Seygus DFS razor pass around (2 razors)

Hi folks!

First I want to apologize.
I've been out for a couple of weeks (holidays, baby girl feeling ill with a fever,  my personal computer broke down and after that my smartphone - still in the warranty period! - went the same way), but the razor was with me all this time. Of course, I had the opportunity to make a solid opinion about it. However, that slowed the pace of this pass-around, that that is the reason for the apologize.

Now that the holidays are gone, the baby is OK (just a light fever, she recovered quickly from it) the computer is upgraded (the old one could almost be called "vintage" LOL) and the smartphone was replaced, I had the time to write my thoughts about the razor. Of course, I'm not an expert about razors or anything, but I've been a user for several years, and I own and have tried my lot of them, both vintage and modern.

I received the razor on the days before going on holidays. So, it ended up going with me. The razor, a Semogue brush, a La Toja soap and a Nivea aftershave, along with some Gillette Silver Blue blades, that was all my shaving gear during the holidays.

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The razor is a beauty to look at. I really like that deep red colour, a nice variation from the majority of the models available in the market. I could not detect serious chips or dings in the unit I received, just some light marks on the handle. Considering that this razor has been travelling around the world for a few months, I consider it a positive issue. The handle allows for an excellent grip, and despite the light weight of this razor, it has an overall solid feeling.

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The pieces of the head adjust perfectly, and the blade is very well secured, with no issues of misaligning blades whatsoever. One of the things that I enjoyed the most is that you don't feel any vibration from the blade while shaving (unlike some other vintage and modern models), and that is a tribute to the good engineering work that was put in this razor. That characteristic allows for a very comfortable shaving experience.

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The blade is not very exposed, and that turns this razor into a mild one. When I started experimenting with it, I had to pass my hand into my face to see if the blade was really cutting hair. I has not feeling the blade, it looked like there was no blade at all...! But, for my surprise, I found that, despite being mild in the skin, it was also a very efficient shaver. And I had no trouble in achieving a BBS with it, after a few shaves, once I was familiar with the particularities of this razor, adjusting angle and all of that. It seemed a little more efficient than my usually go-to razor (a Edwin Jagger DE89 Barley), but not by much.

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This is a rather light razor, and sometimes you may have to press lightly to achieve good results, but that was not a problem for me personally. The stainless steel knob allows it to have a little more weight and a better balance. It comes with a metal (aluminium?) box, which I found unnecessary, but a nice touch nevertheless.

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Overall, I liked this razor. It seemed a very nice razor, mild but efficient enough to gave me a BBS. I consider it to be a good value, but only if milder razors are your cup of tea. Users that appreciate more aggressive razors will probably not be the biggest fans of this razor.

Hope you guys like reading this!

thanks for the update, oversaturn

Can I get on the list?

Can I get on the list?

I'll put you on the list to try the one that's abroad right now.

An excellent review, Emanuel.

I'm glad to hear the baby is okay.

the blue razor that made it's long 4+ month journey around the USA has safely arrived back in my hands. I had my first shave with it and must agree with basically what everyone said in that it's extremely mild. I'll also echo that the razor's coating has some chips in it and such.

The red Seygus has safely arrived in the UK with me

The red Seygus has safely arrived in the UK with me

updated the lists. thanks for the updates!

Thanks to Seygus for the razor, DFS for the space, and andrewjs18 for being so kind to add me to the shared experience.

For me, the highlight is the base plate. The unusually tall ridges make it act like a hybrid between a safety bar and an open comb. It leaves a little lather behind for quick second hit or buffing. Great blade fit on the head as a whole. Tight tolerances, so no play or adjusting blades is necessary. The head has a low profile with not a lot of blade exposure, so fitting underneath and next to the nose is easy.

As for the handle, I loved the modular aspect of it, and I'd like to see more makers explore the idea. I felt this handle needed more research & development, though. The extension is blobby and doesn't add to the actual grip. It serves as an extension, but I think it could be more than that. I don't know if it would be physically, or financially, possible to "hide" the connexion between the two parts, so visually it looks like a single piece, but I think that sort of streamlined design would be both more functional and aesthetically pleasing. The grooves in the handle didn't work for me. They were almost, or just about, in the right places, so holding the razor didn't feel natural. The knurling was good. It didn't make for an awful experience, but it did make me want for something different.

The anodizing was already worn off in a couple spots on the pass around razor. It's an extreme situation getting sent all over the country and being abused by different types of users, but I don't feel it changes the evidence that the colored finish is not long term. If you like a worn look, then you'll like it. If you like a pristine look, you will not. If you've ever had an anodized carabiner, you have a good idea of how the color was wearing. The weird thing about the anodizing was that the head and the handle looked like two different colors of blue. Was that just me? Did anyone else think that?

If I can make a comparison, it shaves like a Gillette Slim on 2 or 3, but it lacks the aggressiveness of a Slim. It's a rather mild shaver. Not that the Slim is an aggressive razor, but the Seygus is even less aggressive. Even with pressure and repeated passes, I had some difficulty getting it to pull up the hair on the soft spots, like the wells of my cheeks. That's not something new for me, but I think it is worth mentioning. Some razors handle that task well, but this one didn't. I managed to fit in a couple comfortable shaves, but they weren't long-lasting BBS shaves. Within several hours, I could feel stubble.

The two big take aways were: I'd like to see more variations on the modular handle approach, and the base plate, with tall and deep ridges, is prime for further exploitation by other makers.

I hope this didn't read as too negative or overly critical. I think this is a darn nice razor. It struck me as less artful and more industrial than some. Because of that impression, I kept returning to the idea that it felt like it needed more R&D, but it had a lot of potential. Maybe it simply wasn't for me. Nevertheless, I did significantly appreciate things about it.

[ I used an Astra SP (green) blade]

ps-if you're a maker experimenting with metal finishes, or developing a new finish, the pass around is a great way to test durability and function, especially durability. Possibly years of use and abuse within a few months.