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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, JANUARY 18, 2021
This morning’s shave featured my only modern straight razor, a Riga Razor 7/8 for the mug, and one of my most efficient safety razors, the Eclipse Red Ring for the noggin. This safety razor was manufactured when the British Empire was the world’s superpower back in the thirties by James Neill & Co. of Sheffield England, and represents three different British patents. One for the razor head design, the second for the adjustment mechanism at the base of the handle, and the third for the magnet at the very bottom of the handle. The head design features “teeth with a solid bar above and below them that...creates a scything action ...similar to a slant...” (cf. Bruceonshaving) allowing the razor to be used very efficiently at a variety of shave angles. Its aggressiveness is adjustable via a knob at the base of the handle (left for more aggressive, right for less), while the magnet allows one to pick up a dropped DE blade from a flat surface safely.
This morning’s dome shave with the Red Ring was incredibly close, but did present a bit more blade feel than usual thanks to the fresh Kai blade I loaded. I usually like Feather blades in this razor, but found that the shave with a Kai may have been just a bit more efficient. The beauty of the shave with this razor is the loudness of the buttering toast refrain it sings out during the stubble reduction process. My mug shave with the Riga Razor was quite good as well, but I confess, I do find it to be a bulky, awkward razor to use. It definitely represents the trend towards shave hatchets in modern straight razor design. I’m probably just being a bit of a grump and curmudgeon, reflecting my seven plus decades walking the planet, but I really like a small efficient, light vintage straight. The Riga Razor blade steel is great and holds a beautiful Naniwa/jasper stone edge. It’s just too dang bulky! In any case, the result is what counts and I definitely feel refreshed, clean and velveteen smooth.
RAZOR: Riga Razor 7/8 (Mug), Eclipse Red Ring (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute with 24mm Hybrid Knot Ferrule
CREAM: Nancy Boy Signature
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac Wh. Finished with Nancy Boy Signature After-Shave Balm.
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