Road Woes

I’ve been traveling this weekend and the shaves I’ve had on the road weren’t particularly satisfying.   My shaving setup was as follows:

• Shark Super Stainless blade
• Weishi razor
• Arko Shave Stick / Tom’s of Maine Calendula Shave Cream
• Aqua Velva Ice Sport AS

Two problems presented themselves during my first foray into DE shaving on the road:

The Shark/Weishi combination is not a good one.  The Weishi is too mild for this blade.  My shaves were smooth but not nearly close enough.  The Weishi stays home on the next trip and I’ll pack the more aggressive Feather Portable.  I will also audition some blade/razor combinations before setting out, although I already know the Crystal blade works well in the Portable.  I may also put my backup Gillette Fatboy into service as my travel razor since a Fatboy is my everyday razor and I already know which blades perform well in it.

I was very disappointed in the Arko Shave Stick.  The stick felt very hard and I wonder if mine had dried out before I received it.  I found it difficult to achieve a decent lather, even after face lathering with my boar travel brush.  Worse, as I shaved I found the Arko soap was clogging my razor to the point I had to remove the blade and manually remove the soap from the head before proceeding.

The TOM shave cream performed better than the Arko.  The lather was more generous and didn’t clog the razor.  The shave was comfortable but still not close enough.  The Calendula scent was too medicinal to be pleasant but was only a minor inconvenience.  I may find a container that will allow me to take my usual Van Der Hagen Select shave soap on the road with me.

Feather Portable travel razor – a review

Feather Portable travel razor

My Feather Portable razor arrived this week and today was the perfect time to take it out on its maiden voyage.

When I first unpacked the razor from the mailer in which it arrived, I was surprised at how small it was.  Being a travel razor, a compact size comes with the territory, but the Feather was truly tiny.  The plastic case that holds the razor and blades is only about 3 inches by 2 inches and looks like it should contain a toy.  Fortunately, the Feather Portable is a serious razor and certainly not a toy.

Assembled, the Feather Portable bears a striking resemblance to the Gillette Tech razors.  My reading about the Portable told me that, unlike the Techs, it is an aggressive shaver.  This was not a concern for me because my daily razor is a Gillette Fatboy F-4.  The Portable ships with a pair of Feather blades but because of its aggressive nature I decided to start with a middle-of-the-road blade, a Crystal Platinum.

Being a three-piece razor I knew it was easy to have the blade misaligned when assembling the razor.  Therefore, I took special care to ensure that there was the same blade edge exposure on each side of the razor head.  Another concern, for me at least, was how to ensure the even wear of the blade edges.  With my Fatboy I start with one side of the blade and shave the entire side of my face.  I then change sides on the razor to shave the other side of my face.  Fortunately, the Portable has a Feather brand name in one corner of the underside of the bottom plate.  This provides me with the convenient landmark I need.

After my usual prep, I set about shaving with the Portable.  My first impression was that the razor is much lighter than my Fatboy and the handle is considerably shorter.  After some adjustment in my technique (slowing my strokes and making sure the angle on the razor head was correct) I completed my usual, two-pass shave with no nicks or weepers.  The resulting shave was every bit a good as I would have received using my Fatboy, SuperSpeed, or Tech.

The Feather Portable razor is a lot of razor in a small package.  It’s small size and ability to render a good shave make it an ideal travel companion.  I would also be comfortable recommending the Portable as a first razor for someone new to double-edge shaving.  Selling for around $9.95 or less on eBay and some of the shaving message boards, it’s one of shaving’s great bargains.  My new Portable is going right into my travel bag.

Wesley & Scott Preshave Oil – a review

Back in the bad, old days when I used an electric shaver, I found that one of the few ways I could get an acceptable shave was to use a pre-electric shave lotion. I hated these lotions because they left my face feeling oily and unclean.  Because of this, I was not well disposed to the Wesley & Scott Preshave Oil, which I received as a sample from ShavingEssential.net, but I thought I would try it in certain situations.

The situations I chose were where my usual shaving preparations may have proven to be inadequate to the task presented by my face and beard.  Also, I decided early on, that I would not abandon my brush and bowl but use the oil as an additive to my shaving regimen.  I have now exhausted my small supply but I did use it on five separate occasions.  On each occasion I had a multi-day beard. My preparation while using the oil was as follows: a hot shower with a vigorous washing of my face, immediately applying the preshave oil to my dried face, my usual thorough lathering, and, finally, the shave itself.

