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Rusty Blade’s Wet Shaving Journey

This morning I found an old favourite in the Rusty Blade shaving museum, the Carbo Magnetic straight razor. This was one of my first antique store SR finds many years ago and it has never disappointed. The edge on this razor is incredibly sharp and smooth. And guess what -- my blade is still magnetic after almost 100 years.
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And for this morning I decided to use Stirling Naked and Smooth soap. And as a post shave I splashed on some Lucky Tiger AS splash followed by some Midnight and Two ASB. For the second time this week I used my new Semogue boar brush. Love this brush. Just the right combination of softness and backbone to work up a fine, thick lather.
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What a wonderful way to greet a Sunday morning. A perfect shave with a vintage razor. If only every shave could be so perfect.
 
I am on the road for a couple of days and brought a basic kit with me because I wanted to travel light. My soap is Le Pere Lucien unscented, my brush is Omega Mixed Midget boar/badger and my razor is a Gillette Fat Handle Tech with a GSB blade. And my post is a small bottle of WH. I realize that simple is sometimes very nice. I had a great shave this morning.

The Tech was my first vintage razor and I still think it's pretty close to perfection as far as a DE goes. I think if I had to boil my kit down to two razors the Tech would be one and my Schick Injector Type G would be the other.

Just as an aside, I have been thinking of a new challenge for myself. I have a display box with 30 of my best SRs. 30 days, 30 razors sounds like a great challenge. Though I need to hone a few of them. Maybe November.
 
I have been a loyal Lucky Tiger AS splash user. I think it is the perfect unscented AS splash with good skin care properties. Recently I have decided to push the boundaries of my post shave routine. To begin, my post shave routine is pretty stable: rinse with water, Lucky Tiger splash, then an ASB. All unscented.

I have purchased three new post shave splashes: Phoenix Accouterments "Sin" unscented AS splash, Earthwise Alcohol Free Witch Hazel, and Thayers Unscented Facial Toner without alcohol. [Most of the flavoured Thayers WH have alcohol]. The PA Sin product does contain alcohol but it is "denatured". It has a bit of sting, but I consider it mild. I have been rotating through these splashes and while they don't quite hit the bar that Lucky Tiger has set, they are all pleasant alternatives, just for something different. I do like some variety. They are unscented, have good face care properties, ingredient lists are minimal and contain words that I can pronounce.

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My Shave of the Week has been a fully unscented shave kit and I must admit it was a bit of a surprise to me that these products blended so well together.
Pre: Proraso white preshave cream (okay...not fully unscented)
Razor: Schick Type G
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft
Soap: Lucky Tiger Shave Cream
Post: PA Sin and Midnight and Two ASB.

The Lucky Tiger shave cream has a permanent spot in my shave den. This is a wonderful product -- unscented, easy to lather and it has good slickness. I would recommend this to any wet shaver seeking a new product to try. Easy for travel as well. Fits neatly in my kit bag.
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Tomorrow I start with a new kit for the coming week. A fine blend of products guaranteed to give seven excellent shaves. And this week I switch to a DE for the first time in months. I cant believe I am setting aside my trusted Type G! But I am an equal opportunity shaver and I must give time to my DEs.
Here goes:
Pre: Proraso white preshave cream.
Razor: Fendrihan closed comb DE
Blade: Derby Extra
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft
Soap: T&H Ultimate Comfort
Post: PA Sin and Midnight and Two ASB

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I recently picked up some Truefitt & Hill preshave oil. I admit my preference is Proraso white preshave cream. In my view this is a top quality product. But on a whim I purchased some of the T&H preshave oil and I used some this morning. And it was a pleasure to use. As we head into the cooler months I can tell my skin is dry. The preshave oil is another source of moisture for my skin. And the scent is quite pleasant. A citrus scent which I would put on a level 3 out of 10, so very mild. A bit expensive, but you only use a few drops at a time, so in the long run it is worth the expense.
 
I am actually contemplating purchasing a stainless steel DE razor. I cant believe I just wrote that. Perhaps this is just a whim. I need to sleep on this a bit more. The question is, which one would I order?
 
I checked around and decided on the Edwin Jagger 3one6. I must get my lawn chair and a thermos of coffee and go sit by the mailbox and wait for it to arrive. I will post photos and a review when it arrives.
 
My 3One6 arrived today. I didnt take pictures because the marketing photos by EJ are excellent and I cant come close to their quality. My initial impressions of the razor are as follows:
Packaging: very tastefully done. Well suited to the razor. I quite like the packaging.
The razor: I like the balance and feel very much. The knurled handle is just the way I like a handle. I have another DE with the same knurling and it is definitely a no-slip firm-grip handle. The workmanship of the razor is top notch. Well finished, not rough or sharp edges. I was a bit surprised at how light it felt, but I dont see this as a big concern when it comes to performance. It is simply a matter of getting used to the weight and feel and this will come with many shaves.
The razor came with Feather blades, but I will put those in my display case and load up a GSB, my preferred blade.
First shave tomorrow morning.
 
