May 2022 30 Day Rule/Focus and Discussion. All Are Welcome!

SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY 18, 2022

This morning I shaved with the first LeCoultre replaceable blade Frameback I acquired. These razors have been mistakenly identified as French. They are actually Swiss, but from the French as opposed to the German part of Switzerland. The LeCoultre family, originally French, settled in Sentier, Switzerland in 1593. Their blacksmithing business got started about a century and a half later by Abraham Joseph I, born in 1711.

His grandson, Jacques, a blacksmith, along with his great grandson, Antoinne, a watchmaker started the replaceable blade straight razor business around 1830. Their unique contribution emerged out of their blacksmithing expertise, allowing for the consistent manufacture of very hard (Rockwell 64), replaceable, tempered steel blades for their razors. By the 1860’s the razors were marketed as luxury items with “blades only requiring sharpening every 10 years”, and were sold in jewelry and very high end cutlery merchants.

Honing them, as a result, turns out not to be a trivial endeavor. This first LeCoultre razor arrived shave ready, requiring only touchups. Honing my second LeCoultre after receiving sage honemeister guidance reminded me of my Klas Tornblom. Setting the bevel on that razor required almost twice the effort as a Sheffield or Solingen steel blade on my 1k Chosera. The resulting edge though was delightfully sharp and buttery smooth. Three slow pleasant mug passes with this first razor put the baby to bed, leaving yours truly velveteen smooth.

Adjustable safety razors, as it turns out are pretty much wasted on me. When I first acquired my Rex Ambassador three years ago, it had some issues. Fortunately, Matt Pisarcik truly does stand by his razors, and remedied the initial issues on his dime thanks to the generous guarantee that comes with every Rex razor. I realized early on in its use that I prefer shaving my dome with it wide open. It is without doubt one of my most efficient safety razors. The two pass ATG noggin shave following my mug endeavor left me velveteen smooth from noggin to neck.

RAZOR: LeCoultre Frameback with No. 2 blade (Mug), Rex Ambassador (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T400 with 26mm Silvertip Badger Ferrule
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys WH. Finished with Canoe Original EdT AS Splash.

 

Wonderful shaves Jeff! What setting do you have the Ambassador dialed while shaving with the Feather blade?

 

Hi everyone,

I’ve been away for the last 1 1/2 years. I just wanted to check in and say hey to everyone. I hope everyone is doing well, having great shaves, and I’m glad to be back.

Chris

 

Very nice

 

There is no mirror at the kitchen sink. I shave in the bathroom.

 

Welcome back Chris! Looking forward to your shaving posts! Have an awesome day!

 

Thank you neighbor! Same to you.

 

After taking a few laps around the block, shaving wise, I spent a month recently on mild “starter razors”-techs,Wilkinson Sword Classic and Dorco. I got a much better shave from them than I remembered. While my go to is still an r41( suits my beard and preferences better) I really enjoyed my side road for the month and remembered how good the mild “starter” razors could be.

 

Enjoyable shave with the R89 and La Toja. No issues at all. The soap is fantastic! And the AS is excellent too. Had to do a double splash, because why not?

I'm liking both the R89 and R41. Mühle's razor head designs seem to work well for me. I think I'll use just these two razors for a while, because I'm enjoying them a lot.

Have a great day, gentlemen!

 

Awesome, gents!

 

I have the MR102 ( R41 head with white handle ) and have used it for head and face shaves. It is very efficient.

 

Terrific shave Daniel! Great photo and setup; have a super day!

 

Thanks Joe, enjoy your day!

 

Agreed. I used an R41 Grande for a good while, but when shaving my head while tired(which is always) my technique slacks and I’d get little weepers on occasion. I switched to an R41 tribute ( the global shave club offering) and found that it forgave my tired technique .

 

Not a good morning...shortly after taking the photo, I dropped the MWF jar into the sink while rinsing it off and it shattered! I also cut my finger prying the soap puck off the broken jar! I have broken it up into pieces and packed it into my mug. The lid survived tho.

Washed and warmed the face with a hot washcloth. I applied the hot washcloth to my face after the application of the pre-shave. Then I lathered up. I did a 2-pass shave using only the Feather DX. I did cleanup along my right jawline with the Travel Tech razor with a Gillette "Silver Blue" blade (1st use). I got nice and close again so, I am good for 2 days. I didn't even use the japanese style. This was the 8th shave with the ProGuard blade. I looked at the edge and it still looks good. No pulling or tugging yet. I did nick my lip AGAIN! Needed leak stop.

MWF soap was nice with Proraso Blue the constant. Pinaud "Clubman" finished after washing my face with the brush squeezings. I got a bit of feedback from the alum bar this morning. It could be the blade getting past it's usable time too. Maybe I should toss blade after 7 shaves. At any rate, I am good for 2 days now.

 

Wide open on 6

 

Welcome back, Chris!

 

Great shave, Daniel!

 

Thanks, Daniel!

 

Thank you!