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Lambda Athena SS 316L – DLC
Description
Lambda Athena - SS 316L - DLC
A masterpiece in efficiency and smoothness
Lambda Athena is our second model released in late 2021. As soon as it hit the market, we received numerous excellent reviews. In fact, it became so popular that we couldn’t even keep up with the demand. The main quality of Lambda Athena is its efficiency, while still being gentle and smooth on the skin. A lot of customers praised Athena, making it quickly one of the most popular safety razors on the market.
Why "Athena" ?
Athena is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of various cities across Greece, particularly the city of Athens, from which she most likely received her name. The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her. Her major symbols include owls, olive trees, snakes, and the Gorgoneion. In art, she is generally depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear. In Greek mythology, Athena was believed to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus. In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus’ forehead by parthenogenesis. In others, such as Hesiod’s Theogony, Zeus swallows his consort Metis, who was pregnant with Athena; in this version, Athena is first born within Zeus and then escapes from his body through his forehead.
We took our inspiration from the goddess Athena, as the character of the razor has a connection to what she symbolizes. Wisdom, craftsmanship, and quiet strength. For us, Lambda Athena is a “wise war machine” without any exaggerations in its design. The “owl”, one of the most important symbols of goddess Athena, also inspired us in the design of the razor’s head profile.
Head Design
Athena’s head design is quite unique. We spent many hours designing until we achieved a perfect geometry that provides smooth and efficient shaves for everyone. There is no customer reporting to us that Athena is mild, non-efficient, or aggressive and non-smooth. We tried to achieve the perfect balance between smoothness and efficiency, and it seems we did it.
We are developing our designs, while others are still struggling to keep up...
A few important characteristics that give us the edge:
Edge-to-edge clamping: This is one of the most important aspects of our designs and we have implemented it from the very beginning. This type of blade clamping eliminates blade chatter, resulting in a smoother shave. The blade cuts through like a laser beam, effortlessly gliding through the hair.
- “Blind” bottom plate: The underside of the bottom plate is blind, meaning it does not have any holes or openings. This helps prevent slippery lather from ending up on the top of the handle and consequently on your hands.
- Lather channels on the bottom plate: Athena’s bottom plate design is unique, meaning that it features specially designed lather channels that drive lather and water out to the sides of the plate. When you rinse the head, water comes out from the sides of the head, perfectly cleaning the blade. This design is labor-intensive in CNC, requiring a significant amount of machining time.
- Neutral blade exposure: With zero blade exposure, you can be sure that the razor is safe, even for a beginner in traditional wet shaving.
- Small blade gap: Athena features a relatively small blade gap, while still being highly efficient. Again, this adds up to Athena being safe and smooth for everyone.
Handle Design
For the design of the handle, we drew inspiration from a unique type of ancient Greek amphora called a “lekythos”. This type of amphora was used in ancient times as a vessel to store perfumes for young women and athletes. We adapted the shape to create a razor handle that still maintains the essence of the original concept.
Material
We use the best quality of stainless steel available.
SAE 316L grade stainless steel, sometimes referred to as A4 stainless steel or marine grade stainless steel, is the second most common austenitic stainless steel after 304/A2 stainless steel. The addition of molybdenum provides greater corrosion resistance than 304, with respect to localized corrosive attack by chlorides and to general corrosion by reducing acids. 316L grade is the low carbon version of 316 stainless steel, which improves relative corrosion-resistance.
316 L is difficult to machine due to its high strength and high toughness which result in large cutting force and high temperature at the tool/chip and tool/workpiece interfaces in the machining process.
Finish / Coating
DLC Coating stands for diamond-like carbon coating, and is a nanocomposite coating that has unique properties of natural diamond low friction, high hardness, and high corrosion resistance.
DLC characterstics:
- High hardness
- Low coefficient of friction (0.02 – 0.15)
- High corrosion resistance
- Great adhesion to substrate material
- Fretting resistance
- Adhesive wear resistance
Manufacturing
We are proud to manufacture our razors in Greece. The razors are manufactured entirely on the latest spec CNC machines, and we always ensure that the components are made with the highest precision.
