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Cartridge to R41 to Cut-Throat

Shave 251 and 39 on the Friodur . Lathered with TOBS Jermyn Street which is a great cream and got to work.
This Friodur is brilliant it feels better with every shave. It’s an extremely smooth shaver which is holding a great edge for a hell of a lot of shaves compared to all my recent experiences. I always give it 20 laps on leather after my 2nd pass, then 5 on my palm and 7 on linen after each shave. I give it 50 on leather before each shave.
Today on a whim I used an alum block which stung nicely but didn’t irritate my face then I used the Fine Snakebite which felt great.
 
I’d honed both my Suredge and Thomas Turner on a recently acquired Naniwa 12k stone and hadn’t done a particularly brilliant job on either. I’d done better on my two gold dollars So today I decided to hone the Suredge and Turner on lapping film.
I put a sheet of 1 micron film on a piece of damp notepaper onto my 12’ x 3’ acrylic block.
After I’d done it I looked through my loup at the edge and noticed there was still some pitting there Which had caused some very tiny chips to the edge.
I decided to take both blades back to a 1k film to clean up the edges and then work up from there. I reset the bevel on both and took out the chips and pits and cleaned up the edges, then I took each blade through a film progression of 50 laps with pressure then a further 30 or so laps of decreasing pressure until I was barely touching the film for the last 10 laps. After setting the bevel on 1k equivalent I did this system on 5u, 3u, 1u, then 0.3u film. Then I gave them both about 60 laps on linen until they felt smooth, then 50 - 60 on leather.
By the time I’d finished both edges gleamed at me with a mirror polish and under the loup they both appeared smooth and clean. I’m looking forward to trying these over the next couple of days and once I’m happy to see if I can improve a film edge with the Naniwa.
 
In terms of slicing ability I personally don’t think you can do better than you already are on the .3 films. I do think once you have the Naniwa figured out you might find a little bit more forgiving edge or something that’s just plain more enjoyable in use.
 
Shave 252 and 1 on the Suredge after honing on films.
Used Proraso Red soap and a boar brush.
This felt extremely sharp and smooth on pass one, I love the feel of a newly honed blade. It really gripped then sliced the hair, same xtg on pass 2 where it sang across my cheeks and chin. Atg pass 3 felt great too as did my touch up pass and a splash of Speick didn’t light my face up. As usual I have to work hard atg on my upper lip but it’s now extremely smooth.
 
Shave 253 and 1 on the Thomas Turner after honing on film.
Lathered with Proraso Green soap.
It seems I got this thing very sharp, I could feel it as soon as I started cutting. It cut more like a DE in that it really set about the hair on pass one. Pass 2 was likewise. On pass 3 atg I made a technical adjustment on my top lip and cut outwards and upwards from the centre as well as straight up. It seems to have helped. The normally insane Fine Snakebite was tame today suggesting a smoothness to the edge.
 
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Shave 254 and 7 on the ELSINE.
Lathered with TOBS Sandalwood Hard Soap and a boar brush.
I’m surprised reading back through my log that this is only my 7th use with it.
This has been a brilliant shaver since I found it in an antique shop. It was covered in gunky old oil and wouldn’t shave arm hair but now it’s back in action and is one of my favourite razors to use. It’s not all that pretty, it’s seen life but it shaves brilliantly. It gives me pleasure to think it was deep into retirement, just quietly rusting away in an old dusty shop drawer, obsolete, heading for the junk pile, and now like a phoenix it’s back, diamond sharp and mirror edged and knocking the socks off my other razors.
Today I got my best ever straight razor shave I think. Complete bbs everywhere even on my chin and top lip with a great smooth post shave feel.
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View attachment 1016039 Shave 254 and 7 on the ELSINE.
Lathered with TOBS Sandalwood Hard Soap and a boar brush.
I’m surprised reading back through my log that this is only my 7th use with it.
This has been a brilliant shaver since I found it in an antique shop. It was covered in gunky old oil and wouldn’t shave arm hair but now it’s back in action and is one of my favourite razors to use. It’s not all that pretty, it’s seen life but it shaves brilliantly. It gives me pleasure to think it was deep into retirement, just quietly rusting away in an old dusty shop drawer, obsolete, heading for the junk pile, and now like a phoenix it’s back, diamond sharp and mirror edged and knocking the socks off my other razors.
Today I got my best ever straight razor shave I think. Complete bbs everywhere even on my chin and top lip with a great smooth post shave feel.
View attachment 1016038

Real hollow grounds with no stabilizer on the shoulder almost always shave wonderfully for me. A lot of people put Filarmonica 14s and 13s up on a pedestal and pay huge money for them in NOS condition, but I think the secret to their performance is just a very thin grind with no stabilizer. I actually think they’re solingen forged blanks ground by Filarmonica in Spain, so the secret isn’t in some kind of proprietary amazing metallurgy IMO.

