When I started this blog, it only took me a few days to get hooked on a British company named King of Shaves, and in particular their series of cartridge razors, Azor.
A few months ago, my wife went on a short trip to London – and the only thing I asked her to get me was a King of Shaves Azor 5 razor. It’s not yet available here in Denmark and has just recently been launched in US by Remington.
The Azor 5 is not like any other razor. Design wise you get a razor head that seems to be put the wrong way around – at least if you compare it to the Gillette Fusionor Shick Hydro. This means that you have to adjust the way you handle your razor and use more of a “paintbrush” style when you shave. Bu it only takes a few strokes to get used to.
The Looks
The handle is pretty much the same size as other brands, but the stylish metallic surface makes it look really cool. At least to begin with, as splashes from foam and water easily shows and need to be cleaned off for maximum “WOW! factor”.
Let me say it this way. I love the design of the Azor 5. It’s hard to make a mass produced cartridge razor look good. But I honestly think that King of Shaves have made a good looking razor. The mere fact that it’s different compared to other brands is a plus to me.
The razor is delivered with a holder to put the razor in when it is not in use. Unfortunately this holder has a very cheap feel to it. The plastic seems very fragile. The design of the holder is okay, but not great.
I don’t understand why Will King and the rest of his team at King of Shaves chose to make a great looking razor with a cool metallic surface on top – and then make a holder where the top is not visible…?
I would gladly show off my Azor 5 and keep it on my bathroom counter – but not as long as I’m only displaying a cheap looking holder and the boring white backside of the handle.
But enough about design – let’s talk about the quality of the shave!
The Shave
Even the most beautiful razor must comply to one simple rule in order to be a success.
It must give you a good, close and sensible shave.
The Azor 5 does a brilliant job for my every day shave. Short stubble is handled perfectly and gently.
But if I let my beard grow for a few more days, the Azor 5 gets itself in trouble. The blades seem marginally closer together compared to Schick/Wilkinson Hydro 5 or Gillette Fusion ProGlide. For me, this means that the cartridge clogs up faster – and is much harder to rinse under water.
I also had trouble using the Azor 5 with cleaning devices like the Razorpit. I believe the distance between the blades is to blame.
But let’s be fair. For short stubble (i.e. when shaving every day or every two days) the Azor 5 did a fantastic job. You have to get used to the different style of handle, but that won’t take you long.
You should also be prepared to apply more pressure towards your face than you do with other razors, as the flexible head IS indeed more flexible than anything you’ve ever tried before.
The Verdict
PROS – Why you will like the Azor 5:
- It looks good
- It works great for your everyday shave.
- The replacement blades are cheaper than both Gillette and Schick / Wilkinson comparables.
- Feels like a quality product
CONS – Why you won’t like the Azor 5:
- Replacement blades can be hard to get in remote locations (but you can just bring extra from home – they’re not that expensive)
- It clogs up easily if used to shave stubble between 5 and 10 mm
- ‘The razor seems to be made of quality materials – but the holder does not live up to that standard.
The King of Shaves Azor 5 (Remington King of Shaves in the US) is a good alternative to the more expensive razors from Gillette and Schick/Wilkinson Sword.
It’s not good for long hair, but works just as good as other brands for every day shaves. Reasonable prices on replacement blades make the Azor 5 a good buy.
I have just ordered some replacement blades for this razor – I’ll keep using it every now and then.
Zazor 5 is readily available at Walgreens and Amazon for less that 10 bucks
Complete rubbish waste of money.
Really wanted it to replace my Gillette or Wilkinson sword. Was taking me 20 minutes to shave and still missing bits.
Very disappointed
Jamie
Either a) you have the stubble consistency of a 14 year old schoolgirl or b) you are completely mental. The Azor is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the single worse mail grooming appliance since sandpaper – and sandpaper gives you a better shave! Hell there are 49p disposable razors that shave closer that this very-pretty but totally-ineffectual triumph of form over function. Check out the King of Shaves Facebook page and see that I am far from alone!
Hi Jim. Thank you for your comments. The Azor 5 does have some limitations. As I state in the review, it does not handle stubble older than one day very good. I think we can agree on that. But for every-day use and if you can get used to applying more pressure than you usually do with a Gillette or disposable, it actually does perform quite well.
