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

Just got my mail  will use it tonight  Gotta try it wide open and see what we get  Head is much flatter than the prototype and a little shorter  Fit and finish look very good  

Great photos all! Mine is stuck in Chicago for who knows how long as it makes it’s way north of the border.

Nice pic!  

I presume that the shave was suitable?

I was gonna wait until I used it a bit to comment. But...since you asked.    I am hesitant because I'm sure this is going to come across as harsh/snobbish/a-holeish, etc. but I've little time nor patience for diplomacy....and at $625, if there is a production unit, you may appreciate the honesty.

It was a very good shave.  It cuts pretty close wide open.  Maybe a 145ish in the Wolfman WR2 head.  It should cover 95% of all wet shavers in efficiency. A couple of shims would cover the rest, I'm sure. If I need a setting 10, I'll use something else.  The shave was somewhat smooth.  It wouldn't make my Top 5 Smooth list but I really didn't expect it to.  Mark and Frank loved the smoothness of the prototype and I'm sure it performed exactly as described.  But when the dome height dropped, I suspected the smoothness would too, despite the claims otherwise.  Finish...I called BS on a 2 step mirror finish from the jump so nothing I say from here on is surprising really. I stand by my comments and photos will back it up.  The tops of the doors are nice, not a mirror, but nice.  The rest of the razor is no where close.  The Toggle stem needs help.  Tool marks are a big letdown.  The inside of the doors have tool marks as well.  My bottom plate has two small scratches (could be black smudges that don't come off now that I look at a zoomed in photo) and if it, the inside of the doors, the tray, or the center bar ever saw a buffing/polishing wheel, it was in passing.  No where close to the finish we were promised.  Consider that an attack, if you must.  It's simply an observation.  I'm not friends with Eric so I've no need to sugar coat anything, there are guys lined up to do just that.  Hopefully, he will appreciate some honesty...but then again, he has eyes.  He knows everything I just typed.

Putting all that aside, the Janus is a very capable shaver and all things considered is quite handsome.  Then again, I'm a sucker for a Toggle and can appreciate the imperfections of them all, Janus LE too.  Hopefully the production version benefits from these LE's.  It was worth $500 to watch the process unfold and I'm glad I jumped in.  They Janus is pretty much a Toggle with 15 positions.  Kinda hard to complain about that, even though arguably, I just did.

D1 24kt, F4 Chrome in nickle, Janus LE, F4 in White Rhodium.

Appreciate the honest review LOOT I was afraid changing the shape of the dome would affect smoothness. I will try my first shave tonight. The finish is definitely not Wolfman level but my assumption would be because of the multiple pieces hand polishing could affect fit. Eric could answer this better.

There is nothing wrong with stating facts ever in my opinion.
Happy shaves
SMURF

He probably changed the blade angle. The prototype might have more curved blade angle.

He probably changed the blade angle. The prototype might have more curved blade angle.

I'm not a razor designer but that was my guess as soon as it was announced, so I questioned. Even so, for me, the sacrafice in function was worth the improved form. It's still quite comfortable on 9. I'm sure it just gets better lower on the dial.

I will go back to a Personna for my next shave. That will help a bit too. Feathers are nice but can impart some harshness on razors with positive exposure and increased gaps.

The LE and I are going to get along just fine when we get acquainted.

Nice pic!  

I presume that the shave was suitable?

I was gonna wait until I used it a bit to comment. But...since you asked.    I am hesitant because I'm sure this is going to come across as harsh/snobbish/a-holeish, etc. but I've little time nor patience for diplomacy....and at $625, if there is a production unit, you may appreciate the honesty.

It was a very good shave.  It cuts pretty close wide open.  Maybe a 145ish in the Wolfman WR2 head.  It should cover 95% of all wet shavers in efficiency. A couple of shims would cover the rest, I'm sure. If I need a setting 10, I'll use something else.  The shave was somewhat smooth.  It wouldn't make my Top 5 Smooth list but I really didn't expect it to.  Mark and Frank loved the smoothness of the prototype and I'm sure it performed exactly as described.  But when the dome height dropped, I suspected the smoothness would too, despite the claims otherwise.  Finish...I called BS on a 2 step mirror finish from the jump so nothing I say from here on is surprising really. I stand by my comments and photos will back it up.  The tops of the doors are nice, not a mirror, but nice.  The rest of the razor is no where close.  The Toggle stem needs help.  Tool marks are a big letdown.  The inside of the doors have tool marks as well.  My bottom plate has two small scratches (could be black smudges that don't come off now that I look at a zoomed in photo) and if it, the inside of the doors, the tray, or the center bar ever saw a buffing/polishing wheel, it was in passing.  No where close to the finish we were promised.  Consider that an attack, if you must.  It's simply an observation.  I'm not friends with Eric so I've no need to sugar coat anything, there are guys lined up to do just that.  Hopefully, he will appreciate some honesty...but then again, he has eyes.  He knows everything I just typed.

Putting all that aside, the Janus is a very capable shaver and all things considered is quite handsome.  Then again, I'm a sucker for a Toggle and can appreciate the imperfections of them all, Janus LE too.  Hopefully the production version benefits from these LE's.  It was worth $500 to watch the process unfold and I'm glad I jumped in.  They Janus is pretty much a Toggle with 15 positions.  Kinda hard to complain about that, even though arguably, I just did.

D1 24kt, F4 Chrome in nickle, Janus LE, F4 in White Rhodium.

Thanks for this. I’m glad I bowed out.

He probably changed the blade angle. The prototype might have more curved blade angle.

I'm not a razor designer but that was my guess as soon as it was announced, so I questioned. Even so, for me, the sacrafice in function was worth the improved form. It's still quite comfortable on 9. I'm sure it just gets better lower on the dial.

I will go back to a Personna for my next shave. That will help a bit too. Feathers are nice but can impart some harshness on razors with positive exposure and increased gaps.

The LE and I are going to get along just fine when we get acquainted.

The issue is that even at setting 1, you can easily feel the blade. 
I am happy to have Janus, but really wonder Mark's review and his comparison with the prototype.

When I saw the first pics of the final product I was glad I skipped this one. I can appreciate the complexities of designing and then building this particular razor but the finish seems to have been rushed and for the price, that is a let down.