Who's Your Grail?

[Parallax]

I actually don’t consider the LC aggressive at all. It’s very smooth but very efficient. I particularly enjoy the #160 Goodwill.

Personally I find it too mild but when I think of the range of razors, I'd place it to the aggressive side of moderate. Maybe a 6.5. I guess that could also be seen as right in the moderate range (as in above 3 and below 7). Depends on one's point of view.

Around 7.5, with a good degree of blade feel, we're getting into razors I can live with. My favorites are 9+ with both smoothness and blade feel. Apologies if I'm beating a dead horse when I say my favorites so far are the CGL3 SB and the Wolfman WR1 .94 SB. I own the former but not the latter, which is fine. I don't have a Maserati either and life is still great.

 

[sharktown]

Well I used the New LC this morning with a fresh Silver Blue blade. I honestly got a great, smooth DFS but also a couple of nicks that for me I guess we're unavoidable. Maybe I tried too hard not to exert any pressure, I dunno. I guess it will be a weekend razor on occasion for now until I dial it in.
I gotta say that blade/razor went through two day stubble like a hot knife through butter. I'm an every day shaver and took Friday off to see how this combo would work.

 

[rabidus]

My grail is the ATT SE1 with a Schick Proline blade.

---

As far as the LC goes, I've had many with blade gaps from .017" to over .030" with different caps that changed blade exposure. The LC is inconsistent from the factory and one LC simply can't be compared to another LC. Buy multiple copies of it and you will know what I know!

 

[Marlor]

Essentially the focus here is on your Holy Grail of razors.

A stainless steel or brass Merkur Progress.

Much like the real Holy Grail, it's a legend that doesn't exist.

 

[les24preludes]

Talking of stainless steel, copper, brass and the heavier metals used in handles, I do wish the elite razor companies offered at least one hollowed out handle weighing in the 50-60g range. With solid handles of the usual 1/2" (12.8mm) width the usual way to decrease weight is to make them shorter, like 80mm. This is not useful for those who like their handles at least 88mm long. A few of us use aftermarket titanium handles to achieve 50-60g with a decently long and wide handle. OK, it may not match the head material but the weight/balance is much more intuitive for those that dislike razors over 100g. It's a simple process to drill out a handle and insert a bung of the same material to seal the end, which is virtually invisible when finished off.

 

[Parallax]

Talking of stainless steel, copper, brass and the heavier metals used in handles, I do wish the elite razor companies offered at least one hollowed out handle weighing in the 50-60g range. With solid handles of the usual 1/2" (12.8mm) width the usual way to decrease weight is to make them shorter, like 80mm. This is not useful for those who like their handles at least 88mm long. A few of us use aftermarket titanium handles to achieve 50-60g with a decently long and wide handle. OK, it may not match the head material but the weight/balance is much more intuitive for those that dislike razors over 100g. It's a simple process to drill out a handle and insert a bung of the same material to seal the end, which is virtually invisible when finished off.

Wolfman offers 90 and 100 mm handles that are hollowed out for an extra $30. Not sure if that takes them into your preferred weight range as the website doesn't list handle stats but my guess is it does. Of course finding a Wolfman these days is like finding Bigfoot.

 

[loot]

Grails have changed as have my tastes. It used to be a Red Dot Fatboy. I bought and sold two.

Now days it's a BBS-1 in titanium.

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[ShavingPanda]

Grails have changed as have my tastes. It used to be a Red Dot Fatboy. I bought and sold two.

Now days it's a BBS-1 in titanium.

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Setting the bar high! How many Ti ones were made, 20ish?

 

[loot]

Setting the bar high! How many Ti ones were made, 20ish?

Yeah, 20 is the rumor. But a guy needs a goal, ya know? I've pretty much eliminated all modern razors from my den except DuFour razors...and I have all the gaps I need/will use. So, that leaves me on a quest that is sure to take some time. The Titanium version of the BBS-1. It will keep the hobby interesting for me since there seems to be no hardware I'm interested in, save the Janus.

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[ShavingPanda]

Yeah, 20 is the rumor. But a guy needs a goal, ya know? I've pretty much eliminated all modern razors from my den except DuFour razors...and I have all the gaps I need/will use. So, that leaves me on a quest that is sure to take some time. The Titanium version of the BBS-1. It will keep the hobby interesting for me since there seems to be no hardware I'm interested in, save the Janus.

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Good luck on the hunt! Might have to pry it from someone's dead hands but here's hoping you don't

 

[loot]

Good luck on the hunt! Might have to pry it from someone's dead hands but here's hoping you don't

Thanks my friend.

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[Parallax]

Yeah, 20 is the rumor. But a guy needs a goal, ya know? I've pretty much eliminated all modern razors from my den except DuFour razors...and I have all the gaps I need/will use. So, that leaves me on a quest that is sure to take some time. The Titanium version of the BBS-1. It will keep the hobby interesting for me since there seems to be no hardware I'm interested in, save the Janus.

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You are a man of taste and distinction, James. I admire your idealism and single-mindedness.

