Vikings BladeAdjustable Double Edge Safety Razor + Luxury Case. Smooth, Reusable, Eco-Friendly (The Emperor “Augustus”)

Have been using the Vikings Blade Emperor Agustis for about a month, and it is my new favorite razor. After a lifetime of using electric razors, I finally decided to try a D.E. safety razor. The difference has been night and day, and I cannot believe how close of a shave I can get with a safety razor, or, perhaps more correctly, how bad of a shave I got from an electric razor. And I used the best – Panasonic Linears. My first safety razor was a Rockwell 6C. it is a great razor and maybe the best first razor. On Level 1 I never got a single nick or cut; it is that good. But, I like to use different levels of aggressiveness for With-The-Grain and Against-The-Grain passes. The 6C is not conducive to that approach, since you have to disassemble it and change out plates in order to change the level. Then, I tried a Parker Variant Open Comb. Love the open comb design, but it is much too aggressive for a starter or early-use razor. And both the Rockwell and Parker have to be disassembled to change blades. My dad had a butterfly safety razor before he succumbed to the cartridge razor craze of the 1970s. It was probably a Gilette, and as a kid I thought it was just the coolest piece of technology. Anyway, that’s what I wanted, but I also wanted adjustability. Tough combo to find. Then, I found the Vikings Blade Emperor Augustus. It checks almost all the boxes. It is easily adjustable and has a broad range of aggressiveness. It even has two different edge patterns – serrated and smooth, so there is a subtle difference in aggressiveness between sides. I actually notice a small difference. The butterfly mechanism is excellent and holds the blade very tightly with no wiggle and the blade is perfectly aligned. In fact, you cannot close the butterfly, if the blade is not seated correctly, which is a nice feature. Here’s why I like the butterfly design:1) Very easy to change blades. No razor disassembly required.2) Very easy to flip the blade. Because there are two different edges, you may use the blade sides unevenly, depending on how you shave. It is very easy to open the razor, flip the blade both side to side and top to bottom, to use the edges more evenly.3) Can better clean the blade after use. If you open the butterfly about a third, then the blade will be loose, but still captured inside the head, so you can really flush it out both top and bottom, then tighten it back down. With the Parker I always found a little dried lather on the bottom of the blade. Not so with the Emperor.This is the heaviest razor I have, and I really like the weight. The razor does all the work. You DO NOT want to press the razor into your skin. Just let the weight of the razor do the work.Currently, I am doing first pass WTG on Level 3-4 using the serrated side and one pass ATG on level 1 using the smooth side. I think I get a BTBSS (Better Than Barber Shop Shave) with minimal discomfort, and I do not begin to feel any stubble until well into the evening. With my electric razor I felt stubble by noon. Also, I have a close-trim beard, and I find it easier to use the safety razor to cut in the beard both top and bottom. I use a pre-shave lubricant, Proraso, and a tallow-based soap. Finally, I am using Feather razor blades, which work very well with this razor. I like to use the sharpest blades I can find and then adjust level of aggressiveness with the razor. The aggressiveness level is easy to set, although the pointer is hard to see, and the razor holds the level. It should be pointed out that, contrary to what is often stated in reviews of this razor, as noted in the instructions, the adjustment is supposed to be made with the razor closed, and the mechanism can be damaged, if it is adjusted with the razor open. This is the opposite of many other adjustable razors and may explain why some people have had issues with the adjustment not holding.Changes I would like to see:• As others have noted, the tabs on the sides of the razor blade are exposed. They are not sharpened, but a razor blade is pretty thin, so they have the potential to cut you. I have bumped them into my nostrils while trimming around my moustache, and I definitely felt it, but it did not result in a cut. Still, would be nice if the tabs were covered.• The adjustment pointer is hard to see. Would be nice, if it stood out more.• While I like the burnished look of the razor, it would be great to have it in a CNC’d 316 stainless steel version. I would pay more for that option.• Would love to see an open comb version of this razor.But those are really nitpicks. Overall, this is an excellent razor that is solidly built and that has a wide range of aggressiveness. I think it is an excellent choice for both newbies and seasoned shavers.p.s. Others have stated that the handle is thicker than most razors (true), so thick that it will not fit into a Parker razor and brush stand. But, if you turn the razor upside down, it will fit just fine. See photo.

