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Apr 9, 2024 - Orbital
A full day of travel to get home. Orbit was a great way to start the trip.
Rating: 4.5/5
Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (543)
Lather: 345 Soap Co - General Patton
Brush: Declaration Grooming - B7 Viking Ivory (4 uses)
Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Diamond
Trying out 345 soap with the Slurry method and it was inconclusive. Need to get more soap involved.
(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹543 uses›)
As usual, with this blade now: a little tuggy at first, but fine after, and giving a close shave.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)
(345 Soap Co - General Patton)
Them: "In what seems like a lifetime ago, I was in the 82nd Airborne. So we wanted to do something special for the August soap, General Patton. Our namesake. A long time ago my late grandfather said that somewhere down the line uncle George and I were related. One day I'll make that lineage. We will be donating 10% of all General Patton sales in August to them."
Scent notes: Tonka bean, amber, powder, guaiac wood, cedar, sandalwood, dash of vanilla. "This is a warm, complex scent. A scent of Victory!"
345 also says, "We wanted to give back to those that have served our great nation, and the charity ‘Mission 22’ would be a great place to start. Their mission is to help all veterans with suicide prevention, and any mental health help that they need."
Scent: My first use of this one was a blind one, and I picked up the amber and tonka type scent, and woodiness. I also thought I got some leather, but I guess it was something else. I can see how there was a touch of vanilla in there, but it wasn't much, and didn't feel food-like at all. Just right.
An at-home kind of warmth, and manliness, is the vibe I got from this soap. I enjoyed it a lot.
Lather... soap hadn't been used in a while and didn't give itself to the brush too easily. So lather was watery and thin. Will try again later, probably with another brush.
Got the job done, though. But no residual slickness like this slurry lather method usually gives.
Hydration: Dry End of Perfect (for me)
Bowl: No Bowl
(Declaration Grooming - B7 Viking Ivory ‹4 uses›)
Not as much soap was picked up, so the lather was very wet, but not much substance. That needs to be adjusted. So the backbone of the brush was in full display.
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Just a little tugging
Neck: Just a little tugging
After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Close Shave
Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)
Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet
Can't lose track of the Tabac killing during the Varen killing. The Stank Tank® is clinging to a wisp of a ring of death and loading is becoming tedious, so this is going to happen soon.
Wonderful morning shave today with the 14. I frequently describe shaving with a 14 as akin to wiping stubble off with a feather, and today felt especially gentle.
No question that your Tabac is hanging on by a thread. I have only ever killed one tub, but there was an odd feeling of accomplishment that accompanied it.
wiping stubble off with a feather I get this feeling from all four of my 14-style razors. There's something about that form factor :)
Tabac++;
Fili 15;
That sometimes makes me curious about those 12/8 paddles that pudding enjoys. Who's to say that the 14 form factor can't be improved further?
Straight razors have been around long enough for a sweet spot to arise. The Fili 14 seems universally liked, so I'm guessing that's the sweet spot. It could also be argued that razors larger than 8/8 were not cost effective to produce and so aren't represented fairly by history. Dunno. Does Pudding actually prefer his paddles to his 14?
Mhm, he was here once, let me try pinging him @whosgotthepudding@sub.wetshaving.social
I don't get notifications on my Lemmy app and could not find one that provides them. Perhaps Pudding has the same situation. I'm sending his stuff tomorrow [ can't get to the post office today ]. I'll ping him on Reddit (stock is down 15% from its high in late March).
Yeah, the notifs are a big missing feature 😒
Absent an answer from pudding, I want to speculate:
8/8 is pretty much the maximum size for vintage razors with only few exceptions. I'm suspicious when the sweet spot sits on the boundary of the available space. It suggests that a boundary condition was activated. So this
razors larger than 8/8 were not cost effective to produce
Or something similar seems plausible.
Apparently I'd been logged out at some point and didn't even notice.
What a great conversation though! I only have a 10/8, but I do have my sights set on a 12/8 next. Or maybe another Japanese razor.
I suppose I hadn't ranked my Roman to my Fili, but as I think about it, I think I do kind of prefer the paddle over the Fili. Undoubtedly, the steel on both are great. I was extremely happy with Roman's high carbon. They're both very silky feeling.
I guess what it really comes down to, is the ease in which it moves. Granted, we need no pressure at all, and with a dialed in edge, everything should just glide. The 10/8 though, is comparable in weight to an 8/8 near wedge. So it takes even less than to get it going and keep it going, but with the delicate feel of a full hollow vs the sturdier and silent Near Wedge grind.
Thanks for getting my attention on reddit @gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social
I think I do kind of prefer the paddle over the Fili.
Damnit! I was hoping you'd convince me that there's no need for trying anything bigger 😄
But it makes total sense and shouldn't surprise me
This fills me with joy.
April 9, 2024
Brush: Brad Sears Scotsman XL 28mm Super Badger
Lather: Wholly Kaw - Amber Bomba - Soap
Toner: Thayers - Rose - Toner
Aftershave: Wholly Kaw - Amber Bomba - Toner
Talc: Yardley Classic
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Even though it is Tabac Tuesday, I was feeling the Bomba this morning. What a terrific scent and lather this product has. The soap base is very aptly named (Crème Fraîche). It is a fun lather to overdo.
I can't say enough about the Iwasaki. I'm honored to have it, and it is a great shaver.
April 9, 2024
Tub kill! I'm sad to see Cologne Russe go. The scent is discontinued but still available at some retailers. I won't be getting another tub, but it's such a good scent. I'm the type of person who says "I don't like gourmand scents" but obviously I do. It's like a fancy Grape Soda type smell.
Congrats on the kill! 🎉
Choo Choo 🚂☠️ ☠️ ☠️ !
💀🎇🎇💀