I am glad you took your time to comment here. I’ll definitely try the sandpaper shave one day. 😉
I just purchased and used my Azor and I am pleased. I am a Black man who shaves his head everyday.The priceof replacement cartridges can get pricey. I have been using The Mach line of products for over ten years and I am happy to changefor something new.
I recently found out about King Of Shaves subscription: https://www.kingofshavessub.com/site/ it should help you out with getting your razors delivered (and is surprisingly cheap!). Oh, and thanks for the awesome website! Keep the articles coming!
Worst razor I’ve ever bought without doubt. As one commenter pointed out, it’s like shaving with sandpaper. Totally useless. Avoid.
Utter rubbish ! I tried this razor as a change from my usual Gillette fusion power. What a waste of money. I shave at LEAST once a day, and using this razor you have to really press on hard to remove the stubble – and it takes more than twice as long to get a poorer shave =(
At first i thought i fitted the blade upside down as it seemed to do nothing ! I tried another blade which was the same. I’ve thrown it away without even trying the third blade that comes with it, and bought Gillette blades again …
I tried it and with the first stroke on of the cheap plastic pins on the handle that holds the blade cartridge broke off. It came with so many cartridges Im looking for a sturdier replacement handle. No luck, so far.
Horrible, worse system i ever used, waste of money, let me put it this way, shaving with one week old, simple 2 blades disposable Gillette, gives you way, I mean way easier and smoother shave. AVOID
The razor handle is a disaster and I have given up using as two handles have now fallen apart.
I recently purchased a azor 5 as i suffer from sensitive skin it looked ideal, however when i started
to shave i found the angle of the razor head all wrong and it was very uncomfortable, the worst shave i ever experienced, the bendology just didn’t work for me and if i leaned on the razor more
it felt like it was pulling the hairs out! if i didn’t lean on it it just glide’d over my stubble without removing any hair! i’m sorry but i found it very unsuitable and wont be using it again, i feel ive just wasted my money with a razor i cant use for the purpose it was meant for Jayel.
I have had two of these. I ran out of blades with the first one and couldn’t get anymore in Lisbon, where I now live. I picked up another in the UK on my last trip, with plenty of extra blades.
At it’s best this thing is sublimely good. It takes a little practice, but when you’re used to the bendy head,you can shave quickly with your eyes closed and it never cuts your face. Fantastic for the shower. However, very sadly and annoyingly for me, half of the blades in my packs were useless. They are either aligned incorrectly or so dull that there are better suited to plucking than to cutting. It’s frustrating because after 40 years of wet shaving, I think that the design is both a radical and effective departure from traditional razors. Come on boys ..sort the quality control ! CC
The actual words which came to mind last time I used mine were? ‘Total Rubbish’ So I was surprised to read so many others using the exact same words as mine! I sincerely hope Will King reads these comments and takes note of what we the user’s are saying.
Yes I agree:
1. The shaver is well made with a very good feel in your hand.
2. And yes, You do get the feeling that you’re handling an art brush on your face.
However
1. The stand is cheap and tacky
2. It’s almost impossible to get hairs stuck between blades out. I’ve one of those new waterfall taps on my sink so I can’t stick my finger over the spout to make a more powerful jet of water to clear the blades. I resorted to using the shower head how ridiculous is that? And that didn’t work either.
3. Hairs stuck between blades then feel as if they’re cutting your skin.
4. The Bendibility of the shaving head means that you fail to exert a firm pressure.
Finally it was back to Wilkinson’s Hydro5 which in my estimation is by far the best razor on the market. The blades are more affordable than Gillette Fusion and last a long time; the shaver feels great to hold and I’ve never had problems with longer stubble growth we’re talking 4-7days here!
For standby I’ve the classic Gillette Mach3.
I used to buy King of shaves shaving creams and really it was for their magnetic one that intrigued me plus the shaving oil but in the end I’d switched to using coconut oil instead as it was far cheaper and healthier and did a great job. Now I use erasmic shaving stick and brush; shaving gel on brush; non-lathering shaving cream by bull dog, Neutrogena or The Real Shaving Company; shaving gel by Real Shaving Company which is non foaming and really great.
Happy pruning and preening!