I pick on everyone, so I must like everyone.
Challenge PIF - Is Your Best Good Enough?!? - Closed!
- Thread starter Grundi
- Start date
I will be using a 1960's Gillette Tech and Nacet for the Polsilver challenge.
How about shaving some with that high dollar gear you've been hiding from us.& quit the Dreams of Grandeur.
lasta
Blade Biter
How dare you mention GSB: the holy grail, Excalibur, Zulfiqar, Tizona of razor blades...in the same sentence as Dorco and Derby?
I have been reading thru this thread, interesting results so far.
- Thread starter
- #166
I get it, heresy and sacrilege ... BBBUUUUTTT ... my face really likes Dorco Primes and Derby Premiums!!
RE: Post #137
The waiting is over!
Results are here!
Yesterday's shave was done with my '64 Slim. The "edge" goes to the POLSILVER!
BUT, by a SLIM margine!
The waiting is over!
Results are here!
Yesterday's shave was done with my '64 Slim. The "edge" goes to the POLSILVER!
BUT, by a SLIM margine!
Challenge Day 4
Incumbent blade - Astra SP
Today's shave...
Razor: New LC
Soap: MWF
Brush: Parker ST
AS: OS Classic
The New LC did not take well to the Polsilver.
Quite possibly the worst shave I ever had with this particular razor.
I will be sticking with my closed comb razors from here on out.
Incumbent blade - Astra SP
Today's shave...
Razor: New LC
Soap: MWF
Brush: Parker ST
AS: OS Classic
The New LC did not take well to the Polsilver.
Quite possibly the worst shave I ever had with this particular razor.
I will be sticking with my closed comb razors from here on out.
Plosilver blade 1/shave 1, better late than never
After a roughride shave yesterday, I was excited but apprehensive about trying this new old blade. I have a small stock of the brown box Polsilvers so I thought I knew what to expect, but the reviews above left me uncertain, which is probably a good reality check.
TLDR: my expectation was correct and I picked the right razor in my lineup for this blade and got a wonderful shave!
This is a Tatara Nodachi with Masamune OC plate, know as mini Nodachi. He has a small amount of blade exposure in this configuration, just enough to work with anything as sharp as, or sharper than, a Gillette Platinum or Polsilver SI. But a Nacet starts to get uncomfortable in this razor, especially with a sore face so this choice could have backfired on me.
After a thorough inspection under magnification, due to the concerns above, the blade received the all clear. First thing I appreciate about these, and most vintage, blades is quality of the blade tabs. These being rounded and cut straight, it's the little things. I am not going to belabour this too much, for me this felt like a King C blade. They aren't as sharp as Wilkinson Swords from this era, nor any smoother. Those give me some trouble due to their sharpness because you can't feel anything until the end and then the red dots appear. They have a lot more in common with the first Wilkinson Sword blades from the late sixties. These are under that threshold I am certain, but may not be any sharper than a Polsilver SI. But I think they are a little bit. I can't imagine that these are only as sharp as an Astra SP because I use those in my Blackbird and they aren't enough sharpness in this razor for me.
The second pass against the grain pretty much cemented my initial observations. These have to be pretty smooth considering how sensitive my face felt the whole shave that they didn't feel like they were making things worse. No I should not have shaved ATG, no it wasn't entirely comfortable, but in the end I am glad I did.
I have to say that my first experience with this blade was a positive one. It didn't start out tuggy like some Platinum blades do nor did I expect it would. It didn't feel like it was getting any sharper throughout the shave, which would be bad for me. I only use one edge at a time so this edge has the equivalent of two shaves on it and it felt the same from start to finish.
Seven or so hours later, my face feels no worse than it did when I woke up and my neck is actually better than before the shave! The shave is pretty even, not 100%, but as good as I have ever been able to do with this razor due to the small blade exposure compared to my daily Blackbird. My face is as smooth as I expect it to be at this point and don't anticipate much stubble feel before bed time. What I have done here is trade a slightly sharper blade than I normally use for quite a bit less blade exposure and it appears to have worked. The OC really helped keep my skin from being shaved dry. For the next few shaves, I will keep things brief. I am not sure what the plan is at this point, I expect to get four shaves out of this blade!
After a rough
TLDR: my expectation was correct and I picked the right razor in my lineup for this blade and got a wonderful shave!
This is a Tatara Nodachi with Masamune OC plate, know as mini Nodachi. He has a small amount of blade exposure in this configuration, just enough to work with anything as sharp as, or sharper than, a Gillette Platinum or Polsilver SI. But a Nacet starts to get uncomfortable in this razor, especially with a sore face so this choice could have backfired on me.
