Black Oxide Evolution Sale

All Black Oxide Asylum Evolution razors are on sale for $160 through May 13th. Grab one while quantities last.

Ordered!

Dang Phil......
We've been chatting about options for a second razor when the budget frees up a bit. You sure are making the choices and the timing harder. <sigh>. No worries though :-)
That's a very nice finish on that razor; bound to be a popular option I think. It's amazing all the finish choices on higher end razors now. The Renaissance of wet shaving equipment perhaps??
Good luck with your offering!

RON

(05-07-2017, 08:44 AM)nodstonothing Wrote: Ordered!

Thank you Richard!

(05-07-2017, 08:52 AM)RetroRon Wrote: Dang Phil......
We've been chatting about options for a second razor when the budget frees up a bit. You sure are making the choices and the timing harder. <sigh>. No worries though :-)
That's a very nice finish on that razor; bound to be a popular option I think. It's amazing all the finish choices on higher end razors now. The Renaissance of wet shaving equipment perhaps??
Good luck with your offering!

RON

Thank you Ron. There has definitely been an explosion of new shaving equipment over the past year or so.

Nice offering, Phil!  Gents, the black oxide Evo is very nice and takes on a very cool finish after the first rinse - not to mention a nice shaver.  Get one!

Cool picture Phil!

(05-08-2017, 02:12 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Cool picture Phil!

I told Phil it looks like an Asylum drone!  Very cool.

(05-08-2017, 10:16 AM)bullgoose Wrote:

the octopus!!!

This was too good an offer to pass up. Thank you, Mr. Enabler

Nice!  I think you'll enjoy it....

(05-11-2017, 06:39 PM)chazt Wrote: This was too good an offer to pass up. Thank you, Mr. Enabler

My pleasure Charlie!

(05-11-2017, 06:39 PM)chazt Wrote: This was too good an offer to pass up. Thank you, Mr. Enabler

Charlie, we'll look forward to your thoughts about the razor.

(05-11-2017, 09:50 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote:

(05-11-2017, 06:39 PM)chazt Wrote: This was too good an offer to pass up. Thank you, Mr. Enabler

Charlie, we'll look forward to your thoughts about the razor.

As soon as I get a couple of IPs under the top cap it'll be my pleasure, Ricardo. Gimme a couple a weeks.

(05-11-2017, 08:23 PM)bullgoose Wrote:

(05-11-2017, 06:39 PM)chazt Wrote: This was too good an offer to pass up. Thank you, Mr. Enabler

My pleasure Charlie!

Phil, you're a great guy to do business with.

(05-11-2017, 07:44 PM)TexBilly Wrote: Nice!  I think you'll enjoy it....

Billy, this is due in part to reading your posts on the subject...

That and the price point plus patina pointed the piece to my place.

Sorry

(05-12-2017, 02:37 AM)chazt Wrote:

(05-11-2017, 09:50 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote:

(05-11-2017, 06:39 PM)chazt Wrote: This was too good an offer to pass up. Thank you, Mr. Enabler

Charlie, we'll look forward to your thoughts about the razor.

As soon as I get a couple of IPs under the top cap it'll be my pleasure, Ricardo. Gimme a couple a weeks.

This post has been in edit mode since my second shave with the Evolution. One version after shave 3 was lost to the ether and I basically started from scratch...

Much to my great anticipation, I'm ready to offer some impressions after eight shaves with the Black Oxide Evolution razor. Phil was gracious to delay shipment of the razor. I wanted it to arrive closer to Fathers' Day and the end of the school year. A trinket for me Thank you for the consideration, Phil. The razor arrived the Monday before FD, complete with a few extra goodies in the well-packaged box.

Background and rationale. I like vintage gear. Although I have a couple of aluminum head iKon razors and a couple of Merkurs, the rest of my razor drawer is filled with vintage DE and SE razors. But for some time now I've been unhappy with my GEM shaves and have considered picking up a modern SS DE razor that would be more aggressive than my old Gillettes as my infatuation with GEM razors has begun to wane (still digging the Injectors, though). The Evolution certainly appeals to my preference for the vintage aesthetic, and previous posts and reviews all indicated it would likely be that "more aggressive" razor I sought. TBH, I was previously unaware of Darwin razors until Phil introduced the Evolution. Prophetically, in a thread from June 2012, Phil mused, "Maybe one of our stainless steel razor makers can come up with a commemorative version of the Darwin." Man, that's what I call making your dreams come true!

So anyway, I'd just come off a week with my preferred Red Tip, which along with a particular pre-war Tech, account for 80-90% of my shaves. So far I've had 2 shaves each with an Israeli Personna, a Med Prep, a Crystal and a Lab Blue; in that order but for no real reason. Of these, my four favorite blades, I preferred the Crystal shave in the Evolution. Last night I went back to the prewar Tech for a comparison of face feel. More on that later.

Imo the Evolution feels somewhat similar to the iKon 101. A bit more aggressive perhaps, which may be due to the additional heft of SS over aluminum, but similar nonetheless. The Evolution feels smoother than the Shavecraft. I had no problem using the Evolution continuously for over a week. My sensitive skin doesn't tolerate the rougher feeling iKon as well. The Evolution feels a tad more efficient than the 101. The razors feel similar in the "nicks" department. I'd really have to try HARD to draw blood with either one. It's been almost two months since I last used the X3, so there's no real frame of reference for now.

The Evolution is more aggressive and efficient than the Red Tip and the pre-war Tech. The latter shavers feel smoother. With the Evolution I can now get a more aggressive shave with a DE than I could before, but it's not irritating like SE shaves. Anecdotal observation of last night's shave was that the Evolution is more aggressive than the Tech. After a few Tech shaves I'll go back to the Evolution, and then the Red Tip for further comparison. It seems though, I'm on my way to accomplishing my goal. Btw, with careful attention to detail and technique the Evolution is 2 passes to BBS. I need 3 with the Gillettes; and then the irritation often sets in. For 8 consecutive shaves with the Evolution I was completely irritation free.

The Evolution looks and feels good in hand. It's easily balanced and overall, ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing. I find the black oxide finish quite appealing and it already shows signs of developing the rich patina you'd expect to see in a vintage tool. I'll try to snap some pics after it really starts to patinize. Concerns I'd had about corners on the hexagonal handle were unfounded. It actually rests quite comfortably just within my wheelhouse, so to speak. The overall size of the Evolution is similar to the vintage razors with which I'm familiar. It is generally heavier. I like the size and feel of the black oxide Evolution. Packaging and presentation was just right. My expectations were surpassed. The Evolution was for me a good value. I'm pleased.

Excellent and useful review Charlie.