Old Sarge's Shaving Journey

FWIW I took my Slim for a spin in honor of the TTO Spectacular, and posted the shave here.  The shave was fine enough, but I can't say we rekindled an old friendship.  IMO it is generally not fair to pull a razor out of the drawer after a long time and compare it with one's favorites, but life is not always fair.  Good condition Slims and Fatboys are certainly fine razors, but I don't see myself spending much time with mine.  (My pile of things I need to be selling/Piffing is getting bigger.)

At the end of the day, I got a nice DFS+.  No regrets.

That's a fine SotD image, the Elite brush handle really pops! If you don't mind me asking, if you hadn't shaved with the Slim, which razor would you have selected? When you say compare to one's favorites...what are those favorites? I'm always interested hearing which razor folks are attracted to.

I see you used the Astra SS blade. Are those the ones in the blue or green tuck? I tried the green Astras earlier in my journey, but they didn't particularly impress. I need to revisit though, as I'm sure part of the issue was my poor technique.

First, thanks for the kind words Bryan.  I finally got a light box, and yesterday was my first go with it.  FWIW before shooting the posted image, I took several dozen snaps (which were later tossed) to test lighting and angle options. 

As far as razors go, the EverSharp Hydro-Magic and the Tatara Nodachi get the bulk of my safety razor attention these days, and my last straight razor/shavette shave was on 11/18.  We have been so (thankfully) busy with holiday preparations since then that I put straights/shavettes on hold.  I had patiently worked my way up to full, effective shavette only shaves and did my first straight razor shave on the 18th.  However, I no doubt shave more slowly with so little experience, and the razor prep (stropping) and aftercare (cleaning, drying, stropping) are slow for me too.  So it may turn out to be safety razors only until the New Year.  ... Hmm.  I digressed.  In order, my favorite shavettes have been 1) Kai Captain "Woody" handle, Feather DX Wood handle, and Weck Sextoblade (w/out the guard).  The Weck is 3rd even though it cuts more efficiently IMO.  Finally, with only 1 straight razor shave in, I can hardly have a favorite.

Sweet, glad to hear you finally picked up a light box! I remember us talking about them a while back.

FWIW I took my Slim for a spin in honor of the TTO Spectacular, and posted the shave here.  The shave was fine enough, but I can't say we rekindled an old friendship.  IMO it is generally not fair to pull a razor out of the drawer after a long time and compare it with one's favorites, but life is not always fair.  Good condition Slims and Fatboys are certainly fine razors, but I don't see myself spending much time with mine.  (My pile of things I need to be selling/Piffing is getting bigger.)

At the end of the day, I got a nice DFS+.  No regrets.

That's a fine SotD image, the Elite brush handle really pops! If you don't mind me asking, if you hadn't shaved with the Slim, which razor would you have selected? When you say compare to one's favorites...what are those favorites? I'm always interested hearing which razor folks are attracted to.

I see you used the Astra SS blade. Are those the ones in the blue or green tuck? I tried the green Astras earlier in my journey, but they didn't particularly impress. I need to revisit though, as I'm sure part of the issue was my poor technique.

First, thanks for the kind words Bryan.  I finally got a light box, and yesterday was my first go with it.  FWIW before shooting the posted image, I took several dozen snaps (which were later tossed) to test lighting and angle options. 

As far as razors go, the EverSharp Hydro-Magic and the Tatara Nodachi get the bulk of my safety razor attention these days, and my last straight razor/shavette shave was on 11/18.  We have been so (thankfully) busy with holiday preparations since then that I put straights/shavettes on hold.  I had patiently worked my way up to full, effective shavette only shaves and did my first straight razor shave on the 18th.  However, I no doubt shave more slowly with so little experience, and the razor prep (stropping) and aftercare (cleaning, drying, stropping) are slow for me too.  So it may turn out to be safety razors only until the New Year.  ... Hmm.  I digressed.  In order, my favorite shavettes have been 1) Kai Captain "Woody" handle, Feather DX Wood handle, and Weck Sextoblade (w/out the guard).  The Weck is 3rd even though it cuts more efficiently IMO.  Finally, with only 1 straight razor shave in, I can hardly have a favorite.

Wow Mike, your first effort with a light box...you're off to a very good start! Having one will surely trigger the creative part of your brain.

Thanks for the details on your preferred instruments. I find it so interesting. I think we all get used to what we like to shave with and perhaps put the blinders on to seeing other possibilities!

The Hydro-Magic razors seem to get a lot of love and after all, who would't want to shave with magic! I've really enjoyed the couple of times I shaved with the Type J.

Its funny how when I first started wet shaving it was every three days or so in order to allow my face to recover...poor technique. And once I started shaving daily my technique improves and there are more opportunities to shave with different hardware/software. I guess daily is the logical limit, as twice a day would offer more opportunities, but not sure of the practicality! 

