SOTD 11-17 September 2016

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Newsday Tuesday: just got my hot little hands on a great aftershave. Very nice with NOS AOS Sandalwood

Tuesday, September 13

Tabula Rasa Steam Punk~~'58 Fat Boy (5)~~Feather (3)
Have a great day!

Great picture Primo!  I do like the scent of Steam Punk but until now I would have said it was unique and didn't really remind me of anything in particular. I believe I will be thinking of this image while using Steam Punk in the future.  Thank you.

Tuesday, September 13

Tabula Rasa Steam Punk~~'58 Fat Boy (5)~~Feather (3)
Have a great day!

This is perfect! Lighting and everything about this pic is just perfect!

Gentlemen, your comments just made my day. Thank you.

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Semogue Horn Finest #1
I Coloniali Soap
RazoRock Wunderbar Slant
Vintage Personna For Hospital Use
Alum
Witch Hazel

Tuesday AM 2016-09-13

Helen Chen suribachi
Rooney 3/2 Ebony Finest (24mm/62mm)
Old Spice shaving soap (tallow) + Old Spice Musk shaving cream
Feather AS-D2/Triad Satin Hexagon Helix
Super-Max Super Platinum Tiger (2)
Perry Ellis 360 Red aftershave balm

Three easy passes and BBS.

Thanks Doug!

After showering:

Pre-shave: Shave Secret
Razor: 1961 Gillette 195 Adjustable "Fat Boy” (WTG = 5, XTG = 5 & ATG = 3)
Blade: Personna (2)
Brush: Patriotic, Bi-centennial handle with a 24mm TGN Finest knot
Soap: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
Post Shave: Thayer's Witch Hazel with Aloe
Aftershave: Barbasol Brisk with enough added menthol to approach Cryogen.
Result: A DFS; I’ll check with the wife later …

RazoRock - The Dead Sea
Ever-Ready | TGN Finest
RazoRock Wunderbar
Gillette 7 O'clock Black (1)
Floïd Blue

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This was my first opportunity to use razorock 's Wunderbar. The most concise description I can provide is that it's the Stealth Slant made with better material (and a much thinner base plate). This does not mean it shaves like the Stealth. For a long time the RRSSv4 (RazoRock Stealth Slant v4) was the only razor I used. I drifted away somewhat, not because I fell out of love, but rather that I wanted to explore other razors. Its efficiency and relative smooth performance is what keeps bringing me back. I do notice, however, that I have to relearn the razor after I've been away for a while.

Enter the Wunderbar. The first glaring performance difference is the weight. The dry weight was 111.1 grams, 77.6 grams of which is provided by the handle alone. That, alone, plays a huge role in performance for me. I tend to gravitate to heavier razors if not just heavier handles. This all translates to the necessity for a light touch. I also find that the efficiency increases with longer sweeping passes as opposed to short choppy strokes.

Other than the weight, I also noted I felt the blade a bit more than with the RRSS. I got a few weepers on my head, but again, that's par for me when I haven't used a torque-style slant in a while.

I like the heft and appearance of the handle, but it's inevitable that I'll swap it out with my prized Triad Rolling Hex which weighs in just 6 grams lighter and 0.2" longer than the stock handle. The brushed 316 stainless of the Triad will match the Wunderbar finish perfectly. But in the interest in trying out the Wunderbar, I wanted to at least start with the stock handle which is a comfortable length of 3.3".

Speaking of finish, the Wunderbar is shiny---definitely not matte, but it has tiny "scratches" that are evenly dispersed throughout. It gives it a slightly weathered appearance but not quite brushed. With a little effort, the finish could be brought to mirror, but I will never do that with this head. It has an aged, industrial feel about it that I rather like.

As far as fit is concerned, did I mention this is 316L stainless? It's a good material choice for a razor. There is zero blade tab overhang, but my 7 O'clock just stopped at the edge of the head showing there is no wasted width. The posts just barely clear the cutouts in the blade. The threads on the stem catch the blade during the install, but the last 2 mm (proximal to the head) are without threads, so the blade seats without binding. The result of these perfect tolerances is zero blade play. There's a 0.7 mm countersink depression where the handle meets the base plate. The depression is almost a millimeter wider than the end of the handle, so it will make most of your other handles appear to be made for it as well. The handle threads smoothly, and after threading about half-way, there's no wobble. With a blade installed and the handle tightened firmly, the posts descend 3.74 mm through the base plate. This is just enough to facilitate stable alignment without interfering with anything.

It's way too early to know where the Wunderbar will fit in my usage pattern, but it has made a promising start. The design reflects the long thought-out process in the evolution of the machined slant from RazoRock that I once believed had peaked with the Stealth.

Thanks for the Wunderbar review. I'd love to hear your thoughts on The Dead Sea soap!

Razor: Valet Auto Strop w/ Bakelite case, 1 blade bank, strop, and blades. Model C 1935-1940 Made in Montreal.
Blade: Valet (Strop)
Brush: WDC-8 Brass Handle TGN Finest
Soap: Route 66 Sea & Citrus
Aftershave: Fine American Blend
Started off by stropping the Valet blade 5 or 6 times. I don't use the strop that came with this set as our own Adam (@Drygulch TSD) took the measurements I sent him from my original strop and he made me an excellent one. I may want to strop this blade a few more time before shaving, however, I did get a very close shave with a lot of feedback. I was a little difficult around the nose openings as the razor is not a good fit.
All in all a pretty good shave with a razor I haven't used very much.