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Doug's Journal of Shaving Happiness v2.0

dangerousdon said:
Nice Shave Doug! I have the Grand Shave King, which I believe is the inspiration for the PAA DOC Ascension. The Grand Shave King is an incredibly delicate razor. It's an aluminium handle and the head and base plate are zamack (I think) in silver plating. If you tighten the handle too much it torques down on the head and bends it. In addition to it being fragile...it is probably the mildest razor I have ever shaved with. Bing up there with the first two plates of the Rockwell 6s.
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I believe you are correct about the inspiration for the razor. The original DOC was inspired by the GSK. The DOC EVO and DOC Ascension are updates to the design.

Thanks for the info on your GSK.
 
Journal Entry #143

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Razor: PAA DOC Ascension
Blade: Astra SP (7)
Brush: RazoRock Big Bruce
Soap/Cream: Tabac (10)
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB
AS 3: Tabac AS splash
Fragrance: Tabac EdC

Overview
Ascension day two.

SOTD Pic
None

Shave Quality
I opened the DOC Ascension all the way by unscrewing the handle until it was completely free of contact with the base plate, then screwed it back down until it just got snug against the base plate and the handle felt secure. The difference was amazing. The razor is much more aggressive at the maximum adjustment. There was lots of blade feel and chatter as well as a little more irritation post-shave. It was full-on BBS, except for one small area where I didn't clean up enough on my neck. I also made a wetter lather today. I took a really wet brush to the puck and pulled off a bunch of Tabac goodness. I didn't need to add any water to the lather since the brush held a ton. The lather was more wet and sloppy than I usually go for, but was really slick. The razor skated across my face. It was a great shave.

Gear
The DOC Ascension is a quality piece of hardware. The twist adjustment doesn't feel unsafe at all, but it does require paying attention to feedback from the razor. The twist adjustment is a novel and interesting take on an adjustable razor. The head is designed to take full advantage of spring tension from the blade. I am glad that I picked this razor up. It could possibly replace the Fatip Piccolo as my second favorite razor. I am not sure I would want to leave it at the most aggressive setting often, but I can see using it after not shaving for a day or two. I think I will be using it on the fully tightened setting most of the time.

On Sunday I killed off the 100ml bottle of Tabac AS. This morning I started on the 300ml bottle. It is great stuff. This bottle should last me for quite a long while. I am definitely set for Tabactober for a while.

Other Thoughts
Tension headaches are no fun, that is the lesson from this weekend.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
 
Oh the tension headaches are HORRIBLE! Those are the ones I usually tend to get. Excedrin Tension seems to help me... sometimes.
 
Nice shave and read, Doug. I've been reading a little about the Ascension, and am considering pulling the trigger on it. I get plenty of tension headaches as well, and they are lousy.
 
Nice review man! Maybe some veg can help with the headaches. You know that soothing smell to relax your face and body.
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On a more serious note, hope the pain subsides man.
 
Journal Entry #144

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Razor: PAA DOC Ascension
Blade: Astra SP (8)
Brush: RazoRock Big Bruce
Soap/Cream: Tabac (11)
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB
AS 3: Tabac AS splash
Fragrance: Tabac EdC

Overview
Ascension day three.

SOTD Pic
None

Shave Quality
Today was another with the Ascension tightened all the way down. Still in BBS range, but some lasting irritation. I think this may have to do with the weather change. It has been in the 30's and 40's since yesterday. The dry climate here in Colorado tends to get even drier in the winter. I also went a bit too fast this morning. It was a good shave with great lather, but the irritation put a bit of a damper on it.

Gear
All still good stuff.

Other Thoughts
Dry eyes leads to eye strain. Time to look away.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
 
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