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Damn Comfortable Shave

I agree with you on that point. My DE razors, all vintage Gillettes until my Fatip arrives, all prefer a certain level of sharpness. As a rule, the milder the razor, the sharper or more aggressive the blade I use in it. I think of my Tech as being the mildest much like your AS-D2 and I prefer using Feather blades in it, but even in it they can be a bit harsh and my lather needs to be on target for the best shave. The Gillette Yellow or a Kai may be the better blade in that razor but I havent tried one in it yet. I have 200 Feather blades and only 4 Gillette Yellows left and a single Kai blade haha.

My D2 SS is nearly as mild but I dont really like a Feather blade in it. I have a Gillette Yellow in it with 9 shaves on it now and it works great. I have a Lady Gillette thats similar to both the Tech and the SS in that I prefer the sharper blades with it, but I rarely use it.

My NEW SC is nice with a Feather blade but "the planer effect" really comes into play. It will quickly, easily and efficiently plane off any high spots if I'm not careful with it. Much the same as a Gillette Yellow in it planed off my skin at the base of each hair on my neck leaving me with red spots all over, but no blood or pain. After that first shave with the Yellow in my NEW SC, I moved it to my SS and its been there since.

My Gillette Regent Tech is much the same. With a Feather blade it's given me a 23 hour BBS shave. Very close, but not as comfortable as I like. It has a Perma-Sharp Super in it right now and that blade has given me 5 very nice shaves so far. Smooth and comfortable with the BBS finish lasting around the 10 hour mark. I'm coming to really like this blade. Its a blade that balances sharpness and smoothness very well.

All razors have different geometry to their designs and all will behave differently for everyone, but it is nice knowing which blade someone prefers in which razor and why.

I agree with using a larger bowl as well. Mine is 6" across and 2 1/2" deep. I think the larger bowl lets me work the lather easier and quicker with more control over the viscosity of it. Getting the lather just right is critical to having the best shaves.
I'd be in a panic!
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I'd be in a panic!

I can understand that lol, but I have 160 or so Polsilver, 200+ Derby Extra and 200+ Feathers, plus around another 100 blades of maybe 40 different kinds. Only having the single Kai blade worries me, which is why I havent used it yet lol.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Only having the single Kai blade worries me, which is why I haven't used it yet lol.

Hey, I'm just a newbie, but there is a solution to your problem. It's BAD.

There are important concerns, some without fixes maybe. This one is easily remedied.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Hey, I'm just a newbie, but there is a solution to your problem. It's BAD.

There are important concerns, some without fixes maybe. This one is easily remedied.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I agree it is easy to remedy, too easy in fact lol, but I'm limiting buying of more blades for the time being. I have enough of my favorites with the exception of Perma-Sharp Super and I have 2 tucks of them left. I'm working on exercising my soap and cream acquisition disorder now because 17 different scents across 5 brands just isnt enough I dont think lol.
 
I can understand that lol, but I have 160 or so Polsilver, 200+ Derby Extra and 200+ Feathers, plus around another 100 blades of maybe 40 different kinds. Only having the single Kai blade worries me, which is why I havent used it yet lol.
Yeah those KAIs have grown on me, along with Feather and GSB. I just recently cracked my first 7 O'Clock Indian Black, and the initial impression was that it was pretty smooth.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Well, that's why I stick to safety razors and wouldn't even consider a straight. But with my selection of milder razors, I'd really have to try.

I think my Tech has .006" blade gap. My NEW SC has .023" gap so it can take a much bigger bite and if I get complacent with it and a really sharp blade, it will bite.



Yeah those KAIs have grown on me, along with Feather and GSB. I just recently cracked my first 7 O'Clock Indian Black, and the initial impression was that it was pretty smooth.

I havent tried a Kai yet but I have a feeling I'll really like them and I really dont like the price of them so yeah, saving it for later lol.

The Gillette Black is a great blade, smooth and sharp, but the sharpness fell off for me a bit sooner than I hoped. I have over a tuck of them left too and will get around to using it again though.
 
I think .Tech has .006" blade gap. My NEW SC has .023" gap so it can take a much bigger bite and if I get complacent with it and a really sharp blade, it will bite.





I havent tried a Kai yet but I have a feeling I'll really like them and I really dont like the price of them so yeah, saving it for later lol.

