SHAVE LIKE A MAN!

Still Loving the LORD! (lp1822l)

2012-04-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

I had one of these razors - and fucking loved it. So much in fact, that I set it free - and mailed it to a comrade I was trying to help out. I figured the inherent user-friendliness of the LORD would be ideal for purposes of conversion. I included a smattering of nice Egyptian, Russian, and Turkish blades. Well, it's been the better part of a year and the motherfucker still hasn't found the stones to even try the fucking thing. Are you kidding? So I was missing it, so much that I had to get a new one! Price is up a couple of bucks, but you get a pack of 5 Blue Bird blades as a bonus, so BFD!

It's pretty much my favorite DE because it works so well, and is super intuitive and safe - you can really go nuts, if you have some confidence! Additional plus and this is a big on for me is the sound - the LORD has awesome audible feedback which for me at least contributes greatly to the overall satisfaction and enjoyment of the shave. You will get the best deal (if you are CONUS) if you order from here:

http://www.ioffer.com/i/lord-premium-safety-razor-model-lp1822l+-bluebird-bonus-99354252

I started a new job recently so have really been doing just a quickie shave in the morning, and believe it - this is the razor you want in your hands, so light, nimble and forgiving. The Gillette TTOs are heavy and crampy in comparison. The tolerances are great on the LORD - you just put a blade in and screw it together - no fiddling.

GEM Blue Star Blade

2012-03-10T14:41:00.001-08:00

DO NOT read this post if you are any kind of 'germ freak' you will LOSE IT!

For everybody else, I hope that you will find this post to be of interest. Some time ago I purchased a GEM 1912 on Ebay because the price was a joke and it had the handle that I was 'missing' and is my favorite, along with the 'ornate' handle:

Nice deal, right? Well yes ... but sometimes when you buy 'used', you get more than you bargained for. Have a look at what was inside when I lifted the lid:

Still with me? USE CAUTION when you receive a used razor! Plenty are shipped with blades inside, but this fucker is on an entirely more horrific level. Top was pretty nasty, right? try the BOTTOM:

HAHAHAHA!

Well, I swapped out that handle that I wanted, and gave the razor to a comrade (Jesus, YES I cleaned the HELL out of it first). The GEM Blue Star blade I kept... I knew it would be an incredible challenge to get it shave ready, but what an achievement! I do believe that I get to say that the EXTREMITY of my CHEAPNESS cannot be questioned, just based on the rehab of this blade.

I have a 'stropping handle' scavenged from a Damaskene boxed set. The razor, although very shiny and gorgeous was fucked because it had a SHA-VE-ZEE blade in it for 90+ years, and because those blades are longer, that spring never had a chance. Thing about the stropping handle though, if you protect the contact area with electrical tape, you can actually use it to HONE SE blades as well. Modern SE blades require 2 pieces of tape for a tight fit in the handle, blades like this Blue Star or the Shamrock one piece, and obviously ER Radio or GEM Damaskeene blades require no tape on the spine to fit tightly in the handle.

Once the blade is honed, it requires only stropping on leather before the shave to produce a couple dozen incredibly satisfying, top quality, off the grid shaves before you will need to touch up. There is very little love out on the boards for the GEM Blue Star, and I agree that out of the box, they, and basically ALL SE blades kind of suck. The good news is you can pretty much hone and strop ANY SE blade to a level of sharpness that makes for awesome shaves!

DE Blade Hack for Shovelhead

2012-03-03T14:21:00.001-08:00

Some of you may recall the DE blade hack for the GEM 1912 - I made a few of the things and damned if the way the spring is set up in the 1912 makes wearing it out pretty inevitable. The good news is that the way the spring and head are set up on the ER 1924 will NOT wear out your holder, and the resulting shave is pretty sick! Even if you have the pre-snapped 'saloon blades', you will still need to snap off the little tabs at the ends - in the interest of safety: "if you would a DE blade be snapping, it is wise to leave on the wrapping."

