MAYhem 2018!!!!!
May 4
Razor - 1959 (E4) Gillette Fatboy (6)
Blade -
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Soap - Stirling Iced Coffee
Brush - Jayaruh #54
Post- Alum
It's been awhile since I've loaded a Chinese blade. There's a reason for that. Typically, they SUCK! Once in awhile I will find one that works, but it's rare. Most die an amazing death like the Flying Eagle - the absolute worst blade ever made. Or, should I say, the absolute worst piece of steel that's called a blade. So, when the Curley's showed up today I set my expectations appropriately low. I did some basic research. The Q-code on the tuck takes you to the website for Muncisa in Spain. They have a tab for Curly Shaving but only have pictures of disposables. That's the only shaving related tab I found. Munsica is clearly a wholesaler and handles a wide range of products.
Well, nothing to do but shave. I decided to treat this like a blade trial. Use a good razor, my Fatboy in this case, and go with a quality setup overall. The JR54 is top of the line for brushes and I can't describe how happy I was to grab some Stirling after a month with Arko and other things. Not that there's anything wrong with Arko but....I mean.......STIRLING! And Iced Coffee to boot!! I was nearly in tears from the joy.
So, load the razor. Whip up that decadently wonderful lather - both scent and quality - and take a deep breath as I began the shave. Chinese blades typically let you know immediately that they SUCK. This blade was......an exception. Intriguing. Definitely not on par with Russian steel, but also definitely not horrible. After the first pass I thought I might have found a weakness as it seemed to leave a lot behind. However, it was fairly smooth. The second pass was even smoother and more effective and I chose to just touch up after two passes rather than do a full third pass. The result - DFS. A very nice DFS.
Well, at what cost did I get that DFS? I mean - since it wasn't totally smooth it had to leave some heat behind for the alum, right? Not so much. A few hot spots but other than that the alum was quiet. I'm grudgingly impressed. I think I'll leave it in and turn the Fatboy up to 9 tomorrow and give it another go. Let's see what some gap creates with this one.
Quick programming note - I normally head shave on Thursday or Friday night, whichever precedes the start of my week. However, next Thursday we will be headed toward central Missouri for 4 days of havoc and fun. Heard of Burning Man? Well, Interfuse is next weekend, Thursday through Sunday. That's Missouri's Burning Man and we will be there. So....I will do my head shave next Wednesday night before we leave on Thursday. That will mean 13 days growth which, of course, means that head shave will be with a pain stick. Then, no shaves after Wednesday until we return on Sunday. Four days growth - yep - another pain stick shave, this time for my face and neck. Just another way MAYhem is playing out this year! Hope you have a great weekend!
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