Background: I've been using double-edge razors for nearly 15 years, and have easily tried more than 60 products available (or once available) on the market, from inexpensive plastic imports to $200+ super razors (or at least advertised as such). These days, I've more or less standardized my 3-pass approach on mild or medium razors, generally opting for a Feather blade (the Porsche of blades in my experience) to maximize efficiency and performance. Picking the Zomchi up on a lark, its sweet design caught my eye. It has side blade protection (nice), good weight, and also - as I noticed - a good deal of blade exposure and gap, indicating that it would seem to fit under the "aggressive" category.
Popping in a Nacet blade (my second choice to Feather, and also my choice for new razors), I could tell the shave was immediately efficient and aggressive - 4 days of whiskers disappeared with no sound or feeling, but I did carve off a skin bump and also ended up with some weepers (after rarity for me these days) trying to perform my regular 3-pass shave. Nevertheless, the shave itself was so efficient that I contemplated my next shave - 3 days later, a face full of hard growth, and this time I went for a 2-pass shave with only touch-ups. MUCH better - just as smooth as the 3-pass version, but only one weeper and just minor irritation in one area on my neck that often needs buffing to get clean. I also noted that my "against the grain" shave on my mustache area - which usually requires both a WTG and XTG pass or I'll experience weepers - didn't require the XTG this time. That's a first for any razor I've owned, including the incredibly efficient iKON Tek and Muhle R41 razors (the earlier versions of the R41). It's possible I'm just getting better at face prep and lather than I was years ago, so I'll have to go back to those razors and see if I can replicate the outcome.
I'll likely transition back to Feather (and probably try their provided DE blades too), but this is clearly a very well made, efficient tool that does benefit from a bit of a deft hand (experience) to ensure you maximize performance vs. safety. If you're new to DE shaving, keep a light touch - "like shaving a balloon" - and ensure you have a good, wet, slick lather that provides the needed lubrication. This is an absolute bargain IMO and I'll enjoy having it in my rotation.
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were measured, reduced and offset.
As certified by
