What's new

DownSouthShaver's Quest for Blade and Razor Perfection

Preshave: none
Soap: TFS
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13+++
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (1)
Postshave: none
Aftershave: Proraso green
Rating: 9.8/10

Woke up late today, so a little rushed. I usually use Proraso blue preshave, but skipped it today. Also used no alum block or WH after the shave, just Proraso green AS. The results were excellent! The Bic CP is another blade that I had used previously with good results, but today's results were much better.

I did quick WTG and XTG passes, with a touch up on my problem neck areas. The post shave feel was great and irritation on my neck was no worse than usual. My skin did not feel hot as it sometimes does. I also did some ATG buffing on the mustache area and the blade went through with little to no tugging.

This is definitely one of the closest shaves I have had, especially given my lack of time for extra touch-up. The BCP blade rivals any of my favorite Russian blades, and their price is much more reasonable (currently about $16 US on Amazon) than Gillette Platinums and Rapiras. The Bic Astor was excellent as well, but the CP felt smoother, so I will be sure that I never run out of them.
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: TFS
Brush: Parker badger
Razor: Henson AL13+++
Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum (1)
Postshave: Alum block, Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Fine American Blend
Rating: 9.8/10

Another turn with the Black Ninja blade, first time in the Henson Aggressive. A very sharp and smooth blade with superior results. Very close 2-pass shave with touch ups on the neck.

The only issue is still irritation on my neck. I do not know if I will ever find a blade that gets as close as I am looking for there without the irritation. Could also be my technique, or the more aggressive nature of this razor. I may try to experiment using my Henson mild for the touch ups/buffing of problem areas. Or, I may just slap this one in the mild razor and compare. However, this blade is one of the best for sharpness and smoothness for me. Even with the irritation, the feedback from the alum block and AS was below normal, so that's another plus.

And that darn TFS shaving soap continues to impress me. Very similar to Cella red, maybe a touch slicker and lathers very quickly.
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: Palmolive Classic
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13+++
Blade: Gillette Permasharp (Russian, 1)
Postshave: Alum block, Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Ice Sport
Rating: 9.9/10

Ahhhhhh, the good old Gillette Permasharp. I have yet to find one of my razors that doesn't work with this blade. Sharp, smooth, comfortable, and very low irritation from it. My neck feels great afterward, even with buffing the problem spots. Low stinging from both the alum block and the AS. Not much more to say about it. It's just near perfection for me.

I think this one is going to be in a shootout with the GSB, Suneko, Rapira Platinum Lux, Nacet, and the Gillette Platinum (Russian) for my all-time favorite. I have already re-confirmed my liking of the Rapira in the new razor, but will begin trying the others out again in the Henson aggressive.
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: Speick
Brush: Parker badger
Razor: Henson AL13+++
Blade: Gillette Platinum (Russian, 1)
Postshave: Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman
Rating: 9.9/10

Whatever I said about the Permasharp yesterday can be said about the Platinum. Another fine Russian blade that I can find no fault with. I haven't used a Platinum in a while and have forgotten its charms. I have been one and done with so many blades over the past few weeks, I could be in the one and done club like @Eric_75, LOL.

The neck feels great, only a few spots of irritation on the bottom spots where I got careless, and the skin feels cool. Actually, I can't remember getting this close to BBS on my neck, so I might have to give the Platinum a slightly higher rating than the Permasharp. The blade feel is also great, in that there is not much feel at all. If you told me I could never use this blade again, I think I would be extremely upset! I hear the "Swedes" may have been even better, but I have not been able to procure one of those.

And a mention on the Speick cream, as it is always a pleasure to use with a great scent and superior slickness/cushion. For what it costs, it may be the best out there.

Now I need to get back to auditioning my lower cost blades. However, I think I might go with a GSB tomorrow, but will just have to see what mood I am in. Hope everyone in the U.S. has a good long weekend!!
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: TFC
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13+++
Blade: German Wilkinson Sword (1)
Postshave: Alum block, Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Ice Blue
Rating: 9/10

So, the mood hit me to use a Wilkinson Sword today, as I have always liked it. The closeness of the shave was on par with the Platinum yesterday, as well as the smoothness. I have a bad habit when things are going good in the first part of the shave, in that it makes me greedy to chase BBS on my neck. This is almost always a mistake, and today was no exception. Lots of redness, irritation, and a few nicks on the neck today. The overall closeness, however, is BBS on the face, and close to it on the neck.

