novacula regem
Greece
I guess we all can be weird regarding various aspects of our lives .
While I like variety in general ,in some things I really can not stand having to choose from a lot
or from a ...den .
I like shaving with a different soap and a razor blade each time I shave
and can't imagine myself having to use the same shaving soap
or the same brand/type of razor blades,for more than a week or so .
But regarding shaving brushes and DE razors ,things change dramatically .
Regarding shaving brushes ,it is very difficult to use the same brush either for face lathering
or either for bowl/mug lathering.
For either hard triple milled or for either freshly-made artisan croaps.
Thus for technical reasons ,I had to really struggle and accept the fact
that I 've to own more than one type/brand of shaving brush.
Which eventually I did and settled to three different shaving brushes ,all of them with synthetic fibers
(Not for any other reasons than being far more robust and longer lasting than natural hair ones ,easier to clean and dry
and they have amazing lather building qualities .Just for the history the three brushes I favor ,
after trying most if not all of the available synthetic fiber types : Muhle STF L & XL sizes , Omega Evo and A.Simpsons Trafalgar T2 ).
Regarding the DE razors ,things were a bit more complicated and less straightforward than shaving brushes.
I have bought razors that later sold them ,only to buy a new or updated version of them later on ,
just to find out once more that they did not suit my preferences,needs and limitations.
Giving second chances ,eventually doubles the price ...
Or as we say here in Greece : "Making the same mistake twice is typical of unwise men " .
Anyway .Been there,too.
The not so long journey started in the year 2012 ,where I was given a Muhle R41 ,as a birthday present .
This was my first ever DE and I eventually learned how to shave with it ,without spraying the bathroom tiles with my blood.
The Muhle R41 ,along with the Muhle R89 ,the Muhle Rocca R96 (v1 later to be replaced by v2 ) and the Muhle Rocca R94 v3
showed me the path I should follow : I had to stay away from DE razors that hold the blade under tension .
While I could shave finely with them going WTG and XTG ,there was never a single case that I had a decent ATG pass with this kind
of razors.The blade chattering was horrible ,giving me harsh irritation,razor burns and ingrown hairs.Every single time I tried an ATG pass .
So ,I moved to DE razors that clamp the blade at both edges with a vice -style method .
The Fatip Retro ,Timeless Scalloped bar & cap 0.95 ss and the Razorock BBS ss cleared the mist even more :
I had to steer away from DE razors that curve the blade ,meaning those which tend to have a shallow blade angle
in relation to the shaving plane.I'm used to shave with my elbow facing up ( shallow angle of attack ) and those razors
had me altering my technique into a steeper angle of attack ( razor handle almost parallel to skin / elbow facing down ).
It was not feeling natural to me and more than often I felt the blade "scraping" instead of cutting .
The Karve SB D plate ,Karve SB G and Karve OC E revealed to me that I did not like thick bars/teeth .
I feel that something is not right or missing ,when the thickness of the bar/teeth in contact with my face and neck ,
is rather to the beefy side.
And that I kinda don't like the smell of brass.
The Razorock Game Changer 0.84-P SB ,the post 1950 british Gillette Fat Handle Tech and the Razorock Lupo 0.95 SB
gave me some important insights on where to head :
I prefer the blade tabs to be totally covered ,I do not like short bars or bar cut-outs (aka exposed blade corners ),
that I need a medium-aggressive razor ,with a blade gap somewhere around .85 mm and a blade exposure of less than 0.1 mm
and that solid bars usually clog easily with tallow-based lather and half-a-week's stubble.
Since I shave every 3-4 days usually ,I realized that I needed an open comb .
The Tatara Masamune OC was way too mild .It also finalized the fact that I do not like the sandblasted finish .
The Razorock Game Changer 0.84 Jaws had a "rough" feeling.
At the very end ,it is the Razorock Game Changer .84 OC that ticks all the boxes .
Holds the blade almost flat in a vice-like manner,has a slim head with thin profile teeth ,
it is made of marine grade 316L stainless steel ,keeps the blade tabs and edge corners covered ,
does not clog while keeps shaving even without rinsing at all ,and it is a super smooth but also
a very efficient razor.