My strategy seems to be a bit different. I have my grail, the copper CGL3 SB. When I'm not using it, it lives in its box for safekeeping. I like having it in that box, knowing it's there, even though it means it gets less use. I don't focus at all on razors that I can't get my hands on. Like your four horsemen, though you were so kind to lend me a very special one (and I'm a richer man for having had the experience). I have no real hope of landing one for myself so I don't sweat it.

Red Dot? BBS-1? In titanium, stainless, brass or dog**** -- I wouldn't know what to do with one. They are just so far beyond the horizon of possibility for me. Of course I'd no doubt change my mind if such razors ever came into focus. But for me that's kind of like wishing I had a private jet. Since it's not gonna happen, I'd rather not give it any attention. Because in truth such things really don't matter. Peace in my heart. Love for my wife and children, good work that helps people and provides satisfaction -- those are the foundations of my life. No razor, car, yacht, mansion or jet could even begin to touch the joy I receive from simple pleasures like friends, family, a quiet moment, a beautiful vista, the wind against my face . . .

 

[loot]

You are a man of taste and distinction, James. I admire your idealism and single-mindedness.

My strategy seems to be a bit different. I have my grail, the copper CGL3 SB. When I'm not using it, it lives in its box for safekeeping. I like having it in that box, knowing it's there, even though it means it gets less use. I don't focus at all on razors that I can't get my hands on. Like your four horsemen, though you were so kind to lend me a very special one (and I'm a richer man for having had the experience). I have no real hope of landing one for myself so I don't sweat it.

Red Dot? BBS-1? In titanium, stainless, brass or dog**** -- I wouldn't know what to do with one. They are just so far beyond the horizon of possibility for me. Of course I'd no doubt change my mind if such razors ever came into focus. But for me that's kind of like wishing I had a private jet. Since it's not gonna happen, I'd rather not give it any attention. Because in truth such things really don't matter. Peace in my heart. Love for my wife and children, good work that helps people and provides satisfaction -- those are the foundations of my life. No razor, car, yacht, mansion or jet could even begin to touch the joy I receive from simple pleasures like friends, family, a quiet moment, a beautiful vista, the wind against my face . . .

Not single minded really. I just tried/owned the vast majority of what is on the market, rare or readily available. Some are very close to DuFour razors, better in some instances I suppose. Im just not a fan of redundancy. So most went. As you pointed out, family is much more important. Kinda silly of me to hang on to quantities for quantities sake. Hard to justify many, many thousands of $$ to adorn a wall or cut just like the one next to it. Priroities are indeed important my man. I'm streamlined. No excess.

One thing I've learned in my few short years around wet shaving forums, you never know what kind of gear is behind the avatar. It might just be a guy with the Grail willing to throw you a solid. Strange things happen. Stars align. But it's poissible to create your own opportunity too.



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[loot]

@loot and @Parallax you guys are both getting very deep!

View attachment 965767

Ha! You are the shaving Zen master my friend. We are just sitting in the corner cutting up.

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[Parallax]

@loot and @Parallax you guys are both getting very deep!

View attachment 965767

And you, my friend, made me snort on my computer keyboard!

 

[Razorcan]

Fatip picolo.
The 3rd DE I own since 1980 (the other 2 were Gillette Fatboy from 1980-2000 and a Merkur 34c from 2000-2018) and definitely the best,the only razor that BBSes the area under my nose with a single pass.

 

[Brian C.]

I have 2 grails. One I wasn’t even aware of until I acquired it recently through a PIF and that was the Merkur 37c. It literally ticks every box I had and some I hadn’t thought about yet. I have not found a blade yet that doesn’t work in it. (I’ve only tried 4 up to this point but I have 4 more tucks of various blades still to try). With it, I have achieved shaving nirvana.

My new grail and probably my last grail is the Wunderbar. After the 37c, I just can’t see me ever going back to a non slant razor. I will even have a backup to the 37c after the sabbatical is over this year.


AoM;Knight of the Veg Table;B.O.S.S.;MFR2019

 

[les24preludes]

Had my best shave ever with this, so this is setting the bar pretty high. Just a $5 1912 Ever Ready, but it laughs at just about everything else. Handle is 80x12.8mm and 67g, hollowed out, and end is sealed with a piece of copper rod. There is nothing in shaving quite like a brand new Personna PTFE GEM blade.

 

[Twelvefret]

Had my best shave ever with this, so this is setting the bar pretty high. Just a $5 1912 Ever Ready, but it laughs at just about everything else. Handle is 80x12.8mm and 67g, hollowed out, and end is sealed with a piece of copper rod. There is nothing in shaving quite like a brand new Personna PTFE GEM blade.

View attachment 966045

The new blade played a big part in the shave, I suspect. I like the handle BTW.

 

[Ron R]

Had my best shave ever with this, so this is setting the bar pretty high. Just a $5 1912 Ever Ready, but it laughs at just about everything else. Handle is 80x12.8mm and 67g, hollowed out, and end is sealed with a piece of copper rod. There is nothing in shaving quite like a brand new Personna PTFE GEM blade.

View attachment 966045

Nice gem 1912 razor head + Nice handle with personal touch= Nice eye candy razor!