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SOTD FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020
After three great shaves with the Gillette ‘Big Fellow’, I decided to pull out a somewhat neglected razor in my Den, the LaResche 77. LaResche (a French Company, originally Swiss) patented the 77 in 1935. The silver plated brass LaResche 77 is known for its rather unique guard bar (like shark jaws) built into the upper cap of the head. The razor head is a bit wider than a typical razor head resulting in both a positive and a negative. The negative is that some users complain that it makes it more difficult to shave under the schnozz. Not an issue for me as I have a full goatee. The positive, however, and the big selling point as far as I’m concerned, is the large sweet spot provided by both the extreme curvature of the head and the large gap provided by its unique guard bar. Finding the correct shave angle is easy, and the shave delivered is extremely efficient. The head and face shave I get from the razor are always exquisitely close, yet irritation-free, which is surprising given its looks. This is one of the smoothest shaving razors in my den.
There really aren’t many of these razors available. I feel very fortunate to own one. Some complain that it is overly aggressive, but most of these complaints trace to damaged razors that have been dropped. Given the exaggerated curvature of the safety bar, dropping it and bending the head throws off the shave angle which can turn the razor into an unknowing assaultive tool. A friend in my local shave meetup had one with a bent head. We discovered the issue after comparing it to mine. Some careful realignment restored it to its former capability. He couldn’t believe the difference in the shave. I had the same experience with a damaged Rex Ambassador which the good folks at Razor Emporium repaired.
Now back to the shave. After a shower, I began with an iced water rinse. Next I selected my Viking Silvertip Badger along with C.O. Bigelow shave cream enhanced with 6 drops of M-Bomb. The lather produced by this Proraso manufactured product was delightfully cooling to both noggin and mug. The LaResche 77 mowed my whiskers right down to the skin line. The amazing part of that first WTG pass was the smoothness of each stroke. It literally felt like I was was just sweeping the lather away. One final ATG pass led right to BBS land. Thayers Lavender WH followed by Chiseled Face Natural AS Splash and a finish with A&E Post-Shave Serum was the icing on the cake. The result was a smooth and cooling, relaxed shave that left me feeling incredibly refreshed.
RAZOR: LaResche 77
BLADE: Wizamet Super Iridium (1)
PREP: Iced water rinse
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
CREAM: C.O. Bigelow
POSTSHAVE: Iced water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Chiseled Face Natural AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
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