Occam's Double Edge Safety Razor

Occam's DE Safety Razor

I purchased the complete Occam's Double Edge (DE) Safety Razor in December 2019. The razor is stated to be designed, machined and assembled in Idaho while it's parts are manufactured in China. The original MSRP shown for this razor at ClassicShaving.com is/was $79.99 USD. At the time of my purchase this item was price discounted down to $54.99 with free shipping. It was delivered undamaged from Idaho to Pennsylvania within four business days of purchase.

Occam's DE Safety Razor is a three piece non-adjustable that features an all-stainless steel build, a machine knurled handle, the option of a smooth and/or ridged razor head and option of three separate base plates; closed comb, partial open comb and full open comb. For an additional charge, ClassicShaving.com will also include a 5 or 10 pack box of razor blades with your purchase so that you can jump right into wet shaving.

All scores are rated 1 through 5.

BUILD QUALITY (score 4): 

Complete Occam's Safety Razor kit

The Occam's DE razor build quality is very good with the full boxed set that I'd received with my purchased. The handle is machine milled with a nice grippable surface pattern that doesn't slip easily within a soapy hand. The overall weight is around 3.5 ounces that allows for the razor itself, in general, to apply enough pressure to shave away hair with a good blade, minimal user pressure required. The stainless steel base plates and top caps appear mold or press forged, their attachment screw is clean and firmly secured with a good hand finish, not mirror polished though.

Occam's safety razor - under top plate

The underside of the two top plates have a few minor finish discolorations near to and along the cutting edges, though the largest spots on the left cap (see picture) nearer to the screw and alignment posts were merely buffing compound that I removed with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol. The minor edge discolorations in no way impede performance and are not noticeable when fully assembled. Blade gaps are spot-on and level across the entire length of the installed blade on both sides. An installed DE blade is a safe distance away from the razor's top/base plate corner edges so as not to nick or cut when shaving around tricky spots like ears, lips and more. All three razor parts (handle, base and top plates) screw together evenly and firmly with no wobble or looseness using average hand-torque pressure.

Occam's safety razor - base plates

FUNCTIONALITY (score 5): I've shaved with the Occam's DE Safety Razor many times since receiving it in the mail. As a man with average thickness hair who routinely shaves bald and maintains a smooth face (aside from a short-cropped Van Dyke beard), I spend a respectable amount of time with a razor in my hand each week. For me, the Ocaam's DE safety razor shaves great on both my scalp and face with very little to no skin irritation using the closed comb base plate. I generally use Astra Superior Platinum DE blades as my everyday blade, occasionally switching to milder Derby Extra DE blades when my skin sensitivity may be higher on a given day, such as drier skin during winter weather. Above is a picture of all three available base plates. In terms of aggressiveness (1 thru 10, mild to very aggressive), I would rank them as such (from left to right): closed comb 3, hybrid comb 5 and open comb 8. Of course, your experience in aggressiveness will vary depending on your choice of DE blade installed. The razor suffers no hair clogging when cutting my average course stubble. I've routinely achieved smooth shaves with as little as one to two passes. It also edge-cuts well around facial hair like sideburns or moustaches.

Occam's safety razor - top caps

VALUE (score 5): The value of the Occam's DE Safety Razor is great when considering it's well manufactured stainless steel build quality and cost of purchase. At the time of this review, my purchase was $54.99, sale-priced and using a coupon code for the complete kit with free shipping from ClassicShaving.com. You may also elect to purchase this razor with a single choice of either top cap and base plate for less money should you choose. But, for a few more dollars, you can own the entire set and have an heirloom safety razor that should last for many years with proper care.  While there are many great razors available from other manufacturers in this price range, the appeal of the Occam's DE safety razor is it's quality stainless steel build that I feel outclasses it's chrome and/or nickel plated competitor's offerings. It's an solid affordable addition to your every day shaving needs.

OVERALL (score 4.5): The Occam's DE Safety Razor is now among the top of my weekly razor rotations. My favorite safety razor is still my 1965 Gillette Slim adjustable, which performs incredibly well at settings 3 thru 4 using Astra Superior Platinums. But, the Occam's DE razor performs almost as adept and smoothly as my Gillette does, much to my surprise, and outperforms all the other non-adjustable DE razors in my rotation. Overall, I find this razor to be one of the best DE safety razors currently available for it's price point in terms of functionality and quality of build.

73,
Patrick, K3NYJ

Disclaimer: All content presented on this site are subjective and solely representative of personal ownership experience and individual understanding of said products and related subject matter described herein. Any and all representations, descriptions and commentaries posted herein are offered from opinion and should not be regarded as expert affidavit or testimony, or as a manufacturer's statement in any way. Please consult with product manufacturers and their approved sources for complete details, specifications and applicable warranties of all products described herein. All photos presented herein are property of this site's moderator and are not public domain.

