I started a thread in the brush section to help with a problematic Omega boar. In the process, I somehow started making a journal and found that recording my shaves helped me solve some of the other technical issues I was having. Since my brush problem has largely been solved I'll continue documenting my shaves here instead.
I also discovered something important in that brush thread.
That the quality I value above all others when it comes to shaving is smoothness. This covers every aspect of the process for me, including the final desired result, which is still some way off. I want a smooth, slick lather applied with a brush that has a smooth face feel. I want the razor and blade combination to provide me with smoothnes during the shave, and ultimately I'm striving for a perfectly smooth BBS finish, all with the least amount of effort. This may not be possible, but the most important part for me, which is a perfectly smooth in-shave experience, should be achievable.
Yesterday I had my first shave with a made in England Gillettte Tech and it was a major step towards achieving my goal. For the first time since I began DE shaving I managed to get a closer and more comfortable shave than I could get with a Bic orange handled disposable. This wasn't something I could get near to with my Merkur 34C. It was better in every single way, and I did it more quickly and with less effort. By comparison it was easy, and I ended up with a CCS, almost a DFS and with only 2 wtg passes. I may not yet be able to describe the shave as perfectly smooth, but it was definitely in the same ballpark.
The Tech was loaded with a Gillette 7.00 green, a blade I know to be smooth and I used my Semogue 1438 which I really like. It's soft on the face and effective at building lather to the right consistency. I suspect that more Semogues will follow. I've been using mostly Proraso white but soaps are something I have yet to really explore. I will get to it.
I also have a question regarding blades that I have briefly discussed elsewhere. Is smoother sharper? I really can't understand how a blade that is less smooth is anything other than less sharp, but conventional shaving wisdom says otherwise, so for now I must accept it. But the scale used still bothers me, with smooth at one end of the spectrum and sharp at the other. This is just not logical. The opposite to smooth isn't sharp; it's rough. And the opposite to sharp isn't smooth; it's dull. By this logic, if a blade feels rough, as some people describe Feathers, how can that be because it's too sharp? Also, everyone says Feathers are the sharpest blades, but how do we know? I hope to find some answers to these questions as they seem crucial to my quest for a smooth shave. I have a few blades to try out.
As I stated in another post, I know that I like the Tech much more than the 34C, I now need to understand why. I believe it has something to do with rigidity.
I also discovered something important in that brush thread.
That the quality I value above all others when it comes to shaving is smoothness. This covers every aspect of the process for me, including the final desired result, which is still some way off. I want a smooth, slick lather applied with a brush that has a smooth face feel. I want the razor and blade combination to provide me with smoothnes during the shave, and ultimately I'm striving for a perfectly smooth BBS finish, all with the least amount of effort. This may not be possible, but the most important part for me, which is a perfectly smooth in-shave experience, should be achievable.
Yesterday I had my first shave with a made in England Gillettte Tech and it was a major step towards achieving my goal. For the first time since I began DE shaving I managed to get a closer and more comfortable shave than I could get with a Bic orange handled disposable. This wasn't something I could get near to with my Merkur 34C. It was better in every single way, and I did it more quickly and with less effort. By comparison it was easy, and I ended up with a CCS, almost a DFS and with only 2 wtg passes. I may not yet be able to describe the shave as perfectly smooth, but it was definitely in the same ballpark.
The Tech was loaded with a Gillette 7.00 green, a blade I know to be smooth and I used my Semogue 1438 which I really like. It's soft on the face and effective at building lather to the right consistency. I suspect that more Semogues will follow. I've been using mostly Proraso white but soaps are something I have yet to really explore. I will get to it.
I also have a question regarding blades that I have briefly discussed elsewhere. Is smoother sharper? I really can't understand how a blade that is less smooth is anything other than less sharp, but conventional shaving wisdom says otherwise, so for now I must accept it. But the scale used still bothers me, with smooth at one end of the spectrum and sharp at the other. This is just not logical. The opposite to smooth isn't sharp; it's rough. And the opposite to sharp isn't smooth; it's dull. By this logic, if a blade feels rough, as some people describe Feathers, how can that be because it's too sharp? Also, everyone says Feathers are the sharpest blades, but how do we know? I hope to find some answers to these questions as they seem crucial to my quest for a smooth shave. I have a few blades to try out.
As I stated in another post, I know that I like the Tech much more than the 34C, I now need to understand why. I believe it has something to do with rigidity.
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