Razorock Mamba with Shim - WOW!

Just thought I would share my journey with the Mamba. Have been using it for the last few weeks, with Razorock's Barber Pole handle, finding it to be extremely smooth but just not efficient enough. Varied the angles and blades (Silver Star, Feather, Shark and Astra Plat), same results.

Then I shimmed it and boy, was I surprised. I'm not sure how to reconcile my experience, but it seemed both smoother AND milder on the skin BUT the efficiency was definitely improved. I got a BBS with less buffing than I would have without the shim. No irritation, no nicks and most importantly no hair left. I never thought it was possible. In fact, I've never gotten a BBS before with the Mamba pre-shim, and believe me, I've been trying. To sum up, it was one of the best shaves I've had. And I didn't have to worry about technique. It almost took the fun out of a 'proper' shave.

I used a wide shim. So it's now my current fav with my go to blade the Silver Stars. Gillette's Superspeed has always been my benchmark. Many years and 10 razors later (ok, maybe more) I think I've found my new benchmark.

Also I find Maggard's MR1 handle a better match for the Mamba head as I prefer to hold the razor close to the head. With the MR1 this allows the weight balance to shift more towards the head. It's also lighter, shorter and slimmer, so aesthetically it matches better than Razorock's handles and it's still made in Canada. If only it had the barber pole look, sigh...

Thanks for reading!

I messed with shims on the mamba and got some great shaves. But after shaving with it unshimmed for a couple of weeks I found I don't need the shims. Glad you found a system that's working for you.

That might just happen to me one I get more shaves with the shim lol.

I tried it with a wide shim (don't remember the blade). I also tried a KAI blade , which is wider than typical blades, which makes the razor more aggressive (similar to a shim) despite being mid-pack on actual sharpness. I settled on a Bic Chrome Platinum, which is like a longer-lasting Feather (no shim). I've never tried the Silver Star.

The Mamba likes SHARP blades, but if you like the shim feel, you might also like the KAI (without a shim). If you are feeling brave, a shimmed KAI should REALLY take the aggression up a notch.

Haven't tried a KAI, how do they compare to Feathers?

When I'm really brave, I break out my Parker Variant at 4.5 for a DFS (don't feel safe) experience.

I started shimming my RazoRock Mamba when I first got it a few weeks back.
It gives me great shaves, the efficiency has increased and still smooth.
I like to pair it with a Personna Platinum Chrome blade.
For the shimming I use O Rings, 5mm Diameter, 1mm Thickness.

I hadn't thought of trying a shim in the Mamba and it has currently been out of rotation for a good while on the basis of not quite giving me enough efficiency. Will try one tomorrow.

As for what to use: Wouldnt' one ideally want as wide a shim as possible to avoid flex in the blade? No such issues with your rubber rings, max99 ? I've only ever used a trimmed down DE blade.

No flex issues or any other kind using the O Rings.

Haven't tried a KAI, how do they compare to Feathers?

Kai blades are often compared to Feathers in terms of sharpness. But they are slightly more rigid/thicker so do not perform quite the same. They are generally considered quite smooth.

Personally, I don’t think the KAI is anywhere near as sharp as a Feather. However, being wider, it does have more blade exposure. I can believe that may allow some to achieve comparable results, but they feel very different to me.

I do think the Bic is as sharp as a Feather though, and longer lasting.

The KAI is certainly smoother than either the Bic or Feather.