The Tatara razors get a good deal of love on DFS as well. I see recent postings about the adjustable model. Their razors are sure easy on the eye!

Nearly four years ago I started to wear a beard (it was a strange reaction to the passing of my mother) and picked up a shavette thinking I would use it. However, it's not seen the light of day. Perhaps I need to give it a few passes in the future, at least on the flatter parts of my face. It's a Focus R28 Slim aluminum.

I had to Google the Weck. A vintage shavette, right? Interesting that you list it third, but say it cuts more efficient!

I enjoyed your digression! Thanks for the great response!

Thanks to you both.  I need to be quick, but I'd like to respond now.

That's a fine SotD image, the Elite brush handle really pops! If you don't mind me asking, if you hadn't shaved with the Slim, which razor would you have selected? When you say compare to one's favorites...what are those favorites? I'm always interested hearing which razor folks are attracted to.

I see you used the Astra SS blade. Are those the ones in the blue or green tuck? I tried the green Astras earlier in my journey, but they didn't particularly impress. I need to revisit though, as I'm sure part of the issue was my poor technique.

First, thanks for the kind words Bryan.  I finally got a light box, and yesterday was my first go with it.  FWIW before shooting the posted image, I took several dozen snaps (which were later tossed) to test lighting and angle options. 

As far as razors go, the EverSharp Hydro-Magic and the Tatara Nodachi get the bulk of my safety razor attention these days, and my last straight razor/shavette shave was on 11/18.  We have been so (thankfully) busy with holiday preparations since then that I put straights/shavettes on hold.  I had patiently worked my way up to full, effective shavette only shaves and did my first straight razor shave on the 18th.  However, I no doubt shave more slowly with so little experience, and the razor prep (stropping) and aftercare (cleaning, drying, stropping) are slow for me too.  So it may turn out to be safety razors only until the New Year.  ... Hmm.  I digressed.  In order, my favorite shavettes have been 1) Kai Captain "Woody" handle, Feather DX Wood handle, and Weck Sextoblade (w/out the guard).  The Weck is 3rd even though it cuts more efficiently IMO.  Finally, with only 1 straight razor shave in, I can hardly have a favorite.

Sweet, glad to hear you finally picked up a light box! I remember us talking about them a while back.

I remembered when we talked about it too, and - don't blush - but seeing your pictures was one of the things lad moved me to make the buy.      

That's a fine SotD image, the Elite brush handle really pops! If you don't mind me asking, if you hadn't shaved with the Slim, which razor would you have selected? When you say compare to one's favorites...what are those favorites? I'm always interested hearing which razor folks are attracted to.

I see you used the Astra SS blade. Are those the ones in the blue or green tuck? I tried the green Astras earlier in my journey, but they didn't particularly impress. I need to revisit though, as I'm sure part of the issue was my poor technique.

First, thanks for the kind words Bryan.  I finally got a light box, and yesterday was my first go with it.  FWIW before shooting the posted image, I took several dozen snaps (which were later tossed) to test lighting and angle options. 

As far as razors go, the EverSharp Hydro-Magic and the Tatara Nodachi get the bulk of my safety razor attention these days, and my last straight razor/shavette shave was on 11/18.  We have been so (thankfully) busy with holiday preparations since then that I put straights/shavettes on hold.  I had patiently worked my way up to full, effective shavette only shaves and did my first straight razor shave on the 18th.  However, I no doubt shave more slowly with so little experience, and the razor prep (stropping) and aftercare (cleaning, drying, stropping) are slow for me too.  So it may turn out to be safety razors only until the New Year.  ... Hmm.  I digressed.  In order, my favorite shavettes have been 1) Kai Captain "Woody" handle, Feather DX Wood handle, and Weck Sextoblade (w/out the guard).  The Weck is 3rd even though it cuts more efficiently IMO.  Finally, with only 1 straight razor shave in, I can hardly have a favorite.

Wow Mike, your first effort with a light box...you're off to a very good start! Having one will surely trigger the creative part of your brain.

Thanks for the details on your preferred instruments. I find it so interesting. I think we all get used to what we like to shave with and perhaps put the blinders on to seeing other possibilities!

The Hydro-Magic razors seem to get a lot of love and after all, who would't want to shave with magic! I've really enjoyed the couple of times I shaved with the Type J.

Its funny how when I first started wet shaving it was every three days or so in order to allow my face to recover...poor technique. And once I started shaving daily my technique improves and there are more opportunities to shave with different hardware/software. I guess daily is the logical limit, as twice a day would offer more opportunities, but not sure of the practicality! 

The Tatara razors get a good deal of love on DFS as well. I see recent postings about the adjustable model. Their razors are sure easy on the eye!

Nearly four years ago I started to wear a beard (it was a strange reaction to the passing of my mother) and picked up a shavette thinking I would use it. However, it's not seen the light of day. Perhaps I need to give it a few passes in the future, at least on the flatter parts of my face. It's a Focus R28 Slim aluminum.