I really like this blade, both for performance and for nostalgia. I always loved those Wilkinson Sword commercials in the 70s with the crossed swords at the end. Regardless of that, this is still a blade that works well and is top-tier sharp and smooth in my experiences. I will continue to keep a stock of these. Not exactly an economical blade, but there are greater things to quibble about than a few bucks more to get the best. Life is too short for less than satisfying shaves with sub-standard blades, LOL. I just have to remember to take it easy.
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: Proraso Blue
Brush: Parker badger
Razor: Henson AL13+++
Blade: Personna Viking's Sword (2)
Postshave: Alum block, Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Gillette Cool Wave
Rating: 9.9/10

Today I decided to revisit another blade that gave super results in the past - the Viking's Sword. I had one with just one shave on it, and it produced outstanding results again. Definitely a top-tier rating for me, right there with the Gillette Platinum, Nacet, Permasharp, Rapira, GSB, and Suneko, among a few others.

I resisted the urge to over-shave my neck, just doing 2 passes (WTG and XTG) and the results were still closer than most blades on my neck with which I did a lot of extra buffing. Feedback from the alum block was less than usual, but still a nice sting with the Cool Wave AS. So, fewer passes, great efficiency, and less irritation - what's not to like?

The Viking's Sword is definitely worth purchasing 100 at a time. However, as I give serious evaluation to so many blades, I realize two things:

1) I love variety. Finding the ultimate blade is nice, but would probably be boring. And,
2) There are so many excellent blades that agree with my face, I won't have any issues finding blades in the future that will provide the quality of shave that I am looking for.

I hope everyone has a good Sunday!!
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: Speick
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Gillette Slim (3, 4, and 8 settings)
Blade: Treet 7 Days Platinum (1)
Postshave: Alum block, Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Fine American Blend
Rating: 8.5/10

So, I have this really nice '66 Gillette Slim that just lays in my drawer most days because I have gotten better results with both of my Henson's, as well as my Schick Krona. But, the razor is beautiful, so decided to pull it out today and load it up with the Treet 7 Days Platinum, which had provided stellar results before in my Henson mild.

I started out on setting 3. Everything went fine, except for a couple of nicks which were my fault. After the first pass, the reduction of stubble on my neck was noticeably less than the Henson aggressive, so I moved up to 4 for the second pass. Pretty much the same thing. So, I figured, what the heck -- stop being a wuss, and cranked it up to 8. This produced more efficient reduction on my neck, but either the aggressiveness of the blade or the extra passes on my neck resulted in some razor burn.

I really want to like the Slim, but the Henson is just so darn easy. I think I might need to just give it a shot on 8 to begin with and see how things go. Might have to throw in a Suneko, which has great sharpness and resulted in the lowest irritation of any blade I have tried, if my memory serves me correctly. I think I just need to use the Slim for a solid week and perfect my technique with it, or make an informed decision on whether or not I continue using it at all. I'm not ready to give up on it yet, though.

As for the 7 Days Platinum, it is indeed a great blade, with a great price. I rank it on top with the Suneko and Dorco Prime as the best performance/price combo, with the Shark Platinum a little behind them. I will definitely keep them in the stash.
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: TFC
Brush: Parker badger
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Dorco Prime (1)
Postshave: Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Proraso green
Rating: 6.5/10

What a lousy day for my face. After posting yesterday, I got delayed irritation on my neck and discovered more nicks and bumps. It's also been way cold here just north of Atlanta, so I don't know if the atmospheric conditions contributed to it, but is sucks nonetheless.

So, in an effort to shave, I started out with Lectric Shave and my trusty old Philips 3-head electric razor. Something just didn't feel right. I used the razor for years with great results (for an electric), but I think my face was just too battle worn from the substellar results from the Gillette Slim yesterday. I got an OK shave, but not that close on the neck. Didn't want to push it as it was already not feeling good.

I decided to load a new Dorco Prime into the Henson aggessive on my lunch break and got a pretty good shave, but there were areas around my jaw line that still felt like I was dragging a chainsaw across it. Not the blade or razor's fault, just a result of previous shaving attempts. I hope tomorrow brings better results. And it's going to be a while before I give the Slim any more face time.

On the upside, I did get a delivery today of Stephan 320 face, body, and scalp lotion. I like the scent, kind of a cousin to Lustray Blue Spice, so we will see how it works tomorrow.
 
Preshave: Proraso Blue
Soap: Proraso green (cream)
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Personna Israeli Red (1)
Postshave: Alum block, Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Stephan 320
Rating: 9.9/10

Today's shave really didn't have anywhere to go but up from yesterday. I decided to load a new Israeli Red in the Henson aggressive and got a really great, close, irritation-free shave.

