Oliworks OliBlade - adjustable razor made in the USA

I received my Oliworks adjustable razor provided to me free by Jorge of Oliworks.  7 days for USPS delivery to my small town in NC and very securely packaged.  The presentation box is very nice with a magnetic lid and a 5 blade tuck of Feather blades.  The razor provided to me is the hybrid model with one smooth safety bar and one serrated safety bar. 

I would not describe the finish as polished, or perhaps I could call it lightly polished.  The piece of the razor with the numbers on it has a duller finish than the rest of the razor.  When looking closely, there are machining marks in the top cap, I've tried to get a picture below.

Some have complained about uneven blade gap.  I ran the adjustment up and down many times with the top cap both on and off the razor and noted no discrepancy in blade gap at any setting.

The dot on the adjustment wheel is hard to see and impossible for me to see without my glasses like when I'm shaving.  If I keep the razor I will apply some paint to that spot. 

Some have  complained about the adjustment wheel being too easy to move.  I feel some resistance from .5 to 3.5 and from 6 to 6.5.  The wheel will move rather easily between 3.5 and 6 on this razor. 

I previously owned a Rex Envoy and while this razor is nicely made I would not put it at the same quality level.  Of course, it sells at a much lower price than the similar Rex Ambassador adjustable razor.  I've also previously owned a Yaqi Final Cut and a Pearl Flexi which are adjustable razors of similar design to the Oliworks, but both of those are not stainless steel and sell at a lower price point. 

First shave coming up tomorrow morning. 

I have been anxiously awaiting cigarman review.  Thank you for providing such a fair and extremely informative evaluation.  cigarman is one of the members on this forum that I know will provide his honest opinion, which I can then trust in making my own decisions about products.  

I am looking forward to reading his and others members’ future reviews on the razor.  Hopefully everyone who received a free razor is willing to share their opinion.  That helps both us as consumers and OliWorks

I received my razor the other day (shipped quickly and arrived ahead of schedule), I also purchased the stand and that thing is substantial. Packaging is very nice as others have mentioned.

For those that have the razor, do you notice that there is a little bit of play in the baseplate piece when the top cap is unscrewed? When the top is disassembled I’ve noticed that the plate itself moves up/down a little bit when I fiddle with it (not fiddling with it aggressively by any means). And I’m wondering if that is causing any of the alignment issues that folks have been experiencing.

EDIT: Sorry, adding a quick note because I realized I wasn’t specific in mentioning that the play can be up/down from side to side, so for example I can tap one side up and the other side down, thereby creating a slight “slant” effect while the cap is off. But like cigarman said, as long as it becomes a non-issue when the head is clamped on it shouldn’t matter.

I just received my razor, and I'm impressed with the packaging—it's very nice. I didn't see any alignment issues, and I tried assembling it both ways without any problems. The parts seem to have a tumbled steel finish, and the machining marks aren't deep. Honestly, I think the finish is quite good. I'm looking forward to my first shave with it tomorrow.

In your picture, the dot on the blue adjustment wheel looks more pronounced than the classic steel version of the wheel.  Do you have any issues seeing it?

I received my razor the other day (shipped quickly and arrived ahead of schedule), I also purchased the stand and that thing is substantial. Packaging is very nice as others have mentioned.

For those that have the razor, do you notice that there is a little bit of play in the baseplate piece when the top cap is unscrewed? When the top is disassembled I’ve noticed that the plate itself moves up/down a little bit when I fiddle with it (not fiddling with it aggressively by any means). And I’m wondering if that is causing any of the alignment issues that folks have been experiencing.

The wiggle is not unusual in an adjustable. The key is whether the clamping on the plate is secure when the the top is tightened down. I noticed no wiggle or play when I was ready to use the razor. This did not pose a concern to me.

I received my free Oliworks razor today as well (thanks Jorge from Oliworks) and used it almost immediately. First off the packaging was very nice, as I’d seen in pictures posted in this thread, and felt really quality in person. I can say the same thing for the razor. You can notice the weight of the stainless steel when you use it. For my first shave I went with about a 5 on the dial (WTG) so that I could have some aggressive feel, but worked my way down the settings and finished my shave at about a 1.5 (ATG). I was honestly impressed by how consistently smooth the shave felt from the more aggressive to closer settings, and had no issues with irritation or uneven shaving. Definitely one of the best shaving experiences I’ve had. Fully BBS. 

As for the alignment issues previously mentioned, I could not find any misalignment no matter how much I messed with the dial. The blade gap remained even on both sides of the razor at all settings which made me happy to see. 

Overall a great product that I’m appreciative of Oliworks giving us the chance to own for free, I’m very impressed at the quality for the price point. Definitely a razor I would’ve paid full price for.

I received my razor the other day (shipped quickly and arrived ahead of schedule), I also purchased the stand and that thing is substantial. Packaging is very nice as others have mentioned.

For those that have the razor, do you notice that there is a little bit of play in the baseplate piece when the top cap is unscrewed? When the top is disassembled I’ve noticed that the plate itself moves up/down a little bit when I fiddle with it (not fiddling with it aggressively by any means). And I’m wondering if that is causing any of the alignment issues that folks have been experiencing.

The wiggle is not unusual in an adjustable.  The key is whether the clamping on the plate is secure when the the top is tightened down.  I noticed no wiggle or play when I was ready to use the razor.  This did not pose a concern to me.

I appreciate the feedback, thank you. I have used a number of adjustables but not this design style, so that’s exactly the kind of info I was hoping for.

I received my free razor from OliWorksThanks to Jorge for the opportunity to test the OliBlade! I included some preliminary photos below, and I'll post again after shaving my head and face with it for the first time. 

Setting 0.5 - Straight bar side




Setting 0.5 - Scalloped side





Setting 6.5 - Straight bar side 





Setting 6.5 - Scalloped side 




Underside 

I wish I could take pictures that turned out that well.

I just received my razor, and I'm impressed with the packaging—it's very nice. I didn't see any alignment issues, and I tried assembling it both ways without any problems. The parts seem to have a tumbled steel finish, and the machining marks aren't deep. Honestly, I think the finish is quite good. I'm looking forward to my first shave with it tomorrow.

In your picture, the dot on the blue adjustment wheel looks more pronounced than the classic steel version of the wheel.  Do you have any issues seeing it?

No issue. I think it is better with blue gear.