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Unexpected amazing shave!

Sometimes you can just have one of those amazing shaves out of the blue. I enjoy all my shaves, but this one was just special. As if all things came together and fell into place it seemed and, in my case, even made me doubt my products...


I finally had a good night sleep, but I had a little less time than normal as I woke up later than planned. So I kind of rushes ironing my shirt and a shower. Back on schedule I had enough time for a proper shave, so I started to relax a bit.

I loaded a PermaSharp (standard), a blade I had never tried before, into my Mühle R41, which is a very aggressive razor for those unfamiliar.
I'd had one shave with Martin de Candre Fougère soap and it was okay. I didn't have the lather wet enough though, so I thought I'd improve that on this shave. I had let it bloom with a tiny layer of water during the shower, since the jar is filled to the brim and no more would fit.

I added the bloom water to my face. I then removed as much of the water from my Simpson Chubby3 Manchurian and started loading the soap. I like to load quite a lot until the brush has a nice pasty look. I put the still warm brush against my face, a wonderful moment each morning, and started to work the soap into a dry lather. As it got going, I added more and more warm water until it was wet, creamy, but with enough consistency for some cushioning. MdC soap just looks beautiful lathered up, with a shimmering sheen over it in the morning sunlight. I was ready for the shave!

I started with the grain (WTG). I got confident with the PermaSharp blade very quickly and the razor just flew over my skin, filling the room with that lovely, crisp sound of all the whiskers it effortlessly cut in its path. Great 1st experience with this blade!

2nd pass: Across the grain on the WTG side of it. I wet my face and added a bit more hot water to the brush; I like my lather thinner each pass to get less cushioning and more slickness... I tend to get the closest results with the least irritation that way. The blade seemed to perform even better and this pass was done in no time as well.

3rd pass: Across the grain on opposite direction, so more against the grain. Added more water to the lather. Amazing pass. The blade just felt better and better. There was no hint of burn, irritation or any area feeling hot.

4th pass: Agains the grain (ATG). The PermaSharp blade was just amazing here! It felt smooth, didn't dig-in or pull my skin. Just perfect... This may be my new go-to blade.
With a new technique of tensioning the muscles in my neck I saw on NickShaves videos (makes the entire neck bigger and wider), I get better skin stretching in my neck for the ATG direction, where I can normally never get really close. To my excitement I got it right this time and my neck was a tiny hint short of BBS: I never shaved it this close before.
I also shaved against the grain under my nose. Before this week, I was always afraid I'd cut my nose. When I shave sideways this can happen sometimes and I hate this as it is really sensitive and irritates the entire day. But I recently realised that the safety-bar would stop it at this razor angle, so I went for it. Glorious! My first ever BBS under my nose.

Clean-up pass: I squeezed the remaining lather out of the brush with my off-hand and applied it to my face, feeling for spots to clean up. With my main hand I touched up some minor spots with the razor, though hardly any was needed. I felt around and was ecstatic... I had never gotten this close of a shave. My first BBS on everything above the jaw-line, with as-near-as-makes-no-difference in my neck. I had given up on getting BBS in my neck, but now, I think I can get there actually.

I wanted to finish with Floris London Balm and Cologne. I love an after-shave splash first though. I had bought D.R. Harris Pink AfterShave for this occasion as it has very little scent and one that should not interfere much with others. I hand't tried it yet though, but took a good splash in my hands. With such a close shave, I braced for the burn but was disappointed. "Damn, this is not alcohol-based" I though as I felt nothing. I like alcohol in my after-shaves, so I would not be using this much then I thought. I checked the bottle, but it didn't have an ingredient list on it.

I applied the balm and Cologne and felt great about the shave. Still a bit disappointed about the after-shave, I checked the D.R. Harris site for the ingredients and there it was: Alcohol as the 2nd ingredient. Nah, they must have changed the recipe. I then remembered I did not throw the box away yet, so I checked that: THIS STUFF HAS ALCOHOL!!! I couldn't stop snickering. Apparently the shave was so good I just had not damaged my skin... THAT's why I felt no burn.

I left for work in the bests of moods!


Does anyone else have such an experience, where you are just blown-away by a shave?
 
I know exactly how those great shaves feel like. Even if I replicate each step the next day, I simply wont come close to the same result. Therefore I embrace the experience and appreciate it even more knowing it's rare and fleeting.

