RazoRock Hawk V2 Review – Sleek And Sharp
RazoRock Hawk V2 Safety Razor
RazoRock presents a sleek and sharp looking razor with a look not unlike a Hawk’s Beak, the RazoRock Silver Hawk V2 single edge safety razor.
Pros
Light weight for ease of use
Beautiful Silver Satin finish
Textured No-slip Grip
Wide head shaves over a large area
Flat no-comb cutting edge, great for sensitive skin
Holds blade securely
Cons
Wide head doesn’t handle face contours well
Somewhat tricky to get a new blade in place
Small handle can be too small for big hands
Specialized Blades can’t be found OTC and have to be ordered online
Stepping out of my own comfort zone for this safety razor review, we have a deep look at a razor that is somewhat different from the norm.
Most safety razors you find are double-edged (sided), but this specialized razor ‘Razorock Hawk V2’ from RazoRock is a specialty single edge. To me it feels more like a shavette than a full safety razor. Something like a mix of both really.
Today though we are going to take a deep dive into the razor and see how good this little guy actually is.
About the Brand: RazoRock also goes by another name known as Italian Barber. They are a family owned and operated company out of Italy, and they have all manner of shaving and grooming items ranging from razors, soaps, pre-shaves, and aftershaves.
RazoRock Hawk V2 Razor Description & Features
The Silver Hawk razor is small and sleek, with a very wide cutting head. It is great for gentle slow shaves.
- Material – The Silver Hawk is made of milled and billet 6061 Aluminum stock with a satin silver finish. There are four color options which includes black, silver satin, electric blue and green models.
- Single Edged – Single edge design on the razor makes it easier to maneuver around and store without accidentally cutting yourself or anything else.
- No Comb – The cutting edge of the razor has no comb, letting the cutting edge of the razor move directly along the skin. This makes it perfect for newer shavers and lowers the aggression of the razor edge.
- Four Parts – The Razor unscrews into four pieces. The handle and head comes apart to allow you to hold a razor blade safely. The bottom “pommel” of the razor un-screws to extend the razor handle for more comfort while shaving.
- Blade Replacement – To replace the blade, you unscrew the head into two parts and sandwich the blade between the two parts. It is somewhat tricky, but not hard.
- Handle – The handle is round with a ridged section for a better grip.
- Aggressiveness – The blade has a mild to medium aggression. Very nice for sensitive skin.
- Size and Weight – Overall, the razor is relatively light, 1.4oz or 39g. It’s close to about 4 to 5 inches (127mm) in length.
I personally have the V2 version of the Silver Hawk, which has some small changes from the original V1 design. The four color options available are black, silver satin, electric blue and green, and I went for the satin natural razor appearance option.
The V1 Design had a much more angular head, whereas the V2 I have is much more sloped and rounded in design. The V2 looks softer, with less hard edges making it look much more organic and natural.
The blade housing has long pins rather than guide posts, so it is easier to load the blade into place.
Finally, the handle has undergone some changes as well. Rather than the textured design of the original, it has ridges for an easier and more comfortable grip. They have also added a wide butt or base to help with the grip and hold the razor up if placed upright.
This base can be unscrewed though, which makes it much more comfortable with larger hands.
Recommended Blades
RazoRock has some blades they recommend using with their razor. These are pulled directly from their website, and I would highly recommend using these as they are exactly what this razor needs.
- FEATHER Professional Blade (aka Artist Club Professional)
- FEATHER Pro Guard Blade (aka Artist Club Pro Guard)
- KAI Captain Titan Mild (aka KAI Pinks)
- KAI Captain Titan Mild Protouch MG Blade (guarded blade)
For my own part, I used the KAI Captain Titan Mild blades.
How does the RazoRock Hawk V2 Perform and Shave?
As I am relatively new to the art of reviewing safety razors, I used the same tactics as when I was reviewing the shavettes.
I varied my shaves to back-to-back days, and left some days between shaves to get a good idea of how it handles longer growth.
Each shaving session took three passes: once with the grain, once across the grain, and once against the grain. Each time I used pre-shave oil, and lathered with normal shaving soap. Afterwards, I went over my face with an alum block to help treat any possible razor burn.
How does the Hawk Perform with 3+ Days of Growth?
When I left some extended time in between shaves, this razor shaved like a dream. It was nice and gentle on the skin, leaving little to no irritation.
