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Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian

SOTD Saturday, February 22, 2020

This will be my third and final shave with the Barbasol Floating Head. The problem with having too many vintage razors is that some of them are just exemplary shavers. The Barbasol Floating Head is one, but tomorrow I’ll be shaving with another, the Cooper Monobilt. The Barbasol has delivered two great shaves, the first a DFS and the second a BBS. After waking up to a beautiful sunny morning in Philly, I decided to enjoy a leisurely three pass shave with no goal in mind other than a pleasurable shave. The pieces were all in place.

The Omega Pro48 Boar is just a wonderful shave brush! Great backbone along with well-broken-in feather soft brush ends generates a thick paste from the scuttle that is then applied to both face and noggin. I really enjoy the luxurious face and head brushing that also exfoliates as the lather builds. My barber who I see about once a month for a straight razor head and face shave taught me the method. I had complained to him about being unable to generate a decent bowl lather with MWF. I’ve found his approach - building that initial rich, glistening, yogurty MWF lather on the shaving surfaces instead of in the scuttle - and then wetting the brush in hot water from the faucet as needed and adding it to the paste on the face and dome leads to the cat’s meow of lathers! It’s never failed, regardless of water type, and the process just feels great!

The shave was a joy this morning. I began with my usual cold water rinse. I have stopped using PAA Preshave Cube soap about five days ago. It had been a regular part of my shave routine, but 22 days of MWF has done away with the need for it. After lathering up, I enjoyed a very comfortable first WTG pass with Madame Barbasol who swept away the 24 hrs of whisker growth with aplomb. The secondXTG and third ATG passes left me with a bloodless, baby-smooth, face and dome.Three great shaves, and it’s time to return Madame Barbasol to her case and boxafter a good cleaning. After a wash of my face and noggin with the MWF brushsqueezings, Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite completed what turned out to be aperfect Saturday morning shave, leaving me feeling cool, smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: Barbasol Floating Head
Blade: Feather
PREP: Cold Water rinse
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite
 
It has Don! It’s always been my favorite soap, but next month I‘ll be shaving with Pannacrema Nuavia Blu! Just bought a puck after some friends at TSD were very positive about it. I’ve tried a lot of soaps, but have never found any that has provided the benefits of MWF.
 
I had a pro 49 boar for a while. It broke in and was one of my favorite brushes. Then I gave it away and for some reason never got another one lol.
 
SOTD 02/23/20

Excellent three pass shave today with my Cooper Monobilt, a remarkably efficient razor with a unique folding snap closure razor head design. I have the high level enabling skills of the Cooper Owner’s Club at TSD to thank for kicking my RAD into gear several months ago, but I definitely do not regret the purchase of this highly efficient razor. I always enjoy my shaves with it. Part of the pleasure involves simply preparing the razor for the shave.

I inserted a Suneko blade, snapped the head closed after ensuring that the end tab of the blade was sitting under the hinge. This process is well engineered and always seats the blade perfectly for me. I then lathered up with my favorite Boar brush, the Omega Pro48 and had at it. Three smooth passes later and the baby was put to bed, another bloodless BBS. The Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash left me feeling clean, smooth, very cool and ready for church! I wish everyone a happy Sunday! I especially wish my two friends shaving with their newly acquired SS DLC Coated Lupos a great shave!

RAZOR: Cooper Monobilt
BLADE: Suneko
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash
 
SOTD 02/24/20

Another great 2 pass BBS with a minor weeper to the left of my Adam’s Apple. The shave would have been bloodless, if I’d just left the hint of roughness around my Adam’s Apple alone. The result would have been a bloodless DFS and near BBS. Live and learn. The tool of choice today was my 2011 R41 loaded with a Feather blade. I’m always amazed at the efficiency and blade feel with this razor. Five more days with MWF before I switch to a half month with PannaCrema Nuavia Blu and the other half with Imperial soap. In any case, I feel clean, smooth and refreshed.

RAZOR: Muhle 2011 R41 head w/ RR Barber Pole handle
BLADE: Feather
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime AS Splash
 
SOTD 02/25/20

Yesterday I shaved with my Muhle R41 (2011) with a Feather blade, and while I received a BBS shave, I did experience some level of skin irritation on my neck and on the left side of my head. So today I broke out my new H&S No75 with its new shorter handle. I did not like a long handle, and therefore traded the longer 3.75” handle that came with the razor for the older shorter handle. The owner, Aji was happy to oblige. The jury is no longer out on this razor for me. It has a rather narrow sweet spot, which increases the difficulty of its use in my dome shaves, given my arthritis, and doesn’t seem that efficient for me. YMMV!