I really wonder what happened yesterday with the Slim. The only thing I can think of is blade chatter. I know there is a final "locking turn" on it, and I was sure to do that, so it may remain a mystery as to what exactly went wrong.

Back to today's shave...I decided to use a different direction on my ATG passes on my neck, starting low on the outside of my neck and shaving upward towards my chin. I guess you could say southwest to northeast on the left side, then southeast to northwest on the right side. This produced great closeness and no irritation. The Israeli Red may have also contributed as it is indeed a very smooth blade. I recall the German Red being very smooth as well, so may have to compare them head to head one day. I even used my electric razor afterwards to get ultra BBS in some spots, and it felt like glass, so I guess we are back to normal after a lousy experience yesterday.

Another note is that the Proraso green cream was excellent and the menthol gave a very cooling sensation throughout the shave, which may have lowered the burn on my neck. Very low feedback from the alum block in all areas. Also used Stephan 320 AS for the first time, and did not notice much sting, if any at all. I really like the scent. Close to Lustray Blue, but different, though I can't quite describe it. But the scent and feel are nice, so will definitely keep using it.
 
Preshave: None
Soap: Proraso Green (cream)
Brush: Parker badger
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)
Postshave: none
Aftershave: Proraso green
Rating: 10/10

Unable to shave yesterday for various reasons, so with two days of growth, decided I needed to go with something really sharp. The Gillette Nacet was the obvious choice.

What an outstanding shave. I got BBS everywhere, including my neck, with no irritation, burn, nicks -- nothing. The post shave face feel is amazing. The new ATG direction on my neck has proven to be the ticket once again!! I do not plan on giving up my other blades, but when I absolutely positively have to get a BBS shave, this will be my razor and blade.

This shave is also making me rethink if I actually need the Proraso blue preshave. Think I will skip it for a while and see how things go. Needless to say, today's shave was the best! Have a good weekend everybody.
 
Preshave: None
Soap: Five Fives
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Dorco ST300 (1)
Postshave: Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Gillette Cool Wave
Rating: 9.5/10

My best budget blade now goes to the Dorco ST300. I got a a really nice shave and very close on my neck with just a little buffing. My face is a little more itchy afterwards, but I do not know if the cream could be part of that equation. You can currently pick up 200 of these Dorcos on Amazon US for 14 bucks, so that is super for a blade with this kind of performance. I achieved the same closeness all over as I did with the Nacet yesterday, but the Nacet wins out in the lower irritation category. The smoothness of this blade is also top notch and the aftershave sting was minimal. No real tugging on my ATG pass in the mustache area, which for me signals really good sharpness.

Speaking of the cream, the Five Fives has a great citrus scent and good menthol tingle, although I could not smell the menthol like I can with Proraso green. I would consider buying this cream again, but it's a little bit expensive, going for 10 bucks on Amazon US for only a 50 gram tube. When I ordered this tube, the seller unexpectedly threw in a Lord L6 razor, which I have used and enjoyed.

Back to the blade, it is exceptional, especially for the price. I think the Dorco Prime is slightly better, but I can see using it on a regular basis. The shave would be a 10, but have to take a little off due to the slight irritation.
 
Preshave: None
Soap: Proraso green cream
Brush: Parker badger
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Suneko (1)
Postshave: Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Fine American Blend
Rating: 9.9/10

First go around with this blade in the Henson aggressive. I had used this blade a few times before and immediately bought 100, and it performed in it's usual, stellar fashion again in this razor. This blade is as sharp and smooth as any I have found.

I can only say that I have a plethora of top-tier blades at this time -- Gillette Platinum, Nacet, Rapira Platinum Lux, GSB, Bic Chrome, Lab Blue, Israeli Reds, German Wilkinson Swords, Russian Permasharps -- plus a few others I need to revisit. I guess it's nice to have so many that work, but my BAD wants to get several hundred of each, LOL. But, as I said before, I like variety, so it's good to know I could use a different blade each day of the week and get superior results.

On a bummer note, my order of 100 Nacets from Jordan has been delayed in the U.S. for over 10 days, and the tracking number is not trackable, according to the USPS website. So, guess I will have to hope that they show up someday as I don't think I have any recourse with USPS. Guess I will just have to spend a few dollars more and get them from Amazon or RBC in the future to ensure that they arrive.

However, I did receive a few vintage English London Bridge blades from a seller in Poland, so I will have to load one of those up this week. Some say they are the equal to the legendary "Light Brigade" blades, with which I have no experience, but am eager to try the Bridges.

Back to the salt mines tomorrow.
 
I didn't get the chance to shave today, but did get these in the mail today from Jordan. A true thing of beauty.

