March Madness!!
March 11
Razor - RazoRock Wunderbar Slant
Blade -
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Soap - Soap Commander Courage
Brush - Semogue 620
Post - Alum
Time to put Mild Madness away and pick up some Slant Madness. I finally got my first slant razor and it needs some testing. Now, I know that many think that slants are a gimmick. You bend the blade in order to produce a "scything" motion with each pass under the theory that a scythe blade, or guillotine blade if you will, will cut more easily and closer. You are slicing the beard off instead of cutting it off. The theory also states that it produces a smoother shave as the blade is not encountering the beard at a 90 degree angle of blade to hair, but is meeting at an angle that allows a smooth slice with much less resistance. It's a good theory. And, of course, anyone with a bit of practice can master the Gillette Slide technique, which essentially turns a standard razor into a slant, at least for effect. You have to learn to shave vertically as always with a horizontal slide to create the slice. I do it all the time, usually on my final pass to clean things up. So I can say, at least, that creating a slide does allow for easier finishes as it gets those hard to handle areas. That much I've experienced.
So, what about this Wunderbar from RazoRock/Italian Barber? It's a pretty thing. And it's a heavy thing. All stainless steel (there is an option for a titanium handle that I passed on) it comes in at 104 grams. That's heavy. That's comparable to the ATT razors. The Rockwell 6S is 113. The Merkur Futur is 120. Those are about the only heavier razors out there. Compared to Superspeed at 58 grams or even the Red Tip at 70, this is a heavy piece of steel. The finish is perfect on the razor and their description of the manufacturing process talks about the extra steps they go to in order to produce a perfect finish on it. The quality shows. Even if it doesn't outperform a standard razor it's still a very nice addition to the den.
Slants have a reputation for aggression and ease of cutting skin. So, I need a blade that will not hinder my trial. I need something I absolutely trust. A blade that has never failed me. I need a Russian.......oh wait......it's still March Madness......I'm not using Russians this month and that's a pledge I won't break. Let's grab a German Wilkinson Sword. One of the best non-Russians out there and it has also never given me a bad shave. Blade solved. Now, I need a lather that will be as slick as possible. Plenty of cushion. Need that protection so it's Stirling........oh wait.....it's still March Madness.....I'm not using Stirling and that's also a pledge I won't break. So, Soap Commander it is. Now, I could have chosen another soap or two just as confidently, but I will say that Soap Commander produces one of the slickest and most protective lathers of any soap not named Stirling. It puzzles me, given it is a vegan soap, but it works. So the Semogue 620 (since I'm not using synthetics either) will be in charge of managing a super slick, super cushy lather.
So, off we go. The lather - perfect. I'm relaxed, wondering how I'll find the angle but give it a quick stroke by aligning the blade guard to my face at an angle that both the guard and cap touch my face. Keep the razor in line and just let that 104 grams do the work. Wow. That was easy. I heard the cutting but I felt nothing. Smoooooooooth. I kept going on the first pass making sure to go north to south only. No hooking, no angling, nothing. Just straight vertical strokes. Rinse, lather, and go WTG the same way. Equally as smooth, not quite as noisy indicating there is less to cut which is good, and I'm soon rinsing and lathering for the ATG. Fairly quiet to quiet pass with no issues. No blood, nothing but smooth steel on my face. No touch ups for this shave, I'm taking what I get in three. And what did I get? Ok, we can debate the merits of BBS all we want just like we can debate the reality of a slant - but I've got to say the easiest and cleanest BBS I've had in awhile. No touch ups required. I wouldn't do one if I wanted to. That seems like a perfect three passes to me.
That was one of the best first shaves I've ever had with a razor. The best part was I was a bit surprised. I thought I'd finish up, find out that yea, ok, it made things a little easier maybe, but I still had to do all the usual clean up routines etc. Nope, not a one. How much of a slant is gimmick and how much is real may be a debate we can continue - but the debate over whether or not this particular razor does what it says is settled. I like it!
Have a great Tuesday! I'm working tomorrow since I have a Doctor visit on Wednesday. I'll chase the thread down as we go!
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