Funny enough I had my greatest shave with a 'Manchurian' badger brush as well. This was when I used MWF for the first time.


 
Yeah, they seem to be one-offs, don't they. Perhaps because I try too hard the next day going for the same thing... I 'm not sure. And Mitchell's Wool Fat is great. I have a bunch of Obsessive Soap Perfectionist (OSP) with lanolin as well... great great stuff.
Cool you chose a Manchurian for Fixed Four For March Madness;) What is that razor you used for FFFMM?
 
Yeah, they seem to be one-offs, don't they. Perhaps because I try too hard the next day going for the same thing... I 'm not sure. And Mitchell's Wool Fat is great. I have a bunch of Obsessive Soap Perfectionist (OSP) with lanolin as well... great great stuff.
Cool you chose a Manchurian for Fixed Four For March Madness;) What is that razor you used for FFFMM?

Fatip Grande OC in nickel finish. This is the smoother mk2 version, an amazing shaver with sharper blades. With BIC CP and Astra SS it's a match made in heaven.

 
Looks very nice. I love the nickel finish; I prefer nickel to chrome. I was actually checking out Fatip open comb razors at the website of my shaving-shop recently. Ended up getting the Mühle R41 when I visited it, which is not really open though, and forgot to check the Fatips out. Do you have any experience with the Retro and Classic? That's what they have there.
 
Great job!. A Permasharp blade in an R41 razor is a pretty aggressive/efficient combination. I am somewhat surprised that you need four passes plus a clean-up pass to achieve BBS. I suspect as you gain some experience using this combination you will no longer need the 4th pass. With practice you will come to expect the unexpected.
 
Thanks @RayClem . You might be right there. I use the extra XTG pass to get the blade to bite less in ATG; so more about comfort than BBS. With my current results and improvements over the last months, I will give that a try as I think I might be comfortable without it.
 
Do you have any experience with the Retro and Classic? That's what they have there.

Those are just different handles. I prefer short ones because I go ATG, and nothing is as grippy, balanced and manoeuvrable like the Piccolo. That's the only handle that doesn't feel like a handle. The Piccolo feels like one uniform solid object.


 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. It’s wonderful when it all falls into place and everything just happens as it should.
 
Thanks. I'm checking out a review as I write this. I like smaller handles myself, as I like lighter razors (though I'm warming up to heavier ones recently). My vintage Gillette Slim Adjustable is just perfect in that respect for my taste. I understand the Piccolo's handle is solid brass and the others are hollow, making it heavier than the larger options.

They only have gold and chrome options at my shop where I would prefer nickel though. I may ask them if they can get the nickel one.
 
For general reference, the Piccolo has a standard size handle for its design era. Only later razors started to resemble potato peelers.

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The Piccolo only comes in Nickel and Black.

Mine is the mk1 version, which is like 2011 R41 with table manners.
Still, the mk1 is more aggressive than the mk2 according to the review I saw.

For general reference, the Piccolo has a standard size handle for its design era. Only later razors started to resemble potato peelers.

Talking about potato peelers: My first DE razor was a Merkur Futur... it scared the bejezus out of me with that size and weight. Got a vintage Gillette Slim as quickly as possible and never looked back. What a difference:)
 
Great job!. A Permasharp blade in an R41 razor is a pretty aggressive/efficient combination. I am somewhat surprised that you need four passes plus a clean-up pass to achieve BBS. I suspect as you gain some experience using this combination you will no longer need the 4th pass. With practice you will come to expect the unexpected.
UPDATE: Had my shave today and did a 3 pass and it worked out just fine. I removed the 1st XTG pass. I tested a soap for my shop here which didn't have great slickness so I didn't go for 100% BBS. Got very close though and without issues. Thanks @RayClem
 
UPDATE: Had my shave today and did a 3 pass and it worked out just fine. I removed the 1st XTG pass. I tested a soap for my shop here which didn't have great slickness so I didn't go for 100% BBS. Got very close though and without issues. Thanks @RayClem

Beautiful. Now that you have it figured out, every shave should be a wonderful one.
 
CONGRATULATIONS!! :a29:

Nice when ‘muscle memory’ (plus your work to develop that memory) just come through to deliver perfection!
 
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