moses
09-23-2006, 12:03 PM
Well, after it getting temporarily lost in my office mail system, my Artist club arrived yesterday. Very excited to try it, I rushed home. Well, after I could finally leave work at a record early for the week (by 5 hours) 8pm.
Unfortunately, my order from Classic with Super Pro blades does not arrive till Monday, so I was stuck with the less loved Pros. Or Pro guards, but I decided to go ahead with the regular blades - there is something a little weird about the guarded ones.
I wish I could say I made it through bloodless. I almost did, but I carelessly let the blade sort of drop/graze onto my upper cheek while getting into position. Just a little papercut like nick, though, thanks primarily to lack of sleep induced clumsiness. The shave itself though, involved no bleeding.
It is really much less scary in practice than anticipation, I think. All the warnings about blades sinking in if left still on the skin, etc. give pause. (I still don't know about that. Facial skin may be softer, but just as an experiment I rested the razor with brand new, unused blade verticall on the back of my thumb. Even with the weight of the razor plus a hint of added pressure directly into the skin, it did not sink in). In reality it was not hard to move the blade over the skin without cutting in.
That said, it was not clean or easy. Trying to see what I was doing while shaving involved some contortions. Working with my off hand was VERY awkward. Angle control proved to be a major issue, as it was much harder for me to judge than with a DE. And The chin area I really had a heck of a time trying to do anything with. After one pass my eyes were already starting to sag with fatigue, so I just cleaned up real quick with my Tech. I really did not have much irritation, but probably because I only did the once pass with the AC.
Today I decided to have another try. Not having showered before, I went all out with prep. Whipped up Taylor lather. Lathered up and applied hot towel for a few minutes. Repeated. The shaved with C&E Sweet Almond Oil soap (generously provided by Sam, with the razor). First pass was a repeat of the above. Tried this time to do a second. Like Lynn in the video, I tried to just come up from the bottom on the stretched neck. Worked ok, but the razor really started to catch as I got near the jaw. And in the middle, under the chin, the hair just wouldn't cut cleanly. Also, the chin itself I could not really get well, again, especially underneath. Also, coming ear to chin was fine on the cheeks, but just above the jaw, the razor really caught up on the hair, and wouldn't glide cleanly. Oh, forgot to mention that I used a Shick injector blade this time. I did not find it better, or easier to use. I did end up with a great deal of irritation.
Again had to clean the chin with my Tech.
It looks like this is going to be a serious learning curve. More so than a DE was. But I kind of enjoyed it, so I will keep going. I think I will want to change to a traditional straight at some point. They have so much more character - the Artist club feels and looks rather more like a soulless medical impliment. At the moment I do not have time for the stropping and honing learning process, though, so I will stick with this for a while.
Final postscript. I tried Aqua Velva today. I had never tried an alcohol aftershave before. I knew better than to try it on such an irritated face. But I am only a patient man when I need to be. So I did. WOW WOOOZA D#$%. That burns. Actually, though, it is a really interesting sensation, as it burns at first, and then the cooling kicks in, giving a strange burn and cold at the same time sensation. The truth is, though, that my face felt better, sooner, than it would have with just my usually Nivea sensitive (which I did apply after a few minutes).
Unfortunately, my order from Classic with Super Pro blades does not arrive till Monday, so I was stuck with the less loved Pros. Or Pro guards, but I decided to go ahead with the regular blades - there is something a little weird about the guarded ones.
I wish I could say I made it through bloodless. I almost did, but I carelessly let the blade sort of drop/graze onto my upper cheek while getting into position. Just a little papercut like nick, though, thanks primarily to lack of sleep induced clumsiness. The shave itself though, involved no bleeding.
It is really much less scary in practice than anticipation, I think. All the warnings about blades sinking in if left still on the skin, etc. give pause. (I still don't know about that. Facial skin may be softer, but just as an experiment I rested the razor with brand new, unused blade verticall on the back of my thumb. Even with the weight of the razor plus a hint of added pressure directly into the skin, it did not sink in). In reality it was not hard to move the blade over the skin without cutting in.
That said, it was not clean or easy. Trying to see what I was doing while shaving involved some contortions. Working with my off hand was VERY awkward. Angle control proved to be a major issue, as it was much harder for me to judge than with a DE. And The chin area I really had a heck of a time trying to do anything with. After one pass my eyes were already starting to sag with fatigue, so I just cleaned up real quick with my Tech. I really did not have much irritation, but probably because I only did the once pass with the AC.
Today I decided to have another try. Not having showered before, I went all out with prep. Whipped up Taylor lather. Lathered up and applied hot towel for a few minutes. Repeated. The shaved with C&E Sweet Almond Oil soap (generously provided by Sam, with the razor). First pass was a repeat of the above. Tried this time to do a second. Like Lynn in the video, I tried to just come up from the bottom on the stretched neck. Worked ok, but the razor really started to catch as I got near the jaw. And in the middle, under the chin, the hair just wouldn't cut cleanly. Also, the chin itself I could not really get well, again, especially underneath. Also, coming ear to chin was fine on the cheeks, but just above the jaw, the razor really caught up on the hair, and wouldn't glide cleanly. Oh, forgot to mention that I used a Shick injector blade this time. I did not find it better, or easier to use. I did end up with a great deal of irritation.
Again had to clean the chin with my Tech.
It looks like this is going to be a serious learning curve. More so than a DE was. But I kind of enjoyed it, so I will keep going. I think I will want to change to a traditional straight at some point. They have so much more character - the Artist club feels and looks rather more like a soulless medical impliment. At the moment I do not have time for the stropping and honing learning process, though, so I will stick with this for a while.
Final postscript. I tried Aqua Velva today. I had never tried an alcohol aftershave before. I knew better than to try it on such an irritated face. But I am only a patient man when I need to be. So I did. WOW WOOOZA D#$%. That burns. Actually, though, it is a really interesting sensation, as it burns at first, and then the cooling kicks in, giving a strange burn and cold at the same time sensation. The truth is, though, that my face felt better, sooner, than it would have with just my usually Nivea sensitive (which I did apply after a few minutes).