BradWorld's Shave Journal

[BradWorld]

On my Blackbirds, I keep the cap and plate matched.

Due to nerve damage in my neck (fractured it in two places in a motorcycle wreck when I was 15 years old), I really like larger diameter handles that don't weigh a bunch. It's significantly more comfortable in hand and allows me to grip the handle and control the razor.

So I use Doug's GTx handles or larger diameter Timeless and TiBam Titanium handles.

Wow, another thing we share! I tore up my right knee in a motorbike wreck when I was 15 years old. Got t-boned by Karmann Ghia. I thank my lucky stars that it wasn’t a Buick or I’d probably not be here right now.

I don’t have issues with anyone swapping up razor parts. I just prefer to keep those high end artisan razors as their creators intended. It’s just my way.

I swap handles, caps and other various parts on lower end modern, and vintage razors all the time. Nothing like putting a Tech on a nice Charcoal Goods handle! Changes up the dynamic, and the balance. Improves the shave immeasurably.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Wow, another thing we share! I tore up my right knee in a motorbike wreck when I was 15 years old. Got t-boned by Karmann Ghia. I thank my lucky stars that it wasn’t a Buick or I’d probably not be here right now.

I don’t have issues with anyone swapping up razor parts. I just prefer to keep those high end artisan razors as their creators intended. It’s just my way.

I swap handles, caps and other various parts on lower end modern, and vintage razors all the time. Nothing like putting a Tech on a nice Charcoal Goods handle! Changes up the dynamic, and the balance. Improves the shave immeasurably.

We all have our own way of looking at things.

Where motorcycles are concerned, I was definitely young, stupid and (I thought) indestructible. A legend in my own mind.

Not much I haven't broken, dislocated or generally torn up.

But hey.....I sure had fun.

Plus, all the girls would visit me in the hospital.

 

[BradWorld]

Where motorcycles are concerned, I was definitely young, stupid and (I thought) indestructible. A legend in my own mind.

Not much I haven't broken, dislocated or generally torn up.

But hey.....I sure had fun.

It took me a bunch of years to get back on a motorcycle. Accident was at 15 years old. Didn't start riding again for about 10 years. Kept the shiny side up for the next 25 years or so. Stopped riding about 5 years ago. Lost interest in putting my life on the line every time I rode.

 

[BradWorld]

Late post from last night. I am in charge of the SOTD thread for the next two weeks, so I was preoccupied with that last night. Here are some excerpts from last night’s SOTD posting. The theme is “Where I’m from”. My ancestors hail from Germany. My shave was an RV camping shave, so my selection of theme-compliant products was somewhat limited.

My razor is a beautiful Muhle R89 Grande. Years ago, I was a huge fan of the veritable EJ DE89. And as such, I had to get myself a Muhle R89. The same head design, but different plating, and different handle. This one is a stunner. Made in Germany. Big beefy handle. Great shaver.

The brush has not been in my collection nearly as long as the R89. This one is my current favorite travel brush. The Muhle STF 23 mm. It works great! Feels very much like a badger brush. And has zero maintenance or drying time. Its a winner. Perfect size for travel.

The blade of choice today is a Vintage NOS Polsilver. Not the sharpest version of the Polsilver/Wizamet family, the brown box has ultimate smoothness, and very good durability.

The LEA shave stick, CADE Aftershave Balm, and TFS 70 Splash finish it up. Great shave.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Gut gemacht, Herr @BradWorld

 

[BradWorld]

Gut gemacht, Herr @BradWorld

Danke mein Freund!

 

[never-stop-learning]

Danke mein Freund!

Sie sind herzlich willkommen.