I received my new aluminum Alpha Shaving T400 brush handle with two ferrules from Hong Kong two days ago. I ordered two knots from Maggard’s - a synthetic and a 70/30 Badger Boar. The beauty of this brush is that it allows one to use multiple knots with the same handle. I mounted the synthetic knot which arrived first in one ferrule. I’ll mount the mixed knot in the other when it arrives.

I lathered up with the new brush after my cold water rinse and had at it with the H&S No75. Everyone raves about this razor’s smoothness. I’m not sold. It doesn’t possess as wide a sweet spot nor is it as efficient as my current modern favorites:

1. Colonial Silversmith
2. Blackland Vector
3. RazoRock SS DLC Coated Lupo
4. Rex Ambassador (narrow sweet spot, but incredibly smooth and efficient)

The first WTG pass was completed with two minor weepers on the left side of my head which my styptic dealt with. I proceeded gingerly with the second XTG pass and succeeded in generating a nick to the right of my Adam’s Apple. I guess I should rename today as bloody Tuesday. Again my styptic came to the rescue. My third ATG pass was completed without any new wounds, but things were nowhere near as smooth as I would have hoped, requiring some additional cautious buffing leading to a fourth nick and what can best be termed a CCS.

This was my 4th and most likely last shave with this razor. I just have too many razors that work better for me. This one’s going on the block in my upcoming den clearing. All I can say is I feel clean and refreshed after this very unsatisfactory shave.

RAZOR: H&S No75
BLADE: Wizamet Super Iridium
PREP: Cold Water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T400 w/ Synthetic Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Old Spice Fresh Lime Splash. I finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum to treat my irritated shave surfaces.
 
jgreenepa said:
SOTD 02/25/20

Yesterday I shaved with my Muhle R41 (2011) with a Feather blade, and while I received a BBS shave, I did experience some level of skin irritation on my neck and on the left side of my head. So today I broke out my new H&S No75 with its new shorter handle. I did not like a long handle, and therefore traded the longer 3.75” handle that came with the razor for the older shorter handle. The owner, Aji was happy to oblige. The jury is no longer out on this razor for me. It has a rather narrow sweet spot, which increases the difficulty of its use in my dome shaves, given my arthritis, and doesn’t seem that efficient for me. YMMV!

I received my new aluminum Alpha Shaving T400 brush handle with two ferrules from Hong Kong two days ago. I ordered two knots from Maggard’s - a synthetic and a 70/30 Badger Boar. The beauty of this brush is that it allows one to use multiple knots with the same handle. I mounted the synthetic knot which arrived first in one ferrule. I’ll mount the mixed knot in the other when it arrives.

I lathered up with the new brush after my cold water rinse and had at it with the H&S No75. Everyone raves about this razor’s smoothness. I’m not sold. It doesn’t possess as wide a sweet spot nor is it as efficient as my current modern favorites:

1. Colonial Silversmith
2. Blackland Vector
3. RazoRock SS DLC Coated Lupo
4. Rex Ambassador (narrow sweet spot, but incredibly smooth and efficient)

The first WTG pass was completed with two minor weepers on the left side of my head which my styptic dealt with. I proceeded gingerly with the second XTG pass and succeeded in generating a nick to the right of my Adam’s Apple. I guess I should rename today as bloody Tuesday. Again my styptic came to the rescue. My third ATG pass was completed without any new wounds, but things were nowhere near as smooth as I would have hoped, requiring some additional cautious buffing leading to a fourth nick and what can best be termed a CCS.

This was my 4th and most likely last shave with this razor. I just have too many razors that work better for me. This one’s going on the block in my upcoming den clearing. All I can say is I feel clean and refreshed after this very unsatisfactory shave.

RAZOR: H&S No75
BLADE: Wizamet Super Iridium
PREP: Cold Water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T400 w/ Synthetic Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Old Spice Fresh Lime Splash. I finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum to treat my irritated shave surfaces.
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How do the DLC Lupo and the Silversmith compare to each other? I just received the Lupo and after one shave with it it easily is at the top of my modern razor list, and I've been quite curious about how the Silversmith compares.
 
The Silversmith is perhaps a bit better than the SS Lupo. Both are terrific shavers. I would prefer the Silversmith over the Lupo. YMMV
 
Maryland998 said:
@jgreenepa
That is some serious trend bucking fortitude there my friend.
Rare around these parts.
I salute you.
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Thank you! At this point in my life, I want to identify those razors that work best for me! YMMV. The H&S No75 doesn’t make it into my select group of those shavers that work best for me!
 
Graybeard57 said:
I've been clearing my den of razors I rarely have used. I have one more DE, a FB, to say goodbye to, and I'll be down to two DEs and two SEs. Truthfully, I've never been a true collector, but I have tried a number of DEs.
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That’s the dilemma isn’t it. I’m also not a true collector. I’ve been on a quest to identify those razors that work best for me. In the process of accumulated more than I really need. As a result, I’ll be having a den clearing sale quite shortly.
 
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