VIKINGS BLADE ‘The Emperor’ ReviewTLDR: Nirvana, maybe.I really want to make sure everyone here understands that while I’m very partial to this brand by now, and that you’ve seen me heap praise on them, I don’t get one single thing from VIKINGS BLADE. Nada. Nothing. If I ever did, I’d be very up front about that, but as it is, this is a completely honest an off-the-cuff observation of the razor as I know it right now (I’ll be updating this tomorrow).Okay, now that the official ‘I don’t work for them or get kickbacks’ statement is out of the way, lets get on with the observations.Close your eyes and take yourself back to your best Christmas; the one you were most excited about. You just knew that you’d be having the greatest day ever, tomorrow. Tomorrow… it seemed so very far away, and you were just giddy with excitement. That’s me. Tonight. But the day didn’t start out that way. But let’s back up almost a month, because that’s where this all begins.One of my most treasured friends, a big ‘ol Texas boy had a birthday coming up. He’s a good bit younger than I am, but we share a lot of common ground, and he’s recently become a daddy, and I adore his wife, she’s an incredible person. I can only imagine how much I’d dote on his little one if I were nearer. This is a beautiful family. I suppose I am doling out praise to show how much he means to me. He’s a good man. In fact, he’s a member of this group.Anyway, being that it was the occasion of his birthday, and knowing his overt love of all things masculine I was searching my brain trying to dig up something he might enjoy. That’s when it dawned on me that a razor might be the deal. Very masculine, and very much something that if you like, becomes something you have for ages and continues to be useful and enjoyable.What razor? I’ve already gotten a couple of different razors by this point though I was still figuring all of this out, but I had some idea about what things to look for. I know what makes an adequate one and what makes a nice one. I have discovered the VIKINGS BLADE and since he’s genuinely a descendant of the Vikings (ethnicity, not football team) I can’t resist landing on that brand. Hmmm… what to get… Awww hell, why not? I go for the Emperor. Why? I dunno, it just seemed like one that’d be worth having; a really nice gift. And in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t really all that expensive. A worthy investment, I think. I pull the trigger.Secretly, I kept wondering what that one was all about. I bought the Chieftain JR and loved it. Then I bought the Baili Classic Long Handle which is identical to the VIKINGS BLADE Godfather (which sells for more than 3x as much), and I’ve recently purchased their Vulcan, which is, in a word, incredible. On a whim, I succumbed to the curiosity and ordered an Emperor for myself. I really wasn’t overly excited about getting it as I loved my Vulcan so much. To be honest, I almost forgot I’d ordered it and checked on something else, from work, when I noticed that it was supposed to deliver today. “Hmm, well, we’ll see” I thought, and dismissed it.When I walked through the front door I saw the silicone whiskey ice cube molds that I’d ordered (I’ll be putting that to good use in a bit), a bunch of surprisingly robust metal decanter labels, and the box for the Emperor. There it was. Something in me lurched a bit, you know, when you know you have a treat waiting but you hold off and savor the anticipation. And yes, I fully recognize that I’m a weirdo for getting excited about a razor. Shut up.I wash out the cube trays and fill them, then walk them out to the garage to the freezer. I unpack my stuff from the day, put my keys in their assigned cubby along with my sunglasses. I give the pups a little love and say hello to the boys, who know full well what that box contains and are completely aware of my recent obsession with razors. They don’t quite get it, but that’s okay. I’m fine with this. They have theirs and they seem happy enough with them.But there sit I. Now looking at the box. Okay, let’s do this. I walk over and pick the box up. Whoa. This box is *heavy*. Why is it so heavy? What’s in there? I sit down at my little rough-reclaimed wood table, flip on the overhead light, and begin unboxing. The design on the box is different than the Vulcan, and I’m impressed by that. It’s a bit of nice art. It doesn’t really amount to anything except for the experience of opening it for the first time, and I really, truly appreciate