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Your Regrettable Purchases?

My first brush. I didn't know any better. I thought I had done the
research but I didn't know about shaving forums like B&B and went
strictly on Amazon reviews and popularity. It's not a horrible brush but
it's pretty floppy. For 7600 yen ($70), I could have bought a Maseto
badger or any number of quality boar brushes. That said, buying and
learning from mistakes are all part of the journey...


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Rockwell Model T, after waiting close to two years I finally got it and it was a beast, and not in a good way. The head geometry was HUGE, which I should have expected from the original 6s razor and it didn't give me a decent shave. I ended up selling it for $90 and swearing that I'd never back a shaving Kickstarter ever again.
 

Eben Stone

Staff member
My only advice: don't quite ride the cap, just lift it away a little bit. It REALLY likes Gillette Silver Blue blades, but what razor doesn't? I'm convinced it is the best razor ever made, and it's ALL @Tanuki 's fault! He gave me one and it cured my RAD!

For some reason I seem able to apply a little pressure with my other razors, including R41, Ikon Tek, and Feather AC SS, but not the New LC. Weird. I'm going to have to dial it back a few notches, and adjust the angle. It does handle first pass ATG remarkably well, on auto pilot, so I'll give it props there.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Yeah, I'm one of those people that just like using pressure too. It does okay with i little less pressure than most of my razors. To many years of using carts for me?

But honestly, if you play with the angle and use less pressure, I'll bet you a dollar against a donut you will be falling in love with it.

I've never had the privilege of using the short comb variety of the NEW, but that's really the ONLY razor I'm lusting over.

May good fortune come to you in the re-trial!
 
For some reason I seem able to apply a little pressure with my other razors, including R41, Ikon Tek, and Feather AC SS, but not the New LC. Weird. I'm going to have to dial it back a few notches, and adjust the angle. It does handle first pass ATG remarkably well, on auto pilot, so I'll give it props there.
Don't ride the cap, experiment a bit. Try a steep angle. You will want a very slick lather.
 
$70 could even get you a Simpson Colonel X2L and would get you most of the way to a Commodore X3. (At least in the US, not sure what Simpsons go for in Japan.)
I have never seen a Simpsons on any merchant site in Japan. Amazon Japan is heavy on Kent, with some Parkers and an occasional Proraso boar brush. Rakuten, another site has Kent, Muhle, Parker and Acqua di Parma brushes as well as several suspicious Chinese brands. Most are overpriced. Slim picking s here...
 

Eben Stone

Staff member
For some reason I seem able to apply a little pressure with my other razors, including R41, Ikon Tek, and Feather AC SS, but not the New LC. Weird. I'm going to have to dial it back a few notches, and adjust the angle. It does handle first pass ATG remarkably well, on auto pilot, so I'll give it props there.

I think I've figured out my problem with the New LC. There is no blade feel. With all my other razors I typically adjust the pressure so I can feel a certain amount of blade. Thats why I prefer "aggressive" razors. So far that's worked out pretty well for me. I have no desire to use a razor where I can't feel the blade.

I'll give the New LC another try after I complete 30 shaves with my Feather AC SS.
 
Vinkam shaving cream tubes (6 of them).
I was really new to wet shaving and wasn't aware at all about the vast plethora of items available.

I purchased them in hopes to saving some money, you know that Tag line, yeah exactly that.

So, each tube makes lather that dies by 2nd pass, smells like cough syrup and causes reaction on my skin.

Pearl SS-09 Close comb razor -
There is a difference between blade chatter and singing.
In this razor, the blade keeps on yapping and I end up receiving inconsistent shaves.

Wickham soaps -
My first international shaving soap (pre loved), they are the crappiest soaps that I own, always giving me the runny lather, no protection.
I cannot bring myself to give these soaps to someone else.

I'm not that bad.
I've only tried one Wickham soap, but really enjoyed it. My experience was it took very little water compared to my other soaps.
 
I'd say my only regrettable purchase was an inexpensive but tiny "badger" brush / bowl / stand combo that I bought off of Jeff Bezos. It worked OK, but I only used it for a few weeks before I bought a fancier boar and a good badger. The bowl is OK for storing soap but too small to lather in, and the stand falls over. But hey, it got me started.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
“You have such beautiful eyeballs” wasn’t my most successful pickup line when I was single. Just sayin’.
It's ALL in the delivery my friend.... Reminds me of a story for my life story I'm never gonna write!

It boiled down to a friend of mine getting his face slapped in a bar, because I was always a perfect gentleman. Until I was invited not to be.

But all things considered....I am MUCH happier being married!
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I'd say my only regrettable purchase was an inexpensive but tiny "badger" brush / bowl / stand combo that I bought off of Jeff Bezos. It worked OK, but I only used it for a few weeks before I bought a fancier boar and a good badger. The bowl is OK for storing soap but too small to lather in, and the stand falls over. But hey, it got me started.
And you helped out Jeff, who will undoubtedly need to pay alimony to another woman someday! That makes you a BETTER man than he is.
 
I've only tried one Wickham soap, but really enjoyed it. My experience was it took very little water compared to my other soaps.
Your observations are correct.

When I started with Wickham soaps, I wasn't that good about the water content and paid with foamy lather.

The second time I used them, it was with a boar brush (1st time boar brush user), again water content/ amount
was way off the charts, and again paid for runny and dissipated lather.

Maybe third times a charm, and I'll try to use my experience to make a better lather.
 
Your observations are correct.

When I started with Wickham soaps, I wasn't that good about the water content and paid with foamy lather.

The second time I used them, it was with a boar brush (1st time boar brush user), again water content/ amount
was way off the charts, and again paid for runny and dissipated lather.

Maybe third times a charm, and I'll try to use my experience to make a better lather.
I'm using a synthetic brush, but my technique is to scoop just the amount of soap I want and drop it into a stainless bowl. I shake all the water out of my brush and begin working the soap. Normally I have to add a small amount of water two times to get it the way I like it. Any other way I tried yielded a foamy mess.
 
Muhle 41 Twist!

I adore the R41 for its beautiful shaves but alas the handle is slippery,and as you know,the R41 Twist is a 2 piece set and you can't replace only the handle..
so I bought a second R41 but this time the regular 3 pieces version and paired it with an ikon OSS handle-Problem solved.
Will sell it soon..
Maggard Razors sells just the top cap & plate for $25. I'm trying different handles but thrilled with the shave this razor gives.
 
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