Overall, I believe the preshave oil improved my shave.  The passage of the blade through the whiskers and over my skin was very smooth and I shaved without nicks or weepers.  Frequently, after shaving a multi-day beard, my face would feel irritated and I would reach for a balm to treat it.  After using the preshave oil, my face felt moisturized (but not oily, like the pre-electric shave lotions) after the shave and in good shape for the next day’s shave.

With my beard,  it would be unnecessary to use the Wesley & Scott Preshave Oil on a daily basis.  At those times when I haven’t shaved in few days it is an effective buffer against an irritating shave.  I will probably add a bottle to my stable of after shaves and balms soon.

The Weishi – Feather experience

Weishi polished gold razor

I do not like Feather razor blades.  My slight, unhappy experience with them is documented in an earlier post.  Still, I have nine blades remaining in the pack that came in a sampler I purchased and I am just too frugal to waste them.  To that end, I began to search for a razor that can tame the beast that is the Feather double edge blade.

My wife gave me a Weishi polished gold safety razor for Yuletide.  This is a beautiful, well-made razor and the only non-vintage razor in my collection.  With a reputation for being very mild and forgiving, I decided to try a Feather blade in Weishi and see if I could get a comfortable shave from the combination of the world’s most aggressive razor blade and the Weishi.

As is my custom with testing razor blades, I undertook three shaves with the Feather in the Weishi.  I used my usual preparation for each shave – a shower with a thorough soaking of the beard and a liberal application of shave soap (Ugly Mug Sandalwood amended with an additional ounce of glycerin).  After three days this is what I discovered.

The Weishi does a good job of taming the the Feather razor blade.  My shaves were much more comfortable than the ones I received using the more aggressive Gillette Fatboy (at any setting).  That is not to say that even with this combination I got the proverbial baby-butt shave.  Even with the mildness of the razor, the old problems I experienced with the Feather exist.  There is still very little “face feel” from the blade.  Maneuvering the blade around my face was like sliding on ice, not nimbly negotiating the curves and edges as happens with my usual blades (Astra Super Platinum, Crystal, Derby, Lords, Red Personna).  I escaped without injury but I did suffer some low grade irritation of my face and I found using an after shave balm to be advisable.

In summary, the Weishi makes my remaining Feather blades usable, if not enjoyable, and is probably a good choice for those who want to use these blades but find other razors insufficently mild.  As for me, once my small supply of Feathers is exhausted I will not reorder more.  The Weishi will be added to my rotation of razors and will be used to with other sharp blades (KAI, Sharp, Shark) to make them more comfortable to use.

Booster Lilac aftershave – a review

Some of the most fun you can have with aftershave is the Booster Sampler Pack from ShavingEssentials.net.  The pack consists of nine one ounce bottles of each scent Booster makes.  I will be reviewing these scents as I work my way through the sampler pack.  First off, Lilac.

My personal preferences in aftershaves tend toward spicy and citrus-based scents and the classic Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Original Sport.  Nevertheless, I like this scent but on two fronts it is problematical.

Like all of the Booster aftershaves I’ve used, Lilac is a light scent.  On my face it actually has a natural lilac scent.  There are many lilacs planted around our house so I am very familiar with the scent of the flower.  Also, like Booster aftershaves in general, it moisturizes well and leaves my face in fine shape for the next day’s shave.

Problem one:   I’m not sure what the public acceptance is for a man who smells like a flower.  I know in the past, flowery scents were more in vogue.  Today it appears that natural floral scents are out of vogue.  I would be happy to wear the Lilac in informal, non-work situations and will do so for the life of my sample bottle.

Problem two:   This one is a biggie.  My wife says that Booster Lilac smells like “bug spray” to her.  That pretty much ends any consideration of adding Lilac to my aftershave stable.

Anherb After Shave Gel – a review

The good people at ShavingEssentials kindly sent me a sample of Anherb After Shave Gel with a recent order.  Anherb is made in India and has a following in the wet shaving community.  One of the features of Anherb that have been praised on the shaving message boards is that it has no “alcohol burn” when applied to the face. I used the gel twice, once after a particularly disappointing shave and once after a run-of-the-mill, good shave.

