Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, October 18th, 2010 ~

Prep: Hot shower, Dark Roast coffee, Pheobe Snow via Pandora stream on iPhone
Cream/Soap: Speick Stick
Brush: Shea Moisture, Pure Badger, aka Target Special
Razor: 1966 Gillette Twist, Bob's Razor Works Slim Bull Mastiff Deluxe handle
Blade:Feather
Balm: Kiehl's

Pic to follow.. this is a beauty!

For the past three days I have been shaving with a new to me, Gillette Twist, modified by CoonCat Bob from Bob's Razor Works (BRW) in California. This razor was born in England some time in the fourth quarter 1966 (Date code L4).. The Twist, and it's domestic sister the Gillette Knack, were essentially a Gillette Superspeed head on a cheap plastic handle, but with the Turn To Open collar just under the head instead of on the end of the handle as with the SuperSpeed. It shaves very much like the SuperSpeed, which is to say.. very mild.  So much so that it easily tames a Feather blade which as noted in earlier posts is considered one of the sharpest blades available.  The marriage of the smooth head design and wicked sharp blade seem to meld into a sweet combination and my shaves have been consistently superb.

This razor was modified by BRW around December, 2009 when it was fitted with a slimmer version of the outrageous BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe handle. This could easily become my favorite razor.. Near BBS with zero discomfort. Perfect balance and hefty weight attributed to the handle. Simple blade installation through the top load silo doors.. And beautiful nickel plating on both the head and handle. 

I continue to enjoy Speick Stick.  Using a stick requires you rub the soap on your moistened face depositing the pre-lather in and around your whiskers.  Unlike many other soaps, Speick leaves a nice slick residue after a pass, a characteristic that is more cream than soap. Face lathering with the Shea Moisture brush is a bit prickly, but it exfoliates well, and the size and shape of the brush are spot on for whipping a froth without depositing it in your nose or ears.  The 'Target Special', so named because that is the only source for this item, is an absolute bargain at $9.95.. if you can find one.

What's in a name?

Every razor has it's own unique shave characteristic and what I might consider a wonderful whisker whacker might tear your face to pieces..  load up one of the many available blades, each with it's own set of dominant traits and the matrix goes hyper on your..  Aside from the visual appeal of different razors, it's their temperament that differentiates them from a daily shaver, dust collector or worse...offered for sale or trade.

I recently added a vintage 1961 Gillette Fat Boy Adjustable to my inventory.  Its prior owner had named it George.  Learning this got me thinking about each of the razors I have.. not so much from a technical, forensic perspective, but in consideration to the way they treat my face and hands and what images they bring to mind before, during and after a shave.  While I don't know exactly how George got his name, I find it appealing that he actually has a name and I working on naming George's stable mates.

Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, September 27th, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: Speick Shave Stick
Brush: Penworks Silvertip Badger
Razor: 1961 Gillette Fat Boy Adjustable
Blade: Derby
Balm: Kiehl's

I believe the Gillette Fat Boy got it's name because the handle has a massive girth.  The razor is heavy in the hand but it is well balanced.  Being an adjustable razor, the user can set the quality of the shave from super mild to ultra aggressive in nine steps of the click stop collar under the head.  One nice feature is that the adjustment setting is retained when you load the blade into the upper silo doors.  This specimen is in superb condition.  Research tells me that Gillette originally called this razor the 195 because the price of ownership was $1.95.  Today, $30 to $45 is not uncommon for one in this condition.  It's super high quality construction and is tough as woodpecker lips.

The Speick Shave Stick was included in the purchase of the Feather Artist Club straight razor.  The technique with a shave stick is to rub the stick on your face which deposits product on your whiskers.  You then use a moistened shave brush and some muscle to whisk the soap into a glorious lather.  This is a tallow based soap which absolutely explodes into a thick foam and I need to be aware to not over apply it as it responds like a clothes washer over filled with detergent.. and much of the lather ends up down the drain.  It's moisturiaing properties seem to last all day.  I opted to transfer the stick to a twist up stick deodorant container emptied and cleaned of it's contents.  This dramatically improves the usability of the stick which is a seriously slipper affair when wet.

The image was created with the Nikon D3 handheld, 28-70 f/2.8 lens which is just exquisite, and a single Nikon Speedlight fill-bounced off a white wall camera right.  I am still learning the proper technique for displaying low resolution images for the web.  This particular image is absolutely razor sharp when viewed at full resolution on my high quality LCD display, but when down sized it seems to lose some of it's snap. 

Suggestions for your first Double Edge razor

I've received a few emails about which razor is best for a beginner and where to find one.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, YMMV.  What works for me, might suck for you so Your Milage May Vary when it comes to what you consider best.  But that being said, there are some guidelines for the beginner..

Keep in mind, I am still a beginner with but a few months of wet-shaving under my belt.  This possibly makes me a perfect resource as I can merely parrot what I am learning as I learn it from the more experienced folks.

Let's start with the options for the men..

