Learning all the things

[wazabees]

Okay, so, as mentioned in my intro post, I'm experimenting with new razors, soaps, blades, aftershaves, techniques and so on. I figured I could journal some stuff..
I recently got the Lupo .95 razor and I've had 2 shaves with it so far. Today is my third shave. Now I'm just narrowing down my preferences.

June 15th '21

Razor: Lupo .95
Blade: Wizamet super iridium (1)
Brush: Yaqi cola
Soap: The Goodfellas Smile grape/blueberry solid soap
Pre: Cube 2.0
Post: Myrsol lemon with a dash of Snake Bite
Rating: 4.25/5
Last shave: 2 days-ish ago

2 days since my last shave. Approx

This was a pretty good shave! I did my little prep work before my shower, like pressing some cuttings of The Goodfellas smile soap into a shaving bowl, ready to be lathered. Next time I’ll add a little bit of hot water to the bowl so the soap can soften a bit more, as there was some residue after my shave. I used Cube 2.0 as a preshave this time, rubbing it against the grain. The grape and blueberry scent from the soap was pretty subtle, but definitively present. The lather I got from it was, imho, pretty epic. I don’t know if it was the soap alone or if the Cube 2.0 that assisted, but it was super, super slick. I could’ve easily done two passes on one application of the lather. Anywho, I did my first WTG pass. The blade also felt really smooth, more so than the Nacet. It could be a fluke, so I’ll shave with it again in the Lupo, and I’ll try it out in my 6S as well.

The second pass went just as smoothly as the first one, and I went into a clean-up pass. BBS cheeks and DFS neck. I was absolutely sure my neck would be very irritated after this shave, and I’m happy to report that I was wrong. The alum bloc gave a bit of sting on the right side of my neck and a bit on my left cheek. I rinsed off the alum with some cold water and applied some Myrsol after shave. As it’s getting hot, I had to add a bit of Snake Bite to cool it down. All in all, a fantastic shave. I look forward to my next one! And that will determine if I get a 250-pack of Wizamets or two. The soap is already on my wishlist…

 

[Cvargo]

Welcome to the Cadre. Looking forward to reading along. Now to go look up that soap!

 

[GearNoir]

I can I identify with the enjoyment of Wizamets and Myrsol Agua de Limon, having used both before! Great stuff!

 

[wazabees]

Welcome to the Cadre. Looking forward to reading along. Now to go look up that soap!

Thanks for the welcome! I see that Italian Barber has the soap, assuming you're in the US. I look forward to testing it again to see whether or not it was a fluke.

I can I identify with the enjoyment of Wizamets and Myrsol Agua de Limon, having used both before! Great stuff!

There might be an order of more blades, if the Wizamets work well in my other razors too. I agree about Myrsel - really nice stuff.

 

[wazabees]

June 18th '21

Razor: Lupo .95
Blade: Wizamet super iridium (2)
Brush: Yaqi cola
Soap: PAA Atomic Age Bay Rum
Pre: Cube 2.0
Post: Stirling Glacial Lemon
Rating: 4.5/5
Last shave: 3 days-ish ago

Had a pretty good shave yesterday. Washed my face, and then a hot towel. Rinsed off, prepared my lather and added a little bit of Cube 2.0 to my face. Lathered up and off I went. The Bay Rum scent is awesome from this soap..

The shave felt superbly slick as well. Maybe not as slick as the hard soap from Goodfella’s Smile, but still very good. This is however yet another example of me not minimizing the variables. 3 days of stubble instead of 2 days of stubble. I'm not sure it matters too much.

The Lupo .95 and Wizamet SI (2) mowed down my stubble as if it wasn’t even there. Smooth shave with good sound feedback from whiskers being cut. No tugging, no pulling, no cuts, nicks or weepers. I didn’t feel any irritation at all after my first WTG pass, so I went for an XTG pass. Still no issues at all. I then decided to do my cleanup pass, which is usually where I'll mess up and get some irritation. Not this time though, and my neck is smoother than it has been for a good while. All in all, a DFS, even on my problematic neck.

 

[wazabees]

Too many things to try, too few whiskers. Right now, I'm testing two things; the Razorock Lupo .95 and Wizamet SI razor blades. There is a third variable, and that's lather. But I'm mainly trying to figure out if I like Wizamet SI blades in the razor I'm using. Then I'd like to know if I enjoy those same blades in my other razors.

But first, I want to try out a few more blades in the razor I'm currently using. Confusing yet? I'm confused. So, for my own convenience, I figured I'd write out what I'd like to test. And the end goal is to find a razor and blade combination that gives me the most comfortable and closest shaves. I am getting pretty good shaves right now, but... what if?

