HomelikeShaving Hummingbird Prototype.

[Str8Mug]

HomelikeShaving and a good friend over in the Russian Motherland put together this prototype razor that was hand polished to near Wolfman standards and delivered it to us Yanks to give it a go for a few weeks. These are my initial thoughts that I wrote up on another forum. Forgive the lousy pics, Gents. They don’t do this razor any justice......

One down and a few more to go. This was a really good shave truth be told. I’ll be quick and I’ll try not to stretch out my write ups much. For the first shave I went with the .80 gap plate just to get a base feel and my initial shave with the Hummingbird prototype. A quick reference I also own the START razor in the polish finish and this is a much, much better polish finish of higher quality and finish. As you can see it’s a darn good mirror finish on all the components with the underside of the top cap not having the mirror look but, it is cleaned up well with barely any tooling marks from the CNC process. You’d really have to look close to find any. The handle has a very well done polish while still exhibiting a nice tactile feel from the knurling. It feels better with more grip than the START’s handle. It’s an argyle like type pattern that resembles the Karve handle but, like I said exhibits better tactile feel. The head profile is super slim and the blade tabs are exposed on this razor as to being completely covered on the START razor. Just wanted to mention it to those that care about such things. Makes no difference to me. Balance in the hands is quite good and it just feels right. I have my scale somewhere and I’ll get some numbers on the weight of the razor and individual components within the next day or two. The base plate has a machined recess for the handle and the nylon washer insert that melds nicely and is not as noticeable compared to the START which is a nice aesthetic touch imo. Once a blade is placed onto the top cap and pinched with the base plate & handle, it’s a nice solid crunch with excellent support and rigidity.

I performed a 3 pass shave with the Hummingbird and Sputnik blade that gave me a pleasant surprise. First, this razor has a different design and geometry that is not like the START. With the .80 gap it felt as smooth as the START with the .90 SB plate and with a tick more blade feel. I gave myself 3-4 weepers with this razor in which I have never gotten a single one from the START .90. I chalk that up to first shave unfamiliarity and me thinking this is going to be an ice skate shave. And it was but, that tiny bit of blade feel from the .80 really turns this razor into more of an efficient feeling tool. Again, that’s just on first go and I haven’t shaved with the START for some time so I just might do a side by side just to confirm if the Hummingbird is a bit more blade forward over the START. I actually loved the shave that it gave me. Minus those few weepers, the shave was irritation and nic free. By the 2nd pass I was whipping it around my face and that’s where I saw those 3-4 weepers after my rinse. Like I said, on me not the razor. The shave was great and a BBS finish that was second to none. The Sputnik blade is a smooth and sharp performer. Much better than I had anticipated.

I’m going to enjoy putting this Russian thoroughbred through the shave ringer....

 

[Str8Mug]

A few more pics of the base plates with their gap sizes....

 

[slapo]

Thanks for the write-up.
Does the Start top cap fit the Hummingbird baseplates with good blade clamp, by any chance?

 

[Str8Mug]

Thanks for the write-up.
Does the Start top cap fit the Hummingbird baseplates with good blade clamp, by any chance?

Will check on that later this evening....

 

[Dr Watson]

Looks nice. Kolibri would be a better product name, same meaning of course. IMO "Hummingbird" is just a bit... meh.

 

[SeanC]

I'm guessing that the 1.50 gap plate will be in R41 / Ikon Tech territory?

 

[slapo]

Looks nice. Kolibri would be a better product name, same meaning of course. IMO "Hummingbird" is just a bit... meh.

Either way, though, it does make me expect lots of blade flex. But the head looks a lot like a pretty close copy of Wolfman/Gamechanger design from the side, so flex should be minimal.

 

[slapo]

I'm guessing that the 1.50 gap plate will be in R41 / Ikon Tech territory?

Maybe not - even though it seems there's positive blade exposure from the write-up, there might be tweaks to the geometry to keep exposure minimal while keeping clamp toward the blade edge solid.

