I had such good results giving my Gillette Slim Adjustable TTO a second, open-minded trial, that I thought I'd approach the Weishi in the same way.
The Weishi 9306-F is a Chinese knock off of the Gillette Super Speed TTO (read my previous 9306 review here). The Weishi has good heft and lots of visual appeal because it is a brass substrate that has been nicely chrome plated. It is a mild shaving implement, with a very modest blade reveal, a low 28-degree blade angle in relation to the shave plane, and a moderate blade-bar gap.
In side views with the blade mounted, the Weishi blade positioning in the razor head looks somewhat similar to the Gillette Slim Adjustable that I own. Of course the cross-section design of the stamped safety bar is different. Also the blade angle of the Weishi is a bit smalle than the mildest setting on the Gilletter (28 degrees as compared to 31 degrees), which should actually give the Weishi a milder, more-slicing, less-scraping shaving angle. Also the Weishi blade exposure is pretty neutral, that is, even with the shave plane, while the Gillette is positive, that is, a bit above the shave plane.
The blade-bar gap may be proportionally a little larger on the Weishi, which would tend to make the capacity of the razor a bit larger than otherwise -- and the risk a bit higher -- but all things considered, the Weishi should offer a mild, comfortable shave. So I decided to give it another go as I did so successfully with the Gillette Slim.
Using my typical minimalist prep and shave soap #10C I took a three-and-a-half pass shave. The shave was close but marred by a quirk of the 9306 that I had forgotten. The closure mechanism tends to loosen while shaving, which takes the shaving angle out of the blade to a degree, which gives a harsher, less-predictable shave. To prevent this, one has to repeatedly snug the TTO mechanism to ensure the blade is properly and tightly seated in the razor head. So, having forgotten this, I started to feel so harshness in the second pass on my neck, and sure enough, the TTO mechanism wasn't tight.
After addressing that issue, the shave progressed without further incident. Of course as expected, the alum rub revealed significant irritation on my lower neck, and some under the jaw line as well. So I did a Noxzema-and-water wash, followed by an inexpensive balm supplemented with a couple of drops of vitamin E oil.
The net result was a hand-pleasing shave, but some minor, lingering irritation on my neck.
If I shaved with this razor regularly, I would remember to occasionally snug the TTO knob while shaving. I may use it again in a week or so, just to confirm that I can actually get a close AND COMFORTABLE shave with this instrument.
[UPDATE: Yet another shave a few days after this suggested that a reasonably close and comfortable shave can be had with this razor. However its limited capacity does limit its ability to shave as close or as comfortably and with, say, my Merkur 33C. The Weishi is definitely a mild shaver, but that doesn't precisely correlate with comfortable and close.]
Happy shaving!
The Weishi 9306-F is a Chinese knock off of the Gillette Super Speed TTO (read my previous 9306 review here). The Weishi has good heft and lots of visual appeal because it is a brass substrate that has been nicely chrome plated. It is a mild shaving implement, with a very modest blade reveal, a low 28-degree blade angle in relation to the shave plane, and a moderate blade-bar gap.
In side views with the blade mounted, the Weishi blade positioning in the razor head looks somewhat similar to the Gillette Slim Adjustable that I own. Of course the cross-section design of the stamped safety bar is different. Also the blade angle of the Weishi is a bit smalle than the mildest setting on the Gilletter (28 degrees as compared to 31 degrees), which should actually give the Weishi a milder, more-slicing, less-scraping shaving angle. Also the Weishi blade exposure is pretty neutral, that is, even with the shave plane, while the Gillette is positive, that is, a bit above the shave plane.
 |
| The Weishi 9306-F |
 |
| The Gillette Slim Adjustable set on one, its most mild setting. |
After addressing that issue, the shave progressed without further incident. Of course as expected, the alum rub revealed significant irritation on my lower neck, and some under the jaw line as well. So I did a Noxzema-and-water wash, followed by an inexpensive balm supplemented with a couple of drops of vitamin E oil.
The net result was a hand-pleasing shave, but some minor, lingering irritation on my neck.
If I shaved with this razor regularly, I would remember to occasionally snug the TTO knob while shaving. I may use it again in a week or so, just to confirm that I can actually get a close AND COMFORTABLE shave with this instrument.
[UPDATE: Yet another shave a few days after this suggested that a reasonably close and comfortable shave can be had with this razor. However its limited capacity does limit its ability to shave as close or as comfortably and with, say, my Merkur 33C. The Weishi is definitely a mild shaver, but that doesn't precisely correlate with comfortable and close.]
Happy shaving!
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