Shave of the Day 2015

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Ok @3pass , promised:
Rapira Plat Lux (0)
Slim @5 &3
Mikes Lavender
Plisson Synth

So exact same as for the Swedish Super Steel .......but from the first swipe it was noticeably inferior to that, which I found quite mediocre anyway. Honestly felt like a 3rd or 4th shave with a mid-tier blade eg Astra SP. Noticeable tugging and had to work to get the razors head through only mild stubble. ATG on the 2nd pass was much worse, roughed up my skin a tad. Changed it out after the shave.

So what does that all mean? Well not much as you know blade preference is very subjective and I might just be uber fussy or you might have a tad of masochism i you! But more likely its just a preference thing, so suffice to say I didn't buy any but each to his own eh. :)
 
Brush: 1305
Soap/Cream: MWF
Razor: Weber PH
Blade: Feather
After-shave: Speick

MWF lathers rabidly even without a badger, let alone one from the Isle of Man. Boar worked magic on this puck today - creamy goodness. Not sure what else I'd have asked of this morning's shave - well other than it be administered by the Speick mascot maybe....
 
Friday 6 February 2015

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Mastro Livi Damasteel Ladder, 6/8 Full Hollow, French Point​

I am particularly fond of Damasteel straight razors. Although it is very hard for me to tell what steel I like the best among those used by Mastro Livi - each one has its own quality and character - I like Damasteel because of its aggressiveness. This one is part of a personal series I ordered to Mastro Livi and to be used in my trips: although my favorite sizes are 7/8 and 8/8, smaller blades are better when you travel. Lovely razor, including its amaranth buckeye burl scales, a material I like quite a lot both for its look and pattern.​
  • Pre-Shave: Roberts Distilled Rose Water
  • Soap: De Vergulde Hand
  • Brush: Omega Bristle 83
  • Bowl: Chinese Bowl
  • Strop: Mastro Livi Travel Loom Strop and Hand Palm
  • Razor: Mastro Livi Damasteel Ladder, 6/8 Full Hollow, French Point
  • Post-Shave: Umbrian Extra Virgin Oil
  • After Shave: Pinaud Clubman Classic Vanilla
 
Brush: Vintage Butterscotch Simpson
Soap/Cream: Proraso M&E
Razor: Gillette Slim ADjustable - 6
Blade: English vintage Wilkie (shave 1)
After-shave: Proraso M&E splash

Late shave as I was working this morning outside - warm day so went the Proraso.

After all the artisan soaps Proraso feels like putting a chemical factory on your face - but gee it just works!!!!

Great lather, great scent, great shave :)
 
Took one for the team today: no pre-shave!

So in the recent months my pre-shave routine has become very minimalist: cold water rinse, wash with Occam's pre-shave soap x 2, face lather and go. Today I just face lathered.

I used the exact same gear as last shave (RR SS V1, Vie-Long 12705B, Stirling Coniferous and Voskhod). The shave itself was less comfortable - there was some tugging going on. And there was also a lot more sting from the alumn at the end...

Having said that, the post feel is the same and no irritation or other issues whatsoever.

So it is not the end if the world...
 
alfredus said:
there was some tugging going on. And there was also a lot more sting from the alumn at the end...
Having said that, the post feel is the same and no irritation or other issues whatsoever.
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Ok Alfredus you've having a 'good time' on your honey moon but there's no need to get boastful about such things! :rolleyes:

Never used an Alum in that manner myself - but whatever turns your crank eh.:p
 
Nick the Knife said:
Ok Alfredus you've having a 'good time' on your honey moon but there's no need to get boastful about such things! :rolleyes:

Never used an Alum in that manner myself - but whatever turns your crank eh.[emoji14]
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Thanks, but the actual honeymoon was many moons ago ;)

You never use alum at the end of the shave?
 
SOTD morning:
Cold water shave
Preshave: Woolies Vitamin E cream
Brush: Simpson Berkeley
Soap: P160
Razor: EJ DE89 - 3 pass shave & tidy-up
Blade: Astra Greens
Nice lather from this soap again. Shaving with this razor is always a great experience due to the general feel, weight and balance and the Astra Green's really work for me as they are always smooth and close.

