Damn Comfortable Shave

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday my shave was excellent.

This tiny brush, a mixture of badger and boar, is a great performer. It's not a favorite brush, but it works really well. It's a little small and a little scritchy; not that it performs small because it hits way beyond its weight class. It's an excellent little brush. I could get by with only this brush and be happy enough.

My ERN razor's edge is stellar. Comfortable as sin and sharp as sharp can be. It is definitely in the very top tier of my razors, blades, and edges.

Excellent kit. Excellent shave.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[santamariasteve]

Brother Chan,

Your list of requirements is pretty good. However, I don't find the E-2 is a razor that one can throw around his face "with reckless abandon." I have several and they're excellent on my tough whiskers. But slow and careful, while being highly focused is the order of the morning!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Brother Chan,

Your list of requirements is pretty good. However, I don't find the E-2 is a razor that one can throw around his face "with reckless abandon." I have several and they're excellent on my tough whiskers. But slow and careful, while being highly focused is the order of the morning!

I've been told mine is an exception. Perhaps it's true.

Nothing wrong with slow and careful and highly focused.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

How can shaves be graded so they can be compared over time?

The material below was lifted from another thread. Link. I'm parking it here so I easily find it. It looks like a very good system.

Grading Shaves using a simple rating system of 50 + 50. Max 50 points for shave comfort, and max 50 points for shave closeness.

Comfort
0-25. Shaves not able to be completed because razor was cutting, biting, tugging, etc.
25-30 Shave was completed, but strongly considered abandoning
30-35 Shave was completed with significant irritation afterwards
35-40 Shave was completed with minor irritation and significant alcohol burn afterwards
40-50 Quality shave with indicated amounts of acceptable tightness, dryness, or slight discomfort.

Closeness
0-25 Not a shave. Inferior results to a single pass shave from a sharp razor
25-30 Equal results to what is attainable from a single pass shave with a sharp razor
30-35 Inferior shave. Beard can be felt in most directions across face and neck
35-40 Borderline shave. Beard can be felt with skin stretched ATG exclusively across face, XTG at tricky to shave area's.
40-45 Acceptable shave. Beard can be felt with skin stretched ATG in some hard to shave parts, but not all of face.
45-50 Exceptional shave. Beard can not be felt at all with skin stretched after shave. Score reflective of closeness of shave prior to 3rd pass.

The comfort scores I'm getting are better than the closeness scores.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[santamariasteve]

How can shaves be graded so they can be compared over time?

The material below was lifted from another thread. Link. I'm parking it here so I easily find it. It looks like a very good system.



The comfort scores I'm getting are better than the closeness scores.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I shaved this morning with a 1936 Gillette Aristocrat razor, my birth year razor, loaded with a Long's Drug Store brand blade that was made in Israel. The blade had 5 previous daily shaves on it. I did a traditional 3 pass shave. My rating would be:

Comfort = 45

Closeness = 50

Overall score = 95​

 

[Raven Koenes]

How can shaves be graded so they can be compared over time?

The material below was lifted from another thread. Link. I'm parking it here so I easily find it. It looks like a very good system.



The comfort scores I'm getting are better than the closeness scores.

Happy shaves,

Jim

That's an interesting link and a fair scoring base. I think if you wanted to really dial it in we might ask Grant @ShavingByTheNumbers to come up with a complete comprehensive rating system (if he has the time or the interest).

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I shaved this morning with a 1936 Gillette Aristocrat razor, my birth year razor, loaded with a Long's Drug Store brand blade that was made in Israel. The blade had 5 previous daily shaves on it. I did a traditional 3 pass shave. My rating would be:

Comfort = 45

Closeness = 50

Overall score = 95​

Congratulations on having a birth year razor, particularly such a nice one as the Aristocrat. Congratulations on such a great shave. You've probably had some practice.

That's an interesting link and a fair scoring base. I think if you wanted to really dial it in we might ask Grant @ShavingByTheNumbers to come up with a complete comprehensive rating system (if he has the time or the interest).

Rave, this system seems to me sufficiently comprehensive and easy enough to use.

There's always going to be some subjectivity and some prone to interpretation stuff in systems like this. Its inter-observer reliability might not be perfect but if I use it honestly and in a consistent manner shouldn't it do the job for me? The intra-rater reliability is what I'm interested in more than the inter-rater reliability.

Think about your own shaves. Could you rate them over time with this system and feel pretty confident that your scores in five years are on the same system as your scores in ten years so they can be compared with your scores today? I'm not saying the answer to these questions is yes. I'm asking if it's yes. It's what I'm asking myself.

If my answer is yes, it's a system I can use.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

Congratulations on having a birth year razor, particularly such a nice one as the Aristocrat. Congratulations on such a great shave. You've probably had some practice.



Rave, this system seems to me sufficiently comprehensive and easy enough to use.

There's always going to be some subjectivity and some prone to interpretation stuff in systems like this. Its inter-observer reliability might not be perfect but if I use it honestly and in a consistent manner shouldn't it do the job for me? The intra-rater reliability is what I'm interested in more than the inter-rater reliability.

Think about your own shaves. Could you rate them over time with this system and feel pretty confident that your scores in five years are on the same system as your scores in ten years so they can be compared with your scores today? I'm not saying the answer to these questions is yes. I'm asking if it's yes. It's what I'm asking myself.

If my answer is yes, it's a system I can use.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Yeah, but I love Grant's charts and graphs, and if we had a machine that goes "ping" that would even be better.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Friday's shave was nearly excellent.

This edge is suburb, but it could be just a smidgeon smoother. The question is could it be both a bit smoother and also every bit as sharp? This was honed by the vendor.

