Thread: The great experiment

Thanks Steve and Tom...I shaved with it again this morning and it felt better when I paid attention to the combination of grip and angle of the blade. I'm going to stick with it for a few more shaves to see if I continue to improve.

My issue (not the razor's) seems to be that when I adjust my grip for the thicker more "non-standard" scales, I unconsciously change the angle to my face. Same issue I had at first with the silver Tally Ho, which has thinner that standard scales,I think. Onward I go for a few more shaves then these beauties all head back to Texas!

Two related but only semi-connected thoughts today about my 3d consecutive shave with the Manhattan.

#1—This morning when I got up I realized how much closer yesterday’s shave was than any I get with a DE…and that opinion is fresh, because over the extended Thanksgiving weekend, I shaved only with DE because of the rush of having grandchildren underfoot and people to amuse.

# 2 -- I decided that when I finished with the Manhattan today, I would do something that I used to do when new with a SR which is to check my SR technique by making a last pass with a DE to see where I had missed and needed to improve with my SR. In today’s case I decided that my last “test” pass would be with with my favorite DE (a Merkur 37c with an Astra blade).

So this morning I stropped the Manhattan in my normal routine, which is 15 fabric passes, and 40 each on three leathers…first SRD modular paddle with their Premium 1 leather, followed by their English bridle, finishing on an SRD 3” hanging strop with Roo. I then built a nice face lather with Castle Forbes and an Asylum Brush Works BG7 Shaving Brush in synthetic Silvertip Fiber, and went to work with the razor, paying particular attention to the way I gripped the razor, given the profile of the scales and the angle I used, since the razor is about ¼ hollow, as I judge it. The results seemed great. The shave was comfortable through my full two passes and a touch up, which is my normal routine.

Then I went to the Merkur DE and got NOTHING off with it except the lather, and I was as close to BBS as I ever have wanted to be. Amazing shave…proving Tom and others are right who have said to try and use the same razor a few days in a row to see if you don’t get better with it. I did, and I did.

That's good news, Harold! TBH, I have not discounted any quality-made vintage razors for anything other than condition or inability to get a good edge on it. It seems they are all different in one way or more and just take practice and actually thinking about how they differ to get really good with each. I have had a few which I had deemed the devil's razors as they always want to cut me, but going back to them later, my memory is piqued to adjust. No problems!

It would seem it is a bad idea for newer shavers to go at shaving with a pile of different ones instead of just a few with differences in order to learn the in's and out's of using razors in general.

Hopefully your observations here will help some learn to adjust and remind others to think of what is in their hand at the time.

Also, someone else should keep this thread going in the same manner. We are all here to learn, I think!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Hopefully your observations here will help some learn to adjust and remind others to think of what is in their hand at the time.

Also, someone else should keep this thread going in the same manner. We are all here to learn, I think!

Spoken like a true mentor!

GREAT shave today with the previously discussed W&B FBU. I guess that's all I have to say.

Haroldg48, During the experiment did you try to have an average number of shaves with each razor?

I have been thinking about adding to this thread. Would that be okay?

I have three razors that I want to better familiarize myself with: one razor was a gift that is the first razor I honed from start to finish, a TI that is on the plus side of 6/8 making it larger and different feeling from most of my collection, and a Wade & Butcher wedge around 13/16. The W & B is the first wedge (near wedge) I have owned and I don't feel I have got shaving with a wedge down.

My plan would be to shave with each razor in turn 3-5 shaves, reporting my impressions at the end of each razor's rotation. As I normally shave 3 times a week I would expect it should take a month.

[QUOTE=Leatherstockiings;1575674]Haroldg48, During the experiment did you try to have an average number of shaves with each razor?

I have been thinking about adding to this thread. Would that be okay?/QUOTE]

I did try to average out my shaves for each razor, although admittedly I tended at the beginning to favor the ones I did best with in the second go 'round. Overall I did 4 shaves/razor, which was about 28-30 shaves over 2 months, with travel and the flu thrown in. Toward the end, I started doing two or three in a row for the ones I did the least well with in order to see if I used the same one several days in a row, I'd improve....and I did.

I would love to see you jump in and add to the thread.

I now have returned most of those seven to Tom and added one or two of my longer term rotation, and my plan next to to take that 6 or 7 day "new rotation" and do a week at a time with each, which for me is usually 5 shaves in a week.

Please jump in. I'd love to learn from someone else's observations about their own experiences!

As an update, 3 of the 7 Tom sent me for the original experiment now live in North Carolina permanently. Given that I've settled on what I like…large, and usually heavy smiling blades…the attached picture is the rotation for the next month or two.

It includes several I’ve had for a while and two of the three which refused to go back to Texas (the MOP scaled Henckel smiler and the W&B FBU), as well as a Robert Williams that has been improved from a slight frown to a slight smile by the same Sharptonn. I holding out of this phase an Ivory scaled Elliott smiler (which is my current favorite), which also likes NC better than the more humid Houston area. Using it in this rotation would be unfair to its brothers.

From top to bottom in the picture they are a Geo. Butler Art, the MOP Henckel, the W&B FBU, a small but near wedge 5/8 Hess 42 that I got from Rodb, my newly improved Williams (thanks Tom) and a W&B smiler in ivory scales.

At the very top is a new Mongoose, which is my first SE since a Schick injector many years ago. I recall once saying that their price seemed steep for a SE. I was wrong, because it is worth every penny. It gives SRs a run for their money, at least when the SRs are in my hands.

The plan is to use each SR for 6 days in a row, to give me a chance to adapt to it, and to correct for any lather and prep issues (as well as the occasional bad mood/no patience disorder). On the 7th day my face and I shall rest, using the Mongoose to get to church acceptably neat and tidy, shave-wise.

I'll report once or twice each week, and maybe together we’ll see what I'm learning, you guys can help me some, and hopefully it might help or inspire someone else. Hope you all enjoy.

I just want to take the time to THANK Harold, and Tom For a great thread!!!

Okay, Ive finished my run with the first razor in my experiment.

First up was the Felt Pad Razor Works razor that was gifted to me by a friend at SRP. Ill let him identify himself if he wishes. The Felt Pad is a 5/8, full hollow razor. The origin is not marked on the razor. The company was out of St. Louis, Missouri but I don't know if Felt Pad made their own razors or imported them like their neighbors Shapleigh and Simmons. Estimated date of manufacure is 1905.


I honed this razor in late November under the direction of a very experienced homer and mentor. The progression was 1k Naniwa traditional, 5k, 8k, 12k Naniwa super stones, and finished on the 20k Suehiro Gokumyo. I shaved with the razor once in November a day or so after it was honed, and recently three times in a row.

My impression is that this razor shaves much like my other 5/8 full hollow razors-easy to handle and nimble. It surprised me once again how little pressure is needed with a freshly honed razor. Because shaving with the Felt Pad seemed so effortles, I became a little too confident and nicked my chin on the last shave. This razor did make noise while shaving but not near as much as some of my other full hollows. Finally, it seemed the razor was especially light so I weighed it. It weighed 38g. For comparison my Ralf Aust 5/8 weighs 42g. The other two Razors I am going to continue this experiment are a 6/8 full hollow Thiers-Issard and a 13/16ish Wade and Butcher near wedge. They weigh 48g and 66g, respectively.


Next installment will be in around a week with the TI.