Blade journey

[mgweatherly]

I just received a very generous PIF of 20 different blades from @dmshaver and the blade exchange.

I've decided to try each blade in succession until I've tried all 20 and keep track of my reactions here, journal style. I'm only going to use each blade once for now because an important characteristic of a blade for me is that it feels good on its first use. I'll save them also to give me an option to go back for a second run with each blade.

I'm also going to use the same razor every time to take that out of the equation, my birth year 1961 Tech on my @Rosseforp company time handle. If a blade won't work in a Tech, I'm skeptical .

I'll probably limit the shaving soaps also to only tallow based soaps, which seem to work best for me. Arko will definitely be in the rotation because it is so easy to lather in repeatable fashion, but I'll use others too. I'm also going to let at least 36 hours (and typically 48 hours) pass between shaves unless I run into an "emergency" need for a shave. I want my beard to have a consistent starting condition.

To avoid selection bias, I'm going to use the blades in the order defined by the photo above; left to right and top to bottom. So, first up will be the Gillette Wilkinson Sword blade. When I post reactions, I'll be blunt because I want to record differences. I'll admit to having fairly low expectations for some of these blades (I'm looking at you Shaverboy). This should be fun !

 

[dmshaver]

Sounds like a great way to try them all out. It will be interesting to read your thoughts. Some blades smooth out after the first shave so don’t let your verdict be reached after just one shave. You might want to give every blade 2 shaves before changing, or if you do switch out after one shave give each blade a second try. I’ll be following this thread. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

[mgweatherly]

Blade journey #1 shave in the books with the Gillette Wilkinson blade. I've never used this type of blade before. I understand that these blades are made in India and are reasonably priced at only about $7 per 100. It is marked R3, which would make it third quarter 2021 if the Gillette dating convention is used by this manufacturer. It is a PTFE coated stainless steel blade. I'm sure the steel is also coated with platinum or chromium, but I can't find any definitive information on them. The manufacturer's website says they are "triple coated." Here is my "go to" blade journey setup (love the handle!):

I took a hot shower and washed my face with Noxema (which I let sit for a couple minutes on my face while I showered). This is my normal practice.

I have to say, I really enjoyed the shave with this blade. It was very efficient and very smooth. I had only 36 hours growth, which is less "rest" than I usually give my face. My skin is fairly sensitive, and I would describe my beard as average with much thicker whiskers in my mustache and goatee area (I'm a redhead). So, I was expecting a slight bit of irritation, but that never came. I achieved BBS in two passes plus minor touchups.

I finished with unscented Thayer's Witch Hazel, Nivea Sensitive Cool balm, and my vintage Old Spice splash. I barely felt the splash, which is a sign of very little, if any, irritation. I'm impressed. I give the shave a 10/10. I'll definitely save this blade for another round after I run through the rest of them.

My next round will be Tuesday morning with the Voskhod.

 

[lasta]

Gillette Wilkies are excellent blades!

And that handle, beautiful! What's the dimensions? Looks ~12.5mm*80mm?

 

[Guido75]

Gillette Wilkies are excellent blades!

And that handle, beautiful! What's the dimensions? Looks ~12.5mm*80mm?

If I am not mistaken this is a signature model by Doug. Looks amazing indeed!

Guido

 

[mgweatherly]

Gillette Wilkies are excellent blades!

And that handle, beautiful! What's the dimensions? Looks ~12.5mm*80mm?

The handle is CNC machined stainless steel that measures 2.993 inches (76 mm) long and 7/16 inches (11 mm) in diameter. It weighs 45 grams. The stock handle weighs 37 grams and the exact same length but only 3/8 inch in diameter. I have a second handle that is ever so slightly shorter, has finer knurling, and is gold-plated by Chris Spencer of Back Roads Gold. As stunning as the stainless handle is, I think the gold-plated one is even more beautiful. That handle will likely make an appearance in this journal also.

After 12 hours, my face is still at DFS smoothness. This was a very close shave indeed. I've created a spreadsheet to keep track of my impressions in a summary form that can be viewed HERE.