1000002264.jpg
 
However, I did receive a few vintage English London Bridge blades from a seller in Poland, so I will have to load one of those up this week. Some say they are the equal to the legendary "Light Brigade" blades, with which I have no experience, but am eager to try the Bridges.

Back to the salt mines tomorrow.

I have bought the London Bridges from the same Poland seller in the past. Those are exceptional blades. Equal to the "Light Brigade"? No, but they are not that far.

Light Brigade: More durable (I can squeeze a few more shaves from a single blade); Sharper.
London Bridge: More comfortable.

Obviously, YMMV.
 
Evening of JAN 27:

Preshave: Hot towel
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Vintage London Bridge (1)
Postshave: Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Ice Blue
Rating: 9.0/10

So, since I was tied up with work all day on Monday, I took a few passes at 2PM with my electric razor, which I keep at my desk. It was just enough to knock off the heavy stuff. I decided around 9PM that I just had to shave, so I loaded up the Henson and threw in one of the vintage London Bridges.

This one was weird, but the situation was weird as well. The blade was definitely smooth, but I had to do several extra passes on my neck and really didn't get close to BBS like I would with a Gillette Platinum, Nacet, or Suneko. Even with the extra buffing, there was no irritation and the feedback from the AV was minimal, which is a good sign. I also warmed my face up with a hot, wet towel for a few minutes, which I never do. This may have contributed to the lower irritation.

I give it a 10 for smoothness, but will reserve judgement on its sharpness until I give it another go in the near future when I have only had 24 hours of growth. Overall, the face felt great, so we will see how it goes next time.

Morning of JAN 28:

Preshave: None
Soap: TFS
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Henson AL13 +++
Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium (1)
Postshave: Dickinson's WH
Aftershave: Proraso green
Rating: 9/10

Well, this shave is weird as well because I had shaved about 11 hours earlier. To be quite frank, I expected a closer shave on the neck, given the reduced amount of growth. I have used the Wizamet once or twice before with good results, and that's how I classify this shave -- good, but not great. It kind of reminds me of the Silver Star, both being lauded by many here in the community, but only worked OK for me.

The blade is definitely smooth, but just did not get close on the neck like my other top blades do. It might be me and my technique, but when I can get 100 Sunekos for a fraction of the price (that perform superbly with the same technique), I'm just not going to bother buying any more of these. Heck, even the Nacets are cheaper with far better results. I had no problem with the closeness on my face -- it was great, and there was no irritation anywhere initially. Later on, though, my neck felt itchy. To be top-tier for me, it has to do well on my neck, which this one only performed so-so.

Actually, I am glad to eliminate a blade from my blade acquisition disorder, LOL. Like Forrest said, "That's good. One less thing."
 
I keep only my feet dipped in the Journal and Diaries forum but i have looked at and read some good and great posts and reviews and the like, @DownSouthShaver yours is one i got to read all of so far and i am enjoying it a lot.

Your blade disorder is quite over the top to me. I like using different blades but mine are tuck boxes of a few brands not 20× tuck boxes of each... lol...
 
Vintage blades are often glorified and shrouded in an aura of legend. I've spent quite a bit of money in the past in the search for the ultimate Excalibur. Personna 74s, Light Brigades, Spoilers, Platinum Swedes, Schick Krona Super Stainless, the OP's London Bridges and more.
Don't get me wrong, they are all exceptional blades, made to an higher than today's standard.
But is it really worth to drop your hard earned cash on these high coveted relics from the past when a modern blade can shave the same or even better in some cases?
The only field where the vintage blades shine is their incredible longevity. But who cares about longevity when you can buy 100 Nacets for the price of a tuck of London Bridges? Is it really worth to toss a Personna 74 out of boredom after 30 shaves when at the same price I can shave every day with a fresh new Wizamet?
It's the lore, the heritage, the pursue of the almost unobtainable that often drive our judgement. I have hundreds of vintage blades but they are collecting dust. It's like I don't want to waste them and I always reach for an easily replaceable modern blade which still does its job very well.
 
I keep only my feet dipped in the Journal and Diaries forum but i have looked at and read some good and great posts and reviews and the like, @DownSouthShaver yours is one i got to read all of so far and i am enjoying it a lot.

Your blade disorder is quite over the top to me. I like using different blades but mine are tuck boxes of a few brands not 20× tuck boxes of each... lol...
@losing, thanks for the kind words and I am glad you enjoy my postings. And you are correct, my BAD is over the top. Seems that lately I go from one obsession to the next, and go all in. At least this hobby is cheaper than golf, LOL. Stay tuned, I have a lot more blades to try out.
 
Top Bottom