A quick update as I have a lull in my proposal marathon at the moment. Yesterday and today I shaved using the Stirling 26 mm X 54 mm synthetic, mainly to see the consistency of the lather produced compared to the Sorrentino TSC Barzini. Although the Stirling is a larger diameter bulb compared to a fan, the lather consistency produced with both brushes was very consistent with each other, and quite different than My Stirling 26 mm X 54 MM Finest Badger. I really think that the amount of retained water in the badger is the reason. This, and I tend to add more bloom water out of the badger than I can with either synthetic.
Yesterday was the 6/8" and today was the 7/8" Barber's notched BRWs. Each of the three BRW razors that I am cycling between are still firing on all cylinders, and each day results in BBS to BBS++ to near grail worthy. Nothing to complain about here. I am spending more time maintaining them than I think I am spending shaving with them. Recently I have introduced stropping before the shave which I have not done in a while. So pre-shave I have been stropping 30 on Miller Heirloom Canvas, 30 on Miller Flax Linen and 60 on Heirloom leather. Pre-maintenance honing I do exactly the same thing, and post-maintenance honing I do 30 Tomonagura Cotton, 30 Tomonagura Canvas, 30 Miller Flax Linen and finish with about 120 Heirloom leather. I need to time this relative to the shave, but I am pretty sure the time is about equal. Of course I have begun to do more stropping because I find it enjoyable, and I really think it has improved the results of my maintenance honing to strop after the shave, but before the honing.
Yesterday was the 6/8" and today was the 7/8" Barber's notched BRWs. Each of the three BRW razors that I am cycling between are still firing on all cylinders, and each day results in BBS to BBS++ to near grail worthy. Nothing to complain about here. I am spending more time maintaining them than I think I am spending shaving with them. Recently I have introduced stropping before the shave which I have not done in a while. So pre-shave I have been stropping 30 on Miller Heirloom Canvas, 30 on Miller Flax Linen and 60 on Heirloom leather. Pre-maintenance honing I do exactly the same thing, and post-maintenance honing I do 30 Tomonagura Cotton, 30 Tomonagura Canvas, 30 Miller Flax Linen and finish with about 120 Heirloom leather. I need to time this relative to the shave, but I am pretty sure the time is about equal. Of course I have begun to do more stropping because I find it enjoyable, and I really think it has improved the results of my maintenance honing to strop after the shave, but before the honing.