when manufacturers do that. It really does make things special for a person like me who’s excited to be doing this.Sliding the inner box out of the outer jacket finds me greeted with a nicely crafted and finished brown faux leather box with a magnetic flap to keep it shut. A brown ribbon protrudes by which to pull the flap up. I accept the invitation and pull it open and what I reveal is… it’s just beautiful. I am not writing hyperbolically when I tell you this is truly a work of art. The Vulcan is a beautiful razor, but this is in a completely different class. The most striking difference is its frosted finish; it is matte silver. It looks for all the world like a warrior’s weapon which has been crafted by a very skilled smith. I admire it for a moment, in the box, and observe the markings on the butterfly doors as well as the adjustment knob at the top of the handle just under the base.I read the label affixed to the top of the box, with the handle bright in the dark foam beneath. Again, I’m enjoying the experience of this (though to be honest I think they could have done better with that label; it was an afterthought among the rest of the kit). Once read, I decide to lift this out. I’m fully prepared to be deeply disappointed. There’s no way this razor is as heavy as the box suggests; surely there’s some hidden weight in the box. As I put the box in one hand, and lift the razor free with the other, I’m absolutely floored by the realization that it is, indeed, the weight of the razor which has suddenly shifted from the box hand to the now razor-equipped one. And the handle is very thick. And I can tell straight away that the grip simply won’t be compromised in the slipperiest of situations. My primary criticism of the Chieftain JR is that the chrome plating rounds the edges, which ultimately compromises the grip (though I’ve never dropped it). This has no such compromise. The thickness of the handle coupled with the sharply checked and slightly frosted finish (which is quite similar to my SUPPLY razor) ensures that you won’t be dropping this thing unless you intend to, and you’d never intentionally drop something so handsome.You’ve heard me go on about razor handle length. It doesn’t mean much at all when you’re shaving, yet the mind does tend to want a longer handle for whatever reason. This is longer than the Chieftain JR but shorter than the Vulcan and the Baili Classic Long Handle. And a good bit shorter than the Vikings Revolution razor. It is dead in the middle of handle length but is far and away the fattest of the bunch. Frankly, this feels like the Goldilocks handle; it’s just right. It’s better than right, but there aren’t adequate words for that and I’d feel a little absurd describing how much I enjoy the fat shaft in my hand. Yeah, I know you’re thinking it. No worries. $10 is $10.The adjustment runs smoothly, and it is interesting to see how it articulates the head (I’m not helping myself any, am I?). It has a rather large head (seriously, stop) and is quite sturdy. As I fingered the adjustment on the bottom the butterfly opened (see, told you to stop) and I was amazed at the smooth, precise, fluidity. The Vulcan is a very well put-together razor handle, but this… This is completely in its own league. The Vulcan is a top of the line Toyota, but this is well into the top of the line Lexxus. They’re related, to be sure, but the engineering is something completely superior. This was a handle that was truly engineered by people who were talented and really enjoyed this work. It shows. It is art.So now that I’ve gushed all over this thing, I’ll tell you how it shaves. Tomorrow. I want to let my beard grow in, until I have the normal shave length before writing an actual shaving review on it. But for now, I hope you enjoy the pictures.

If you know how to use a saftey razor you'll love the ability to fine tune your shave. Id have given it a 5 star but nothing is perfect. But it's so close the only issuevis you have to touch it lol other than that I don't see the need in buying multiblade refills. I usually let mine grow out to scruffy with a side of homeless. But this carves right thru and leaves a nice shave. I get several shaves out of one blade also. Yes I'm cheap but I know it's time to change blades or flip it when it hangs up or starts pulling them out by the roots. Yeow... lol but if you like saftey razor this is a nice one. And if you are a pressure shaver you'll loose some skin but that's not the razors fault...