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Post by mjclark on Jul 11, 2014 16:14:11 GMT -6
...and my VB2 turned up today so now I have the full Valet spectrum. From l-r: VB1, VC1, VB2, VC2, VC3 and VC4 The VB1 is Canadian and the rest are British. Missing are the pre-Valet Autostrops A and B, and mos tells me that the US VC3 is more aggressive than the British model (he's going to lend me one to try out). The VB2 is conspicuously more opulent than the rest and much heftier than the rest and silver plated. Quite magnificent! But I'm confused about the Valet timeline now (and Waits isn't accurate on this I think). Unlike the VB1, the VB2 isn't adjustable so why are there different VB2 (lower rollers) and VC2 (lower fixed bar) heads? Why did Autostrop reintroduce lower rollers on the later VB2 head after already replacing the rollers on the VB1 with the fixed bar of the VC1, and then also make the fixed bar VC2 concurrently? The VB2s I've seen look like luxury sets, so maybe they were actually on offer at the same time as the VB1 and VC1 and then retained as the higher end model when the VB1/VC1 were replaced by the VC2. Any suggestions guys? And here's a comparison of the VB2 and VC2 heads:
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Post by mjclark on Jul 13, 2014 10:24:27 GMT -6
...and I shaved with the high end, silver plated and weighty VB2 yesterday - it's aggressive and the extra weight makes it very powerful. Watch out!
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Post by mjclark on Jul 28, 2014 12:59:39 GMT -6
News just in! Those Feather Seikan blades settle in to be just as sharp as the NOS Valet blades with stropping. I'd better get some more... ...and I'm beginning to see the brilliance of the VC3 for a quick and easy shave. Just what I needed after last night's epiphany with the ER 1912 Brooklyn plus CVS blade. It gave me an astonishing and very long lasting BBS and I started wishing carbon SE blades were easily available in UK - I might ask some of my American friends to ship me some... ...and maybe I should use Feather Seikans in my ASR SEs, and strop them in the Valets...
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Post by PJGH on Jul 28, 2014 15:37:12 GMT -6
... and only a couple of months ago, I couldn't turn your head with a lovely Valet set by way of trade Good to see an old friend in that line-up.
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Post by drumzalot on Jul 28, 2014 18:22:43 GMT -6
Marcus, you mentioned the CVS SE blades. I am glad that you like the CVS pharmacy carbon blades. They are serviceable blades for me (nowhere as good as Treets or Blue Stars) but the CVS version doesn't get a lot of love from what I have seen. I can easily find the CVS SE blades just a few blocks from me. I found the CVS brand to last slightly longer then other carbon blades though they tend to slightly pull and tug from day one.
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Post by mjclark on Jul 29, 2014 3:05:08 GMT -6
Yes Paul, I seriously misjudged the Valets based on an experience with a GEM blade. But now I have the full spectrum with the correct blades, there's a Valet for every occasion: The sophisticated aggression of the VB1, the sheer power of the VC1, the weighty opulence of the VB2, the perfect balance of the VC2, the quick easy shaving of the VC3 and the injectorlike stealth of the VC4!
And Joe, how much do those CVS SE blades cost in store? I may ask some of my friends in the States to get some for me...
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Post by drumzalot on Jul 29, 2014 16:38:43 GMT -6
Marcus, the CVS branded blades (by ASR) cost $4.99 (USA) for a vault of 10, I believe in Euros that is roughly $3.72. I was fortunate enough to get 120 Treet blades for a bit over $14 ($10.44 Euro). The same amount of blades for the CVS brand would have cost me $59.88 (USA) which would be roughly $44.66 (Euro).
Unfortunately, the Treet blades offer was only valid in the USA and the price since has doubled!
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