new DE razor from rex supply - the envoy

I'm just curious....has anyone tried using the cap from the Envoy on an Ambassador?  Are they even compatible?

I ask about this because of posted impressions of the Envoy being "mild" even though it's supposed to mirror the Ambassador at setting 3.  Look, I get the "YMMV" and "each face is different" thing, but my Ambassador at setting 3 is anything but "mild."  To be clear, my attitude is that I can use practically any mechanically-sound DE razor as a daily; I can adapt.  Now, just because I CAN does not necessarily mean I WANT to.  It's all about personal preference for me.

It's obvious what I'm wondering:  is it possible the Envoy has slightly different tolerances, resulting in slightly less blade exposure?  And can the cap be at least eliminated as a point of departure from the Ambassador?

Hope I'm making sense here.

My Envoy is more efficient and has more blade feel than my Rex set at 3. Feels closer to a 4 to me.

I'm just curious....has anyone tried using the cap from the Envoy on an Ambassador?  Are they even compatible?

I ask about this because of posted impressions of the Envoy being "mild" even though it's supposed to mirror the Ambassador at setting 3.  Look, I get the "YMMV" and "each face is different" thing, but my Ambassador at setting 3 is anything but "mild."  To be clear, my attitude is that I can use practically any mechanically-sound DE razor as a daily; I can adapt.  Now, just because I CAN does not necessarily mean I WANT to.  It's all about personal preference for me.

It's obvious what I'm wondering:  is it possible the Envoy has slightly different tolerances, resulting in slightly less blade exposure?  And can the cap be at least eliminated as a point of departure from the Ambassador?

Hope I'm making sense here.

My Envoy is more efficient and has more blade feel than my Rex set at 3. Feels closer to a 4 to me.

Awesome....so, clear as mud then.  hahahahaha, gotta love the subjectivity of this (and pretty much every other) hobby.  Thank you for providing your impression.

Awesome....so, clear as mud then.  hahahahaha, gotta love the subjectivity of this (and pretty much every other) hobby.  Thank you for providing your impression.

I was surprised too. The Envoy has a bit more blade feel and slightly more efficient but it felt smoother somehow. This design work very well for my skin. Always a perfect shave.

I received the Envoy razor and shaved with it yesterday.  Using a new Feather blade, I shaved off 2.5 days growth in 1 pass with no issues.
It is remarkably efficient for a mild razor.  It is also very well built and well balanced, and it looks very French.  The Envoy employs a proprietary handle, 
though some other handles will work.  Disappointingly, the Charcoal Goods 3" handle doesn't fit in the hole; I wonder if the Blackbird handle will? 
Thus far I would rate it at 4.5 stars.  It loses half a point for the proprietary handle.  I don't favor proprietary handles generally.
Tomorrow I'm going to put 2 shims under the same Feather blade, and try it with a different handle.  We'll see what happens.  Till then...

I gave the envoy a go last night. I've never used the rex ambassador so I have no experience in what the ambassador on level 3 or 4 feels like...to me, that sounds like it's a more mild shaver... I loaded it up with a new nacet blade...I hadn't shaved in about 2 weeks so I was curious to see how well this would mow through the forest...

first, the fit and finish is well done. the top cap and base plate have very tight tolerances with almost no wiggle and I dig the laser engraving. I also love the look of raw, machined (non-polished) razors...

the handle is a little shorter than I prefer, ideally another 1/2in or so would be perfect. the razor itself feels quite heavy to me as well. while I haven't weighed it against my blackbird SB, it feels heavier...

now onto the shave....

the razor is definitely mild with hardly any blade feel, but very efficient with low audible feedback. I was surprised that it mowed through 2 weeks of growth as well as it did - I typically leave it to my blackbird to get the job done when I've gone this long between shaves.

overall: a quality razor at a good price point with minimal blade feel.

I'd probably consider picking one up if they were made in aluminum..

I'll get a few more shaves in with it before I raffle it off. thanks for allowing us to try the razor, Razor Emporium.

andrewjs18,
Please check and see if the Blackbird handle fits the Envoy.  I no longer own a Blackbird, so I can't check it myself.  Thanks.

Just a quick addendum to my first review. I did 2 more shaves with 3 days growth each time. The Envoy performed perfectly. This razor can be a daily shaver or can shave tough beards. Both new and experienced shavers can enjoy the Envoy. I prefer a longer handle, and hope that Matt offers longer handles in the future. Other than that, nothing more to add to my previous review.

Thanks to Matt at Razor Emporium for providing the Envoy razors to DFS for a pass-around evaluation. Also, thanks to andrewjs18 for administrating this DFS pass-around.

andrewjs18,
Please check and see if the Blackbird handle fits the Envoy.  I no longer own a Blackbird, so I can't check it myself.  Thanks.

I'll check tonight after work and let you know.

Just a quick addendum to my first review.  I did 2 more shaves with 3 days growth each time.  The Envoy performed perfectly.  This razor can be a daily shaver or can shave tough beards.  Both new and experienced shavers can enjoy the Envoy.  I prefer a longer handle, and hope that Matt offers longer handles in the future.  Other than that, nothing more to add to my previous review.

I agree with all of this..

draebeard, the blackbird handle does fit the envoy and hold everything tightly, but it does not fit flush up against the bottom of the base plate:

also, as I kind of suspected, the rex is heavier than the blackbird sb. both razors had a blade loaded when put on the scale... the rex weighed 3.7oz while the blackbird sb weighed 3.4oz.