New, Konsul DE Slant Adjustable Razor from Rex supply Company

I can easily see both are slant. The good thing we have more artisans coming with creative projects.
We will have a chance to try Konsul in passaround. Hope HLS will do same.

Just notified yesterday Konsul will be shipped out for the pre-orders on 12 Feb - woo hoo!

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

A little birdy told me Matt is sending me a konsul in a week or so to pass around the forum.

Stand by for a new pass around thread in the next day or two.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

That is one pretty looking razor (the Taiga Slant).  I’ve toyed with buying one but I prefer the idea of supporting a made in the USA brand.    

Buddy of mine loaned me his REX and it was great on settings up to 2 / 2.5.  Above that it was too aggressive for me.  Really well build razor regardless but I would prefer to invest in a razor where I can use a bigger part of the adjustment range.

I’m pretty excited about the Konsul and signed up for the pass around. Have never used a slant.

My impressions, previously posted:

First shave with the Konsul, first shave with a slant. A little background – I prefer mild razors. I like the AS-D2, I like the Tech. I use my Rocnel Sailor on 1 (sometimes 2 after a couple of days); my Taigas are pretty much pegged at 2.5, I use the Ambassador on 1.5. The Konsul was a leap of faith. Not having seen a slant close up, this is my first take. It is asymmetric, not only the razor, but the blade. Looking at the head top down (photo - all other photos are with the Ambassador on the left, the Konsul on the right), there is more blade exposure and a greater gap from one side of the cap to the other. It should shave closer on one side of the shaving stroke than the other. There should be more of a chance of slicing yourself with one end of the cap than the other. One side should leave more stubble. It doesn’t, there isn’t, and it won’t. It just shouldn’t work, from an engineering and logical standpoint. TLDR - but it does.



General observations: The build on the Konsul is every bit as robust as the Ambassador, which shares its heritage. The handle knurling to me isn’t as grippy, but the Ambassador is my baseline judging every other razor grip, described as “Velcro” which it practically is. The Konsul is a close second though, and none of my other razors exceeds the grip of the Konsul except the Ambassador. The bottom of the baseplate on Konsul is finished a little rougher than the Ambassador (photos) – you can actually feel the laser engraving. I attribute this to more hand-finishing for this first batch, and in fact you can see some polished fitting marks in the pictures. You can also see the offset slots on the mid-plate of the Konsul, I’m assuming as a result of the slant design. Interestingly, the cap of the Ambassador will fit on the Konsul – so pay attention if you own both (you can see the difference viewing from the side)! I’m not sure what it would do to the shave to use the Ambassador cap on the Konsul, but I expect that generously, it wouldn't improve it. Construction of the Ambassador and the Konsul is similar, two-piece semi-Gibbs design with a retained locking knob and rod – only the cap comes off. Weight is similar (Ambassador 106g, Konsul 105g). The head on the Konsul is actually slightly narrower in width, safety bar to safety bar – almost 25mm, where the Ambassador is almost 26mm, and you can see the difference visually (and the Konsul has a slightly more domed and taller head). Longitudinal length of the head is virtually the same at just over 44mm. Practically, both of these razors balance and handle identically.







Shaving: I wasn’t sure exactly how to shave with a slant, so I didn’t change anything consciously in my technique compared to the Ambassador. Giving it every chance, Personna blade, Jack Black’s Beard Lube with each pass, SW’s Carmilla (a soft, cushiony, voluminous-lathering soap in my hands), with a dab of Nivea's shaving gel for an uberlather, shaving scuttle and my favorite Shavemac brush, followed by SW’s aftershave. Three-pass shave – WTG, XTG, ATG. At first I wanted to accommodate the slant by changing the angles, but just went with my normal stroke. The results were surprising. I suppose I expected a shave like the Ambassador, but it was actually one of the most comfortable – if not the – of any DE razor I have used. Ever. My shocked face. You almost literally cannot feel the blade moving through whiskers. As a caveat, one shave with one soap, but I’ll change up the combos with further use, and it’s definitely a keeper in the stable. I don’t know how every other slant works, but Wow.

Great review - Thanks very much for posting.  Looking forward to hearing more feedback.

What setting(s) did you shave on?

Great review - Thanks very much for posting.  Looking forward to hearing more feedback.

What setting(s) did you shave on?

Started at 1.5 (my Rex setting usually - mild razors, check), but now several shaves in from 1-3, with equally great shaves.  It does seem to favor, for me, Personna blades, and I've used a variety of soaps with equally great results.  I did confirm with Matt that the weird (to me) blade/head/cap configuration is normal and spot on.  Certainly have lost my fear of slants (at least this one), and learned the technique (essentially no change from a standard DE, with - for me - a little lighter touch).  Impressions are still a great razor and a great design, and it sits right beside my Rex in the rotation.