This is a nearly endless list guys.  You'll have to sort through some of this on your own because your price range is a factor, but you can bet that spending more doesn't necessarily get you a better shave.  In fact, the cheaper options can yield an awesome shave.  Take the 1954 Gillette Super Speed I bought second hand and featured a few days ago in my Shaving on the Cheap post.  Amazingly, this thing cost me under $16 and it's "vintage".  It is an excellent whisker whacker; lightweight and well balanced.  Easy to load with it's top opening silo doors.  It's quite mild as far as DE's go, and can be found in relative abundance on ebay, and at flea markets.

Also priced at the low end is the Feather Portable..  It's super light weight and lacks some of the glitz other razors have, but that makes it no less of a good shaver and at $19 it cheap enough.. and new.

The Weishi Safety Razor has a decent following.. also under $20 and with an all metal construction.

If you fancy something a little nicer, Merkur has a line of double edge razors that is sure to please.  There are a few different handles to choose.  Models feature either a standard head, open comb design, the more aggressive slant bar heads as well as the Progress and Progress XL, which allow you to adjust just own mild or aggressive your shave is.

Want to step up to some real luxury??  Consider the Pils all stainless steel double edge safety razor.  It's got a real futuristic look and is reported to be one of the best DE's money can buy...but save your coins, this baby comes in at almost $250!

Mentioning Futur-istic, the Merkur Futur is a wonderful razor, albeit less conventional in looks and design.  I have one in the satin finish and love it!  It's adjustable and quite large compared to other DE's but it's most unique characteristic is the sound it makes.  You can actually hear the whiskers being sliced off...it has to be heard to be believe.  It's adjustability makes it a great first razor, but be fore-warned, navigating the big head of this razor around your nose and upper lip is a real challenge!

If I had to pick just one razor to recommend it would have to be the Merkur Progress.  It's been around for many many years and is likely one of the most popular adjustable razors.  Since you can dial your choice of blade exposure (less blade exposed = milder shave, more blade = more aggressive shave) it's a razor you can grow with and it's solid construction means you'll likely be passing it on to a future generation.  It's priced middle of the road at about $55.  A limited number of these razors go through a high level of modification to tighten the tolerances in the adjustment system and replace the cheesy plastic TTO knob... the result is The Mergress.  I shave with a Mergress XL which has a longer handle...I have zero complaints and if pressed could live with just this razor.

I haven't scratched the surface of what's available and it's tough to go wrong if you stick to a regular safety razor.

Ladies...stay tuned.  I have some recommendations for you as well!

So what do I need???

Like so many other hobbies, you can do wet-shaving on the cheap, or go all out and spend a boat-load of dough on fancy smelling creams, all stainless steel razors and English made Silvertip Grade A brushes.

I've gone down both paths..  Since I love old things made new and new things made to look and feel old, this chore turned hobby works perfect for me and I have amassed a collection of razors priced from $12 to $100+ and brushes in the same price range, but life can be much easier...

This morning is a near perfect day..end of summer, still warm but just a faint break in the temperature and zero humidity.  A shave out on my deck was in order.

I hung a small face mirror from the upright on the pagoda... While I have one of these that belonged to my father-in-law and is an antique, I bought this one at a local pharmacy for $3.00..

I prefer to shave after a shower since having a well hydrated beard is one of the key factors to a good shave.  Statistics say that a man's facial hair is 85% softer after exposure to just a minute of warm water.   Ten minutes in the shower is a perfect prep, but since I was also creating some images and the breeze was drying my face quickly, I also did a relaxing warm towel treatment just before lathering...I dunked a wash cloth in a bowl of hot water and held it on my face..what a treat.

This mornings shave was done with a vintage 1954 Gillette SuperSpeed that I bought on-line for $16 shipped.  It was already cleaned but I gave it a dip and soak in alcohol.  Added a Derby blade, $0.40.  The brush is a well sought after Shea Moisture, Pure Badger.  It's entry level all the way, but for some reason it is a joy even when compared to brushes costing tens of times more.  Find this one at Target, $9... and if you do, buy three.

I broke my normal routine of using shave creams and lathered with a soap.  I find the creams lather easier and are slicker, but this soap is awesome.. Van Der Hagen Deluxe is also a drug store item, and costs about $2.  I put it in an old coffee mug (freebie) and heated it in the microwave for about twenty seconds so it took the shape of the mug..  The stainless bowl held rinse water...$1.50 at a local home furnishing clearance center!

I finished with a touch of Oil of Olay moisturizer that I have had for about ten years.. new it may have cost $3 or so..  Add it up and this was indeed a wet-shave on the cheap, but the result is a damn fine shave by any one's standards!   With the razor, soap and brush now in inventory, future shaves will be even more cost effective!!  I'd venture to say the "per shave" cost with this setup is under a dollar!

Today was a two pass shave, interrupted by some image making.  The mirror image is from the Nikon D3, but the other is from a new-to-me Canon G9, with a Nikon SB-600 speedlight off camera controlled by Radio Popper RF remotes..  Expect some more feedback on the G9, but having shot with it for only a day or so, I can tell you I love it.  It fills the gap between full size SLR bodies and pocket point and shoot.  It's technology is a few years old and there is now a G10 and G11 in Canon's G line-up, but it is perfect for what I need it for...super light, full manual control in addition to Av & Tv, built in hot shoe and most important, it captures in RAW format..  more to come on this...