What did we learn from our last shaves?

That the Schick Twin blades feel even better on the second shave.

 

That Sputnik blades just don't agree with my skin.

 

That I'm chosen for THE VEG and that Arko paired with the Veg produces a pretty good shave.

 

...that shaving with a Muhle R41 has consequences--good and bad. For the past two months, I've been trying all sorts of vintage razors, including a fatboy, slim, prewar Tech, ball end Tech, New Type short comb and an E type Schick injector. All are tremendous shavers and have their own personalities. I tried to stick with the same blade for comparison sake, which ended up being a Crown SS from a sampler pack I've been using since beginning DE shaving last June. Lots of fun was had and my confidence is high.
My Muhle R89 is the core of my rotation. I decided to pick up the matching Rose Gold R41, simply to have and also to satisfy curiosity given its loyal followers. I loaded it with a Supermax Platinum since platinum seems to work well for me. I also really liked these blades in my R89...not so much in the R41. The R41 is sincerely aggressive. Face meets blade, enough said. The R41 demands you get the angle correct and rewards as well as it punishes. Two passes and you are good to go, unless something goes wrong. Yup, a nice cut under the nose on the ATG pass. Nothing to be done to get it to stop bleeding but wait it out...a half hour later. I believe the Supermax blade just wasn't sharp enough for that level of blade exposure. My whiskers are fairly coarse, and I felt the blade tugging. So, for the SOTD, I learned if I don't want to cut myself then I need a sharper instrument. I'm thinking of trying the Astra SPs given its high marks and also being a platinum blade. Probably going to grovel my way back to my R89 until the cut heals...can only hope it is as forgiving as it has been in the past.

 

I think your problem isn't the R41's aggression, you're IMHO using sub par blades. Get a sampler with nice sharp variety: GSB, Rapira's all of them, Polsilver, Voskhod, etc...

 

A Bunny without a comb may not be the best razor for Menthol Monday

 

That an Adjustable Schick injector set to 9 provides an efficient, comfortable, smooth shave.

 

Reminded that Ginger's Garden soap is great stuff!

 

I found out I can use feather blades (bought 1 pack in Nov '14) in my Rockwell 6S v2.0, which is good because I am going PIF my L3 Superspeed to my SIL, the only other razor that blades work well in for me.

 

That the RR Jaws OC becomes even more efficient with a heavy handle like the RR Bazooka.

 

My new to me black handle superspeed seems to be a bit bi polar. I've only tried one blade, but there is a marked difference from one side to another in aggression. My other superspeed is pretty mild both sides so, I was a bit surprised after the first pass. I tend to use one side of the razor and not switch back and forth during a pass. Blade was a fresh Polsivler. Shaved yesterday with it and immediately notices a difference. Same today, blade was removed and re-inserted between shaves. Got a good shave both days, btw.

Further experimentation is needed. Razor appears undamaged, I don't see anything bent or broken.

 

If you have a feeler gauge, pull it out and check for even gaps.

 

That shaving towards my ear and jaw on the XTG pass leads to a smoother shave than starting at the ear and going toward the middle. I've been doing that the past couple of days on the second pass and it seems to lead to better reduction.

 

The same with me. I actually eliminated the WTG pass and for my first pass do XTG going away from my ear and then towards for my second. Works the best for me.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

No matter what I use; even a Slim opened up to 9, nothing's shaving closer than my R41.

 

Yesterday's Gillette Somerset shave should be considered a dermatologist tool for skin rejuvenation as it "shaved me a new one".

 

That out of my Schick N1 and Schick Adjustable, i like the handle on the N1 better and that refrigerating my PSO and ASB was a great idea.

 

Polsilver's are 2-3 shave blades for me. Today's third shave was the limit. For the price I was hoping to get three solid shaves, maybe four, but 2-3 seems likely. This was with the flawed, SS, so maybe another razor will be more forgiving on the blades.

 

Derby blades are not Astra SP blades.

 

That with the proper techinque, blade (P-Lux) and patience you can get a very comfortable (and close) shave with an Old Type. My shave this morning with my Brit. 1908 Single Ring - a keeper. Not a peep out of my alum bar.