Ming Shi 2000S...an Appreciation

[AshleyC]

It started out as a simple desire to order some bath soap. Not shaving soap. Bath. Perusing the Maggard website I found a reasonably priced La Toja soap called Magno for $4. Okay. Cool. Added to cart. But there is so much surplus room in the cart. Infinite room.

So...Tabac. A replacement puck destined for my new late 50s Old Spice mug. At $14, I consider this a luxury soap. It is one of those things everyone talks about.

Hmm, what's going on over there in Maggard DE Safety Razor Land? The Ming Shi 2000S. Yes...I was morally conflicted on this (communism, intellectual property, and whatnot), but Saint Jack Benny, the patron of frugality, talked me into the $13 razor.

It all arrived yesterday, and this morning was a Tabac/Ming Shi 2000S shave. The Tabac did not fit my mug until brute strength convinced it to fit. I soaked it and my long-unused Perfecto brush in preparation. The Ming "The Merciless" Shi was fitted with a Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow and dialed to "4".

Damn. This was a good shave for a $13 razor. Really good. I have to amend my "best value" opinion in another thread where I endorsed the Fatip Piccollo. It is now the Piccollo and the MS 2000S.

Likes:

Tabac is a good soap, to be sure. It stayed wet and frothy. Didn't dry out. Was slick, and not afflicted with "scent" or "fragrance". It smells like soap. Does that make it better versus a $1.99 stick of Arko or Derby? The Frugality Jury is still out.

The MS2000S gave a close shave. It is over 12 hours later and I am still presentable. The big, wide head makes it seem like you are mowing more grass in a swipe than with other razors. An illusion, but it is there.

Was it smooth? Honestly, I don't know what that means. I have no irritation. No nicks and such.

Dislike:

The head geometry on the MS2000S made it difficult for me to "find the angle" on the against the grain pass. But this should disappear with continued practice.

Folks, what more can you ask for $13?

 

[sharpstar90]

Nice discovery! I have heard great things about the Ming Shi and your review seems par for the course. If I wasn't so happy with my vintage Gillettes, I would consider getting one.

I absolutely swear by Tabac. I don't consider my skin sensitive. But since so many people get a great shave from cheaper soaps like Proraso, I guess mine has to be. Tabac (along with Stirling) really made my shaves much more comfortable. As long as they keep making it, I will keep buying it. It provides some of the best protection of any soap I have used. It's a steal at $14 and it smells like Royal Copenhagen Musk.

 

[ajkel64]

Thanks for the review. I have a replacement puck of Tabac that I have not opened up yet. I might have to give it a go.

 

[mawashi]

It started out as a simple desire to order some bath soap. Not shaving soap. Bath. Perusing the Maggard website I found a reasonably priced La Toja soap called Magno for $4. Okay. Cool. Added to cart. But there is so much surplus room in the cart. Infinite room.

So...Tabac. A replacement puck destined for my new late 50s Old Spice mug. At $14, I consider this a luxury soap. It is one of those things everyone talks about.

Hmm, what's going on over there in Maggard DE Safety Razor Land? The Ming Shi 2000S. Yes...I was morally conflicted on this (communism, intellectual property, and whatnot), but Saint Jack Benny, the patron of frugality, talked me into the $13 razor.

It all arrived yesterday, and this morning was a Tabac/Ming Shi 2000S shave. The Tabac did not fit my mug until brute strength convinced it to fit. I soaked it and my long-unused Perfecto brush in preparation. The Ming "The Merciless" Shi was fitted with a Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow and dialed to "4".

Damn. This was a good shave for a $13 razor. Really good. I have to amend my "best value" opinion in another thread where I endorsed the Fatip Piccollo. It is now the Piccollo and the MS 2000S.

Likes:

Tabac is a good soap, to be sure. It stayed wet and frothy. Didn't dry out. Was slick, and not afflicted with "scent" or "fragrance". It smells like soap. Does that make it better versus a $1.99 stick of Arko or Derby? The Frugality Jury is still out.

The MS2000S gave a close shave. It is over 12 hours later and I am still presentable. The big, wide head makes it seem like you are mowing more grass in a swipe than with other razors. An illusion, but it is there.

