Bombing raid on Islamabad!

I just shaved with my Tailors... Now it still needs a bit more honing b/c it gets slightly snagged in rougher patches, BUT...
NOW I know what a real razor shaves like!!! That piece of crap Pakistani Razor that I've been trying to use before didn't shave half as well, irritated 5x more and left me with a couple of scars as an object lesson. Now I know that we should organize a bombing raid on the factory in Islamabad that makes'em! That will prevent other shavers from going through what I had to go through! WOW I still can't get over the difference! This was an EXCELLENT day for my SR-shaving career :D

Sialkot,there they are produced

Ditto!

My Norton 4/8k and my Hen & Rooster straight that I won on ebay came on the same day.

I figured, what the hell, I'll try to hone up the Pakistani first to get what I'm doing down, technique wise.

Well....that's about as far as I got. I'd never honed a damn thing before in my life and I could tell that there was no way in hell that Pakislicer was going to get into any kind of shaving condition.

The difference was extremely noticeable when I placed the H&R on the Norton...the blade had so much more direct contact with the stone, and responded so quickly. You could just see by the way the blade hit the stone that the quality was dramatically higher.

Didn't pass the HHT on my first hone, but I know I could have, and probably will today with another 20 minutes or so on the hone. I did an arm hair test with the H&R and both my wrists are bald from the wrist bone back about 2" on top of the wrist.

I was so excited to see the hairs popping off like crazy with ease that I couldn't stop at first. (I'm a dork)

Anyhow, I stropped it up on my cheap strop and even with that I got a very good, not yet great shave. It was amazing how fast I was up and running, and I only knicked myself a tiny bit on my chin. I actually cut myself much worse with the mach 3 each of the last 2 times I used it.

And as far as irritation goes--even though I know I still have a little work to go on the Norton, I STILL got one of the most irritation-free shaves of my LIFE.

Proraso (or cream of your preference) + Good straight razor + Good Hone= The smartest shaving setup going.

This was all worth every dime I spent on it. I only spent a total of about $180.00 U.S. for the Norton, H&R, Pakistani, Badger Brush, Strop, Proraso soap tubs (2)-A.S. balm-and pre/post, and styptic pencil.

I wonder to myself how much money I've WASTED since I started shaving 7 years ago with that disposable CRAP...and how much extra money I paid for such a painful and worthless shave.

So--from the perspective that using the Pakistani on the hone before the H&R helped me get the 'feel' for the hone and how to move the razor--It was even worth the 6 bucks I spent on it. Now I know how serious guys were when they said I might as well toss it or make it a letter opener...

Live and learn. Now you're onto bigger and better things--congrats!

Have you seen the prices they're raping guys for on those new Fusion blades? I admit I bought one when it first came out--JUST before I started getting interested in straights--and I actually think it shaves me *worse* than the Mach3, which isn't saying much...yet, they want $27 TWENTY-SEVEN bucks for 8- EIGHT of those cartridges.

If I was LUCKY--one of those cartridges lasts a week. At 8 in a pack, that's 6.5 fusion blades per year--or $175.50 per year, not counting the cost of the razor or any other supplies, like those poor excuses for lather in a can they sell too.

Screw that, I'm planning on telling every guy I know about the setup I've got going. Many guys don't know the option is really even still there, and it is clearly the better option/value by a longshot.

*High Five* on your newfound shaving bliss! I'm with you.

I've been doing the same. Already got two guys who wanted to buy new electric shavers thinking about it. I'm hoping at least one of them will become a convert :)