SOTD January 18 - January 24, 2021

[Mike R]

Monday

Brush: Omega 10049
Soap: Williams
Razor: '52 Super Speed
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: Dollar Store Splash - Blue / "Fresh Scent"
Cologne / Fragrance: Aramis

Mike

[jgreenepa]

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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.

[brothers]

The beautiful incredibly soft magic lathering boar brush by Zenith

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[Mike R]

Tuesday

Brush: Omega 10049
Soap: Williams
Razor: '52 Super Speed
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: Dollar Store Splash - Blue / "Fresh Scent"
Cologne / Fragrance: Drakkar Noir

Mike

[drmoss_ca]

Wacker damascus, homemade soap, Simpson PL8, Creed Royal English Leather:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 19, 2021

Yesterday’s mug shave met my output requirements, but as we used to say in the sixties, the process was a “bummer”! That shave involved my Riga razor, but I've found the razor itself to be bulky and awkward since acquiring it a few months ago! I know a lot of our younger member’s and even some of our older like these chunky blades, but I'm not one of them! So, for today’s shave I selected one of my three Japanese razors, a silver steel Tanifuji Airi 11/16. This sleek little razor is a pleasure to shave with, and easily whisked away my mug whiskers in two very slow luxurious passes with the Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line” playing in the background.

Good things are said to come in threes, and just as I have three Japanese silver steel straight razors, I also have three Shake Sharp SE safety razors. These little beauties were originally designed in the mid to late thirties to work with the thicker carbon steel blades of the era. As the name indicates, they were also designed to be self sharpening and work with DE blades, the thinking being they could extend the usage of said blades. Unfortunately, WW2 intervened, and they weren’t released until 1945, at which time thinner, more corrosion-resistant SS blades were the thing. In any case two stacked SS blades allow for single edge focus and do, as a result, for me, provide a doubling of blade life. In any case the Wilburys, “Handle with Care” again left me refreshed, clean and quite velveteen!

RAZOR: Tanifuji Airi 11/16 (Mug), Shake Sharp SE Nickel Plated Model 2.0 (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE
PREP: Cold water rinse and a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Handle Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.

[Mike R]

Wednesday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Cream: J.M. Fraser's
Razor: '52 Super Speed
Blade: Indian Wilkinson
A/S: Family Dollar Brut clone
Cologne / Fragrance: Brut

Mike

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 20, 2021

This morning’s dome shave featured my too long neglected Le Coq Cagehead safety razor. This French Safety razor has a fixed non-adjustable Cagehead, unlike the French Famex and Razvite. It is a very efficient shaver that requires the user’s total attention to the process as I found out this morning. I was listening to the Traveling Wilburys “Handle With Care” during the shave, and should have done so.

The blade feel on this French safety razor is exquisite, and I was really enjoying myself on the second ATG pass of my normal two pass noggin shave when I found myself unconsciously shaving in rhythm to the beat. Not a good practice for shaky old men as I discovered, nicking the top of my left ear and removing a very small piece of epidermis. It required both styptic and direct pressure to stop the bleeding. Pure operator error and a well deserved admonishment from the shave gods put me in my place.

The mug shave was an entirely different story! Simmons Hardware of St. Louis, was founded in 1874 by Edward Simmons. The company's stock consisted of many items, including ammunition, knives, mincers, wires, and even dog collars. They defined its products saying, "If you can't eat it, and it don't pour or fold, it's hardware". Their well-respected ‘Keen Kutter’ brand of straight razor was but one of 800 products under that label.

The Simmons Hardware 4/8 selected for this morning’s mug shave has a German Solingen blade. The original horn scales on this sleek little razor were badly chipped and insect eaten. So they were replaced. The trend in modern straight razor design is toward shave hatchets greater than 8/8. I’ve never shaved with anything wider than 8/8. But what I do know is that this petite 4/8 blade is a delight to shave with and the Solingen steel has really retained the Naniwa 12k/jasper stone edge I put on it. Three buttery smooth passes left me feeling chastened, clean and velveteen smooth!

RAZOR: Simmons Hardware 4/8 (Mug), Le Coq Cagehead (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Williams Aqua Velva (Spanish Version)

[drmoss_ca]

Hart 6/8 oak scales, Salter Fresh Mint cream, Simpson CH2, Penhaligon's English Fern:

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[pausted]

Lea Classic soap
Yaqi White synthetic brush
PAA Symmetry OC razor
Gillette Platinum Plus blade
Pinaud Gent's Gin aftershave

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 21, 2021

Well I decided after yesterday morning’s left ear incident that I would steer away from rock music as a shave background. So today’s shave was conducted with Pachelbel’s Canon in D playing in the background. The pacing and tone of this exquisite piece also served as the wedding match for my marriage and helped to create a lovely background mood! The selection of two of my favorite shaving tools certainly contributed to today’s magnificent shave. The little Ronson safety razor is a great dome shaver and the two pass ATG shave gave testimony to its great chops, smooth and velveteen results that set the stage for my favorite Japanese straight razor, the R. Saito SK3 7/8. This smiling blade’s Naniwa/12k’s buttery smooth edge delivered a lovely three pass shave, and left your happy narrator velveteen smooth, clean and refreshed with a big grateful smile on his face.

