Purchased this unique French razor a while back:
When it first arrived, I tried it once (while on vacation, in a rush, with the only blade I had -- a Dorco 301) and then sent it on the road to Frank (@Dragonsbeard) so he could include it in his shave-off series. Even under those conditions, got a pretty good shave. Didn't blow my socks off but was clearly in the upper tier of aggressiveness. At that time I would have rated it an 8 on a 10 point scale. Found it a bit light and the handle short but looked forward to getting it back and giving it the time it deserved.
Anywho, due to a series of missteps and screw-ups, when it came home it didn't land on my doorstep but wound up in a drawer at my father-in-laws home at the other end of the continent. When I finally retrieved it, the little Le Coq came packaged with a razor I'd been wanting to try for a long time so it sat, unnoticed, acquiring layers of dust.
This morning I finally took it for a spin armed with an Astra under the cap. And since I'd found it light and short last time, replaced the native handle with an Ikon OSS:
For me, that handle was much better. Gave the razor real heft without disturbing performance.
Before getting in the shower, I ran it just under my sideburns with a bit of hot water splashed on my face. Was super efficient and comfortable with the perfect amount of blade feel -- a great start, but I've frequently found that razors don't necessarily perform the same in the shower, where I put them to the test.
Under the water, I couldn't feel a thing. Didn't know if it was cutting. A quick feel of my face made clear it was, but not with super efficiency. That was at a steep angle, which is both my habit and preference.
Since the razor wasn't performing to expectations, I began experimenting with blade angle. When I found a shallow-neutral angle, this thing turned into a little monster. Strong blade feel (8/10) with good smoothness (8/10) and monster efficiency (11/10).
Now I get why Scott (@pbrmhl) turned me on to this razor. Honestly, nothing cuts closer. Not even my Ikon Tech. (The iTech runs well at a steeper angle, so it's more in tune with my habits and preferences). But held correctly, the little Le Coq "out aggressived" the vaunted Ikon.
Magnificent shave. Best result I've ever had. Zero stubble! Even 14 hours later, my face is close to perfect.
Of my four favorite razors (each of which stands without question above all others I've tried so far), three have been tried on the suggestion, and with the assistance, of my buddy, Scott. He even helped me acquire my Charcoal Goods Level 3. Goes without saying that the remaining killer razor, knowledge of which came by way of Scott, is the exulted Ikon.
Was very fortunate to find this brass version of the Le Coq, boxed and in great condition, for $40 online. As well as this thing shaves, even though it's not inclined to perform well at my preferred steep angle, I'm going to spend some serious time getting familiar with its idiosyncrasies. ("Her idiosyncrasies" I should say. Frank named this razor Claudette, a sobriquet that will forever stick, though it appears Claudette has suffered something of a gender reassignment surgery with that handle transplant). Perhaps he/she will convert me . . . {wait three beats} . . . to a shallow shaver. {Qdush!!! -- I'll be here till Thursday, folks; try the veal!}
When it first arrived, I tried it once (while on vacation, in a rush, with the only blade I had -- a Dorco 301) and then sent it on the road to Frank (@Dragonsbeard) so he could include it in his shave-off series. Even under those conditions, got a pretty good shave. Didn't blow my socks off but was clearly in the upper tier of aggressiveness. At that time I would have rated it an 8 on a 10 point scale. Found it a bit light and the handle short but looked forward to getting it back and giving it the time it deserved.
Anywho, due to a series of missteps and screw-ups, when it came home it didn't land on my doorstep but wound up in a drawer at my father-in-laws home at the other end of the continent. When I finally retrieved it, the little Le Coq came packaged with a razor I'd been wanting to try for a long time so it sat, unnoticed, acquiring layers of dust.
This morning I finally took it for a spin armed with an Astra under the cap. And since I'd found it light and short last time, replaced the native handle with an Ikon OSS:
For me, that handle was much better. Gave the razor real heft without disturbing performance.
Before getting in the shower, I ran it just under my sideburns with a bit of hot water splashed on my face. Was super efficient and comfortable with the perfect amount of blade feel -- a great start, but I've frequently found that razors don't necessarily perform the same in the shower, where I put them to the test.
Under the water, I couldn't feel a thing. Didn't know if it was cutting. A quick feel of my face made clear it was, but not with super efficiency. That was at a steep angle, which is both my habit and preference.
Since the razor wasn't performing to expectations, I began experimenting with blade angle. When I found a shallow-neutral angle, this thing turned into a little monster. Strong blade feel (8/10) with good smoothness (8/10) and monster efficiency (11/10).
Now I get why Scott (@pbrmhl) turned me on to this razor. Honestly, nothing cuts closer. Not even my Ikon Tech. (The iTech runs well at a steeper angle, so it's more in tune with my habits and preferences). But held correctly, the little Le Coq "out aggressived" the vaunted Ikon.
Magnificent shave. Best result I've ever had. Zero stubble! Even 14 hours later, my face is close to perfect.
Of my four favorite razors (each of which stands without question above all others I've tried so far), three have been tried on the suggestion, and with the assistance, of my buddy, Scott. He even helped me acquire my Charcoal Goods Level 3. Goes without saying that the remaining killer razor, knowledge of which came by way of Scott, is the exulted Ikon.
Was very fortunate to find this brass version of the Le Coq, boxed and in great condition, for $40 online. As well as this thing shaves, even though it's not inclined to perform well at my preferred steep angle, I'm going to spend some serious time getting familiar with its idiosyncrasies. ("Her idiosyncrasies" I should say. Frank named this razor Claudette, a sobriquet that will forever stick, though it appears Claudette has suffered something of a gender reassignment surgery with that handle transplant). Perhaps he/she will convert me . . . {wait three beats} . . . to a shallow shaver. {Qdush!!! -- I'll be here till Thursday, folks; try the veal!}
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