OneBlade CORE (v2)

Shaving – Razor Review: It was with much excitement I tried to OneBlade Core (v2) Razor. I ordered it on Amazon and it arrived in the mail on time. All the hype around this Razor by reading blog posts on other sites got me really excited. When researching Razors, I usually rely on expert opinions at sharpologist.com and badgerandblade.com. I even checked out a Reddit for this. Those websites had mixed reviews, so I needed to try it for myself!  If you read the reviews of satisfied customers on the onebladeshave.com website, it sure seems like this Razor is all that and a bag of chips. So was it?

Hold those Doritos, my shave was left wanting. I thought for sure the combination of the Feather Single Edge Razor Blades and all the R&D that has gone into making the OneBlade Core would be great. Now I’m down $75 dollars and a pack of 9 feather single edge blades I can’t use for much else.

Before you tell me I should have prepped better, my preparation is not exactly slacking. I used a sensitive skin face wash, shave oil, and cremo shave cream all before this shave. Yes, I used medium-hot water as the directions stated and even took a hot shower 5 minutes before the shave.

Here are my quick thoughts about it after my first shave:

• No problems clicking the blade into place, that others have mentioned
• The razor doesn’t feel like it’s snug once clicked into place, however, OneBlade said this was by design. I can tell you it didn’t affect the shaving process.
• The shave was to mild and didn’t get close enough to my skin
• Because it didn’t get close, I ended up doing 3 passes, then finishing up with a Gillette Fusion 5 (Cartridge) Razor.
• The Feather razor on the OneBlade is super sharp and cuts hair like butter, you just can’t get it close enough without applying pressure to the razor handle or stretching my skin to reach certain places.
• Pivoting on the neck was fine, but don’t push down to hard around the neck area!
• The only place I was nicked was on my neck in a very small spot (from pushing down to hard).
• Very little skin irritation, this razor is safe! Just don’t expect it to get that close BBS feel that you get with other razors.

The OneBlade directions said to give it 8 shaves before throwing in the towel, so that is how my razor reviews will be moving forward.

Thoughts after shave #2: Tried they shave with more confidence thinking that the first round was just me not knowing how this razor works. Same thing happened. Didn’t get as close as I needed.

Thoughts after shave #3: Tried a different pre-shave oil and shaving cream just to see if it was my product. Same result…. bummer!

Thoughts after shave #4: This time I had a plan! Since it is hard to get close to my skin, I decided to stretch my skin as much as possible, then take a swipe with the razor. It did work better, but again, twice the amount of effort for a shave that isn’t as close as my Gillette Fusion 5.

Thoughts after shave #5: Grain cutting techniques was my focus this round. I normally start with the grain and then go against the grain if I need a closer shave. This time I decided to be a rebel and just go for it! After against the grain, cross grain, with grain, and grain for all… I ended with the same results. The OneBlade is just so mild that it doesn’t get close enough for me.

Thoughts after shave #6: I tired it normally like my first shave just to double check my methods. Really, it doesn’t matter what I try, this razor just doesn’t fit my face correctly.

Thoughts after shave #7: After number 6 review I had an epiphany, this might never shave my face correctly, but doesn’t mean it can’t shave other things! Every six months or so I give my underarms a trim with an electric razor. I thought maybe, just maybe, it would work okay. Since I don’t want the hair under my arms to be BBS like my face, I figured the way the OneBlade cuts my face would be better suited for this kind of thing! Sure enough, the One Blade shaved my under arm hair better than my electric razor! I had no ingrown hairs or any razor burn and that is unusual for me.

Thoughts after shave #8: Decided to press my luck and give a trim “downstairs” with the One Blade. Since this thing is a safety razor and doesn’t cut close to my face, I’m okay risking the future of my whole family tree on the next ten minutes of curiosity. Magic!!! The One Blade truly is a wonder in this department. I just feel they may have advertised it for the wrong body part. Please test carefully, as this was my experience with it and I wouldn’t want anyone losing their manhood because DooDude said… Experiment at your own risk, but the grass really is greener on this side of the razor!

My assessment

While I like the idea, it’s not enough to replace my Gillette Fusion 5 Razor for my face. But let me tell you,this thing cuts under arm hair and “downstairs” like a champ!

I have not tested the other One Blade razors such as the HYBRID or GENESIS, but at $199 and $399 respectively, it defeats the purpose of saving money on Cartridges. The OneBlade Core was my last hope before exploring more of the DE world. Gillette Fusion, unfortunately you are still my #1!