I'm surprised I haven't read more about this razor. I had my second shave with it today, and I've already decided it's an amazing work of precision and craftsmanship.
Mine is made of machined brass, with an antique look. It's certainly unique in my collection, and my most beautiful DE razor (perhaps because my eyes are fatigued from all the shiny silver on most of my other DEs). I'll post pictures later, but one can find pictures at Brian's website, and on his vendor pages on this forum.
The shave is also amazing. I like aggressive DEs, and use mostly a Muhle R41 2011, Ikon Shavecraft Tech, Le Coq with a caged comb, ATT H2, Wolfman open comb with an increased blade gap of .74mm, etc. Last week, I acquired a PAA DOC Evolution in stainless, which I'm sure will also become a regular.
Charcoal comes in three levels of aggressiveness. Of course, I chose the most aggressive level, Level 3, which Brian describes as similar to an R41 or Ikon Tech, a description that inspired me to purchase.
The Charcoal shaves a lot like the Ikon Tech and PAA, although my results are very preliminary. These are the three with the greatest blade feel among my herd. Especially against the grain on my chin, I can feel the blade tugging relentlessly in the Charcoal. Some gents don't like this kind of shave, but I enjoy the focus it requires. (I have many quirks...) I tried the Lord Platinum blade that came with the razor yesterday, which was a mistake, not because Lords are bad, but because I'd never used one before. Today I used the familiar Astra SP and got a much smoother (yet still tuggy) shave. Next, I'll have the Charcoal and the PAA face off, using an Astra in both. My shave today was as close as I can get.
Anyone else use a Charcoal?
Mine is made of machined brass, with an antique look. It's certainly unique in my collection, and my most beautiful DE razor (perhaps because my eyes are fatigued from all the shiny silver on most of my other DEs). I'll post pictures later, but one can find pictures at Brian's website, and on his vendor pages on this forum.
The shave is also amazing. I like aggressive DEs, and use mostly a Muhle R41 2011, Ikon Shavecraft Tech, Le Coq with a caged comb, ATT H2, Wolfman open comb with an increased blade gap of .74mm, etc. Last week, I acquired a PAA DOC Evolution in stainless, which I'm sure will also become a regular.
Charcoal comes in three levels of aggressiveness. Of course, I chose the most aggressive level, Level 3, which Brian describes as similar to an R41 or Ikon Tech, a description that inspired me to purchase.
The Charcoal shaves a lot like the Ikon Tech and PAA, although my results are very preliminary. These are the three with the greatest blade feel among my herd. Especially against the grain on my chin, I can feel the blade tugging relentlessly in the Charcoal. Some gents don't like this kind of shave, but I enjoy the focus it requires. (I have many quirks...) I tried the Lord Platinum blade that came with the razor yesterday, which was a mistake, not because Lords are bad, but because I'd never used one before. Today I used the familiar Astra SP and got a much smoother (yet still tuggy) shave. Next, I'll have the Charcoal and the PAA face off, using an Astra in both. My shave today was as close as I can get.
Anyone else use a Charcoal?
