my Janus to a certain razor maker today whose opinion on machining and finishing I certainly trust and J said that he was impressed, he thought the finishing was better than the first razors he made. He also thought that the fit and tolerances were good. He really liked the handle knurling. Anyways just thought I’d share that someone who makes high quality razors thinks that Janus is off to a good start for a first attempt


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Well yeah he's talking to a man who just spent 
6 Benjamins on a razor that has the finish of RR  GC , so yes as a business man he knows to tread 
Lightly, I've seen quite a few of the early WR1 razors 
And the finish was beyond reproach and now days 
His Basic Polished razors have a higher quality finish 
Than a razor at twice the price and a low quantity 
Number being released and bad QC. I've heard it all
Now. Only on the forums dose this scenario make 
Sense. 
I'm just saying it because it needs to be said.
I've said my piece and now I'll shut up before someone 
Gets unnecessarily angry with me.

Well I showed my Janus to a certain razor maker today whose opinion on machining and finishing I certainly trust and J said that he was impressed, he thought the finishing was better than the first razors he made. He also thought that the fit and tolerances were good. He really liked the handle knurling. Anyways just thought I’d share that someone who makes high quality razors thinks that Janus is off to a good start for a first attempt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well yeah he's talking to a man who just spent 
6 Benjamins on a razor that has the finish of RR  GC , so yes as a business man he knows to tread 
Lightly, I've seen quite a few of the early WR1 razors 
And the finish was beyond reproach and now days 
His Basic Polished razors have a higher quality finish 
Than a razor at twice the price and a low quantity 
Number being released and bad QC. I've heard it all
Now. Only on the forums dose this scenario make 
Sense. 
I'm just saying it because it needs to be said.
I've said my piece and now I'll shut up before someone 
Gets unnecessarily angry with me.

So you are claiming that a razor maker lied about the quality of the Janus to make his friend feel better about buying one.   Quite a stretch and mean spirited.  You say "I'm just saying it because it needs to be said".  No, it didn't need to be said.

Do you own a Janus Toggle LE and/or an early Wolfman WR-1?   Are your conclusions based on the opinions of others or your own observations?

I own both.  The finish on the Janus is good, not a perfect mirror on the doors and toggle, but the rest of it is near perfect.  Certainly not worth the scorn that some seem intent on heaping on it.  Were there hiccups and QC issues with a few of those sent out?  Yes.  Were they serious or universal?  No.  

Today the price of a Wolfman with mirror polish is more than the price of the Janus, not less.  A Wolfman is not adjustable, the Janus is adjustable and is much more complex to produce.  The maker had problems with machine shops, finishers, and assemblers, but still managed to ship all of the promised razors and only a few were returned because there was too much blade feel for the buyer.

I don't see much to complain about but some aren't happy unless they rain on someone else's parade.  Particularly troubling is the propensity for some who don't own one to give the harshest criticisms.

Getting back on topic.

I have been on vacation the last week and a half so I have only been shaving every 3 days.  

On Sledge suggestion I used this opportunity to open the Janus up to 9 on three days growth of beard.  Switched to a new GSB from the Red Box Personna Platinum I had been using previously, and lathered with B&M 42.  Did a two pass DFS with no cuts, nicks or weepers.  Not the smoothest but not bad and I did not feel like my face was laying in the sink.  No sting on application of aftershave.

Three days later I did a three pass shave on 9 using the same GSB and GD otium.  Result was a BBS that was still a DFS 24 hours later.  No cuts, nicks or weepers but my skin did feel "fresh" and there was quite a sting on application of aftershave.

For the third shave in the series (last Friday) I moved to a Charcoal Goods L3 SB which is what I normally use for a Monday shave after not shaving over the weekend.  This was a three pass using the same GSB on it third shave and APR General Ledger.  This was the usual Monday morning BBS shave after the typical buffing I have to do at my jaw line just under my ear lobes. No cuts, nicks or weepers but, again as typical, some sting on application of aftershave. 

