The Mongoose: ouch, ouch, ouch!

Uh oh. In that case I'm curious whether mine is defective in some way. Any other Mongoose users (SharpSpine, maybe?) able to weigh in?

I have a Wolfman, which I love. It's my second favorite razor. I sold my Mongoose. I loved the look, the heft, but the shave was not great. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as comfortable or as weeper-free as I'd hoped. I doubt your razor is defective. Their QC is good. It might just not be the razor for you.

I had a similar experience. Wound up selling the 'goose and buying an extra Feather SS. With the Feather ProGuard blades it's fantastic!

Another question as I continue to evaluate my Mongoose. Has anyone else noticed a bit of play between the two plates such that the base can shift forward or back relative to the cap? I find this a bit disconcerting, as it changes the blade exposure (with these things, even a small change can make a difference, especially with such sharp blades). Is this normal on this razor? If so, what do you Mongoose users do to seat the baseplate as intended?

Uh oh. In that case I'm curious whether mine is defective in some way. Any other Mongoose users (SharpSpine, maybe?) able to weigh in?

Which version do you have? As long as the tabs click into place, then you should be fine. Click it or nick it. The longer tabs on V3 should make that kind of play unlikely.

I'm sorry you're having a blade shift problem, David. My Mongoose has see-through female blade holders. When I crank the handle down on the threads, the blade is totally locked. Given your travails, I suspect you may have a dud. Mine is a wonderful razor--perhaps you can swap it for a different one?

Which version do you have? As long as the tabs click into place, then you should be fine. Click it or nick it. The longer tabs on V3 should make that kind of play unlikely.

This is the batch 3 version with tabs that fit into holes that go clear through the base plate. The issue I'm noticing is that there's little bit of forward-to-back play of those tabs within the holes, so that when the base plate and cap are put together, it's possible to shift the cap a bit forward or back. It's not huge, but enough that I imagine it could make a difference in the shave. To do my best with it, I've been aligning the base and cap so that the back sides are flush with each other. But really my question is whether this bit of play is normal on the Mongoose.

Which version do you have? As long as the tabs click into place, then you should be fine. Click it or nick it. The longer tabs on V3 should make that kind of play unlikely.

This is the batch 3 version with tabs that fit into holes that go clear through the base plate. The issue I'm noticing is that there's little bit of forward-to-back play of those tabs within the holes, so that when the base plate and cap are put together, it's possible to shift the cap a bit forward or back. It's not huge, but enough that I imagine it could make a difference in the shave. To do my best with it, I've been aligning the base and cap so that the back sides are flush with each other. But really my question is whether this bit of play is normal on the Mongoose.

My AlumiGoose has the long pins and there is some movement. I think it's fairly normal My Batch 2 has the short pins and maybe even more movement. I align both the same way you described.

Thanks clint64. It seemed believable that this small amount of play was normal with the razor, but if so I wanted to make sure I was lining up the plates correctly. Knowing that in any razor tiny positioning changes can have a real effect on shaving angle and blade exposure, and thus on the shave, it's a bit disconcerting that the Mongoose doesn't just lock into one spot. But if getting the backs of the two plates flush with each other is the trick, then that's not such a big deal.

Yes, sorry I wasn't able to reply quicker. I agree with Clint on his post above.

Oh, Mongoose, you feral rascal. After a nice week with my new OneBlade (and two first shaves with the Feather SS straight this past weekend), I was craving a bit more challenge this morning. Still loaded with a Feather Pro (probably shave four on it?), things seemed to be going well — light touch, nice and careful — but after my final rinse, I look up and: boom, about seven weepers. Ugh. This razor is playing hard-to-get for me.

To be fair, I don't have any persistent irritation or razor burn, which is good, though my face doesn't feel as comfortable and content as it has after the OneBlade shaves. The Mongoose did shave very close very quickly though, which is good.

Since the weepers were along my jawline and on my neck, I suspect I'm running into problems with the correct angle on curves, probably especially in ATG directions. It's notable that this was more weepers than I've gotten from my Feather SS so far. I know some guys find the Mongoose to be easy and mild, but this is far from my experience right now. This razor can really bite!