Was it smooth? Honestly, I don't know what that means. I have no irritation. No nicks and such.

Dislike:

The head geometry on the MS2000S made it difficult for me to "find the angle" on the against the grain pass. But this should disappear with continued practice.

Folks, what more can you ask for $13?

Thx AshleyC,

It's quite amazing how cheap razors do so well like the Baili 171 however, I would still put the piccolo at the top as its solid brass.

 

[BigJ]

Congratulations! Sometimes, ‘The (empty cart) Force is with you!!’

 

[sharpstar90]

Thanks for the review. I have a replacement puck of Tabac that I have not opened up yet. I might have to give it a go.

If you've been using less expensive soaps for a while, you may notice an immediate difference.

 

[ajkel64]

If you've been using less expensive soaps for a while, you may notice an immediate difference.

I have been mainly using Proraso Soaps that I enjoy. I have tried Tabac Cream and I do like its performance.

 

[Hak.1963]

The MS2000S gave a close shave. It is over 12 hours later and I am still presentable. The big, wide head makes it seem like you are mowing more grass in a swipe than with other razors. An illusion, but it is there.

Was it smooth? Honestly, I don't know what that means. I have no irritation. No nicks and such.

Dislike:

The head geometry on the MS2000S made it difficult for me to "find the angle" on the against the grain pass. But this should disappear with continued practice.

Folks, what more can you ask for $13?

Agree 100%
I'm very happy with my Ming Shi 2000s and the only downside is it's hard to find the right angle

 

[fendy1]

Agree 100%
I'm very happy with my Ming Shi 2000s and the only downside is it's hard to find the right angle

Yes, on the first pass I may put it on 6 (maximim setting) so I can feel the blade - then I change the angle to suit. On follow up passes I may rotate the dial the other way (knocking it down a little) to make it a milder all round shave experience, but no need to click into a particular number as it’s completely variable, just rotate the dial and make sure there is a bit of blade contact against the skin, otherwise you’ll just be riding the cap and just moving the soap out of the way.

Also, I like how the blade sits on those rubber-like springs. I’m sure there is some kind of suspension going on there. I am always surprised at how this is gives the least irritation after the shave - compared with a pearl open comb or gillette slim adjustable. This is an amazing accomplishment for this shaver in it’s own right.

 

[Hak.1963]

@fendy1
The first time I tried my Ming Shi I was riding the cap and just smeared the soap all over my face before I learned to find the right angle, just as you pointed out

Now I do the first two passes on setting number 4, one WTG and one XTG.
For my third and final pass I put it down to setting number 3 and go ATG.
BBS every time, but I still have to concentrate on the angle

 

[AshleyC]

Hmm...noticed something.

The Ming Shi has one side of it's top cap extended slightly, so you can flick it off with your thumb. On the base plate, one side has two dots on it and the other side no dots.

The Progess and Variant are particular about how the top cap goes on. You have to line it up with a notch or v-shape on the base.

So with the Ming Shi, I assume that the extended side should go on the side with the two dots. The pictures on the box do not show this though. And the writing on the box is Hanzi in Mandarin Chinese. Easily readable by over a billion of this planet's inhabitants, just not this particular inhabitant.

As far as the Tabac soap puck, yes, it is superior to Arko sticks in performance. At $14 a puck, it should damn well better be. But I wonder about European soaps. Do they tend to be scentless? I have this Tabac, and a bar of Mango bath soap by La Toja, and the Arko and the Derby. All smell like...soap. Not like heavily frangranced American soaps like Irish Spring. Is that the norm for European soaps? Yes...Arko and Derby are Turkish, but Turkey is, for the time being, at least a NATO country.

 

[fendy1]

@fendy1
The first time I tried my Ming Shi I was riding the cap and just smeared the soap all over my face before I learned to find the right angle, just as you pointed out

Now I do the first two passes on setting number 4, one WTG and one XTG.
For my third and final pass I put it down to setting number 3 and go ATG.
BBS every time, but I still have to concentrate on the angle

Cool! That sounds like a good sequence -yep, does a great shave!