Shave review of Janus Adjustable razor and Shave Off vs Gillette F4 Toggle

Just got this today.  I was unable to add pictures in this post.  Will try to add in another post.

Welcome to the September 2019 Newsletter
In the September Newsletter – a production update and a progress check against the project schedule.

Production Update
2 of the 3 hardest blanks to produce are done.




I'm visiting the shop mid next week to check up on the door blanks.

Fabrication of the milling, assembly & laser marking fixtures is done, and all the off-the-shelf hardware used in the assembly has been ordered.
Project Schedule
How is the project tracking against the schedule?

I’m running 3 weeks behind schedule. I ran behind in securing all the pre-orders, and consequently, fell behind in placing the orders for the blanks.

Making the blanks is the slowest of all the processes and cannot be sped up because it would adversely affect part quality. The PNs that have yet to run are programmed and ready to go as soon as the machine opens. Once the blanks are done, the pace will pick up and the updates will get beefy and more interesting since the progress will be readily apparent.

October and November will be key in clawing back most if not all the 3 weeks the project is behind. The shops I’m using are historically less busy in November because of Thanksgiving – the Janus parts will have less competition for machine time for ~2 weeks in November.
As always, do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions. Feel free to share. Thanks for subscribing

Cheers!
Janus Razors.

Quick Update

The machinist finally has the set-up right to do the last step of making the door blanks. I was there today to inspect the parts coming off the set-up until all the dimensions were in spec. And then I gave a green light for this final step. I will be back on Mon to inspect and confirm that all the blanks produced on Thurs & Fri are to spec. Below is what came off the set-up. The good thing about producing a small batch is that 100% inspection of the critical dimensions is doable. With higher volumes, then a inspection frequency (checking Y parts every X parts) is the way to go rather than 100% inspection. 



How the bed plates blanks got inspected...obviously, the angle of the platform that the blade is clamped on is critical. It is coming in on target for 100% of the parts. Part of door milling set-up will be to make sure that this corresponding angle matches that of the bedplate platform so that blade is clamped/'viced' evenly throughout. This is one of the reasons why I think blade clamping in the F4 set-up is superior to that of the Fatboy. Additionally, there's more contact area in the F4 design than in the Fatboy.



The adjuster plates before milling. The small step you see in the middle along the length will be milled off when adding the lather slots and slots for the bridge to leave a clean uninterrupted surface even though the user will not see this surface when using the Janus.



The surface finish of these parts is good so the polishing steps won't have to do a lot of 'heavy lifting'.

Thanks for the updates Eric! Keep them coming as they happen.

Looking really good Eric, appreciate the updates

l wasn't a fan of the red, particularly on the toggle knob itself.  I can't remember all the details right now and haven't seen the pics in a while, but if I recall correctly, I also didn't care for the changes on the dial.  

I'm hoping to pick up one of regular production models when they come out, though.  My wife says I can buy one provided that I pay for it with funds obtained by selling other things that I have acquired/collected over the years (in addition to razors, I also collected fountain pens for a long time).  I have several fairly valuable fountain pens, so I am hoping it will be pretty simple to acquire the funds needed.

You can always get a second mortgage

Seems somebody hasn't investigated the secondary fountain pen market lately.......

Just got this today.  I was unable to add pictures in this post.  Will try to add in another post.

Welcome to the September 2019 Newsletter
In the September Newsletter – a production update and a progress check against the project schedule.

Production Update
2 of the 3 hardest blanks to produce are done.




I'm visiting the shop mid next week to check up on the door blanks.

Fabrication of the milling, assembly & laser marking fixtures is done, and all the off-the-shelf hardware used in the assembly has been ordered.
Project Schedule
How is the project tracking against the schedule?

I’m running 3 weeks behind schedule. I ran behind in securing all the pre-orders, and consequently, fell behind in placing the orders for the blanks.

Making the blanks is the slowest of all the processes and cannot be sped up because it would adversely affect part quality. The PNs that have yet to run are programmed and ready to go as soon as the machine opens. Once the blanks are done, the pace will pick up and the updates will get beefy and more interesting since the progress will be readily apparent.

October and November will be key in clawing back most if not all the 3 weeks the project is behind. The shops I’m using are historically less busy in November because of Thanksgiving – the Janus parts will have less competition for machine time for ~2 weeks in November.
As always, do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions. Feel free to share. Thanks for subscribing

Cheers!
Janus Razors.

Quick Update

The machinist finally has the set-up right to do the last step of making the door blanks. I was there today to inspect the parts coming off the set-up until all the dimensions were in spec. And then I gave a green light for this final step. I will be back on Mon to inspect and confirm that all the blanks produced on Thurs & Fri are to spec. Below is what came off the set-up. The good thing about producing a small batch is that 100% inspection of the critical dimensions is doable. With higher volumes, then a inspection frequency (checking Y parts every X parts) is the way to go rather than 100% inspection. 



How the bed plates blanks got inspected...obviously, the angle of the platform that the blade is clamped on is critical. It is coming in on target for 100% of the parts. Part of door milling set-up will be to make sure that this corresponding angle matches that of the bedplate platform so that blade is clamped/'viced' evenly throughout. This is one of the reasons why I think blade clamping in the F4 set-up is superior to that of the Fatboy. Additionally, there's more contact area in the F4 design than in the Fatboy.



The adjuster plates before milling. The small step you see in the middle along the length will be milled off when adding the lather slots and slots for the bridge to leave a clean uninterrupted surface even though the user will not see this surface when using the Janus.



The surface finish of these parts is good so the polishing steps won't have to do a lot of 'heavy lifting'.

Quick Update
Things are chugging along well. The door blanks are done. Here is a pic from my last visit. I like how everything turned out. 

The parts for the top of the spider are next. In fact, the ends/end bars/cross arms that the doors are mounted on are being worked on tomorrow. The bridges get started Monday. From blanks to final form, these are done back to back unlike the plates that have a pause in between.

I’m dropping off different blade brands on Friday evening for them to ease in on the bridge thickness during set-up to confirm a nice slip fit with the slightest of play when the blade is loaded and still be removable without snagging. This will make both sides of the razor have the same exposure. The F4 has a lot more blade play which can sometimes make the two sides perform differently.

Thanks.

Nice! Thanks for the update.

Eric, thanks for the update. I am really looking forward to getting this razor

Awesome reviews Dragonsbeard.

Thanks for posting

So...today I completed my vintage Toggle set-up.  Back to front: 1960 F4 Chrome (in original nickle) Toggle by Razorplate, 1958 D1 Standard Toggle in 24kt by Razorplate, 1960 F4 Standard Toggle in White Rhodium by Razor Emporium .

The Razor Emporium rhodium came today. It is very well done.  The kurling is crisp and the rhodium is very nice.  I'm looking forward to taking it for a drive.  It's been a while since I've used a Toggle.  That needs some correcting.

The trio awaits the addition of the Janus Razors razor.  I can't wait to get them all lined up.

So...Eric, a couple of questions.

Will the mirror finish be on the "visible" (when closed) surfaces only...or will it extend to all surfaces (underside of doors, blade tray, etc.)?

Any idea on packaging?  You may have covered it earlier in the thread. Just curious if there are any updates?  I'm hoping it will come with a premium case...or at least offer it as an option.

A little more Toggle love SOTD.  It's good to be the king!

LOOT Nice Toggles and as you know one can get a very comfortable and reasonably efficient shave with these 60 year old beauties. I guess that’s why Eric has been obsessed with the modern version of this classic. I’m sure those initial 50 Janus backers won’t be disappointed when they come out.