Share your shave of the day!
Mon 02 Dec 2024 - Back to straights
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Papa Eld with Declaration Grooming B3 knot
- Razor: Thiers Issard 14 Médaille d’Or 1921 Exposition d’Algier Acier Spécial (7/8", extra hollow, square point, carbon steel)
- Lather: House of Mammoth – Shire
- Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Winter Break
- Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Shire 2
Oh what joy! I enjoyed going through a good part of my safety razor collection last month, but a nice morning shave with a smooth and sharp straight is something else.
This cosmetically challenged Thiers Issard 14 is a great shaver and Shire is a fantastic start into the day and the week. I combined it with Winter Break today to give a more wintery twist.
December 2, 2024
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Brush: Wald Stratos Haunter 29mm A1
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Razor: Iwasaki 6/8" Half Hollow Square Point Tamahagane
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Lather: House of Mammoth - Beloved - Soap
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Aftershave: House of Mammoth - Beloved - Splash
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Talc: Yardley Classic
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Great shave with a new (to me) razor. I purchased this Iwasaki from Tim Zowada. He was using the blade to help him with his own razors; comparing the Tamahagane steel with his own iron-sand steel, Timahagane. He offered this to me, then offered to make custom mammoth ivory scales for it. I could not say no. The razor is phenomenal. I will get some photos of it soon.
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December 2, 2024
- Brush: Maggard 24mm SHD Bulb
- Razor: Fatip Classic Testina Gentile
- Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (3)
- Lather: Barrister & Mann - Lyssa - Soap
- Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Lyssa - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Goodfellow & Co. - Face Lotion - Kelp & Sea Mineral
- Fragrance: Brut - EdT
I really like the Fatip Gentile. I think it’d probably be a good “beginner” razor recommendation, and I might do a side-by-side comparison with a Merkur 34C soon. Both are on the mild side, but with good technique you get really nice close shaves.
Pros:
- Built like a tank with all brass construction
- Mild
- Under $40USD
Cons:
- Blade needs to be manually aligned, which isn’t for everyone
- New shavers might complain that the shave isn’t close enough, so a beginner might need to be reminded to focus on comfort, with closeness coming after developing good technique.
- Uses different threading than other razors, so compatibility with other razor heads/handles is limited.
Your #1 “Con” is troublesome. It wouldn’t be an issue for those of us accustomed to working around the idiosyncrasies of the things we use, but it is also a feature that someone can blame for a bad shave instead of poor technique. The magic of marketing has people believing that it’s the razor that gives them a good shave. Some of us enjoy working on technique, but I’m pretty sure we aren’t the mean of the normal distribution of wetshavers.
I think people do a good job of making it known that Fatips have that one, glaring, easily fixable, frustrating downside. I don’t think anyone would order one based on a recommendation without knowing about the blade alignment thing, so it shouldn’t sneak up on anyone.
One other neat thing about the Gentile is the safety bar makes for a really good visual reference for the blade being aligned. The open comb Fatips are more difficult to align IMO.
Monday, December 02, 2024
- Brush: Zenith/Stirling - 510SE-XL 31mm boar brush
- Razor: Chiseled Face - Titanium Legacy Razor
- Blade: Personna - Lab Blue (7)
- Lather: Declaration Grooming - After the Rain
- Post: Declaration Grooming - After the Rain Aftershave splash
- Post: Ginger’s Garden - Unscented Aftershave balm (+ menthol)
- Frag: Stirling - Ramblin’ Man EdT
Lovely shave after finally making it back home. Also my first shave with After the Rain. My first impression is that I like it a lot, but I’ll need to spend a bit more time with it to really know.