Hopefully, @Str8Mug is going to shed some light on this soon.

 

[Str8Mug]

Here are a few weights on some of the components. I’ll get dimensions either later today or tomorrow as I have misplaced my caliper/veneer. Weights are +,- 2 grams....

With blade installed +,- 2 grams. weighing is never a perfect
science.......

This is a description from Vadim at HomelikeShaving from the DFS forum with some numbers for those that are into specific weights & dimensions.......

We are glad to present you with a Hummingbird safety razor. It is designed as a continuation of your favorite Safe Razor Start. Just like the last razor start, the hummingbird is made of aisi316 stainless steel. In Hummingbird, the main geometry of Start was preserved - the shape of the top cover, or rather its inner radius, which last but not least determines the nature of shaving. But everything else has been redesigned to please fans of minimalism and old-school versions of safety razors.
First of all, the bottom plate underwent major changes, its length was reduced to 40 mm. Not only to make it look like old razors but also to reduce the gap between the edge of the plate and the edge of the blade, it’s easier to trim in hard to reach places. For the same purpose, special bevels were made around the edges of the guard. Now the length of the blade and the length of the guard are almost the same.
Big changes have been made with the lowest plate. All "excess meat" has been removed, but without compromising on functionality and durability, a special groove has been made for security origins, for those who do not like to scratch their razor. The grooves for the blade retainers on the top cover are now through, and the retainers themselves are flush with the surface of the bottom plate.
But besides external alterations, Hummingbird also has its own charm, since the GAP of this razor is not repeatable and differs from the Start razor. It will consist of positions:
0.80 - everyday shaving for soft razors
1.10 - medium aggressive razor, for shaving every 2-3 days. To whom circumstances do not allow shaving more often.
1.30 - aggressive razor, for shaving every 3-4 days. For owners of sensitive skin in conjunction with hard bristles to shave as efficiently as possible, for a minimum number of passes.
1.50 - for lovers of hardcore and maximum clean shave. Often you will not shave with such a razor, but each shave will bring vivid sensations and the joy of its effectiveness. With this razor, you need to not forget about the shaving technique and be collected. But the end result will be worth the time spent. For shaving on weekends, once a week.
All hummingbirds are polished, the information on the lower plates is applied by milling with a groove depth of 0.35 mm.
Specifications
The aggressiveness of the bottom plate GAP: 0.80, 1.10, 1.30, 1.50
Production Material: aisi316 stainless steel
Dimensions of the top plate (cover): 40 x 19 mm
Dimensions of bottom plate: 40 x 25.5 mm
Handle dimensions: 90 x 12 mm
Weight of the razor assembly: 102 gr.
Finish: Polished
Brand: HomeLikeHsaving (Russia, Omsk)

 

[Str8Mug]

Had to compare the two HomelikeShaving stablemates, the START & Hummingbird. Two completely different razors in design yet, they deliver very similar shaves with a couple of differences. I didn’t want to use the one time used Sputnik blade and I wanted to keep things as close as possible even though the START had the .90 plate & the Hummingbird with the same .80 from yesterday. Both had fresh Astra SP’s and I went with the Stirling Margaritas in The Arctic face cooler today as the heat was in the 90’s and I needed a face chill.