"IRRITATION"

2012-01-31T12:53:00.001-08:00

Comrades, we need to begin an exploration of the issue of irritation. Let's get some comments rocking on this post, all you lurker MFs!

Way back when, when I was a hell of a lot younger and dumber, I hated to shave. The excuse? It was "irritating", sometimes so bad that it took a couple of days just to heal. Dumb? Rick Perry dumb. I was one of the fools that believed I had "sensitive" skin. Turns out that the irritation that I and countless millions of other fools out there experienced was entirely self-inflicted! Preventable!

The first problem that you have to deal with is your tools. If your tools are shitty, what do you expect your shaves to be?

I'm of the mind that the chemical goo in a can is also responsible for 'sensitizing' the skin - what a pantload!

YOU CAN experience a kick-ass DAILY SHAVE with ZERO irritation - it really does just boil down to a few very controllable factors:

1) Learn to fucking drive a razor - I recommend spending some time with a 'scary' one that will MAKE you learn.

2) Use REAL soap and a brush. Build the lather on your face, not in a phaggy bowl!

3) It should go without saying, but your blades need to be SHARP. Figure out how many good shaves you get out of a given DE blade, and PITCH the fucker one shave before that number! Many decent DE blades cost but a nickel! If you become a vintage SE blade geek, keep your shit honed and stropped! STOP using dull blades on your face and see what a difference it makes.

TRAGEDY!!!

2012-01-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

What a fucking BUMMER!!! My favorite vintage SE blade, the Sha-Ve-Zee that came inside my visually mint Damaskeene and destroyed its spring for all other blades (the Sha-Ve-Zee is larger than 'normal' SE blades) snapped when I loaded it into an Ever-Ready 1914 - the spring is way too strong, the fucker closes like a bear trap - WTF was I thinking?!? Before this tragedy occurred however, I enjoyed DOZENS of incredible faceturbation shaves from this blade. I still have 3 E-R blades (one pictured in the shovelhead) and I'm going to keep them well away from that bastard of a 1914 razor (shouldn't be hard, I like the 1924 a hell of a lot better anyway).

Mach 3 = bullshit

2012-01-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

So I went down to Cali for New Year's and didn't want to check a bag so I didn't bring any blades - figured I could pick up a pack of DE blades at some drugstore. Problem was, we didn't stop any other place but TJs on the way to Bodega Bay.

There just happened to be a Mach-3 handle and one fresh cart in the bathroom drawer. I used this 'system', my very first experience with more than 2 blades, for 4 shaves. Did it work? Well, yes it did. The Cach-3 excels on the flats, for example it really did great on the upper lip. Jawline and below the lower lip it pretty much sucks ass, and does not perform as well as, for example a Super Speed, which is pretty silly, considering that a 'fancy' DE blade, like a Permasharp costs about $0.20

Poor Man's Strop Kit

2011-11-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

If you intend to get off of the shaving sucker grid for good, there are only a few ways to go.

First is the obvious manly solution - the straight razor. Way down the manly scale but still pretty butch are vintage/reclaimed SE blade in a pre-Micromatic ASR razor. Either way, you are going to need and want a leather strop to keep that edge in line.

May I suggest, to beginners and/or cheapskates alike: the Poor Man's Strop Kit from Whipped Dog Razors.

For a mere $19 delivered CONUS, you get a hell of a lot of value. The leather strop looks as cheap as it is but it works great. The major bonus is the pasted balsa strop with included extra baggies of Chromium/Iron powder to recharge... I can personally testify that one can get an incredibly wicked edge on straight blades as well as SE blades using the PMSK. The kit was recommended to me by a gracious SRP member and it was great advice! Oh, and delivery is FAST. Get over there and order one today!
Poor Man's Strop Kit

Vintage SE Blades

2011-10-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

I love OLD SE blades! Here are a couple of shots of my collection of "reclaimed" SE blades! They work great, and there is something inherently satisfying about using today a 'disposable" product that in some cases is pushing 100!

