SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 19, 2021
The new Kravchenko 7/8 delivered a much closer shave than I realized yesterday. There wasn’t much facial stubble this morning. One and a half ATG passes pretty much cleared the decks. The new razor feels really good in hand. The pinch grip is just the ticket for these old arthritic fingers. The shave angle seems a smidge steeper, but I certainly can’t complain about the edge Yurii built. I could have easily gotten away without stropping after yesterday’s mug shave. The razor sailed through the styrofoam peanut test as easily after the shave as it did before, but maintenance is maintenance, so I stropped it anyway, and as my friend, Hans says, was left “smooth as a peach” afterwards.
There is one safety razor in my den that hasn’t seen any use for almost two years, my French Spadson. This razor was designed with a mild side and an aggressive side. I’ve always struggled with this razor, and discovered that the issue was its handle. This morning I switched out the Spadson handle for a Famex handle, and realized that the old handle never closed sufficiently to clamp the blade. I used to describe the razor as “assaultive”, not aggressive, but now realize I’d been shaving with an insufficiently clamped head. The two ATG noggin passes this morning were a breeze with the head properly sealed, leaving me cool, clean and velveteen from shoulders to dome.
RAZOR: Kravchenko 7/8 (Mug), French Spadson (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash.
