The Mongoose is a single-edge (SE) razor that uses blades made for professional shavettes: somewhat wider and a lot narrower than a DE blade or a GEM-style SE blade. Tryablade sells a couple of good blade-sampler packs for this razor, and I recommend it if you get the razor.
I got two, including handles, to test. One will become a gift or be sold. The handles have deeply engraved spirals with no cross-check, so for me they are not fully comfortable, feeling as though they might twist. (In the UFO spiral handles and in the British Gillette spiral handles, the spirals include cross-checks so there’s no tendency to twist; this spiraling is more like that of the Merkur barberpole handle (38C and 39C), and I do not care for that handle either.
The stain-finish handle is not bad, but I think I would replace the polished handle: it really is slick and twisty. However, the threads are totally standard, and I’ve already tried a couple of other handles, so it’s easy to swap handles—and you can also purchase the heads by themselves, which is basically what I recommend. However, given the weight of the head, you will want a pretty heavy stainless handle for comfort and balance.
Now to the shave: I got a very nice lather with Tim’s Greek Peach, which has a terrific fragrance that will provide year-round enjoyment and should certainly spark up a cold, dark, drizzly morning. Today I got two good passes before finding the lather pretty much gone by the third—similar to the pattern with the R&B commemorative boar brush. That brush was completely broken in after a week’s use and no more lather problems ensued. So I think I’ll continue to use the Whip Dog High Mountain Badger for a week and watch it improve.
The shave: I used a Kai Captain Sharpblade in one razor, a Feather Pro Super in the other. And, naturally enough, I forgot which was which, but they both did a good job. BostonPhotoTourist had strongly recommended the Mongoose, which was the push that moved me to buy, and he’s right: the razor is extremely comfortable and extremely efficient. No cuts or nicks—didn’t feel like such was possible, but I didn’t try to test it—and the result is BBS. I have to say that I like the razor.
Typical of a SE razor, though, you’ll rinse more often: once the razor fills with lather, you can’t flip to the other side. Minor drawback.
The fit, finish, and overall quality of the razor is really superb: top-notch workmanship and a terrific razor to use. My comments about the handles are undoubtedly in the YMMV, personal-preference area, but it does mean that, so far as I’m concerned, you can order the head alone and get along fine with a Bulldog handle from Weber or iKon, or use the iKon OSS handle, or one of the Maggard stainless handles, or a handle from Above the Tie or Wolfman Razors: there’s no shortage of choices.
TL; DR: Great shave, superb razor.
Filed under: Shaving