SOTD this evening
Cold water shave
Preshave: Woolies Vitamin E cream
Brush: Simpson Berkeley
Soap: JGS TMBR
Strop: Dovo
Razor: Dovo SS 5/8 - 3 pass shave & tidy-up
Best straight shave for a while. Vitamin E appears to be working to a degree though I want to try olive oil (that I use for cooking) mixed with an essence or soap, probably starting this week. Once again the JGS soap lacked a bit in the slickness, though it does lather extremely well and smells great, the real selling point of this soap.

Honestly blokes, just do it. Get yourself a straight, know that there is a loooooooooong learning curve and just do it. Wanting to give up is a weekly occurrence but don't. There is no better feeling than after several months being able to get consistently good shaves (there will be many very average shaves on the way). It is much more difficult than a DE, but Oh the sense of accomplishment.
 
Dale.Whiley said:
....

Honestly blokes, just do it. Get yourself a straight, know that there is a loooooooooong learning curve and just do it. Wanting to give up is a weekly occurrence but don't. There is no better feeling than after several months being able to get consistently good shaves (there will be many very average shaves on the way). It is much more difficult than a DE, but Oh the sense of accomplishment.
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That sounds to me like the voice of a golfer. You know the ones, they extol the virtues of reaching a single digit handicap. The rest of us know it is just a pleasant walk ruined :)
 
Actually @Dale.Whiley you have convinced me to give it a try.

Will you buy me this as a starter SR8 since you are SUCH a nice guy?
 
Dale.Whiley said:
Get yourself a straight, know that there is a loooooooooong learning curve and just do it. Wanting to give up is a weekly occurrence but don't. There is no better feeling than after several months being able to get consistently good shaves (there will be many very average shaves on the way). It is much more difficult than a DE, but Oh the sense of accomplishment.
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Ah well if you feel a warm buzz from a sense of accomplishment via a masterful and deft straight razor shave we can only begin to imagine the exhilaration a youthful @gthomas04 felt when he completed his first 3 pass shave with his trusty Obsidian flint razor!!!
141013knappingDSC_0686.JPG

Woooo mumma he'd have wanted to get a nice lather with the old Mammoth Silvertip to carry off that final ATG pass! It's a doozy! Now thats a sense of accomplishment.

PS. @gthomas04 , I'm sorry as I know these very lame gags must get a bit old after a while.:sleep:
PPS. Eh, eh you see what I did there....!!! ;)
 
Nick the Knife said:
Ah well if you feel a warm buzz from a sense of accomplishment via a masterful and deft straight razor shave we can only begin to imagine the exhilaration a youthful @gthomas04 felt when he completed his first 3 pass shave with his trusty Obsidian flint razor!!!
141013knappingDSC_0686.JPG

Woooo mumma he'd have wanted to get a nice lather with the old Mammoth Silvertip to carry off that final ATG pass! It's a doozy! Now thats a sense of accomplishment.

PS. @gthomas04 , I'm sorry as I know these very lame gags must get a bit old after a while.:sleep:
PPS. Eh, eh you see what I did there....!!! ;)
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That is OK @Nick the Knife , I am pleased that my existence on this planet gives you pleasure. :)
 
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Pre-shave: Proraso Green
Brush: L'Occy Plisson synth
Soap/Cream: Proraso Green
Razor: Souplex Double Six
Blade: Feather
After-shave: Proraso Green

Warming up here already, so I thought a cold shave with a little menthol slap appropriate.
First time with the new bakelite thanks to @Nightguard . The razor seems to be a Souplex Double Six* - purported to have different blade exposure on each side of the head. Unfortunately it's not obvious to the naked (or in my case "untrained" or "ignoramus") eye and I think I felt a difference between each side....though the aggressive side seemed to switch a couple of times - maybe I'm more freestyle with my technique than I realised.

For those that thought plastics gave a meh shave, think again. @Pjotr is onto something!....or not depending on how much I want you to shed your crappy plastics our way. This shave was damn close. Feels close, if not closer, than what I can get with the Weber. Others say plastics are boring because they can't cut you...yeah right this thing tells me in more than a whisper that the slightest error will come at a price. This first shave did not feel as smooth as the Merkur #45 or Weber but I think I need time to get my angles right. This one is a keeper!

