Stirling Soap 316 Stainless Steel Razor

andrewjs18 , I'm going to respectfully withdraw. I'm in a year-long sabbatical, though this razor is my one exception. Based on the great reviews above, I'm sold on the HA. I'm not sure when I'll buy it, though, as I'm rediscovering many razors that I'd neglected for a long time, years in some cases. Just this morning I enjoyed a tremendous shave with a GEM 1912 that I'd forgotten about. Carry on, gents, and I'll keep up with this great thread!

no worries! I removed you from the list.

Final head and face shave with the ST plate last night.  I paired it with my Ikon Bulldog handle and a trusty Astra SP blade.  I had a nice, comfortable shave.  As I mentioned before, the ST has more blade feel than my ATT H1, but not enough that it's uncomfortable.  I find it more efficient than the ATT H2.

My final verdict is that the ST is going on my wish list.  The HA plate feels a bit too dangerous, even for me, and I tend to like aggressive razors.

The only knocks I had on these are my own personal preferences.  I suspect most people either won't mind, or they'll like the razors for those very reasons.  One is the handles.  They're a bit too long for me, and the one with no knurling at the bottom was too slippery for me.  The other is the blade holding mechanisms being on the baseplate instead of the top cap.  For me, it just makes loading a tad more difficult.  Like I said, nit picks.

Overall, these razors are beautiful and can certainly compete with the other razors out there in their price range.  Specifically, I think they probably fill a niche that most manufacturer's aren't addressing in the aggressiveness.

Thank you to Rod ezlovan and andrewjs18 for putting this together.  It's been fun to read about everyone's experiences and build my own anticipation.  Thanks for giving me another razor to save up for.

The razors are on their way to Dave in KY . Enjoy.

The only knocks I had on these are my own personal preferences.  I suspect most people either won't mind, or they'll like the razors for those very reasons.  One is the handles.  They're a bit too long for me, and the one with no knurling at the bottom was too slippery for me.  The other is the blade holding mechanisms being on the baseplate instead of the handle.  For me, it just makes loading a tad more difficult.  Like I said, nit picks.

Could you share an example of a razor where the blade holding mechanisms are located on the handle? I’m having a really hard time picturing that.

The only knocks I had on these are my own personal preferences.  I suspect most people either won't mind, or they'll like the razors for those very reasons.  One is the handles.  They're a bit too long for me, and the one with no knurling at the bottom was too slippery for me.  The other is the blade holding mechanisms being on the baseplate instead of the handle.  For me, it just makes loading a tad more difficult.  Like I said, nit picks.

Could you share an example of a razor where the blade holding mechanisms are located on the handle? I’m having a really hard time picturing that.

Look back at the pictures in the post I'm linking. There are a couple of pictures of the baseplates. You'll notice the bumps running down the center of the baseplate. Those are the tabs that hold the blade in place. In all of the other razors I've used (except the Futur) those tabs (or posts on older razors) are on the top cap and fit into slots in the baseplate. Rod flipped that arrangement, and the slots are in the top cap. That means you assemble the blade to the baseplate, then put the top cap on, rather than assembling the blade onto the top cap first, which is more common. On a 3 piece razor, I just find it more convenient to put the blade into the top cap first, since you have to thread it through the mounting post on the cap either way.

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-stirlin...#pid268613

The only knocks I had on these are my own personal preferences.  I suspect most people either won't mind, or they'll like the razors for those very reasons.  One is the handles.  They're a bit too long for me, and the one with no knurling at the bottom was too slippery for me.  The other is the blade holding mechanisms being on the baseplate instead of the handle.  For me, it just makes loading a tad more difficult.  Like I said, nit picks.

Could you share an example of a razor where the blade holding mechanisms are located on the handle? I’m having a really hard time picturing that.

Look back at the pictures in the post I'm linking.  There are a couple of pictures of the baseplates.  You'll notice the bumps running down the center of the baseplate.  Those are the tabs that hold the blade in place.  In all of the other razors I've used (except the Futur) those tabs (or posts on older razors) are on the top cap and fit into slots in the baseplate.  Rod flipped that arrangement, and the slots are in the top cap.  That means you assemble the blade to the baseplate, then put the top cap on, rather than assembling the blade onto the top cap first, which is more common.  On a 3 piece razor, I just find it more convenient to put the blade into the top cap first, since you have to thread it through the mounting post on the cap either way.

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-stirlin...#pid268613

Ah, so you meant the top cap, not the handle. Makes much more sense. Thanks.

Could you share an example of a razor where the blade holding mechanisms are located on the handle? I’m having a really hard time picturing that.

Look back at the pictures in the post I'm linking.  There are a couple of pictures of the baseplates.  You'll notice the bumps running down the center of the baseplate.  Those are the tabs that hold the blade in place.  In all of the other razors I've used (except the Futur) those tabs (or posts on older razors) are on the top cap and fit into slots in the baseplate.  Rod flipped that arrangement, and the slots are in the top cap.  That means you assemble the blade to the baseplate, then put the top cap on, rather than assembling the blade onto the top cap first, which is more common.  On a 3 piece razor, I just find it more convenient to put the blade into the top cap first, since you have to thread it through the mounting post on the cap either way.

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-stirlin...#pid268613

Ah, so you meant the top cap, not the handle. Makes much more sense. Thanks.

Now I see why you were confused.  Fixed it in the original post.

The Eagles have landed. I may get a few shaves in before posting thoughts but will have SOTD oics starting tomorrow. Just to confirm, these go to Les when I'm done, correct ? I have his address already.

The Eagles have landed. I may get a few shaves in before posting thoughts but will have SOTD oics starting tomorrow. Just to confirm, these go to Les when I'm done, correct ? I have his address already.

Dave are you going to do a couple of videos with those razors, I was kind of waiting for those?

Just to confirm, these go to Les when I'm done, correct ? I have his address already.

Correct. Let me know when you send though.