 

[BradWorld]

Copies from my SOTD post:

Where I’m From SOTD

Today I am going to honor the place where I currently reside. The great State of New Jersey. With some of the best beaches and “Shore Towns”, I have lived in NJ since 1976. However this will be my last trip around the sun living in NJ, as we are embarking on a nomadic lifestyle in less than a year. But what a great place to live and grow up. You can drive to at least a half dozen great cities very easily from NJ… NYC, Boston, Washington DC, Philly and more. Heck, you can even drive to Montreal or Toronto in less than 10 hours. Growing up with the ability to jump on a train or bus and go to NYC was a real treat. It was a different world back then, where a young teen could go to NYC with friends after school, and be safe. NJ is also at the center of the Northeast Tech Corridor, and jobs were always plentiful and prosperous. Not a bad place to live, despite its reputation… the smell of the oil refineries in Elizabeth, NJ are clearly apparent driving through NJ on the Turnpike, and have given NJ a bit of a bad rap. They don’t call NJ The Garden State for nothing. Most of New Jersey is very beautiful indeed. And those Jersey Shore people aren’t even from here. They are from Staten Island NY. New Jersey has been good to me, and there are shave products that are made here.

Today’s shave features two prominent products from NJ.

We all know Rudy Vey and his amazing brushes. He makes his brushes in Central NJ. This one is a beautiful butterscotch handle with an Elite Manchurian knot.

My soap for today is from New Jersey as well. It’s from Catie’s Bubbles, and it’s made in Forked River, NJ. It is special for a couple of reasons. First, this particular variety was made specially for an East Coast Wet Shavers club meetup in Howell NJ a few years ago. It is called Jersey Blues, and has a huge hit of NJ blueberries right off the top. Secondly, this very day marks the 10th anniversary of the formation of Catie’s Bubbles as a company. Happy anniversary!

The rest of the shave features a Wolfman WR2 1.55, Vintage Polish Polsilver blade, and B&M 42 splash. Excellent shave today!

 

[BradWorld]

Where I’m From SOTD

Today’s shave honors the place of my birth, New York City.

The Holy Black embodies everything NYC. Their brand bleeds Hotrods and Rock-n-roll, with a huge Gangs of New York vibe. And because they are from NYC, those guys attend many of the local Wet Shaving meetups, and always have a great time, and always donate the biggest and baddest door prizes anyone has ever seen. Their shave products are always top notch. Their soaps and aftershaves always perform so well, and smell amazing. But their packaging is what sets them over the top. Their use of premium materials. Their themed sets are unrivaled. Amazing stuff.

Today I used Ramos Gin Fizz. An awesome soap with the scent of the drink it’s named after. Think adult creamsicle and you’ll be close. The aftershaves are from the Jeckyl and Hyde set. One side is naughty and one side is nice. Mix them together in varying ratios and come up with your own concoctions. The post shave face feel of this stuff is top tier.

The razor today was the Charcoal Goods Gen 2 Level 2 in stainless. I haven’t used a stainless CG in a long time. So, it was due. As famous a CG is for their artsy alternative metal creations, their stainless stuff flies under the radar. And they haven’t made anything in stainless for a long time. So this one is a treat to use. Super comfortable and very close. But it’s the ride that makes this one a winner. It’s feels great as it glides over your skin, slicing the stubbles into oblivion. A Perma Sharp handled the blade position today.

Last but not least, this Rudy Vey STF 23 mm is a beauty of a brush. Small but super powerful. This knot is nothing like the Muhle 23 mm STF. Nothing like it at all. Different knot shape, different face feel. This one is a lather monster. And it doesn’t fling lather like the Muhle version tends to do. I had enough lather for my three passes, plus leftovers for another two if I needed them.

Overall a top class shave.

 

[BradWorld]

Animal SOTD

Today's shave is dedicated to shave gear named after Animals. It is "Animals Week" on the SOTD forum this week. Go over there and post Animal Themed shaves!

Soap: Noble Otter - Lonestar
Brush: Wolf Whiskers Custom Tuxedo
Razor: Wolfman WR2 1.15
Blade: Tiger
Aftershave: Lucky Tiger

Great shave today in honor of Animal Week. 100% animal themed! The Wolfman razor is top of the class. However, the Tiger blade is junk. I bought a 100-pack if these things when they first became all the talk around here. Why not, they were well under $10 for the 100-pack. But they were dreadful to shave with. And today was no exception. This one tugged pretty good from the first stroke. One of the glue dots was slid down into the blade edge, so I had to wipe it off. The end results are okay though. Nothing great. Standard DFS. But the ride to get there is uncomfortable at best.