The Gillette Black is a great blade, smooth and sharp, but the sharpness fell off for me a bit sooner than I hoped. I have over a tuck of them left too and will get around to using it again though.
KAI, for me in my DE89, have a slightly more pronounced face-feel than my other blades. I feel I can shave very accurately with them, always cognizant of where the blade is and how my angle's doing. For that reason I like them.

But they are not magic, and despite the claims I don't find them extremely sharp - as in "Feather Sharp". They're sharp enough, but not as sharp as Feathers. But they are smooth. They also seem pretty rugged, and last well. Some blades like Feathers and Astra SPs seem to degrade quickly for me, changing significantly between the 1st and 2nd shave. Whereas the KAI seem to have little difference between shaves 1 & 2.

I happen to like the initial sharpness of a blade's first outing best, and am not sure if that's because of the relative lack of aggression in my DE89 causing it to be perhaps a bit too mild for me.
 
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Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
As I understand it, Kai are slightly wider which would explain feeling the blade more than other blades.

I judge blades on their first shaves. If I dont like how they feel on the first shave, I wont buy them in bulk even if they turn into a "magic" blade on the 3rd or 4th shave. If I dont like them right off, I move past them.

Voskhod blades I found quite sharp first use, but on the 2nd and 3rd shaves they became harsh. Once past that 3rd shave they smoothed out and felt very much the same to me as Perma-Sharp Super. That 2nd and 3rd shave for me though killed that blade. I'd just as soon start with a Perma-Sharp and stay with it. I havent noticed any degradation to the one I'm currently using yet. If anything, a very slight drop in sharpness, but it still gives me a BBS finish on 3+ passes and does it comfortably.
 
As I understand it, Kai are slightly wider which would explain feeling the blade more than other blades.

I judge blades on their first shaves. If I dont like how they feel on the first shave, I wont buy them in bulk even if they turn into a "magic" blade on the 3rd or 4th shave. If I dont like them right off, I move past them.

Voskhod blades I found quite sharp first use, but on the 2nd and 3rd shaves they became harsh. Once past that 3rd shave they smoothed out and felt very much the same to me as Perma-Sharp Super. That 2nd and 3rd shave for me though killed that blade. I'd just as soon start with a Perma-Sharp and stay with it. I havent noticed any degradation to the one I'm currently using yet. If anything, a very slight drop in sharpness, but it still gives me a BBS finish on 3+ passes and does it comfortably.
Ditto.

I almost always prefer the first shave. Something about that pristine sharpness.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Whereas the KAI seem to have little difference between shaves 1 & 2.

I certainly don't know anything about the Kai's second shave. The blade didn't make it that far in my testing. I expected to love the Kai, but it was very harsh for me.

Maybe I got a dud, but, at the price they charge, I doubt it. Maybe I'll try the Kai again sometime. I have four completely unused + one used just the once. Maybe I will, but it won't be soon.

Yeah, I understand keeping them around for a while. For one thing I'm a newbie, and the Kai may work better once I'm an old hand. For another, the Kai may be great in a different razor.

Amazing how there is pretty general agreement about which of the world's blades are in the large group of blades considered to be among the best. That's more or less going by a bell curve of normal distribution concerning blade popularity at B&B, and is just my notion of it, and not scientific.

top blades.jpg

Also amazing is how much variation there is amongst the B&B group of experienced shavers when it comes to opinions about the small group of best blades or the even smaller group of one favorite blade.

As they say, YMMV.

I'm looking forward to the second day shave with the GSB. Sometimes I wish I could shave - just while I'm figuring out all this favorite blade stuff - twice a day. Not forever, please, just for a short while.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I'll read some more, and thanks for letting me know it might be a problem, but I'm not convinced witch hazel is going to hurt me, and it sure seems great to my skin so far. YMMV, of course.

Witch Hazel - The Dermatology Review

What Exactly Is Witch Hazel, And Is It Safe To Use On Your Skin? | HuffPost

A skin moisturizer does seem very important after shaving in my experience, and it certainly makes sense, but I have to say I noticed some very immediate improvements with witch hazel due, I believe, to its anti-inflammatory properties. Sure felt like an immediate decrease in inflammation.

My next bottle will likely be alcohol free. Maybe Thayer's.

