My New Improved Tuckaway arrived yesterday, and I took my first shave with it this morning. The shave was so good that I had to tell someone. (The wife doesn't quite understand ...)
I put in a 7 o'clock "Sharp Edge" blade and, using my Semogue 31064 brush, lathered up with MWF (with a few drops of glycerin). I had read that Tuckaways were "aggressive" , so I was a bit apprehensive at first. I snugged down the handle as tight as "a lid on a pickle jar" so as to limit the blade exposure as much as possible. That did the trick. Even though this razor has a comb guard, it felt as smooth as a Tech. Buttery smooth. Towards the end of the third pass, as usual, there were a few of those pesky remaining hairs. Rather than scalp myself, I tried loosening up the handle a little bit. Just by backing it off a sixth of a turn, I increased the blade exposure slightly, making it easier to reduce those hairs just a little bit more.
What a wonderful razor. It has a delicious feel in your hands. The thick, somewhat short handle gives the Tuckaway just the right amount of heft. Adding to that, the luxurious 1920s silver plating contributes to the feeling of solidity. I felt like a passenger in a first class cabin on a cruise ship bound for Europe taking his morning shave. No hurries, no worries. A bracing, brilliant start to the day.
The combs. I have a couple of NEW Gillettes: one long comb, and a short one. Both have the "common bar" handle. For me, the short comb NEW is less aggressive than the long comb. (I am aware that others have the opposite opinion.) I just prefer the short.
Interestingly, the New Improved Tuckaway reminded me of both the long and the short NEW razors. In length, the Tuckaway combs seem to have almost the same reach as the short combs on the NEW. However, the top profile of the guard plate on the Tuckaway, resembles that of the long combed NEW. This construction would affect the angle at which the blade protrudes from under the cap. So, the shaving experience that you get with a Tuckaway may result in a nice mixing of aggressiveness, falling somewhere in between that of the long and short combed NEWs. I don't know. Anyone have an opinion on this?
This is my first New Improved, but already, I love the ability to adjust the aggressiveness via tightening or loosening the handle. I know this could be done on any 2- or 3-piece razor, but it seems to make more sense, more of something that you should do on the New Improved Tuckaway.
I put in a 7 o'clock "Sharp Edge" blade and, using my Semogue 31064 brush, lathered up with MWF (with a few drops of glycerin). I had read that Tuckaways were "aggressive" , so I was a bit apprehensive at first. I snugged down the handle as tight as "a lid on a pickle jar" so as to limit the blade exposure as much as possible. That did the trick. Even though this razor has a comb guard, it felt as smooth as a Tech. Buttery smooth. Towards the end of the third pass, as usual, there were a few of those pesky remaining hairs. Rather than scalp myself, I tried loosening up the handle a little bit. Just by backing it off a sixth of a turn, I increased the blade exposure slightly, making it easier to reduce those hairs just a little bit more.
What a wonderful razor. It has a delicious feel in your hands. The thick, somewhat short handle gives the Tuckaway just the right amount of heft. Adding to that, the luxurious 1920s silver plating contributes to the feeling of solidity. I felt like a passenger in a first class cabin on a cruise ship bound for Europe taking his morning shave. No hurries, no worries. A bracing, brilliant start to the day.
The combs. I have a couple of NEW Gillettes: one long comb, and a short one. Both have the "common bar" handle. For me, the short comb NEW is less aggressive than the long comb. (I am aware that others have the opposite opinion.) I just prefer the short.
Interestingly, the New Improved Tuckaway reminded me of both the long and the short NEW razors. In length, the Tuckaway combs seem to have almost the same reach as the short combs on the NEW. However, the top profile of the guard plate on the Tuckaway, resembles that of the long combed NEW. This construction would affect the angle at which the blade protrudes from under the cap. So, the shaving experience that you get with a Tuckaway may result in a nice mixing of aggressiveness, falling somewhere in between that of the long and short combed NEWs. I don't know. Anyone have an opinion on this?
This is my first New Improved, but already, I love the ability to adjust the aggressiveness via tightening or loosening the handle. I know this could be done on any 2- or 3-piece razor, but it seems to make more sense, more of something that you should do on the New Improved Tuckaway.
