This setup is not getting old. I'm getting consistent BBS shaves very quickly. Faster, I think, than with a DE or SE razor. I'm not sure why this is, but I have the rest of the month to ponder it.
The SV Beta 4.3 base is really forgiving. I threw way too much hydration into it today and it held up beautifully, though I had lather blurbs everywhere so cleanup took a little longer than usual. The lather is always slick, even with minimal hydration, but I have yet to use it in an undeveloped state.
The blade edge has 8 small areas of wear and the edge, overall, it isn't quite as crisp looking as it was on day one. It's fuzzier and harder to find focus on. I've added an image of wear near the toe. Again, be aware these are tiny (1 micron or less). Too small for us humans to notice. I do think that the edge is rounding, though, and that's why it appears fuzzier. I'm betting that I start to notice less sharpness around day 20 or so.
I was trying to grow a moustache, but I just couldn't take it anymore. So off it went. My skin is also elsewhere very dry, I don't know whether it's the soap or the absence of balm.
Brush: Yaqi Cashmere Synthetic Shaving Brush, Dandelion Green Handle, 24mm
Razor: Gillette Flare Tip Superspeed A1 (1955)
Blade: Lord Super Chrome (1)
Lather: Barrister & Mann - Presto Shaving Soap
Post Shave: Nivea - Moisturizing Post Shave Balm
First time using this razor in a long time, and first time ever with this blade. Pleased to discover that the combo worked quite well for me. Also, I didn't shave all weekend, so this was a particularly satisfying shave today.
Slurry lather again for a three pass shave while the power was out!
䷀ Razor and Blade Notes
(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹505 uses›)
Same: First pass has some tugginess to it. But no irritation that lasts longer than a little tuggy stroke. Latter passes feel fine and give a reasonably close shave. 5 pretty quick passes.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)
䷀ Soap Notes
(Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - White Label)
I just love all the aspects of this scent!
Scent Strength: 6/10, nicely present during shaving.
Lather... Slurry lather again, and it went very well. Wet and slick all the way through, but still with a nourishing and luxurious kind of slickness and feel.
Same: Comfortable soft tips that do flex some, but that are supported by a base with strong backbone. As with all young boars, I look forward to the tips splitting with more uses and getting softer with use. I am generally using a hair dryer to gently treat the tips and age them just a bit faster than normal.
During the Shave Feel: Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable Neck: Felt blade but comfortable After the Shave Closeness: Cheeks: Close Shave Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)
I was going to hop right into a Great Spice Off review after the antics (non-Air Bud Realted, of course) of the Lather Games but I had an immediate work trip at the beginning of the month and, honestly, no desire to dive into something that required too much though. So I looked for a relaxing soap and picked out my tub of Shire, which I hadnt used yet.
Opening this up is pretty magical. Often, scents may be great but don’t exactly duplicate or create the person, place, or moment they’re tying to convey. This is not the fact for Shire, which, upon opening, instantly made me think of sitting outside a Hobbit hole smoking some pipeweed and watching the sun set. The tobacco mixed with the greenery and spices is what makes it work so well. It’s a group of scents that one might not think of complimentary but, in the real (or fantasy) world, play together all the time. I had grand illusions of writing a full review in the style of Tolkein but realized quite quickly that my mind was not in the correct place and even if it was I wasn’t a good enough writer.
This is, also my first time ever using House of Mammoth soap, which seems outlandish but given the fact that u/mammothben doesn’t make an Old Spice dupe is perfectly plausible. What an absolutely stunning lather. The kind of lather that is walking down the street and is offered a job as a lather model by some famous phtographer. Easy to kick up and just super shiny and messy and wonderful. The shave ain’t half bad either once dialed and by the third shave I had a wonderful slickness to go along with the wonderful look.
I was thinking I’d give the Hobbit movies a rewatch again after a shave with this but they’re such a mess I may just stick to LOTR.