After a thorough inspection under magnification, due to the concerns above, the blade received the all clear. First thing I appreciate about these, and most vintage, blades is quality of the blade tabs. These being rounded and cut straight, it's the little things. I am not going to belabour this too much, for me this felt like a King C blade. They aren't as sharp as Wilkinson Swords from this era, nor any smoother. Those give me some trouble due to their sharpness because you can't feel anything until the end and then the red dots appear. They have a lot more in common with the first Wilkinson Sword blades from the late sixties. These are under that threshold I am certain, but may not be any sharper than a Polsilver SI. But I think they are a little bit. I can't imagine that these are only as sharp as an Astra SP because I use those in my Blackbird and they aren't enough sharpness in this razor for me.
The second pass against the grain pretty much cemented my initial observations. These have to be pretty smooth considering how sensitive my face felt the whole shave that they didn't feel like they were making things worse. No I should not have shaved ATG, no it wasn't entirely comfortable, but in the end I am glad I did.
I have to say that my first experience with this blade was a positive one. It didn't start out tuggy like some Platinum blades do nor did I expect it would. It didn't feel like it was getting any sharper throughout the shave, which would be bad for me. I only use one edge at a time so this edge has the equivalent of two shaves on it and it felt the same from start to finish.
Seven or so hours later, my face feels no worse than it did when I woke up and my neck is actually better than before the shave! The shave is pretty even, not 100%, but as good as I have ever been able to do with this razor due to the small blade exposure compared to my daily Blackbird. My face is as smooth as I expect it to be at this point and don't anticipate much stubble feel before bed time. What I have done here is trade a slightly sharper blade than I normally use for quite a bit less blade exposure and it appears to have worked. The OC really helped keep my skin from being shaved dry. For the next few shaves, I will keep things brief. I am not sure what the plan is at this point, I expect to get four shaves out of this blade!
Off topic but what kind of towel is this? It looks so luxurious.
Had 2 shaves with Polsilver. Both times it gave me smooth nice shaves somewhere between DFS and BBS. I think I probably need to increase the aggression on my Merkur Progress to get a BBS with less touch ups.
It’s a nice blade but I still need some practice to get the same result as with my favourite Wilkinson (Germany). Which is fair enough given that I’ve been using Wilkinson for nearly 2 years.
Today’s SOTD
It’s a nice blade but I still need some practice to get the same result as with my favourite Wilkinson (Germany). Which is fair enough given that I’ve been using Wilkinson for nearly 2 years.
Today’s SOTD
sotd 1-4
First shave with the Polsilver blade. I am going for (at least) 3 times in the same razor. But will alternate with my comparison blade, the Personne lab blue (comfort coated).
Usually the first shave with a blade is not the most comfortable one for me, but this one was the positive exception, even in the Lupo. Did get 1 small cut just under the nose, but that was a typical user error. So very good and nice shave on it's first shave.
Razorock Lupo SS 0.95 SB with UFO handle
Polsilver Stainless vintage
Omega 10049
Tabac Original
Tabac AS
Balea Men Energy ASB
First shave with the Polsilver blade. I am going for (at least) 3 times in the same razor. But will alternate with my comparison blade, the Personne lab blue (comfort coated).
Usually the first shave with a blade is not the most comfortable one for me, but this one was the positive exception, even in the Lupo. Did get 1 small cut just under the nose, but that was a typical user error. So very good and nice shave on it's first shave.
Razorock Lupo SS 0.95 SB with UFO handle
Polsilver Stainless vintage
Omega 10049
Tabac Original
Tabac AS
Balea Men Energy ASB
The blades arrived on the other side of the pond today, thanks a lot! I'll be posting my review in the coming days as I'm not a daily shaver (read: lazy).
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
First shave today with the Polsilver, in my trusty English Gillette Goodwill, with Yardley soap lathered with a Semogue brush, and Max Factor aftershave to finish. My only other vintage blades are 1970s Jewels made in Sheffield, England and it is against these I am comparing the Polsilvers.
From the first stroke the Polsilver is clearly superior - the Jewel is always tuggy on the first shave, so much so that I often strop them prior to use. By comparison, the Polsilver is extremely smooth to the point of being too smooth, you can barely feel it. The sharpness is perfect for me - I dislike blades which are too sharp so Feather, Nacet, and Bic are not for me, even my Wilkinson Swords are a bit much some times. I was actually smiling at how good these blades are, the big test is if they can maintain their performance over subsequent shaves. For a single, one off shave, these are without doubt some of the best blades I have ever tried, I am shocked at how good they are. Looking forward to the next shave.
From the first stroke the Polsilver is clearly superior - the Jewel is always tuggy on the first shave, so much so that I often strop them prior to use. By comparison, the Polsilver is extremely smooth to the point of being too smooth, you can barely feel it. The sharpness is perfect for me - I dislike blades which are too sharp so Feather, Nacet, and Bic are not for me, even my Wilkinson Swords are a bit much some times. I was actually smiling at how good these blades are, the big test is if they can maintain their performance over subsequent shaves. For a single, one off shave, these are without doubt some of the best blades I have ever tried, I am shocked at how good they are. Looking forward to the next shave.
