My not so " Straight Journey "

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

I’ve been known to read a Facebook group from time to time…

Misunderstanding something. I thought you weren’t using the kamisori until your borrowed gear was returned. Why aren’t you now?

I returned the borrowed razors and since I was regularly using the DE razors, I thought it was a good time to test some DE blades that were very graciously given to me by a fellow Canadian member.

About 2 weeks ago I suffered a bad case of blind red pimples (no head on them, just sensitive and painful), that is why I haven't shaved regularly since then, and not at all since past week.

Stress and temperatures may be culprits in my case of outbreaks, I'm just waiting for them to subside.

I fully intend to get back with the Kamisori, shaves with it were one of the best I ever had.

 

[thombrogan]

Ouch. Hoping you’ll feel better soon. Depending on the province, I hear Summer is usually less brutal in Canada than many parts of India. Only having been to a few Canadian provinces and no Indian ones (unless Texas counts), that is not first-hand knowledge on my part.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Ouch. Hoping you’ll feel better soon. Depending on the province, I hear Summer is usually less brutal in Canada than many parts of India. Only having been to a few Canadian provinces and no Indian ones (unless Texas counts), that is not first-hand knowledge on my part.

Thank you for the well wishes.

People are accustomed to the temperatures in their area, and those fluctuations cannot be considered easy just because people in other areas experience wider fluctuations in temperatures.

We live in a State where temperatures fluctuate from 10° C to 46° C (50° F to 114° F), sometimes it becomes too much for me, especially during high stress.

I heard temperatures in Texas are somewhat similar to my State, so you have a very good idea about my local weather.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Kamisori Shave #14


2 Pass DFS+ shave

2 cuts (for being unfaithful to Kamisori)

Feather Kamisori
Feather Professional blade #1
(I lost the old blade during shifting)
Tabac Original
Simpsons Chubby 3 Best

~ Phew!
It took more time than I expected to get back to the Kamisori.

~ After the bad case of breakouts and not shaving for almost 18 days I was looking like a bum and family was convinced that I went back to keeping my beard.

~ I brought up my top quality items as there was absolutely no room for error or anything that might be less than stellar.

~ I felt almost childlike happiness while putting the blade in the Kamisori, it was a great indicator of great upcoming shaves.

~ There is loading a brush, then there is overloading a brush AND then there is loading a Chubby 3 brush.
I overloaded the Chubby 3 as I wanted to bask in the glory of the Perfect shaving soap.

~ After spending a few minutes on the face lathering, then indulging some more just because I missed it so much, the lather was excellent and voluminous enough to almost cover up my 18 days beard growth.

~ As soon as I heard the familiar sound of the Kamisori doing what it was meant to, a certain Zen moment was achieved.
The grip, pressure, strokes direction and mirroring the Kamisori came to me quite naturally.

It was a relief to me that I haven't actually forgotten how to weild it.

~ First pass was completed without any trouble or events, and I almost hated myself for "trying out" different razors when I already have MY Perfect razor.

~ Washed my face and re-lathered for the second pass, the Tabac and Chubby 3 are meant for each other it seems.

~ By the second half of second pass my hand twitched for no apparent reason, perhaps it was going too perfectly and subconscious decided to prevent me from becoming overconfident.

~ A slight cut near the curve of chin brought some color (blood) in the shave, I paused and assessed the misstep then went ahead with the shave.

~ While shaving on the chin area (left to right) my grip on the Kamisori shifted ever so slightly and I got another cut on the chin.

~ This time it was a very thin line of lather water coming from the razor blade towards the grip that caused the slip in the grip.
I'm always keeping the grip clean and use a towel/ napkin for this sole purpose but I missed this time.

~ The shave ended without anymore mishaps and I achieved an excellent shave with DFS+ results.

Yes, even with 2 cuts I consider today's shave excellent, it was user error, and for most part I feel glad to be back with Kamisori.

Changes done:

# I have switched to hot/ warm water shave as I felt it will be better for my sensitive (to breakouts) face.

# I have quit using alcohol based aftershave as they don't suit me, I found that the hard way.

 

[thombrogan]

May the jealousy marks heal and fade fast.

It’s very reasonable to assume a newer razor could provide a comfort or efficiency you haven’t yet felt. Your replaceable blade kamisori is modern compared to many DE and SE designs.

In every case, I’m very glad to read you’re able to enjoy shaving again and enjoy doing so with your favorite razor.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Dusting.... (Cough cough) ..dusting...



