As you’ll see soon in a review post, I brought another razor into the fold recently and am inserting it into the lineup this week.
This is the Razorock Gamechanger .68-P razor. The head is machined stainless steel, and the handle I chose for it was a titanium “Halo” design. It’s weighty, solid feeling, appears to be well-made, and is reported by many to be an outstanding mild razor. (The .68 refers to the blade gap, which is identical to the Henson mild blade gap). Though, as I’ll discover, it’s less mild than I let myself believe…
As you’ll recall if you read the SOTSOTD post right around New Year’s Day, I’d said that this was one I was seriously thinking about adding during 2026. I’m also thinking about adding Razorock’s Superslant L1 to the collection, but that’s taking a lot more thought. So we’ll see where that goes.
I was planning on pairing the new razor with a new soap and brush, but those have been delayed in transport and I made the call on the shaves for the week, so I’ll leave those out for now.
I’m pairing the Gamechanger with the Astra Superior Platinum (green) blade because it’s an oustanding blade, works very well with my mild razors, and should show off this new razor very effectively. Plus, I’ve been using it a lot lately, and it and it’s blue sibling have been making me very happy, so why shut that down?
So let’s head into the week’s shaves and see how they go.
The Ratings
Sunday’s Shave, #258. The Canadian Italian Sunday Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Razorock Gamechanger .68-P
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Protective pre-shave cream (blue)
- Brush: Proraso boar shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Proraso Protective shave cream (blue)
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Proraso Protective after shave balm (blue)
- Stats:
- 1st shave with the Razorock Gamechanger .68-P razor
- 12th shave with the Astra green blade
- 35th shave with an overall rating of 22
- 15th shave with the Proraso blue shaving cream
As I’ll note in the full razor review for the Gamechanger, this is an Italian-inspired, Canadian-made razor…hence the shave’s name.
It’s probably a good thing I’m coming off of a week with the KCG, as the weight of the Gamechanger this week might have been a little challenge. But I worked through it, though I did need to remind myself to let up on the pressure a couple of times.
There was more blade feel and noise than I expected, but overall, this was a comfortable shave with a little irritation on the neck, and a couple of spots of stubble. But for a first shave with a new razor, this was an excellent start. As I get the feel for it, I’m sure I’ll really love it.
The Proraso lathered wonderfully well today, and was nice and slick and protective through the whole shave, helping the razor glide easily. The shaving was smooth and pleasant and has me looking forward to the other shaves this week.
All-in-all, this was a great first shave with a new razor, though it needs improvement. There’s room for learning and improvement, but I’ll get it figured out and I think I’ll really like the Gamechanger.
Comfort: 21 of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 of 25
Overall: 23 of 25
Tuesday’s Shave, #256. The Cleanout Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Razorock Gamechanger .68-P
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Razor Emporium Unscented pre-shave
- Brush: Omega 11047 Boar/Badger brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Razor Emporium Element 47 shaving soap
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Barbasol 1919 After Shave Balm
- Stats:
- 4th shave with the Razor Emporium Element 47 shaving soap
- 1st shave with the Omega 11047 boar/badger brush
- 36th shave rated 22 overall (18.5% of all logged shaves)
- 21st shave with the Barbasol 1919 after shave balm
Okay, I think I figured out the problem. I think that the Gamechanger is very mild (future me note: WRONG!) and makes me need extra passes to get the closeness I want (again: WRONG!), but either the Astra green or the razor aren’t as forgiving when it comes to those extra passes, and the result is some extra irritation–more than I’d get with the Henson mild or Mühle R89. Obviously I’ll consciously stop myself short on Thursday to see if that helps. If not, I’ll need to experiment with other blades.
Yes, there was more irritation today than there was on Sunday, but it’s fading quickly as the Barbasol balm is helping knock that down. The shave was as close as I want, so that was satisfying. Again, experimentation will find the right combo.
Let me address the tiny elephant in the room: the Omega 11047 boar/badger brush. I ordered this to pop my recent Razor Emporium order over the free shipping mark, and I was surprised that this $15 boar & badger blend brush is so small. In my giant hands, this thing looks positively miniscule. Now, it worked well, as it had the stiffness of the boar bristles, but some tempered softness with the badger bristles, andn it lathered very well with the Razor Emporium Element 47 soap.
And yes, like the Nordic soap I used last week, I’ve got one more shave to go with this one before I can clean out and reuse the sample tub for other products.
So to recap: a kind of disappointing shave today, but I think I just need to experiment and learn what works well with this new razor.
Comfort: 21 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 23 out of 25
Overall: 22 out of 25
Thursday’s Shave, #260. The Last Minute Gamechanging Gamechanger shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Razorock Gamechanger .68-P
- Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (Blue)
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Sensitive pre-shave cream (white)
- Brush: Yaqi Rainbow synthetic shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Taylor of Old Bond Street Organic shaving cream
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented aftershave balm
- Stats:
- 79th almost perfect shave
- 59th shave with an overall rating of 23 (30.3% of all logged shaves)
- 6th almost perfect shave with the Astra blue
- 1st almost perfect shave with the GameChanger .68-P
- 1st shave with the Yaqi brush and TOBS Organic combo
Okay, before I address the somewhat intentionally confusingly titled shave, let me just acknowledge a three-plus day lapse of common sense or information retention. Had I been fully with it, I would have noted that even Razorock classifies the Gamechanger .68-P as a mild-medium razor, not a mild razor (that aggressiveness chart will be posted in the razor review post later). Though, it does lump it in the same category as the Rockwell 6C/6S plates 2 & 3 and the Mühle R89–only one of those classifications would I agree with as the Mühle and Rockwell plate 2 are arguably milder in my experience.
So forgetfulness, lack of attention, or just plain ignorance aside, I decided right before bed last night to change the planned blade for today’s shave to the Astra Superior Stainless (blue) from the Superior Platinum (green), thinking that a more mild blade would be a better match, especially after last week’s outstanding shaves with the KCG and the Astra blue.
The switch was, indeed, game changing.
Today’s shave was comfortable, fairly close, smooth, enjoyable, and produced none of the blade feel and irritation I’d experienced through the last two shaves. This is why I plan and log and track my shaves: to know what works well and what doesn’t, and to be able to see if I can swap other things in to get a better result in a particular combination. The simple switch of blade produced an entirely different and more pleasurable shave that gives me greater hope for future shaves with the Gamechanger.
And in other learnings, the Yaqi brush is the perfect pairing for the TOBS Organic shaving cream. It lathered wonderfully, and felt like I was applying a cloud to my face and neck. It’s the kind of pampering experience I love about this hobby.
So there you go–I’ll focus on milder blades with the Gamechanger and move on from there. Maybe the Bic next?
Comfort: 23 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 23 out of 25
Overall: 23 out of 25