January - Shavettes and Jeeves!
January 5
Razor - CJB Greager (pain stick)
Blade -
![[IMG]](https://theshaveden.com/forums/attachments/artist-club-small-professional-blades-jpg.182839/)
(1)
Soap - Jeeves of Hudson Street Bay Rum
Brush - Jayaruh #312
Post - Alum
Well I've been working on this one for awhile. Lots of pictures, some relevant, some not. Please note - a new brush in the house. After the
@Jayaruh brush was chosen in the raffle I put my plan into action and adopted the one he had displayed for the raffle. I let the winner of the brush choose first - and #312 was still there so it joined its brothers here today.
Obviously, this was my brush of choice tonight to go with the Jeeves soap. The razor was the CJB Greager with Feather Pro to see how it compares to the Feather DX. Here are my short version notes of that comparison. The Greager is a clone of the DX and sells for about a third of the price. The original CJB had a problem with the spring breaking. The Greager fixed that problem but otherwise mirrors the original. The angle of the head matches that of the DX and the only real difference is the length of the razors.
The razors are close in weight, though the DX is a bit heavier. I weighed it at 1.7 ounces, the Greager at 1.4. However, I realized afterwards that the blade was in the DX, and not in the CJB. So, I'll reweigh and give some more accurate numbers. I also want to determine the exact metal used in the head/handle of the razors. I know the DX is stainless. I'm not certain of the CJB and am still looking for that but wanted to get this posted. Why am I concerned about the metal? Because the main difference I noticed between these razors was the drag of the Greager. There seems to be a bit of drag being caused by the head of the razor, not the blade. It's smooth but seems a bit "sticky". I noticed this on the first pass and added some water to the tip of the loaded brush before lathering the second pass. That produced a slicker lather, though the Jeeves is already slick, but it gave it enough extra slickness that it made the "stickiness" less noticeable. Seems a viable workaround. However, if you don't get the lather slick enough there may be an issue.
The angle was easy to hit and hold, just like the DX. It definitely gives a better feel and control of the angle than the SS, just like the DX does. As for the grip - I find the shape of the DX handle a bit more natural for my grip, though I had no trouble holding or controlling the CJB. Just a difference in minor grip details. The SS with its round rubberized handle also has its own grip characteristics. The DX fits me best, but any of the three of them are usable and don't create a particular problem.
I would have to say that for those considering a pain stick the CJB is a fine starter out of these three if only because of the price. Use slick lather and you should be fine. If you want to go full-on into the Feathers I'd spend the extra money on the DX and skip the SS. That lip really does change things.
I'll revisit the CJB tomorrow just to verify as well as get some numbers together on accurate weight, metal etc. Then, a couple of shaves with the Kai Captain to see how it fares. This is a fun comparison. And the best part so far? No blood. That's either a great example of my skill and technique - or pure dumb luck still exists. That's probably more likely.
Have a great rest of your weekend!
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