If you have any of these blades that you have thrown away because you thought they were useless, shame on you! The old blades are much better quality than their modern counterparts. Send them to me before you bin them!

SOTD - Reclaimed Shamrock

2011-10-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying using 'vintage' SE blades for a while now, but today I really wanted to push it. Today's blade reclaim was a rusty if unused American News Company "Shamrock - the lucky shave" blade from 1935. A basic carbon (unblued) blade with notches to fit the Micromatics. The whole process of getting this blade shave ready took about 20 minutes. Here is the process:

HONING:
25 laps 4k stone with slurry
25 laps 4k stone with water
25 laps C12k stone with slurry
50 laps C12k stone with water

STROPPING:
30 laps on shamwow
20 laps on Cr-Ox
20 laps on Fe-Ox
50 laps on newspaper
30 laps on leather.

In the GEM 1912, an incredibly smooth, comfortable, faceturbation shave in 2+ passes. This might seem a lot of trouble, but Hell I find it satisfying! FYI the only reason for the coarse/slurry honing in this case was the rust on the edge that needed removing. The good news is that once you get a blade like this shave ready, all you need to do to maintain it is strop on leather before the shave. You should be able to go a number of weeks before it will need refreshing on the pasted balsa. After that, all you need is 20 laps or so on a C12k followed by the full strop progression.

I have refreshed/reused the following brands of blades, with uniformly excellent and satisfying results:

Treet Carbon
Blue PAL
GEM Blue Star
GEM SS
Ever-Ready
Sha-ve-zee
Shamrock

Talk about stickin' it to the man! Anybody doesn't believe and has some vintage blades - send them to me, don't bin them! I'll send you one back and you can see for yourself!

DE "Technique" convention destroyed

2011-09-12T00:06:00.000-07:00

I think this guy may be on to something here - this may be the reason that a half DE blade lasts longer in a 1912 or 1924 shovelhead than a whole DE blade lasts in any DE razor you'd care to name - it's the efficiency of the cutting angle... Experience this earth-shattering thread from B&B for yourselves:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/249569-20-Shaves-from-a-Feather-Razor-%28!-%29

All hail the mighty internet, without which we may never have learned! Everybody needs to try this - NOW.

Fresh Derby. Gillette Slim on "7". I tried this press the head into the flesh technique and GAWDAYUM! It's fucking NUTS. It throws all the conventional wisdom on its ear. I knew it was going to be something great when I saw this technique did WAY more WTG than I had ever experienced with the Slim. After 3 passes my face SQUEAKED it was so smooth!

The efficiency of the razor was exponentially increased - and ZERO IRRITATION, NICKS OR WEEPERS. Get on it, men!

UPDATE:
This technique sadly did not do well with my non-Gillette TTO razors, but I gotta say that it adds a dimension of closeness/comfort to the TTO experience. Just one more reason why everybody should own a Super Speed, 40s or Flare, made by the millions and readily available in decent shape for $10

Prep, Schmep!

2011-09-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm of the opinion that a lot of whimps and phags make a big deal about 'prep'. They put on some Yanni, light some aromatherapy candles, and go through a long and convoluted process of 'prep', in the hopeless attempt to steel their sissy selves for the blade. Give me a fucking break, people!

To the whole 'prep' issue I have 2 words - FACE LATHER. It's all the prep any man needs. I have found the results to be the same (great) even without a hot shower before the shave. It matters not how shitty and cheap your brush is - face lathering gets it done. If I'm coming out of the shower I'll do a minute on the face with the brush - if I'm coming 'dry' to the shave, maybe a couple of minutes.

It needs to be said, bowl lathering is great - if you're going to shave the fucking bowl! I scoff as you gently paint your sissy bowl lather on your delicate pantywaist skin using your $200 silvertip badger - please, that is shaving like a WO-MAN!

Seriously, if you need all these various scented candles, Wyndham Hill, potions, oils, creams, hot towels, fancy brushes/soaps/bowls/mugs/scuttles/razors/blades in order to get your fucking shave accomplished then G-d love you, but I will not!

