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@stillshunter
@stillshunter to the P&C TB #2 thread!
I was tempted to build this demand to return up to stomping boots and screams of "ENCORE!", but then I remembered where I was and thought better of it. Even quite glad
@borked remembered my name.
So my
first shave with the PCTB2 was a mixed bag - of the stuff I was dying to try. My
second shave was a mostly US affair, and my
third shave a tribute to Mother England. So today's fourth shave is brought to you by the stern folk of Deutschland.
(red denotes items from PCTB2)
Brush: Aesop - a.k.a. Muhle 23mm STF2 (synthetic)
Soap/Cream: Phaemosan shaving cream
Razor: Muhle R41 (2013)
Blade: Personna Med Prep (1)
After-shave: Nivea for Men, AS Replenishing balm
The Germans had their work cut out for them as I'd not shaved for four days….don't judge me!…so there was a healthy amount of hard-wire stubble to get through.
Previous to the arrival of the PCTB2, I'd never heard of
Phaemosan shaving cream. A little research betrayed its Germanic origins and that it was formulated for sensitive skin. This might account for the scent. There is one but it's subtle, floral notes with the slightest hint of blue cheese. I thought this cream a safe bet as if it failed in the lather then there were other German heavyweights, such as Tabac and Speick, willing to wait for a tag on the ropes. It was not to eventuate. I admit the initial first pass lather was a little disappointing, but then I recalled one thing - I was using the STF2. More on this brush a little later but this synthetic does need to be used a little differently. In this case I could swirl more and needed to use much more water. Once I accounted for those two things I was pleasantly surprised with the consistency of the lather produced. Very nice indeed. Also the smell developed a little more and gave some earth to the floral tones. Cushion and glide were certainly acceptable, and the after shave feel was nice and moisturised. Also I must note that a very small amount - I used a pea sized dollop - goes a LONG way. I know the brush would have played a role here, but I had another two passes left in the knot at clean-up. I don't think the soap performed to the standard of its countrymen on the ropes - and again these are tough combatants to shake - but I could use this cream regularly - and would be keen to know where it can be sourced.
A small intermission to talk to the non-PCTB2 German brush and razor.
I'd not used the
Aesop - a.k.a. Muhle 23mm STF2 (synthetic) for quite some time. I picked it for this shave only after I realised some Teutonic blood pumped in its veins - or more specifically - in its hair. Once I recalled the lessons of using this brush daily on my holiday and made the small adjustments it all came flooding back. This brush is my lone gunman brush - i.e., if someone put a gun to my head and demanded I use only one brush this would definitely and unreservedly be it! It feels so soft on the face - making me so want a bulb-shaped Silvertip badger. But its standout quality - which see it unseat my other brushes - is the sense of control it affords. The lather is very predictably where you need it - use the tips to paint it on and twirl the base of the knot (usually on my chin) to get a little more out. This is no brush for ProHart - no launching lather to the ceiling, the mirror or across the floor. The splay suits me perfectly too. This shave was great in reminding me which is my favourite brush .
Inaugural shave with the
Muhle R41 (2013). I accepted
@JugV2 's R41 2011 Bloodletter challenge and ended up wanting a bloodletter of my very own. I have been too distracted by the Weber to give it a whirl, but since I was keeping it German then this was the natural selection. I admit to a little nervous handshake throughout the shave, but this is healthy as it keeps the mind focused on zero pressure. And just like a Zen Master toting a bamboo stick to keep you sharp, the auditory feedback of the R41 certainly keeps your mind on the job. I love that noise and noticed if you really concentrate you can hear the ping of each hair as well as make out the cries for mercy from your skin. I was concerned as I have an anomaly on my top lip - pimple? - which I thought vulnerable to R41 attack. But surprisingly not, it treated it like the dominant tiger would its day old cub. So the shave was nice. Not a single weeper, but it certainly took concentration. This level could not be maintained daily I don't think but am looking forward to using the razor when it is time to recentre my self - I think this a healthy exercise once a week or so. Having been used once now, I baptise this razor the Zen Master.
I thought I'd see whether the
Personna Med Prep - which have proven superb in the Weber - would do as well in the R41. OK it aint German but the only blade I have that is, is the Merker and do you think I'd ever put one of those to my face ever again, especially loaded in the likes of the Zen Master? In short, it worked very well indeed. Oddly I did not get as close a shave with it in my R41 as I did with a PSS in the Bloodletter R41. But this might be down to the Bloodletter - being a 2011 - is simply more aggressive, though there also remains the possibility that the PSS is a sharper blade in the R41? As far as these blue Personnas go, I will try the Lab Blue Super Stainless that
@filobiblic PIFed me and if they are as good then I'll keep a float of 100 in the drawer.
Again a nice shave, not a single nick and so the aftershave had it easy. I have some Nivea of my own, but mine certainly isn't scented as much as either of the ones in the PCTB2. I opted for the
Nivea for Men AS Replenishing balm - as I anticipated my face needing replenishment after three passes from an R41. The scent wasn't offensive, reminds me of what you'd expect from an aftershave you bought from your local chemist. That's not to devalue the Nivea, or what your local pharmacy might stock - mine has some Tabac - just that the scent is of that era/genre. Performance was very good. Not too greasy and absorbed to provide nice face feel - what more can I ask of it? I'm 30 minutes post-shave now and my face feels great.
So a real surprise to be honest. My research indicates that I ended up using pharmacy-grade German software and got a shave of this calibre. A whole field in front of the US shave and very close to the English one. Taken as a whole, and as blasphemous as it is to say, this has been the best shave of the box so far. Other than the Personnas proven shaves earlier, I'll try the Phaemosan again before the box goes back, and if it repeats this performance I'll track some down.
Next shave, I'm thinking Italian….
