GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY

[JoWolf]

Kamisori
Lost in a forest of stone and steel. Trying to find the appropriate combination to fit the blade for my shave. Forging a piece of steel, hammering away on an anvil, in a dimly lit workshop forming a tool. Assures that you do have a unique blade and there won’t be another exactly the same. Hair popping sharpness is a prerequisite for my consistent BBS shaves. My single use DE feather blade and Grande razor achieves this face and head shave every time. A Kamisori would be no different to me than a cart razor if it didn’t deliver consistent BBS shaves. Which were very close to non existent with carts for me.

I hone the Tosuke to hair popping sharpness. Yet a DFS is my best result. Trying too hard has brought neck irritation. Shave Irritation is poor technique. The blade sharpness is reminiscent to my first experiences with Feathers. I used and sold off a dozen razors before the Gold Grande bested the competitors. Not because it was the best razor. It is the razor best suited to my DE shave style.

Western straight shaves were progressing, a 4/8 blade did not shave as well for me as a 5/8 blade. It wasn’t sharpness, finding the angle was easier for me with the larger blade. The 6/8 was another improvement. The 13/16 improved once again and with the razors added weight and mass elevated, best shave results were achieved. The added weight and mass was an added comfort and efficiency was felt in every stroke.

The Tosuke blade is 17mm in width a shade under 11/16. I purchased a heavier blade looks to be between 6/8 & 13/16. There is a decent chip out of the heal. Until honed I won’t know the width but there will be an increase in width and mass. I believe the added blade width and mass will improve my shaves. All my honing and stropping with the Tosuke blade has been pleasurable, producing good results. I look forward to honing a slightly larger blade.

If anyone can identify the blade by the Kanji I would appreciate any information.

Technique and a razor suited to my shave style elevated my shaves to my best achieved comfort. I continue to adjust ratios on the Tosuke and have decided to put a 3:2 on the blade since it is due for a touch up. I will again mention my preference for honing a Kamisori blade above any other honing job. I’ll update my progress with the new blade once I shave with it. I haven’t decided what ratio and just might start it off with a 1:1 since I have some heavier honing required for the chip, and initial bevel set.

I quit shaving my neck with the Kamisori. A little irritation is totally unnecessary and not worth experiencing any pain and discomfort, for the sake of learning quicker. When cheeks and goatee area are shaved at BBS consistently, I will move to the neck skin with the Kamisori blade.

With ultra sensitive neck skin my shave journey has taught me the importance of skin care. I never used or considered post shave products other than the odd splash of after shave, sparingly. My post shave skin care is a very large part of my shave now. I look forward to my post shave routine as much or more than the shave. You get old things change. I wish I had taken better care of my skin. The largest and easiest organ to care for.
Shave on Dudes

 

[Esox]

Interesting blade. Try asking in the straight razor forum. Someone must know.

 

[JoWolf]

Lanolin to juniper. Mitchell’s Wool Fat soap brings a significant amount of lanolin to the shave and remains in the skin, post shave. A win win if lanolin helps in your skin nourishment. The fat is a finicky soap to work with. For my preferences Vito’s shave soap more easily adjusts my lather consistencies for the multiple changes I require during my face and head shaves. No problem Mitchell’s bath bar is my new shower pre shave face and head soap. Lanolin before during and after the shave, skin help and blade glide improvement.

Thirty plus straight razor shaves and ten plus Kamisori shaves over the last eight months has taken a toll on my neck and face skin. When technique does not provide the appropriate skin protection. We need a new game plan to go forward. My comment and feeling with western straight and Kamisori blades. I would drop both of them like a hot potato if it weren’t for the honing. Shaving Technique is removing hair with minimum skin damage. My Against The Grain Single Pass Grande shaves do this already. Superb shaves with excellent skin comfort. Learning western and Asian straights has depleted the skin comfort I’ve enjoyed. De shave technique took months to develop and pre shave products helped improve comfort while good technique was learnt and developed. The half dozen pre shaves I’ve tried are not up to the protection I require.

My new pre shave. Saponificio Varesino Shea Butter. It is a hard to spread dense grease. Once applied and rubbed in, visibly it is a slick shiny grease on your skin. There is barely any fragrance, less than half the scent Mitchell’s has. Which is slight and mild. Hundreds of little moisture sweat beads were sparkling through when I worked in the Vito’s shave soap. With the lanolin from Mitchell’s the slick and glide were substantial. Last two shaves have been ASP Feather/Grande shaves. They were another level BBS.