S. Doll Simple Razor

2011-09-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

So I was waiting in line at Mekong Rainier in Seattle and saw a box of these right before the 1st checkstand, next to the ear spoons and the like.

Jesus! The shoddiness of this thing defies belief - a piece of pressed tin and a large carbon half DE blade. I refuse to believe this thing is made in Japan in spite of what it says. If anyone can help me out with the Kanji on the back, I would be interested. This "Simple Razor" is simply terrifying - qualitywise it makes the Ali Biyikli look like a gold-washed Solingen. Safetywise, it makes the Ali seem like a Gillette Tech - check the edge-on pic and feel your sack contract...

So I stropped the hell out of it in my jeans and did a WTG with the Doll, nice and easy, and to my surprise it worked pretty well, and no nicks, weepers or burn. Not bad for $1.50, performancewise.

If any of you are man enough to attempt a complete shave with one of these, I want to hear about it!

Derby

2011-09-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Many HATE them, but I happen to really like Derby blades, a great all-around bargain performer. They do well on my face with every DE razor I have tried them in:
Gillette Old Type
Gibbs OC Old Type knockoff
Flare Tip Super Speed
Slim Adjustable
Lord L6 Premium
Yuma

They also do VERY well in some of the pre-micromatic SE razors, using the half DE blade mod.
I do have one gripe with the full sized ones, though - the packaging - 20 stupid little plastic boxes per 100 blades. At least for the "profesyonel" half blades, the packaging is minimal, recyclable, and/or compostable. Why don't they do 100s of the full sized blades? My guess is that the plastic is locally produced recycled refuse, and probably cheaper than dirt, but if they dropped it they would have to use a hell of a lot less cardboard...

Maybe if enough enthusiasts contact them at derby@azmusebat.com we could get them to change their pollutin' ways.

SOTD - WIN!

2011-08-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you'll know that I like to mix it up a bit, and today was no exception. I wanted to take the E-R 1924 for a spin, but I didn't feel like stropping one of the vintage blades - "Tony"s half DE blade gizmo was calling, already loaded with a half Zorrik (1). Somehow, the dimensions of this particular blade holder fit perfectly in the 1924 (I have made a number of them and sadly no two are exactly alike. The shave was great, I love the 1924 head - it really gets to work! The Zorrik worked better than any available SE blade I have tried in the razor, with the added benefit of making a LOUD razor even LOUDER. That's what always bummed me out about the Gillette TTOs - the lack of adequate audible feedback. The one drawback to this particular 1924 is that it is from a travel kit so the handle is a bit short and crampy for my taste. SHAVE#3, half Zorrik - 1924 shovelhead with 1912 ornate/rope handle (it screwed right on). Thanks to the superior GEM handle, the Zorrik/shovelhead combo was superb. Incredibly close, loud, blood and trouble free! It has a reputation as a 'mild'/shitty blade, but I've liked them in everything I've put them in.

I'm going to repeat it in case anybody missed it all the other times - but the DE blade holder gimmick is so much more than a 'make-do'. It permits you to combine the superior engineering of some of the old ASR SE razors and the superior SHARPNESS, CHEAPNESS, and CONVENIENCE of readily available DE blades. I've had great shaves with modern carbon SE blades, but it took work to get them really sharp. I like using the old vintage SE blades, but those are even more of a hassle. 6 Badass shaves from one Zorrik is nothing I would try in a DE razor, but as I said, the pre-Micromatic ASR razors are simply more efficient than any Gillette DE product and you can really see it for yourself when you get a sharp blade in one! I've tried half a Feather and am now working on a Shark SS - incredible!

SOTD x 3

2011-08-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

So I ordered some shit from Amazon, but was $5 below the threshold for 'free shipping'. I thought long and hard and settled on the 'big' tube of PRORASO. That's some 'cool' shit right there. A little more money than I'd like to spend, but very high performance - very happy to have it in the rotation.

