Today, on my 18th shave with the Diamondback, I nicked myself at last. Very tiny, alum closed it up, but it was the first miscue since I started using this wonderful razor. I blame a general feeling of malaise that was distracting. It's one of those quarantine days. But on to the bright side - I used my new PAA Atomic Rocket, and I love it!
Prep: Hot shower, Musgo Real Lime Glyce Soap, Proraso Green
Razor: Paradigm Diamondback
Blade: Astra SP (1)(the old style with the printed logo, not laser etched)
Soap: Stirling Spice (first use)
Brush: PAA Atomic Rocket (first use)
Post-shave: Osma Tradition Alum Block, cold water rinse
After-Shave: Indian Old Spice AS
I still have around 80 of the old style Astra SPs, and I'll be honest: I can't tell any difference. I'm either fortunate or deprived in the discernment of blade quality department. I have a pretty wide variety of blades, accumulated over a decade, and in all honesty, I've only encountered one brand I didn't find comfortable, Derby Greens. I've not tried Merkur blades, avoiding them due to so much bad reviewing over the years. And I do find Feathers are rough the first shave, and dull after the 3rd or 4th. But aside from those, I've liked just about every blade I've tried. I'm in the camp that uses a blade 4 or 5 times and then replaces them. I was never tempted to try out the sub-hobby game of seeing if I could get 40 or even 100(!) shaves out of a double-edged blade. At 4 shaves a blade, I have a 25 year supply, so some poor soul, upon my passing, will have to deal with ziplock bags full of 5 blade tucks and "Do Not Eat!" dessicant silica packets. I stocked up on Personna Israeli Reds when I heard they were ceasing production, and I just grabbed a bunch of new Astra SPs when they were dirt cheap on Amazon. But if I tried to rank blades, I'd have Feathers set out on one end, Derby's on the other, and 20 other brands in a pile in the middle. When I look at it, I'm really very fortunate in that I'm not that sensitive to what type of blade I use, I have no sensitivity to fragrances or soaps, and my skin handles a four pass shave every day without irritation. I'm free to explore the world of wet shaving pretty much in total delight ( today's nick excepted of course). Shaving is the highlight of the day, especially these past few months of being hunkered down in this semi-rural Hermitage.
The Atomic Rocket is a great brush, and I like it better than the Starcraft. I started in a scuttle, then moved to my face, really digging the scent of Stirling Spice. It's a different feel from the Chubby 2, not as dense, and it gives up it's lather more easily. The shave itself was not as mindful as it should have been, but they can't all be Zen victories. The result was still BBS, and I broke out the Old Spice, which transports me back to my grandfather's bathroom. He wore Old Spice and Aqua Velva, so both are dear to me. So I'm smooth, clean, and I smell like my grandfather. Ultimately, all is well.
Thanks for reading my ramblings, Cadre! Have a great shave!
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