Jolly Good June!
June 28
A week of just plain good shaves (and today)
Razor - 1918 Old Style Gillette
Blade -
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Soap - Tabac
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum/Nivea/Aloe
Well, after deciding to do a week of just great shaves I realized I hadn't tried the Quick Tiger yet. The knockoff of the real Tiger from the Czechs. You know, the Tiger that couldn't cut butter if it was melted. But that can rip the beard right out in the process. If the real thing is that bad, how much worse can the knockoff be? And, why in the world are they doing a knockoff on a blade that is already horrible? We know that its main market is Africa, specifically Nigeria, which makes me feel quite sad for even the scam artists who haunt the internet cafes there. Perhaps that's why they are trying to scam us all for money.....to buy something other than the freaking Tiger!!!
Anyway, low, low, low expectations for this shave today. The only razor I have that will fit it is the 1918 Gillette Old Style, otherwise known as the mutilator. It's not really that bad, just hyper aggressive. I tried the Rimei since it has three posts....no go as the side posts have an added piece at the bottom to better hold modern blades. Nice thought.
So, soap is Tabac, brush is the Wolf and I loaded it like it was my last shave. Got it nice and wet and slick. I'm going to survive doggone it! Great lather, grabbed the razor and........unbelievably.....the first stroke was amazingly smooth. What?!?!?! Now, I had my SS and Ladas laying there too....did I grab it? Nope. The Quick Tiger actually gave me a very nice stroke with great reduction. Seriously....smooth baby smooth.
Are you buying that? If so I have some swampland in Arizona I need to talk to you about. How many ways can I say bad here. Let's see. Bad, horrible, terrible, horrendous, terriblay, sucks, double sucks, ridiculously horrendous......you get the idea. Now, while I don't really remember the Tiger enough to compare them directly (as I've tried to block that out of my mind) I do believe this blade is worse. Which is saying a LOT! Between the Tiger and Flying Eagle you have the two worst blades on the planet. Throw this one in there as a contender too. Rough, pulling, dull, abrasive even. So, what do I do about it??
Finish the side of course. I decided to see what it was capable of if given enough time and effort. So, I continued to work on my right cheek. Literally taking quarter inch strokes and repeating. After about 15 minutes I had cleared my cheek and could honestly say I was near DFS. But, as SWMBO will attest as she walked by about then, my face is RED!!! I worked WTG, XTG, and ATG. Even tried a little sliding. And after 15 minutes I had one cheek ready to meet the world. That means at least an hour to get an acceptable shave all over AND with incredible irritation and pain all along the way.
I finished the rest of my shave with the SS/Ladas combo, rinsed and checked out my face. Right cheek is still bright red. Alum was quiet where I used the SS, screaming hot on the right cheek. Nivea calmed it. A little. Aloe seemed to take the rest of the burn down. However, sitting here typing this, I can still feel the burn on my right cheek and I finished about 30 minutes ago. Seriously bad shave, and perhaps a bad decision to push it for a result. But....I got a result.
Could I use this blade if it was the only blade available (and I had a razor to fit it)? Ummmmm, technically yes. Would I? Let me put it this way........if this was the last blade on earth and the only way I had to shave.....I'd have the most beautiful full beard you've ever seen.
Hope you have a great day!!
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