Now I’m thinking I should’ve found a shoulderless razor to send you, the JR Torrey shoulderless razors are pretty incredible. I know Henckels has a number 136 shoulderless but I’ve never used one. If the Henckels 14 is very hollow with no stabilizer that could also be worth looking for and maybe cheaper than a Filarmonica.
 
Real hollow grounds with no stabilizer on the shoulder almost always shave wonderfully for me. A lot of people put Filarmonica 14s and 13s up on a pedestal and pay huge money for them in NOS condition, but I think the secret to their performance is just a very thin grind with no stabilizer. I actually think they’re solingen forged blanks ground by Filarmonica in Spain, so the secret isn’t in some kind of proprietary amazing metallurgy IMO.

Now I’m thinking I should’ve found a shoulderless razor to send you, the JR Torrey shoulderless razors are pretty incredible. I know Henckels has a number 136 shoulderless but I’ve never used one. If the Henckels 14 is very hollow with no stabilizer that could also be worth looking for and maybe cheaper than a Filarmonica.
Forgive my ignorance, is my ELSINE shoulderless?
 
Forgive my ignorance, is my ELSINE shoulderless?

No, but pull out something like the Robeson and you can see there’s an extra step in the grind at the heel... the blade is 90% true full hollow ground, then the last few mm before the heel is a secondary grind leaving more meat on the blade, but usually angled inwards to help add rigidity or “stability” to the hollow blade, and it results in the spine itself thinning along that same angle so that while honing you won’t grind a notch into the spine right there you just end up grinding the spine down slowly until you reach the width of the “stabilizer.” I’ll upload some pics in a bit to show it better.

Ok back quicker than I thought, pay attention to the heel area on these:
Shoulderless full hollow:
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Shoulder with no stabilizer:
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Shoulder with stabilizer (but still very small/thin one):
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Basically if you’re feeling this shave was above and beyond, you may want to test my unstabilized blade theory. I’d take the Shuredge since it’s very hollow but stabilized, and try shaving a very sensitive or difficult area however you normally would and then again trying deliberately to use the blade towards the toe away from the stabilizer and see if there’s a difference. I realize there are variables here, but if you can try to keep all else consistent... it may tell you something about your blade preference.
 
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No, but pull out something like the Robeson and you can see there’s an extra step in the grind at the heel... the blade is 90% true full hollow ground, then the last few mm before the heel is a secondary grind leaving more meat on the blade, but usually angled inwards to help add rigidity or “stability” to the hollow blade, and it results in the spine itself thinning along that same angle so that while honing you won’t grind a notch into the spine right there you just end up grinding the spine down slowly until you reach the width of the “stabilizer.” I’ll upload some pics in a bit to show it better.

Ok back quicker than I thought, pay attention to the heel area on these:
Shoulderless full hollow:
View attachment 1016113
View attachment 1016114

Shoulder with no stabilizer:
View attachment 1016115

Shoulder with stabilizer (but still very small/thin one):
View attachment 1016116
View attachment 1016112

Basically if you’re feeling this shave was above and beyond, you may want to test my unstabilized blade theory. I’d take the Shuredge since it’s very hollow but stabilized, and try shaving a very sensitive or difficult area however you normally would and then again trying deliberately to use the blade towards the toe away from the stabilizer and see if there’s a difference. I realize there are variables here, but if you can try to keep all else consistent... it may tell you something about your blade preference.
That’s really helpful thank you
 
Shave 256 and 5 on Gold Dollar A, honed on 12k Naniwa. I Used Tabac soap today,
The blade was feeling great down pass one and two then I remembered I’d forgotten to strop it. But nothing in the blade made me remember, it’s was cutting beautifully. I gave it 50 quick ones on leather after pass 2. Pass 3 and touch up were very good indeed and the shave was pretty perfect. I’d done a good job honing this one. The smoothness and sharpness is very comparable to my 0.3u film edge. I used the final glug of Speick aftershave from the bottle. It’s been good stuff and I’ve enjoyed using it. It’s quite soothing and doesn’t smell for long which I like. Will I buy more? Probably not for a while, there’s so much choice out there and things to try. I loved my bottle of Proraso green so I may get another one of those.
 
