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RazoRock Next Level

linuxguile

Senior Member
Will be for sale next week. I assume the specs lineup pretty closely to the Wolfman WR2. Can anyone confirm?

Next level on the left:
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Initial spec offering:
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Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk
 
Not sure about this one mate, but I have a
Lupo 1.27 very efficient with positive blade exposure.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for anybody who’s a beginner.
 
Copy & paste from another write up on another forum.

I’m writing this about 2 hours removed from my shave with the Razorock Next Level 112+ razor. I had a full 24 hours worth of stubble to work with since yesterday evenings shave. I won’t bore anyone with each specific pass or detail as this is just a prelimanary shave just to get a feel for the razor and finding what works best for my style of shaving.

Build quality on the razor is impeccable from top to bottom. Fitment & precision is precise from how the top cap & base plate meld into one seamlessly. The blade is fitted perfectly between all four corner posts without a wiggle left to right, fore and aft. Blade reveal is minimal but, is consistent on both sides without any deviation nor flexing or warping of the blades edge. In hand, the Next Level looks the part of a well crafted and premium feeling razor with its 316/316L alloy construction. In hand it feels substantial with its longish handle which does put more of the weight bias down through the handle as opposed to being biased towards the top. Not a bad thing as one can adjust with grip and choke up on the handle to mitigate that extra length and weight bias discrepancy. Knurling is typical Razorock type quality which is simply excellent. This won’t slip out of one’s hands and if it does, you’re doing something wrong or just simply dropped it.

I went with the standard 3 pass shave exercise for this outing and as some of the pics in my previous post reveal, this was a fresh new Feather blade. Used some WSP Formula T Vetiver soap for the face protection with the APShaveCo brush applying the suds evenly. Finished it off with some Myrsol Metilsol splash for a nice finishing touch. The 3 passes were smooth, comfortable and pleasant. I removed the whiskers almost completely leaving me with a nice DFS finish with only the slightest of irritation on both sides of the jawline as I was buffing going over a couple spots with some extra strokes to pick up some stragglers that were still hanging around after the 3 passes. I will admit that as a whole, the shave was a bit underwhelming in its totality as I was expecting something a bit more. Maybe I assumed that with the superb brilliance of the RR Recurve with the excellent results it has posted and was expecting something along the lines of perhaps not equal to the Recurve but, somewhere close. Probably was unfair to dial up my expectations as the Next Level is a different kind of shaver compared to the Recurve as it has a more traditional concept & design. The shave is quite mild and blade feel is nowhere near in the same hemisphere as the Recurve as it’s basically a difference of night & day. Where as I have a lot more angle of adjustment with the Recurve and the sweet spot can be attained by riding the cap or safety bar and anywhere in between, the range with the Next Level is quite limited with that minuscule blade reveal but, the quite large guard span even though Razorock notes the Next Level 112+ as having positive blade exposure it still leaves me with a void of needing a bit more blade feel.

I feel that I possibly could have geared myself up for something that wasn’t intended to be an efficient & performance leading tool. Like I’ve stated before, I’ve never sampled a WR2 and if the NL 112+ was geared after it as has been reported, in this gap range for me it was somewhat lackluster and not as effective at removing my whiskers as I’m accustomed to. However, it is very, very smooth and quite easy on the skin. I definitely will do some experimenting with angles and perhaps some handle swaps which might help in changing the feel & dynamics of the shave while in action.

I’ll put in a few more shaves and see how it goes. Maybe I can find that magic with it in the next couple of shaves.

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A copy & paste from another forum write up couple hours back. Stubble is practically full on as I wlpost this.

An update. A little over 8 hours into the shave and I have some light stubble all around especially along both jaw lines & left and right of the Adams Apple. As I suspected and knew once the razor touched my skin, it was not going to be a deep clearing of the whiskers. Not saying it’s bad or that the shave was a failure. What I’m saying is that I got roughly 6-8 hours of whisker free skin before the stubble decided to show itself again. For some that works, for others it doesn’t. I fall in the latter group. For reference, my Mamba .70 gives me a longer lasting shave. We’ll see if the results improve with more shaves. I’m skeptical though at the moment.
 