Anherb presents as a vivid blue gel (think Aqua Velva Ice Blue blue).   The scent is light and very pleasant, and somewhat reminiscent of AVIB.  When applied to the face, the gel provides a cooling sensation and almost immediately enters the skin.  The scent lasts for several hours but is light and not likely to be noticeable or offensive to others.

Being a gel it may be inferred that Anherb acts as a aftershave balm.  This is not the case.  With my good shave, Anherb provided a reasonable amount of moisturizing and left my skin in good shape for the next day’s meeting with my Gillette Fatboy.  With my disappointing shave, Anherb provided too little moisturizing to be effective.  Other aftershaves in my stable provide better relief from a bad shave, and, of course, there are balms available for these situations.

Anherb After Shave Gel is a decent, pleasant smelling, after shave which has no burn when applied.  For those wishing to avoid this sensation it is a good choice.  For others, like myself, who like a liquid splash  and a bit of facial stimulation, Anherb is not a good choice.  AVIB moisturizes better, has a similar scent, is cheaper, and more readily available.

Lord Super Stainless & Classic razor blades – a review

The Lord Super Stainless is a very nice blade. Even taking it out of its wrapper it felt like an unusually thin, light blade. The first shave with the Lord was smooth and nearly effortless, although I did pay special attention to my technique. The Lord is very sharp and I’m sure it could make you pay for any lack of attention. My second shave was also very good and I was thinking that the Lord may have more than the usual (for me and this test) 3 shaves in it. Unfortunately, the third shave with the Lord began to pull and drag. I finished with a good shave but I retired the blade with no misgivings. Nevertheless, the Lord is a top-notch blade that gave me two of the best shaves I’ve had to date.

I received a package of Lord Classic blades recently.  I was looking forward to using them since I had previously had a good experience with the Lord Super Stainless blades.  My disappointment was pronounced as I found the Classics to be harsh to my skin and they pulled and dragged throughout the shave.

The Lord Classics look exactly like the Supers out of their packaging, even down to their being printed with the term Super Stainless on the blade.  I can only surmise that the difference between them is the lack of some coating.

Gillette Platinum razor blade – a review

The Gillette Platinum blade commands a loyal following and I can see why. It proved to be a very sharp blade that gave a smooth and comfortable shave even with my ordinary preparation. Even on my third shave there was no pulling or dragging. Although not the cheapest blade in the test, the Gillette Platinums have the advantage in that they are generally available. I live in a small village but my local grocery has them in the Toiletries section. They are $7.00+ for a ten pack but it is good to know that, in a pinch, I can buy a quality blade and don’t have to settle for house brands.

Merkur razor blade – a review

The testing of the Merkur Platinum Stainless blade came to an abrupt halt. I tried to keep to the regimen I had established but I eventually decided it wasn’t worth the effort. The first shave with the Merkur was terrible with the blade pulling and dragging across my face. I adjusted my Fatboy but it didn’t help. By the end of the shave I felt as if I had shaved with an industrial blade made for paint scraping.

Now I was prepared to bravely press on and complete the obligatory 3 shave test, even though I was dreading remaining 2 shaves. And then I realized that the Merkur had already failed the test, at least to my mind.

I probably don’t do the world’s best prep before shaving. Usually I do a thorough wash with a hot, soapy wash cloth; a rinse with the same cloth; and then set about lathering. For the Merkur test I had taken a long, hot shower, and, knowing I would be shaving immediately after, soaped my face twice. Since I shave within 5 minutes of showering, this should have been ideal conditions for a fine shave. The Merkur delivered a terrible shave even under these conditions. That being the case, I declared the Merkur test complete.

Crystal Platinum razor blade – a review

I had read a lot about the Crystal blade and I knew they had a big following. After my 3 shave trial with the blade, I know why. This is a very nice blade, sharp but giving me the right amount of feedback so I can effectively control the razor. Also, my third shave with the Crystal felt as good as the first one. I found that 3 shaves was the maximum number for the Derby but when I retired the Crystal it was only to comply with my self-imposed testing regimen. I was certain that there was at least one more good shave left in that blade, perhaps more. I am looking forward to seeing how many shaves I can get from the Crystal but that will have to wait until I finish testing my current supply of blades. I am only on the third blade of the test, but I could certainly see the Crystal as being my everyday blade.