The Wolf Whiskers brush is a lather beast. 26mm Tux on a one-off handle. Really sweet brush.

I got the Noble Otter because people rave about it. I really dont think its as good as B&M in my opinion. Buts really good stuff. And it fits the theme.

Lucky Tiger is just awesome. It is non-alcoholic, so no burn. Its very soothing. And it smells of citrus, which is my jam

Overall a great shave with a crappy blade. DFS results. And 100% animal themed!

 

[flask28]

Lucy Tiger is on my short list of AS's to try, your post just pushed it up a notch!

 

[BradWorld]

Lucy Tiger is on my short list of AS's to try, your post just pushed it up a notch!

Some people say it smells like that orange Tojo soap mechanics use. Other say it smells like orange Julius. But I think it smells nice. I love most things orange. It’s what I use if I have a particularly rough shave, because it has no alcohol, and is super soothing on the skin.

 

[BradWorld]

Animals SOTD Week
Another 100% Animal themed shave. Yay for me!

Wolf Whiskers Tux Brush (Wolf Themed)
Le Grand Chypre Soap and Splash (Mountain Goat Themed)
Ti Bird (Bird Themed)
Nacet (Alligator Themed)

Today's shave was actually quite spectacular. it was a travel shave. I am 1000 miles away from home at my mom's in sunny Florida. The water is very weird here. It is not hard or soft. But it has an almost dry quality to it. Almost like its sticky. I cant explain it. I know I dont like it when I shower. But it seems to be really good for shaving. So there you go. A compromise!

I am still feeling out the Ti Bird. I have had SS and Brass Birds, so there wasnt much learning curve. But the light weight is something very foreign when it comes to a highly efficient razor. Of course I have hundreds of vintages that are light. But I would say all of my highly efficient modern razors are super heavy. I have tried other razors in Ti and Aluminum, but have not liked any of them. I like heavy and large razors. Its my jam. But this Ti Bird is another story. It is not super light. But it is not nearly as heavy as I prefer. I am not sure I mind it while shaving. The results are great! Better than the other Birds for sure. Is that in my head? Or is it real? I dont know. I dont care. I just know it works. And I am enjoying the heck out of it. So I will keep using it until I decide differently.

The Nacet blade is a great match for this razor. The only reason a threw a tuck into my travel kit is because I am in charge of the SOTD threads for the last two weeks while traveling. And I knew I wanted to do an animal theme. But hot damn, this blade works in this razor! Perfect match. Super smooth and super sharp. The best of both. Really great blade.

The LGC is somewhat of an enigma for me. I am a super B&M fan. I use their soaps 80% of the time. I really love them. The bases, the shave feel, the post feel, and mostly the scent profiles. I love them! I hate perfume or flowery scents. I love two things. Earthy, dark and smokey. Or super citrus and fruity. Thats what i like. And thats what I use. The LGC has been sitting a while. It doesnt quite hold up to other B&M offerings. But it does have a scent which leans a bit toward the fruity side of things. But I just dont recall loving it. I would rather use 42 or Seville, or especially Pasiflora when going that way. I dont think to pull out LGC very often. However, again, planning for an Animal Themed SOTD week, i grabbed it. And boy am i glad i did. When sniffing the dry tub, it is not very impressive. But once I started lathering it, wow! It bloomed into an intoxicating scent of berries and fruit. Excellent Exclesior performance as always! But man, that soap had a great scent today. Was it the crazy water at my mom's house? I dont know. But I will use it at home soon and find out. Yummy soap. And the splash is almost a requirement as a paring with most B&M soaps. This one especially so.

The brush for today is kind of special. I won this as a door prize at a shaving club meet up a few years back. Its a Wolf Whiskers Tuxedo in 26mm. Great brush. And a great company. Again, put it in my kit because of the animal reference, but this one get lots of action throughout the year. Its a good one!

Happy Turkey day everyone. On this day I give thanks for my family, and everyone's good health and prosperity in these challenging times. Dont eat too much turkey today!

