IKON,,,,,,,,,form and function

Let's talk about single and double edged razors and the blades that they use.
marsos52
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IKON,,,,,,,,,form and function

Post by marsos52 »

hi all

i finally recieved my ikon razor.. it took longer than i expected to get to me. i didnt know it was coming from thialand.. i thought it was coming from the usa.

any way it has turned out to be worth the two week waiting time.
it took two weeks and a couple of days

so i got it yesterday and used it today.

i am impressed with this razor in every way. first its made as well as it could be.. and the grip is unreal. you cant slip or drop it if you wanted to

the razor is heavy and the weight is all in the handle. before i used it i was thinking it may not work well because the razors head is so light.
wrong.. it is perfectly balanced and its a pleasure to use

the shaving angle is so easy to find right off the bat.. kinda like i have shaved forever with it..

first time out i got a bbs shave with no touch-up needed. for me thats is great because the only razor that gives me a bbs with no touch-up is my futur. infact even with the futur my upper lip is the hardest area to get perfectly smooth. the ikon just plowed my upper lip as smooth as i have ever had it.

this razor is somewhat aggressive. and i not think i would suggest it to a new de shaver. i got good feedback as to how the razor was shaving, and didnt get any weepers or nicks ( i did get a weeper on my adams apple that cleared up before i got to rinse my face off)

alll in all i can only say real good things about this new razor. its truely pretty much perfect in every way. and i am looking forward to tomorrows shave with it

the model i ordered is a 4" tech handle. also i came packaged nicely too
the handle was well wrapped and the head was wrapped and put in a plactic container along with a couple packs of blades

i think its a keeper, im sure its a keeper

finally a true custom made razor and it works

if only we could get custom made blades of ikon razors quality

marc
Sando
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Post by Sando »

Marc, you got the Ikon I've had my eye on. They really are good looking razors. Glad to hear it's getting the job done for you.

...Ray
mycat
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Post by mycat »

Marc,

I have the same identical iKon and totally agree with you regarding a BBS.
The grip is unreal and I think the weight has a lot to do with it.

I am waiting for Pureslap to finish production of his version of the Bulldog which will be next up on my list.


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brothers
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Post by brothers »

I'm very impressed with the engineering and fit/finish. Am I correct that it is all stainless steel? I am wondering about the gold one also, is it gold plated stainless steel?
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
marsos52
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Post by marsos52 »

gary it is solid stainless (not plated)

about the gold ,, i take it its gold plated over stainless
but i dont know that as a fact

if its solid gold,,, nobody could afford it

and it maybe to soft a metal to be solid gold @ 18k no less

i always try new razors and razors i have never tried ever

and normally i am not impressed ...the last two years i have used and tried so many razors and the only razors i have liked and been impressed with is the edwin jaggers with the merkur tweeked head

and this ikon.. the ikon may not be good for all de users
but it is great for me
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Squire
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Post by Squire »

If it is good for you marc I'm sure it will work for me as our tastes coincide more often than not.
Regards,
Squire
marsos52
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Post by marsos52 »

i think you may be correct

remember the 4" tech handle is heavier than the others
i dont know but going by others razors i have used, the heavier one seem to give the better results

di you make a deal for one?
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Squire
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Post by Squire »

I sent a pm and presume he will reply back.
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Squire
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yohannrjm
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Post by yohannrjm »

Squire wrote:I sent a pm and presume he will reply back.
So, are you considering buying one of these, Squire?
If you are, you might want to email Gary directly.

I can add my voice to the praise of these razors. I've had mine for a few weeks now and have enjoyed every shave with them. Every one of the shaves was effortless and comfortable.

This razor has been well-conceived and brilliantly executed. It's nice to have a razor that the manufacturer was trying to build to do a great job at shaving, instead of just trying to sucker people into purchasing it.
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MadAussie
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Post by MadAussie »

I still have not had a hassle free awesome shave with it yet. Close to giving up on it as a 'just did not work for me' deal.
-- Stu, the mad Australian living in Virginia :: Come on you Irons!! WHUFC --
- Honed on the grave stone of Bruce Lee -
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Squire
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Post by Squire »

Gary says he in in Thailand and only uses paypal. That's a no go for me because I refuse to use the darn thing.
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Squire
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Squire
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Post by Squire »

Some years back I was buying some stuff off ebay using paypal and became a victim of identity theft. Credit card company made the charges good and I decided I ain't screwing with this thing anymore.
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yohannrjm
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Post by yohannrjm »

MadAussie wrote:I still have not had a hassle free awesome shave with it yet. Close to giving up on it as a 'just did not work for me' deal.
That's sad, but not unusual, I guess. The whole YMMV thing strikes again.
I had the same experience with a really nice custom Merkur slant I just recently got rid of. Whatever I did, I couldn't get a decent shave with the thing.
A couple of days later I tried a Hoffritz slant.....and got some of the best shaves I've ever had. :?:

Anyway, if you decide you've had it with the iKon, contact me and maybe we can work out a trade of some sorts. I'd like to have a backup.
kevtex
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Post by kevtex »

Does anyone know if IKON plans on producing a bar or closed comb razor? I really like the looks of his razors but the open combs I've used in the past didn't agree with me. The EJ DE89 with the new head design gives me the best shave I've had so far. Would it be safe to say that the IKON is more aggressive than the DE89?
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yohannrjm
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Post by yohannrjm »

