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What straight did you use today? Now with PICTURES

Tuesday's Shave
'Hot Rod 49'
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Razor: Heljestrand MK31 Ivory
Finisher: 0.1u Diamond Pasted Balsa
Brush: Simpson Chubby 2 Super
Soap: Mikes Bay Rum
Bowl: Salt and Pepper Matt Ceramic
AS: Thayers WH

First shave with a ‘new to me’ razor that I have been eying up for a while now: the Heljestrand MK31. The razor arrived in what looks to be fantastic condition. It was sharp but I did not trust it to be shave ready. I pulled out my box of lapping films and diamond paste and quickly got a wicked edge on it. The blade has a slight smile. I got some of that out but tried not to overdue it. It’s only minor but when tested on a flat surface you can see it.

The first shave this morning went really well. DFS with lots of BBS and zero irritation. I’ve gotten so used to my Ralf Aust and this blade felt very different. The MK feels much lighter in the hand compared to the Aust. The blade itself is a fraction shorter. The finishing is more basic on this one. All of the edges on the Aust except for the blade are smoothed and rounded. The MK has some bite to the edges in the thumb notch and tail. It provides good grip. The top of the tang is much narrower than the Aust making angle adjustment a touch nimbler. What can I say? It’s a different razor from a different era. And the scales... Well they don’t make them how they used to!

I got a very good shave from the MK31. The fresh edge off the films felt a bit crisper than the one I have been maintaining on balsa for 4 months. I’m not sure if this is the steel or the fact that it’s fresh off the films. I’m sure the shaves will get even better as I get used to the handling. It’s nice to finally have a selection.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
This morning's shave was with my Vesperum SR, a Titan 1918 ACRM-2 T.H.60. This was the sixth shave with this razor without stropping and still giving a very comfortable shave. I was expecting to experience a lot more edge deterioration by now but that just hasn't happened - yet.

Vesperum is the SR sitting in the lid of my M7DS case.
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The week days shown on the spines are in Latin. They are engraved into the spines, not just etched on them.
 
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