RR Lupo .95 SB vs RR Game Changer 84-P SB

Stephanos1920...I've never used any of the Italian Barber soaps. Nor, have I used any of their brushes, synthetic, or otherwise. I'm still using a 13 year old Parker BCPB and I've got another sitting on the shelf ready to replace the old one. So, IDK?

The 3 razors I've purchased, the finish was more than adequate for a working tool. The 'Lupo' appeared to have a better overall finish, marginally better than the 'GC'. Three razors isn't enough of a 'data set' to really establish a trend. However, my razors all came well packaged with no damage. Maybe they've improved their packaging?

I'm very happy with shave I get. For my beard, skin and face.

I should probably say, I'm not that picky a shaver. My previous DE razors were cheap Zamak and brass razors that did an adequate job and saw me through a 30 year career at Kennedy Space Center.

b/r

RB

The Lupo series is actually
based on the Game Changer series .
Something like GC on steroids .

Check the base plates :







The Lupo base plate ( .95 SB pictured ) has
identical "structure" like the GC ( .84 SB pictured) .
But there are some differences :

-The Lupo base plate follows a nice curve
till the end of the bars ,while the GC has "stepped"
bars ,at bottom side of the base plate.

-The Lupo has a circular cut-out where the handle meets
the baseplate.Extra thread engaging is a good thing .

-Lupo has a scalloped bar ,"blade edge" length ,
while the GC has a smooth narrow /thin bar
"whole blade" length.Lupo offers better precision
and agility ,but better watch out for your nostrils .
Those super sharp blade corners are a bit exposed,
due to smaller length bar.

-Lupo has larger blade surface contact area,
than the GC.

-Lupo has 4x lather holes but smaller than
those 2 large ones of the GC.Lupo is somewhat
easier to clog .

-And the blade tabs shape and placement.
The reverse "old schoolish"
round tabs of the GC
versus
the modern rectangular &
standard placed tabs of the Lupo.

Stephanos1920...I thought the "Lupo" was a 'knock-off' of the "Wolfman WR1"? Hence the name 'Lupo'.

I might be mistaken, but aren't most 'modern' razors, 'knock-offs' of old Gillette razors?

I actually prefer the two round Alignment Pins on the Baseplate (vs the Top Plate) of the Game Changer series. I find the alignment and lockup is very solid. I wish RR had used the same design on the 'Lupo', but then, it wouldn't be a 'WR1' copy?

I like the styling of the 'Lupo'. I think the additional lather port  bridges of the 'Lupo' provide more stability and hold the blade more securely. And, I like the 'cutouts' at each corner, along with the 'Scalloped' Safety-Bar. Overall, it's a very attractive design.

b/r

RB

The Lupo series is actually
based on the Game Changer series .
Something like GC on steroids .

Check the base plates :







The Lupo base plate ( .95 SB pictured ) has
identical "structure" like the GC ( .84 SB pictured) .
But there are some differences :

-The Lupo base plate follows a nice curve
till the end of the bars ,while the GC has "stepped"
bars ,at bottom side of the base plate.

-The Lupo has a circular cut-out where the handle meets
the baseplate.Extra thread engaging is a good thing .

-Lupo has a scalloped bar ,"blade edge" length ,
while the GC has a smooth narrow /thin bar
"whole blade" length.Lupo offers better precision
and agility ,but better watch out for your nostrils .
Those super sharp blade corners  are a bit exposed,
due to smaller length bar.

-Lupo has larger blade surface contact area,
than the GC.

-Lupo has 4x lather holes but smaller than
those 2 large ones of the GC.Lupo is somewhat
easier to clog .

-And the blade tabs shape and placement.
The reverse "old schoolish"
round tabs of the GC
versus
the modern rectangular &
standard placed tabs of the Lupo.

The Lupo was actually based on the Wolfman.......hence Lupo, Italian for Wolf.

