Thread: Clarification - Kamisori Razors

Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

Aren't these the guys who have Lynn's video on their site? Is this their normal stuff, or the new titanium coated one?

Randy was making a joke I think . the gillette venus for women.

Originally Posted by FUD

Randy was making a joke I think . the gillette venus for women.

I thought he was talking about http://www.venusworldwide.com.

I wonder about brands like that. Looking forward to the review on that if that really is wat Randy ordered.

Originally Posted by urleebird

Got the Kamisori on Saturday. I honed it up today and will shave with it tomorrow. I'll give you what I think in the next day or two.

I also got the Venus today and I will evaluate that one as well...

Yes guys, I was making a joke. However, when you have to explain it, apparently I wasn't making a GOOD joke! When Bill mentioned that he got the "Venus" today, I automatically thought of the Gillette Venus, designed for ladies, and therefore included a link in my original "joke" post.

RT

I just checked our the venusworldwide site. It looks like they have some nice straights at a very reasonable price. I also see they have Lynn's video on their site. Did a search here and didn't find any info on them. Anyone here dealt w/ them in the past? If so, how are their razors?

The razors offered by venusworldwide are Pakistani junk. Stay away. A few members tried them. They're almost impossible to hone, and if you manage to get a good edge it won't last the entire shave.

Amy, very nice of you to offer the club razors for a give-away and even bigger congrats for sticking up for your company name.

Glen

tombuesing Bill has ordered his through regular channels so we shall soon see.

Keaton

Originally Posted by tombuesing

I'd be more inclined to believe that test results if the razors are bought through regular channels than these razors that were especially sent to our testers for evaluation - bait and switch?

Hello Dennis,

In the past, those of us that have had the misfortune of acquiring a Venusworldwide razor have regretted it.

Spend you money on a razor that has been STAMPED! on the shank of the razor with any of the following.

M.I. Germany
Solingen
Sheffield
England
Eskiltuna
France
Spain
any American location. The above indicates the country of origin.Then its hard to go wrong with your razor selection because they have quality steel.

The razors that have been made in Pakistan, Korea,China,India,Dutch are generally made of a poor quality steel and usually have a poor grind to the bade.

If you are seriously considering a razor feel free to ask us either publicly or send us a PM or email. We are glad to help.

Originally Posted by dennisthemenace

I just checked our the venusworldwide site. It looks like they have some nice straights at a very reasonable price. I also see they have Lynn's video on their site. Did a search here and didn't find any info on them. Anyone here dealt w/ them in the past? If so, how are their razors?

First things first. This was not a bait and switch. I see this as a legitimate effort by Amy to clean up a somewhat tarnished reputation that the Kamisori razor had. She is to be commended for that.

This razor arrived in the standard plastic box in which most of the newer razors are packaged these days. It had typical black plastic scales with what appears to be those Dovo pins at the pivot and butt of the razor. It weighed in at 1.4 ounces, which is acceptable for a 5/8 razor. The balance was equally acceptable. The grind was similar to a Hamburg. That is where the blade looks like it has been ground twice and leaves a slightly thicker parallel ridge for strength about 1/8 of an inch from the cutting edge.

There was a variance in the blade thickness of the spine, starting at .155 at the shoulder and .185 at the head, or point, or tip of the blade. This variance did not seem to affect honing, which was somewhat surprising. If I were the quality control guy at Kamisori, I would express some concern over this fact.

I have yet to have it rockwell tested, but hope to get that done within the next week. The steel responded well to my normal progression of honing a new razor. This one was not shave ready out of the box. Stropping alone would not have gotten it shave ready, either.

I started with a 1,000 grit, followed by a 4,000 and finally to my 8,000 grit waterstones. From the stones I went to some 2.5 micron oxide mushed in leather for a few passes, then a .5 green paste, and then to my 3 x 12 inch plain leather bed from Hand American. It did not take a great deal of effort to get it shave ready. About 20 minutes, tops. I was able to maintain a relatively even hone wear on the spine.

I experienced a decent shave using the Kamisori. It certainly wasn't the smooth shave I have come to expect from some of the higher quality razors, but it was acceptable nevertheless. I think I will be able to fine tune it some more for a little better shave.

What I consider in a razor is price to value ratio. I see this ($100) model can be bought on sale for $80. I think that Kamisori might consider improving the quality a little before asking this much for this particular razor. I say this based upon knowing what $80 will buy in both a knife and a razor on the current market. At the price of $80, I would choose something else. For that amount of money, I would want a grind with closer tolerances than what I got. That, however, is up to you. What is important to know is that the razor has decent steel and gives an acceptable shave.

Here is what I was not particularly fond of regarding the razor

• The large logo on the blade. It was also not fully etched into the blade and it was slightly tilted. It needs to be more subtle and maybe confined to the tang area. I would personally consider using only the dragon part of the logo and put Solingen next to that on the tang. Keep in mind that's just personal taste and has nothing to do with shaving capability or this evaluation.
• I did not like the varience in the thickness of the blade. I am not quite sure how this would happen other than someone may have been in a hurry to get the work done at the factory. There is a lot more hand work in producing razors than knives in a production setting.
• The scales are unremarkable plastic. I don't like them. I would not process them to give them the patent leather look they now have. Making them a flat color may improve the appearance. They are no worse than any of the other scales on the market today, but I don't like many of them either. Kamisori would do well to buy scales from Nenad. His scales, some decent pins, that blade as modified above, and now I'm thinking that $80 is not so bad. I don't see these changes as affecting the profit margin all that much. But I do see an increase in sales if it were done.
• Those pins. I can't stand those little circular indents they have on one side of the pin to copy the look of a pin inside the ring of a washer. Then when the other side is peened, you have a smooth dome. They don't match and it looks chincy. Attention to detail, I believe, is what helps sell a product. I'm sure everyone would be happy with how it used to be. Sometimes progress isn't always progress.
• I did not like that it was not shave ready. I have run across NOS razors that could shave with just a strop to freshen the edge. Maybe it's a lost art and no one knows how to do it any more. I know it's also possible that it is passed on to the customer because they know they can.
• The plastic box. These are only good for shipping. I guess you could safely store a stainless razor in one of these things, but not a carbon steel razor. The cardboard box needs to come back. The paper fibers absorbed the moisture and helped prevent rust. They weren't made that way to save money by using cardboard.

I do have to say that this razor is an acceptable shaver. It is just a matter of how much a person thinks a shaveable razor is worth to them. I see Kamisori as to have taken some positive steps in building the same reputation with their razors as they have with their sissors. I would like to see if they improve further.