Phoenix Starling V3 Stainless

Sold out, but looks great!
https://phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com/...less-steel

Hoping one of the lucky people who snapped one up will post a review. The V2 Starling is a darn good razor.

I strongly debated buying one... just didn't feel like spending $100 on it. I did like V2 but the edges were somewhat sharper.

Plus vintage GEM razors are so great. I have so many that function so well.

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Looks like a ton of machine marks on those baseplates......

They claimed the machine marks were part of the charm and design

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using Tapatalk

Looks like a ton of machine marks on those baseplates......

According to the PAA description those machine marks give a ‘nice textured effect’ and make each razor ‘more unique’. So it’s better.

Of course you could just drop your razor on the floor and scratch it up, and you could equally say it gives a textured effect and is more unique as a result.

Marketing. You decide.

Looks like a ton of machine marks on those baseplates......

According to the PAA description those machine marks give a ‘nice textured effect’ and make each razor ‘more unique’. So it’s better.

Of course you could just drop your razor on the floor and scratch it up, and you could equally say it gives a textured effect and is more unique as a result.

Marketing. You decide.

Didn't have enough interest to read about it. Thanks for the clarification which doesn't surprise me from them.....

Sold out, but looks great!
https://phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com/...less-steel

I saw an email about the new razor around noon and ordered one out of curiosity.
I had read reviews on the V2 version and how it sold out fast when it came out so I ordered the V3 as soon as the email arrived.
Will see how it works.

I also picked up packs of Gem Blue Star Super blades and Gem Personna Single Edge Super stainless steel blades as I have not tried those yet. So far I have only used Personna GEM PTFE-coated blades.

The only other PAA razor I have tried was a Nickel DOC and I was not fond of loosening the handle to adjust the shave.

They claimed the machine marks were part of the charm and design

It's not as bad as brand-new guitars that are "relic-ed" at the factory.

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The handle on the Starling ...


... certainly evokes the Flare-Tip Rockets:



Or more specifically, the Red-Tips:



Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a good handle design.
Plus, they acknowledge that in the description: "This version of The Starling Razor comes with our Flare Tip handle."

[edit] Oh - you can buy just the handles too. That's nice.

My V3 Starling was delivered today and I plan to try it out tomorrow.

It is a pretty heavy razor combination. I was too lazy to pull out a scale so I just compared the weights to other razors I have. The head feels in the ball park of my 2016 ATT SE1 head (which I find pretty heavy). The handle is also pretty heavy. I would say the handle (with the tip attached) is in the ball park of my Yates 3.25" stubby SS handle, my Rocnel SE-P handle (older version) and maybe not quite as heavy as my Stando King handle. Making the handle lighter may be one reason for the screw off tip (in addition to making the handle shorter). The threads seems a standard size so I could swap out for a lighter handle (or one of different length) if need be.

The machine marks make for an interesting texture on the base plates and don't detract from the razor like I feared they would. It has a nice feel to it.

I plan to give it a test run tomorrow if schedule allows. I am debating doing A/B shaves out of the gate (the V3 OC on one side of the face, MMOC on the other side for example). If I go that route, I would have to decide which razor to compare against the V3 SB. Maybe go with MMCP, MMBT or Blackand Sabre L2. If the SB turns out to be really efficient, then maybe a better comparison would be with the ER 1924 or 1914. Will see.