Karve Shaving Co. A new DE Brass razor to market.

Well, I can see now why the Karve razor has been receiving such excellent reviews. My first use, this morning, was with the D plate. I'll use the more aggressive F plate for my next shave, however, here are my initial thoughts.
   This razor has a very nice heft and one notices immediately on loading a blade, the quality of the thread. It's so precise and smooth, I'd say it's on par with that of a Wolfman.
   I'm going to compare the D plate with my other favourite DE razors, namely Timeless 0.95 OC, Wolfman 0.74 OC and Blackbird SB. The Karve has the smoothness and blade feel(or lack of) of the Timeless, but doesn't quite match its efficiency. This is an extremely smooth shaver and I believe it would be ideal in daily use. The efficiency is more along the lines of the Wolfman, possibly even the 0.67 gap version. The Blackbird is more efficient, IMO.
   I am very impressed after only first use. I opted for the 3.5 inch handle and now wish I had gone with the 3 inch option. No big deal, though. That can be ordered later if I want to.
   Looking forward to using the F plate now.

I've been on the fence about this razor for a while.  I want to try it out, but I'm concerned about the lack of blade feel that I keep reading.  How is the blade feel compared to the Wolfman?  I don't need to blade feel of the Blackbird, but I do like to feel the blade when I shave.  The main reason I don't like vintage Gillettes is because of the lack of blade feel, so if it's anything like that, I know I won't like it.

I've yet to use the F plate, but the Wolfman 0.74 OC has more blade feel than the D plate.
Lack of blade feel can lead to a false sense of security, IMO. I personally prefer the Blackbird over the Timeless for this reason.

I agree. That is exactly why I like my razors to have a little blade feel. I have the Wolfman .61 OC and that is about as low on blade feel as I like to go. I add a shim to it about half the time, which I estimate makes it between the .67 and .74.

To narrow my earlier question, has anyone compared a Variant on 5 to Karve plates?

D-plate is equally efficient as the Parker Variant on the 5 setting but less aggressive and much more comfortable.

If the D is comparable in efficiency but less aggressive than the Variant on 5, would the E or the F be most comparable in aggressiveness? In other words, how efficient can I go for comparable aggressiveness? 5 is comfortable (with a light touch), but I wouldn’t want to go much past that (especially in the still-sensitive area where I had a circle beard for years). Otoh, I sometimes use a Feather DX with a Schick Proline to get the tough spots on my throat with the fewest passes. There are two little dime-sized spots that might be best-handled with an angle grinder ....

Just an FYI for anyone waiting for their shipping notification.
I ordered a 3.5” handle along with a D, E, and F plates pretty late on the day he first release the E and F plates and I just got the shipping notification today.
Can’t wait to shave with it!

I received my shipping notification today as well. Ordered on May 9th, razor 3.5 with E & F guards.

I received my shipping notification, as well. Finally.

Finally after 7 days in customs my Razor was delivered today. Can't wait to can't wait to try tomorrow

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Just finished my first full 3-pass shave with the D-plate. What a delight! It is significantly less aggressive than the E-plate but I did not notice much difference in efficiency. I did have to do a bit more buffing, but the end result was a BBS with no irritation. Additionally I enjoyed the process with the D-plate more - i like applying pressure when shaving and it this plate allowed me to do so just the way I like it. With the E-plate I had to be much more "present". In 36 hours I will use the E-plate and then I would be able to determine my favorite combination.

Though it is my very first shave with the D-plate I can comfortably place this combination in the same (may be even a bit more efficient) category as my WR1 .61 SB, Charcoalgoods L2, and Weber DLC.

I agree with those who suggested that Karve razor could be that game-changer that we all hoped for - at its price point the razor offers top notch quality and delivers first-class shaves that could favorably compete with already established brands like Wolfman and Charcoalgoods.

Have a D plate I've been using in my rotation for the past 6 weeks and I really like the shaves I've been getting, I received the E plate on Wednesday and have shaved with it twice . Not a lot of difference between the D and E plates , the E plate has a little more blade feel and may be a more efficient but not by a large margin . That being said the E plate is equally as smooth and the razor is effective at providing a close shave with either plate . This razor is a keeper , one funny thing for me is that I miss the challenge that some razors give as this razor seems fool proof and I don't have to pay attention and I can shave quickly without worrying about irritation or nicks . Efficient with out being overly aggressive , smooth with no irritation and well balanced what's not to like but I still feel something is lacking and I wonder at the direction that modern razors are taking as it seems like riding a bike with training wheels . I like to discover a razor's moods and limitations and learning about a tool is half the fun and with some modern razors this discovery period is missing and they are easy to master in the first shave .

Glenn