Product Review: CJB Razor

Communication Jamais vu Beauty Model WH100B.  CJB Blade Handle.  CJB Razor.  CJB Japanese style replaceable blade razor.  CJB Kamisori.  No matter how you say it, when you bring up the CJB you’re likely to get the same response: praise followed by disappointment.  Praise for the razor’s low cost, overall good quality, and excellent performance.  Disappointment at how difficult it can sometimes be to find these little gems.  Having lusted after this razor on and off for the last year or so, I finally broke down and purchased one.  Sadly, my first CJB had a defective tension spring which made loading and unloading blades extremely difficult (I even managed to bruise my finger tips while loading a blade).  The spring snapped after two uses, turning the razor into a slightly expensive paper weight.  Luckily the eBay seller, Purosdave, was quick to respond and replaced this first CJB with a properly functioning one.  I can’t speak highly enough about this seller.  I don’t  know how many folks out there got their CJB and Sam Seong razors from Purosdave, but he is one of the folks working to spread these amazing razors to the western market.

Before I get into the actual review of this wondrous piece of shaving gear I just want to address a small issue that often pops up when folks talk about these razors: the use of the word kamisori.  Kamisori is the Japanese word for razor.  After speaking to several Japanese folks about this (and, yes they all thought that the question was weird) I have ascertained that this word is used to refer to any razor and does not exclusively refer to traditional Japanese style straight razors.  Some folks in the traditional wet shaving community have taken to calling traditional Japanese style straight razors kamisori, and while this does make things simpler it also creates tension whenever anyone refers to anything else as kamisori.  This is a ridiculous thing to get upset about for a number of reasons, but the most notable is that Japanese folks do not seem to use the term kamisori to refer exclusively to Japanese style straight razors.  So, while I do not refer to the CJB as kamisori, I also do not get bent out of shape when someone does.  And now onto our regularly scheduled review.

One of the most notable issues that people have when considering Feather AC/Kai Captain/Sam Seong/CJB razors is the price.  I purchased my CJB for about $37, including shipping.  This is a fairly reasonable price for a well made razor and did not give me any cause for alarm, but the blades are another story.  The CJB uses the same blades as the Feather Artist Club, Kai Captain, and Sam Seong razors.  These blades are, by far, the most expensive blades that I have come across in the world of traditional wet shaving.  A package of Feather Professionals (the base line standard) will normally run around $20/20 which makes them $1/blade, or ten times the price of my favorite DE blades and about twice the cost of my favorite hair shaper blades.  With some digging I found that it is possible to occasionally find Feather Pro blades for as little as $16/20, but this is still a pretty steep price.  Many users of these types of razors claim that Feather Pro blades routinely last between ten and fifteen uses, which would help to justify paying such a high price, I suppose time will tell.  In any event, one of the things that makes pause when considering a Japanese style replaceable blade razor is the overall cost.  My initial purchase of a CJB, Feather plastic protector case, 1 package of Feather Professional blades, and 1 package of Feather Super Pro blades ran me about $80.  For $80 I could have purchased a nice DE razor and a few hundred blades, so why in the world would I spend that much money to buy a razor that uses such high priced specialty blades?  I have to admit that curiosity was what drove my initial decision, but the impressive quality and performance of the CJB and Feather Pro blades is what hooked me.

The CJB design and construction is all business.  This is a razor designed to be as efficient and lean as possible, but constructed with quality materials.  It feels nice and maneuverable in hand and has as little flash as possible.  Its short Japanese style design means that the handle is ergonomic, the head is easy to use in tight spaces, and the whole thing feels solid without being bulky.  The grey hard rubber handle is about 3 1/4″ long and slopes gently upward to help angle the head properly when using it.  There is a small notch for the thumb with jimps to help stabilize the razor as well as to ensure a solid grip, even when wet.  The head is a little over 2 3/4″ long and has the same design as the Feather RG non-folding razor (the spine is pinched to open up the blade holder and the side piece is removable to allow proper cleaning.  The CJB does have a few quality flaws, such as molding not being cleanly cut away and a mediocre finish, but these are fairly minor issues and mostly aesthetic in nature.

The CJB is more or less exactly what I was expecting.  The largest surprise for me were the blades.  I was expecting Feather Pro blades to be just as long as hair shaper blades, but this is not the case.  Feather Pro blades are 50mm long (or just under 2″), while Fromm and Personna hair shaper blades are 57mm long (or just under 2 1/4″) and weigh about twice as much as Feathers.  For a little bit of perspective DE blades are about 37mm long and Injector blades are 38mm long.

Thanks to my first one being defective, I have used the CJB only a half dozen times, but it has quickly become my go to razor.  It is quicker and easier to use than a traditional straight razor, handles better than a hair shaper razor, and just plain looks cooler than a DE.  Using the CJB I have gotten two pass DFS and BBS shaves with almost no effort.  The myth that Feather Pro blades are far more deadly than other types of blades is just that: a myth.  I found the blades no more blood thirsty than hair shaper blades and have yet to either nick myself or cause myself any serious irritation.  While I would not recommend that a newbie jump onto this razor, I also would not hesitate to recommend the CJB to anyone who has enough skill to not mutilate themselves on an aggressive DE or SE.

In a relatively short time I have come to love the CJB.  It is a quality razor with a little bit of mystique and a lot of ability.  If you’re lucky enough to find one of these razors for sale (they are always available through Gmarket, but they also pop up from time to time on eBay and are also occasionally found in the B/S/T threads of various forums) then I would absolutely suggest that you jump at the offer.  You won’t be disappointed.

