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The Wanderer's Journey

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
The last one didn't look anything like that after 10 (?) shaves, so I'm not unduly concerned, especially not at 3 pence per blade.

No, but every time you use one now, you'll be checking it before each shave.


We would have nothing to talk about - probably have to go elswhere and talk about other things.

Yep. Into Al's other thread and hijack it about being hippies hahaha.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
And you might have lived long enough to give the MMOC a try!

The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Ugly-Clint-Eastwood-western-534x462.jpg


Most likely not lol.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Today's shave was... rather incompetent :D

For a change, I decided to have a shave with the black plastic Wilkinson Sword Classic. After using that razor exclusively for a couple of decades, it got demoted to being my travel razor. However, I've taken my Merkur 985 the last few times I've shaved away from home, and so it had been quite a long time since I'd last used the Wilkinson.

I transferred the Indian Wilkinson Sword over from the Jagger, and the Wilkinson razor immediately felt unfamiliar in my hand. I did seem to hit the correct angle fairly quickly though, and the first two passes were tug free as I whipped around the face vertically, pirst pass downward, second pass upwards.

Moving onto pass three, I felt less competent in the angle, and while there was still no tugging or snatching, I wasn't convinced I'd cleared the stubble. Sure enough, when I rinsed off, there was plenty of stubble remaining. I lightly painted the face for a fourth trip araound, and went seeking with the left index finger before following with the razor.

I got memories of my youth, doing this very same thing, but resorting to pressing on and trying to gouge the residual stubble from my face, hoping brute force and ignorance would defeat the stubborn whiskers. Strangely, that is what my driving hand wanted to do today, even after all these years, and I had to consciously stop myself doing it.

Despite being neutral exposure at best, light and well targetted strokes got me clear of offending stubble without the need for pressure, even if I did have to repeat some of the strokes a few times, hunting for that sweet spot in the angle. Gone are the days where I pick up this razor and turn on the autopilot. These days that autopilot is calibrated for the Jagger, but it was nice to have another shave with this old friend, and nice to remind myself that I can get the same great shave with it that I can get with the metal razors.

The Classic is NOT an easy razor to find the angles on, and therefore achieve that perfect shave, but it can be done. That 25+ year old bit of plastic has been with me on nearly every foreign holiday I've ever had, as well as been camping with me. It has given me shaves for every job I've ever had, every relationship, every stage performance (I gave up trading the boards before upgrading razors), and many important meetings outside of work.

It was also the razor that taught me to shave, and took years to master as I didn't shave every day, and every few months my beard would change a little in density from the patchy teenage fuzz, to the beard I have today. No internet back then, and nobody to ask questions of. I didn't even know anyone else who used DE.

While my preferred daily driver is the Jagger, I'll always have a soft spot for the Classic.

Oh, and that was the 4th shave on that blade.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
The passionate memories of a first love. :)

:D

I'm just staggered that it survived the journey :) We hear a lot of talk of the "temporary" nature of zamak, and I've discovered that for myself, but I genuinely didn't expect this cheapo plastic thing to still be with me today. I bought it expecting to have to replace it every few years, but never did.

Todays shave isn't fully BBS, and there's some very light stubble presence ATG in a couple of places, and I would have gotten a closer shave significantly easier with the Jagger, but it is still a far superior shave to anything I've ever had with cartridge or electric.

I might finish off this blade in this razor, just for old time's sake.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I stuck with the Classic again today for shave #5 on the Indian Wilkinson, but decided to go for gold in terms of closeness. I had forgotten just how angle sensitive this razor is, and in a few places I knew the blade wasn't quite at skin level, but couldn't tell if I was handle high or handle low. Because of this, it's also quite angle sensitive on trajectory.

I spent a couple of extra minutes on seek and destroy, and I could detect the razor picking out four or five rogue hairs at a time, and it was a repeating cycle of smearing lather with the left hand for each shaving pass with the right. Eventually, I got it almost perfect everywhere, but decided chasing the lower fringe of the beard wasn't worth the effort. All the way down to the neck crease is perfectly clear though, with zreo pressure, leakage or irritation.

