Member
WA
The West Coast Envoy arrived today along with a tub of Razor Emporium Barber Shop Soap. I already have my Ambassador out and will eventually compare the shaves after I get acquainted with the Envoy beginning tomorrow. I scooped some of the Barber Shop soap out and will probably lather it along with my testing, however the review and comments will primarily be of the razor.
![[Image: jjRHhtj.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/jjRHhtj.jpg)
The Envoy itself is a dead ringer for the Ambassador except for the absence of the adjustment area. Even the handle mimics a two piece razor very well, however it is a three piece razor. It is very hefty like the ambassador and does include a serial number and date code on the base plate. The base plate is indented where the handle screws in and the handle is also indented to fit. This makes it hard (but not impossible) to use other handles. Overall build quality and finish is excellent and equal to the Ambassador.
I can't wait to start shaving with the Envoy tomorrow.
![[Image: XWvT16n.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/XWvT16n.jpg)
The Envoy itself is a dead ringer for the Ambassador except for the absence of the adjustment area. Even the handle mimics a two piece razor very well, however it is a three piece razor. It is very hefty like the ambassador and does include a serial number and date code on the base plate. The base plate is indented where the handle screws in and the handle is also indented to fit. This makes it hard (but not impossible) to use other handles. Overall build quality and finish is excellent and equal to the Ambassador.
I can't wait to start shaving with the Envoy tomorrow.
Member
WA
First shave with the Envoy tonight. I ended up testing the soap also just to make it a complete RE shave experience. I know I said yesterday that I wasn't going to spend time mentioning the soap, but the performance of the soap changed that real quickly. The soap was fantastic. It was easy to lather and the scent was as close to a true Barbershop scent of any soap I tried. It was not overpowering, but it was lasting. A half hour after the shave, I can still smell it. It was easy to build a rich lather, but it was not a thirsty soap. When I though I could build the lather a bit more, I added a couple more drops of water and the lather turned airy. Still, it laid a slick and well cushioned base for my shave.
I loaded the Envoy with a blade that did not have much shaves left on it, which is something I do when I test all new razors. This is so I can get a feel of the characteristics of the razor. I remember that Matt had said it was supposed to be equivalent to a 3 setting of the Ambassador, however it felt a little more (like closer to a 4). Weight and balance of the Envoy was very similar to the Ambassador. While shaving, I found that I could adjust the angle to go milder or more aggressive by about a half setting. I'm not sure if the Ambassador could do that, but this was primarily because I never tried it since I adjusted the setting between passes. I ended up with a two pass plus minimal touch up BBS. Tomorrow, I will try shaving with a new blade and if I feel as comfortable with the razor as I did tonight, I will compare the Envoy to the Ambassador by the weekend.
For those that prefer medium range razors and don't want to spend the money on an Ambassador, the Envoy is definitely a razor to consider.
![[Image: ga100xF.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/ga100xF.jpg)
I loaded the Envoy with a blade that did not have much shaves left on it, which is something I do when I test all new razors. This is so I can get a feel of the characteristics of the razor. I remember that Matt had said it was supposed to be equivalent to a 3 setting of the Ambassador, however it felt a little more (like closer to a 4). Weight and balance of the Envoy was very similar to the Ambassador. While shaving, I found that I could adjust the angle to go milder or more aggressive by about a half setting. I'm not sure if the Ambassador could do that, but this was primarily because I never tried it since I adjusted the setting between passes. I ended up with a two pass plus minimal touch up BBS. Tomorrow, I will try shaving with a new blade and if I feel as comfortable with the razor as I did tonight, I will compare the Envoy to the Ambassador by the weekend.
For those that prefer medium range razors and don't want to spend the money on an Ambassador, the Envoy is definitely a razor to consider.
Member
Hello and good morning!
To all that have been waiting for my review I do apologize for the delay. I really wanted to take my time with this razor and give it a fair and as unbiased a review as possible. This takes time and even more so with my slower beard growth.
To start off I have to stress and point out to others I am not a fan of the Rex Ambassador and that can be seen with my BST thread; in which I am trying to sell the razor. I know this razor works for many but unfortunately for me it does not suit my facial structure and beard pattern.
My main problem with the Ambassador was the following:
1. Much too heavy for my liking.
2. Not efficient enough.
More on the second point on efficiency. With the Ambassador I found that the shave was too mild when on lower setting and barely more efficient on higher setting but much more aggressive. Overall I either got a lot of nicks with a less then DFS shave or no nicks and a shave that lasted less then 1 hour.
