Generosity Revisited

I've been posting on the SMF forum lately about just how rough my initial experience with the Feather blades was. This was picked by a most generous member who offered to send me a Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip, free and clear!

I didn't understand the free and clear at first, but he assured me he's a flea market hound like I am. He picks up razors all the time, cleans them, and forwards them on to other DE shavers like myself.

Well, the Blue Tip arrived the other day and what to my wondering eyes should appear? Nothing but a date code of A-3! That's 1955, third quarter (July-August-September). My birthday is September 1, 1955.

This gentleman had sent me the gift of a Birthday Razor!

Well, I loaded it up with a Feather and had my first Blue Tip shave yesterday. Indeed, very mild. And I came away thinking that the Feather-Blue Tip combination is a worthy one.

Shave of the Day - Late December

I've been slowly working my way thru a bundle of blades a friend sent me about a year ago.

Slowly because I only shave once or twice a week (blasphemous of course, but SWMBO likes the stubble), and I alternate between my 1961 Super Speed and a 1940's Tech.

Well, I've gone thru Wilkinsons, Derbys, 7 O'clocks, and... well... I was feeling a little like I had a two digit IQ or something. I could never really tell the difference between blade brands - although thankfully I could distiguish between the two razors loaded with the same brand of blade.

Finishing up a brace of 7 O'Clocks, I reached into backstock for the next candidate.

"What came to the top of the pile?" you ask?

Ya, yoo-betcha... the Feathers.

Loaded one in each razor and had at it with the SS.

"Holy SHIT, Batman!!!"

I had weepers galore, even though I'd been careful to use zero pressure. Overall, the shave was terrifically irregular - caused mostly by the shock of the operator, I'm sure.

Most of all, I felt a strong regret that I hadn't chosen the milder Tech for the first test drive.

Shave of the Day - Art of Shaving

Lisa was out at the Mall of America the other day and stumbled upon the new Art of Shaving store there. She took a quick peek inside, just to have a look around, and was rewarded with a sample package containing pre-shave oil, shaving cream, and after-shave.

Well, I tried the pre-shave and shaving cream yesterday.

I found the overall results quite satisfying - I especially liked the cream. The pre-shave oil however, was pretty odd to me. It was very heavy and sticky, which made it surprisingly hard to apply to my face.

These days I shave post-shower and the oil instructions did not say whether to apply to wet or dry skin. I made no special effort to keep my face wet, but portions were still damp from my shower. These areas seemed to be the hardest places to apply the oil.

I then rubbed the shaving cream in a thin layer over my entire beard. I followed that with the brush, face-lathering to a very nice rich creamy lather which built very quickly.

Following the lathering, I did a quick with-the-grain pass with my early '60s Super Speed.

I then rinsed and relathered, using only the lather remaining in the brush. Again, I was able to build a nice creamy lather, although it was not quite as rich as the initial application.

Following that, I did my usual second pass against-the-grain, and only needed minimal touch-ups. All in all, a very nice satisfying near-BBS shave.

My initial reaction to the Art of Shaving products is that they are quite effective, though I can't say I care unduly for the fragrance. In fairness, I did not try the after-shave, so cannot comment on that.

More New Stuff or, "I'm Buying and I Can't Stop!"

Gold Rush Days in Oronoco, MN last weekend. This is a huge flea market / antique fair, and there's a sister show that's similar just down the road in Rochester the same weekend.

Sure enough, my Acquisition Disorder kicked in again.

In Oronoco on Friday I made off with three DE razors (1960s Super Speed with case, 1960s Adjustable with case, and a Thick Handle Tech), an Old Spice mug, and a reference book of 1000 straight razors priced and illustrated. Total spend - $19.00.

Saturday in Rochester I did even better: three razors - a nickel plated Ball-end Tech (appears new & unused, with thick paper insert showing where the blade goes, but has some pitting), a Fat Boy Adjustable, and an older gold tone Ball-end Tech in Bakelite case. Total spend - $7.00.

All razors except the 1960s Super Speed will require some clean-up. That particular razor looks to be new-in-the-case. Even has a metal pack of blades still sealed in cellophane.

Better pix to follow!

New Stuff - First Look

Lisa and I were in South Dakota in late June and early July.

As we always do, we stopped in every antique store we saw, and this is a first look at my booty.

More to follow when I get it all cleaned up.

Shave of the Day - Aug. 16

This load of Derbys is reaching the end of its life. I have one in both the Tech (which I used for this shave) and the Super Speed.

I've lost count of how many shaves I've gotten out of them - probably ten apiece.

I keep lovin' the Arko. I'm craving the fragrance!

Shave of the Day - Jan. 29

Ahhhh.... Arko and SOFT WATER!

Today's post-shower shave was with the Arko soap, using my Gillette Super Speed. The soft water seemed to help (discovered that our water softener had run out of salt last week), although it may also have been the more aggressive SS razor. Whatever is responsible, I'm back to a BBS shave. My face feels great, although a little on the dry side. It seems as though the Arko may be a bit more drying than the Williams.

I have to say, I love the Arko scent. I find it clean, mild, and refreshing, and it lathers like a fiend! I started a thread about Arko on ShaveMyFace.com and while many people like the scent to one degree or another, a significant percentage simply can't stomach it - even when they like the lathering and shaving results. Some even have mentioned that the smell takes over the whole bathroom. This is not my experience however, and I've had the mushed-up stick sitting open in a mug for over a week.

Shave of the Day - Jan. 18

Back to my trusty Gillette Super Speed and Wilkinson Sword blade - two passes as usual - and back to my near BBS shave. I'll still try the Tech with more aggressive blades, but for now will use up the Wilkinsons that are loaded in both the SS and Tech.

I would like to try the Arko that my "patron" on ShaveMyFace.com sent me before I wear the Wilkinsons out. He recommends pulverizing the stick and pressing it into a mug before using. Will need to do that next.

Shave of the Day - Nov. 17

Again with the Gillette Super Speed, Wilkinson blade, and Williams soap, lathered by hand. Fifth shave with the blade.

I tried a suggestion I found on the ShaveMyFace.com forum and rubbed the moist but not wet cake of Williams right on my face. I then wet my hands in very hot water and rubbed my face. I got what I felt was a very nice lather (still waiting for the brush to come in the mail).

As always, I did a first pass with the grain. I'm feeling much more comfortable with the razor, getting more used to the heft and balance. I rinsed and relathered, then did a pass against the grain. This pass caused a little irritation. I'm not sure if the blade is getting old or if it was due to technique. I find myself getting a bit nervous and shaky around my adams apple and my chin line. I'd also had several cups of high caffine coffee by this point in the morning, and that may have had something to do with things.

At any rate, I got a reasonably close shave, although not as close as last time. This one was much more irritating as well, along with several red fluid weepers. I did a final hot water rinse to get rid of the lather, then a cold rinse to stop the weepers, and hopped in the shower. I can't yet bring myself to shower before the shave.

I'll continue to hone my technique, and will soon begin trying different soaps and creams. I can see the line of shaving mugs along my sink ledge already.