Thread: The Noob Chronicle - My Straight Razor Experience

Ya got kids....
Take time with them and if needed grow a beard.

Start a thread in the "Finer things in life" or a personal location and keep a log
of the truly important things.

Save MWF for Saturday night. My Sensei would say
chew your rice slowly, it is sweeter. Strop slowly the edge grows
sharper with care.

Lavish love on your family in greater abundance than you
lavish lather on your face.

Wise words and good advice.

The Straight Road - Interlude: Heading East
It's been a while since a new addition to my collection. Well, when I say a while, it's been a little more than a week, so that feels like a while to me Today I received a package all the way from Japan, from whence our friend JimR has sent me my first kamisori.

I have been curious about these, so I bought this one from Jim while I was also bidding on one on Ebay, which lead to me ending up with two. I didn't think I was going to win the auction, but that's life, I guess. This is made by Nagakichi, who was apparently a student of Ichihara-san, the guy who used to make Tsurayuki and Henkotsu razors (thanks to Jim for the knowledge). Anyway, here is a pic of my new acquisition:

DUDE!
YOU GOT IT BAD!

That's freakin' awesome. You'd better be bringing that to our next workshop session.....

I wanna see that!

Originally Posted by Maxi

That's freakin' awesome. You'd better be bringing that to our next workshop session.....

I wanna see that!

For sure.

I might even have two kamisori by then

The Straight Road – Part 45: Brutal Badger
Thursday is an interesting day for me. SWMBO and I alternate taking SWMBO Jr. to her dance company rehearsals on Thursdays, which require leaving the office very early and rushing up there. It’s nice for me, because I get to have dinner with SWMBO Jr. on our own, which usually amounts to a quick slice of pizza across the street from the studio between classes. Still, it’s a good time and most days we get to spend some time together on the streetcar, which has allowed me to gain more insight into the alien world of a 7-year-old girl. After a relatively easy evening, I got home to greet SWMBO, who had also enjoyed her “night off” with an excursion to a sushi restaurant with a friend of hers. Given that I had a borrowed vehicle, we opted to pick SWMBO up from her restaurant and head home together. Overall, we had a relaxed vibe around the apartment on Thursday evening, which meant I was in the perfect mood for a shave.

The Anticipation
The Manhattan Cutlery “The Celebrated” awaited my whiskers on this fine Thursday evening, along with its sidekick, my King Custom Bocote with 24mm TGN Black Badger and my sample of Irisch Moos. My last shave with this brush and razor combination had been a nice one, though I found my face felt a touch sensitive after the fact, which I attributed to the black badger brush, which is decidedly rough and scrubby. I had given it a conditioning and some shampoo after the last round and was hoping it would break in a little bit more, making things a bit easier on my skin than the last time around.

The Prep
I decided to give all of my strops a bit of a runout on Thursday, so I started with the SRD Premium IV, giving the blade 25 passes on the webbing and 50 on the leather. Then I tried a few on my Poor Man’s Strop, just to try the feeling of the narrower width. After that, I moved to the SRD Black Latigo for another 50 passes, and then I was ready to begin my ritual. Having opted for a face lathering, I left my scuttle on the shelf, dunked my brush in a small dish of hot water and proceeded to the shower. A vigorous scrub with my bristle brush and RazoRock Sandalwood Artisan Bar Soap, followed by Real Shaving Creamy Face wash, left me feeling refreshed and clean from the long day of work and dance chaperoning. The stage was now set for the black badger brush to have its second trial.

The Lather
Swirling the tips of the brush in my small travel-sized Muhle soap dish, I made sure to load the brush for a good 40-50 seconds. Satisfied with the amount of soap clinging to the dark bristles of the brush, I lifted the knot to my face and began to apply the lather. The swirling of the brush, combined with a painting motion, allowed me to build a thin, though fairly slick lather. I was not happy with the feel of this brush on my face, as any sort of pressure cause the scrubby feeling to become unpleasant, very different from my boar brushes which, while having the same backbone, certainly do not feel this rough on my face. I managed to get enough lather for my three passes, though the quality was not up to my standards and I think it may have adversely affected the shave, as I found the lather a touch sticky. Nonetheless, it got the job done. I can say I am almost ready to take this brush back to the drawing board, as I do love the bocote wood handle. The TGN Finest Badger Fan-shaped knot has attracted my eye, so I may delve into a brush re-knotting exercise in the near future. The Irisch Moos soap is a good one, with a nice scent and what seems to be the potential to create a nice lather, but it didn’t blow me away, either. With MWF, a few DRH soaps, Tabac, T&H and a few creams ahead of it in the lineup, it will likely only be relegated to sampler status in the long run. In the mean time, I had a shave to finish.

