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Kingfisher's open blade (straight razors and shavettes) journey
- Thread starter kingfisher
- Start date
Nothing wrong with mild razors! Great Shave!
Thanks, Chris.
Yep. Fortunately for me, my face is very tolerant. This is actually the first soap out of all the ones I've tried that has caused a reaction, and it was quite faint.
It's a really nice razor.
Thanks!
160/197 this morning.
Stirling Peach lather and back to the Sta-Sharp again.
Everything is getting easier with this razor. When I first got it, I found it vexing to strop. Now I can strop it just as easily as any of my razors. Shaving with it was also a bit of a mystery, but now it is intuitive. The only problem I still have with it is that the tip is pretty sharp, and because the blade is tiny it doesn't take long for it to become covered in lather so the point is no longer visible.
This morning I had the tiniest weeper on the left side of my face by the corner of my mouth; small enough that it stopped before I even finished the pass. I'm pretty sure I caught the tip just a tiny bit. I had another very small (1-2 mm) red spot (no bleeding) that showed up about a centimeter away from where the tiny weeper was. Both probably due to the tip, I'm thinking. Both occurred on the Chimensch pass on the left side, which is where I got my weeper two or three shaves ago, too. Something about the angle or the way I'm stretching is just off a tiny bit in that one area on that one pass.
Aside from that, the razor shaved great. I may switch back to the Tilquin tomorrow just for a back-to-back comparison shave.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great start to your week.
Thanks for the helpful suggestion. I'll give it a try.
I try not to operate on myself, lol.
161/198 today.
For lather, I used a sample of Castle Forbes Lime that Georgia Tech Chris was kind enough to send with the Sta-Sharp. I went through a sample of this same cream way back in maybe late 2009 or early 2010. I had vague memories of it. Back then it was the toast of the shave forums. I remember thinking that the scent was largely overrated on the forums but that the lather was pretty good. This morning I thought pretty much the opposite. The scent was better than I remembered it; the lather slightly worse. It dissipated faster than my best soap lathers, and faster than my AoS cream. Slickness was good, but cushion was a bit weak.
I went back to the Tilquin, as promised, just to get a comparison with the Sta-Sharp. It feels totally different on the face. The Sta-Sharp is a bit keener and first-pass reduction is therefore better. The Tilquin is easier to use because of the thumb notch and the much larger blade (6/8 versus 4/8).
I got a tiny bit of irritation just to the left of the mouth in the area that has given me the most trouble over the years, but it was minor. Three passes to CCS+/DFS-, which is satisfactory for me.
All-in-all, not bad. I'll be going back to one of my trusty soaps for tomorrow's shave, though.
Have a great day, gents!
WildWest74
Could be John Wayne
Caught up on some good stuff, Randall!
Once I am through my surgery and recovery, I will send you a list of all the software and gear I have, and if you are still interested we can meet up and swap some samples.
Once I am through my surgery and recovery, I will send you a list of all the software and gear I have, and if you are still interested we can meet up and swap some samples.
I hear that Chris guy of the Georgia Tech variety (I won't hold it against him...they Left the South Eastern Conference in 1964...
) is a really great dude! Despite what the rest of you say about him...
. With everyone on the cream bandwagon...I might have to pull out the Lime TOBS that TJ sent me!
Thanks!
I do love lime scents. MW is my favorite.
Yeah, 8 guys in one outing is pretty impressive. I didn't set it up.
That sounds awesome. Thanks.
He's definitely one of the good guys! And I'm not only not on a cream bandwagon, but will never be on a cream bandwagon. I loves me my soaps!I hear that Chris guy of the Georgia Tech variety (I won't hold it against him...they Left the South Eastern Conference in 1964...) is a really great dude! Despite what the rest of you say about him.... With everyone on the cream bandwagon...I might have to pull out the Lime TOBS that TJ sent me!
162/199 this morning.
I had to be at work 30 minutes earlier today. I got up early enough, I thought, for the full 3-pass straight razor shave, but ended up doing just 2, and then finishing with the "Hammer of Vishnu."
I went back to Chris's Sta-Sharp. I muted the point last night, as Chris recommended. Stropped her up and she was ready to go this morning.
For lather I went back to Soapy Science in Doc's Special Blend. Fantastic, as always.
