My Impressions of the Game Changer were extremely positive. It is a tough razor to beat, especially for the price tag. I mainly use straights on my face and DE's for my head. This razor performed really well on my face.
First shave consisted of the GC head, RR barber pole handle, crystal blade (thanks to someone that put a pack in), and WK Fougere Parfaite. 1 1/2 day growth on both head and face. typical 3 pass and ended up with a really nice shave (BBS-top of head and cheeks, DFS-everywhere else). Angle was wicked easy to find, very smooth feel, and built confidence right away. No issues with buffing or j-hooks and no weepers or irritation.
Second shave: Same head and handle combo, Feather blade, and B&M Reserve Cool. About the same growth and another 3 pass. Didn't even know a Feather was in it. GC was just as smooth but was much easier to achieve a more BBS shave. I don't think it really matters what blade you put in the razor it's gonna be smooth.
Last shave: GC head, Maggard's MR5 handle, Feather, and A&E L'Orange Verte. 3 pass Head shave with touch ups. Had a decent amount of growth after my weekend. The GC surprised me with how easily it took off most of it during the first pass. For a .68 gap (I believe), I didn't have any clogging or efficiency issues at all. All passes went as smooth as the others.
Overall the GC exceeded my expectations. Is it as efficient as my Timeless 95 or R41? No, course not. I don't think it was really designed to be. It did provide really nice shaves without weepers or irritation though. It will definitely be worth the projected asking price and be a good choice for beginners as well as experienced shavers. Like others have mentioned, if Joe A decides to offer different base plates to kick up the aggression it will be a tough razor to beat. Is my Timeless smoother? Yeah, but it's also a lot heavier and about 4 times the cost. It's been compared to a Wolfman by Chris Bailey. I can't add or take away from that because i have never been able to shave with a Wolfman. I'm a simple guy.....if it shaves well, buy it. I will try to grab 1 when it hits.
First shave consisted of the GC head, RR barber pole handle, crystal blade (thanks to someone that put a pack in), and WK Fougere Parfaite. 1 1/2 day growth on both head and face. typical 3 pass and ended up with a really nice shave (BBS-top of head and cheeks, DFS-everywhere else). Angle was wicked easy to find, very smooth feel, and built confidence right away. No issues with buffing or j-hooks and no weepers or irritation.
Second shave: Same head and handle combo, Feather blade, and B&M Reserve Cool. About the same growth and another 3 pass. Didn't even know a Feather was in it. GC was just as smooth but was much easier to achieve a more BBS shave. I don't think it really matters what blade you put in the razor it's gonna be smooth.
Last shave: GC head, Maggard's MR5 handle, Feather, and A&E L'Orange Verte. 3 pass Head shave with touch ups. Had a decent amount of growth after my weekend. The GC surprised me with how easily it took off most of it during the first pass. For a .68 gap (I believe), I didn't have any clogging or efficiency issues at all. All passes went as smooth as the others.
Overall the GC exceeded my expectations. Is it as efficient as my Timeless 95 or R41? No, course not. I don't think it was really designed to be. It did provide really nice shaves without weepers or irritation though. It will definitely be worth the projected asking price and be a good choice for beginners as well as experienced shavers. Like others have mentioned, if Joe A decides to offer different base plates to kick up the aggression it will be a tough razor to beat. Is my Timeless smoother? Yeah, but it's also a lot heavier and about 4 times the cost. It's been compared to a Wolfman by Chris Bailey. I can't add or take away from that because i have never been able to shave with a Wolfman. I'm a simple guy.....if it shaves well, buy it. I will try to grab 1 when it hits.