RAZOR: R. Saito SK3 7/8 (Mug), Ronson Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Proline B-20 Injector
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme AS Balm.

[Mike R]

Thursday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Cream: Ingram
Razor: '52 Super Speed
Blade: Dorco ST300
A/S: Barbasol Pacific Rush
Cologne / Fragrance: Polo

Mike

[drmoss_ca]

Hart 6/8 maplewood, Salter Wild Rose cream, Simpson Major, Floris No.89:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 22, 2021

We all own razors, either safety or straight, that while not particularly valuable, hold a special meaning for us. This little Lord 5/8 was selected by me for that very reason. It's the first razor whose edge I set from bevel tho finish. In those days I set the bevel on a Naniwa Chosera 1k and finished it with a series of successively diluted slurries on my jasper stone. I now finish on the Naniwa 12k with final polish on the extra fine side of the jasper with just water and no slurry. This little razor holds a great edge and delivered a velveteen smooth three pass mug shave. The Supply V2 with a fresh twinjector blade I loaded in the three dot plate did the same for my dome in two pleasant ATG passes. One more great shave in the books leaving me refreshed, clean, velveteen and ready to face the day!

RAZOR: Lord 5/8 (Mug), SS Supply V2 (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Injector II
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.

[Mike R]

Friday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Cream: Pollena Lider
Razor: '52 Super Speed
Blade: Dorco ST300
A/S: Afta Fresh
Cologne / Fragrance: one million

Mike

[drmoss_ca]

Zowada damascus cocobolo scales, Tabac Soap, Simpson T4, Tabac aftershave:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SATURDAY MORNING, JANUARY 23, 2021

My vintage Sheffield Henry Hobson 6/8 Wedge arrived yesterday. I do like the wooden hand carved scales. The seller advertised it as “shave ready”, and we’ve all learned the hard way that one man’s ‘shave ready’ is not necessarily another’s. Not in this case, however. An examination under the USB microscope revealed a mirror-polished bevel along the length of the blade. A reassuring note revealed the honing progression which ended at 12k, and that three layers of tape were used as this is a full wedge blade. A friend on one of the straight razor forums had been singing the praises of Ariana & Evans Shave Butter. It's described as unscented, but it does possess a bit of a ‘frou-frou’ flowery scent I could do without. It also arrived yesterday, so I decided, despite the unpleasant odor (YMMV), to take it for a spin this morning.

The shave butter is described as having a consistency midway between a croap and a cream, and I would agree. It bowl lathered nicely, and has an almost iridescent quality. The lather was thick and protective, and the scent which seemed apparent upon first opening the tub dissipated nicely leaving a very slick, relatively unscented, protective lather which I prefer for my shaves. The new-to-me Hobson cleanly and soundlessly swept away the mug lather. The blade was quite sharp and had no trouble cutting through my wiry “old man” mug whiskers in three easy one-handed passes. The dome shave featured Fine’s “World Finest SS Safety Razor”, a homage to Gillette’s New LC. It's an efficient razor, but frankly I prefer my Gillette original. I will admit that the post shave skin tone seems superb, and every bit as good as my regular MWF. I feel refreshed, clean and dolphin smooth.

RAZOR: H. Hobson Wedge 6/8 (Mug), Fine’s “World’s Finest SS Safety Razor” (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Ariana & Evans Shave Butter
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Williams Aqua Velva (Spanish Version).

[drmoss_ca]

Zowada damascus ebony scales, Trumper's Sandalwood cream, Vulfix 2-band brush, Trumper Sandalwood cologne:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 24, 2021

Yesterday morning’s mug shave with the new-to-me H. Hobson Sheffield wedge was a delight. For this morning’s shave I selected my Thistle Cut 5/8, a visually unassuming vintage razor, and one of two I own at the recommendation of a Master Honer who feels the brand and the steel used in the blade represents one of the best values in vintage razors today. At his recommendation and the loan of my son’s Shapton progression I took the blade all the way to 30k. I then stropped it on 0.25 and 0.1 pasted linen and finished it on Horween leather. While yesterday’s mug shave was great, this little Thistle is in a whisker-meltin’ class by itself. Velveteen smooth after only two passes (WTG, ATG).

My dome shave yesterday featured Fine’s “World’s Finest SS Safety Razor”, an assertion I would take issue with. It represented an homage to the vintage Gillette New LC. Frankly, as I said yesterday, I prefer the original Gillette. My dome shaving selection for today was my favorite AC safety razor. I also own a Vector which is without doubt also an excellent razor, but can be a pain in the petoot with random blade sticking issues. The Colonial General V2 has a narrow head profile, not as exaggerated as the Vector’s, is a bit heavier, but more importantly, doesn’t suffer from the Vector’s random blade sticking issue. I usually use the Feather Super, but ran out, so I loaded a Feather Proguard, a blade I enjoy in my Feather DX. It delivered an excellent shave and left me feeling refreshed, clean, and dolphin smooth.

RAZOR: Thistle Cut Co. 5/8 (Mug), Colonial General V2 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather Proguard AC
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: JR Boar #374
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[drmoss_ca]

Zowada damascus ebony scales, Taylor's Coconut cream, Grosvenor brush, Creed Virgin Island Water:

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