The Wanderer's Journey

[Esox]

I just shaved with a fresh Polsilver.

I already know that if I load a Polsilver, I'll be more aware of it than I am a Derby Extra and it will shave me just as closely as a Feather. Its given me the same shave for 20 shaves in a row. A single Perma Sharp Super gave me that shave for at least 24 shaves in a row, but only in my Regent that I rarely use now. In my Grande they wernt as nice.

Given what I knew, I made the lather, Wickham Club Cola @thombrogan , slightly thicker to mask a bit of the blade feel. The shave was exactly as anticipated; As close as a fresh Feather, with the same amount of work with the same blade feel as a Derby Extra.

The only other thing I noticed and it is minor, there was slightly less tugging directly under my nose first N-S pass than with a fresh Derby Extra and slightly more than with a fresh Feather.

The plus with Polsilver is, that single blade will improve with use and give me the very same shave at shave #20 and likely beyond. Derby Extra, or Feather for that matter, wont.

I'll do one more shave with that blade and then I'll swap in the English Wilkinson for two shaves and then the Gillette Super Blue and we'll see whats what.

Modern vs Vintage blades is on! lol

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Modern vs Vintage blades is on! lol

Excellent!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Frizzy beards make a complete mockery of face mapping!

In a moment of absent mindedness, I started doing the second pass first, today. So I figured I might as well do the third pass second, and call it a novelty two pass shave, but I still had to do my usual first pass as a third pass.

In case I lost anyone there, I went predominantly across the grain first, predominantly against the grain second, and still had to go a with the grain pass at the end. On every single stroke of that third pass, the blade was cutting sporadic hairs. Not at full density, but maybe 10-15% of the stubble is lying in a completely different direction to what it should be.

I've observed this several times before, and the only way to get completely clean shaven, is to attack it from three different directions, irrespective of the sequence. It's just a more comfortable the conventional way.

Aside from that, T&H No.10 smells. It's not an unpleasant smell. Far from it. It just seems quite intrusive after getting quite settled with Mitchell's for a while.

Despite going the scenic route, and the surprise of the scent, it was a good shave.

 

[Esox]

Aside from that, T&H No.10 smells. It's not an unpleasant smell. Far from it. It just seems quite intrusive after getting quite settled with Mitchell's for a while.

T&H 1805 has an awesome scent. Its still my favorite soap scent.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

T&H 1805 has an awesome scent. Its still my favorite soap scent.

I haven't tried that one, and it should be quite some time before I'm getting any more samples.

No shave yet today, but I have added a little water to the cream samples. They were a little dried out in the sample pots, so I drizzled a small amount in each of the two pots, and keep giving them a jiggle around every time I go in the bathroom. I don't know how much of a difference it will make. I might have to start scooping some out, and loading the brush in the ramekin.

 

[Esox]

Shave 2 on the Polsilver down.

I use to think they smoothed out on shave 4, but this was a very smooth shave.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm still on the SuperMax Super Stainless. Not as sharp as several of my favourites, but very smooth indeed.

I stuck with the T&H No.10 today, but scooped some out and put it in the ramekin to load from there. This is the first time I've used either of the new brushes with the ramekin. Noisy! The loft on the Kent is shorter, and the handle is wider than the top of the bristles, so it's not easy to load it properly without making a racket. I'll need to ponder that, as that will drive me scatty when I come to try one of the samples. I need something shallower and wider.

Decent shave though. Not the usual standard, but good enough.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Well, after yesterday's exceedingly clink-tastic loading of the brush, I had to go in search of something more appropriate. Having now switched brushes, the Nando's ramekin style dip pot, isn't really suitable to the job. The irritating chime of hard plastic on pottery was intolerable.

Of course, being tight, I was determined to find something I already owned, rather than purchase something. I do have a decent wooden lather bowl, but it's packed with grated Palmolive stick, and will be for a very long time. A 200ml tupperware type pot did the job impeccably. Lower, wider, and with the centre of the bottom slightly raised, creating an annular trough around the perimeter, it promotes decent bristle action. Cheap too!

No good for loading samples from though. That recessed ring will make loading from the pot, a real pain in the derriere, particularly on harder soaps. So I'm going to take a gamble on a hand made pewter quaich, and hope none of the soap ingredients react with it. I don't tend to use it as a drinking vessel anyway, but will still keep an eye on it, to make sure I don't damage it aesthetically. Quaich for loading samples, tupperware for bowl lathering slow starting lathers if required to avoid brush burn, and the dip pot will get a good wash and return to the kitchen.

I only used the tupperware pot today, and it worked like a charm. Not a clink was heard, and the loading and pre-lathering was quick and easy. Full three pass shave, with no drama or irritation. All is well.

 

[Esox]

My first DE shave, since coming back to DE razors before I was even a member here, was with a vintage PAL blade in the old Rocket. That blade tore me up. It was both very harsh and very tuggy. That experience turned me right off vintage blades. I had assumed that over time the edges would degrade somehow. Such, is not the case.

