Episode II in the Adventures of Max Headroom being TAR'd and FEATHER'd Short on time called a fast shave. Proraso menthol cream smeared wonderfully on the ugly mug. Whipped into a lathery frenzy by a wet synth. That supposedly sharp blade with those dastardly glue dots that always seems best for me on (2). The hefty 1/3 lb. (that is about 150 grams... for those outside Murica) handywork of that Razor Master Craftsman and Designer, one Tom White @twhite. Dialed down to ONE as if I was afreard of it. I found it challenging to hold on 'best angle' on long strokes, so I went with the intuitive method and applied pressure. Just enough of that to chafe up a patch that the alum would later show the fallacy of. Went for the buffing action. Obviously the overlapping nature of this technique actually produced more passes than the 3.5 as recorded by the 'Official Re-lather Count'. I was able to find smooth cutting through the fine tune of every stroke, I even included ATG work on the lower neck that I only do selectively. End result, another wonderful shave. So who says you can only get a close shave with an aggressive tool? Not me, you just shave a little different. For sure, this tool does the trick at BOTH ends of the spectrum. The heft helps on the dial-down, not so opened up. I especially love the cap design. Thin, with a curvature similar to a Gillette New, and a similar positive full curve blade clamping. Finished up with Proraso go go juice. Stay tuned...... Edison Carter reporting for Network XXIII, or 20 minutes into the Future where this awesome shave piece will still be 'one of a kind, unobtainium' .
Episode 3 in the Adventures of Max Headroom and the New Hope. Starring: The one of a kind, handsome, giant, and hefty Brass TAR loaded with a Feather cause it is surely not light as one. The coolness and sweet aroma of Stirling Glacial Satsuma Soap and AS. The iconic, if not steampunk, custom lather bowl from Symmetrical Pottery. The tall and plainly majestic workhorse boar brush from Omega. Having went to min-max levels and found pleasure of use and delightful results at each, it was time for the middle of the road. Start up on about 2.5 was just not suitable for the buffing style I used all the way down and very difficult to ride the edge. I'm far too lazy and sloppy with the discipline required for a light touch shave at this setting, although it is probably not far from what I had used when I took up this hobby. I dialed things up to 3.5 to get an edge feel, then to about 4 for a great shave. It turns out to be still riding the cap and feeling the edge at optimum, but has enough guard to minimize an error penalty. Another thing I seemed to notice is the tool glides freely on the cap. Makes me wonder if plated pot metal has more 'sticktion' or it is part of the handling of such a heavy tool. On the heft thing, I never considered that shaving would qualify as 'working out'. While I spend most of my time with open edge tools these days, this tool would call for me for a bigger slice of time for the DE format. There have been wild rumors that the @twhite shave gear operations runs a highly security facility in the Nevada desert known as Area T51. Supposedly, there have been eyewitness accounts of tests being conducted on fast, light, stealthy shave gear with the capacity to be especially vicious to facial hair. I usually refute this type of conspiracy theory, but after finding the Rebus Tape proving the human volatility of blipverts, it is calling for some future work by this investigative reporter. Edison Carter for Network 23 out.
Hahahaha so much of this made me laugh . Got your workout in... Always a good thing Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
The rumors of the Stealth TAR are true. Max Headroom, being the cyberbeing he is, was able to breach the exotic defense systems at the elitely guarded and top secret, shave gear engineering wing of Tom White Enterprises deep in the Nevada desert, known publicly only as Area T51. Using the low weight, high speed and stealth technology, I carefully loaded a fresh stainless steel Feather blade for the first test run. Dialed up to 6 to go for a comparison against the heavy prototype. I went to work with the full deluxe prep. Piacenza was chosen as the flavor of the day as a tribute to one of those fresh pies from an authentic NY Italian Pizzeria. I've never actually had one, but if I did it would come from a place owned by a guy who never knew what it was like to NOT work hard. He would be up early making fresh dough daily. That dough may or may not be rolled a little with a real rolling pin, but it would always be hand tossed and stretched in a style that LOOKS easy. Then it would be laid on a wood peel with a pinch of corn meal underneath to make it move. A slightly salted and spiced sauce, whose exact formulation is only known by blood relatives, is distributed with exacting precision. The special blend cheese comes already shredded and blended these days, even though the memory of grating his own will never fade. A pinch of oregano gets tossed on before the trip to that gas fired brick lined pizza oven that is never turned off. Never, never, ever would one of those George Jetson walking Astro type ovens ever get a second thought here. Out comes my pie just starting to brown in spots. YUM. Well that was a lot, but Stirling's Piacenza IS THAT GOOD. The LE 2019 TSD Spirit of the Lew brush served up a deluxe sudsing. My shave. Oh yeah. Cheeks downward first, then I come in low and light for the s/n on the neck according to my 30DC training, but get careless with my light grip. The kenetic motion of my stroke while 'on the cap' allowed the tool to rock in and give me a kiss. Saw a little red juice that I later sopped up with my alum block. 3 passes 'Light as a feather. Finished the shave about equal with the brass model, and went for the full post shave I like. All I could get photowise was this tail shot of Max getting this thing back to Area T51 before they miss it. I had to use high speed photography to get what I did. To those of you who despise the Feather glue dots as shown on the wrapper I left laying around, I beg your forgiveness. I'll work on getting some better shots of this tool later. Edison Carter reporting for Network 23, out.