*only markings are under the bottom plate reading "Made In England" and "Pat. No. 433166"
 
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@stillshunter , I'm going to roll with you a lil on this one. Now I'm not saying for a second that you may not have gotten a 'better' shave from any of these plastic razors than any of your metal ones, thats a completely plausible situation.

However, I cannot logically see any possible explaination for this other than:
- the actual design/geometry of the plastic razors gets you (and by this I mean specifically you) better results than that of your metal ones
- your technique is more suited to a very light razor

And after thinking about it for several minutes thats about all I can possibly see as being plausible. As the counterthoughts against a plastic razor being able to deliver a 'better' shave than a metal headed one again purely based on logic would in no particular order be:
- without becoming a YKW clone and googling for research papers but I'd imagine the friction/drag co-efficient of quality plated metal to be lower than the razor's plastic on skin
- a core principle of safety razor use was always to let the weight of the razor push the head through the stroke rather than push/pulling it as you have to with lighter cart/disposables - hence the heavier metal ones have the advantage to allowing this technique to be utilised, I'd assume the user has to generate the force more with the lighter plastic
- metal headed razors, particularly the mid-better ones are significantly more expensive than the vast majority of plastic razors and then one would possibly assume superior design/head geometry/quality control - I know thats a number of assumptions but I'm talking as a general rule of thumb e.g a Weber should have better ON PAPER design than say your Souplex.

All that said I do think it's likely that whatever shave a plastic razor is capable of putting out it's likely to suffer from a significant negative placebo effect against it - as users will generally perceive that their more expensive and popularly regarded as superior metal razors have given a better shave.

It'd be a very tough one to get to the bottom of as it's basically impossible to compare apples with apples - as you'd need the exact same design but made in both plastic and metal - and well you know it being shaving there'd be folks that would prefer either one - but I'd be very surprised if for a normal user plastic had any real advantages at all - other than lighter weight for travelling and expected lower cost.

So you'll be listing your Weber up soon? ;)

The razor seems to be a Souplex Double Six* - purported to have different blade exposure on each side of the head.
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Are you sure this just isn't the marketing department putting a very nice spin on their manufacturing section's poor quality control issues? ;) Just joking - but I bet the good people over at Parker razors thought of that one several years back, could of saved them a lot of angst.......it's actually a design INNOVATION, different blade exposure on the SAME SIDE OF THE HEAD! Genius.
 
Hey Nick,

Each of your theories is sound, they make complete sense and yet the reality is that the plastic razors can give a superb shave. I argued with @Pjotr but the proof - in my case - is in the pudding. Having said that I'm thinking - and this needs more experiential testing - that as you say it comes down to two things:

1. geometry - the Merkur #45 bends the blade like no other razor - well except a rare few like the Progress and the Razorock Slants. It is quite extreme. This seems to help with angles and the approach might account for the close shave. Likewise the geometry of the Souplex is quite aggressive. There is quite a gap between the blade and the bottom plate. I have read elsewhere this morning that folks find the shave from the Double Six aggressive and rough. Well I certainly agree with the former and maybe the sharpness of the Feather is cloaking the latter.

2. weight - yes the bakelite are far lighter than any metal razors. Please don't think this permits pressure. It certainly invites it and in some places you can get away with it, but it's not the norm. However, I feel a greater degree of control of pressure with the lighter plastics - this is especially the case for the ATG passes where the weight of metal razors diminishes. Actually as I think out loud, yes the plastics do offer more control with the ATG pass. This might help reduce irritation.

Makes you think about the difference in material - esp. between metals. For example, the Standard is a damn fine razor, so smooth and so efficient. Yet it's aluminium chassis finds it half the weight of the Weber. Same with the aluminium of some slants such as the Razorrock or the iKon #102. So heavier doesn't seem to equate with better. Obvious the fit, finish and shave of the aluminium Standard is superior to many heavier zumak DEs. BY extension the same might be said for the difference between heavier zumak and lightweight plastic. I'd contend many of us would prefer a plastic Merkur #45 over a mostly-metal Micro-Touch One. ;)

But, no, I still love me Weber. There is something about it. So reliable, so confident in the hand.

You got me with the passing off poor QC as an enhancement. Funny thing is that this feature was touted by some folk YKW and yet I believe the patent information mentions nothing about this feature.
 
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