For the last 3 shaves, I have used the 1912 with one of the 'presnapped' Derby Profesyonel half DE blades. It's pretty crazy but I find I can get 4 great shaves from a whole Derby in a DE razor - and 4 per half Derby in the 1912. Do the math on that! It's a testament to the engineering of the 1912 and the ingenuity of "Tony" who created the blade holder. Haters take note that just about any half DE blade is going to perform better in the 1912 than any of the commercially available SE blades, for the simple reason that a DE blade is actually SHARP. Just try it!

What will 'they' think of next?

2011-08-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

"CARZOR"
Another for the "WTF?" file:
Gotta love the picture of the asshole shaving with this thing in the men's room at the office, minutes before the 'big meeting' - cream? soap? This stud is not even using WATER. Notice also the pressure being applied, visible flexing of the cartridge itself. Wow. For $12 there is shall we say a WORLD of superior choices. If you're this desperate, just keep one of those little AA electrics in the car and buzz away at red lights on the way in to work.

Permasharps Rock!

2011-08-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

My last order from bestshave.net contained a couple of freebies, a pack of 5 Zorriks and a single Permasharp (Russian). I really do need to talk to him about some better kickbacks, what with the traffic/buyers I've sent his way, but DAMN! The Permasharp is still going strong with 5 shaves on it, its last 2 in the Slim at 7. I first put it in the Yuma and yes, the blade deserves its name. I got cut a couple of times and I thought "whoah - how'd that happen?" I'm loving it in the Slim, the blade is still delivering sharp/smooth/effortless/brainless shaves in a most pleasantly surprising way. I typically pitch blades after 4, but I bet I get a couple more yet out of the Permasharp...

Well it's done 7 now - performing like a fresh Derby which is insane - not really showing much sign of slowing down!

Blades, Schmades REDUX

2011-08-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well I appealed to the B&B community for one Feather blade, just to see if it's as badass as they say. Let's just say that a kind enabler sent the following blades, on his own righteous dime:

When you unwrap it, it's true, the Feather LOOKS better than any other blade. Just looking at it, you can see the quality. But that means little when a blade that 'looks' like total shit, such as the "Bleue Extra" totally delivers on all the points that count - sharpness/smoothness/longevity/price. Throwing caution to the wind, I put a new Feather in a Yuma and tried it this morning.

It was no more scary than with the same razor and a (Russian) Permasharp. Is it sharp? Hell yes, but if you know how to drive it doesn't matter. I'm curious about how long they last - they don't have a good reputation for longevity and the Permasharp of which I speak has so far has 5 badass shaves to its name.

Traded out the PS (5) in the Slim with the Feather (1), set at 7 which I've been liking, and as expected #2 on the Feather was quite nice, sharp and smooth. Shave 3 on the Feather was in the 40s Super Speed - very nice. #4 will be back in the Slim, opened up a notch just for fun.

Micromatic Clog-Pruf

2011-07-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Clog-Pruf is the "Micromatic in the middle", and marked an apparent comb design departure, but a very similar comb appeared on goofy thick-handled razors in the 20s under the Treet brand, so it really wasn't new at all. What is for sure, The CP is a 'looker' and the build quality is first rate.

OK, what about the shave? I used a 'fresh' Treet blade and got a very nice shave in 4 passes with total security and great feedback. You don't need to be 'careful' like you do with the OCMM - at all - which is kind of a departure - WTF were they thinking?

Conclusion: Looks great, shaves good, certainly no better than the 1912s and you can only use 'modern' punched/notched blades with no DE blade workaround like you can do with a 1912.

40s style Super Speed

2011-07-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've always believed that the various Micromatics were a downgrade from earlier models of SE razors. The OCMM is what I would call 'unnecesarily harsh', the final 'Flying Wing/Bullet-tip' is pretty close to being universally considered to be sucky, but there is a LOT of love out there for the Micromatic Clog-Pruf. I wanted to try a CP, but didn't want to spend any money, so I put an offer to trade an OCMM for a CP on the B&B. That very day, a kind member had one in the mail to me, no trade, AND he said he was including a "surprise".