The Shave
This is the second time I’ve had less-than-stellar lather for this razor, combined with an unpleasant brush. My feeling is that the razor isn’t getting a fair deal out of this situation, so I will likely try it with another brush to see how it performs for me. I must say that, compared to the almost delicate TI of my previous shave, this one feels like a big, solid bruiser in my hands. The edge is nice and smooth and the blade slides freely, but I also need to be more mindful in the delicate areas, as sometimes the weight and balance of this shaver threw me off a bit. That said, despite some struggles with sticky lather, I went three passes which got me a very nice shave, very smooth and with only minimal requirement of touch-ups. While not completely happy with the lather and despite the sometimes awkward feel of the razor, I ended up with a very satisfactory shave.

The Post
In the middle of my final pass, I received a phone call from mom, who needed to be picked up. Given the fact that she’d lent me her car for the ballet excursion, it was only to be expected she would need it back sooner, rather than later, so I needed to finish up and head out. Luckily, there was still time to end my shave without rushing, so I am thankful for that. I rinsed up with cold water and applied the alum bar. While I let that settle for a moment, I rinsed the evil black badger, shook it out and dried it off before stowing it on the shelf with a bit of a baleful glare. Witch hazel was next, then I followed that with my favourite aftershave so far, which is Trumper’s Spanish Leather, though DRH Marlborough is giving it a run for its money. That done, I cleaned the general area, gave the Manhattan a 25/50 on the SRD Black Latigo and grabbed the Trumper’s Unscented balm, which is probably the best moisturizer in my den, given its neutrality. Since my skin tends to get dry if I use a splash on its own, I can combine any scent of aftershave with this balm without compromising the fragrance. A great pickup, in my mind, as it really combines with any product.

The Verdict
The journey was a little bit rough, but the destination was pretty darn good. I ended up with a very satisfactory shave, despite the unpleasant nature of the brush and the struggles to get a decent lather going. I was happy with how the Manhattan performed in terms of the edge, especially considering the lather. It will take me some time to get used to the razor, though that will have to wait as I’m likely to be testing a kamisori shave in the next while. Overall, I finished the day happy, smelling good and smooth.

On The Straight Road, smooth sailing is never a bad thing!

As I mentioned previously, my first Japanese kamisori arrived today and I am pretty excited to try it out. I’ve heard great things about how these shave and I like the interesting shape and the different techniques required to make it work. A new experience and a new challenge to master the kamisori looms on the horizon and I am charging to meet it head on. It should be a fun ride.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack

The Straight Road - Part 46: Razor of the Rising Sun
Friday was an interesting day for me. I was completely surprised to see my Nagakichi Kamisori arrive from JimR so quickly. I mean, I order stuff from the US and it takes twice that amount of time, but then my two purchases from England and Japan get here in a matter of days. Who understands postal services? My shave with the Manhattan on Thursday was great, so I probably didn't need a Friday evening shave, but I was going out to meet friends and I had some time, so I figured I might as well debut my new acquisition.

The Anticipation
What can I say? A new razor is always an exciting thing, but a new style of razor, never before held in my hands, was doubly so. From the photos I had seen of various kamisori, I was somewhat concerned that it would be too small, as I tend to prefer larger, more solid-feeling razors, which fit my big hands better. But this razor has a nice solid feel, aided by the fact that it is a pretty hefty wedge of steel. No flimsy hollow ground razor this, but a solid, no-nonsense tool designed for whisker removal. Needless to say, I was excited to give it a whirl, so I turned to some of my most reliable shaving products: Mitchell's Wool Fat and Semogue Owners Club Premium Boar. The finish would be supplied by Geo F. Trumper's wonderful Spanish Leather aftershave and Unscented balm.

The Prep
No shower this time, I prepared my face with a steaming hot towel from the microwave, while the water boiled in the kettle for my scuttle. After a few treatments and a full scuttle, I headed into the bathroom for my shave. Stropping the kamisori was an interesting experience, as it took quite a while to get the stroke right with the uneven shape of the razor. I took it slow and easy, which allowed me to do a 25/50 on my SRD Black Latigo strop. The razor again felt very solid and substantial, belying the delicate appearance of the kamisori style. My advice to a noob who enjoys a heftier razor is to try one of these out, because they really do feel solid in the hand.