I'm coming back to this thread and my shaves with a Feather Artist club Kamisori razor.

Since the last few months, new acquisitions in DE razor and personal life distracted me from putting more time in Kamisori shaves, now life is getting back on track and I can dedicate 3 days a week to Kamisori and the rest will be given to newly acquired DE's as I'm looking for a blade that performs well with them.

I also found reasonable pricing for Artist club blades locally in India, so that's a good thing out of my philandering these past months.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Act - II The comeback

Kamisori shave #15

There is a definite allure in shaving with a Straight Razor and in my case a Feather Artist Club razor.

It's almost magical about the ease with which it clears up the 4 day stubble which is covered under the well hydrated lather.

Feather Artist Club Kamisori
Feather Professional blade
La Toja stick
RazoRock 400 Special Edition Noir
Alum and Witch Hazel

I felt almost natural at holding the Kamisori for WTG pass in almost all the areas, save at the chin.

For the second pass the XTG pass is where the gap in rotation showed my lack of experience.

It was not smooth and needed a few buffing strokes and I got a very minor love bite on my chin, coincidentally at the sane spot as my previous deep cut with the Kamisori.

I applied alum mid shave to stop the minor weepers/ cut and it quickly stopped bleeding.

It seems I haven't learned from my previous mistakes and Kamisori needs more action to become natural for me.

La Toja was used after many months and it performs similar to Arko, minus the post shave dryness and no citronella scent as well.

Finished the shave with Witch Hazel distillate and overall it was a good comeback shave with the Kamisori.

 

[thombrogan]

@Contact_vs_Feedback , now that you’re back in Feather AC/SS Kamisori Bliss Province (with Pro Supers so you can shave at a shallower angle)…

…may I please ask you about the ‘AS’ plate on the RazoRock BBS safety razor?

Is it just more gap allowing more exposure or does it work its magic some other way? Does it hold the blade more rigidly? With its curve, I thought the standard BBS would have a tight clamp on the blade, but shaving ATG informed otherwise.

What makes the Aggressive Step plate a step up in your opinion?

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

@thombrogan

Thank you for the insight regarding the Pro Super with shallow angle, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

BBS AS plate gives more efficient shave by reducing the end of the blades clamped as compared to the BBS Standard plate.

In a way, the AS plate let's the blade open a bit more, slightly but enough to make it more efficient.

It also loses the smoothness of the BBS Standard plate, the loss of smoothness is proportional to the opening (reduction in clamping) of the blade.

Pictures might explain and even provide more insight than I'm able to put in words.

Comparison photos of BBS and AS plate in same position :





Note the blade peeking behind the base plate in the below photos, AS plate has more pronounced blade edge.











I hope this provides more information and clears up some of the questions.
Let me know if I can be of any more help.

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you so much for your well-written and superbly photographed answer. It is very helpful.

As I can nick myself with the standard plate, I think I’ll admire the AS from afar and refer to your description and photographs whenever baseplate acquisition disorder bubbles up.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Special occasion shave - Vijayadashmi festival

I've been working on my technique with the Kamisori since past few weeks and came up with moderate to good successful results in technique (razor maneuvering), thankfully no cuts this time.

Today's shave marks a significant improvement in results that is not just a fluke but the result of gradual improvement in the confidence with Feather Professional blades.

The hollow area under the jaw line is a testing area for my technique and toady there was no stubble left after the passes and no irritation as well.

Going all in and bringing up the most favorite items from the rotation - Big Bess and Midnight Dreary created a rich lather and I ended up using more soap than I thought (doh!)

A three pass (WTG, XTG and XTG) for a DFS + shave with total control over the Kamisori = excellent shave.

 

[thombrogan]

Just fell down an internet rabbit hole checking out your festival, @Contact_vs_Feedback

After getting to a mountain in modern Tibet that’s sacred to at least three major religions in the region, I stepped back.

Great reading your kamisori shaves are improving.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

@thombrogan

Lol, it happens.

Vijayadashmi and Diwali are festivals marking important events in the Epic Ramayana based on the Hindu God Ram and his journey on earth.

Vijayadashmi is also known as Dushera (Victory of Prince Ram over evil Ravana) depicting the victory of good over evil.

We celebrate this festival with the though of eliminating evil from our thoughts, habits and life and working on our improvements while trying to improve our relationships with friends and family each year.

Today alsoarls the countdown of the major festival Diwali.