I am taking a break from Kamisori until my new wider blade shows up. I will also abstain from straights until my face and neck skin return to the luxurious after skin I drifted away from. I doubt it will take too long with the extra effort put into skin conditioning. The Asian refuge from New York cleared customs and Toronto, I should have it in a few days. Honing will keep a driving force for straight use going forward. The larger Kamisori blade incoming will be my last effort with Kamisori. If I fail in feeling measurable improvements in skin and shave performance with the new wider blade, on every shave. I’ll be scratching Kamisori off the dance card. That may be a bold statement for having less than fifty shaves with straights. Straights may just be a shave system beyond my operational envelope. Learning to shave and learning a new shave system are not the same animals. As I’ve said honing is keeping me in the game. I will not give any more skin.

My last mail call for the new pre-shave also included Mitchell’s Bath Bar, SV Tundra Artica Splash, Royall Lyme All Purpose Lotion and the Clubman Big Stick septic pencil. My sensitive face and neck skin can only tolerate a small amount of fragrance. I can put a little extra on my shirt and chest. Fragrance of course is very controversial I have always been at a basic level with it. Like it or not. I recently got rid of the three Clubman I have tried The same reason for all three I found them too strong with a harsh edge. Fragrances are something I haven’t used in a few decades. I have just started to explore fragrance again. I am enjoying them. My purchase also included a body wash sample with juniper. Not used on any sensitive or tender parts. I will be trying a few essential oil drops of juniper on the shower floor. A shower in the forest, loved the fragrance.

Happy Shaves

 

[thombrogan]

John,

I’m very sorry to read the SR/Kamisori train is back in the station for now and especially for the reasons why this is so. At the same time, I’m heartened your SV shea butter and ATG Single Pass Fatip/Feather are a winning combination.

 

[JoWolf]

John,

I’m very sorry to read the SR/Kamisori train is back in the station for now and especially for the reasons why this is so. At the same time, I’m heartened your SV shea butter and ATG Single Pass Fatip/Feather are a winning combination.

Yes it’s an interesting part of my journey Thom. Problems and solutions. I have been pushing too hard to learn another shaving system. At the beginning of straights I thought that I could reach the same success as I had with DE in about the same time. Over forty shaves in I have not got that feeling or expected shave results. My biggest mistake has been accepting less comfort for efforts given. My enthusiasm for honing will keep me in pursuit of straight razor shaving till year’s end. I forgot to mention in my last purchase.

A Belgium Yellow Corticule slurry stone, soon to meet the Cnat, scratching steel. Refinement of apex easily fifty percent of the shave. My honing is better than my shaving. New skills require time and practice. Patience has never been a strong suit. A new game plan for zero tolerance on comfort is the most important detail going forward. I was foolish to accept less comfort thinking it would elevate or shorten the process. It hadn’t and will not. Giving up comfort is the first step towards failure. Success will be achieved by year end. If not I’ll be dropping the blinds and locking the shutters, enjoying abandonment. In The House of Fatip.

 

[thombrogan]

That’s one impressive looking coticule!

To comfort and sharpening

 

[JoWolf]

Honing
I got a big one. Size matters. The new Kamisori measured a whisker under an inch in blade width, before any honing. I bread knifed the nos heel chipped apex on the Atoma 400. The 1200, and 400 Atoma plates I use are excellent with multiple uses. Once the chip was eliminated I went to the 1k Naniwa. There is a significant amount of pitting at the edge Omote side. I was very pleased with the bevel set. Intuitive best describes a Kamisor blade. I thought I was going to put a 5:3 or a 2:1 on the bevel ratio. Once I got into the 1k it just felt better to go with a 10:1 ratio. So we have a traditional bevel set. I went to the 3K next, which is pictured. The 8k, 12k, Cnat and .5 micron paste on balsa will follow. The Tosuke has the .5 finish on it pictured on the blade. Since I don’t know any heritage or id on the new blade, I‘m just going to call it the fatty.

A visual difference in finishes. Most of the irritating pits close to fatty’s edge do not show on the photo. I will move onto the 8K regardless. At only two stones done the blade is already at hair popping sharpness. Of the dozen straights I’ve honed and the Tosuke. I have never had the urge to reach back and blind dry shave the back of my head just above that crease. I am so comfortable with this blade that is exactly what I did. A nice little BBS patch. I really like this blade.

