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Rev579's Journey from Cartridges to Old School

It's been a while since I have posted, and today was a day worth sharing.
I finally got around to shaving with a 102A in a more critical manner. Wow. I am still working out my thoughts on the shave.
My Set-Up
  • Silver 102A
  • Perma Sharp Super
  • Pre de Provence No. 63 Beard Oil
  • Pre de Provence No. 63 Shaving Soap
  • Semogue 830
  • Georgetown Pottery Scuttle
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Pre-Shave Application
I had to place a couple of orders online, so I included a final missing piece to my obsession with PDP 63-Beard Oil. After a 3-day growth filled my face, I decided to apply my newly acquired beard oil and bloom my No. 63 puck with some hot water. After about 5 minutes, I poured out the brush soak and began to load my brush over the newly emptied scuttle. Wiping the edges of the puck tin, I applied the residual to my face and began to work the loaded puck in the scuttle. Slowly, but surely one of the best lathers to-date began to emerge(I wish I would have taken a picture or two).

The Shave
I proudly worked the boar bristles across my face and really didn't want to stop. There was something quite satisfying in using a lather that had, up to that point, been quite elusive. Shifting from satisfaction to curiosity, I pulled the razor and blade combination down my cheek both in a guarded as well as critical manner. After finishing a true first pass, I manually unloaded my brush of the extra-virgin lather(it was like a cross between pudding and yogurt) and shared the portion(thick meringue?) across my face and neck. It turns out it was a great shave already; and my neck was slick and smooth, save 2 typical locations.
The second pass didn't do much work-it just wasn't needed except those 2 follicle hurricanes and the region that creates the Van Dyke that resembles a petrified forest. But the 102A and Perma Sharp wiped the board clean. But the efficiency isn't even the best part. I simply expected Nicks and Weepers to be a part of the process. Not a one. No blood, no rash, no missed areas. Those grey and auburn whiskers wiped away like Spring-time pollen.

Post-Shave Application
None. I didn't want to use the AS Balm. While it is hard to believe, it's true. The shave was great and I wanted to keep feeling the shave & the surface without the balm.

Final Thoughts

I was never really committed to the 102 or 102A beyond the historicity of the razor and the general beauty of this design that would usher in a change that would touch everyone. Yet, again and again, I would read comments related to the strange feeling of satisfaction and even suggestions stating that they got it right the first time and didn't need to "Improve" upon the razor. I get it now. I'm just glad I bought any I saw(within reason) and that they are a plentiful style.
I'll still honor my commitment and promise to thin out the result from my early RAD, but the 102A is more than a "looker" now, it's a "user".
 
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