That surprise turned out to be a 40's style Super Speed, and a couple packs of Gillette Bleue Extra blades. The cognoscenti seem to agree that the 40s SS kicks ass, but I've heard that before. It occurred to me that this guy threw in this razor for a reason... According to the handy Gillette date code on the back of the head it is from the 1st quarter of 1951, so it's 60 years old! The decline in build quality, plating thickness, etc., is noticeable between this 1951, granpa's 1959 Flare-tip, and the 1968 Slim that I've tried. I used the 51 before the CP, with one of those nice oily Russian blades, and DAMN - if you are going to go the Super Speed route, and there is a lot going for them as a group, the 40s style is the way to go, may as well have the best! Absolutely superb and effortless shave with ZERO irritation/nicks/weepers. I used it again to finish a most unsatisfying GEM Featherweight shave this morning, and this is fast becoming one of my favorite DEs. The Gillette TTO has never been equalled for quality, and there is something to be said for being able to just drop in a blade and go! The head being what it is, there is sadly little audible or tactile feedback. To me that's the only negative, and the quality of the shave speaks for itself.

The best news of all? They made SHITLOADS of them and they can readily be found in great shape for little money (if not for free) - they are easy to spot even in the shittiest Ebay phone pix, so you have a better than decent chance of getting real lucky.

Ultimate aggression

2011-07-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Ha, it was only a matter of time. I've been saying for months that the 'safety bars' on the Yuma are purely decorative. Well, I aim to prove it. I took some tin snips and clipped off the bars, nothing to it. It's on deck and ready for the Monday shave.

Ha ha ha! I've got a mole on my face between the nose and the left eye. It produces hairs that would make a Chinaman proud! So I moistened it with some spit and damn! I can drive this thing! You can see, hear and feel what the blade is doing, so it's not really a big deal...
TBC

GEM Featherweight - FUGLY!

2011-07-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

OK, it's pretty clear how GEM lost the razor supremacy battle - would you look at this thing? FUGLY! It looks like a fucking toy. The styling reminds me of Jim Morrison's quip about the Space Needle - "A 1920s vision of 20 years into the future" - something like that.

What were they thinking with the handle? There is no way it will ever look anything other than disgusting! Lots of people praise this head design, which is the same as the "Heavy Flat Top" or "G-Bar" but at least that model doesn't look like total SHIT. I tried it with a Treet that I stropped the livin' hell out of. Suspicions confirmed - I did 2 passes and was still so 'scritchy' that I finished with the '40s SS. The Featherweight is a good choice IF:

you have no aesthetic sense
you don't care about a face-turbation shave
you are a candyass who is afraid of getting cut - no danger here
you are even a bigger cheapskate than me - somebody will gladly give you one, maybe even me!

Schick Type G injector

2011-07-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

The other reason for picking up that crusty lot was to try one of these. Hey, I'm all about exploring the options out there! The type G was produced from 1946 to 1955 and this one cleaned up pretty well. Picked up a pack of blades at Freddy's (they still sell them) so I'll give it a try tomorrow. Gotta say it's a looker, and there are some real partisans of the injectors, sort of the '3rd party' of the safety razor world - I aim to find out.

SHAVE #1:
1st weirdness - the blades are slick with what appears to be gun/sewing machine oil...

WTG: good audible and tactile feedback which I appreciate. What I didn't appreciate is that in terms of hair removal, any number of razors do more on a WTG. As an aside - there is no way to miscalculate the angle on the Schick - if it's wrong, it simply doesn't cut at all.

XTG> I found myself using PRESSURE (!) and that pass was a lot better but still not ready for ATG.

XTG< got to the point where I could do the ATG

ATG: This is where the Schick really shines - the compact idiot-proof head (no bigger than a twin blade cart) design is pretty remarkable - you can do ATG blade buffing with pressure and all it cuts is hair. By the end, not a speck of blood to be seen.