SOTD 02/26/2026

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Razor: RazoRock Next Level 85
Blade: Sharp Titanium(2)
Brush: Yaqi Mysterious Space 24mm
Soap and AS: Stirling 2019 Dirty South Shavers LE

First shave with the Next Level. First off, I did not like the handle that it came with. I'm not a fan of long handles nor did I find it particular aesthetically pleasing. So I switched it out with the classic RazoRock barber pole handle.

Made a beautiful Stirling lather and went to work. Italian Barber lists the 85 as a medium aggression razor, I found it to be quite a mild razor with minimal blade feel. Others have mentioned a rather narrow window of operating angles that will allow the razor to cut, and I did find that to be true also, but I didn't have any trouble holding the angle once I found it. I did my normal two passes and walked away smooth without a hint if irritation. And proof of that was no sting from the AS.

I will say that while I think this is a great razor I think that the Recurve is the better design. I really appreciate the super thin head of the Recurve. And I think that the Recurve might be a touch more efficient with the same total lack of blade feel

Happy shaving!

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk
 
Good review.
 
A copy & paste from another forum write up couple hours back. Stubble is practically full on as I wlpost this.

An update. A little over 8 hours into the shave and I have some light stubble all around especially along both jaw lines & left and right of the Adams Apple. As I suspected and knew once the razor touched my skin, it was not going to be a deep clearing of the whiskers. Not saying it’s bad or that the shave was a failure. What I’m saying is that I got roughly 6-8 hours of whisker free skin before the stubble decided to show itself again. For some that works, for others it doesn’t. I fall in the latter group. For reference, my Mamba .70 gives me a longer lasting shave. We’ll see if the results improve with more shaves. I’m skeptical though at the moment.
I never understood the 6-8 of whisker-free skin.
I am lucky to get two-three---regardless of the razor/blade.
 
I never understood the 6-8 of whisker-free skin.
I am lucky to get two-three---regardless of the razor/blade.

I think Andrew that I’m the one that has an issue here with shave expectancy or length of duration. 2-3 hours of longevity is extremely short lived. You have some swift growing whiskers there amigo. Do you limit yourself to a pass or two? No ATG passes? I’ll be honest amigo, I’m just a chaser of baby smooth skin every single time I put steel to skin. I look for complete and total rubbery feeling skin when I’m done. Yeah, I think it’s me.

Great shaves to you brother. (y)
 
Just a quick update on my time so far with the Next Level 112+ while using a Feather. 2 more shaves in, this one included and if there has been any improvement on how this razor works, it’s marginal to be quite honest. My duration of shaves have only increased by maybe an hour, 7-8 hours total if I’m being generous. I mean, for quite a few I think that is acceptable as one can get through an 8 hour work day and it would be enough. Personally, I’m used to 10+ hours of smooth face feeling from the far majority of razors that I own and they deliver that longevity consistently and I expect that type of result nearly every time. Am I expecting too much? Maybe but, I simply have grown accustomed to that result day in and day out. I’d have to consider that in all probability I’m the one that’s at fault here with expecting a higher minimum of shave performance standards that this particular razor wasn’t designed for, at least in this gap range. Perhaps more so with higher gap releases in the future that my specific shave criteria could be met? Don’t know as only time will tell if Razorock decides to up the ante in the gap & blade exposure wars. I still haven’t swapped out the handle as of this shave but, on the next one which will probably happen tomorrow morning, I’ll get a different handle in there and more likely than not, I’ll put in a fresh KAI blade in there to see if that gives a bump in blade feel& overall shave efficiency. Other than the shave longevity issue & the mild nature of the NL 112+, it is a supremely smooth razor and I really can’t see one saying that this version is overly aggressive or blade forward. If they do, there’s something wrong in their specific shave scenario. More to follow.

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I think Andrew that I’m the one that has an issue here with shave expectancy or length of duration. 2-3 hours of longevity is extremely short lived. You have some swift growing whiskers there amigo. Do you limit yourself to a pass or two? No ATG passes? I’ll be honest amigo, I’m just a chaser of baby smooth skin every single time I put steel to skin. I look for complete and total rubbery feeling skin when I’m done. Yeah, I think it’s me.

