Thread: Amazing Shave!

Carlmaloschneider,

I always enjoy reading about other's positive shave experiences. There is almost always something to be learned within those posts. For instance, your description of making Überlather inspires me to want to try making some Überlather of my own. It also gives me a new RAD, as in, "Now, I really must find and try a frameback razor."

It is too bad we don't have a lending library like "Netflix" for straight razors. Pay a monthly fee and select a different razor each week to try. Return that razor and then select another. Want a Henckels (W&B, Dovo, Heljestrand, Gotta, Filarmonica, etc.), "No problem." Want to try a wedge (quarter-hollow, half-hollow, full hollow, frameback), "It's in the mail." Need a 6/8 (3/8, 4/8, 5/8), "Here it is." How fantastic would that be? A "try it before you buy it" service like no other!

Once one begins to develop a more consistent technique, the more fun it becomes to explore the other elements contributing to a good shave such as preparation, lather, honing, stropping, and all the available aftershaves, oils, and balms. Is this a great hobby or what?

Happy Shaving!

Hi DLB,
Yeah, there is always something to be learnt. Überlather is great, I love it! The video in the Wiki which I'm sure you've seen is great, though it does go into a lot of detail, and sometimes when one does that it seems an unwieldy process, which it isn't! I mixed TOBS Eton College, Body Shop Macca Root and glycerin this morning, it was excellent. And yeah, you HAVE to get a frameback, and one with really really thin scales, ivory if possible. I think really light scales adds to the whole lightness, almost ethereal feel of the razor! A lending library would be great, but one must always consider the risks associated with blood borne diseases with shaving, though I guess depending on how long the razor spends in the post the risk would be very slight or non existent. Esp if it's coming from Canada or America these days. I think if you post from Canada or America it does at LEAST two laps of the planet prior to landing anywhere near the country of destination...

You are also very correct about the consistent technique. Getting a grip of shaving (that is being able to do it reasonably well) allows on the experiment, and the combinations are almost endless. I'm sticking to my new found maxim that there is a razor for a purpose. I used the Burrell this morning with the blued tang (that makes it easy to see where the heel is cutting) as 'my edges' were a little skewiff the other day. Tomorrow it'll be the nice 4/8 W&B with the Canadian Maple scales, Saturday will be the Emil Kronenberg, and Sunday the Klas Törnblom. I may look for a razor with a blued tang and a very slightly rounded (that is, square) heel; I do like shaving with the heel around the edges of my Van Dyke or whatever it may be termed; it appears to me that most razors have a quite rounded heel; much more rounded than the toe; I wonder why?

Carl

Originally Posted by DLB

Carlmaloschneider,

I always enjoy reading about other's positive shave experiences. There is almost always something to be learned within those posts. For instance, your description of making Überlather inspires me to want to try making some Überlather of my own. It also gives me a new RAD, as in, "Now, I really must find and try a frameback razor."

It is too bad we don't have a lending library like "Netflix" for straight razors. Pay a monthly fee and select a different razor each week to try. Return that razor and then select another. Want a Henckels (W&B, Dovo, Heljestrand, Gotta, Filarmonica, etc.), "No problem." Want to try a wedge (quarter-hollow, half-hollow, full hollow, frameback), "It's in the mail." Need a 6/8 (3/8, 4/8, 5/8), "Here it is." How fantastic would that be? A "try it before you buy it" service like no other!

Once one begins to develop a more consistent technique, the more fun it becomes to explore the other elements contributing to a good shave such as preparation, lather, honing, stropping, and all the available aftershaves, oils, and balms. Is this a great hobby or what?

Happy Shaving!

Well, kind of - Larry over at whipped dog will let you turn back in a razor you bought from him for another similarly priced razor for the cost of rehoning... But you have a wonderful idea and business model.

Originally Posted by DLB

It is too bad we don't have a lending library like "Netflix" for straight razors. Pay a monthly fee and select a different razor each week to try. Return that razor and then select another. Want a Henckels (W&B, Dovo, Heljestrand, Gotta, Filarmonica, etc.), "No problem." Want to try a wedge (quarter-hollow, half-hollow, full hollow, frameback), "It's in the mail." Need a 6/8 (3/8, 4/8, 5/8), "Here it is." How fantastic would that be? A "try it before you buy it" service like no other!

There's no reason not to do blade swaps on a one-to-one basis. I did a very instructive coticule swap last year with a guy in Florida. He used my old family heirloom coticule, which turns out to be super slow and a super finisher, and I got to use his fastest coticule, which did things my own did not. It cleared up a lot of confusion about the stones for me, to have a more experienced honer both evaluate mine and know enough to send me a stone at the other extreme of the coticule spectrum.

I have a couple of blades I'd never let out of my sight, but others I'd be willing to send away if it meant I got to try something new at the same time. It's just a matter of postage and trust.

The other cool thing about that is you could try out blades honed on hones you might not have. I bought a blade from Pinklather about a year ago, and enjoyed eye-openingly gentle shaves from his Asagi. Since I lack, and do not plan to enter the world of, J-nats, it was a great opportunity. You could even do a honing swap--try out the different blade, and put a special-request edge on it before sending it back home, if you've got some special stone to show off.

That's my little ramble, for what it's worth.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

...snip...
PS, I came to the firm conclusion that 7 day sets must be BORING. To use the SAME razor everyday? Madness!
....snip...

I am with you.

My Mom had a set of fine bone china teacups
yet none matched. Each guest could select their own
and replacing one should it chip or break is an easy
adventure.