I got two good passes in with the Sta-Sharp. No cuts, nicks, weepers, or irritation. Reduction was good today. There wasn't that much left for the iKon Pils copy to mow down. (I call it "hammer of Vishnu" because people call the Pils the "hammer of Thor." The iKon was made in Thailand. Also, the name just amuses me. I don't even know if Vishnu applies to Thailand or not, but I don't really care.)
In the end, I got a DFS today. Really a nice shave. I'm getting a good feel for the Sta-Sharp. It's light as a feather. It has to be rinsed frequently. Once you get both of those idea in your head, it's a great little razor!
Have a good day.
Why call it the Hammer of Thor? Why not just Mjölnir? -- Sorry, too geeky? LOL
Vishnu is one of the principle deities of the Hindu faith. While over 90% of Thailand's population are Buddhists, there is a very small population of Hindus as well. So it applies in that regard. Vishnu is a God of Protection and does carry a mace, so the hammer symbology is faily appropriate as well. Carry On!
Vishnu is one of the principle deities of the Hindu faith. While over 90% of Thailand's population are Buddhists, there is a very small population of Hindus as well. So it applies in that regard. Vishnu is a God of Protection and does carry a mace, so the hammer symbology is faily appropriate as well. Carry On!
Excellent. I'm sticking with Hammer of Vishnu, then.
Thanks, Chris!
Thanks, Josh!
I was very excited yesterday evening to find that the 3 razors I sent to Chris (CBL) had been honed and returned. Not only that, but he included one large sample of shaving soap in a scent he called "50 shades of vetiver," and a small sample of a soap in the Russian Tea scent. He also was kind enough to include a bit of FeOx and a bit of diamond paste for lapped balsa touch-ups. What a fantastic guy!
I couldn't wait to use the Rosette, a Japanese shorty that I had never been able to shave with since I acquired it, because it wasn't keen enough. I was also thinking that this morning would have been my 200th open blade shave, which is a milestone of sorts.
Unfortunately, I had to get to work an hour earlier than usual this morning, so I had to dispense with the straight razor shave entirely, and go straight to the Hammer of Vishnu for a DE-only shave. :-(
On the plus side, I got a chance to try out CBL's Vetiver soap. I happened to have a small sample of WK's Dark Vetiver, so I was able to smell them side-by-side. CBL's soap has a better scent, to my nose. There are a lot of similarities, but I just liked Chris's better.
It lathered up very quickly using a synthetic brush. At first, the lather was foamy, but it settled into a denser lather with a bit more swirling and a couple of additions of water. For my DE shave, it was slick and protective. Post-shave face feel was very good. Overall, a solid performer. Scent strength is what I would consider absolutely perfect, maybe a 4/5; certainly not weak or faint, but not overwhelming the entire bathroom, either. By the lather, I'm guessing this soap is very heavy on stearic acid. The lather reminded me quite a bit of Sudsy Soapery. Really nice.
Anyway, so I ended up DFS after two passes and a bit of touch-up, and no irritation or discomfort at all.
Still disappointed that I didn't get to try the Rosette. I suppose that's what tomorrow is for........
Have a great day!
Thanks, guys. I really think Chris almost nailed Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver scent. I haven't smelled it in quite some time, but this soap is very close.
163/200 this morning! Milestone shave, I guess. 200. Wow. When I tried that kamisori shavette on December 30th of 2017 I really didn't think I would ever get remotely close to 200 open blade shaves. I just wanted to give the SS a try out of curiosity. I thought I might use it for a couple of weeks just for fun.
Anyway, this morning I lathered up Soapy Science in the Lollipop Citrus scent and went at it with my Rosette shorty. First-ever shave with this razor for me.
It's ironic. I read back over the early part of my shaving journal, and somewhere around shaves 20-24 or so I went on about how the main problem with a straight razor was the blade length. I opined that if only I had a shorty I would be able to pull of a full straight razor shave without a hitch.
Thereafter, I learned to shave using nothing but standard length blades. This morning, as I was shaving with the shorty, I kept thinking to myself, "This is a great blade; if only it were longer." lol. How times change.
Still, the edge Chris put on it was really nice, an easy A. My lather was an easy A. My shaving skills today maybe a B-. The shave turned out CCS+ without any irritation or weepers, so I'd have to give the shave a B+ or A-.
Overall, pretty nice. Thanks, again, Chris, for putting a great edge on this little blade.
Hope you all are having a great day.