I know what I don't know; I feel the lack of safety razor R&D in my bones. I've traced my pain back to the poison of corporate betrayal in my own lifetime. Like a four-year-old standing in the debris field of a terrorist-downed jet, I could tell roughly what happened, the pieces are all there. But I had never seen the plane in flight, until now.
The Dorco PL-602 looks like a piece of crap on video, and Google lets you know it's worth about $0.99 on the West Coast. Sure, I'd buy that for a dollar -- two DE blades included -- but shipping jacks it to 2 for $7 on ebay. That ain't right! But, since Uncle Ding had already screwed me on a Futur clone deal that was too good to be true, I had refund money to burn. Leisureguy hooked me up with a link to this new razor like an Uncle Ham, on his blog. He's not selling anything himself, though -- except many other razors, apparently.
So, will I be garage-selling my DE collection? Not yet. I'm already way impressed, though.
So, will I be garage-selling my DE collection? Not yet. I'm already way impressed, though.
Hybrid Bred Right
It seems DE and disposable aren't mutually exclusive, as P&G would have us think, because they've clearly gotten together at Dorco, spawning the PL-602. It's made of that cheap, hard plastic that goes white when stressed or chipped -- ABS, I guess -- allowing fine details. There are fins at the blade corners sculpted into both the top cap and the guard, as well as hair-raking fins on the latter, ahead of the blade. It's nice and thick plastic, though, ironically giving it the (cheap) look of softer polypropylene in places, and a more polished look on the top cap.
It's hard to say exactly which detail, probably not feasible with cast metal, leads to the unique shaving character. Having just used the Ming Shi 2000S, I'm inclined to think the top cap has the greater effect. The normal round curve has been ground away, sloping steeply down to the edge, exposing an extra-low angle of pitch except at the corners. It strikes low enough on the hair to miss no stubs, without the excess traction of extra blades (in a modern disposable) or a twist of the single blade (in a slant DE). It also misses the skin pretty cleanly. Fins could obviously be contributing, there, raising the entire breech of the razor off the skin similarly to the plastic frame of a cartridge.
I hesitate to apply the term "efficient" (yet), because it took four passes to reach DFS. Almost BBS, I should say, because that is what I was aiming for, but I didn't dig far enough into one of my cheeks. Alum found a couple over-exfoliated spots, too. A little bit too much of the cartridge nature shines through, in the natural configuration, forcing pressure. I'm reserving final judgment until after a less safe shave. I plan to raise the edge to flush with the fins, like I do with Stella, if that's possible.
This already works quite a lot better than a Bic, though, and just a bit better than my favorite cartridge (if one can say such a thing), Supermax Swift 3. I ask you, the consumer: is paying three and a half times too much on ebay the best expression of political will? Because I can just as easily see this coming to Wal-mart at $2.50.
Using the notch between top cap and safety razor as a gauge, I loosened the blade to what I reckoned was zero exposure. (The side rails remain unreachable, so that's gonna be hard for anyone to check.) Against the notch, the edge looked about halfway up, whether loose or tight. If its angle changes, it is very slight; I see more extension. Not as cool as the Baili razors, perhaps, but much more securely fixed at the chosen gap/exposure by the long plastic screw mechanism.
Stubble tolerance is a subjective thing. The previous, "planing mode" shave wouldn't have made it 9 to 5 for me. Though the initial smoothness was impressive, I had stubble again around lunchtime. In "tug-and-cut" mode, I got a solid BBS and a perfectly even, 8- to 10-hour shave. BUT: I found myself doing dry pickups again. More stubs were missed ATG it seemed, this way. No other technical change was required between the two geometric configurations. Or so it seemed to me, an experienced DE user. A super-safe, yet efficient travel razor, with respect to both wallet and face, the PL-602 makes a good looking set, even, with a plastic, synthetic brush and a lump of Arko.
For the cartridge user, the Dorco PL-602 is a unique opportunity to dip a toe into DE shaving, requiring no assistance whatsoever. Nor could any cartridge-conforming fireman at the station, student in the dorm, or trucker at the truck stop make fun of one's endeavor to achieve a better shave, 'cause it looks like a humble disposable. Which it really is, in the same vein as the aforementioned Supermax system, a throwaway handle with replaceable blades.
But I'm sure no one will throw this away, even when the included blades run out. Much more likely will be an order of real shaving soap, some blades, and a brush. And a couple more for the buddies.
Opening Her Up
Using the notch between top cap and safety razor as a gauge, I loosened the blade to what I reckoned was zero exposure. (The side rails remain unreachable, so that's gonna be hard for anyone to check.) Against the notch, the edge looked about halfway up, whether loose or tight. If its angle changes, it is very slight; I see more extension. Not as cool as the Baili razors, perhaps, but much more securely fixed at the chosen gap/exposure by the long plastic screw mechanism.
Stubble tolerance is a subjective thing. The previous, "planing mode" shave wouldn't have made it 9 to 5 for me. Though the initial smoothness was impressive, I had stubble again around lunchtime. In "tug-and-cut" mode, I got a solid BBS and a perfectly even, 8- to 10-hour shave. BUT: I found myself doing dry pickups again. More stubs were missed ATG it seemed, this way. No other technical change was required between the two geometric configurations. Or so it seemed to me, an experienced DE user. A super-safe, yet efficient travel razor, with respect to both wallet and face, the PL-602 makes a good looking set, even, with a plastic, synthetic brush and a lump of Arko.
For the cartridge user, the Dorco PL-602 is a unique opportunity to dip a toe into DE shaving, requiring no assistance whatsoever. Nor could any cartridge-conforming fireman at the station, student in the dorm, or trucker at the truck stop make fun of one's endeavor to achieve a better shave, 'cause it looks like a humble disposable. Which it really is, in the same vein as the aforementioned Supermax system, a throwaway handle with replaceable blades.
But I'm sure no one will throw this away, even when the included blades run out. Much more likely will be an order of real shaving soap, some blades, and a brush. And a couple more for the buddies.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM -- 12-hour shave, not a problem, no dry shaving. Now reading the edge exposure by noting the difference in gap directly: how far the corner post of the top cap rises from its notch in the razor body.
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