Now on to the Envoy I find that similar to gvw755 previous statement the shave is similar to the Rex somewhere between a 3-4 setting. However, I place it more towards the three side then the 4. Reason being is that I noticed the razor clogged up quite easily and was VERY difficult for me to rinse the hairs out. If you are a daily shaver this is a non-issue as your beard growth would not be enough to affect the shave in any meaningful way. For me I was on a 2-3 week growth as I am awaiting some gear and wanted to try it on longer growth only to be surprised with a trail Envoy in the mail
This is perhaps the biggest con to the Envoy when comparing it to the Rex. The Rex can clog up to but is easily resolved with cranking it up to the highest gap size and allowing more space for debris to wash out upon use. But this is from there on I can only say more positive things about the Envoy. With being a traditional 3 piece razor you can easily swap out handles to your liking. I tried it both with two of my own handles and once with the handle that is comes with.
One handle is the traditional Tibam New York at 90mm in length and also with a enlarged version of the Tibam Number 12 at 18mm in diameter; the second being 7grams heaver then the stock handle.
I found that in the above I actually liked the stocked handle better then my titanium New York which is a surprised considering I find the handle on both the Envoy and the Ambassador too heavy. This lead me to think maybe the overall weight wasn't the issue but more so the balance point (for my face at least - YMMV). So on that thought I brought out my big boy handle which weight 7 grams more then the handle the Envoy comes with despite being made in titanium. The main difference though is the weight is disturbed more evenly along the length of the razor as it is 90mm in length vs the smaller Envoy handle. Overall I found this shave to much the best of the bunch so I will be mainly referring to this shave in the passages to follow.
So onward we go with the review. Initially I had though to use the soap that was provided but quickly decided against it. I did not want to introduce any additional variables to the review as I more so wanted to hone in on what the Envoy brought to the table. After several shaves I think Rex Supply pretty much, for better or for worse, nailed the concept of this design in which they wanted to bring a near indistinguishable transition from the Ambassador to the Envoy. So for those whom have tried the Ambassador and like it on a 3-4 setting this is a great razor to add to one dens; especially given you can add your own handle to it if need be. If you like the Ambassador outside of those setting or plain dislike the Ambassador this is probably not the razor for you.
I did, however, found one interesting thing of note which might be the difference between a purchase for some. For those who have used the Ambassador on a 3-4 setting and you found it just ever so slightly not efficient enough for your face I would say you "might" want to try to Envoy out. I found it to be ever so slightly more efficient with the same smoothness as the Rex (which for me isn't smooth but again YMMV).
Other then that there isn't much else for me to add in this review. The two razor are very much similar with small noticeable difference. The Envoy is slightly more efficient, you can use your own handle, it weighs 2 grams less then the Ambassador at stock, the knurling on the handle is somehow ever so slightly tackier (less chance of a slippage but I do not like the feel myself), and clogs as easily but without a good means to remedy the situation without vigorously shaking the razor in an attempt to remove the debris.
As such with any razor there are it's pro's and con's and hopefully I help to point out both of which as unbiased as I could. With area where I might have had some bias, I properly noted, for all those to be aware and that it may be different in your hands.
Overall I believe the razor to be well designed and achieved it's goal to transition the Ambassador design to a more traditional 3 pieces and brought some additional pro's along the way. For those who have always been on the fence about trying a razor from Rex Supply this would be the one to try if any (at the time of this writing). In addition, it might suit those who once tried an Ambassador but it slightly missed the mark towards the middle settings.
Will give it one last shave just to try out the soap but otherwise will be sending it to Shavemd shortly.
To all that have been waiting for my review I do apologize for the delay. I really wanted to take my time with this razor and give it a fair and as unbiased a review as possible. This takes time and even more so with my slower beard growth.
To start off I have to stress and point out to others I am not a fan of the Rex Ambassador and that can be seen with my BST thread; in which I am trying to sell the razor. I know this razor works for many but unfortunately for me it does not suit my facial structure and beard pattern.
My main problem with the Ambassador was the following:
1. Much too heavy for my liking.
2. Not efficient enough.
More on the second point on efficiency. With the Ambassador I found that the shave was too mild when on lower setting and barely more efficient on higher setting but much more aggressive. Overall I either got a lot of nicks with a less then DFS shave or no nicks and a shave that lasted less then 1 hour.
