Yates Precision Manufacturing DFS pass around

I had better results with both the EH plate and the hybrid plate, really good shaves with both of them. The EH plate was efficient without being too aggressive, and it seemed like I was able to find the angle easier. The hybrid plate was a very pleasant surprise for me. I tend to not get along well with open comb razors but this didn't bother my skin at all, maybe because the teeth are squared off and not as "pointy" as some other OC's? But that was probably my favorite plate, which I definitely was not expecting. Part of me is wondering too if the blade I was using got more worked in/smoothed out after the first couple shaves, I started my shaves with the Yates with a fresh GSB.

The long/skinny handle is still not my favorite, I never really felt like it was that comfortable or intuitive. It's fine on straight top-to-bottom strokes, but would feel awkward when I shaved at angles or with upwards strokes. I do think its balanced well with the razor head, I tried putting a couple handles on it and the balance just felt a little "off" (handles I tried were probably too heavy, so I'm sure there's a middle ground there that I didn't take enough time to explore).

Thank you again to YatesPrecision for your generosity in letting us share this around. I'm getting this packaged up and set out to David.

This guy in SC would love to try the Yates if I am not too late. Been reading about Yates since beginning my traditional shaving journey. This thread has me more interested than ever.

This guy in SC would love to try the Yates if I am not too late. Been reading about Yates since beginning my traditional shaving journey. This thread has me more interested than ever.

added

Pass Around List:
andrewjs18 (Pennsylvania)
ALI (Connecticut)
jbreakfield (Alabama)
DinoJD (Washington)
drdeemanda (Massachusetts) *removed at user's request*
Whisker_whacker (Texas)
MaineYooper (Maine) *removed at user's request*
Ketotrader (Virginia)
bobmsp (Minnesota) *removed at user's request*
gvw755 (Washington) *removed at user's request*
Captainjonny (Washington)
CzechCzar (California) *removed at user's request*
keto (Missouri)
jesseix (California)
Jimmyfn (Oklahoma) *removed at user's request*
dmshaver (Missouri)
Oasisdave (California) *removed at user's request*
Einar (Wisconsin) *removed at user's request*
wyze0ne (Michigan) *removed at user's request*
Lesser (New York)
kingfisher (Virginia)
LOOT (North Carolina)
gwsmallwood (Arizona)
ewk (South Carolina)
andrewjs18 (Pennsylvania)

I received the razor today & will use it this evening. I’ll start with the H plate.

This guy in Upstate NY would love to get in on the pass around, if possible?

This guy in Upstate NY would love to get in on the pass around, if possible?

not until your account gets elevated: https://damnfineshave.com/thread-why-can...um-section

Brief update:

I've used the Yates twice with the H plate, then most recently with the EH plate. It is a nice smooth, yet efficient razor. I'm impressed with the build quality as well as the design. It's not just taking an existing razor, copying its looks & changing the blade feel or efficiency a little bit in order to call it new. Jake has done a terrific job in R&D to roll this razor out, thank you! I loaded a fresh Nacet in the razor & have lathered with Ethos Lavender, MdC Fougere, & Ethos Greenfresh, respectively. The H plate gave two very good shaves. When I hit the sweet spot for the angle, the audible feedback almost disappears. It's a piece of cake finding the right angle on this razor. I like smooth & efficient razors & the EH plate stepped it up just right!

I'll write more later, but didn't want to go any longer without acknowleding how pleasant this razor is to use. Thank you YatesPrecision & andrewjs18 !

I now have the razor and will be using it for shaves starting tomorrow.  Looking forward to them.

Observations on the Yates passaround razor:  I had previously purchased a Yates 921 with the mild and hybrid plates and liked it a great deal.  It was intuitive and gave an excellent mild shave — I just found it slightly too mild and I already had at least one “mild” razor that I liked better, so I sent it back, which is one the fine aspects of Yates -- they stand behind their razor with a quality try and buy program.  I did the passaround to try the H and EH plates.  

Without going through each and every shave, my overall impression of the Yates has remained consistent:  an excellent razor for an even better price.  I particularly like the finishes and design, and have now tried both the bead blast and stonewashed, and both are just fine feeling razors. 

I did four shaves with the pass-around.  The first with the mild plate began with me saying “yes, I really like this razor; it’s what I remember” only to end up with a bit of a mess in the end — possibly, I liked the feel of the finish too much and pressed too hard or I just missed the angle.  Two more shaves with the mild plate and also a sharper blade, a Bic (and not the Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow I had first used) and matters dramatically improved. I had solid DFS shaves.  My last shave was with the EH plate and I enjoyed that a step more, as I found a better sense of efficiency without a fall-off in ease.  Compared to the M and Hybrid plates, I had markedly more blade feel with both the H and EH plates; actually, surprisingly more.  As a whole, however, as much as I got some excellent shaves, I never fully dialed into the razor.  Which surprised me each shave because I do like its feel, finish, and intuitive design.  

So, my conclusion is that the Yates is a great razor, and even more impressive given its pricing and build.  It is a razor I believe I'll be purchasing as a Xmas gift for one family member this year, and one that I would wholeheartedly recommend to someone looking to get a “mild” razor.  It might not be my first choice in that regard, but, then, my first and second choices both cost more (my first choice basically 3x) and they could therefore be hard to recommend.  Thanks so much for Jake and Yates and for andrewjs18 for making this passaround happen!  I’ve reached out to kingfisher and will be sending it to him within days.  This is one razor I would recommend that everyone should try as it is so very well done.