This morning I when back to the Janus on 9 with a new [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Personna Platinum and Sebum Gold .  First stroke was horrible!  Switched back in a GSB and tried again, still no good.   Relathered with [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]LPL Oud-Santal and finished a three pass shave with similar results to the second shave above.[/font][/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]After a month of use and 9 shaves on the Janus my takeaways are:[/font]

1. [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I doubt many will ever consider the Janus as a "smooth" everyday razor but, if you need to mow down a couple of days of growth,  one can get a very efficient reasonably comfortable shave with it,[/font]
   
2. [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I just cannot get a good shave with the Personna Platinum blade -- I have now tried them in several different razors (CG's at various levels and WM's at several gaps) and have not had a great shave in any -- this may have been the reason I could not comfortably open the Janus above a four for the first couple of times I used it, and[/font]
   
3. [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I need to use a lather with a lot of cushion, not just slick-- something i just cannot achieve with the Sebum no matter what i try.[/font]
   

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Well those are my experiences. How is everybody else getting on with the Janus coming up on one month of use?[/font]

It's still in my rotation but it isn't my favorite (Rocket HD or F4).   I'm experimenting with different blades and preps.  I even tried a shim on top, which to my amazement worked to soften the blade feel in the middle settings.  So far the GSB and Polsilver are a tie.

My razor's doors were fixed, and I have a better razor than before..

I like to use lower settings (#1 - #2) with pressure, and higher settings (#7- #8) without pressure.
I don't prefer settings (#4 -#5), since they feel like #7, but not as efficient. I also cannot add pressure.

CK89  I think I feel the same way about the middle settings on those razors.
 Seems like, with me at least,
on those middle settings doesn't get any smoother it just cuts efficiently
   #9 setting was, good by whiskers where did you go so fast, Oh Yeah!

Only 4 shaves in (took some time to get to Europe) on settings 9, 8, 7 and 9 again. 9 is my preferred setting so far. Very efficient but will probably not become my favourite. It lacks some smoothness that some others offer (Raw 10 aggressive, Rocnel Sailor, wolfman WR2 1.25 SB).
But to be continued.

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Gents my Janus arrived yesterday. I do have had the benefit of hindsight so I especially kept a Wizamet SI that has 3 shaves under its belt waiting for
this. I dialed it to 8 for its first drive.

JMHO - A two pass BBS so yes it's aggressive. I caught a small cut on yesterdays shave which it reopened, which cold water in turn closed immediately. No new cuts or weepers, so I'm not complaining about my Janus...

I really took my time this morning and it's still early days with it but I find my 2019 Rocnel or my 2011 R41 more of a handful. Based on this morning's shave it could be a daily driver for me. I'll be playing around with the lower settings in the next few shaves and see how they go.




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He sent me the prototype razor and I had a chance to get couple of shaves with this razor. 

When I tested the prototype at #9, the shave was very smooth, very comfortable, and even the razor was heavy (122 grams) I added some pressure.
The efficiency of the razor at #9 was slightly less than or equal to CG lv3 or Blackbird SB. 
I can easily use #9 for my daily shave, but I preferred the razor had some more aggressive settings. 

When I compared to Prototype with LE (the production version), the main difference btw them is that they have different blade gaps. 
LE has higher gaps than the prototype. When I checked them with feeler gauge, the blade gaps are more like that:
LE #1 = Prototype #7
LE #2 = Prototype #8
LE #3 = Prototype #9

He also added slightly more blade exposure to LE over Prototype.

When I compare to LE #3 and Prototype #9, 
LE has slightly more blade feeling, a bit less smooth, less tolerable to add pressure, and slightly more efficient (no pressure).
Since it has same blade gap, but higher blade exposure. 

LE #1 or #2 has similar feeling and shave with Prototype #9. Very smooth, comfortable and still efficient. 
If I had tested the Prototype before the razor production, I might have recommended to add a bit more blade exposure or increase the blade gap for #9.  

Prototype starts very mild settings (lower than #5) and goes to somewhere btw mid-aggressive and aggressive (at #9).
LE starts mid aggressive (at #1), goes to aggressive (at #3) and over #5 more like shavette rather than a safety razor (I recommend you shouldn't add any pressure and you should use your fingers to stretch your skin, when you use it over #5). 

Does the taller dome on the prototype curve the blade more than the LE?

I'm assuming a blade that is more curved, Timeless razors, will hold the blade tighter/more rigid than a flat head design, Pils.