Great shaves to you brother. (y)
Let me clarify, Gus.
Shaving daily, I NEVER get as close a shave as when I wait...3-4 days.
The longer the hair, the closer the cut.
That's my story and I am stickin' to it.
(y)
 
Let me clarify, Gus.
Shaving daily, I NEVER get as close a shave as when I wait...3-4 days.
The longer the hair, the closer the cut.
That's my story and I am stickin' to it.
(y)

My apologies Primo, I mistook your response or statement as if Andrew had written it. Sorry brother. Maybe I’m just getting a little too happy with my Yuengling Lager(s).;)
 
Went into today’s shave with a couple of changes that I’d mentioned yesterday. The handle was swapped out for the smaller, hallowed out handle from Razorock which helped a bit for better balance while still keeping that same near perfect tactile grip of the razor. The Feather blade was replaced with a fresh KAI blade and though the change wasn’t eye opening or a gamechanger so to speak, I can’t deny that it did help in increasing shave efficiency with a touch more of welcomed blade feel. Sometimes one does not need a total or complete departure of the norm to achieve a preferred result or specific gain and that is a real truth in shaving. Thousandths of an inch positive or negative in numeric value can make a substantial difference in how a shave tool reacts to an individuals input via shave technique. Was it a night vs day difference? No however, the gain was noticeable on overall performance in specific terms, giving me real time cause & effect data/info during the shave. The NL 112+ still maintained its inherited smoothness by design and ease of use while giving me just a tad more information on feel and audible effect on what was happening between steel & skin. A true 3 pass shave with just a slight touch up & buffing action around the chin & apple area. No irritation, nics or weepers of any kind on both face & neck. In hand with the shorter handle it did feel more comfortable and I was actually able to get more assertive with technique & pressure in a good way while moving the Next Level with relative ease and good speed. Not that anyone should shave with speed as the sole criteria, rather speed in how I could move back & forth without having to worry about the razor being to assertive or aggressive in design. The blade & handle swap was an improvement for me from start to finish especially in the ATG pass as it was very smooth and effective in slicing whiskers comfortably. Stability & the rigidity that the Next Level holds is quite good without an ounce of blade chatter during any specific pass. Mind you, I’m just dealing with light stubble from every day shaving so far so, that potential problem has not reared itself as of yet. With a few more days of growth, maybe it becomes a different story but, I don’t see that really being an issue as the blade is clamped quite well for my use in the Next Level. I can’t speak to the effect of the shave on longevity as I shaved only about an hour ago. I will update or mention that outcome soon or in my next shave detail.

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A very satisfying shave this morning with the Next Level 112+ & KAI blade pairing. I would like to note that yes, I changed the handle again but, went with a lighter Titanium made one from DScosmetics. I was looking to see if I could improve on the balance and weight bias even further over from yesterday’s shave set up with the hollowed handle SS version by Razorock. I will admit, the increase in balance was marginal however, with the stainless steel head of the NL 112+, there was a slight gain in weight bias towards the head assembly that points to my preference in weight distribution. It just feels better for my technique and style of shaving. This shave was just as good as yesterday’s shave while feeling a slight increase in smoothness perhaps from the blade having had a use already on it that helped in contributing to that effect. Another 3 solid passes of excellent comfort & smoothness from the NL with a short buff & clean up pass in the usual spots. I would undoubtedly state that this was the best shave to date with this razor as it produces & delivers solid carefree, smooth & ultimately comfortable shaves. The change to the Ti handle gave an overall balance that was more to my liking and contributed to a more pleasant shave experience while still exhibiting excellent tactile grip & feel. No mishaps of any kind were experienced during the shave and ultimately, that’s the desired result for every wet shaver and in that, the Next Level has met the criteria. However, I will say that even with the couple of changes implemented yesterday with both a wider blade and shorter handle that gave an overall better feel, the duration of my shave was still 7-8 hours at best. Again, some will find that satisfactory and others like myself will be left wanting for more on the specific topic of shave duration/longevity. Even though there is a nice gap size with positive blade exposure, the window of adjustment to get a precise cutting feel & effectiveness in my experience so far is quite narrow. One has to make a concerted effort in keeping it in that zone or else cutting ability is effected if lost until one finds that specific angle again. Some razors offer an easier go of it while some others don’t. For me, the Next Level requires a more concerted and disciplined effort in maintaining that cutting edge effectively throughout ones shave. That’s just me gents and I don’t speak for anyone else and their specific experience with said razor.

