The Bee

Joseph Daniel · 2026-09-12T01:21:14.195Z

It seems almost pointless to review a straight razor like this. It’s a custom razor. You could have Yurii make one like it but it likely wouldn’t be exactly the same. In fact I can almost guarantee it. Yuri is an artisan and you have to leave room for him to do his own thing. I can say for sure that his specs are often a little off. I’ve had him make what was supposed to be a 9/8 and got what was clearly a 10/8 or a 9/8 that turned out to be an 8/8. You win some and lose some when it comes to hand made items. So go into it with expeditions in check or you could be frustrated. The first thing I noticed was how light this one was. It’s so hollowed out that there really isn’t a lot of steel here. It’s a generously sized blade. But it’s hollowed fully and there is negative spaces that removes some heft. So, in spite of its size, it doesn’t cut with the same authority that some of his others do. That’s not to say it doesn’t cut well. To be sure, it does. But those larger, heavier blades will still cut when another razor might start to pull a little more simply because of the mass behind the edge. Speaking of the negative spaces. The shape of this one is an interesting blend of a French point and a Sheffield barbers notch. The toe protrudes like a French but is ground out like a Sheffield. The combination is great for working that toe around the edges of my beard. But it can easily take an ear off if I’m not mindful of where it is. One of the great aspects of wet shaving is that it forces you to slow down and take your time. The shape of this blade demands it. You’d be surprised how a small difference between where the spine ends and where the toe ends can cause a bloody misstep. Almost like how a small difference in the width of a stair can have you trip. We’ll be careful here. Te curve in the blade is nice. I’m digging that. It’s not for a beginner because what I like about it is not something I recommend to anyone new. But when I was shaving with it, I could roll my cuts with the shape of the curvature in a slicing motion. If you think a slant razor is efficient, this is new territory. And that curve at the heel fits nicely in the hollow of the neck. Get right in there. So how was it in the hones? Well, Yuri’s edges never live up to my expectations. I don’t mind that. I can hone my own blades. But every one of his has required bevel work. This one was no different. I don’t know what his methods are but when he hones, it’s at an unusually high angle. It can be seen in the size of the bevel when it arrives. The bevel will be very thin. This is not a bad thing. But it’s like that because whatever method he’s using, he’s lifting the spine well off the hone. And this exposes the one thing that is consistently off with Yuris razors - the geometry. It’s slightly off. More on that in a minute. So when cutting a new bevel, you’ve got a lot of steel to remove when you adjust for a steeper angle. With a blade hollowed out like this, it isn’t that much work. But with a near wedge, you might have a lot of work to do. You’ll readily see it under magnification. You’ll see that using the razors natural angle, you’ll be honing well behind the edge. So that means all the steel between where the hone IS making contact and the edge needs to be removed. That’s work. And this is where his geometry errors show. If the relationship between the width of the spine and the width of the blade are not correct, the angle will be too steep when it lays on the hone. What that means is that the steel will be pushed beyond its limits it will create an apex to steep for the edge to be stable. You’ll find yourself grinding away for a long time trying to establish a bevel. So, what to do? Tape. This can be a hotly debated topic and I’m not having the fight with anyone. But tape fixes this. You just have to fins out by trial and error how many layers it will require to fix it . If you’re new to honing, this can be a frustrating experiment. Another potentially frustrating aspect is the shape of the blade. This will require real rolling strokes to make good contact from heel to toe. This would not be easy for anyone starting out. Overall it’s a great razor with a minor geometry challange. But corrected, it takes on a great edge and cuts really nice because of its shape. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone starting out it’s got too many characteristics that would make it frustrating. But those same characteristics are what make it a really cool blade for me. I’ve been buying up his razors lately for this very reason. They offer a different experience than the same 6/8 square point, full hollow razor. I have plenty of those. So, would it recommend one? Yes, but with a lot of caution. If you have experience with shaving with a straight and can overlook the geometry and errant sizing discrepancies, you can be quite happy. But if you think it looks cool and haven’t dealt with something like it, you’ll pull your hair out no pun intended. h

The Bee