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Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian

DeepSea said:
I’ve been eyeing the V3 Hawk. I think it may end up being my first AC safety razor.
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If I had to pick a first AC Razor, that would be it! Loaded with a Feather Super blade, for the price it shaves every bit as well as my Vector or General, each of which is 3x the price. The $60 price will be going up to $75 after this Coronavirus stuff ends. If I were going to pick one up I would do it soon. The next batch may not be at this price point.
 
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SOTD Friday, 04/17/2020

This is my last shave with the Aluminum TAR. My shave today - 48 hrs after my first shave - was designed to see if longer whiskers would have any impact on the utility of this razor for me. The answer is no, even with a fresh Suneko blade, and even with my stalwart, MWF. I even fell back on PAA’s Preshave Soap. It’s clear to me that heavy razors are my preferred shaving tool.

The shave itself, after the first two passes (WTG, XTG) set on 6 and 4, was not going the way I like. So I removed the blade from the aluminum TAR and installed it into the brass model set on 4. What a difference! I realize Tom will never be producing these razors, but I would buy this brass model if it were available in a second! That third ATG pass did the trick. It sheared right through my whiskers, and left me with my desired BBS.

I understand how some of my predecessors on this pass around liked the aluminum model. My preference is clearly the brass model due to its weight. In fact, if I owned it, I know it would become my preferred adjustable. I really like the open comb head design and it’s weight which make shaving with it for me a joy! Not having to think about my tremors makes this razor a winner for me.

RAZOR: Aluminum TAR (passes 1&2) Brass TAR (pass 3)
BLADE: Suneko(1)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by PAA’s Preshave Cube Soap
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS Splash followed by Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm
 
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SOTD Saturday, April 18, 2020

I grabbed one of my fat handled Techs to join @brit and @jtface in their Gillette Tech shave party. It’s been quite some time since I’ve shaved with this razor. After a week of shaving with the TAR razors, it felt like I was adhering to Monte Python’s adage, “Now for something completely different!”. The razor weighed in at 62 grams, so roughly equivalent to the aluminum TAR weight wise, but the head geometry is quite different - safety bar versus the Famex-influenced open comb TAR design. The handle is also slimmer on the Tech. Given the rounded OC TAR design, riding the cap with the Tech would prove to be a no-brainer.

I selected MWF as my soap of choice along with my new 26mm Two Band Badger Fan knot for the Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute brush. After my shower, I began the shave with my usual cold water rinse. The brush knot is honkin’ huge in comparison to my other brushes, and generated a very healthy, thick, protective lather. I loaded a Feather blade and had at it. The razor sang as it cut on that first WTG pass. After lathering up again, the second XTG pass cleaned things up nicely, leaving my usual rough spots around the Adam’s Apple, and on the back of my head. The third ATG pass cleaned things up nicely, leaving me with a very acceptable DFS++ shave. Alum revealed some serious heat around the focus of that final pass, the usual rough areas. Nevertheless, I feel clean, acceptably smooth, and refreshed.

RAZOR: Gillette Fat Handle Tech
BLADE: Feather
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute fitted with 26mm Two Band Badger Fan Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Aqua Velva AS Splash (Spanish Version) and finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum
 
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SOTD Sunday, April 19, 2020

My wide body cap from Karve Shaving arrived a few days ago. Although I enjoyed my Tech shave yesterday, I wanted a DE shave with a heavier blade holder, and the Karve Christopher Bradley razor at 111 grams with the Wizamet Super Iridium blade fit the bill. I’ve always enjoyed this razor! It was the first modern artisan razor I purchased after 50 years of shaving with my trusty Schick Krona. My only gripe was the exposed blade tabs. Yes, I was one of those spazzes who unerringly would nick his ear with the exposed tabs every couple of shaves. As a result I stopped shaving with it as frequently as I used to, and as I accumulated more razors, the frequency of use diminished even more. With the new wide body cap, my gripe goes away.

For today’s shave I selected Sterling Obsidian soap and AS Splash. I normally shave the Karve with a D-OC baseplate. The look of the razor has changed eith the new top cap, but the shave is still as excellent as ever. This razor is definitely going back in the regular rotation. While not in the same weight class as the brass TAR, it still delivered my desired shave. The Jayaruh #343 Synthetic generated a great cooling Glacial Obsidian lather. The wonderful Anise smell reminded me of the delicious cookies my Italian grandmother used to make when I was a boy. The weight and balance of this razor in hand make its use a delight. That first WTG pass mowed my whiskers right down to the skin line. One more ATG clean-up pass was all she wrote, and as a friend of mine from Atlanta is fond of saying, “put the baby to bed”! The result was an effortless BBS that easily passes the cotton ball test. I feel clean, cool, smooth, and refreshed.

RAZOR: Christopher Bradley w/ D-OC
BLADE: Vintage Polish Wizamet Super Iridium (1)
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Synthetic #343
SOAP: Stirling Glacial Obsidian
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Glacial Obsidian AS Splash. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm
 
jgreenepa said:
Synthetic generated a great cooling Glacial Obsidian lather. The wonderful Anise smell reminded me of the delicious cookies my Italian grandmother used to make when I was a boy.
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Mmm...I have fond memories of anise flavored cookies and liquor too. My dad’s side of the family is full blooded Italian too.
 
My Italian Grandmother would make those cookies as well. She passed on the recipe to my wife and now she makes them for Christmas as well as pepper cookies. The smell of them always bring back great memories.
 