When I say how good the shave was I'm acknowledging it is far less great than my better E-2 shaves. This shave is near excellent compared to other SR shaves. I will consider switching to the system of rating shaves mentioned earlier; it's clearly much more objective.

Very good kit.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

I will consider switching to the system of rating shaves mentioned earlier; it's clearly much more objective.

Very good kit.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Okay you win...but you still need the machine that goes "ping".

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Okay you win...but you still need the machine that goes "ping".

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Saturday's shave was interesting and experimental.

Seldom do I use two straights in one shave but today I did.

I determined today a couple of things.

• Honing with a a couple of drops of mineral oil seems to be okay (on the Norton Convex).
• The Kukri is sharp and comfortable but not in my very top tier of edges even after a hundred or two round trips on the Norton Convex using mineral oil.
• My Kinfolks #1 is marginally acceptable but I doubt its edge is as good as the edge of my Kinfolks #2.
• Honing with mineral oil this Kinfolks on the Norton Convex certainly helped its edge, but not enough (yet?).
• I'm not sure the Kukri's edge improved at all, but maybe it did.
• I'll have to do a head to head with the two Kinfolks to know more.

Part of my agenda is assembling a very top tier group of razors. I want to maintain their edges of course. Neither of these razors qualifies just yet, but I've given up on neither of them (long term).

Another agenda item is becoming good enough at honing, and consistent enough to gradually add to the top tier group all the razors capable of achieving inclusion in that group. Some probably aren't.

I used on my left side the Kinfolks and on my right side the Kukri.

• After the first pass the difference in two sides was obvious and probably significant.
• After the second pass the difference was still there but a lot less obvious and less significant.
• After the third pass the difference as pretty subtle (but there I believe). Significant? Maybe not. Certainly not on a lazy Saturday.

I mean lathered passes as in I lather up again. I probably do at least ten actual passes.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

Thanks, Rave (@Raven Koenes) and Jim (@Chan Eil Whiskers), for the shout-out. Just as we've discussed a comprehensive razor rating system, the same could be done with lather products with less parameters, I think, but changes in formulation would add a kink.

P.S. Jim, I haven't forgotten your razors, buddy. I haven't started measuring any yet, but I keep reminding myself to get to it and try them out. Thanks again for your patience. If you want them back soon, please let me know.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thanks, Rave (@Raven Koenes) and Jim (@Chan Eil Whiskers), for the shout-out. Just as we've discussed a comprehensive razor rating system, the same could be done with lather products with less parameters, I think, but changes in formulation would add a kink.

P.S. Jim, I haven't forgotten your razors, buddy. I haven't started measuring any yet, but I keep reminding myself to get to it and try them out. Thanks again for your patience. If you want them back soon, please let me know.

Glad to hear from you, Grant. I'm in no hurry on the razors. I want them back when you're finished with the project involving them.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

Glad to hear from you, Grant. I'm in no hurry on the razors. I want them back when you're finished with the project involving them.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Thanks, Jim. I'm putting a hold on lather optimization to put pressure on myself to start analyzing those razors of yours.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Sunday's shave was very good indeed.

This is my new and newly honed Robeson Premier razor. I believe the edge might be one I can get even sharper. That's not to say it's not very sharp now because it is. It's also exceedingly comfortable.

I like this razor! It was acquired from an eBay vendor and honed on the Washita, and on the DCA soft side, and on the Norton Convex. Following the honing I wasn't 100% sure the edge would be as comfortable as it has turned out to be.

Good kit. Good shave.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Monday my shave was very nice.

Same razor as yesterday. I will definitely put it to the Norton Convex for more finishing and to achieve an even sharper edge, but that doesn't mean it's bad now. It's good, but I want it to be top tier great.



Good shave though.

Good soap. Good brush. Good kit all around.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday's shave was excellent.

My Wide Torrey has the most excellent edge. It doesn't even seem sharp (only comfortable) but it's very sharp and shaves close. The first pass results are very telling.

Counting shaves I am.

Great kit and excellent shave.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Today's shave was great.

My kit?

• Feather SS barber razor (folding) loaded with a Proline (not new).
• Grooming Dept Molten, Preshave, Serum.
• Zenith horsehair brush.

I was fairly amazed at how well the barber razor shaved me and even more so at how much I enjoyed the shave!

I used the Feather razor because it gives me a basis for comparison. Are my real straight razors's edges as sharp as an AC blade? I don't think they are. Not the ones I've purchased from the one vendor whose edges I consider good. Not the ones I've honed (my best efforts).

That's not to say there's much difference. My best edges are very close to being as sharp as the Proline. Still, the edge goes to the manufactured AC blade. I don't like saying that but it's my honest impression.

I noticed today that the Feather razor is balanced in a way where it seems top heavy. The blade end is heavy feeling in my hand. Not that it matters at all in the shave. It's just different from the straight razors.

The other reason I used this razor was because I'm thinking about whether to take it with me when I go on my beach vacation instead of toting the strop and deciding how many razors to take and worrying about ending up with a blade which gets dull in the middle of the vacation (not that that is a likely event). The Feather SS is an easy option.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday my shave was lousy.

My Fredericks razor, honed yesterday, flunked the shave test.

The razor shaved me comfortably but not closely. I knew it wasn't a good shave from the first pass to the last. Back to the hones for this blade.

My kit included GD Preshave and Serum.

This is the old bottle of bay rum, but I didn't take a picture of the new bottle with Cremo Moisturizer so you'll pardon me showing the wrong bottle.

Happy shaves,

Jim