This is impressive overall. Most razors have a tendency to catch and hang on thick beard growth. This razor did not have that problem at all, though I did have to move slowly as I shaved to make sure it got everything.
This blade works best with slow small strokes over the skin to keep the irritation down.
How does the Hawk Shave with Daily Growth?
Daily shaving is not bad on this razor at all.
Daily shaves typically are not the best for you if you have sensitive skin. Typically you will need to give your skin some rest between sessions, but with the Silver Hawk’s mild blade aggression means your skin will be mostly just fine.
As always, I would recommend shaving every other day to avoid too much irritation on your skin.
What Kinds of Blades Work Best?
For this specific kind of razor, you will need to grab some single-edge blades rather than the normal double-edge razor blades.
These kinds of blades are going to be much harder to find than normal double-sided, meaning you are going to need to order them online rather than find them in your local pharmacy aisle.
I used Captain Titan Mild blades, and I would highly recommend them. They are great for sensitive skin.
How easily does it shave the contours of your face?
This is where we run into somewhat of an issue with this razor. The broad head makes it very easy to cover your cheeks and the bottom of your chin quickly, it doesn’t work well when you are going over the smaller contours of your face at all.
Shaving around your chin, nose, and neck can be somewhat difficult. It is hard to get the broad shaving head into the nooks and crannies you need to go to get the perfect shave. I would recommend doing a follow-up with a smaller shavette afterwards if you are interested in a really good shave.
Blade Aggression
The Silver Hawk has a very mild aggression in its blade profile. This makes it great for people with more sensitive skin, or who need to shave more often.
There is very little in the way of blade overhang and exposure, so the chance of cutting yourself is very small unless you actively are trying to do so.
Handle and Grip
The handle of the Silver Hawk is very nice. The ridged design of the razor makes sure you can keep a good handle on it even with your hands covered in shaving soap.
The one real downside of the handle is that it is relatively short. Someone like me has much larger hands and doesn’t really fit well. Luckily the base unscrews to allow me to extend the handle to make it more comfortable to hold.
Weight and Balance
This razor is really light, almost too light. I can barely feel it when I hold it. Speaks to the craftsmanship, because at the same time it feels really solid. You would all think it was one piece if you were looking at it fully assembled.
The razor is well balanced, with the center of mass being just an inch down the handle. This makes it very easy to hold and maneuver without issues.
Look and Design
Overall, I love the look of this razor. It’s unique and definitely is evocative of its name Silver Hawk.
The cutting edge is curled like a beak, much like a hawk’s beak.
It is sleek and sharp looking. The satin silver finish looks amazing as well, and is nice and clean. It’s definitely a unique piece for your shaving routine.
Value for Money
This is one place where this razor really does excel.
For most nice and high-quality razors, you really are going to pay through the nose for them. Typically I would expect a type of razor like this to go for around $45 to $50 USD.
In this case, we are looking at a razor that is only around $30 USD plus shipping and handling. That is a steal! You can get this razor and blades for relatively inexpensive and be set for quite awhile.
The quality of craftsmanship on this razor is good enough that you are not going to need to worry about upgrading or replacing it for a long time.
Common Consumer Issues, Complaints, or Positive Reviews
Reviews for this razor are very mixed. While I am a fan, not everyone seems to agree with me.
The major complaint I see many people discuss is an issue with the blade profile itself. Most individuals seem to have issues with the blade getting clogged up with shaving soap and bristles during their shave. Honestly, this feels like a non-issue to me. If you are rinsing your blade often enough, you won’t run into that issue.
The second issue some have brought up is that it feels too light and small. One reviewer says it feels too light, like a disposable razor. I do not see this as a negative at all, but I suppose it is all to taste. The light nature makes it great for me, but some may want something heavier.
Finally, there is an issue with possible blade alignment. When putting in a new blade, it might be possible to misalign the blade slightly depending on what kind of blades you are using. In my case, the Titan blades did not have enough space to be misaligned, but this might be a problem if you aren’t careful enough.
Final Thoughts – Who is the RazoRock Hawk V2 Razor for?
Overall, I really enjoyed using this razor. I think it is unique and has a very quality design and craftsmanship. I would certainly give it a recommendation.
This razor is great for anyone who wants to get into wet shaving with a safety razor, and hasn’t found the right razor for them yet. I would also recommend it to anyone who has sensitive skin and needs something with less aggression in the blade.
Next up for a shave and review is the RazoRock BBS Razor…………