Physicality is 90% of a razor for me. All things equal and with luck. No bad steel breakouts and I’ll be able to keep the blade width, which is an extremely comfortable blade for my hand size. The Tosuke is 28.4 grams and fatty is 36.7 grams. The 8.3 gram weight increase and the wider blade has that perfect fit and balance for my hand. I haven’t even shaved with the blade yet. In my hand it is that apparent, very comfortable. What do I mean by comfort. This is the only blade I own that I can palm strop very effectively with.

My hands are arthritic and right now I have a touch of gout in my left index finger. I can only do one stone a day otherwise my hands are not good the next day. The first shave is three stones and a balsa shine away. To be continued…..

Sensitive skinned dudes should never shave dry. If you have a lot of Shea butter on your skin, no problem for a little swatch. BBS no irritation. The new butter I’m trying on hand and foot stiffness. I’m a little greasy but smoother skin and a little arthritic relief.

I posted because I was excited about my new blade. Next posting I’ll throw in a face and head shave.
Happy Shaves Gents

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I find it interesting that honing is keeping you engaged, John. I find it incredibly tedious. If I have a straight format (or inline handle) shave nowadays, it's either with a Dovo shavette or Razorine shavette. I do still have two straights, one British and one German, but can't bring myself to do the stonework.

 

[Esox]

I find it incredibly tedious.

You and me both Al. I'd rather buy a new knife than work on one that needs sharpening again lol.

 

[thombrogan]

Knife sharpening is fun and relaxing. Razor honing is unnerving and unsettling — like that feeling after staying up for 46 hours and reading the Necronomicon.

 

[JoWolf]

I find it interesting that honing is keeping you engaged, John. I find it incredibly tedious. If I have a straight format (or inline handle) shave nowadays, it's either with a Dovo shavette or Razorine shavette. I do still have two straights, one British and one German, but can't bring myself to do the stonework.

I haven’t honed that long Al. My comments are with a minimum amount of experience. I like honing because it provides many challenges. imo if you are going to hone older steel you would need to have a decent progression of synthetic stones (easiest and most economical to obtain and maintain) from 1k too 12k. I use 1,3,8,&12. Good tools are the minimum for any job. I also use two Atoma diamond plates a 400 & 1200. I have a Chinese Natural stone. A synthetic slurry stone & a natural slurry stone. This is a very basic amount of stones I use. The grit slurry combinations available are infinite. Honing is about refinement. Dudes into natural stones. A Disneyland expansion on top of the basic stones. The same results are easily achieved with grit papers and films. Honing is a stone thing for sure.

The Kamisori I am honing now is my third NOS blade. I set the initial bevel. In the case of older steel the challenge is getting an exquisite usable apex between clusters of the devil’s spit. Under 10x loupe the corrosion looks like a scab. Honing the surface it than drops off leaving a tiny divet. If the divet is on the apex it looks like a chip. It must be removed sacrificing the least amount of steel. More challenging than touching up an edge on a new blade. When I began on this blade in my mind I was going to put a 5:3 ratio on the bevel. Working on the 1k & 3k stones it felt more comfortable to put a 10:1 and that was where I set it. Once I started on the 8k I wanted to do sets of push & pull strokes. Push the Omote blade side away from you 10 strokes and flip blade Ura side and push one stroke. Next set pull. Rather than do ten pushes I switched to five and one. Five push, five pull. It felt a lot better and the honing soon took on a rhythm.

Side note here. This blade is larger and it felt natural to palm strop it. I palm strop it during my honing sessions especially before hair testing the edge. There was a very distinct difference in feel between the 10:1 and the 5:1 ratio.

Switching out a harsh feeling blade from your DE razor to a new smooth blade. Exactly the same feeling and sensation. Palm or cheek it’s all skin. The 5:1 a whole bunch smoother. Another size blade most likely requiring a different ratio.

Honing is a skill that connects the sound, the visual and the feel together in a very tight circle. Often noticeable when that balance or rhythm strays off plumb. Your always adjusting. The Japanese steel blades I’ve been honing are my favourite. The mild and high carbon steels have been hand forged into the blade design. No two could ever be identical. To me these steels when honing just feel more comfortable to work with. Asymmetrical blades allow customization to your personal tastes and feel, which are more difficult to achieve on symmetrical blades for me.

If I were a daily shaver, straights would be a weekend event for me. As of late the straights have moved to hobby status for me. New blade is half way to shave ready. Like you Al I have health restrictions that do not always allow me to fulfill a scheduled event. I know I can shave my head with this blade before I have it shave ready. If this blade works nice for me I’ll purchase a modern Awaski and call it a night. If it isn’t a blade and shave system I like. I’ll play around with a few straights from time to time, or remove them. My single use Feather in the Grande is a difficult shave to best. I don’t think I can do it with straights. I don’t have any interest in trying other systems out.