First shave: only good things to say. A smooth efficient shave. Nice feel in my hand. Good balance. I like the fact that the head is wide and hides blade tabs. I note is is mildly more aggressive than, for example Fat Handle Tech. But I think that made it all the more efficient. If a Tech is a 2 or 3 in terms of aggressiveness, then the 3one6 is a 4 or 4.5. But still, this made for a very neat and close shave. I am pleased. I am looking forward to many more shaves with this razor. This week I am useing a GSB, next week I will try a Gillette 7 o'clock green. And the week after a Derby Premium. Eventually I will settle on one blade and use it consistently.
 
Several shaves in with the 3one6 with a GSB blade and I am having a great time. This is a very nice razor with a smooth efficiency, perhaps surpassed only by the Schick Type G. No complaints. This weekend I will switch over to a Derby premium blade for a week and see how that goes. Every blade from this point forward will be compared to the GSB. Eventually I will pick one blade that is a good match for the razor and my face.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Good to hear it's working out well for you. I'm not ready to take the plunge myself, but it does seem to be getting favourable reviews on the whole.
 
I have been getting great shaves with the EJ 3one6. This is a fine razor. I believe it has edged ahead of the Type G Schick as my favourite razor. It seems to have it all: the Goldilocks zone in terms of aggression and mildness. its just right. It has a great feeling in my hand; good balance and weight. I like the knurled handle. I like that the blade end tabs are covered. So far I have tried the GSB and Gillette 7 o'clock green blades. Both are good blades and they provided great shaves. Tomorrow I start with the Derby Premium blade for a week long trial.

Regarding my preshave routine, I have changed things up a bit. I now shave pre-shower...and I almost exclusively use Proraso white preshave cream. I occasionally use Truefitt & Hill preshave oil. Its okay...not great...but it is an occasional change of scenery from the Proraso preshave. I still believe good prep is one of the key ingredients to a good shave.
 
The 3one6 continues to perform very well. This week I have been using a Derby Premium blade and I had a great week of clean consistent shaves. For the coming week I am going to use an Astra SP blade, another favourite. I expect another week of solid shaves. I am very impressed.
I recently had a pang of nostalgia and purchased a puck of MWF soap. This was a favourite of mine for a long time. Rather than put the whole puck into use, I shaved off a bit and put it in an Old Spice mug. I have been shaving with this soap most of the week. Wonderful. Paired with an unscented ASB the scent impact is minimal.
 
I received my Gillette Heritage razor and I must say I am quite pleased. I think they did a great job with this razor. The razor is well made and has nice balance and heft. The box is nice as well and I am so pleased King Gillette signed the case. A nice touch. My only regret is that I didn't order two razors instead of one. One for display and one for use. I hear the first Amazon release sold out. I hope they are planning a second release.
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This morning I was struck by a whim to use my Proraso white trio. I use the white preshave every morning, but the soap and ASB are not part of my daily rotation. So, for a bit of fun, I went to the closet, dug deep into various shoe boxes and found my Proraso white soap and ASB. And what a pleasure it was. This product line was a favourite of mine when I first got started in wet shaving a few years ago, but since then other products have edged it out of my daily routine. But this is a nice combination and I absolutely love the scent. Soap is a lather monster and the cushion and slickness are great. I really must use this more often.

The Edwin Jagger 3one6 is still performing really well. I have figured out the correct pressure and direction and angle for my face and shaving is a breeze. Such a nice tool and it seems any blade I pair it with works well. I was thinking I would try to narrow it down to one perfect blade to use with this razor, but it appears that won't be necessary. Only one problem...now my Schick Type G gives me nasty stares when I go to my shelf to pick out my razor for the day. It is feeling quite rejected.

I always thought vintage Gillette razors were the closet thing to shaving engineering perfection, but the modern innovations have surpassed the quality of the early Gillettes. (I can't believe I just said that!) I can still appreciate the vintage Gillettes for their craftsmanship, style and design and there is a old school, stepping back in history, feeling when you hold a Fat Handle Tech or a Slim, or Fatboy that just cant be beat. I guess its like old cars from the 50s -- they were style giants that speak of a special time in our history. But the innovations and safety features of newer vehicles have far surpassed the cars from back in the day.
 
I like shaving products that come in sets. For example, one of the things I like about Proraso products is they come as a trio: preshave cream, soap/cream and post shave (either AS or ASB). The matching scents and packaging appeals to my inner compulsive organizer. Everything matching and neatly lined up on a shelf. But beyond Proraso, there are few product lines that come in matching sets (that I am aware of). Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort is one other product line that comes in matching preshave oil, shaving cream and post shave balm. Lots of products come with matching soap and post shave, but I am an advocate of a good preshave routine, so a perfect trio has to include a preshave product. There is nothing nicer than starting the day with a nice trio of shaving products. One of life's little pleasures.
 
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