Dovo Flowing 6/8 Straight Razor

Dovo Solingen case

The Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor is manufactured in Solingen, Germany. Dovo Solingen is also associated with the Merkur Solingen brand line of products, as well as Shavette and Bismark labels.

I purchased my Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor in March 2014. At the time of my purchase, I was able to find it listed at a sales price of $239.00 US, which was a reasonably good value compared to other online offerings at that time. My razor arrive four days later by little white box via USPS. The razor came enclosed in a blue foam-fitted Dovo Solingen hinged metal case that had been shipped within a soft velvet black satchel. Dovo also included a tri-fold paper insert within the case with details and guidelines about their razor. The razor arrived coated in a fine coat of oil for protection and was nicely edged but not shave-ready.

All scores are rated 1 through 5.

Dovo interior razor case

BUILD QUALITY (5): The Dovo Flowing 6/8" SR is quite well built. It is a full hollow ground carbon steel blade with scalloped spine for both added shaving control and aesthetics. The overall blade length (shoulder to tip) is approximately 3 inches. The true cutting edge length is about 2.5 inches, rounded at both ends. The scales are made of African Blackwood that has a fine sanded, smooth and grippable semi-matte finish that feels good in-hand. The scale pins are neatly fitted with minimal protrusion. The hinge pin operates nicely with just enough tightness so that the blade remains secure to the scales in all rotated positions. The overall balance of the blade-to-scales is equally good when fully open ninety degrees.

Strop, Norton 4k/8k wet & lapping stone

HONING (4): Honing the Dovo Flowing is comparable to other quality straight razors. The blade's specific hardness is not listed on the manufacturer's page, but it does hone and hold it's edge quite well. The blade ships nicely edged but not shave-ready. Honing this SR does require a smooth and consistent method. And, your finishing stone should be used with very delicate, weight-of-the-blade only pressure. Using Lynn Abrams' honing technique (video here) with the Norton 4000/8000 grit water stone, followed by a pre-shave stropping before each use (video here), I've been able to achieve a very sharp serviceable edge with little razor drag. The addition of a "polishing" grit stone between the Norton 4k/8K stone and stropping steps is optional but will further improve the edge sharpness and further reduce drag. A water stone such as a Naniwa S1 12000 grit Super Stone will work nicely as that finishing stone, but is not necessary.

Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor

BLADE EDGE (5): The Dovo Flowing 6/8 is my Sunday morning razor. As a bald shaver, I will often use this blade once-a-week to shave both my face and scalp. Each take a respectable amount of time, patience and practice. My Sunday mornings are perfect for these tasks. Caution: I strongly advised against scalp shaving with any straight razor without a high level of expertise! It takes a great deal of focus and technique to master safe scalp shaving with an open blade. This being said, the Dovo Flowing does maintain an excellent edge. I lightly re-hone the blade perhaps twice each year, and have only performed complete re-honings twice since purchase in March 2014. Once fully honed, a good cloth-to-leather stropping before each shave is all that seems required to maintain the edge (for those with light-to-moderate follicle thickness). For those with heavy follicle thickness, more frequent re-honings may be necessary. The blade should be carefully cleaned and then coated with oil protectant after each use, prior to storing. I keep a small silica gel pack in the storage box with this blade to reduce the risk of moisture damage or rust.

Dovo Flowing 6/8 blade, etching

FUNCTIONALITY (5): Overall, the Dovo Flowing 6/8" is an excellent straight razor. It's well balanced and quite serviceable. The quality of the carbon steel is high-grade and the water-resistent wooden scales are comfortable and appealing. It grips and feels good in the hands, offering solid shaving control, even with wet hands. The scalloped spine is useful in some shaving positions and when scales are raised upright ninety degrees vertical to a horizontal blade position but, in my opinion, is more of an aesthetic feature of the razor than a functional one. The scalloping does add a few more grams of weight along the spine, giving the razor an overall slightly heavier feel and greater sense of shaving control.

Dovo Flowing 6/8 blade, not etched

VALUE (4): As mentioned before, I had purchased my Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor in 2014 for a sales price of $239.00 US with free shipping. A common marketplace price for this razor (at the time of this post) remains at around $250.00 US. There is no guarantee that this razor will remain in the marketplace for much longer. It's been in circulation for a few years now. But supplies do appear to remain available. My valuation of this blade is quite good to excellent. This is a straight razor manufactured with many years of shaving service in mind, perhaps decades with proper use and care. Furthermore, as a unique Dovo shaver, a well-maintained Flowing 6/8" razor could increase in collectible and family legacy value in years to come.