My precious one !
While I like variety in general ,in some things I really can not stand having to choose from a lot
or from a ...den .
I like shaving with a different soap and a razor blade each time I shave
and can't imagine myself having to use the same shaving soap
or the same brand/type of razor blades,for more than a week or so .
But regarding shaving brushes and DE razors ,things change dramatically .
Regarding shaving brushes ,it is very difficult to use the same brush either for face lathering
or either for bowl/mug lathering.
For either hard triple milled or for either freshly-made artisan croaps.
Thus for technical reasons ,I had to really struggle and accept the fact
that I 've to own more than one type/brand of shaving brush.
Which eventually I did and settled to three different shaving brushes ,all of them with synthetic fibers
(Not for any other reasons than being far more robust and longer lasting than natural hair ones ,easier to clean and dry
and they have amazing lather building qualities .Just for the history the three brushes I favor ,
after trying most if not all of the available synthetic fiber types : Muhle STF L & XL sizes , Omega Evo and A.Simpsons Trafalgar T2 ).
Regarding the DE razors ,things were a bit more complicated and less straightforward than shaving brushes.
I have bought razors that later sold them ,only to buy a new or updated version of them later on ,
just to find out once more that they did not suit my preferences,needs and limitations.
Giving second chances ,eventually doubles the price ...
Or as we say here in Greece : "Making the same mistake twice is typical of unwise men " .
Anyway .Been there,too.
The not so long journey started in the year 2012 ,where I was given a Muhle R41 ,as a birthday present .
This was my first ever DE and I eventually learned how to shave with it ,without spraying the bathroom tiles with my blood.
The Muhle R41 ,along with the Muhle R89 ,the Muhle Rocca R96 (v1 later to be replaced by v2 ) and the Muhle Rocca R94 v3
showed me the path I should follow : I had to stay away from DE razors that hold the blade under tension .
While I could shave finely with them going WTG and XTG ,there was never a single case that I had a decent ATG pass with this kind
of razors.The blade chattering was horrible ,giving me harsh irritation,razor burns and ingrown hairs.Every single time I tried an ATG pass .
So ,I moved to DE razors that clamp the blade at both edges with a vice -style method .
The Fatip Retro ,Timeless Scalloped bar & cap 0.95 ss and the Razorock BBS ss cleared the mist even more :
I had to steer away from DE razors that curve the blade ,meaning those which tend to have a shallow blade angle
in relation to the shaving plane.I'm used to shave with my elbow facing up ( shallow angle of attack ) and those razors
had me altering my technique into a steeper angle of attack ( razor handle almost parallel to skin / elbow facing down ).
It was not feeling natural to me and more than often I felt the blade "scraping" instead of cutting .
The Karve SB D plate ,Karve SB G and Karve OC E revealed to me that I did not like thick bars/teeth .
I feel that something is not right or missing ,when the thickness of the bar/teeth in contact with my face and neck ,
is rather to the beefy side.
And that I kinda don't like the smell of brass.
The Razorock Game Changer 0.84-P SB ,the post 1950 british Gillette Fat Handle Tech and the Razorock Lupo 0.95 SB
gave me some important insights on where to head :
I prefer the blade tabs to be totally covered ,I do not like short bars or bar cut-outs (aka exposed blade corners ),
that I need a medium-aggressive razor ,with a blade gap somewhere around .85 mm and a blade exposure of less than 0.1 mm
and that solid bars usually clog easily with tallow-based lather and half-a-week's stubble.
Since I shave every 3-4 days usually ,I realized that I needed an open comb .
The Tatara Masamune OC was way too mild .It also finalized the fact that I do not like the sandblasted finish .
The Razorock Game Changer 0.84 Jaws had a "rough" feeling.
At the very end ,it is the Razorock Game Changer .84 OC that ticks all the boxes .
Holds the blade almost flat in a vice-like manner,has a slim head with thin profile teeth ,
it is made of marine grade 316L stainless steel ,keeps the blade tabs and edge corners covered ,
does not clog while keeps shaving even without rinsing at all ,and it is a super smooth but also
a very efficient razor.
My precious one !
I Need New Conspiracy Theories
Because All Old Ones Came True