My best shave ever, is in the books.

Grande/English Wilkie. (1)

Wickham 1912 superlather with Nivea cream.

Thats the smoothest blade I've used. Its smooth than either Gillette Yellow or Gillette Green. Far smoother than Derby Extra or Polsilver. I said before that Feather blades on the first shave just disappear in the lather and they do, as long as I maintain the correct angle/pressure combination. This Wilkie was there. I could feel it but in a weird kind of way. I'm not sure how to describe it, present but in a very unobtrusive way. Angle didnt matter, shallow or steep. Pressure applied almost didnt matter either. I could use a lot, far more than needed, or very little, it just didnt matter.

What really surprised me were the first few strokes tight under my nostrils and the face of my chin shaving N-S first pass. Feather has been the clear winner there with the least tugging, but they do still tug. This Wilkie tugged much less. So much less that after shaving under my right nostril I shaved even slower under my left to make sure. Barely perceptible tugging. The same held true on the face of my chin N-S and again S-N. Thats a feat!

The entire shave went very smoothly and gave me a very close shave. The really surprising thing is, I didnt even need a clean up over my swirls. I buffed them the same as I always do, perhaps even less while grinning like a fool about how smooth that blade is then feeling around after I finished, I found I just needed to towel off without the additional cleanup being needed.

My skin was, immediately post shave and remains so now ~30 minutes later, cool, smooth and without any irritation at all. Why they changed production of those blades to Germany I will never understand. That is, without question, the best DE blade I've used.

I'll use it once more then it will go back in its wrapper, not be tossed like typical blades. I'll be using it again.

I have even higher expectations with this blade.

Even just handling that blade it feels different than other blades. Its slick, like a Teflon pan.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Yup. Sounds like the shaves I got for my first decade of DE shaving. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I really wish I'd made an apocalyptic stash of them when they were readily available here.

Mine haven't arrived yet, but I've got four packs of five coming. The seller said he's thrown in a couple of sample blades too. I forget what they are at the moment. I used to get several months worth of shaves with them when I had a young man's beard. It will be very interesting to see how they fare on a twenty year older beard. Although if it works that well on your tree stump stubble, I reckon I should be OK.

 

[Esox]

Yup. Sounds like the shaves I got for my first decade of DE shaving. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I really wish I'd made an apocalyptic stash of them when they were readily available here.

Mine haven't arrived yet, but I've got four packs of five coming. The seller said he's thrown in a couple of sample blades too. I forget what they are at the moment. I used to get several months worth of shaves with them when I had a young man's beard. It will be very interesting to see how they fare on a twenty year older beard. Although if it works that well on your tree stump stubble, I reckon I should be OK.

Like I said. I'll be using it until its finished. I have a feeling, and I was thinking this when I put my razor back on the shelf; "This ones got legs." I figure it'll be around a while.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

So is it two shaves with the blue, then revert back to this one? I'm just thinking that if the blue gives a similar wow factor, would you be able to break off it and go back to it later the same way? I've never used one of the carbons, so I don't know if you have to stick with I once it's been started...

 

[Esox]

So is it two shaves with the blue, then revert back to this one? I'm just thinking that if the blue gives a similar wow factor, would you be able to break off it and go back to it later the same way? I've never used one of the carbons, so I don't know if you have to stick with I once it's been started...

I'll do one more with the Wilkie the use the Blue for two, if I can. As soon as I see rust, if I do see any, its done. I've had a Tetanus shot, but I'm still not risking it lol.

I dont know what kind of steel the Gillette Blue blade is made from but it does feel like its coated with something. Maybe @jmudrick knows.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'll do one more with the Wilkie the use the Blue for two, if I can. As soon as I see rust, if I do see any, its done. I've had a Tetanus shot, but I'm still not risking it lol.

Good call. Still no delivery here, though I'm not overly surprised in the current situation. I have a few things which seem to be taking their time arriving.

 

[Esox]

Good call. Still no delivery here, though I'm not overly surprised in the current situation. I have a few things which seem to be taking their time arriving.

I'm still waiting for my digital calipers to arrive. Apparently Canada Post has a new time travel delivery system. It will be delivered in the past so it arrives on time! lol

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm still waiting for my digital calipers to arrive. Apparently Canada Post has a new time travel delivery system. It will be delivered in the past so it arrives on time! lol

View attachment 1090830

 

[Esox]

The calipers just arrived.

Now I know. My Grande cap is 19.44mm wide lol.

@Raven Koenes

 

[Cal]

The calipers just arrived.

Now I know. My Grande cap is 19.44mm wide lol.

OMG. A Mk2+

 

[Esox]

OMG. A Mk2+

19.8 - 20mm even and it might just be perfect.

 

[Raven Koenes]

The calipers just arrived.

Now I know. My Grande cap is 19.44mm wide lol.

@Raven Koenes

The Artisans at Fatip are masters of variable tolerances.