So, next up, after I've finished with the Wizamet..
- Lupo with Perma-sharp
- Lupo with Feather
- Lupo with Kai SS

Then I will try a new razor, the Fatip Open Comb Slant "Lo Storto" (FOCS). And the blade testing starts over again!

 

[GearNoir]

Haha! There’s always a “what if” lingering…that’s what keep our ADs going

Sounds like you’re off to a good start though!

At some point, for me, I just had to say - I have so many things that are excellent and it’s not going to get better than this…time to just enjoy it!

 

[MilkCrate]

AABR FTW!

 

[NurseDave]

Once you go Wizamet…..well, I guess there’s no need for anything else.

 

[wazabees]

Haha! There’s always a “what if” lingering…that’s what keep our ADs going

Sounds like you’re off to a good start though!

I am indeed! I've been at a stand-still for so long and for now, I'm really enjoying all the new things. I may have gone on a bit of a shopping spree and I may have RAD, SAD, ASAD, etc...

AABR FTW!

FTW! It smells soo good. Too bad I can't seem to find the AABR as an AS splash here in Europe..

Once you go Wizamet…..well, I guess there’s no need for anything else.

Where's the fun in that? Though, a few more shaves will tell me if I'm getting a 250-pack of Wizamets.

- Fred

 

[Graybeard57]

it’s not going to get better than this…time to just enjoy it!

Exactly how I feel.

 

[wazabees]

June 20th '21

Razor: Lupo .95
Blade: Wizamet super iridium (3)
Brush: Yaqi cola
Soap: ML Shaving Supplies Cool Orange
Pre: Cube 2.0
Post: Alum bloc
AS: Hey Joe Acid Melon
Rating: 4/5
Last shave: 1 day, 18h .. ish ago

No real prep this time. Just a quick face rinse with warm water and applied some Cube 2.0. I decided on a new soap this time, and it was really, really good. The soap is made by Matti Lindholm and it's been "curing" on my shelf for the past two weeks. Matti told me that it wasn't quite ready when he sent it, but I could still get it and finish the curing at home. Today I took it for a spin. While whipping up the lather, it smelled like someone was peeling oranges just below my nose. There was a slight menthol chill as well, but nowhere near the Stirling Glacial stuff. It was easy to generate a luxurious lather which was very slick. Matti is a Youtuber, and there have been a couple of other Youtubers who tried his soaps and said they were excellent. Obviously I had to try for myself.

The first pass went fairly smooth. I felt a tiny bit of resistance, so maybe I should’ve replaced the blade. I continued on anyway, with XTG and then cleanup. To be fair, a lot of the cleanup is ATG. I was rewarded with a DFS, though there is a bit left on the right side of my neck, if I brush my fingers ATG. That’s perfectly fine though. I was aiming for comfort and not BBS. I’ll get an accidental BBS sometime in the future, but chasing it will most likely leave me with irritated skin. Today though, no irritation, nicks, weepers or irritation.

The alum bloc told me that I was borderline irritated on my neck, so I’m happy I didn’t push it. It’s a hot day (for us in the Nordics) with a balmy 29°C/just over 84°F, so I felt a need to add a bit of extra chill to my AS, hence the Snake Bite. The Acid Lemon smells so good, and I really wish it’d linger for a bit longer, or that they made a cologne. Right now, just about 4 hours after my shave, my face is still silky smooth and well hydrated. It's surprising I didn't have to use any moisturizer, and I'll credit either the soap or the AS for that. Maybe both?

Speaking of warm weather, I feel for everyone in California and other places with extreme heat. I hope you all have very good AC units. Stay safe, and drink lots of water.



- Fred

 

[wazabees]

June 23rd '21

Razor: Lupo .95
Blade: Perma-sharp (1)
Brush: The "Beagle"
Soap: MdC Agrumes
Pre: Cube 2.0
Post: Alum bloc
AS: Hey Joe Acid Melon + Snake Bite
Rating: 4.75/5
Last shave: 3 days..ish ago

I know. The photo shows the Myrsol AS, but I changed my mind and I didn't feel like re-taking the photo.
New brush day today, the "Beagle" from Shavemac. I like small brushes and this one looks, and performs, great! Also new (to me), is the Perma-sharp blade. No blood, no irritation and a very close, comfortable shave. I wasn't even punished for going ATG in places, at least that's what my alum bloc told me.

 

[GearNoir]

Congrats on the new brush! I like the swirl on that one!