Directly from their website:

RazoRock Lupo DE Safety Razor
The RazoRock Lupo safety razor has an interesting story. Many of our clients were frustrated because there is a very popular safety razor in the marketplace that is almost impossible to obtain. On top of that, these razors were selling for over $500 a pop! A good client then made an interesting proposal. He said to us, "If I send you one of these $500 razors, do you think you can make some under your RazoRock brand and sell them for a lot less than $500?" We hummed and hawed but eventually, we agreed. I received the razor and I shaved with it for a few weeks straight. It was an excellent shaver but had two characteristics I wasn't fond of. First, the DE blade tabs were exposed by a large amount making it easy to nick your ears or your nose. Second, because the head was mirror polished by hand, the tolerances were not the greatest, some area of the razor had been over-polished and the mating of the top cap and base plate were not to my satisfaction. Before producing it, we knew we had to correct these flaws. We decided to round the sides of the head in order to cover the blade tabs but not change the width of the safety bar where it contacts your skin, a nifty little solution. To make these razor accessible to everyone, the first run is CNC milled aluminum which allows us to sell the razor for under thirty bucks!

The RR Game Changer is based on
the Wolfman  Guerrilla razor  ( the older
model with the razor tabs on the base plate ).
Evolving the Guerrilla ,James came up with
WR1.
The Lupo shares the blade tabs ,larger blade clamp area and scalloped bar
with the WR1 design ,which actually are the main
differences between the WR1 and the Guerrilla.

Me thinks that a careful examination of the
of the two will reveal that the Lupo is an
"evolved" Game Changer ,as the same 
-more or less- happens with the Wolfman WR1 being an evolved Guerrilla.

And I can agree to the notion that all were based
on older Gillette razors .
The vice-like blade clamping ,
the blade remaining almost flat ,
and the slim head ( slim base plate & slim cap )
are all inspired by the Gillette Tech razors .
James  ( Wolfman Razors ) was a pioneer regarding
this.He was the first to evolve the design of
the Tech .



Wolfman Guerrilla 



vs

Wolfman WR1

Stephanos1920...I am far from a Wolfman expert, having never owned one. Any, nuances between various interations of the design completely eludes me. I was simply repeating what I've been told.

b/r

RB

Yes ,the "Lupo" is inspired by the WR1 .
As also the GC was inspired by the Guerrilla.
Regarding the Guerrilla -Game changer relationship ,
of the three  blade gap variations Guerrilla is available ,two are being the 0.69 mm and the 0.84 mm .Ring any bells ? 

All of them ( Lupo,GC ,Guerilla,WR1 AND WR2) 
and so many other razors are sharing the same concept ,
flat & "viced"  blade on a slim & agile ,lightweight head that is ,a heritage of the Gillette Tech series .

The 0.84 GC is my favorite DE razor bar none. I found the 0.95 Lupo to be a bit scrapey.

The Lupo 0.95 can be scrapey indeed.
The 0.11 mm larger blade gap allows for 
more steep blade edge angle than the 
GC 0.84 does.


....I'm not quite sure though that this is the case 
with the rest of the GC vs Lupo series .

 GC vs Lupo blade gap series

0.68 vs 0.58 , the GC has 0.1 mm larger blade gap
0.76 vs 0.72 , the GC has 0.04 mm larger blade gap
0.84 vs 0.95 , the Lupo has 0.11 mm larger blade gap

Call it a hunch ,but I strongly think 
that on both series ( GC & Lupo ) the blade 
exposure is identical .
A rough estimate of mine placing it
at the range of + 0.05 to + 0.1 mm .
Maybe even up to +0.15 mm .

I just proved it to myself once again, that my decision to purchase the RR Lupo .95 (and GC84-P) was the right choice. "The proof is in the pudding", as they say. Another BBS shave.

For my face and beard, I can't believe a razor costing hundreds of dollars more can give me 'hundreds of dollars' better shave. Now, is there an element of 'pride in ownership', having a limited production piece of functional art - a 'collectable'? Certainly.

But, if you're simply looking for a CNC precision machined, 316L stainless steel razor, at an affordable price point, go no further than the RazoRock brand. Made in Canada, not China. JMHO.

b/r

RB