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SOTD Tuesday, April 21, 2020

This RR Hawk V3 is really growing on me. It’s just the right kind of heavy, feels great in hand, and with a Feather Super loaded delivers the shave goods consistently. This is my second complete shave with the razor, and unlike some other shave purchases, leaves me with no buyer’s remorse. It really is every bit the equivalent of AC razors going for three times the price of this one. I’m not sure how Italian Barber is able to deliver a 316L marine grade SS razor for $59.99 US, when the direct competitors are so much more expensive. This price is only slated to remain with this batch. The price will be increasing to $75-79 in the next production run.

I began my shave with my usual cold water rinse. I selected the Grooming Dept’s Unscented Donkey Milk Soap, and noticed when I opened the container that little granules of bentonite clay had formed throughout the soap. My @MrEE Hybrid Knotted Brush performed beautifully, despite the granules, and whipped up a nice, shiny, yogurty lather. The Hawk made short shrift of my whiskers in that first WTG pass with the hyper sharp Feather Super slicing things right down to the skin line. My second ATG pass easily put the baby to bed, leaving me with another effortless BBS. A cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH, Fine Accoutrements Fresh Vetiver AS Splash, and finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum left me feeling smooth, clean, and refreshed!

RAZOR: RazoRock SS Hawk V3
BLADE: Feather Super AC
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: MrEE Hybrid Knot Brush
SOAP: Grooming Dept Unscented Donkey Milk
POSTSHAVE: A cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH, Fine Accoutrements Fresh Vetiver AS Splash, and finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum
 
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SOTD Thursday, April 23, 2020

My favorite DE razor, hands down, is my Colonial Silversmith. The only complaint I’ve ever seen has been about the original handle design that came with the razor, never anything about it’s shaving capability. It’s been variously described as “ugly”, “too short”, “unbalanced and dumpy-looking” and “slippery”.

Well, Colonial is nothing if not responsive to their customers. The new handle design is heavier, contains knurling, and is beautifully balanced in hand. I just received it yesterday, and love it! It gives an entirely new look to the Silversmith. The shave hasn’t changed, of course, but the razor feels better in the hand, and the increased weight is noticeable to me.

The shave itself was spectacular, as usual. A FB Shave Forum friend from down under who is also appreciative of levels of BBS shaves, is correct in classifying the closest BBS shave as “glass-like”. I agree. The BBS I receive from my best shaving DE, this razor, is great, but still does not quite measure up to the BBS delivered with a Feather Super by any of my three AC safety razors.

For this shave I loaded a DE Feather blade into the Silversmith with it’s new handle, and soaked my Jayaruh Rosewood Handled #378 Silvertip Badger brush in warm water while showering. My shave prep consisted in adding 6 drops of M-Bomb to my Lucky Tiger Liquid Shave Cream and my usual cold water rinse. The Lucky Tiger is great stuff, and always delivers a thick, protective lather.

The Silversmith sheared through my whiskers on that first WTG pass. The whisker reduction continued through the second XTG, and third ATG delivering the desired BBS. Maybe the difference between this DE shave and the BBS provided by a Feather Super blade is in that first pass. The whisker feel isn’t quite as smooth afterwards with the Silversmith and it’s Feather blade as opposed to the General, the Vector or the Hawk loaded with a Feather Super AC blade.

Maybe it’s just placebo effect, but a day after an AC shave I still retain an acceptable DFS, whereas with the DE it seems to be more in the CCS category. In any case, I prefer the new handle to the old, and feel clean, cool, smooth, and refreshed.

RAZOR: Colonial Silversmith 316L SS
BLADE: Feather (1)
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Rosewood Silvertip Badger #378
CREAM: Lucky Tiger Liquid Shave Cream
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum
 
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SOTD Friday, April 24, 2020

This morning I decided to shave with one of the more neglected razors in my rotation, and probably one of the best values in wet shaving today, the Fine Accoutrements “Marvel” DE safety razor. It is aptly named! I bought it for my youngest grandson, this last October, but his father, my oldest son had already gifted him with the OneBlade Core that I had gifted to my son! Go figure! In any case, Ben, my son, had already upgraded to the OneBlade Genesis, so there I was, stuck with what I thought was just another ho hum starter razor.

Since we were headed for Tybee Island, one of my favorite places in the world, I brought the new razor along after mailing myself some DE blades. I had already disposed of the slippery Chrome handle that came with the razor and replaced it with the extra Occam’s SS DE Barber pole handle I had lying around. The combination worked beautifully, and the razor head design delivered a beautiful unexpected BBS. I was sold! I used it daily for the remaining 13 days of that vacation, and put the razor into the regular rotation.

For today’s shave, I loaded the Marvel with a fresh Suneko blade, soaked the tips of my Omega Pro48 Boar brush in warm water, and had my shower. I began the shave with my regular cold water rinse. I then added 3 drops of M-Bomb to my Mentholated Kapo shave cream, and whipped up a glorious cooling lather which was then applied to both face and dome. Two and a half passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) later put the baby to bed, leaving me with a lovely BBS. The Alum revealed some slight heat at the location of yesterday’s weep below my Adam’s Apple, but otherwise, the Marvel left me feeling cool, smooth, clean and refreshed!

RAZOR: Fine Marvel DE Head w/ Classic Shaving’s SS Barber Pole Handle
BLADE: Suneko
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar Brush
CREAM: Kapo Menthol salted w/ 3 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Stirling Iced Pineapple AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum
 
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