There's been some fabulous razors produced in this competition over the years.
Going to be interesting to see what turns up this year.
Damn Comfortable Shave
- Thread starter Chan Eil Whiskers
- Start date
There's been some fabulous razors produced in this competition over the years.
Going to be interesting to see what turns up this year.
- Thread starter
- #7,042
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Today's shave tells me I'm not too far from another big SR milestone.
Progress is slow, but happening. In my straight razor shaving I mean.
How's the edge of my Kukri going?
I've been using, most of the time, this Zulu Grey edge since April 6th with only stropping. On March 31st I decided to use this Kukri exclusively (more or less) for awhile. The edge was then off the coticule with oil. Later it was treated to pastes. However, since April 6th I've been running a straight Zulu Grey edge (no paste, just the edge off the stone) on this $13.50 eBay razor.
I've been using this Kukri razor long enough to know the edge has held up well but how long will it go without anything more than stropping and remain very sharp? Going by today's shave, it's just getting warmed up.
This software would be very very hard to beat I think. This Zenith Manchurian is a stellar brush by any performance based standard. Does it feel great on my skin or what!
Happy shaves,
Jim
Progress is slow, but happening. In my straight razor shaving I mean.
How's the edge of my Kukri going?
I've been using, most of the time, this Zulu Grey edge since April 6th with only stropping. On March 31st I decided to use this Kukri exclusively (more or less) for awhile. The edge was then off the coticule with oil. Later it was treated to pastes. However, since April 6th I've been running a straight Zulu Grey edge (no paste, just the edge off the stone) on this $13.50 eBay razor.
I've been using this Kukri razor long enough to know the edge has held up well but how long will it go without anything more than stropping and remain very sharp? Going by today's shave, it's just getting warmed up.
This software would be very very hard to beat I think. This Zenith Manchurian is a stellar brush by any performance based standard. Does it feel great on my skin or what!
Happy shaves,
Jim
Yes indeed!
It seems you have definitely gotten “there” with the straight razors! - How are your straight shaves stacking up against your favorite safety razor benchmark?
It seems you have definitely gotten “there” with the straight razors! - How are your straight shaves stacking up against your favorite safety razor benchmark?
- Thread starter
- #7,044
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Pretty well.
- Improving (that is, moving towards better and better SR shaves; thus closer and smoother).
- In terms of closeness and smoothness my safety razor shaves, not that I'm shaving with safety razors, but just knowing how they are, are closer and smoother.
- In terms of comfort - during the shave, right after the shave, and until the next shave - my SR shaves are much more comfortable than my safety razor shaves.
- My SR shaves take a good bit more time, but are becoming less time consuming (and my safety razor shaves are slow, too, just not as slow as the SR shaves).
- I enjoy the SR shaves more.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Happy shaves indeed! It seems you landed in a pretty great spot with these razors. Congrats!
- Thread starter
- #7,046
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Landed might be a stretch. Crawled though minefields covered with shards of broken glass?
- Thread starter
- #7,047
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Friday's shave was good.
I believe the edge is beginning to tell me it needs a tad of refreshing - on the pastes or on the Zulu Grey? - which I'll maybe do on Saturday.
I used, as usual, the alum on my fingers to improve my grip + I had a couple of small nicks and used alum on them (no need for the styptic pencil today). Special Reserve is a nice Friday scent.
Today is James Brown's birthday. Maybe he's having a party?
Happy shaves,
Jim
I believe the edge is beginning to tell me it needs a tad of refreshing - on the pastes or on the Zulu Grey? - which I'll maybe do on Saturday.
I used, as usual, the alum on my fingers to improve my grip + I had a couple of small nicks and used alum on them (no need for the styptic pencil today). Special Reserve is a nice Friday scent.
Today is James Brown's birthday. Maybe he's having a party?
Happy shaves,
Jim
- Thread starter
- #7,048
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I am heartbroken. Another one of my good friends has been killed riding his bicycle. I stopped riding on the road after the first was killed and his widow begged me to stop. Now, this morning, another was killed, hit from behind I think while waiting at a red light near his home. He was a great guy, a great friend, a retired engineer, a big time cyclist, a guy I've ridden thousands of miles with, a father, and now he's killed.