73,
Patrick, K3NYJ

Disclaimer: All content presented on this site are subjective and solely representative of personal ownership experience and individual understanding of said products and related subject matter described herein. Any and all representations, descriptions and commentaries posted herein are offered from opinion and should not be regarded as expert affidavit or testimony, or as a manufacturer's statement in any way. Please consult with product manufacturers and their approved sources for complete details, specifications and applicable warranties of all products described herein. All photos presented herein are property of this site's moderator and are not public domain.

Manion M5 Matte Silver Adjustable DE Safety Razor

Manion M5 Adjustable DE Safety Razor

The Manion M5 is a Chinese manufactured double edge adjustable safety razor that is modeled closely to the Merkur Futur adjustable.

I purchased the Manion M5 razor from Amazon in December 2018. It arrived a four days later in my mailbox via USPS in a padded plastic envelope and was packaged neatly within a product box that also contained a 5-pack of Dorco ST-300 platinum double-edge blades and a small double-ended brush for cleaning, one side having short stiffer bristles, the other longer and softer bristles. The M5 arrived in new condition with no needed oil or grease applied to preserve razor.

All scores are rated 1 through 5.

Manion M5 Adj, 1965 Gillette Slim Adj, Weishi Butterfly

BUILD QUALITY (score 4):  The M5 that I received is well built. It razor has but two separate parts; the primary body with twist-to-adjust handle and the removable top-cap that both aligns and holds double-edge blades in place. The finish I would describe as smooth matte aluminum-tone. The adjustment numbers on the handle are slightly engraved into the metal, filled with an egg shell white filler paint. Manufacturing tolerance of my M5 is good to excellent. Both the cap and body fit together neatly and firmly with very little loose-play. The cap is held in-place with two cap-prongs that are then snapped into the two spring-retaining sockets on the handle's blade deck. Adjustment rotation works fluently and is tension-sustained by a spring seated within the handle itself. Upon one of my blade support members (the smooth edge just below and parallel to an inserted blade itself) is a very slight particle embedded under the razor's electroplated finish. It's barely noticeable and does not affect the M5's functionality whatsoever. The razor has a nice weight to it that is heavier than other safety razors pictured here, but not hefty or unwieldy in any way.

Manion M5 safety razor deck

FUNCTIONALITY (score 3): I've shaved with the Manion M5 many times since receiving it in the mail. As a man with average thickness hair who routinely shaves bald and maintains a smooth face (aside from a short-cropped Van Dyke beard), I spend a respectable amount of time with a razor in my hand. For me, the M5 shaves great on a setting of 3.5 to 4 on both my scalp and face with very little to no skin irritation. I do not use Dorco ST-300 blades (those that came with the M5) as I find them too mild and of lesser quality. I generally use Astra Superior Platinum DE blades as my everyday blade, occasionally switching to milder Derby Extra DE blades when my skin sensitivity may be higher on a given day, such as drier skin during winter weather.

Manion M5 safety razor cap

That being said, I do hold two minor exceptions with my M5's shave experience. One is that the handle can be feel a little slick when shower shaving with soapy hands. I'v heard some owners use Plasti Dip to increase handling properties. Second, when seating a blade into the razor, the cutting power sometimes favors one side of the blade more than the other, but only ever-so-slightly. I've found it helpful to first set the razor's adjustment to setting 6, remove the razor cap from the razor deck, safely dispose of the old blade, tilt the razor deck 45 degrees to one side, place the new blade onto the deck, give the handle a couple soft finger taps to align the blade on the deck evenly, and then snap the razor cap gently back onto the razor deck to secure the blade. I will then adjust the razor from setting 6 to 1, then back to my nominal setting of 2.5. This typical sets both blade edges with nearly equal cutting exposure. If one blade side is still favored ever-so-slightly, gently wiggly the razor cap ends side-to-side(in opposing directions) and re-adjust the razor settings from 6-to-1, or 1-to-6, and then back to your preferred setting. Overall, I think you'll find that the M5 performs well when you master placing new blades into the razor itself.

Manion M5 w/ blade, top view.

VALUE (score 5): The value of the M5 is excellent when considering it's build quality and cost of purchase. At the time of this review, the price was $17.99 with around $5.00 in shipping cost through Amazon. The Manion M5 is very nearly the same razor as the Merkur Futur razor, which at the time of this review was listed at $62.50. The Manion M5 seems to replicate performance nearly identically to the Futur. Though I mentioned earlier in this review a very slight electroplate finish blemish along a blade support member, it's not enough to diminish my opinion of the overall cost value of the Manion M5. For the price, it's an excellent addition to your every day shaving supplies and worthy of it's current online pricing.