The components are hand-finished to a mirror-like polish. This is a meticulous task that requires a lot of time time and attention to detail.
We utilize the laser engraving technique for logos and serial numbers.
Serial Numbering
We assign a unique serial number to each of our razors. It is positioned below the surface of the bottom plate. The format of the serial numbers is as follows:
xx-yyy
where xx represents the year of manufacture and yyy represents the sequential number, starting from 001 for the first batch of that year.
Personalised Booklet
Each razor comes with a personalized booklet. On the first inside page, there is the serial number of the razor, the model, and the name of the customer, all of which are handwritten. There is also a hand sign at the bottom of the page. This way, you can be sure that your razor is genuine. We also provide some brief information about “Lambda Razors” and our products.
Luxury Wooden Case
Lambda Razors is the only safety razor manufacturer offering such a luxurious and elegant packaging. Our philosophy is to offer a meticulously crafted, collectable item, which will be with you for many years. And what better way to present a special and unique item than “dressing” it with the best “clothing” out there?
Lambda Athena comes as standard with a high quality, perfectly crafted wooden case made of solid Manchurian Ashwood or Tamo Ash.* It is designed in 3D CAD software and manufactured to tight tolerances.
The two pieces of the case are shaped on CNC machines with special recesses inside them so the razor can fit tightly inside without moving when the case is closed. Additionally we are using a special beige color, suede-like fabric on the case recesses, so the razor will sit safely inside without any damage danger for the razor or the box itself.
The two pieces of the wooden case are connected together by a pair of bronze hinges.
The box also features a set of magnets embedded on the wood, so the top cap stays closed, a very useful feature while traveling.
On the top cap, you will find our logo engraved, as well as the model “symbol” on the front side. On the bottom there is an engraving of our website.
* We made a long research to use a material that would be elegant looking and matching the character of the razor. For our stainless steel and titanium razors, we have chosen a special wood, the Manchurian Ashwood material, a rare and hard to source material, which add a luxury note to the whole product. Below you can read a short description of the wood and its specifications.
“One of the world’s rarest, most beautiful hardwoods, Tamo Ash has been a favorite native species in North Asia and Northeastern Asia for millennia. Especially in Japan, where craftsmen historically reserved the beautiful material for royalty.
Tamo Ash has a grain pattern and figure that is completely unique. In its plain, unfigured form, Tamo Ash is very similar to the North American species, and is usually simply referred to as Japanese Ash (with the name Tamo being reserved for the more figured sections of wood). Sold almost exclusively as veneer, and nearly always with figured grain of some sort. Reportedly quite rare, and in limited supply; most veneer is exported from Japan. Prices are high for an imported veneer and are linked to the degree of figure in the grain: higher figure means higher prices.
No matter how Tamo Ash becomes Tamo Ash, it is truly, uniquely beautiful. The heartwood is a light to medium brown color, while the sapwood, which can be very wide, tends to be light brown or beige. Its extraordinary grain is renowned for its quilt-like, sometimes swirling “peanut” figuring. And it has a coarse, uneven texture.”
Specifications
Overview
Type
Double Edge Razor
Head Design
Closed Comb
Material
Material
316L Stainless Steel
Manufacturing
Method
CNC Machining
Coating
DLC (Diamond Like Carbon)
Finish
Mirror Polished
Dimensions / Weight
Total Length
102mm
Handle Length
95mm
Weight
126gr
Geometry Data
Blade Exposure
0 (neutral)
Blade Gap
0.34mm
packaging
Wooden case
Manchurian Ashwood
Additional information
| Weight | 0,5 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15 × 15 × 11 cm |
| Material | Stainless steel |
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Hi, I believe I have been on the waiting list for sometime however I\’m not sure there is a way to check this when I attempt to go to the waiting list now from the site that page does not seem to load and I just see a square saying close, but I would like to be placed on the waiting list for the Athena, black oxide, and titanium if possible. Thank you!
Chris Bojrab
chris@bojrab.net
Rating & Review