On trying out straights my opinion is try a shavette first. I’m glad I did both blade & hone at the same time, but it’s not for everyone. I’ve started my sixteenth year of retirement a few days ago, a flexible schedule you might say. Honing is finicky and requires a decent amount of time spent. The back half of honing is stropping. Just as important as the stones. As a hobby most excellent. Honing straights is a lot of fun. Honing and polishing my one and only Japanese carbon steel kitchen knife is a rush. Without my limited experience I would not feel comfortable purchasing an expensive Kamisori. I know I will be able to maintain a new blade edge properly. That was the basic reason for getting into honing. The big surprise for me was my draw to the stones. I had a hound who exuded a great animation ever time he licked his stones. I believe I am approaching that karma level, and I haven’t even licked the stones yet.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Unlike Mike, I don't mind sharpening a pocket knife. Doesn't take me too long to get what I consider a working edge on it. They don't need anywhere near the same stone maintenance though, or sensitivity of touch. One bad swipe might spoil it, but it is quickly corrected. Not so with razors. I do understand the appeal, but everything that makes it appealing for the likes of yourself, is what is offputting to me. The patience, level of care, observation of feel, sound and swarf... all for a shave. That said, if I enjoyed shaving with an inline handle razor more, I might get a greater feeling of satisfaction from it, but as that's a chore for me too, it's like having to do one tedious chore, just so that I can do another one One tedious chore (the straight shave itself) is enough for me

That said, I hope you find that level of satisfaction you're looking for, even if it still doesn't beat the Feather in the Grande. Personally, I have the most fun and most success with a double edge, but do still enjoy the occasional challenge of the inline handle razor. I just don't find it fulfilling enough to enjoy the full gamut of peripheral activities too, which ultimately you only get satisfaction from during the shave. Without truly enjoying the end result, it's kind of hard to get invested in everything that leads up to it. For me, anyway.

 

[thombrogan]

I had a hound who exuded a great animation ever time he licked his stones. I believe I am approaching that karma level, and I haven’t even licked the stones yet.

Thanks to an unhealthy obsession with sharpening kitchen cutlery, I had met a potter that had started making synthetic stones. He said he sometimes put his tongue to the stones and even some of the clay work from his kiln as a way of testing if they were dry enough.

Probably wouldn’t try that with natural stones. Might find an undiagnosed allergy to trilobites.

 

[JoWolf]

Unlike Mike, I don't mind sharpening a pocket knife. Doesn't take me too long to get what I consider a working edge on it. They don't need anywhere near the same stone maintenance though, or sensitivity of touch. One bad swipe might spoil it, but it is quickly corrected. Not so with razors. I do understand the appeal, but everything that makes it appealing for the likes of yourself, is what is offputting to me. The patience, level of care, observation of feel, sound and swarf... all for a shave. That said, if I enjoyed shaving with an inline handle razor more, I might get a greater feeling of satisfaction from it, but as that's a chore for me too, it's like having to do one tedious chore, just so that I can do another one One tedious chore (the straight shave itself) is enough for me

That said, I hope you find that level of satisfaction you're looking for, even if it still doesn't beat the Feather in the Grande. Personally, I have the most fun and most success with a double edge, but do still enjoy the occasional challenge of the inline handle razor. I just don't find it fulfilling enough to enjoy the full gamut of peripheral activities too, which ultimately you only get satisfaction from during the shave. Without truly enjoying the end result, it's kind of hard to get invested in everything that leads up to it. For me, anyway.

As a cart shaver I was probably as good as most. The shave did very much feel Like a chore. Truth be told. I would hold off on a shave as long as possible. Learning the proper elements and procedures of a wet shave has kept me going in a few directions in pre, post and the shave. Most systems Unknown to me. The systems available today, have provided many options for hair trim and removal. Our grandfathers had one rock, one blade, one piece of leather. I’m sure they are watching us laughing their stones off. We run around in circles trying everything. We may never look as dapper or distinguished as those old dudes. We do shave closer though.

I’m slowly drifting into a minimalist situation albeit a well stocked minimalist. Not one. Three of everything, maybe?

 

[JoWolf]

Thanks to an unhealthy obsession with sharpening kitchen cutlery, I had met a potter that had started making synthetic stones. He said he sometimes put his tongue to the stones and even some of the clay work from his kiln as a way of testing if they were dry enough.

