Colonel Ichabod Conk Double Track Chrome Razor

I received my Colonel Conk "Double Track" chrome razor handle for the first time this morning and am very glad I bought it and highly recommend it to anyone who prefers the Trac II style razor blades. It has the heft and balance of a vintage (old school) razor and you can tell when you hold it that this is one you'll pass on to you son. With the weight distributed to the bottom of the handle I have more control over the amount of pressure applied to the blade while shaving and can 'toggle' as I pull; adjusting pressure as I pull across easy-to-tricky areas of my face with ease. It's a well made shaving tool and one that requires minimal care; just wipe it off when finished and hang it on my razor stand.the head was made generic so as to take any and all Trac II/Super II style blades so there is no "click" when the blade is on, it just slides on and you may have to use your thumb to press it back on the head a little. No big deal to me. It's a tight fit with Gillette Trac II blades and the fit will vary with every brand of blade. My favorite is the Supermax S-II blades and they are an exact replica of the Gillette; Personna (hence all grocery/drug store brands) will have a slightly different fit. But it's so minor and has no effect on the shave nor damages either the blade or razor it's nothing to be concerned about. Once on the head of this handle the blade doesn't move or slide out of place and that's all I care about.Since I collect vintage razors I purchased both one chrome and one gold plated because I notice that the brushed chrome is no longer available, Col. Conk doesn't carry the gold one on their web site anymore and the polished chrome is getting scarce so I'm thinking this Trac II handle might be going out of production...so if you want one for use as well as a collectable you better get it now just in case.The other reason I wanted this one is because it is a close replica of the International Silver Paul Revere Schick Super II handle that was made sometime between 1978 - 1981 for a short time and came with a presentation case. They are really hard to find now and I guess I see this one as a "poor man's revere" :) (you can see one here: [...]Like many men, I've been researching alternatives to over priced gimmick razors (vibrating handles that hold now 6 blades that I can't shave my upper lip with) and like most men I've tried the vintage D/E razors and then switched back to the my first cartridge razor; the Trac II. After having D/E razors remind me how much I used to hate shaving (nicks/cuts/razor burn from Hades and bits of toilet paper decorating my face some mornings)I saw the Trac II handles were making a come back and immediately switched back to the razor I used from 1973 until 1985 and wondered why I ever switched away from it: No nicks, no cuts and never any razor burn. I get a closer more comfortable shave with a two-way shave using the Trac II blades than I got with the traditional 4-way shave using a D/E. And the 3/4/5 blades still miss stubble on my face (full face beard, med/heavy). With this Col. Conk handle I get the benefit from the weight of the handle like a vintage D/E and all the benefit of the twin-blade cartridge razor; actually bringing out the best of these simple and great shaving blades. As far as I'm concerned the Trac II style blade was the last word in wet shaving and no other type of razor or blade has ever done better and the cost is competitive when you include how many more shaves you get from a twin blade over the D/E. This handle perfects an excellent shaving system for me. Again: Get it while you can.

Man this is crazy. I have a whole bunch of Gillete Sensor Excel handles, and I wanted to get some new blades. Apparently they don't make this kind of blade anymore because people are idiots and think they need at least three blades on their razor.At the grocery store I've gotten some great generic double blade heads to go in my Excel handles, so I went to pick up some more. I bought a bunch because they had a weekly deal on them, thinking they were the same ones I've bought in the past.But nope, when I got home I found that they're made to work with Gillette Atra or Trac II razors, whatever those are. I tried to find one of them but apparently they don't make those anymore either. Jerks. So I searched and searched and found this inexpensive razor that miraculously fits those blades, and it is relatively inexpensive.I was afraid it would be crappy because of the price and a bunch of these reviews, but I was surprised to find it's shaped nicely to fit in your hand and actually is quite ergonomically pleasing. The gold sheen of the metal handle looks cool and classy as well.I would say the only drawback is that it doesn't come with a caddy to rest on when you're not using it, but that's not a big deal. I have a nice toothbrush holder with multiple holes in it, but since I only use one for my toothbrush, I just threw this thing in next to it, and voila.All's well that ends well, and I rode off into the sunset with a well-shaven face.

It looks good. Nice, shiny chrome finish. The cool metal surface and the long tapered shank feels smooth in your fingers. Everything perfect until you actually try to shave with it. The weighted handle shifts the center of gravity down to the bottom and I found myself choking up on the handle, higher and higher in order to keep control of the blade across my face. The result is that you have less handle to work with and your fingers start to scrunch and cramp around near the top of it until it feels like your shaving with a toothpick. I kept at it for two weeks, hoping my hand would get use to it but half way through my last shave I switched back to my cheapy, lightweight plastic handle and the difference was like night and day. Ahh, the things we take for granted. Sometimes the best isn't always the prettiest.

I have been using the same all metal Atra razor handle that I bought when they first came out back in the mid 70's... its finally getting a bit clicky so I decided to try this one since I came across a bunch of Trac 2 blades at a discount... I like it, it's one piece and no moving parts and it shaves "ok" but, it is almost as though the designer purposely built it to be slippery... it's not that its is so slippery that you can't hold it... it just slippery enough to make you ask "why", why slippery, why did they not ad just a tad bit of knurling for better grip... but other than that.. not bad at all, I do find that I have to make a double pass quit often, so my old ancient Atra is still a better razor and cuts more close and clean. I like the look for this double trac though, and I really like that it's one piece and should last for eternity... I may buy another to keep in my go kit...