Unveiling the Awesome Stealth TAR Thanks to the overwhelming response to recent revelations, the time has come for the proper preentation of the aluminum Stealth TAR, the big size without the weight. On hand for the honoring festivities were: The Colonel (although he smelled a bit like The Captain) with his very own bowl, never used for soup. The tall and majestic Jayaruh 367 in dress blues The Mighty Brass TAR and..... ....... now what in the blazes is that..... Feather wrapper doing in there, glue dots and all. ....... Almost like he was a spy photo bombing my parade ........ probably a spy. Keeping my test pattern, I dialed the minimum and went to work, buffing strokes all the way. The Col. puffs an easy lather and is sufficient for light buffing work. A gentle and pleasant Bay Rum. The Col Conk is my economy fave. A delightful, irritation free shave was finished with Stirling Bergamot Lavender AS which seems to be hanging better than I remembered. No need to go middle of the road setting here. For me it is wide open for riding the blade or down all the way. Same result, different techniques. I've not used buffing on the lowest setting before but it worked well, I'll try it on my other adjustables in the future. The tools got a soapy brush clean and are getting the Barbicide sanitation as I write. They will be off soon to that Shaver Extraordinaire, @jgreenepa who can in plague free times be found domiciled 50 stories above the City of Brotherly Love with his faithful friend Grommet. In conclusion; I count it a high privilege to be fortunate enough to have a test run at these World Class designed and meticulously fabricated tools so generously passed around by Tom White @twhite, an experience I won't forget. Either tool would be a welcome addition to my stable, but I give the edge right now to the Stealth TAR for the great feel and handling in the buffing zone at bottom setting. Opened up and riding the cap I liked the Heavyweight better, but I could adjust....... or, if they were commercially available I'd just do what any decent shave fan would do..... Get Both! I hope to have made a few of you, my friends, crack a smile in this turbulent time. It was educational for me and FUN. Edison Carter reporting for Network 23
Fantastic review! I wish you could keep the TARs for another week so I can continue to read your write-ups. The TARs are wonderful razors.
Updated list 4/9/20 1. @jmudrick done 2. @Jayaruh done 3. @Jim99 done 4. @Norcalnewb done 5. @SharptoothC done 6. @poppi Done 7. @kjbarth withdrawal for now 8. @Edison Carter Done 9. @jgreenepa HAS TARS 10. @PLANofMAN out of town June 4-9 if need be switch. 11. @hins2jw0 12. @GAW9576 13. @jimjo1031 14. @Karl G 15. @Redfisher 16. @RyX 17. @dmshaver CLOSED
Adjusting to Adjustables For those who followed my tests on the TAR pass around, you may recall me shaving with these instruments dialed to the minimum and finding good results with buffing only strokes. Since I had never considered trying my other adjustables that way, I figured I would. First up, Parker Variant. I have never even tried buffing strokes with this tool........miserable first pass. Opened it up full. This usually works good, but left things still short at the end of 2. I need more practice to get my game back on with this tool, which is why we do focus' and rules in the 30DC. Picked up a shavette for the 3rd pass rescue. Yup, I do remember picking up the DE to back up the open blade, but not today. I am thinking the high cap of this tool makes things harder dialed down. Next up the Gillette Slim. Finished up well, but no better or worse than I could do wide open. Used the same bowl, brush, soap, and aftershave on both shaves. I believe I like the TAR much better at those low setting shaving parameters. For the tools shown, I prefer to use wide open. Once again, I see Tom's razors as uniquely superior.
Received the razors yesterday (Saturday) from Bill (@Edison Carter). Will shave with the Brass TAR for the next 4 days, and then with the aluminum TAR. My first shave will be Easter Sunday and I’ll report on all shaves with both razors here, on the 30DC thread and in the SOS thread. I’ll then forward the razors to Ryan (@PLANofMAN). Happy Easter to all! This will be the first Easter in memory where I’ll be attending church virtually.