In conclusion and to be fair, the razor is impeccably crafted & engineered. For me, clamping power is more than sufficient for my shaving needs. Precision & tolerances are practically flawless in every aspect of the design. Excellent lather channel exits do the job wonderfully of clearing shaved whiskers & lather away from the shaved area. Rinses clean and easy with a quick under the faucet run or a quick splash in ones bathroom sink. Removal & install of the blade is as easy as it gets and though I’ve only used two specific blades in the Next Level, both fit in there precisely with the KAI blade being slightly wider, it still fit perfectly.I’d assume that practically all blades will do the same regardless of brand. I’d like to point out that even though the razor head assembly looks like they completely cover the blade tabs, I actually do feel just the slightest hangover on both sides when handling the head assembly with the KAI blade installed. Can’t say if that was the case as well with the Feather as I never bothered to check for that while it was in use. Honestly, for those that want a set and forget razor that in this gap shares a close shave resemblance on its smooth & mild mannered demeanor to a Post-War Tech, this a well made modern day version of it. As such for me, I would need something a bit more “aggressive” in the Next Level line up if I were to continue on this crusade of finding a more suitable razor that delivers on the characteristics that I pursue or desire. Comfort, ease of use & longevity are the big three for me. The NL 112+ meets only 2/3 of that criteria for me. A fine razor for sure but, just falls short of my expectations & wants. Big kudos to Razorock though for making an incredibly affordable with this type of quality & precision for the regular joe to experience. They are the best in the business on that front.

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Razorock NL135 • BIC • Bruji 27x52 • Aesop Sori Yanagi Bowl • Haslinger Calendula • Proraso Cypress & Vetyver



Nice first outing with this Next Level 1.35, inside my expectations, with a medium efficiency with this blade. Usually when I try a new razor I’ll do just two passes, with and across the grain, to check if it cuts even, and was pleased to check that I had a uniform shave without trying, didn’t find it angle sensitive, an auto pilot shaver it seems. I’ll keep experimenting in the next few shaves.
 
Took a few days off from shaving to get in some longer growth and see what the Next Level can do with the wider KAI blade installed. Took on 3 days worth of stubble and it produced a good result. A traditional 3 pass shave with an extended buff and clean up pass was required to get the face & neck fully whisker free to my satisfaction. I did give myself a little bit of heat and irritation especially along the jawline and underneath the chin as some whiskers just didn’t want to let go of the epidermis. I won’t blame the razor for the heat gremlins as that was specifically more of my doing as I used a bit more pressure and adjusted with angles to get at those stragglers. I will say that I believe I got a better performing shave from the NL 112+ as I actually found a good feel for it while using it angled closer to the guard than my other previous shaves. Perhaps the KAI blade may have had some influence on that but, I just wanted to point that out as the shave was actually quite good. It was smooth & comfortable during the 3 passes with a DFS result. I just happened to push it to get a full on BBS results however, I suffered somewhat the consequences of taking it past the point of no return. Mia culpa. I stand though on what I’ve stated in previous postings in that this razor, the Next level 112+ is an extraordinarily smooth shaver with a natural comfort that is designed into it. Efficiency for me was not at the level that I expected however, for those that enjoy a care free shave without putting much thought into the exercise would find this razor a very viable option for a well made & crafted modern day daily shaving tool. Even though it didn’t work perfectly for me, I do believe the Next Level to be a very good razor and an exceptional value. Will I look into the future to see if Razorock delivers a higher gap in the “+” size options? Maybe, if it’s at least a 1.35 or 1.55 offered in the plus exposure variety. If not, I’ll just be a bystander until that does happen.

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MR "More Reveal" top cap is set to drop in the coming days from Razorock. Might just be the answer for more shave feel in getting better results and accustomed with the Next Level Razor. No specs as of yet but, it was mentioned on their FB feed. Just might snap one up along with a higher gap base plate if they become available as well.

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Almost missed it but, I acquired the MR top cap plus 2 additional NL base plates in the higher gaps over the one I have which is the 112+ plate.
 
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