I don't sit at the Big Table with Neal, Chris, and now Paul. Last I recall the Yakuza branch approved of Feather blades. Seems like it's understood that as long as the product isn't defective it's good. You're on your own as far as Natalia goes.
SOTD July 21, 2019 Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap Blade: GEM PTFE Razor: GEM G-Bar Brush: Stirling Kong synthetic Soap: Soap Commander 13A▲ Post: Witch hazel, Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill aftershave Evening shave today. Switching to night shaves due to wearing sunscreen and being outside all next week. Terrific shave tonight with this setup. Soap Commander is wonderful lather, the G-Bar was smooth and comfortable, and the Lemon Chill is a fresh and cold way to finish. Really nice all around. Enjoy your evening!
Thank you, Patrick! The G-Bar is my favorite of the GEM razors I have, which are Featherweight, Pushbutton, and G-Bar.
Notice he did not show a picture of the back of his head..........probably has a "Lodge Made in the USA" imprint on it. You know we love you? Right Charlie @wristwatchb.
Over the weekend I did some shaves to evaluate a couple of razors I sent out for honing. I used the Stirling Blood on Steel (Hanae Mori dupe) combo that I can't get enough of both times. On the AS there is a wood type of scent that comes out for a couple of hours after the initial dry down. I don't particularly favor it, but after it dissapates what is left is long lasting gentle whiffs of fresh and pleasant smells that I love. I went with the Spirit of St Louis deluxe limited edition TSD brothers of the blood and BBQ brush. There is a soft and flexible nature of this brush that makes loading a dry soap a little time consuming. Now if you call in the Blue Ming for some assistance it is not a big deal. These very same soft/flexible properties seem to help create a super smooth and rich wet sloshy lather that I like. If you don't have a specific shaving lather bowl to whip it up, soup and cereal bowls are acceptable substitutes, just make sure to wash them first. Pretty much, all my primary razors were honed from where I got them. Honing is a skill I'm working on, so I sent these to a fellow in New England with a good reputation that likes Shaptons and takes them up to 30k. He does something unique at the end I've never seen done. After most of his work at 30k is done, he gently draws the cutting 'edge' across the edge of the stone, then finishes with just a few final cycles normally. Then minimal stropping. I am happy with the result I got and do not believe either of these specific tools have ever shaved this well. It is a source I will use again, but not to the exclusion of others.