All in all, I would have to rate the Schick as "very good", if slow. Will I keep it in the rotation? No, there are too many 'issues'. Firstly, I don't want a razor to be this safe, I want that thing to CUT. If you want to get all Mantic Method and do 5-6 passes you will probably love the Schick though, as it is VERY easy on the skin.

The other major minus is the blades. There are only a couple of available choices currently manufactured, and while they are quite a bit cheaper than any 'system' garbage, $5 for seven is not exactly cheap. In the interest of science I'll use it until the blade dulls. Schickies claim the blades are good for 7 shaves, so we'll see.

Gillette "Slim" Adjustable

2011-07-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

So I picked up a rather crusty lot on Ebay and one of the razors in it was one of the vaunted "Slim" adjustables from 1968 which was the tail end of the production run. The Slim is also the last Gillette to be made entirely of metal. There are serious 'fanboys' of these things on the boards, and they sell for ridiculous prices normally, so I basically jumped at the chance to try one for little dough. Initial impressions? Construction is solid, but the quality of the materials is noticeably less than my Super Speed that is only 9 years older. It cleaned up well, as you can see. My 'fans' know that I'm into 'aggression' - the more blade the better, so I'm coming at the whole idea of an adjustable with a healthy dose of scepticism. Does it really have a purpose, or is it only as I suspected, a clever marketing gimmick? What are the 9 settings 'for'? Let's explore.

OK, I tried it out yesterday, with a fresh Derby. Started the WTG pass at "5" and it was kind of a joke - hardly any 'bite' at all so I immediately went to "7". 7 was OK, but no more aggro than a Super Speed. So I just opened the fucker up to "9". 9 was good and worked well. I then stirred up a minor shitstorm on B&B by saying I was underwhelmed and couldn't imagine using the Slim on anything other than "9". Some of the replies were pretty vehement! Some of the 'cooler heads' explained to me the 'why' - start high and then dial down on subsequent passes. Supposedly it increases the 'safety' as you get down to skin level. Gotta say I'm intrigued by this concept, although the opposite can be argued that too mild can mean you have to hit certain spots over and over which leads to irritation...

Shave#2: WTG at 9, XTG at 7 and ATG at 5. As predicted, at 5 there were some neck spots that required a lot of touchups. The pleasant surprise was on the upper lip where the different settings worked great and resulted in super smoothness. Basically I'm still on the fence. A cheapo razor like a LORD or YUMA works just as well, and faster in the right hands. For example, the Yuma does more on the upper lip XTG than the Slim does ATG on 5. On the third, mostly ATG pass with the Yuma I just do another XTG on the upper lip because you see, that's all it needs. 2 shaves is probably not fair before passing judgement on the Gillette, but I still believe that the outrageous prices these things fetch aren't really justified. Also, at least for me, I found changing the settings during the shave to be kind of a PITA, but hey YMMV. The best 'adjustability' IMO comes from just knowing how to drive the razor - when/where to use your muscles to subtly change the blade angle and pressure. If you can do that you don't need any dumbing down. It has been said that the most adjustable razor of all is the straight. The 'adjustability' of a straight is limited only by your level of training and physical coordination. Bring it on, haters!

TBC

Finally found the razor that scares me!

2011-07-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I ordered some Yumas and brushes for my homies and figured I'd throw one of these in the mix. Well it was bound to happen - I managed to find a razor that I am actually afraid to use! It's a 'straight' that takes 1/2 DE blades, made in Turkey. Just getting a blade in it is pretty dangerous, big injury potential before it even gets anywhere near your face! Bestshave has a link to an instructional vid:

How to load a blade

No, it's really NOT quite as simple as that... It's in there good and tight and mostly even, but having that much exposure on a DE blade is pretty terrifying - just imagine what those blade corners could do - a whole new dimension of "gotcha". I'll get around to trying it, but today I'm more tempted by 'safer' options.