 

[BigJ]

Some wonderful options!! Enjoy your journey!!

 

[Rosseforp]

If I am not mistaken this is a signature model by Doug. Looks amazing indeed!

Guido

Yes, it is one of my Company Time handles that I made at work while the boss wasn't looking.

~doug~

 

[mgweatherly]

Blade journey shave #2 with:

• Razor: Birth year 1961 G4 Gillette Tech with @Rosseforp custom handle
• Blade: Voskhod teflon blade
• Brush: Semogue SOC Mistura Taj brush
• Pre-shave: Noxema pre-shave wash
• Soap: Daveli Farms Sheep Fat, Orange Cedarwood Oakmoss scent
• After shave: Thayer's unscented witch hazel and La Toja balm

This was my first experience with the vaunted (by some) Voskhod Teflon coated blade. I found it to do a pretty good job overall, but I did not think it was particularly special. The Voskhod was quite comfortable on the first pass WTG, but not particularly efficient. I'm guessing the lack of efficiency reflects less sharpness. My second pass was ATG as usual, but I still had some work left. When a blade is working really well for me, my third "pass" is really just touching up specific areas. Today, I needed a bona fide third pass that required a fair amount of buffing to get to BBS. I saw no bloodletting of any kind, but the buffing left my skin a tiny bit irritated in spots. One advantage of the mildness of the blade was that I could do more work on my problem area, my neck. Oddly, my neck is perhaps my least irritated spot today.

I used my normal pre-shave approach, a hot shower with a Noxema pre-shave wash in which I let the mentholated Noxema dwell on my skin before rinsing it. I bloomed the Daveli Farms Sheep Fat soap in my shaving mug before lathering it there with my Semogue Owner's Club Mistura (LOVE it!). The soap performed superbly as always and is a bargain at only $8. After the shave, I applied Thayer's Unscented Witch Hazel, which actually stung a little bit, which is unusual. Oddly, the La Toja balm also gave me a bit of burn. My cheeks, which are a tell tale for irritation on my face, were slightly reddened. Nothing terrible, just a fact and likely due to the extra buffing on them.

Overall, I would give today's shave 8.5/10. Even though it was comfortable, more effort was needed to achieve BBS and more irritation resulted. I'll probably shave a second time with the blade after round 1, but then again, I may not.

Next up on Thursday, I'll try the Tiger Platinum blade from the Czech Republic, another blade I've never tried.

Summary table HERE

 

[Rivers23]

The only thing I would say is maybe don't make decisions based on 1 shave, do 3 with every blade. For example in my experience, the Indian Wilkie is okay on the first use, but after it turns into a terrible dragging, rough, irritation and weeper producing mess. With the Voskhods, they're hard to push to 3 shaves because they get dull quick.

 

[Guido75]

Excellent summary sheet Mitch!! This will really help hone in on your best combination. Totally BOSC worthy!

Guido

 

[mgweatherly]

The only thing I would say is maybe don't make decisions based on 1 shave, do 3 with every blade. For example in my experience, the Indian Wilkie is okay on the first use, but after it turns into a terrible dragging, rough, irritation and weeper producing mess. With the Voskhods, they're hard to push to 3 shaves because they get dull quick.

You make excellent points. I really appreciate your input. And, my decision process won't end with one shave for most of these blades. I thought about doing more than one shave with each blade to get a sense of exactly the characteristics you identify. Perhaps my current favorite blade is the vintage English Wilkinson, which gives me great shaves from the jump and lasts at least five shaves for me. However, I decided against shaving more than once with each blade for two primary reasons.

First, for a blade to be a favorite of mine, it must provide a great experience from the very first shave. All these blades are so inexpensive that I don't want to "waste" a shave on a blade that needs to be "smoothed out" by suffering through a harsh first shave. Even so, I am saving each of these blades after I use it once to allow me to revisit it for a second (or third) shave. I suspect that I'll discover that some aren't even worth using a second time, but I could be wrong. Alternatively, if I discover a blade that is sublime on its first shave but terrible on its second, I still might put that blade in my rotation given how cheap they are (e.g., the Indian Wilkie's can be had for about $0.07 each, and so can some of the others).