Now on to the Envoy I find that similar to gvw755 previous statement the shave is similar to the Rex somewhere between a 3-4 setting. However, I place it more towards the three side then the 4. Reason being is that I noticed the razor clogged up quite easily and was VERY difficult for me to rinse the hairs out. If you are a daily shaver this is a non-issue as your beard growth would not be enough to affect the shave in any meaningful way. For me I was on a 2-3 week growth as I am awaiting some gear and wanted to try it on longer growth only to be surprised with a trail Envoy in the mail
This is perhaps the biggest con to the Envoy when comparing it to the Rex. The Rex can clog up to but is easily resolved with cranking it up to the highest gap size and allowing more space for debris to wash out upon use. But this is from there on I can only say more positive things about the Envoy. With being a traditional 3 piece razor you can easily swap out handles to your liking. I tried it both with two of my own handles and once with the handle that is comes with.
One handle is the traditional Tibam New York at 90mm in length and also with a enlarged version of the Tibam Number 12 at 18mm in diameter; the second being 7grams heaver then the stock handle.
I found that in the above I actually liked the stocked handle better then my titanium New York which is a surprised considering I find the handle on both the Envoy and the Ambassador too heavy. This lead me to think maybe the overall weight wasn't the issue but more so the balance point (for my face at least - YMMV). So on that thought I brought out my big boy handle which weight 7 grams more then the handle the Envoy comes with despite being made in titanium. The main difference though is the weight is disturbed more evenly along the length of the razor as it is 90mm in length vs the smaller Envoy handle. Overall I found this shave to much the best of the bunch so I will be mainly referring to this shave in the passages to follow.
So onward we go with the review. Initially I had though to use the soap that was provided but quickly decided against it. I did not want to introduce any additional variables to the review as I more so wanted to hone in on what the Envoy brought to the table. After several shaves I think Rex Supply pretty much, for better or for worse, nailed the concept of this design in which they wanted to bring a near indistinguishable transition from the Ambassador to the Envoy. So for those whom have tried the Ambassador and like it on a 3-4 setting this is a great razor to add to one dens; especially given you can add your own handle to it if need be. If you like the Ambassador outside of those setting or plain dislike the Ambassador this is probably not the razor for you.
I did, however, found one interesting thing of note which might be the difference between a purchase for some. For those who have used the Ambassador on a 3-4 setting and you found it just ever so slightly not efficient enough for your face I would say you "might" want to try to Envoy out. I found it to be ever so slightly more efficient with the same smoothness as the Rex (which for me isn't smooth but again YMMV).
Other then that there isn't much else for me to add in this review. The two razor are very much similar with small noticeable difference. The Envoy is slightly more efficient, you can use your own handle, it weighs 2 grams less then the Ambassador at stock, the knurling on the handle is somehow ever so slightly tackier (less chance of a slippage but I do not like the feel myself), and clogs as easily but without a good means to remedy the situation without vigorously shaking the razor in an attempt to remove the debris.
As such with any razor there are it's pro's and con's and hopefully I help to point out both of which as unbiased as I could. With area where I might have had some bias, I properly noted, for all those to be aware and that it may be different in your hands.
Overall I believe the razor to be well designed and achieved it's goal to transition the Ambassador design to a more traditional 3 pieces and brought some additional pro's along the way. For those who have always been on the fence about trying a razor from Rex Supply this would be the one to try if any (at the time of this writing). In addition, it might suit those who once tried an Ambassador but it slightly missed the mark towards the middle settings.
Will give it one last shave just to try out the soap but otherwise will be sending it to Shavemd shortly.
Henery
Member
WA
Second shave with the Envoy and lessons learned from yesterday's shave really helped. I adjusted the angle to ride the cap a little more and I changed to a newer blade. This effectively changed the shave to a phantom one where you don't feel anything, but most of your stubble is cleared after the first pass. I played around with the angle slightly when I needed the Envoy to be slightly more aggressive on some problem areas, and overall, this worked well. The balance of the razor is great and even though it is heavier than I like, all came together to give me a smooth and painless two pass BBS. Tomorrow I will do a shave off with my Ambassador, shaving one half of my face with the Envoy and the other with the Ambassador. 
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