In the last email I got from Greg, he told me that he's looking into making a 'Tech' analogue in stainless steel. That would be closed comb, I guess, though I haven't heard any more about it since.
He seems to be concentrating on different versions of the open-comb concept.
A closed comb razor would be a significant departure from what he's been doing so far. Machining an open-comb from a solid block of stainless steel is probably easier (less metal stock waste) than doing a closed comb.
marsos52
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Post by marsos52 »

hi kevtex

i have a de89 and the ikon in the tech handle

the de89 gives a smoother feel and is less aggressive than the ikon
i would think the other ikon versions that have less wieght than the tech model handle would be a bit less aggressive, in many cases the heavier the razors tend to be more aggressive

the ikon also gives alot more feedback than the de89 with the new muele/ej head. what i mean about feedback is as you are shaving you will feel the blade more than with the de89. (less smooth)

my ikon shaves me about the same as my futur set at #3

if that helps you. i have tried 3 different blades on the ikon thus far..
the merkur blade was the first blade i tried and the shave was amazing,
but not smooth at all. next i tried a personna red and that was a quite smooth shave and made the razor feel like it was a different razor totally
but still a very close shave. the second day with the personna i could feel the blade more and it wasnt as smooth as the first day when the blade was super fresh, i dont go for a third day with it. today i used a gillette yellow and again got a super good shave and it was smooth than the merkur and not as smooth as the personna red.

so far each shave with three different blades gave me just as close a shave but the feel (feedback) was different with each blade

i personally like the feedback (feeling the blade perform as i shave)
i think this razor will give a simliar shave with most desent to good quality blades. judging from the three blades i have used so far.

about the open comb design... the open comb allows the blade to lye on the comb where the safety bar style heads have a gap from the bar to the head ... the gap can make it easier to get a nick. and also just a bit harder to find the best or correst shaving angle.. with the open comb the
correct shaving angle is with the comb flush to your skin because the blade is acually resting on the comb.

so if you dont mind feeling the blade shaving you. the open comb has some nice built in features

i would imagine that using a derby extra will tame the ikons aggrresiveness. i do have a couple of derbys some where and plan on seeing how they do.

but after the gillette yellow is exhausted i want to go back to the merkur blade again

i have used the ikon everyday for a week now. and each shave has impressed me.. the razor is solid and gets the job done. its a very serious razors. thats i would rate the same as my futur. and for me thats saying alot. i have used the futur for ten years and i feel its one of the best razors if not the best razor. so putting the ikon at the level of the futur is really saying something

marc
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Squire
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Post by Squire »

That is saying something marc.
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kevtex
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Post by kevtex »

Marc thanks for explaining everything. I'll keep checking back and see how IKON is progressing with his razors and keep my fingers crossed for a safety bar razor with the bull dog handle.
marsos52
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Post by marsos52 »

no problem at all

i find this ikon to be very interesting, and i havent found anything i dont like about it.

i have tried so many razors and probably will continue too, other than merkurs and edwin jaggers, i have never really used a razor that shaves me without having to do extra passes and or touch-ups or having to use advanced shaving strokes such as blades buffing and j-hooking ete etc

no razor is perfect, the ej's have comfort to the hand, and good looks to say the least. they offer a really nice and smooth shave, i like how they are aggressive without the feel of being aggressive. i personally like the merkur (tweeked by ej) head more than the muehle/ej head

and the downside of the ej's is they are fragile, especially the plastic handle ones, and most are those handles, and they are kind of on the costly side..

the futur is a razor that has always amazing me. i think these razors were way ahead of there time. and the proof is they have always been a best seller for merkur, but even with all the love and positive comments here at the forum just lately has the futur won the hearts of so many.

the futur is a work of art, its has everything to offer like adustable, really fits the hand, easiest to load and remove blades, made to last a lifetime plus........ and it balance and weight make it easy to shave. all this and the futur is the closest shaver i have ever used and its very blade friendly and makes mosts or maybe all blades feel smooth.

its down side is it is bulky and awkward to use. and it head is rather huge and can make it harder to shave the tight areas and upper lip..

with the ikon it has the plus features of the ej's and futur, some may not like that razor lets you feel the blade shaving. and that maybe its only downside i have found at this point, probably if the head had just the smallest amount more weight, it would smooth out the blade feedback just enough to make as perfect a razor as i have ever used

once again if blades were like they once were, i think there would not be any need to have a tad more weight to the razors head.

i really wish i still had my vintage gillettes and swedes and wilkys to try in this razor

well i am winded time for a break

marc
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Emerson
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Post by Emerson »

Just an FYI.

I ordered an Ikon Bulldog and received maybe 10 days later. It was well-packaged and even came with a pack of Feathers (though I don't dare use them in it).

It is beautiful, but I was disappointed that it was not the spindle-style as pictured in this thread which is what I thought I was ordering. My Ikon is a very normal 2-piece head and threaded handle.

This is no complaint about Greg.
He answered my emails promptly and offered a refund. The spindles won't be done for a while and will cost more. Again, I like my razor, am still a bit disappointed it wasn't the cool looking spindle style, and was very satisfied with the customer service.

I just want folks to know that the Bulldog currently offered at ~$45 is not the spindle style that has shown up in a lot of Ikon related threads.
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