I felt less out of practice than I did yesterday, but still wasn't anywhere near the efficiency that I used to be with this razor. Notice how I said I was inefficient, not the razor. Many people would call this a very inefficient bit of kit, but it just puts all the onus on the driver in terms of closeness. It can do it, but it ain't easy. I can fully understand why many would give up with this razor if they're used to getting BBS easily with something else.

A quick splash of homebrew rounded off the shave. I am enjoying finishing off with a little lotion at the moment, but wouldn't say it was a necessary part of the shave. There have been a couple of days when I haven't bothered, and it didn't feel like the shave had gone unfinished.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Al. Pssssssst, Aaaal.

Go buy some CRS cream. It will be the best 8£ you ever spent.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Al. Pssssssst, Aaaal.

Go buy some CRS cream. It will be the best 8£ you ever spent.

:D

I do intend to try some samples of soaps and creams at some point, but I need to get through a couple of other soaps first. I'm not buying any more while I've already got four full tubs in the drawer. ;)

I'll probably do three cream samples and three soap samples, just to get a feel for the wider market and see what all the fuss is about. It'll probably this time next year (at the earliest) before I get the spares drawer empty enough to consider buying any extra. Besides, I do have some other shaving purchases already on the wish list for next year :)
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
:D

I do intend to try some samples of soaps and creams at some point, but I need to get through a couple of other soaps first. I'm not buying any more while I've already got four full tubs in the drawer. ;)

I'll probably do three cream samples and three soap samples, just to get a feel for the wider market and see what all the fuss is about. It'll probably this time next year (at the earliest) before I get the spares drawer empty enough to consider buying any extra. Besides, I do have some other shaving purchases already on the wish list for next year :)


No. Non. Nein. Nyet!

Seriously lol. Do not wait a year. Dont bother buying samples. All you have now will be quickly and unashamedly banished once you use it lol. It is that good, but then again, so are Polsilvers. :)
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
No. Non. Nein. Nyet!

Seriously lol. Do not wait a year. Dont bother buying samples. All you have now will be quickly and unashamedly banished once you use it lol. It is that good, but then again, so are Polsilvers. :)

Yeah... and the Fatip Grunt :lol:

So what's this cream going to do on my face? Set solid like concrete? Cause skin blisters? Scent hit me like tear gas? Dissolve the head of my beloved 25 year old plastic razor? I can hardly wait :p

:D
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Yeah... and the Fatip Grunt :lol:

So what's this cream going to do on my face? Set solid like concrete? Cause skin blisters? Scent hit me like tear gas? Dissolve the head of my beloved 25 year old plastic razor? I can hardly wait :p

:D

Hopefully, it will impress you as much as its has Rave, Doug and myself, but keep a rag doused with Lime juice handy in case it attacks you like CS gas lol.

I just cant get over how good it really is for such a low cost. $40 for a tub of Wholly Kaw? They sure got the name right but not for the reason most think.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Hopefully, it will impress you as much as its has Rave, Doug and myself, but keep a rag doused with Lime juice handy in case it attacks you like CS gas lol.

I just cant get over how good it really is for such a low cost. $40 for a tub of Wholly Kaw? They sure got the name right but not for the reason most think.

The most expensive soap I've used is Mitchell's, for which I just paid £7 including postage for a replacement, and which gives me around 500 shaves. For $40 I'd expect a soap to make me a bacon butty and a cup of tea after every shave.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I gave up waiting for my bacon sarnie. Aint happenin'.

Very disappointing :p

I have spent over £200 for a pocket knife in the past, but won't be tempted to spend £30 on a soap. I don't mind spending a little extra, such as the £7 for 500 MWF shaves over the £0.50 for 200 Palmolive shaves, but many soaps are in a league I'm not prepared to explore.

Essentially the premium soaps are either scented, in which case I'd tire of them too easily, or unscented in which case I don't understand why they still expect me to pay the same money as their exotic scented soaps. :blink:
 
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