Probably wouldn’t try that with natural stones. Might find an undiagnosed allergy to trilobites.

Yeah. You may not want to tongue it Thom. After a good sniff, resistance will sometimes collapse. My tongue just got a flash back to the dead of winter. Stuck to a steel pole in the school yard. I didn’t even sniff.

 

[JoWolf]

Working my way up the food chain. A Henkotsu was easier to obtain price and availability wise than an Awaski. New Awaski‘s not particularly easy to find the size you like. Used are outrageously expensive. Expense being subjective of course. My preference is to hone and that will put a new razor on the back burner.

This particular blade design is my favourite for looks. I like a heavy straight. This blade will qualify.
The Tosuke is 28.4 grams, the fatty 36.7 grams. The new Henkotsu 73 grams. I had to upsize.
The Atlas western style Kamasori I have is 57.7g. The Western EMDE comes in at 49.7. I like straights to be big and heavy. Looking forward to the new heavyweight.

The Kamisori part of my shave journey has moved to hobby status. I don’t know if that is an upgrade or a downgrade. I do not shave often enough. I was always rushed between shaves. By that I mean the edge preparation. I recently stopped trying to shave every shave with a straight. Because of my skin comfort above all. I’m still not exactly sure where I want or need to be on blade ratios yet. Those are just three reasons why I should never have bothered Kamisori shaving until I have a firm grip on my shave equipment. The blade.

My Grande/Feather shaves are back to excellent and will not be compromised again. I have no regrets, on the contrary. All learning experiences in wet shaving have led to better shaves, better skin health. This community to learn and explore. A new hobby and a lot of fun.

Honing is my favourite half of the new hobby. I spent some 12k time with the fatty. The Tosuke was due for a touch up and also got some 12k love. I‘ll run both blades through some fabric and leather stropping and move onto the Cnat with them. I maintained the 5:1 ratio on the fatty. I had a 5:3 ratio on the Tosuke. I changed it to 5:1. I palm stropped it before changing the ratio. I could feel a distinct difference in smoothness between 5:1 & 5:3. After the Cnat both blades will get some .5 um diamond balsa shine.

Looking forward to the new blade. I find myself more comfortable with each new blade. This blade has been used and long stored. Not the best hone lines I’ve seen but easily corrected. The steel is the lottery and you don’t know until honing starts. I feel more relaxed and positive going forward as a designated hobby rather than the shave. As I continue to hone the three Samurai’s, I’ll test shave whatever one appeals to me. At my convenience and pleasure. My Kamisori shave is a — DFS. As I Kamisori shave any compromise to shave comfort will end the shave. As they say, been there done that. Comfort above all. A new game plan at a relaxed unscheduled steady pace may bring me to my goals quicker. No pressure. If the Kamisor’s work out fine. If not that’s okay too. Right now I like honing them more than shaving them.
Smooth Shaving Gents

 

[thombrogan]

Will the future have you addicted to JNATs or bemoaning mainstream suppliers don’t sell finer than 0.025μm diamond slurry? The answer will be sharp and smooth either way

Congratulations on your new razor

 

[JoWolf]

Will the future have you addicted to JNATs or bemoaning mainstream suppliers don’t sell finer than 0.025μm diamond slurry? The answer will be sharp and smooth either way

Congratulations on your new razor

Thanks Thom. The JNATS may be a gravitational force to contend with at a future point and time. I got the paste from California, it will last a very long time. Finer paste not likely required. Paste is more of a slight finishing touch, sometimes I don’t bother with it at all. Although fabric stropping cannot best paste stropping in my hands. I favour the fabrics, Polypropylene, fire hose, etc. I use a progression with fabric and leather as well. Kamisori is more well suited to bench stropping in my hands. I will definitely expand bench strops in a few directions if I remain with the Shogun.

With the two Kamisori blades. I have the edge at hair popping sharpness on the 3k. I suspect because they are asymmetrical blades. The four syn stones and Cnat I use supported by two diamond plates is a very basic set up. All stones work exceedingly smooth.

I will try to word this as best I can. Each time I use a stone I’m delighted with the results and the experience. I have the feeling that I am at the low end of understanding how much or far the stone can go. There is a point for me with progression where a smoothness and harmony in movement with steel and stone comes through. In other words my pull and push strokes acquire the same sound and feel. At this point in my honing experience I use many visual loupe checks to confirm good edges. I move up at this point.