Shave 257 and 2 on the Thomas Turner after honing on films.
I used the last of my old faithful Proraso Green soap today. There’s a little left in the tub but not enough to fully load the brush properly so it’s bin time. I just looked back at my shave log, I’ve had that tub for 16 months and I’ve used it a lot. I think it cost about £5, great stuff and brilliant value for money.
Today’s shave went fine, I actually thought that the Turner was lacking a little keenness on the edge but my face is completely bbs and smooth as anything everywhere so I mustn’t complain.
I used a splash of Brut which I’d picked up in the supermarket months ago. This stuff always seems to give my face a great post shave feel, I’m going to use it more.
 
Shave 258 and 2 on the Suredge after honing on films.
Lathered with Proraso Red and a boar brush.
Nice lather, nice newly honed blade. I took my time and enjoyed the silence, the routine, almost a ritual. Warm lather, the soft bristles scrubbing my beard, the feel of the old but deadly sharp razor singing around my face with its raspy ringing voice, changing it’s tune subtly as it changes direction for each pass.
The feeling of the cold water splash and rinse soothing my face, the rough towel on my cheeks and hair then the burn and chill of the Fine Snakebite.
The razor stropping on my rough palm.
This is my time, just me and my thoughts, focussed somehow by gliding the cutthroat razor over my jugular and around my face.
I leave the room and jump back into the busy river of day to day life with a smooth and freezing face.
 
Shave 259 and 40 on the Friodur since it was honed on films.
Yesterday at a visit to a barbershop I bought a bottle of Proraso Red aftershave to try. I’d enjoyed using the Green but ran out of that ages ago.
So today I lathered with Proraso Red Soap and got going.
The Friodur felt nice and smooth on all 3.5 passes and gave a great smooth shave. The Proraso Red aftershave went on nice not too stingy and quite soothing with maybe an oily feeling to it at first which instantly disappeared to leave my face fresh and smooth. Smells nice, mild like the soap and disappeared quickly which I like.
 
Man I’m surprised how long that thing keeps chugging along! I know I said maybe 45 shaves before another refresh but it just feels like forever at this point.
 
Man I’m surprised how long that thing keeps chugging along! I know I said maybe 45 shaves before another refresh but it just feels like forever at this point.

It’s definitely surprised me too, it just keeps going! I don’t know if it’s the steel, or the tempering process or what the hell but it’s it amazes me every time I use it. It’s as old as I am though it doesn’t look it. It was New Old Stock and barely used at all when it came to me, it still looks brand new. It’s a nice big 7/8ths and heavy too, really nice to use.
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Shave 260 and 9 on the ELSINE.
Lathered with Sterling Margaritas today. I was midway through my 2nd pass (xtg) when I heard my gf suffering with morning sickness so I had to stop my shave to take my little one to school so got a very average shave today.
On the plus side a razor I bought in an eBay auction arrived today.
It’s a Bengal 5/8ths near wedge.
I’ve tried a Bengal before in a trade I did with @Namkcakram. He sent me a Suredge honed on an Arkansas and I sent him a Bengal honed on films, but I’ve never tried a near wedge before.
Anyway it arrived today, it seems extremely sharp as on a HHT I did it cut the hair absolutely silently so I’m looking forward to trying it in the morning.
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Shave 261 and 1 on the Bengal near wedge.
I lathered up with Tabac soap and a boar brush.
The razor had an unusual feel as I started cutting downwards with the grain. It almost didn’t feel sharp, but, i thought, that could be that I’m used to full hollow grinds and also that the blade angle may need dialling in. The guy who sold it to me said it had been honed on a Japanese Natural and he’d honed it without tape. I lathered up for pass 2 xtg and the blade definitely felt sharper than on pass one as I started to get used to how best to hold it. As I went upwards on my throat I was really impressed at how easily and smoothly the heavy little blade dealt with the beard there.
Bit by bit I was getting used to it then by my 3rd pass atg I had my technique sorted and really got a feel for the blade. It cut beautifully atg with a smoothness which I hadn’t expected. The blade felt weighty and went right through everything so comfortably. I did a touch up pass which felt the same and I could tell by my cold rinse that the shave was great. I had a nice splash of the bright orange Floid Vigoroso and left the bathroom smiling.
My face has got that silky smooth bbs feeling all over.
 
If you liked that then you really need to get your hands on a big heavy chopper because that might be your style. Wade&Butcher, Wostenholm, Greaves, Frederick Reynolds, Joseph Elliott... they all really knew what they were doing.

Japanese or Swedish half hollows would be another interesting option, they’re usually tempered so crazy hard that they often behave like lighter weight wedges.

Neither blade style is my preference but I have a couple of each around because they’re so unique it’s nice to have that variety.
 
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