Melon Double Edge Safety Razor by Yaqi Shaving
A bit before Christmas, I purchased the Katana from Yaqi Shaving of Australia. This awesome single safety razor also came with a free bonus “Melon Head”. In this review we will cover shaving with this double edge safety razor head.
If you are new to traditional wet shaving, it is good to know that many razors and razor heads are interchangeable. In that light, the handle of the Katana single razor can be used with the Melon head. The beauty of this arrangement is that it offers two different shaving experiences with essentially the same hardware.
The Yaqui Melon head is an open comb design both for the top and bottom plates. The main perk of this approach in my opinion is very efficient shaving and rinsing without feeling like you are working with a razor needing extended experience. The open comb allows for the shaving residue (hair and cream) to be evacuated effortlessly – nothing is getting trapped under the plates or needing lots of hot water and strong pressure to rinse it out. It might look a tad more intimidating because more of the blade is visible, but what you are seeing is not more of the cutting sides of the blade. In that respect, it is really no different than most other safety razors.
I personally found this razor head to be perfect. The blade exposure and blade angle just worked beautifully with my mug. In the first test I was shaving off about 5 days’ worth of growth. I am sporting a beard so the areas being shaved more regularly are my lower neck and cheeks. This razor was extremely comfortable as the blade is essentially snug against the bottom and top plates. The plates being shaped into combs create a safe, efficient and comfortable arrangement. It took but an instant to evaluate the shaving angle and get to work.
Coming out of the shower, my beard hair had been properly softened and I applied a bit of LEA shaving cream with a synthetic brush. Everything was as smooth as can be and I would rate this as a perfect shave.
I finished the shave with the old-school Clubman-Pinaud Vanilla aftershave splash. As mentioned above, I am sporting a beard so I also followed up with a few drops of beard oil which offered an interesting balance. The splash cools off any “hot” shaving sensation, but also dries out the skin. The beard oil restores some moisture while also enhancing that fresh shave feeling.
My favorite blades are the black carbon steel by Treet. The carbon steel feels stronger and thicker than the traditional steel and offers an exceptional sharpness. A thicker blade is safer especially when it comes to coarse beard hair which I have as the blade glides through the hair without resistance. Having sensitive skin I prefer such a blade as it also reduces the number of passes required to get the job done.
Without a doubt, the Melon head is a winner and is getting a spot on the podium for comfort, efficiency and ease of use. I should also mention that the Katana handle offers good weight and feels secure in a wet hand. The dimensions and grooves fit perfectly in my hand. I take an adult large size glove as a reference.
All and all, I think I might prefer the Melon head over the single blade design of the Katana, but I suspect that this is simply because I have shaved more frequently with a double edge design. That said, the Katana offers a unique shaving experience which more closely resembles a straight razor. In short, offering 1 handle with 2 shaving heads was a brilliant marketing move as I am enjoying having and using both shaving options.