First shave with the freshly glued together badger brush, which worked very well. It'll take a few shaves to get rid of the wet dog smell, though.
A&E St. Barts soap and aftershave, Derby blade loaded into a vintage Gillette adjustable razor, set on number 7.
I must be slowly improving my technique, as it gave me a high quality shave. Minimal nicks, cheeks and jawline very smooth, in two passes.
Also, I just got in an antique Case Red Imp straight rehandled by Max Sprecher down in Las Vegas. I got it cheap on the Bay, but the old scales were hopelessly warped. What the heck, I got it silly cheap, so I sent it to Max for some fine Ruby Red acrylic scales and it looks great.
Pulled together some other straights and did a color shot, which I think came out pretty well.
I'm still honing the Red Imp up to shaving shape, and when I'm happy with it I'll use it and report. I predict it will be noisy.
From top to bottom:
Case Red Imp
Friodur Inox
Heljestrand Le Duc
Clauss of Ohio
How does 'high quality shave' and 'minimal nicks' go together?
ReplyDeleteThe closer you get to a perfect shave, the higher probability of zipping off a high spot or to dig in somewhere. It's a very tight balancing act, and a challenge.
DeleteBut, when you hit that sweet spot, it's great. You have to combine a super sharp edge, technique, quality lather, and a careful implementation all at the same time.
Oddly, I tend to get fewer nicks with the straight razors, but a better quality shave with the double edge safety razors. That seems counterintuitive.