BradWorld's Shave Journal

[BradWorld]

After the last shave with the beastly Lupo 127, I decided today's shave was going to be super luxurious! Not the most luxurious possible, however, because by the time I had my shower, I realized I should have been soaking one of my Paladin Badgers. Too late. So the next best thing was the 2022 Rudy Vey Contributors Brush in 25mm STF. Nearly as luxurious, but not quite.

The Tradere OC is miraculously smooth. For a razor with this much efficiency, it is an incredibly luxurious ride. If it wasn't so big and clunky, it could potentially be a candidate for number 1. But alas it is sitting in the number 3 in my current rotation. Amazing shaver regardless. Blade choice was a new light blue box Platinum. Perfect pairing.

The soap choice today was Nordost in the Excelsior base. This base has a certain level of thick foamy cushion that excels in providing a slick protective lather, versus Omnibus's gloopy consistency. Overall I like Omnibus better. But there is no denying Excelsior makes a wonderfully rich and luxurious lather!

Had my The Holy Black Ramos Gin Fizz soap not been packed away, that would have gotten the nod today. However the matching splash was handy! This scent is 90% Orange Creamsicle with a 10% dash of Bourbon. This splash uniquely uses a Bourbon base instead of the standard denatured alcohol. And you can both feel it and smell it! Wonderful post shave feel. Amazing stuff.

Stay smooth!

Tradere OC
Platinum (1)
Rudy Vey STF 25
B&M Nordost soap
The Holy Black Ramos Gin Fizz splash

 

[Eric_75]

Hope your week is going well so far, Brad.

 

[BradWorld]

Hope your week is going well so far, Brad.

It's been a busy one so far. But going well. I hope you are have a great week too!

 

[JAHE]

Jury is still out on the 127.

Brad,

the 1.27 Lupo is, as of today, the only Lupo razor which benefited from shaving with a strictly executed shallow shave angle.

All the other Lupos are steep angle shavers for me. But with a steep angle I hardly could enjoy the 1.27. The picture got clearer the more I used it.

In course of time it turned out the blade feel of even the .95 OC is so much more attractive for me.
Thus I let the 1.27 baseplate go...

Maybe give the shallow shave angle a try...

Cheers!

PS:
Your #1 is the WR2 1.15.
The #3 is the OC Tradere.
Which razor is on position #2?

 

[BradWorld]

Maybe give the shallow shave angle a try...

this would be a tough call for me. I will try it once. But I enjoy a steep angle. If this 127 requires a shallow shave, it’s gonna go. Thanks for the info! Very helpful.

Your #1 is the WR2 1.15.
The #3 is the OC Tradere.
Which razor is on position #2?

Charcoal Goods Level 2. Gen 1 or Gen 2 only. Either brass, copper or stainless.

 

[BradWorld]

I am participating in the @Grundi Rembrandt Blade Event. Many of the participants are using vintage Gillettes for the event. So I dug out this crazy British Flair Tip Rocket from the depths of my collection.

This is a weird mid-1950's No. 68 Rocket set. It is made in England for what I suppose is targeted at the Canadian market. Tabernac! Note the space between the twist knob and the handle. And the razor specifically says made in England. Yet the case says "Gillette Canada" and "case is made in the USA". The included blade pack also says "Made in Canada". Mr-Razor shows a very similar Superspeed set, but lists it as Made in England, not Canada. An incredibly interesting specimen. In amazingly good condition too! I would say it is a near to perfect as a 70 year old original condition razor can be.

I have added some more detailed photos below.

The Rembrandt did well. A mostly trouble free shave, with good enough results. A solid low-end DFS shave. You can visit the Rembrandt Blade Event thread if you want to read all about what we are doing in there.

I chose the PAA CK-6 Gondolier soap because it is the typical Italian Barbershop scent, with the added benefits of the CK-6 base. Its good stuff. Slick and foamy. Lots of cushion and protection. The Paladin badger whipped it up with ease.

The Holy Black Sandalwood Smoke aftershave tonic is another one of the splashes THB uniquely blends with Whisky. It really has a unique feel on the face. I love the stuff. Too bad its so hard to get.

PAA CK-6 Gondolier Soap
Paladin Lemon Drop Polo
Flair Tip Rocket
Rembrandt (1)
The Holy Black Sandalwood Smoke aftershave tonic

 

[BradWorld]

I used a 1941 Ranger Tech today because a few of the other Rembrandt Blade Challenge participants were using them. The shave on the second use of the Rembrandt blade was sub par. A lot of tugging under the nose and in the soul patch area. Rough on the lower neck. Regardless, the shave was free of any irritation or red marks, leaks, weepers. Another low end DFS. Just barely into DFS territory. I am undecided whether I will bin this blade or use it again. I am heading out to Anaheim for the NAMM show on Wednesday. I may get another shave in, or maybe not. I will be taking a couple of Lupos on the road with a fresh Rembrandt. I will of course have backup blades. Stay tuned for some travel shaves!

The Ranger Tech is an excellent razor. A super speed with a bit more aggression. Great results… with a good blade anyway. With a Platinum or kCG, this razor sings. Plus it has a great history with the whole WWII interruption of razor manufacturing, which led to the advent of the actual Super Speed line.

As many who read my journal know, Passiflora is one of two absolute favorite all time soaps. Today I used the B&M Omnibus base soap, balm, and splash. A great setup with any razor.

The soap was eagerly applied with my one of a kind Paladin Tut 28 mm. This is the only specimen of this model, in this color, with the 2023 Contributor’s artwork. Today’s lathering was a bit weird though. A lot of Omnibus users note that it is difficult to get enough lather with a badger, as the omnibus works best with a synthetic. They claim the badger won’t hold enough lather for three passes. I typically do not have this issue. Especially with my Paladin 26 mm Polo. But today, I loaded this brush for about 26 seconds, and face lathered for my first pass. For reference I usually load omnibus on a synth for about 10 seconds. The first pass lather was perfect. There appeared to be plenty of lather on the brush after. Once I completed pass one, and picked up the brush for pass two, there was no lather left on the brush. The brush sucked it all in. I did soak the brush for about 10 minutes during my shower. So I am not sure what happened. But once I reload the brush for a few more seconds, I had enough lather for passes two and three. And there was a ton of lather left at the end of the shave. So the brush evidently sucked all the lather from the first load down into the brush. Once I reloaded, the brush was already saturated, so the remaining lather activities were providing excellent results. Interesting.

It’s a couple of hours past my shave. And my face feels great. A little stubble is quickly returning. Which is not typical. I’m usually smooth for 8 hours or so.

Have a great day everyone!

B&M Passiflora soap, balm, splash
Paladin 2023 Contributor’s Brush 28 mm Tut in Ancient Orange
1941 Gillette Ranger Tech
Rembrandt (2)