SoS: January 19, 2015 - January 25, 2015

Uh...maybe...a little busy right now...

 

Phil, you are very kind, my friend! It isn't one of my favourites, but if it pleases you, then all the better!

 

SOTD Jan 25th:
Pre: None, just went for it and got lucky
Brush: Omega 10066 Boar
Soap: Catie's Bubbles Glace Herbe with one drop of Peppermint & Rosemary EO in the lathering bowl
Blade: Wade & Butcher 4/8ths
Post: Home-mix aftershave and vaseline
The Catie's Bubbles is a great soap, really easy to lather and quite protective, but the scent profile just isn't for me, so I'll probably be putting it up for a trade soon (sorry if posting that here is a faux pas)

 

Sunday

Soap: The Shave Den lanolin, unscented
Brush: Semogue 820 boar
Razor: Feather AS-D2
Blade: Super Iridium
After: Cold rinse, CeraVe lotion

 

razor: Shake Sharp
blade: Ladas (4 ...or... 1b)
brush: Omega 31064
soap: Stirling (Spice)
finish: HolyRollah's awesome DIY balm >here<

It's funny how experience can change your perspective. I was playing 30-day focus with the guys, using an ER 1924. I ended my run a week early because I felt I had completed my learning objective. Also, I really wanted to trot out the Shake Sharp and put it through its paces! It had been on loan for around four months and is the progenitor of the still-only-theoretical DE2SE razor.

First, let me say that I still really like the Shake Sharp. Like Ryan said in the original thread, it is a strange middle ground of being both like and unlike several other razors. However, my new impression from the last four days has been a huge re-shaping due to 1) learning to use a FaTip Grande (aka "The Beast") and 2) my (almost) 30-day focus on the ER 1924.

Learning to (safely?) use The Beast really altered my idea of what an aggressive razor feels like. Learning to drive the ER 1924 to chase the baby out of the trouble spots really helped with handling the Shake Sharp. However, the Shakey's head is still unique: its angle feels somewhat like the 1924 but its cap makes it drive much more like a DE! Post FaTip, I now consider the Shakey rather mild, but oddly efficient — thought probably not efficient enough to comfortably turn a one-and-done BBS.

I was a little worried that, after a four month hiatus, I might think that the Shake Sharp was no longer "all that." Well, I'm no longer worried. In fact, I am reassured that it is a good basis for Kickstarting a unique, hybrid razor that should appeal to shaving enthusiasts.

As a side note, I am liking the one-edge-at-a-time use of a DE blade. Ladas is new to me, so I can't draw a lot of conclusions. However, I usually retire a blade after 3-5 shaves. I got 3 good shaves on one edge and started on edge two today. Crazy smooth shave, BBS(rf), hardly a tingle when applying the AS balm.

NOTE: There is currently a minty Shake Sharp with case on the bay.($18.95, 1 bid, 4 days to go). These rarely appear, so... I was tempted to bid, but reigned in the RAD. I've added it to my watch list, though. Somebody's gonna get a really super shaver! I wonder what it will go for.

Y'know... if I had to choose between my Shakey and any of my Gillette adjustables, I'd take the Shake Sharp. Just sayin'...