 

[BradWorld]

I had to give the LGC another go while at my mom's. It was great!

Same exact setup. Same Nacet blade. Excellent results.

All of the enablers for the Ti Bird were right. This is an excellent razor.

Another 100% Animal themed SOTD.

Wolf Whiskers Tux Brush (Wolf Themed)
Le Grand Chypre Soap and Splash (Mountain Goat Themed)
Ti Bird (Bird Themed)
Nacet (Alligator Themed)

 

[BradWorld]

For the past week or so, I have been traveling with two razors that typically don't leave the den. The Wolfman WR2 1.15, and the Ti Bird. Why? Because I wanted to force myself to use these two razors exclusively for a few shaves, and determine if the Ti Bird was really a razor worthy of hanging with the biggest of the big dogs.

I was very resistant to buying a Ti Bird. I already had owned two non-Ti Birds. I could not believe for one second that the same razor in a different metal was that much better than its siblings.

There is a lot of jaw flapping about how the Ti Bird is so much better than Blackbirds of other metals. And there are a lot of shavers that consider the Ti Bird the pinnical of performance for a DE razor. I was determined to find out if this rang true for me as well.

The WR2 1.15 is the king of my den. It is not even remotely the most efficient razor i have. But it is comfortable, ridiculously smooth, and provides an effortless and excellent shave. I have razors that provide better results. I have other Wolfman Razors that provide better results. But for pure shaving enjoyment, the 1.15 is the king. And of course it is a thing of beauty to behold. Just look at the photo below. Gorgeous.

I had a great shave on Sunday with the Ti Bird. Top tier. BBS. Super long lasting too. My face was still mostly smooth well into Monday. That shave was comfortable and fun. I really enjoyed it. The shave results were clearly far better than my Wolf shave this morning. They really were.

I've had the Ti Bird for a month now. And I've given It a lot of the action. I really wanted to give it a fair shake. And these are the results. My personal opinions. Take them with as much salt as you require.

1) The Ti Bird is better than the Stainless and Brass Birds. It is. No doubt about it.

2) The Ti Bird shave better than the Wolfman WR2 1.15. There... I said it.

3) The Ti Bird shaves as good or better than my two most effective razors. The Tradere OC and the WR2 1.55. Refer to @never-stop-learning 's definition of effective.

4) The Ti Bird shaves as good or better than any Charcoal Goods razor I've tried. And I've tried 90% of them. There. I said that too. It does.

5) Most importantly... it doesn't matter... because the Ti Bird fails to check a lot of my boxes.

6) The Ti Bird is much too light weight. I love a big clunky razor. I love a heavy razor. I receive so much enjoyment from that ridiculous looking Tradere OC. It's the biggest, most clunky razor I own. It is a pure joy to shave with it. Same with Brass Charcoal Goods, stainless Wolf's, Timeless, and more. Big and heavy. It's what I like. The Ti Bird needs to eat more carbs. Bulk up. Obviously just kidding. It's the nimble factor that makes the Ti Bird perform.

7) The Ti Bird handle is way too short for me. I like long and heavy handles. As far as I know, there is no long handle in Ti. I might be mistaken. But I've not seen one.

8) The Ti Bird is not a pretty razor. It's not a work of art. It is very utilitarian in its design. I like razors with a much more artistic visual design. Wolfman, Charcoal Goods, Timeless. And especially the Ti Bird's sibling, the magnificent Blackland Tradere OC. Next to those razors the Ti Bird looks meh. And its small and dinky in comparison as well.

In summary, we all like what we like. The Ti Bird provides amazing shaves. If that's all I were after, then it would immediately knock every other big dog razor from my den. But for me, that's not all it's about. It's about the art, the enjoyment, the nostalgia, and that morning moment of Zen.

The Ti Bird has earned a place in my top rotation. It will assume the role of the whisker killer. The utility player. When I want a quick and super close shave, the Ti Bird will be called into action. When I want a super enjoyable morning experience, the Ti Bird will warm the bench.

Here is today's Wolfman SOTD...