That's terrible to hear, Jim... Accept my condolences for your loss.
I hope you find calm and peace soon.
I hope you find calm and peace soon.
- Thread starter
- #7,050
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thank you.
Really sorry to hear that Jim.
It's not that uncommon over here in the UK, cyclists getting killed on the roads.
Probably the main reason my bike hasn't moved outside of my garage in over 10 years.
Sorry for the loss of your friend.
- Thread starter
- #7,052
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thanks, Doug.
Sorry to hear Jim.
Drivers these days are the reason I'm no longer on two wheels.
Drivers these days are the reason I'm no longer on two wheels.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
That's awful to hear. Sorry for your loss, Jim.
- Thread starter
- #7,055
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thanks, Mike. Be safe.
- Thread starter
- #7,056
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thanks, Al. I've spent some time on the phone in last couple of hours talking with our mutual friends, crazy bicycle friends. We all did endless centuries and brevets and all that crazy stuff together and feel very bonded by tragedy, this being the second in a fairly small group of super endurance cyclists.
My late friend was a nationally known cyclists within that world, and quite accomplished. He was somewhat famous for having a bicycle wreck with an armadillo a few years ago, but that was a road rash event and funny later.
Oh my...
I am so sorry.
I am so sorry.
That's terrible news. I am so sorry. - My deepest condolences.
- Thread starter
- #7,059
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thank you, gentlemen.
It's almost exactly 24 hours since he was killed. One of our friends has a friend who was at the intersection and saw the accident. He had to have been killed instantly I think and probably didn't even experience it if that's possible. I hope so.
We all have these tragedies to deal with, but knowing that doesn't help much at all. Maybe just enough though. There are worse things than death.
- Thread starter
- #7,060
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
My razor's decided it needed a refresh on the Zulu Grey.
In real life the wet stone (as opposed to the dry slurry stone) has a decided greenish cast which unfortunately doesn't show up in my photos). It's quite attractive.
I use, on the dining room table, a mat designed for cleaning the AR-15. I assume it's water and oil proof and will protect the table. It's covered with a red towel to soak up any little spills. I honed today with water.
My honing began with considerable stiction from the get go. I honed until I could feel almost nothing happening. All strokes were very light, just the weight of the blade. Not counting but I'd guess maybe forty round trips which was probably overkill, but I'm not at all sure how to know when to stop with this stone.
The stone is 8x3" and just a tad oversized compared with my other stones of that size which means it won't fit in the nice plastic Shapton boxes I use to store most stones which didn't come with their own box. My coticule is undersized, but it fits in a Shapton box along with its slurry stone and leaves room for some padding to prevent it shifting about and banging (as I carry it, carefully, from the dining room table to the living room cabinet, a distance of at least eight to ten feet).
Time for stropping and the shave test. Life goes on.
Happy shaves,
Jim
In real life the wet stone (as opposed to the dry slurry stone) has a decided greenish cast which unfortunately doesn't show up in my photos). It's quite attractive.
I use, on the dining room table, a mat designed for cleaning the AR-15. I assume it's water and oil proof and will protect the table. It's covered with a red towel to soak up any little spills. I honed today with water.
My honing began with considerable stiction from the get go. I honed until I could feel almost nothing happening. All strokes were very light, just the weight of the blade. Not counting but I'd guess maybe forty round trips which was probably overkill, but I'm not at all sure how to know when to stop with this stone.
The stone is 8x3" and just a tad oversized compared with my other stones of that size which means it won't fit in the nice plastic Shapton boxes I use to store most stones which didn't come with their own box. My coticule is undersized, but it fits in a Shapton box along with its slurry stone and leaves room for some padding to prevent it shifting about and banging (as I carry it, carefully, from the dining room table to the living room cabinet, a distance of at least eight to ten feet).
Time for stropping and the shave test. Life goes on.
Happy shaves,
Jim
