Thread: Epitaph-One Blade SE Razor

You know how you go out and buy a new car and it looks fantastic and has all the bells and whistles and it's reliable and comfortable and you got the super stereo and you drive down the block and you feel like a king. Then you hit the freeway and hit the gas and it makes noise and not much else. Back in the old days that's what we called "all show and no go" and then you be sorry you ever bought the thing.

In a way that described the OneBlade. It's a fantastic looking razor made of primo materials. Solid stainless 316L and the head is made of an exotic and very expensive stainless alloy. It's masterly crafted and designed and the design is well executed with outstanding fit and finish. It comes wrapped up like a Christmas present with a fancy leather travel case and a solid stainless stand which weighs a ton.

Yea that be the good part.

Unfortunately it can use only one blade and that feather blade reminds me of a box cutter blade. It simply is not as sharp as any other feather blade I've ever seen. They recommend two shaves per blade. I have a tough beard and I can really feel that blade working on me. it's not uncomfortable and it doesn't pull but other razors just glide down my face with no sensation at all. There are no other options.

Then the handle is this PVD coated U shaped hollow center affair. Very pretty but I found the grip ain't the best. I found doing a S-N on my right side of my face and neck it feels like it's going to fall out of my hand. It never did but the handle is just smooth metal and it doesn't inspire confidence.

Then the razor itself is kind of complicated with the pivoting head and inner spring assembly and there are a lot of little holes and crevices and they gunk up with dried soap and are difficult to say the least to clean if you care about such things. Also as you shave you have to continually rinse the head. The slightest amount of lather starts running down the handle. Of course all DEs do this but not to this degree.

So the proof of the pudding is in the eating and the razor is very mild and actually shaves better than the mildness suggests. I think you could purposely gouge your face with the thing and there wouldn't be a mark. However the price you pay is the closeness of the shave lags behind most other DE's or SE's. It's OK mind you but nothing to write home about. If you have to shave every day it's probably fine.

So in the final analysis who should buy this razor? Someone using an electric razor or Gillette Cart. who is looking for an upgrade, Someone who appreciates the craft of the thing, someone who likes Luxury items, someone with deep pockets (Har har), someone with a very mild beard.

Who shouldn't buy this razor? Someone who wants the best possible shave, someone with a really tough beard, someone who could care less about window dressing, someone who is a shave enthusiast with plenty of experience.

So is it worth it? That's for you to decide and remember this is strictly my opinion. Maybe Obie will chime in with his feelings about this razor.

In the end for me, the OneBlade proved to be enigmatic.

I liked the razor's concept. It was distinct among the relatively small list of modern single edge razors. And it was quite handsome and I liked its looks. I also liked its balance and feel in my hands.

The blades were acceptable, but I disliked their short lifespan. The glue in the wrapper frustrated me, as I had to remove it before inserting it into the shave head.

OneBlade was well made and functioned precisely for the kind of shave it was designed: safety and comfort mainly for those coming off cartridge razors. Yet I found it a little more than that: a razor that felt like a jewel in my experienced hands. It was fun to shave with, and it was easy on my neck going across horizontally.

It was a fun razor to use. For the most part, irritation free, too. Yet, I found the shave a struggle for my tough beard and sensitive skin. I had to add a fourth pass to my usual three. Some days I found myself going over the same spot multiple times, a recipe for skin irritation.

The double edge razor tends to irritate my ultra sensitive skin and I try to use it as little as possible — or unless I have to. I prefer the single edge in safety razors, but the pickings are small. Among the modern razors, the ATT SE I find harsh and the Asylum RX too aggressive. The Hawk is acceptable. I like the Mongoose, but Maggard, the one vendor carrying it, seems always out of stock.

I like the General. I thought the OneBlade would give me another choice, and it did for a while, but in the end, I got tired of it. I think it was just too easy. And a wee bit boring. Having used the straight razor predominately, I thought the OneBlade would be a satisfying change. It was not.

I know some shavers will enjoy the OneBlade, and that it will work for them. At first I enjoyed the razor, but in the end realized that it really did not work for me. So I had to let it go.

Obie you should try the Rex Ambassador. It's a really outstanding shaver and not too aggressive and since you can dial in the type shave you want it might be the perfect razor for you.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Obie you should try the Rex Ambassador. It's a really outstanding shaver and not too aggressive and since you can dial in the type shave you want it might be the perfect razor for you.

Thanks for the suggestion, Spendur. I will certainly consider it. More and more, though, I find myself drifting away from the double edge and opting for the single edge safety razor. Still, the Rex is worth consideration.

Thanks for posting this. I learned long ago that the Feather of this type was viable.

The Japanese copied the old Autostop design. What goes in this razor, I think?



I have had a few nice shaves with the Feathers in an Autostrop.
I suppose a novelty.

Someone, somewhere has a LOT of blades!

I would give the OneBlade a better review than the original poster, though will have to say that mine sits on a shelf collecting dust.

thebigspendur, I agree with many of your points. I've given a few of the OneBlades to friends and team members who were just getting into wet shavers. Two of them were struggling with the traditional DE razors, weren't anywhere near ready for a straight razor, and they both described the results with the OneBlade as 'magical'. I think it's what you pointed out-it's an extremely 'safe' razor, so there wasn't the fear of getting cut for them. And it introduced them to the joys of wet shaving. A gateway razor, if you will.

The folks at OneBlade gave me a tip that works a treat for cleaning the OneBlade: Put a few squirts of Simple Green (they recommended that product specifically) in water, let the OneBlade soak for a while, and then rinse. Comes out sparkling clean inside and out.

It's too bad you were disappointed with the razor, but I thank you for the review on it. May work well for some, but not all. The variables within each person will produce different results.

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

It's too bad you were disappointed with the razor, but I thank you for the review on it. May work well for some, but not all. The variables within each person will produce different results.

No, I don't think so.

This razor was marketed specifically towards an upscale audience and one that uses an electric or a cartridge type but is basically ignorant of the world of wet shaving that we on this site are aware of. Someone like that would probably be very happy with this razor.

The extremely high price point of this one just can't be justified in light of other stainless alternatives with equal if not better construction. There are a score of great razors priced at less than half the One Blade, in both SE and DE formats 0 formats where you get a choice of blade even! . Add the very aspect that only "one blade" can be used, unless you wield tin snips, and the reports of its maker trying to monopolize the supply of those one solitary less than stellar blades, and the razor becomes a poster child for the old adage about fools and their money ..