Thread: Rigarazor First Impression

I did receive my Rigarazor purchased from is..ma on ebay. The razor is beautiful! The razor is an 8/8 with Grenadill wood scales and Böhler R100 carbon steel. I believe it is a 1/4 hollow or close to it.

Apologies for photo skills...



I was able to give it the first laps today. The blade is much heavier than most others I have used (largest prior was a 6/8"). That was of no consequence, just takes a bit of getting used to. The point is another thing to pay attention to. It did talk to me at the very beginning of the shave, reminding me it is there! (a very small nick). I do like the slight curve or smile which the edge has.

I have read in many posts regarding the edge Riga puts on their razor and how most feel it is excellent. The blade did perform very well, WTG, XTG, and AGT. There was more than normal irritation though. I was using the WK, Cypress Rose Concerto Special Edition soap, which has always performed excellent.

I am unsure if the stria from the finish hone is to blame for the irritation or possibly the blade grind, or both. All razors I have used to date are full hollow. I also have found that the G20K hone is the most comfortable edge for my face/beard of the hones I've tried.

I have a very similar SR from Riga, I noticed that paying attention to the angle made a difference.
Similarly my Koraat SR which is a near wedge is less forgiving that any other quarter/half hollow grinds.
I like them both, a lot, it just required me to adjust my shaving technique.

Sergej makes some beautiful razors the finish and grind are pretty much flawless, and he uses some unusual steel including his own Tungsten steel.

You said yourself you are used ti smaller, lighter blades. My first Riga shave left me with irritation too. Less Pressure, And a more shallow angle.... And **poof** smooth shaves!

Originally Posted by neehooya

Similarly my Koraat SR which is a near wedge is less forgiving that any other quarter/half hollow grinds.
I like them both, a lot, it just required me to adjust my shaving technique.

Would it be safe to assume that the less hollow the grind, the less forgiving the blade?

I did play with the angle during the first shave. I will definitely shallow the angle and "shave the lather" on the next shave. The razor is beautifully crafted and a pleasure in the hand.

Glad you like your Riga, I'm very fond of mine.
And yes, a shallow angle and no pressure will give you one amazing shave

Originally Posted by Robini

Would it be safe to assume that the less hollow the grind, the less forgiving the blade?

I did play with the angle during the first shave. I will definitely shallow the angle and "shave the lather" on the next shave. The razor is beautifully crafted and a pleasure in the hand.

You got it Robini! Just like Dieseld mentioned above, a shallow angle and no pressure is your key to success. Let the blade's weigh do the work!
Enjoy!

The Riga that Sergei created for me is outstanding, it was 6/8" but is closer to 13/16" and I asked him to relieve the area below the spine as seen on a few of his other larger blades, the edge gave an excellent shave right out of the box.

I have 3 Riga's, all beautiful creations and superb shavers...personally, I had to rehone all of them, guess I'm particular about my edges, but once I got them to what I like, they are an amazing addition.

Mine are all of the Tungsten steel, and personally, they are the only modern production razor, sheesh any post 1900 razor, that are reminiscent of the wonderful pre-1891 Sheffield steel in feel. If Sergej comes out with any more variations, I'll probably feel my RAD come out strong again - but truly a master craftsmen, his grinds and stylings are old school all the way....

2nd shave

OK, the second shave down with my new Riga. I took the given advice and paid particular attention to keeping a lower than normal angle and very little pressure. MUCH BETTER!! I received a super comfortable BBS shave with no irritation. I will say however that I had more than normal burn with the AS application.

Wonderful razor! The jury is still out if an 8/8 blade is for me or not into the future. Time will tell. As for this razor, it is definitely a keeper. I would highly recommend it.