Pass Around Yates Precision Razor Passaround

Chris

Forum DOG!
Staff member
Second shave with the H plate and another good one. Today I pretty much threw caution to the wind and just had at it with no problems. To avoid boring everyone to death I won't keep posting unless there's something noteworthy, I'll just sum up at the end of my time with the razor. I am getting very good results with the H plate though.
 

Chris

Forum DOG!
Staff member
I skipped shaving yesterday so two days' growth and I went to work with the M plate. There was more blade feel and efficiency than I was expecting but obviously less than the H plate and other than having more pick-ups than I had with the H the shave was not dramatically different, it just required a bit more work in my difficult spots. It was extremely comfortable though and still had the excellent audio feedback. It definitely still felt mild enough on the face that I would suggest it to someone who likes mild razors but it was deceptively efficient.

Tomorrow I may go back to the H plate as I think I prefer it but it was a close-run thing and I would be seriously tempted to pick up both plates if I bought the razor. I don’t think I’ll try the EH. I am looking forward to using it again though.
 

Chris

Forum DOG!
Staff member
Sadly, my time with the Yates has reached an end. Three days' growth today which is unusual but I wanted to see how it would handle longer stubble, the H plate made short work of it, and again the Yates delivered a close and very enjoyable shave. The EH plate didn't appeal to me but I enjoyed both the M and H plates with the H being my favourite.

I'm sad to see it move on, but would I buy one? That's a toughie. I got used to the 100mm handle but it's not my preferred length, the shorter handle is a better length but it's too fat and heavy and feels cumbersome. The design of the handles is fine but for me the proportions are wrong, this would be OK if I could swap handles, but the oddball threading and narrow gap prevents this. Unfortunately, much as I enjoyed the shaves and really like the razor the lack of a truly comfortable handle would I think be irksome and at the moment would stop me from buying one, which is a shame. I know the owner is talking about other handle options so I'l be interested to see what develops there.

Thanks to @Holyzeus for arranging the pass-around, I really liked the razor and given a middle-ground option for a handle would be seriously tempted to pick one up.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
The razor arrived earlier today and seems to have survived all the thrashing it it received in transit without harm.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
Had my first, somewhat rushed shave this morning with the EH plate, which looks like it's still a neutral exposure plate (or very close to that).
I think the blade I used was a bit of a dud and felt a little tuggy, but I didn't have enough time for a blade swap.
The shave was alright, though. From memory, rather similar to what the Fine Marvel (which I no longer have) felt like. I'll need to use the plate again with a fresh, sharper blade, but first impressions were pretty positive.

The thin handle is too thin for me, but I quite like the stubby one.
I found it curious that the middle post on the base plate if farther away from the bottom of the top cap on the EH plate than it is on the other two plates, but considering how wide the clamp area is on each side (if a bit farther from the blade edge than I usually like), it's likely of no consequence.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
Second shave in today, still the EH plate, using a fresh Personna Platinum blade.
Actually a 3 pass shave with pickups with BBS almost all over, except just minute leftovers on the jawline (which were still DFS level).
The blade didn't feel tuggy this time, but there was still a lack of smoothness against the grain. It actually felt a lot like an electric shaver. I must be spoiled by the likes of Lupo, Start, Fatip and some others.
I haven't had an issue with the blades to not be smooth or sharp enough that I can remember with those razors.

I have actually pitted it against the Fendrihan steel head mk 1 base plate with the current steel Lupo top cap.
The Yates with EH plate felt a little smoother, the difference was noticeable WTG but barely noticeable ATG.

I'll be trying the M plate tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and (possibly) the H plate afterwards, and then I'll pass the razor on. :)
 

slapo

It's... alive!
I'll add an observation: It seems to me that the blade gap is increased by removing material from the safety bar, rather than adding it to the posts where the top cap and base plate meet.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
I tried the M plate last night (with a Gillette 7 O'clock Super Stainless this time).
The EH and M plates had the about the same blade feel and were similarly somewhat lacking ATG. The M plate has a smaller blade gap and with them both having ~neutral blade exposure, I found the angle easier to keep with the EH plate.
I might give the M plate one more go with a Feather blade tomorrow, report back, and then I'll send it to @bagman, if he gets back to me with an address by then.
 

slapo

It's... alive!
1. p.b * Completed *
2. Boycie83 *Completed*
3. wooky114 * Completed*
4. Masamune *Completed*
5. Stonec0ld *Completed*
6. Morpheus *Completed*
7. Rowlers * Completed*
8. SeanC * Completed *
9. Chris.Hale * Completed *
10. slapo * Completed *
11. bagman * En route *
12. Jeepie
 

slapo

It's... alive!
On Monday, I'd tried it with a Feather blade, but it hadn't actually yielded an improvement over previous shaves.

Final thoughts:
The razor is really well made. The contact surfaces of the top cap and base plates match as well as I've seen any to do so, despite being a little rounded.
I never really found the handle to be slippery unless accidentally covered with soap.
From the razors that clamp a DE blade a fair distance from the blade edge I've tried so far, the Yates with the EH plate is one of the nicest ones, both build-wise and in actual use. I reckon the latter is thanks to a neutral blade exposure and the very well matched contact surfaces being fairly wide, keeping the blade bent a decent amount.

After sending it off, I'd realised that I hadn't pitted it against the Mühle Rocca v4 and that I hadn't tried injector blade in it. The blades might've been a little too "shallow" for it, but I could've at least tried them in there. 😑
If there'd be an OC EH plate, I would be tempted to get it for use with injector blades.

Even though the razor isn't quite for me with DE blades, it was a fun experience.
Thanks for @Holyzeus for organising the passaround and to @yatesprecision for the razor itself.
 

bagman

Coffee drinker
Staff member
I deliberately haven’t looked at any other reviews since they were posted (and I have a mind like a sieve anyway according to SWMBO :) ) so a lot of this might be duplication but here goes my first impressions:

High quality, love the tin box, fit and finish are very good

3 pass shave with the fat handle, H plate and an Astra SP using Lothur soap

There was a distinct drag like my WSG Winning razor and Henson, quite similar geometry with flat (ish) bearing surfaces.

Quite efficient on 48 hrs growth with a couple of tiny weapers near my Adam’s apple

Much less alum block feedback than I’d expected and no sting at all from the Nivea Two Phase AS

I was very surprised to find it was 20g lighter than my Pearl Flexi as it felt heavier??
I’m not keen on the handles but it delivered a superb close shave with no irritation

I’ll try the M plate tomorrow I think?
 
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