The TARs and Bunnies partied a little too much last night in the den and are sleeping it off. No shave report today Happy shaving - Karl
OK, down to serious business. Today’s shave was with the brass heavyweight set at 6 for the first pass. It was surprisingly smooth and easy on my face. I wasn’t going to shave the section between my lips and chin at that setting but it was no problem. Second pass I notched it down to 4. All went well, no surprises but I was feeling the blade just a bit more. But the surprise came with the third pass which I set all the way down to 1. I ended up with a number of weepers on the chin section which is often problematic as well as a few on my lips. What??? On all passes I was keeping a very light touch, letting gravity do most of the work and paying close attention to the angle. Like it’s lightweight aluminum brother, I found the brass razor to be very easy to maneuver and a pleasure to shave with. The only odd characteristic I noticed - besides the weepers at 1 but uneventful first pass at 6 - was the increased need to rinse the head at the higher settings. I’m sure it’s a function of the increased blade gap and greater visibility into what’s beneath the blade. But, in the end, it didn’t affect the actual shave itself. Today’s shave: Hot water preparation AOS Lavender PSO Romera Wengue Chubby Manchurian Badger AOS Lemon Shaving Cream Brass TARs 6, 4, 1 Schick Platinum Plus Teflon Coated (2) AOS Lavender After Shave Balm Happy shaving - Karl
Another shave with the big brass TAR. @jimjo1031 kindly sent me a sample pack of DE blades and suggested trying the Astra Superior Platinum with the heavyweight. So, I did. Today’s shave started with a setting of 5, then 3, then 2. All settings on this razor have now been given a shot. Like the last shave, I found the high setting to be surprisingly smooth and easy on the WTG pass. I did get one nick on the chin but it was otherwise uneventful. The second pass at 3 really took the remaining stubble down. And, like the last shave, the last pass (this time at 2) left a surprisingly high number of weepers behind - although less than before. Not sure what’s going on with the ATG passes and the weepers. My speculation is it is the weight of the razor. As I can’t simply rely on gravity to moderate the stroke weight I may be putting too much pressure on the razor. Hard to know but that’s my best guess. One note on the Astra blade - was it my imagination or does this blade generate a little more noise? I wouldn’t say it rose to the level of Velcro ripping but it was noticeable on some strokes. Hot water preparation Shavemac 2-Band Silvertip Badger Argan Oil PSO AOS Lemon Shaving Cream Brass TAR 5, 3, 2 Astra Superior Platinum (1) Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Happy shaving - Karl
Final shave with the TARs. Today was a return to the “lightweight” aluminum TAR. I say “lightweight” because it’s really relative to the behemoth brass TAR. In fact, I weighed the aluminum choice and compared it to a standard Schick E type injector. The aluminum is an absolute heavyweight by that comparison, weighing in at 1.98 oz vs. 1.13 oz. Anyhow, I went back to the Schick Platinum Plus Teflon Coated blade and used a 4, 3, 2 combination on the setting. It was a lovely shave. Super close and next to no touch ups needed for a full-on-can’t-stop-face-rubbing result. Here’s my feedback summary: No functional changes I can think of Nice to haves: Make the twist knob stop at 1 instead of continuing beyond that Have a pop-in mechanism for the plate to be inserted and held rather than having to twist all the way to bring it in. Offer the aluminum in plain aluminum. Oh, and a midnight blue would be sweet. (No shortage of other color options that I’m sure others can recommend.) The finish on the aluminum seems to be showing some wear in a few places along the ribs of the handle. Favorite? I’m surprised but I’d go with the aluminum. I had a little weeper issue on the ATG pass along the lip and chin area with the brass TAR. I suspect the aluminum is just a little easier to control for me. If I had another shave with the brass TAR I’d try choking up and holding the handle close to the blade for the ATG pass to see if that rectified the weeper issue. The aluminum also offers the advantage of less maintenance as polishing the brass one with the deep ribs is a bit of work. However, hands down the brass beast is the clear winner in the looks department and the heft is a great feeling in the hand. Both razors got a light toothpaste and toothbrush clean up and alcohol bath and will head off to @Redfisher as soon as I get his address. The bunnies will miss them. (...and no, they are not interested in a road trip...) Tom - you have done it again - fantastic work and result. I’m in awe. Today’s shave: Hot water preparation Argan Oil PSO T&H Wellington Super Badger AOS Lemon Shaving Cream Aluminum TAR 4, 3, 2 NOS Schick Platinum Plus Teflon (3) Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Happy shaving - Karl
Updated list 6/11/20 1. @jmudrick done 2. @Jayaruh done 3. @Jim99 done 4. @Norcalnewb done 5. @SharptoothC done 6. @poppi Done 7. @kjbarth withdrawal for now 8. @Edison Carter Done 9. @jgreenepa Done 10. @PLANofMAN Done 11. @hins2jw0 Done 12. @GAW9576 Done 13. @jimjo1031 Done 14. @Karl G Done 15. @Redfisher Passed 16. @RyX Waiting on 17. @dmshaver CLOSED
Calling @RyX, calling @RyX. Redfisher has asked that the TARs go to you next. However, the PM I’ve sent you generated an automated message indicating you are away at the moment and unable to respond. Hopefully this post will alert you to the news that you are next. Please PM me your address.