Thread: Sunday October 25 ~ Saturday October 31

SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 29, 2020

My son has 182 straight razors in his collection, 93 of whose blades are Japanese silver steel or Yasuki steel. I have a much smaller collection - all are users - but three are Japanese silver steel. The razor selected for today’s mug shave is a Tanifuji Airi. The jasper edge is a joy to shave with, and is amazingly sharp, yet still buttery smooth. Some on the dedicated straight forums describe ‘whisker-meltin’ edges and this razor definitely possesses one. This morning’s three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) shave felt like I was just brushing away the rich MWF lather.

There appeared to be a slight weeper after my second mug pass, but it disappeared after I applied the lather for my third and final pass. That’s one of the benefits of MWF that is a feature of its consistent use. It truly conditions one’s skin with long-term use. Of course, it possesses a clean, mild soapy scent, and not one of the strong scents so popular with most wet-shavers. It’s these very differences of opinion that makes this hobby of ours so enjoyable. As a daily shaver, I use MWF generally about 4 out of 7 shaves a week. Creams are a different story!

My dome shave starred my Ronson safety razor! It was developed for proprietary blades in the very early 30s (1931), but works beautifully with Schick Proline Injector blades, although it is admittedly a bit fiddly to set up. Although a bit top heavy, that is not a problem and works beautifully for me. It is a surprisingly capable little safety razor, and one I’m proud to own. It delivered an extremely close dome shave in two ATG passes. I feel cool, clean and smoothly velveteen!

RAZOR: Tanifuji Airi 11/16 (Mug), Ronson Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Proline Injector (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash.

SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 30, 2020

My Ronson headshave yesterday was so close, I decided to pass on the headshave today! After yesterday’s spectacular mug shave, I grabbed the second of my silver steel razors, my Diamond Hayashi Nichiri Tokusen 6/8. Ben pushed me to purchase this razor when it became available. I still remember that amazing first whisker melting shave. And it happened again. Three passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) mimicked, and even exceeded the lather sweeping experience of the preceding Tanifuji Airi shave of yesterday. I’ve learned in my open edge journey that 6/8 is my straight razor sweet spot. Razors with this size blade just feel right in hand. And after this morning’s shave, I now understand why my son shaves almost exclusively with Japanese straights. I feel lime-refreshed and smoothly velveteen.

RAZOR: Diamond Hayashi Nichiri Tokusen 6/8
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Royall Lyme AS Splash.

Max Sprecher 7/8 Takefu Steel
Sē'bŭm Customs Max Sprecher
Saponificio Varesino 2.0 Brush in Cocobolo

Friday's Shave
'Granite & Lace'
Tripoli Boarhide Strop
CBL Tonsorial 'Roasted Oatmeal Stout'

SOTD SATURDAY HALLOWEEN MORNING, OCTOBER 31, 2020

RAZOR: R. Saito SK3 7/8 (Mug), EverReady Streamline (Dome)
BLADE: Gem PTFE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by Argan Oil
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac. Finished with Royall Lyme AS.