I would for sure, they can be had for cheap on the bay and if you're willing to search a bit, they can be found in great shape. They are extremely well built razors. The gold ones are solid brass so can be polished nicely without risk of taking off the finish of a plated razor.
Day 17 of 30 days of straights Today I used my Henckel 6/8 Round Toe. View attachment 129256 This is a very nice blade. It seems easier to get this blade at the correct angle than when I use the 4/8. It is harder for me to get underneath my nose with a round, toe than with a square toe, but I think this is normal. I did not cut myself today, but I am still experiencing some irritation similar to what I would get using too much pressure with a DE. I tried 2 new items today. First was the ABC (Antica Barbieria Colla) shaving cream. This is touted as one of the slickest soaps available. It is in fact very slick. I liked it a lot. The scent is a heavy almond and it is actually a croap. Is it worth the price? I don't know yet. The second new item was a sample of Penhaglion Bayolea shave cream soothing gel which I received along with the ABC. At first it seemed excessively thick, but it did spread well and is soothing. It does have a rather strong scent which I think is close to "barber shop". Overall, this was a good shave. DIY Pre-shave Oil ABC 30mm High Mountain White set an extra 10mm deep 3 passes, WTG, XTG, XTG Penhaglion Bayolea shave cream soothing gel 6/8 Round Toe Henckel 17 1/2
I decided to use the Craftsman razor this morning and figured I should use a razor made by a true Craftsman. The @Jayaruh #44 was a logical choice. I'm still working on my ATG passes, and was doing an ATG pass on my neck when my wife walked in. She looked horrified and said, "Ooh, I hate it when you do that" and left the bathroom. I have discovered the secret to shaving privacy, the ATG neck pass with a straight SOTD Route 66 Sweeney Todd Soap Jayaruh #44 Brush Craftsman Razor Lucky Tiger Fine American Blend AS Have a great weekend!
March 11 - Voskhod revisited Merkur 34C Voskhod day 1 The Phoenix brush DIY PSO Stirling Pharoah Dreamsicle Nivea SPSB Did a very light 3 pass. Did not do it well. Missed a lot on the neck but had no razor burn. Do enjoy a citrus scent and love oranges and just love this Stirling soap. Squeezed the Phoenix out and lather worked perfectly and I love the scent. Made enough for 4 passes and touch up. Need to work on technique a bit. I think the Astra SP was better than the Voskhod but both seem good.
That soap and many others available to sniff, sample, and swap for just under $20 postage. Check the Soap Pass Around set up by Perry @PLAla.
March 11 G3 Gillette Fat Boy Voskhod (1) Simpson Chubby 2 Super Soap Commander Love Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Pinaud Clubman It had been about 30 hours since my last shave. After two passes, the Voskhod provided a super close and comfortable shave. However, it tugged a bit on the first pass so I proceeded slowly, and it paid off. The second pass was smooth sailing. The alum was quiet, and I finished with Pinaud Clubman. I hope everyone has a restful weekend! It's cooler here than it has been, only in the mid-30s and partly sunny right now. Overall, we've had a simply fantastic (very mild) winter here in Kentucky.
Doug, I hope you are feeling better today. That's a very nice looking Trac II kit! How does a Trac II shave compare with a DE? I just picked up a heavyweight Trac II handle and some Personna Twin II carts. I also have a couple of Gillette handles on the way from India. I thought they would be handy for travel.
I was very surprised that I got as good a shave as I did. The razor is very forgiving. The balance is not very good, but acceptable. It would be good to keep on deck for a quick shave. Thanks Charlie, I do feel much better today.
One more shave with the Stirling Barbershop/Clubman combo tomorrow, then the rotation moves right along. I didn't load that well today, but then I had the Burma Shave brush-not as good as the others. I think I need to "focus" on cleaning them better, too.
When I get a hankering for oranges, I don't stop. I eat them until a 5 lb bag is done. I love oranges. I love the scent the rind makes when we make stuffoli and we mix the zest into honey and pour it over the fried dough balls. To me, Pharoah's Dreamsicle smells like that. The Egyptian musk is sweet and warm and the soap smells like orange rind wonderfully. Every time I use it, I love it more and brings me to Christmas time when the family makes struffoli
I have to quote one of my favourite authors who perfectly summed up the situation even though he was writing back in the 70's about US politics. In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. Hunter S Thompson There will be an election in 60 days and hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of the inbred corruption that actual got worse the past 10 years. It seems that people are no longer willing to tolerate the corruption in exchange for a growing economy. It is a historic time here and the protest for impeachment were amazing for both their size and peacefulness. Maybe people I know attend and some even took their children so they could witness history. The stories behind the impeachment could easily fill several novel and movies, truth is truly stranger than fiction.