I had to Google the Weck. A vintage shavette, right? Interesting that you list it third, but say it cuts more efficient!

I enjoyed your digression! Thanks for the great response!

Thanks again for the kind words Bryan.  FYI I prefer the Kai and Feather because they are rock solid and easy to grip - an important factor for a shavette newbie like me.  OTOH the Weck allows a better shaving angle because the width of the Weck's spine is smaller in relation to the blade height than that ratio is for the Kai and Feather.  I would expect the Weck to move into #1 as my skill improves.  As for the EverSharp and Tatata love, I had to sit on my hands for a half hour after getting this email yesterday (Bwa-ha-ha)...

DEcemBoar!

Cold Water Shave w/ Hot Water Lather
Pre - Aloe Vera Glycerin Soap Face Wash, Noxzema Cream as Pre Shave
Razor - Gillette Aristocrat Junior (British)
Blade: Gillette Nacet (4th & Final Use)
Brush - Semogue SOC Boar in Taj Resin
Lather - Mike’s Natural Soap (Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper), Face Lathered
Post - Generic Reformed Alum Block, T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel, Clubman Pinaud Lime Sec EDC, Nivea Sensitive Balm


Surprisingly had a mighty fine two-pass shave, considering I had my laptop on the counter next to me with one eye trying to watch LFC vs. NUFC...YNWA!

The British Aristocrat Junior (AJ) performed as expected, continuing the streak of more efficient shaves as I've completed the first lap of the four razors. The AJ weighs in at 71ish grams per the intertubes. A full 10 grams more than the Parat, and 17 grams more than the '47 Super Speed. I'm curious how much to attribute to the increase in weight to the increase in perceived efficiency. However, as a counterpoint, I've gotten some of my smoothest, most efficient shaves from my lightest razors (e.g. Triceratops 3D Printed, British Gem 1912 w/ aluminum handle, Ever Ready 1914). 

Oh, and by the way...it was also a very smooth shave with no drama!

Since I've only had the British AJ for a short while, I've not had the time to build up the knowledge on the razor as I have for the '47 SS and Parat. This version of the British AJ was produced from 1949-1952 (maybe into 1953). It was called the No. 51 or No. 53, depending on the packaging. When comparing to the Parat, the handle appears to be a hair longer and a hair larger in diameter, with a slightly larger cross hatching. The head is definitely more substantial with a flat bottom (no diamond shape) and Brit Pat No 430030 as an identifying mark. Unlike the Parat, when the TTO is open, the knob is slightly larger than the handle...just like the British Rockets.

The Semogue SOC Boar also performed as expected with one rubber o-ring to stiffen up the backbone. I was nearly too thrifty loading the soap and had to squeeze every last drop of lather from the brush for the second pass. I love the Mike's soap and the scent of the orange, cedarwood and black pepper. The Lime Sec EDC paired nicely with the soap scent...at least to my untrained nose.

My initial idea was to then rotate again through the four razors, but I'm going to skip the '62 SS and push it to the last shave. I want to see how it does when I've had my technique at the point of most practice. Today was my seventh day using a Gillette non-adjustable TTO and I believe my technique is settling in.

Tomorrow's razor will be the '47 Super Speed.

This marmot stands in support of my grassland compadres, the Prairie Dogs! Do not watch this video if you can't stomach a little prairie dog pup cuteness!

Attention all readers. Attention all readers. We are issuing an All Points Bulletin for a missing Marmot, a.k.a. Bryan, a.k.a. Old Sarge. We hope all is well, and that he has just been too Boar-ed lately to update us all.

Trust you are well, my friend!

This marmot stands in support of my grassland compadres, the Prairie Dogs! Do not watch this video if you can't stomach a little prairie dog pup cuteness!

Thanks Bryan. I enjoyed that video.

Attention all readers. Attention all readers. We are issuing an All Points Bulletin for a missing Marmot, a.k.a. Bryan, a.k.a. Old Sarge. We hope all is well, and that he has just been too Boar-ed lately to update us all.

Trust you are well, my friend!

Yes, I sure hope Bryan is ok and all is well.

This marmot stands in support of my grassland compadres, the Prairie Dogs! Do not watch this video if you can't stomach a little prairie dog pup cuteness!

Took me much too long but I finally got to watch the video. Those little guys are insanely cute. Thanks for sharing.

Attention all readers. Attention all readers. We are issuing an All Points Bulletin for a missing Marmot, a.k.a. Bryan, a.k.a. Old Sarge. We hope all is well, and that he has just been too Boar-ed lately to update us all.

Trust you are well, my friend!

I have uncovered a surveillance photo, from a well-known Animal Planet photographer, which leads me to believe Bryan is merely off for the holidays.

While I can't attest to the validity of it, the picture certainly looks legit. I mean, candy canes are a well known food for Marmots, right?!