Between the diamond plates and the syn cleaning stone I use. This sets up many variations available with slurries. I don’t have the practice or sophistication to understand everything that happens. I do realize that understanding and getting the most from the stones I have, is still a ways off.

The Cnat I have is harder than my 12k. I am just beginning to understand it a bit. Using grit papers, is very linear. A start, a progression within the grit numbers and an abrupt finish. That’s the way it feels to me. Stones don’t end they are grit adjustable and keep going. All four of my synthetic stones have a familiar feeling to them, except for the grit# very similar in feel and action. The Cnat does not feel anything like the synthetics. So I feel more familiar with the syns than the natural. They work the same.

Anyone can know grit paper, it’s linear. Stones not so much. Naturals different ball game again. At this point in my honing. It isn’t what you use but how well you know what you are using. Are results appropriate? If I got more stones at this point it would expand on my confusion. I still check BST regularly just in case. A Jnat could sneak into the rock pile. I don’t even want to think about Nagura‘s. A kaleidoscope of grits on steroids.

I feel very much like Perseverance on Mars wandering around trying to understand stones.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1431348011548831747

 

[JoWolf]

Grinding & more Grinding

I do not like muted corners. I thought I could live with this 4mm mute. The top of the toe had a hammered flat spot which also irked me. The handle was bent and the heel was not honed to the end of the blade. The blade was advertised as long storage. It was stored correct, it doesn’t have any wonky looking steel. I do not know or even can guess why the blade and handle were modified.

Straightening the handle flat was a 5 second vise squeeze. Even looking from the spine to the edge the mute just does not belong and looked awful. I decided to grind 2mm off the end of the blade while rounding out the hideous flat spot on the curve of the spine toe. The 2mm mute left on the toe was still more than I could bear. I bread knifed the blade removing the 2mm.

No honing just grinding on the 400 Atoma plate. Omote side needed a lot of grinding to reestablish the bevel. I’m glad to have put in the time. It now looks and feels considerably better. I now have the full blade length beveled right to the end of the heel. And no mute. I Had measured blade width before starting and it was 26mm now reduced to 24mm. Very pleased with the blade now. And that’s how I got rid of a very ugly 4mm muted end

The blade is now ready for full honing stone progression 1, 3, 8, & 12k. On completion it will be ready for the Cnat. The other two Kamisori are ready for the Cnat now. I want to do all three blades on the Cnat consecutively to maximize my Cnat experience. Mr Henkotsu will be along directly. Hobby schedule of course.

I continue to enjoy excellent Grande/Feather shaves. I am trying some more new skin care products, improvement in skin comfort continues. To my surprise I now realizing and accept for sensitive skin dudes, which I are. Skin health is half the shave. Shocking to me, my Grande shaves have gotten smoother and closer, with my recent skin improvement. Who knew

Enjoy Your Shaves Gents

 

[thombrogan]

Excellent progress, John!

As to who knew, @bosseb has apparently been beating the drum for five years:

Today I completed the establishing of my new standard run on the Polsilver blade. Full report here: 128 shaves on a NOS Wilkinson blade - http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/448783-128-shaves-on-a-NOS-Wilkinson-blade?p=8533152#post8533152 .

All and all, after 116+ shaves on the Polsilver I have to say that the comfort of the shaves was better than anything I have managed before. The main reasons for this is that I have now established a self learning process for my shaves. I know how to keep my technique on its toes - by varying the equipment - and I know that shaving is not limited to the shaving den. In order to enjoy the shaves to their fullest I have to take care of my skin between the shaves. I do this by using my own skin moisturizing oil and eating and sleeping well in general.

Last shave on the Polsilver SI blade: Last of Cella in pewter bowl, old head on aftermarket handle, my own skin conditioner in the brown bottle, Paladin Ebonite 24 one off brush and Castle Forbes Lavender ASB​

The recipe for the skin moisturizing oil: I have mixed together 30 ml of Argan oil, 30 ml of Jojoba oil, 30 ml of Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, 5 ml of vitamin E and 5 ml of Sea Buckthorn oil. All ingredients are ecological. This oil is for me the best product I have ever used for moisturizing and I only use four drops of it each time. During the winter I intermittently use unrefined Shea butter for added protection against wind and snow. I find making my own oil and using a non refined shea butter much easier than trying to decipher the ingredients of ever changing products. The product is easy to tweak for the occasion.

Enjoy your shaves!

In the same thread, @jamesspo mentioned his workouts before shaving improved shaving comfort and blade longevity.

Neither had jaw dropping kamisori razors to my knowledge.