SOTD Easter Sunday 04/12/2020 Happy Easter to all! Although I wasn’t planning this shave today, I’m participating in a razor pass around featuring two adjustable razors designed and built by one of the members (@twhite) at The Shave Den, my regular wet shaving hangout. The TAR (Tom’s Adjustable Razor) package consists of two razors, a hefty brass razor and a black aluminum one with a black guncote finish. The brass razor weighs 5.5 oz or 155.9 grams. It’s not a lightweight. The aluminum version weighs in at 55 grams. The OC razor head design reminds me of French Cage Head razors while the overall design is similar to the Gibbs adjustable complete with the 6 point adjustment scale, although the handle is thicker in proportion to the head. Unlike the Gibbs the TAR accommodates modern SS blades that require no modification. I’ll be shaving with the brass razor for the next 4 or 5 days and then will switch to the aluminum for approximately the same number of days. All of my shaves will consist of both head and face shaves, and will use a Suneko DE blade. For this first shave, I used Lucky Tiger Cream Soap salted with 6 drops of M-Bomb and my Alpha Shaving T-400Tribute brush with a 24mm Badger/Boar hybrid knot. Before lathering up for the first pass, I prepared for the shave with my usual cold water rinse. Prior reviewers commented on the weight of the brass razor, but it seemed to work quite well for shaky old me. In fact, the weight counterbalanced my tremors and allowed me to focus on shave technique. In hand the razor reminds me of my Famex and Le Coq Cage head razors. I took my time with the firstWTG pass using short careful strokes with razor set on 4. That initially felt a bit much in the first few strokes, so I dialed it down to 3 which felt right to me. Although the handle felt a bit thicker than I was used to, I quickly grewused to it. Finally, the overall feel of the razor was well-balanced in hand, allowing for the easy provision of ‘negative pressure’. After lathering up for my second XTG pass, I adjusted the razor down a full step initially to 2, and then back to 2.5 for the second face pass due to a perceived loss of efficiency. When I do a three pass shave, I only do the face on the second pass, restricting the dome shaves to the first and third passes. The razor’s weight, coupled with my new ability to focus only on shave technique, and not tremors, thanks to said weight, left me with only some selectivebuffing on both face and dome for the third ATG pass. Tom, you may not realize it, but you’ve designed the ideal razor for shaky oldsters. This was a great introductory shave. I never expected to achieve a face and head BBS with this first shave, but that's what happened. I feel clean, smooth, cool, refreshed, and ready for Easter dinner, albeit virtually with my family. Happy Easter to all of you sheltering in place! May God bless you all with safety and health! RAZOR: TAR (Tom’s Adjustable Razor) in Brass BLADE: Suneko DE (1) PREP: Cold water rinse BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute w/ 24mm Hybrid Badger/Boar Knot SOAP: Lucky Tiger Cream Shave w/ 6 Drops M-Bomb POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum
SOTD Monday, 04/13/2020 Day 2 of my time with the Brass TAR (Tom’s Adjustable Razor), and all I can say is wow! I’d always liked my Gibbs Adjustables despite the razor blade modification required. My only negative was how light they were requiring me to focus on both tremor control as well as technique. The issue was somewhat mitigated with my repaired Rex Ambassador. The additional weight helped somewhat, but the narrow sweet spot sometimes makes it difficult when doing the back of my dome. The beauty of this razor is that it checks several boxes for me. First is that I rally like open comb razors, thus my affection for my French Le Coq Cage head and Famex razors. I love the open combs on both razors, but particularly like the slight adjustability of the Famex. The issue is that both razors are still relatively light. Second is the broader range of adjustability with the TAR, much wider than the Famex. After yesterday’s shave, I felt more confidant cranking the TAR up to 4 for today’s first pass on the face. I did readjust it to 3 for that first noggin pass. But the final box is the beautiful 156 gram (rounded) weight, allowing me to fully concentrate on shave technique. The shave itself was a pleasure. I used Evans’s (@MrEE) Badger/Boar hybrid brush. The knurling on the handle completely negates any handle slipperiness. It built a beautiful lather with one of my favorite mentholated cream soaps, Kapo, which is manufactured in Bulgaria. Since it already contains some slight mentholation, I only needed to add three drops of M-Bomb to get it to the appropriate level of iciness. With the TAR set on 4 it mowed down my whiskers on the first ATG pass to the skin line except for a few of the usual places - around my Adam’s Apple. After readjusting it to 3 it took care of my dome stubble with the same level of aplomb - again leaving some rough spots in the usual places on the back of the head. My final ATG buffing pass at 3 cleared the stubble around the Adam’s Apple with the exception of a very minor weeper below it which stopped following the post shave wash with Glyce glycerin soap. I set the TAR to 2.5 for my final ATG dome buffing clean-up. The real joy for me in this shave was my ability to completely focus on shave technique. The weight of the razor eliminated any need to think about tremor control. The noggin second pass was completed bloodlessly. Thank you TAR for another beautiful BBS. I feel clean, smooth, cool and refreshed. Stay safe and healthy out there! All the best to everyone! RAZOR: Brass Version TAR (Tom’s Adjustable Razor) BLADE: Suneko (2) PREP: Cold water rinse BRUSH: MrEE’s Aluminum Handled Brush w/ Badger/Boar Hybrid Knot CREAM: Kapo Fresh salted w/ 3 drops of M-Bomb POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with Murray and Lanman Florida Water AS/Cologne Splash