OVERALL (score 4): The Manion M5 has become a large part of my weekly razor rotation. My favorite safety razor is my 1965 Gillette Slim adjustable, which performs incredibly well at settings 3 thru 4 using Astra Superior Platinums. But, the Manion M5 performs almost as adept and smoothly as my Gillette does, much to my surprise. And since the M5 is such a great value, and my Gillette is a vintage razor that I'm hoping to keep well-preserved, I tend to use the M5 safety razor much more often. I give the Manion M5 a solid thumbs-up and find it to be a fine shaving product overall.

73,
Patrick, K3NYJ

Disclaimer: All content presented on this site are subjective and solely representative of personal ownership experience and individual understanding of said products and related subject matter described herein. Any and all representations, descriptions and commentaries posted herein are offered from opinion and should not be regarded as expert affidavit or testimony, or as a manufacturer's statement in any way. Please consult with product manufacturers and their approved sources for complete details, specifications and applicable warranties of all products described herein. All photos presented herein are property of this site's moderator and are not public domain.

Razor and shave

Left to right - Manion M5 adjustable, 1965 Gilette Slim adjustable, Weishi
butterfly TTO, Dovo 6/8" Flowing straight razor, assorted DE blade packs.

If you've read my About K3NYJ page, then you're aware of my fondness for the not-so-bygone days of old school shaving. It holds a special place in my heart. Some of my fondest childhood memories were of my grandfather's small basement barbershop, the good men who would patron there and the humor and skill with which my grandfather operated. His trade was part of an honest and well-respected professional tradition. Thanks, Pap, for being an inspiration to me, as your grandchild and as a man. You were a cut above the rest.

In recent years, straight and safety razor shaving has had a growing resurgence in popularity. Perhaps this is a desire to share in an experience of our ancestors. It could be an interest in learning the time-honored skill involved in the art of wet shaving itself. Maybe it's for financial reasons, as the expense of straight/safety razor shaving is quite cost-saving overall when compared to the price of modern cartridge razors. Or perhaps it's simply the want to step outside of mainstream practice and be bolder with our everyday appearance than some others.  Whatever your reasons may be, they are endearingly your own. You may now find yourself among many others who have, by hobby, profession or passion, found their way to the practice of single-blade-edge (SBE) wet shaving. Welcome! There is a entire community of people, just like yourself, to offer guidance, opinions and product reviews that will help you make the best of your everyday shaving experience. If you're new to single-edge shaving, I suggest starting small without rushing into it... read, research, explore tutorials, learn the skills and invest modestly in the basics to begin. Where you go from there is entirely up to you.

Left to right - Manion M5 adjst razor, 1965 Gilette Slim adjst 
razor, Weishi butterfly TTO, Dovo 6/8" Flowing straight razor.

In the photo above, I show a few of the tools I use routinely for shaving daily, though not all. I do quite a lot of shaving. I am shaved bald and, aside from a Van Dyke beard, I'm also clean shaven. I've been SBE wet shaving for about ten years now. Prior to this, I shaved with commercial cartridge razors. I found that I was spending about $15.00 a month on them, which is quite a lot when you look at the annual cost. Add to that the cost of shaving cream, and I was spending more than $200.00 annual. Plus, I was adding to the bulk of our landfills with items that pollute, are not recyclable and have a very long decay rate.

I first began SBE wet shaving with a 3/8" straight razor that I'd purchased at a local antiques shop for about $12.00. The blade was/is in remarkably excellent condition, with no blemishes or rust whatsoever given it's 1907 manufacturing date. The blade's edge and shoulders were equally well-preserved and only lightly worn, though the cutting edge was rather dull at the time of purchase. Even the black celluloid scales were in great shape. What a find for my first razor, and it would not be the last! I shortly after purchased a Norton 4000/8000 wet stone and new leather strop to re-edge this blade, and began to learn and develop my sharpening skills. From there, my fandom was solidified and has grown. I'm a wet shaver through and through now.

Given this passion, I feel compelled to share my experience with others, post reviews of SBE razors and related products that I own or have used and, perhaps, offer some insight along the way to those new to this art. In the weeks and months to come, I'll likely also add video reviews of many of the razors I own and perhaps look to the community to help place the history of some older razors that I've struggled to place, and other razors that I may add to my collection that I chance upon along my journeys. So, check back from time to time. I thank you for visiting today and I wish you all the best.

Best regards,
Patrick, K3NYJ

Disclaimer: All content presented on this site are subjective and solely representative of personal ownership experience and individual understanding of said products and related subject matter described herein. Any and all representations, descriptions and commentaries posted herein are offered from opinion and should not be regarded as expert affidavit or testimony, or as a manufacturer's statement in any way. Please consult with product manufacturers and their approved sources for complete details, specifications and applicable warranties of all products described herein. All photos presented herein are property of this site's moderator and are not public domain.