Hype Razor Or Razor Hype?

There is a new single edge (SE) razor that uses Injector blades that features some interesting design elements–The Hype X1 razor.

Hype X1

Highlights from the Hype website:

A premium injector-style razor that makes using a safety razor simple, simple, intuitive, and offers an irritation-free shave with a single edge blade…..

…Customize your shave experience as per your skin & hair with easy and intuitive shave settings. The custom shave settings allow you to adjust the blade exposure which controls how aggressive your shave will be. Shave settings include Sensitive, Comfort, and Ultra-Close….

…The X1 is built with aerospace-grade aluminum to last your lifetime. The material properties of this razor offer a high strength to weight ratio, ductility and resistance to corrosion. The razor has been thoughtfully designed to continually offer high performance….

Clogged blades are a thing of the past. HYPE is made with a sleek and seamless design that allows for click cleaning with the effortless of its heads. Easily clean through the areas between the body and razor, keeping it free from bacterial growth that is common with cartridge razors.

“Kitchen Table” Specs

The specifications of the Hype X1 razor is not listed on the website but my digital kitchen scale shows it weighs about 58 grams (2 oz.). The handle measures about 13 centimeters (3.5 inches) from base to blade (overall length slightly longer).

My Experience With The Hype Razor

My first impression was that this was an interesting but kind of odd razor. On the one hand it seems to have taken a page out of the original Supply razor’s book, with three swappable base plates. But rather than use Supply’s ‘set screw’ style design to hold the base plate to the rest of the razor, Hype uses strong magnets.

Plus there’s the shape of that handle….

I purchased the “Custom Pro Set” that included an X1 razor (I selected the red color) and the “Sensitive” and “Ultra-Close” base plates to go with the included “Comfort” setting that was included with the razor (along with a blade magazine). As I write this the Custom Pro Set is not listed any more but the items can be purchased ala carte. Hype also offers a stand and a shave brush.

Blades

The Hype razor comes with a magazine of US-made Injector-style razor blades. Personally I prefer the Supply “Black Label” Injector blades (affiliate link) but the blades included with the Hype are certainly acceptable.

Base Plates

While some double edge razors with a selection of base plates might be “swappable” mid-shave (by re-aligning the blade into the top cap’s pins), that really isn’t practical with the X1. Popping out a base plate will also pop out the (much smaller and much more difficult to handle out of the magazine) Injector blade. There is virtually no way to re-align the blade in the base without re-inserting the blade back into the magazine and re-loading. It’s just not worth the effort. So I wouldn’t call the X1 an adjustable razor in a meaningful way. Settle on a base plate setting for the duration of your shave.

Like the original and “2.0” Supply razors, the Hype X1 razor offers three base plates: Hype calls the plates Sensitive, Comfort, and Ultra Close. But unlike the previous Supply razors, swapping base plates in the X1 is simplicity itself: a push of the thumb pops out the plate and another plate is easily mounted and stays in-place by virtue of strong magnets. It’s really kind of cool.

That Handle

The Hype X1 handle is V-shaped and quite unlike other manual razors.

I let my father-in-law who has some arthritis in his hand try the X1 and he liked the way it felt very much. He has a hard time with cylindrical razor handles sometimes.

The Hype-recommended grip (above) worked fine for me for some stroke directions but not so much in others. More on that in a moment.

My Shaves

I like the weight and balance of this razor. Although made of aluminum I would not call it a “featherweight” razor like some other aluminum razors–there is a reasonable amount of “heft” to it. The center of gravity is balanced toward the top of the razor, which I prefer.

My learning curve with the Hype X1 was a bit longer than many other razors I’ve tried. First was finding the right base plate. I initially tried the mid-of-the-road “Comfort” plate. I got good shaves but it was just a bit too assertive for my preference, leaving a few “weepers” here and there.

After a few shaves I popped out the Comfort plate and replaced it with the Sensitive plate (I prefer milder razors. YMMV). My results improved noticeably.

Then there’s that handle. That took a few more shaves to get the hang of. I needed some on-the-job (or rather on-the-shave) experimentation to find a comfortable hand-hold for different stroke directions. If you’re used to the cylindrical handle of most other razors you may need a few “settling in” shaves, too. Give it a chance.

But after I had sorted out the variables I started getting some really excellent shaves from the Hype X1!

Summing Up

The Hype X1 razor is a safety razor with some intriguing design elements: it uses Injector-style blades from a blade magazine, has an unusual (and possibly impairment-friendly) handle, and three shave setting base plates that are held in place by a magnet. I think the stylish look is for attracting someone who wants to move away from the modern cartridge razor for something that looks a little out of the ordinary. After a bit of a learning curve my shaves with the X1 have been excellent.