 

[never-stop-learning]

I love a big clunky razor. I love a heavy razor. I receive so much enjoyment from that ridiculous looking Tradere OC. It's the biggest, most clunky razor I own. It is a pure joy to shave with it. Same with Brass Charcoal Goods, stainless Wolf's, Timeless, and more. Big and heavy. It's what I like.

The only person your razors have to please is you.

 

[BradWorld]

Today was the Blackland Tradere OC’s turn to shine. After spending a couple of weeks on the road with the Wolfman 1.15 and the Ti Bird, I have one day back home. So I grabbed my Tradere and went to work. I have felt for a while that the Tradere OC was a better shaver results-wise than the 1.15. And today that held true. It also came close to the shave results of the Ti Bird. But I did miss a couple of spots on my last pass, and that was on me. I also got some neck irritation today, and that is probably also on me. I need to have another nice stretch using just the Tradere and the Ti Bird to get a real comparison going. But with a new wolf on the way, that may not happen for a while. The rest of the shave features The Holy Black Vampire Hunter set, and a new-to-me Paladin Beehive. This brush was amazing. So glad I got it. Stay smooth !

 

[BradWorld]

Back out on the road again. I went back to my standard travel kit for this trip.

I start off with a great shave stick. I used Arko for a very long time. But I intersperse that with some other sticks from time to time. However, for the last few months, my go-to stick has been the Code Zero stick from King of Shaves in the UK. King of Shaves is very into the whole no-waste zero foot print thing. This stick is no exception. It features a metal push-up stick container. Refill pucks are available in eco-friendly packaging. This soap is super slick and has lots of cushion. I think it is top notch. The scent is your standard British barber shop sort of thing. And it lathers very easily.

For a travel brush, it must fit into a 3d printed brush case I made many years ago. I could easily make a new brush case. But the fun challenge is to find great brushes that fit in this case. The case was originally made to fit the original Plisson Synthetic. So its made for a smaller diameter handle. My current regular travel brush is the Muhle STF 23 mm. Of all the travel brushes I have used, the STF 23 is the best one. It still, however, pales in comparison to the Rudy Vey 25 mm STF based 2022 Contributor's Brush. That one is amazing. But alas, it doesn't fit in that case!

The Travel Razors I use must follow several guidelines. They must be quick and easy to use. The must provide a minimum of a DFS+ result on a consistent basis. And I must be willing to lose it. Cost is really not a primary factor any more. Its a consideration, but not a decision maker. If I have a razor, then the money is spent. Of course I wont use a rare or beloved razor like a Wolfman, etc. But I usually travel with a razor that is under $100 these days. (Of course last trip was an exception, as I brought a Wolf and a Ti Bird. But that was a controlled trip to familiar places.) For this past year, my travel rotation has primarily consisted of three razors... The Lupo 95, the ERA with several plates, and the Flexi Adjustable. They have all served me well. For this trip I have the Flexi. I pulled the Flexi into duty because last month I had an extended trip where I did a little bit of a shave-off between the Lupo and the ERA. Now it was time to bring the Flexi back into the mix. And frankly, the Flexi beats both of those other razors regarding shave results. And by a pretty good margin too.

I finish off the shave with a small travel size of some splash. I buy something like the current choice, or pour something from a larger bottle into a smaller travel and TSA friendly container. This latest one is the Clubman Brandy Spice. Got it off Amazon for like $4 or so. It has lasted a very long time. And I will use it until its gone. I especially like this small travel bottle. When its empty, I will try to refill it with something else. Its quite handy.

This shave was a near BBS result. So it would rate as a DFS++. Excellent. Super smooth. Super close. And very comfortable. The new Nacet blade was a good fit for the Flexi. It had a tad more post shave burn than some blades. And I had one weeper on my neck. But overall an excellent result. We will see how the blade does on shave 2 tomorrow.

Stay smooth!

 

[BradWorld]

Today was the same exact setup as the last shave. The Nacet did really well on its second shave. Its a great way to start the day!

I also thought I would share a pic of my travel kit. Its quite simple. Maxpedition Tactical Toiletry Bag. Thats the ticket. I keep my blades in that separate pouch that goes into the main bag with velcro. That way I can take that out when i go on a carry-on trip. Ive had this bag for many years, and enjoy it very much. It goes everywhere with me.

