Aha! Someone else who is experimenting with this product. Like you I have never been a shave oil or pre-shave guy. Tried the oil twice long ago, hated it, abandoned it. But when I got a sample of the mentholated pre-shave soap I decided to try it out. I have used it on a few occasions since and had the same results. Seems like washing my face with it and either rinsing or even just leaving it on while I lather over it I get a smoother shave with less effort, much less irritation and the after shave feel is really smooth and soft. In addition, the light menthol scent adds a bit of a kick to whatever soap I'm lathering over it. I'm not convinced it's something I want to do as a routine either. Partly because I don't necessarily want menthol with everything (though there is an unscented bar as well) and partly because I've never seen myself as "that guy" who does the whole extra step pre-shave thing. But.........maybe.
I'm right there with you. Further study is required! But there's no denying that my shaves have been better with the difference being the addition of this prep step.
OCtober!!! October 7 Let's have some FUN!!!!!! Razor - Edwin Jagger DE89l Blade - (1) Soap - FatBac Brush - BoS Omega 10066 Post - Alum Time for some fun. I've been too serious for way too long. Because of a discussion on another thread I floated the idea of the ultimate blade being half Voskhod, half Feather. Several people seemed to like that idea so, being myself, I decided to play with the idea last night. I split a new Voskhod and a new Feather in half and matched them up. Yes, I created the first VoskFeather. Or......FeatherKhod if you prefer. Or, as the picture indicates, a "Voskhod Hi-Stainless" blade. Now......it's just two halves sitting next to each other and I have no idea how to weld the halves together, nor would I try, but......could it somehow be used in a razor as one blade? Inquiring minds want to know. Could it somehow be taped together? Not really. Tried a couple of ideas and it just caused my wife to start cussing at me for almost slicing a couple of fingers. (Waited until she went to bed then continued) Finally, the idea hit me.....find a head on a razor that would seem to hold each half securely. The DE89L did nicely. The blades were aligned on the posts and the baseplate dropped on carefully to avoid twisting them out of place. Then carefully tighten up the handle and.......you have this. The DE89L also allows me to see which half is on which side and offers proof that both halves are indeed there. So, how would this affect the shave? Well I can tell you the angles and gaps are a bit off from each other. And my main fear - that the head would allow the blade halves to twist under use causing a loose blade scenario which is normally followed by blood and scars. But......who am I to stop now. So, let's line up the shave for the night. The VoskFeather in the DE89L. A frankenblade deserves a frankensoap so.....FatBac. And a classic boar brush since I don't have a frankenbrush. FatBac produces a fantastic lather so I was well on my way to a great shave. So let's decide on protocol. Voskhod on the right side of my face, Feather on the left. Two passes as usual with touch up as usual. Unless it all came apart. My first impression of the Voskhod was......had to adjust angle a bit from a normal DE89 shave but I found it and then only had to deal with a slight amount of chatter from the blade. Nothing major. The Feather? Smooth as well except for a bit of chatter and a stroke to find the angle. Two passes, touch up including some Gillette Slides for good measure and........the baby is in the house, no blood, and the alum was incredibly quiet. Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, I call that a successful first ever shave with the VoskFeather blade. The perfect marriage of Russian and Japanese steel!
8 OCtober 2017 Start of the Shave Week Shave Pre: Plenty of hot water, soap out of the container and a hot towel Razor: Gillette NEW Short Comb circa 1932-1940 Blade: The Gillette Silver Blue Brush: Rubberset 303 circa 1955 Soap: Catie's Bubbles "Tonsorial Parlour" Post: Hot/Cold water rinse, alum block, cold towelx2, Dominello Vitali Calming Post Shave Moisturizer After Shave: The one and only Clubman After a week on the road, its back to my normal routine. It was great to see my son, but the long drives are killer. This morning's shave was on a three day growth. The new GSB blade coupled with my NEW SC delivered up a fantastic three pass BBS shave. I've really missed using this razor. It is so smooth regardless of whether you use soap or cream. Even at the end of the week it still can come up with a BBS. Which is also a testament to the Gillette Silver Blue blade. At the end of the month I may sneak my OLD in, but that will be a game time decision. Back to work on the morrow for some rest. Have a great Sunday. J-E-T-S, Jets,Jets,Jets!!
I forgot how much I like the smell of the soap. I think I’ll rename this razor the silent assassin. It’s just wipes off the whiskers. TSD Barber Shoppe Soap B-400 Brush by Tom H. & J. W. King Razor Alum Lucky Tiger Vintage Old Spice After Shave Have a Blessed Sunday!
Don't get carried away. We won't be taking warm showers together 'til the wee hours of the morning or anything. Just a little acknowledgment of the effort
OCtober 8, 2017 Timeless OC 0.95mm with Triad Ti Aristocrat Feather Shavemac LE with DO1 2 Band Flat Top Reef Point Test Depth Witch Hazel with Menthol Cool Water EDT I was able to take my time this morning and enjoy the shave. The big flat top is eating through the Test Depth soap. While I am not crazy about the scent, I do really like Reef Point tallow based soap. Since I had the time, I went with a traditional 3 pass shave this morning. With minimal touch ups along my jaw line, I easily caught the baby but did end up with one weeper. For some reason it takes me a couple of shaves to get reacquainted with the Timeless. Off to visit my mother for the day. I hope everyone has a great Sunday.