Second, I wanted to get through the entire group of twenty blades in a reasonable time to establish a baseline experience. I typically shave only every other day because of my sensitive redhead skin. Also, because I work mostly from my home, I don't need to shave every day for my job. At this pace, it will take me about 39 days to log one shave with each blade. I can reassess the group of blades after I get through this first "round" of my journey.

As a side point, I am also restricting my razor choice to one razor, my 1961 Tech, to remove that variable from my evaluation. This restriction is hard for me because I have about 200 vintage razors and a handful of new ones that I really enjoy using. They are all sitting in my display cabinet taking a vacation while I go on this journey. But, I also really want to learn about the differences in blades and being chosen to receive this PIF of these 20 randomly selected blades is a great opportunity to do that.

 

[mgweatherly]

The Voskhod shave was closer than I realized! Last night 12 hours after shaving, I was still BBS-. This morning after about 22 hours, my face feels like I just did one pass WTG. Maybe the extra buffing and slight irritation that came with it was worth the closeness.

 

[Eric_75]

Yes, it is one of my Company Time handles that I made at work while the boss wasn't looking.

~doug~

Excellent, sir!

 

[mgweatherly]

Blade journey shave #3 with this setup:

• Razor: Birth year 1961 G4 Gillette Tech with @Rosseforp custom handle gold plated by Chris Spencer
• Blade: Tiger Platinum blade
• Brush: Semogue SOC Mistura Taj brush
• Pre-shave: Noxema pre-shave wash
• Soap: Cella Red tallow soap almond scented
• After shave: Thayer's unscented witch hazel, Cella Extra Extra Bio balm, vintage Old Spice splash

First time using a Tiger Platinum blade. Overall I rate the shave at 8.5/10. The first pass was comfortable, and the blade felt middle of the pack sharp to perhaps even less so. I did have a little irritation just above the corners of my mouth and a weeper on the right side. The second pass added a couple weepers in the same area but felt fine. I needed fairly extensive touchups to cover my trouble spots and achieve BBS. The shave feels close right now, but not stand out close. It will be interesting to revisit the closeness tonight after 12 hours.

The post shave Thayer's felt great. The Cella Extra Extra Bio balm felt good too; it is thicker than most balms. I got a fair amount of sting from the Old Spice splash, but I've felt that before with other blades.

Next up is the Derby Premium. I have some of these blades in an slightly different wrapper. I've never used one though. This is fun

 

[musicman1951]

The only thing I would say is maybe don't make decisions based on 1 shave, do 3 with every blade. For example in my experience, the Indian Wilkie is okay on the first use, but after it turns into a terrible dragging, rough, irritation and weeper producing mess. With the Voskhods, they're hard to push to 3 shaves because they get dull quick.

I agree, although I think he said he was going to go back through the pile when done. I would add that once in a while a bad blade rears its ugly head. If you get one that feels like it's ripping your face up it could be a bad representative of a good blade choice.

 

[Guido75]

Mitch is the replated handle the same as from post #3 or did you have superluck and have two @Rosseforp handles?

Amazing combination with the Tech by the way.

Guido

 

[mgweatherly]

Mitch is the replated handle the same as from post #3 or did you have superluck and have two @Rosseforp handles?

Amazing combination with the Tech by the way.

Guido

I have two handles, the plated one I used today and the "raw" stainless steel one that I used for shave numbers 1 and 2. Besides looking great, they provide fantastic grip and control. I also love that the flat bottom allows the razor to stand on its end.

The knurling on the gold one is slightly finer and that handle is slightly shorter than the stainless handle. They both are fantastic. I feel really lucky to have them.

 

[Guido75]

Doug makes amazing handles!

 

[Rosseforp]

If you get one that feels like it's ripping your face up it could be a bad representative of a good blade choice.

I call them dud's, or Derby's.

~doug~