Assigned each razor a particular side of my face with the Hummingbird on the right, START on the left and just got to work. I performed a complete 3 pass shave on each side. These are both extremely smooth operators with blade feel that is minimal but, I can clearly and distinctly feel just a tad more of it on the Hummingbird over the START. It’s not much but, when shaving side by side you can tell that the Hummingbird has the blade feel ever so slightly over the START. The weight was quite apparent as well between the two razors with the START being the heavier of the two as you can see on one of my previous posts. Balance was close between the two but, the Hummingbird felt more neutral in that aspect and honestly easier to maneuver from WTG, XTG & ATG passes. I’m not saying it felt as if it was the superior razor, just the easier one to control and throw around. I also found the Hummingbird to be a more intuitive shaver with getting the angle rather quickly over the START. Not a huge discrepancy but, just enough that I felt more comfortable with the Hummingbird in getting the optimum cutting angle compared to the START. Remember, were talking very subtle differences here between these two razors. They are both sort of neutral in angle with neither being biased towards the cap or guard. Neither will cut much if they’re positioned towards the guard, same for riding towards the cap. They both work right in the middle with the START exhibiting less blade over the Hummingbird. They both delivered a very good, comfortable shave. Upon my final rinse and feel it was nearly a BBS finish with just a couple of stragglers on the START’s left side near the Adams Apple, always a tough spot for ANY razor. But, the Hummingbird left no such defiant whisker rebels on the right side of Sir Adam. I also like the Hummingbird in the ATG pass with that slight bit more of razor feel with giving real good feedback. The START is just a little quieter in that aspect and really is the mellower sounding razor during the shave. The Hummingbird is not a screamer but, it definitely gives better audible feedback of the two. Not a single incident nor any irritation to speak of. Just a great quality shave by two excellent razors.

On just shave performance though, I’d have to give my vote to the Hummingbird. I won’t know long term which of the two will win out as I’d have to do a face feel sometime in the morning. I’ll post my findings on longevity sometime tomorrow. For my next shave I’m going to swap out the .80 and go to the .130 SB plate and skip a day and see how that will go. More shaves coming.....

 

[carbold]

oh yes, I like it. The Start was too heavy, and not very efficient for me. This seems to address both problems. Nice finish as well....
But for me the key question is what is the blade exposure?

 

[Ventastic]

No mention of exposure though. The start, also in the higher gaps, lacked some efficiency. Going on the producer's description, the exposure doesn't appear to have been altered in the hummingbird. I do like the weight though, and the finish looks a lot more refined than that of the start razor.

 

[Sami]

Did i see a lot of blade overhang? I got used to so many good SS razors with no blade overhang that it got to be the default standard to me

 

[Str8Mug]

Heavy work day and just got my shave in. Today I used the 1.10 OC plate with the Sputnik blade that I used on the very first shave. Got some good suds with the Grooming Dept. Citric and went to work on 2 full days worth of facial whiskers. On the very first pass and actually the first stroke, there is a very nice feel in blade action and I knew this was going to be an efficient yet smooth shave. On the first pass this razor did not disappoint in taking down some serious growth. Intuitive, easy on the skin with just a bump up in blade feel that was very pleasing. To me, it feels fairly close to a .95 Timeless OC in it’s efficiency though, the Timeless feels more solid perhaps because of the thicker & heavier head compared to the ultra slim Hummingbird. Still, the Hummingbird had no issue with blade deflection or skipping while performing each of my passes and it knocked down the hairs without a single issue. I was pretty much done with a DFS in two but, decided to give myself the full Dolphin Smooth effect and went with some buffing around the chin & jawline as my cheeks and neck were already there. I didn’t use enough suds on the chin and I gave myself about 3 weepers just going left to right and vice-versa. This razor even with the OC design takes everything with it. Re-lather every time is my suggestion when touching up or buffing. Even just with the 1.10 gap this razor can get busy if you’re lazy or just nonchalantly going through the motions. You’ll see a couple red dots and say to yourself “how’d that happen?” It’s that subtle. It’s a performer. Aside from the weepers there was no irritation to speak of and the alum pass did not mark any burners. 3 weepers but, an excellent finish. I can live with that.

I’ll try to get another shave in tomorrow with the 1.30 depending on the work schedule. If not, it’s on to Saturday Morning for the next shave. Looking forward to the next two gap sizes and see if it maintains some smoothness while ratcheting up the gap and blade feel.

Happy Shaves Comrades.........

 

[slapo]

Will check on that later this evening....

Have you managed to try it out, by any chance?