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Today's shave was shave number 2 on blade number 2 with my 1940's Z1 Gillette Super Speed. I got a fine shave with some buffing but continue to feel the vintage Polsilver is just not quite sharp enough for my preference.
Thank you, sir! It's a Matouk 100% Egyptian
cotton bath towel. It is quite luxurious and really big - like a large throw.Statum Blade #1 Shave #2
Tools: Henson Medium V2 Razor, Arko Soap & Plissoft brush.
Another close & smooth two pass shave this A.M.
It was like going down Pikes Peak on a Bobsled.
I will go back to the Wizamet Polsilver Brown Wrapper tomorrow using the Razorock Lupo .58 gap razor.
The call of the wild awaits.
Tools: Henson Medium V2 Razor, Arko Soap & Plissoft brush.
Another close & smooth two pass shave this A.M.
It was like going down Pikes Peak on a Bobsled.
I will go back to the Wizamet Polsilver Brown Wrapper tomorrow using the Razorock Lupo .58 gap razor.
The call of the wild awaits.
Challenge Day 3
Blade: Polsilver Stainless
Razor: Post War NDC Gillette SuperSpeed
Soap: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
Brush: Simpson KH4 Best Badger
Humphrey's Grapefruit Toner WH
Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Friday's shave..As with my 1st shave with this combo, one pass sufficed for my cheeks.
The first two days in this challenge went so smoothly, that I decided for Round 2 to skip the downward pass on my neck and only do 2 passes plus buffing.
On my neck my 1st pass was upward (XTG), and 2nd right to left (ATG). That got me to the BBS/DFS border. A little clean-up buffing in a couple of stubborn areas finished the job.
Result: A DFS/BBS shave with no drama during or after the shave.
Challenge Day 4
Blade: Personna Med Prep from Accutec
Razor: Post War NDC Gillette SuperSpeed
Soap: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
Brush: Simpson Colonel X2L Best Badger
Humphrey's Grapefruit Toner WH
Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Today's shave..As with my 1st shave with this combo, one pass sufficed for my cheeks.
On my neck my 1st pass was upward (XTG), and 2nd right to left (ATG). That got me to the BBS/DFS border. A little clean-up buffing in a couple of stubborn areas finished the job.
Result: A DFS/BBS shave with no drama during or after the shave, but a tiny bit closer than with the Polsilver.
Therefore, Round 2 also goes to the Med Prep by a whisker.
Blade: Polsilver Stainless
Razor: Post War NDC Gillette SuperSpeed
Soap: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
Brush: Simpson KH4 Best Badger
Humphrey's Grapefruit Toner WH
Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Friday's shave..As with my 1st shave with this combo, one pass sufficed for my cheeks.
The first two days in this challenge went so smoothly, that I decided for Round 2 to skip the downward pass on my neck and only do 2 passes plus buffing.
On my neck my 1st pass was upward (XTG), and 2nd right to left (ATG). That got me to the BBS/DFS border. A little clean-up buffing in a couple of stubborn areas finished the job.
Result: A DFS/BBS shave with no drama during or after the shave.
Challenge Day 4
Blade: Personna Med Prep from Accutec
Razor: Post War NDC Gillette SuperSpeed
Soap: Stirling Scots Pine Sheep
Brush: Simpson Colonel X2L Best Badger
Humphrey's Grapefruit Toner WH
Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Today's shave..As with my 1st shave with this combo, one pass sufficed for my cheeks.
On my neck my 1st pass was upward (XTG), and 2nd right to left (ATG). That got me to the BBS/DFS border. A little clean-up buffing in a couple of stubborn areas finished the job.
Result: A DFS/BBS shave with no drama during or after the shave, but a tiny bit closer than with the Polsilver.
Therefore, Round 2 also goes to the Med Prep by a whisker.
Razor: Aristocrat 1948-1950
Blade: Vintage Polsilver (2)
Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm SynBad
Soap: Yardley
Aftershave: Yardley
An excellent, close, comfortable shave using the Polsilver blade. Vintage Yardley shaving soap never disappoints - the lather was dense and super slick.
Blade: Vintage Polsilver (2)
Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm SynBad
Soap: Yardley
Aftershave: Yardley
An excellent, close, comfortable shave using the Polsilver blade. Vintage Yardley shaving soap never disappoints - the lather was dense and super slick.
Performance-wise it's excellent, easy to produce thick, rich, slick lather. Scent-wise it's a little more muted than Stirling Coniferous, and a lot more restrained than the B&M Latha Taiga.
I don't use splashes, just balms, so I've never tried the Scots Pine Sheep aftershave. Sorry.
Wait - What ?!? You're an Arko-nut and you're worried about another soaps smell??? It does not compute!
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