The Anticipation
I got new stuff today, so it follows I would use it during my shave, right? But I didn't. When I got home from taking SWMBO Jr. to one of her seemingly innumerable dance classes, I needed a shower and a shave to unwind. SWMBO was in a better mood, having had the evening off, so she took over with Jr while I carted myself off to the bathroom to unpack my new goodies. I decided, before starting my routine, that I would have a lathering practice session, so I lined up all my brushes and started to lather them up in my scuttle. First, I went with my brand new custom Snakewood Silvertip Super with Proraso White, then I followed on down the line to the Omega 10005. I went through the rotation once, repeating the FS brush, as well as the new one, a few times to help speed the breaking in process. The only one brush that didn't get any love was the old Wilkinson Sword brush, but I've never even used it. Maybe some day...
Here's a shot of the lineup:
After all that lathering, including breaking out my sample of DR Harris Marlborough in a new crystal bowl I rescued from the garbage, it was a furious half hour of lathering. You can bet I was psyched up to shave after that! The only downer was, when I unpacked my brand new 3" Black Latigo strop, freshly arrived from Fendrihan, I discovered two creases in the leather. I've been told this might be fixable, though it will never be quite 100%. I contacted the store and I am hopeful for a resolution. If not, I'll have to find a way to make it work.
The Prep
I put the kettle on to boil and checked out my new strop. I figured I'd test it to see if the wrinkles caused by the creases were noticeable. Unfortunately, I could feel them with both my hands, and also the razor as I stropped. I went for 25 passes on the webbing, about 25 on the latigo to ascertain I was, indeed, feeling these wrinkles, then I switched to my Premium IV for another 25. After that, I retrieved the very hot water from the stove and filled my scuttle, dunked the brush in the reservoir and jumped into a hot shower. That done, I towelled off and shook the excess water from my brush, squeezed out the final portion of my T&H Grafton shaving cream sample and added a few drops of the glycerin I had picked up from the local pharmacy this afternoon. Then it was time for some Mitchell's Wool Fat.
The Überlather
This was fun. The FS brush is just a monster and it tends to start slowly as it just vacuums up all the product into the embrace of the knot. But with some coaxing, a good amount of water and some patience, it unleashed a bowl full of warm, creamy lather that was just a treat. I think I like this überlather thing! The brush literally covers half my face when I take it from the bowl to the cheek, so by the time I had swirled the lovely, warm lather around, it had covered my face from ear to chin, thick and cushiony, ready for the razor to do its thing.
The Shave
At first, I found the ERN to be a bit on the small side. All my other razors are 6/8", so this one is smaller and a bit more delicate-feeling in my hands. That said, it shaves really nicely. With the help of the luxurious lather, made from two of the finest shaving products around, the German-crafted steel simply glided across my skin, giving very audible feedback as it reduced my stubble to nothing. The first pass would have been almost sublime, except I dinged an ingrown on my neck, which bled a bit, but not so much as to require the styptic. The lather stayed lubricated and moist on my face for the whole pass, lending even more strength to my enjoyment of the überlather. The second pass had lather in abundance, which helped the razor glide effortlessly across the grain on my cheeks and neck. The moustache area gave me my first bite of the evening, with a small nick under my nose, but again, nothing serious and the styptic took care of it at the end of the shave. Even the trouble zones of chin and jawline came out pretty well, though I probably could have touched up the right jaw a bit better. Overall, smooth, relatively quick and easy shave.
The Post
With no rush and nothing to bother me, I took my time cleaning up both myself and the bathroom. I started by rinsing the remnants of the wonderful lather off my face with lukewarm water, then applied the alum block. After that, I rinsed with cold water and then cleaned my brush, taking special care to get all the lather out. I dried it on a towel and set it on its stand, ready for the next time duty calls. Next up was the Life Brand Witch Hazel, which I splashed on and left for a minute, while I rinsed, wiped and dried the scuttle. The black finish on this scuttle sure looks nice, but it shows the soap residue really easily, which is both good and bad, I suppose. Laying that aside, I applied the wonderful T&H Grafton Aftershave Balm, after which it was time for stropping. Thirty passes on the webbing, followed by 50 on the Premium IV's bridle leather, and my ERN was ready to return to its resting place on the stand to air out. I finished off by rinsing and putting away all my brushes, which I had let sit for a while with the lather in them, then headed to the living room to pour myself a Woodford Reserve.
The Verdict
I am happy. I am really starting to enjoy my shaves and the überlather really did make a big difference in my lather. I am starting to feel the differences in how my razors shave and how I need to hold them and move them, though I still think it will be a long time before I master just one of them, let alone all of them. I am also quite pleased with the FS Richmond brush, though a bit concerned with the number of hairs it seems to shed, as we are now up over 100 hairs dropped since I got it. Hopefully it will settle down, as it really is a luxurious brush and I would hate for it to get thinned out. I did end up with a small amount of razorburn on my neck, just below the chin, which I think is due to me trying a combination XTG/ATG stroke there. I'll have to take it easier next time.
What does that Eagles song say? Take it easy?
I'm not trying to loosen my load, but I am definitely running down The Straight Road.