 

[MarkB]

Nice looking brush!

 

[wazabees]

June 26th '21

Razor: Lupo .95
Blade: Perma-sharp (2)
Brush: The "Beagle"
Soap: Razorock Nomad (sample)
Pre: Cube 2.0
Post: Alum bloc
AS: Clubman Brandy Spice (super mentholated version)
Rating: 4.5/5
Last shave: 3 days..ish ago

Last shave: 2 days, 22 hours ago.. ish.

Warm water on my face, mixed lather, warm towel, then some Cube 2.0.
New soap this time; Razorock Nomad from a sample. I squished about a quarter of the sample into my lather bowl and spread it around. The scent was… weird to me. It has a relatively fresh and clean scent with some musky undertones. At least to my nose. It wasn’t offensive, but it’s not a soap I’ll buy based on the scent merit. It was just okay. The lather I mixed was somewhat thin compared to previous lathers. I think I like it though, like a soft yogurt. It certainly provided enough protection and slickness for my shave – in combination with Cube 2.0. I don’t know how it’d do on its own.

I had a very nice 3-pass shave. WTG, XTG and ATG cleanup. The Perma-sharp felt exceptional yet again. Extremely smooth. Going ATG, I’m not sure it’s sharp enough still to cut some of the whiskers, so there are some whiskers rubbing my fingers ATG on my neck. That said, there was no real irritation after the shave, as reported by my alum bloc. Both cheeks BBS and DFS on my neck. More testing needed, but it’s possible Perma-sharp will go on my list for a bulk blade purchase.

Pretty awesome shave overall. No photo today!

 

[wazabees]

What am I doing with shaving right now? I'm certainly beginning to see it as a hobby and a relaxing ritual. I like lists, and I like spreadsheets too, so I've inventoried everything I have. Last up, was a complete list of the blades I have at the moment. And that's what I'm also currently testing. I've been using the Rockwell 6S for so long, that I haven't tried any different blades for years and years. So far the last 8 shaves or so, I've tried Gillette Nacet (very nice), Wizamet Super Iridium (very nice) and Gillette Perma-sharp (very nice).

Yep, that's my rating. "Very nice". I do wish I had a better way of rating the blades for myself. I couldn't pick a favorite from the last three blades I've tried, though I'm leaning towards Perma-sharps.

How did you figure out your favorite blade? What were your criteria? And do you have different favorites for different razors?

 

[GearNoir]

Sampler packs! Sampler packs and fellow shaver recommendations…that’s how I found my favorites!

 

[Scuttlesoap]

How did you figure out your favorite blade? What were your criteria? And do you have different favorites for different razors?

For me - I figure out my favorite blades by what works best with the whole gamut of my razors - there are a few that I can put in any one of my collection and get a good shave "feel." I'm not a blade feel kind of guy - I prefer smooth over aggressive. I do have some razor blades, instance, that do work best with a specific razor. My favorite blades are Gillette Nacet, Gillette 7 O'Clock (Yellow), Bolzano, Wizamet, and Astra Greens - these seem to work for me - no matter what razor. However, in my REX Ambassador - the only blade I found to tame it (the razor to me has a lot of blade feel even in the lower settings) - is a Derby Premium. When I use this blade- that specific razor gives me a very comfortable shave.

 

[wazabees]

Sampler packs! Sampler packs and fellow shaver recommendations…that’s how I found my favorites!

Gotcha! That's pretty much how I started out "way back when". I went with Astra blades in a Merkur 34C. Reading recommendations and seeing what others used, I ended up with a 100-pack of the old Polsilvers and a 200-pack of Feathers. But after returning to reading forums, I'm seeing a lot of diversity in blade preference, so I figured I'd try some more. Which blades ended up being your favorites?

For me - I figure out my favorite blades by what works best with the whole gamut of my razors - there are a few that I can put in any one of my collection and get a good shave "feel." I'm not a blade feel kind of guy - I prefer smooth over aggressive. I do have some razor blades, instance, that do work best with a specific razor. My favorite blades are Gillette Nacet, Gillette 7 O'Clock (Yellow), Bolzano, Wizamet, and Astra Greens - these seem to work for me - no matter what razor. However, in my REX Ambassador - the only blade I found to tame it (the razor to me has a lot of blade feel even in the lower settings) - is a Derby Premium. When I use this blade- that specific razor gives me a very comfortable shave.

I'm leaning towards comfort as well. At the same time, I'm trying to find a good balance between comfort and efficiency. If you could only choose one of your current favorite blades, which one would it be?