Day 3 and wrap up for J West, Castle Forbes and Gemstar brush The CF delivered allot for a little again. The razor is still very smooth and sharp. Just tickle from the alum on my upper lip and dolphin smooth. The razor is a pleasure to shave with, I do not know wether it is a tribute the razor or the honing Glen did. Either way it is a keeper. A shorter blade than my other straights but its heavy grind gives it go weight and it is easy to manoeuvre. Irritation A Closeness A+ Smoothness A+ Sharpness A
Sunday, March 12, 2017 Shavemac ATG LE Silvertip D01 Two-Band CRSW Lavish Asylum Evolution Gillette Silver Blue Fine Fresh Vetiver Tom Ford Grey Vetiver
New set up and new razor I always found the Silverloaf razors interesting but I did not see many reviews. Well I put in a bid on one as I had sone several times in the past only this time I got lucky and won. So this razor will the basis of the next set up including super lather from AoS tallow soap and cream and I will be using a Thäter 3 silver tip brush. This is a very shiny razor and bit slippery. I was diligent keeping my hands dry and sticky with alum. The long monkey tail was a bit awkward. For some angles it required a different grip than I usually use. The edge on this razor came very very sharp adding to my apprehension about a slippery razor. In the end just two small weeper and just short of BBS. There was some feedback from the alum. I attribute this to have to change my grip and not having as fine a control on the angle as normal. Hopefully that will change with experience. Irritation A- Closeness A Smoothness A Sharpness A+
March of the Soaps Focus Route 66, B-400 WD HM badger '73 STICK Schick L2, Chick blade Alum, WH w/patchouli and lime Not my first Route 66 lather, but the sample smelled good. The High Mountain badger knot didn't want to give up the soap. If I feel the need to power through a product I'll use it for maximum loading. The Injector follows true being a later model and less aggressive. Three passes plus left me shy of a DFS. Fortunately I didn't use pressure to hurry it along. Alum sparkled a little, but I finished with an uncharacteristic E.O. spiked witch hazel. Good Shaves Y'all!
March Madness & Spring Cleaning!! March 11 Razor - Kai Captain Standard Blade - (1) Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip Post - Alum, Nivea The mailman was good to me again today. I had reluctantly agreed to take the Kai Captain off of @PickledNorthern 's hands and it arrived. I say reluctantly because when he let me know it was available I wasn't really all that eager about adding a new pain stick (as I jumped up and down and screamed YES! YES! YES!). And I made sure I acted very coy and calm about it (not once actually falling to my knees and begging....but it was close). Anyway, it arrived today and I just tossed it aside while I ate dinner and spent some quality time with my wife (not once opening the package and checking it out. Ok, maybe twice). So, even though I clearly am not that interested, I thought I'd try it out tonight. Just to be nice. (Man that was a long time to get to shave with this new awesome toy) I chose the Kai Mild blade for the first run. Figured I'd avoid the sharpest choices until I see how it handles. Mitchell's and the Wolf for a very nice and reliably slick lather and way we go. I immediately found myself at a bit of a loss to set it down right. I have apparently acclimated to the angle of the Feather SS and this razor uses a different one. No lip means direct access to the face for the blade and it needs to be a bit shallower to start. Seemed to be working so I completed the first pass without incident and checked the result. Nice reduction, perhaps better than the SS has been giving me. Second pass I played with XTG and then ATG on the neck. The balance of the razor and handle shape and length seemed to aid in a grip that allowed a good run at the ATG. Did a bit of touch up on some rougher areas, mainly neck, and called it good with a DFS. No blood, and the alum was fairly quiet. A few places where it bit but nothing was bleeding so I managed a pretty good first shave with it. I'm sure the mild blade helped. My first impression - this is a very nice razor. The DX style head is awesome to work with as it feels more like a traditional straight without having to adjust for the lip. I'm sure it would be easier to slice and dice than the SS style, but that's part of the fun, right? The head is made of Stainless with Titanium and looks and feels great. And the best part? No wonky gaps/angles on the head. Held the blade in perfect position, no worries. I'm going to keep working with it a few days then switch back to the SS to compare, but I'm a fan already. Here is the razor in all its glory, followed by a comparison shot of the Kai and Feather SS. The final pic is the inside shot showing the two springs. A slight difference in spring design. The Kai is on top of both pictures.
