Maxwell June MJ-SX: The Mildest Top Cap, Tested

Hello, I’m Sig Solo. Welcome to the channel, and welcome to today’s shave.

Today’s razor is the Maxwell June DE razor. The new version for me. Which also means it’s time to explain how this system actually works, because it doesn’t work the way most people expect.

The Top Cap Makes the Difference

With Maxwell June, it’s not the base plate that changes the aggression. It’s the top cap. That’s the whole thing. The base plate is the same on all three razors in this lineup.

Here’s how they break down. First came the short handle with the MJ plate, which is the medium. Then the longer handle with the EX top cap, slightly more aggressive, but I’d still call it high medium. Not aggressive, just above medium. And now the SX, which is the new one. The sensitive plate. The mildest of the three.

The handles are interesting too. The solid short handle is 106 grams. The solid long handle is 105. Funny thing, the short one is a bit thicker, so it ends up one gram heavier than the longer handle. Then they added hollow versions. The hollow short handle drops to 80 grams. So if you’re using the solid and think 106 is too much, you order the hollow and lose 26 grams just like that. There is a hollow long handle as well, but I don’t have it to weigh.

Today’s Setup

The handle and the SX plate were very kindly gifted to me by Maxwell June when I ordered the new plate. 80 grams. Roughly three and a quarter inches. Light. Compact.

In the razor, I have a Wizamet on its sixth use.

Today’s soap comes from Lou, my brother from another mother in Canada. He very kindly sent it to me along with some other samples. It’s the Cella Riserva Fresco. You probably know the classic Cella, the one that smells like marzipan, the almond cherry one. This is a completely different direction. It came in a bigger jar, and the scent goes somewhere fresh and summery and lemony.

I’m not sure if this is tallow or vegan, honestly. My guess is vegan. That might be completely wrong.

The brush today is the Ronan’s Copper Envy from AKA BrushWorx. My bowl is the Obsidian Copper from Captain’s Choice. They had them together and I could not say no.

The Shave

Three and a half days of stubble. Maybe a little more than usual.

I keep saying it because it’s the key point: Maxwell June uses the top cap, not the base plate, to set the aggression. Swap the top cap, change the character. The base plate stays.

The SX earns its label. Comfortable from the first stroke. I don’t feel the blade much at all. There’s a secure feeling on the skin, like you can speed up a little without worrying. Good for travel, good for poor lighting, good for a small mirror, good for extra sensitive skin. Still efficient, though. Second pass through three and a half days of growth and it handles it without fuss. Goes right up under the nose too. The profile is fairly flat, which helps with that.

One thing worth knowing: there’s no tap sticking out on either the SX or EX top caps. If that matters to you, now you know.

They also sent along a loader with the razor, a black 3D-printed piece. You can use it as a stand, or put the top cap in it when you’re loading the blade to make the whole process easier. I forgot to bring it into this shave. I’ll show it properly in the next Maxwell June video.

I also want to mention: James, my brother from another mother in the US, very kindly sent me the solid long handle. When I reviewed the Maxwell June with the EX plate, I mentioned I didn’t have the long handle. He wrote to me and said he prefers the short handle, so would I like it? Of course I said yes. James, thank you very much. The long handle is coming up in the next Maxwell June shave, with a fresh blade.

Speaking of the second pass, I have to say my mind was elsewhere for a moment. My daughter comes home from Italy in four weeks. She has been out there for half a year with a host family that has done a fantastic job with her. She turns 18 next Thursday. I will have to start calling her a woman, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that. But she’ll always be my little princess in some way, shape or form. If you’re a father to a daughter, you’ll understand what I mean.

The Soap and Aftershave

During the shave the Cella Riserva Fresco does what it says on the label. Fresh. Comfortable. Subtle. No menthol that I pick up. No wood to my nose. Just a clean, quiet citrus that stays out of the way while you shave. I like that in the summer. And it reminds me of the Noxzema, which is why I grabbed the Noxzema Sensitive as the aftershave today. Same direction. Fresh lemon. Easy on the skin.

I’ll say this about the Noxzema: mine has gotten very liquidy. Four years old, maybe more. It’s almost like skim milk at this point. Maybe that’s the limit on these things, or maybe I just don’t remember how it used to be. The scent is still there though, and I still love it.

Thank you to Maxwell June for the handle and the SX plate. Thank you to James for sending me the long handle. Thank you to Lou for the Cella Fresco and everything else you sent along.

That was a fantastic shave. Like, subscribe, hit the bell, and share. We are not obsessed. We are dedicated.