Maxpedition Tactical Toiletry Bag - Left to Right: Blade Bag (outside main pack); Shave Stick, Shower Soap, Razor in Pouch, Aftershave, Brush in 3D case. The top pouch holds all sorts of thing that come in handy on a trip of any duration. Portable clothes line, allergy pills, sewing kit, band aids, nail clippers and files, cotton balls, q-tips, floss, etc, etc.

 

[BradWorld]

After today's shave, all I can say is wow!

Its a new Wolfman day after all! This one is definitely a special one. Its a WR2 1.15 Open Comb with a Thick Scalloped Cap. It is accompanied by a 101.6 mm WRH4 Solid Handle. Everything in basic polished Bronze. Yes, basic polish. I can literally see a photographically clear mirror image of myself in all of the parts of this razor. This is my fifth Wolfman, and it has completely blown me away. It is huge and heavy. Just the way I like it!

Now lets talk about the shave. Yes its a WR2 OC. After many conversations with many long standing members of the Wolf Pack, I was somewhat led to believe that the WR2 in OC offered very little over the Solid Bar version. This has been my understanding for a number of years. Well, this shave has proved this to be entirely untrue. At least for me.

This razor was configured specifically for aesthetic beauty. Meaning I already have a 1.15 SB which I consider to be the pinnacle of luxury shaving. The best combination of smoothness and efficiency, coupled with an amazingly beautiful appearance, and a really satisfying shave. It just feels better in the hand, and on the face, than any other razor, regardless of the shave results. I have had other gap WR2's, and I have found the 1.15 to be the sweet spot for me. I was done. Finished with Wolfman purchases. I already had perfection. But then they came out with Bronze razors. And those darned Scalloped caps! And I was dragged right back in! This new Bronze razor was meant to be the same gap. There was no other choice. But I needed the Bronze and the Scallops. I just had to have it. And then they started making the WRH4 again. And that was it! I was hooked. Back on the wait list. However, while I was on the waitlist, someone posted a photo of a Bronze Scalloped WR2 in Open Comb. And again, this was purely an aesthetic choice, I loved the look of the OC in Bronze. It was just different enough from my other beloved 1.15.

But no. This OC shaves completely different from the same gap SB. There is definitely noticeably more blade feel. Like a bunch more. This is not a bad thing for me. I shave with a WR1, Charcoal Goods Level 3, Blackbird, etc. So yeah, I was surprised by it, and really liked it. And secondly, the shave was just as smooth as my 1.15, but closer!

I did a standard 3 pass shave with no touchups. My standard MO for any new razor is to use a new Astra SP and 3 passes. No touch ups. This shave was smooth as butter. And it was super close. My face was pure BBS. My lower neck, which has swirling flat growing stubbles, and is a huge challenge to get smooth, was very nearly a full BBS. My jawline was DFS+. There was still a little bit of scratch felt when rubbing against the grain on some of the jaw line. But that I could have gotten with some buffing there. Next time then....

Zero blood. Zero irritation. Zero weepers. Nothing. Very slight standard burn with the splash. Much less than most of my highly efficient razors for sure.

Amazing razor! I am smitten. Really.

This Paladin Glossy Buterscotch Beehive was also new for me. What an amazing brush. My fifth Paladin. Probably lathers as good as any thing I have ever used. Amazing as well.

Then I used some Crown King Dorm. What an amazing hidden gem of a soap. Super lather. Super slick. Crazy good smell. If you like some cannabis in your life, anyways. Not for everyone. But I love it. I am down to the bottom of the tub, and I will savor every last drop of it. This soap has not been available for many years. I got this one from Douglass Smythe himself. Amazing soap.

And the TFS 70 splash is also a hidden gem. What a great smell. And the aftershave face feel is tops. Never gets talked about around here. I actually see one other person posting this splash in their SOTD posts from time to time. I love it every time I see that. Great stuff!

Today's shave was an A+++. Absolutely a delight. Life is good! Stay smooth!