Diwali is exactly 20 days after the Dushera festival and it marks the day (evening) of return of Prince Ram to Ayodhya (his Kingdom) and it is marked with huge celebration with lightning of tiny earthen Diya and crackling firecrackers etc.

That festival is a reminder that we should not let the darkness in our hearts win and let the light of kindness, self care and support and love of family bring the light into our lives.

These are my personal interpretation of the two major festivals, there are a lot of variations in the beliefs, mythology and reasons for celebrating the festivals.

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you, @Contact_vs_Feedback . I appreciate your sharing that with me

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

I'm finally getting some time off to take a few pictures of my SOTD and share my experiences.

The Feather Kamisori with Professional blade is a great combination for me and pair it with a Semogue Galahad and Stirling soap - it's just an all rounder shaving experience.



After using the Kamisori for about 30+ shaves (proper 3 pass shave), today marks the first time when I didn't even felt a bit tense about using the Artist Club razor.

A very light touch, along with the direction of hair growth and short and swift strokes were applied.

Lather played an important role and I'm glad I took an extra 5 minutes to get my preferred lather instead of just getting along with what I got initially.

The Galahad C3 in IB knot is a good brush, other versions of the Galahad will be procured when shopping is justified next time.

Maybe a SOC Mistura also, but that'll be decided later on.

My belief of using efficient razor with a sharp blade is better than using a mild razor (for me, YMMV) as it eliminates the need for buffing, chance of accidents due to me becoming complacent or not respecting the instrument.

I will be needing a scuttle as well because face lathering daily could be a problem for me in the long run, even when I try to be gentle but sometimes I overdo it just because I love the sensation of a boar brush scrub.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

I have been putting off posting here because of a lack of photos as I'm shaving in shower (not while showering), but enough shaves have happened, and so here it goes:

With about 30 shaves with Feather Artist Club Kamisori style razor, my aim has shifted from finishing the shave without any incidental cuts to getting a close shave without irritation.

I came upon this change of goal while finishing up the 2nd pass which for me is a crucial time because either the lather quality would have deteriorated enough to risk poor glide or I would become complacent and receive a nick or two. This time it was totally different as I've improved my lather quality enough to give me 3 pass lather of consistent quality and the stroke under the jawline has become much more natural.

The advice by Straight Razor veterans to stick to one sort of Artist club razor for extended periods of time is starting to pay off, it took me some time (4 months) because I shave every 3rd day with the Kamisori; I must say it was worth it.
Initially I was concerned about the cost of SE blades but since I found an authorized retailer of Feather products, that worry has also been resolved.

Today's SOTD:

Feather Kamisori
Feather Professional
PaNee Bergamot Mystery shave soap
Semogue Galahad C3 in IT knot
Minimalist Oat cream as an aftershave balm

The Galahad C3 is another excellent find - it has the perfect balance of splay and density for my preference and I'll be getting other iterations of Galahad over other models.

 

[thombrogan]

Very glad you’re posting here again

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Another after-shower shave with the Artist club Kamisori razor.

I'm finding the Feather Professional blades to be very agreeable for me, they shave clean, without skipping, without pulling, or needing any 'additional' pressure like in the Pro-Guard blade.

Minus point in today's shave was the soap - Trigodon soap.
It is an Indian Vegetal-based soap that was purchased in 4 versions last year, it is going to be used for boar brush breaking-in as it doesn't provide any protection even when I use it with a synthetic brush.

The same thing goes for Wickham pre-1912 base soaps.

In a way, it is a good thing that I'm learning about such soaps that absolutely don't work for me as I'll be putting them on PIF - no point keeping them to be disappointed later on.

Highlight: Even with ha less than optimal protective lather I was able to do a 2 pass DFS shave without any skin irritation.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

Christmas Shave

After being busy and quite frankly a bit down these couple of weeks I'm back in the positive mindset.

I've been using the same setup for past month and rotating between the various boar brushes.

Today SOTD is different for the sake of doing something special - Fine Santal Absolut and it is a treat to use.

BBS shave with the Kamisori style razor and Feather Professional blade.
The 506U brush is a great brush, using the ends to gently massage the face and see the lather multiplying slowly is a great way to start the morning.

Have a safe, happy holidays.

 

[thombrogan]

Blackbird shaving in the dead of night
Tilt it steep and give the comb a ride
Lather up and let the razor glide

Or something like that. Paul McCartney mumbled plenty