I will read more.

Happy shaves,

Jim
I went on youtube about cold water shaving and this doctor(dermatologist) recommend it over hot water because it is not as violent for skin tissue(more natural) she claimed. I think it firms the skin for the razor to glide better and I also cold rinse all the time(I like the sensation).
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
I went on youtube about cold water shaving and this doctor(dermatologist) recommend it over hot water because it is not as violent for skin tissue(more natural) she claimed. I think it firms the skin for the razor to glide better and I also cold rinse all the time(I like the sensation).

trust.jpg


Heat increases inflammation. Cold decreases inflammation.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
I certainly don't know anything about the Kai's second shave. The blade didn't make it that far in my testing. I expected to love the Kai, but it was very harsh for me.

Maybe I got a dud, but, at the price they charge, I doubt it. Maybe I'll try the Kai again sometime. I have four completely unused + one used just the once. Maybe I will, but it won't be soon.

Yeah, I understand keeping them around for a while. For one thing I'm a newbie, and the Kai may work better once I'm an old hand. For another, the Kai may be great in a different razor.

Amazing how there is pretty general agreement about which of the world's blades are in the large group of blades considered to be among the best. That's more or less going by a bell curve of normal distribution concerning blade popularity at B&B, and is just my notion of it, and not scientific.

View attachment 820395

Also amazing is how much variation there is amongst the B&B group of experienced shavers when it comes to opinions about the small group of best blades or the even smaller group of one favorite blade.

As they say, YMMV.

I'm looking forward to the second day shave with the GSB. Sometimes I wish I could shave - just while I'm figuring out all this favorite blade stuff - twice a day. Not forever, please, just for a short while.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Well there used to be the old-school habit of shaving after work when going out, getting rid of the five O'Clock shadow. I did it occasionally back in the day when I had a date. And I've often seen guys at work using an electric, in office washrooms at the end of the day.

Anyway I just tried a Gillette Indian Black for the second time in my DE89, and once again I have not been overly impressed. It doesn't strike me as being as sharp as I'd like. So I'll probably use a GSB next too, as a comparison to the Black.

GSB seems to be one of the very few that has limited detractors from the consensus of it being a sharp & smooth blade. I think I agree.
 
Most coated blades increase not decrease in sharpness after first use. They may not be as smooth.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I have no idea, but have simply found that I often prefer the first shave of a new blade. And I've also had some tell me they prefer the shaves after the first shave, but not the first shave! But it's not me.
 
I think my Tech has .006" blade gap. My NEW SC has .023" gap so it can take a much bigger bite and if I get complacent with it and a really sharp blade, it will bite.





I havent tried a Kai yet but I have a feeling I'll really like them and I really dont like the price of them so yeah, saving it for later lol.

The Gillette Black is a great blade, smooth and sharp, but the sharpness fell off for me a bit sooner than I hoped. I have over a tuck of them left too and will get around to using it again though.
Now after two tries, including one today, I'm a bit underwhelmed with the Black's sharpness. It's definitely smooth, or at the least it seems relatively error proof. But it seems a little lacking in sharpness. It's not holding it's own against my Feathers, and I don't believe it is as sharp as GSB either. I'll have to try GSB again tomorrow to verify, but right now I believe GSB is sharper.

I will admit the Black is pretty fool-proof, though. I've been using extra pressure to compensate, and basically buffing and shaving with abandon, to no ill effect. I'm not much of a drinking man these days, but if I were I might consider this for my "day after" early a.m. shave! :001_tongu
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Now after two tries, including one today, I'm a bit underwhelmed with the Black's sharpness. It's definitely smooth, or at the least it seems relatively error proof. But it seems a little lacking in sharpness. It's not holding it's own against my Feathers, and I don't believe it is as sharp as GSB either. I'll have to try GSB again tomorrow to verify, but right now I believe GSB is sharper.

I will admit the Black is pretty fool-proof, though. I've been using extra pressure to compensate, and basically buffing and shaving with abandon, to no ill effect. I'm not much of a drinking man these days, but if I were I might consider this for my "day after" early a.m. shave! :001_tongu

I found it quite a bit sharper than GSB, but I did use a much steeper angle when I used it last. I rode the comb of my NEW SC about 80/20 so pretty steep, and it worked well.
 
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