The Lather
This was a bit of an adventure. Usually, MWF lathers up into a joyful, cushiony, slick blanket that covers my face and allows for a wonderful shave, but not on Friday. I think I added a little bit too much water, too quickly, which resulted in a thin, weak lather that had no redeeming qualities when I tried to apply it to my face. I tested a couple of inches on the sideburn area with this lather and quickly decided to whip up a fresh batch. The only redeeming quality was as a bit of a prep treatment, as I was able to massage the thin, weak lather into my face and it helped with some smoothness for later on. The second batch was much better, though I suspect I may have erred on the side of too little water, as it did get a bit sticky during the shave. All in all, it wasn't as good as the lathers I whip up with my Omega Pro 49 (aka The Super Brush), but it did a fine job through two passes and touch ups.

The Shave
This was the moment of truth. This is where I was quickly returned to the early steps along the Straight Road. The kamisori shave is very similar to a western straight shave, but also very different. I did not want to switch hands and use the wrong side of the razor, as that defeats the purpose of using a kamisori and I might as well just stick to my other razors. I wanted a kamisori experience, so I decided to use it as intended. This made for some interesting moments when shaving the left side of my face, as I am not used to reaching across to the left jawline. Another area I found somewhat challenging using only my right hand was the upper lip, which definitely benefits from the ambidextrous western razor shave. I never realized how much I used my left hand in the shave until I decided not to use it. Still, the kamisori gave me a very nice shave. It feels incredibly smooth and cuts through my whiskers like they're not even there. I felt no skipping, pulling or tugging, though I did have a couple of times where the razor may have been bogged down by the somewhat sticky lather. Through two passes and touch ups, the razor got the job done, despite forcing me into some fairly awkward contortions a time or two. My first kamisori shave ended up with no cuts, no irritation and a fairly smooth face, so overall, I dub it a success.

The Post
A quick rinse with cold water and a splash with witch hazel helped to soothe my face, after which I treated myself to the lovely Trumper's Spanish Leather. Then I cleaned brush and scuttle, stropped the razor and laid it aside to dry and applied the unscented balm. It was a great feeling to have completed my first kamisori shave and the finishing touches from these products left a clean, smooth face that was ready for action.

The Verdict
I like it. The kamisori shave was interesting, fun and smooth, so it stays in the rotation. I think I might even get another one--oh wait, I already bought another one that is on the way! I like the kamisori shave and I will give it another go tomorrow, right before my trip. It's a different shave, but it's an enjoyable one and I recommend that every noob try one at some point in their straight shaving career, even if they don't end up keeping it. The Japanese razor is a definite pleasure.

Let's take a moment and head East on The Straight Road, shall we?

Well, that was fun and I'm glad I took the plunge on the kamisori. I was originally intending to wait until I reached my 100th straight shave, but curiosity got the best of me. Overall, I'd say it was worth it. I'm not sure I'd make a kamisori my one and only if I were forced to choose, but it would certainly make the choice tougher. I'm off to Vegas tomorrow, so I might be able to get a straight shave in the morning, but after that it's DE until I get back. I'll try to update everyone on how tomorrow's kamisori shave goes, but I will likely not have full access to a computer until I get back. And unfortunately, it's work, not play, in Sin City, so it won't be all fun and games.

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack

The Straight Road - Part 47: Kamisori Redux
Greetings from the Toronto Airport. I am headed out of town and writing this from my phone, so I will be brief. My shave this morning was wonderful, made doubly so by the exquisite DRH Marlborough soap, as and cologne. What an amazing lineup. I face-lathered with my Semogue Owners Club Boar brush, which did an admirable job. The lather was almost perfect and the kamisori gave me a smooth, two pass shave with minimal touch-ups. I am off to Vegas, returning on Thursday night, so it's a DE until then!

The Straight Road is on the road. I'll see if I can at least hit the AOS near my hotel. Caesar's Palace awaits!

Cheers,

Jack

Originally Posted by jdto

The Straight Road - Part 47: Kamisori Redux
Greetings from the Toronto Airport. I am headed out of town and writing this from my phone, so I will be brief. My shave this morning was wonderful, made doubly so by the exquisite DRH Marlborough soap, as and cologne. What an amazing lineup. I face-lathered with my Semogue Owners Club Boar brush, which did an admirable job. The lather was almost perfect and the kamisori gave me a smooth, two pass shave with minimal touch-ups. I am off to Vegas, returning on Thursday night, so it's a DE until then!

The Straight Road is on the road. I'll see if I can at least hit the AOS near my hotel. Caesar's Palace awaits!

Cheers,

Jack

Travel safe Jack, Good Shaving .