My Shave Den Reduction

Over the last few weeks I have been taking a long hard look at my shaving gear.  With that look came the revelation that I did not need, and in fact did not really use, a good portion of the stuff that I had acquired.  This process of evaluation was initially prompted by The Nationwide Box Tour, hosted by The Shave Den shaving forum.  The Nationwide Box Tour is an event in which a box of shaving gear is passed around to participants; each person takes some gear out, puts some gear in, and then sends it along to the next recipient.  It’s a fun way to get rid of some stuff that you no longer use and to try out some stuff that you might not have otherwise come into contact with.  It is also a good way to help evaluate what gear you really actually want.  For me the tour triggered an avalanche of reorganization and reduction.  I realized that my shave den was out of control, and it needed to be reigned in.

From that revelation came the PIFing away of an entire set up (a razor, a few creams, a soap, several packs of blades, a ceramic bowl, and a brush).  Following my PIF I also sold off ten, count ’em TEN of my least used products.  I currently have some razors up for sale and I am even considering selling off my traditional straight razors and strops.  Basically, anything that I haven’t used in a month or more found its self being asked the question, “Soooo, what is it that you would say you DO around here?”  I’ve come to the settling in stage of my traditional wet shaving life.  I’ve found the products that work really well for me and I have very little interest in anything else.  That’s not to say that I have tried everything that I want to, but the urgency of my desires has cooled significantly.  I still want to try out Cyril Salter shave creams, the entire Dreadnought line up, and a really nice Horse/Badger mixed loft brush, but that stuff can wait.  I’m happy with what I have…and what I am not happy with does not have long before it meets up with the chopping block.

When a new hobby or idea presents its self it is not unusual for folks to want to learn every aspect of that new thing.  Sometimes it becomes an addiction, something that you have to do more and more frequently in order to feel satisfied.  Sometimes it becomes a passing fad, something that interested you at first, but quickly lost its appeal over time.  Sometimes it becomes a quirky part of your life, something that you enjoy without allowing it to take up a huge chunk of your time.  I like traditional wet shaving and I enjoy what I get from it, but I have finally come to the point where it’s time to scale down my hobby from a slight addiction to a healthy interest.

It’s fun to emerse yourself in something new and exciting, but it’s important to take a breath every now and then.

The One

There are a lot of threads on shaving forums dedicated to the question, “If you could only have ONE…what would it be?”  That one thing could be anything: one razor, one cream, one brush, etc.  The question is asking what product is your most trusted, most favored, most relied upon.  It’s one of those questions that people ask so that they can get to know the people that they’re talking to better, but it’s also used by newbies to help them try to get a better handle on the myriad and seemingly endless list of shaving products that are available to them.

Most folks do not have a good answer for this question, not because they don’t have a favorite soap or most often used blade, but because the idea of limiting themselves to just one product is intimidating.  How can you choose just one when there are so many good products out there?  The reality is that, before entering the world of traditional wet shaving,most of us did use just one razor and one cream or gel, and never thought twice about it.  Most of us would have found it insane to have a collection of razors or creams.  But, like so many other things in life, when you find a better way to do something you want to know more…and in the world of traditional wet shaving there is a whole lot more than any of us could have ever imagined.  The question isn’t difficult to answer because of all of the products that we use on a regular basis, the question is difficult to answer because of all of the products that we COULD use on a regular basis.  After a brief period of experimentation most of us settle down and gravitate toward a core set up that is only occasionally altered.  I may have dozens of soaps, but I really only use four or five on a regular basis…the rest are just there for when I’m feeling squirrelly.

I have thought about this “one product” question a lot and while my answers have always been a bit mercurial and evasive, the truth is that I do have a solid answer.  There is one cream, one soap, one razor, etc. that I would gravitate towards if I could only have one set up.  I do have a set up that always does well and that always produces excellent results.  I think that most folks, if they’re really honest with themselves, would be able to say the same.  For me, the other razors, and soaps, and things are nice, but are hardly necessary.

My core set up is almost boring in how common and simple it is.  There is nothing particularly spectacular about the products that I find most trustworthy, nor is there anything in my set up that could not be easily replaced.  There is no one of a kind soap or hard to find razor, there are just good, solid products that can be relied upon each and every time I use them.  While I may have a few honorable mentions in each category, when I am really honest it wouldn’t be difficult for me to have just one set up to use every day.  Without further ado here is my “just one” set up:

–Pre: Shave Secret.  I love this stuff.  It’s easy to find, smells good, and works beautifully…all for under $4.
–Razor: RiMei.  A solid, low cost razor with an excellent grip and a well designed head.  It’s just top notch.  It’s a very close contest between this razor and the Parker SRW, but the RiMei edges the SRW out by virtue of that fact that it’s quicker, easier, and less expensive.
–Blade: SuperMax Titanium.  There are many good blades and a few that come very close to the SuperMax Titanium (Lord Platinum, Astra SP, and Croma Diamant), but no blade exceeds the Titanium.
–Brush: Mixed loft boar/badger.  Until recently I was never really blown away by a brush, but this one has done it. It’s a Chinese knot from eBay paired with a simple plastic handle.  It looks great, and performs extremely well.  There are softer brushes, brushes that hold more heat or water, and brushes made of better materials, but there are no other brushes that make me gravitate toward them over and over again.
–Lather Bowl: VDH Premium Shave Set Bowl.  I bowl lather roughly 75% of the time and when I do I use either a $1 La Coccina salsa bowl or the VDH Premium Shave Set bowl.  I use to dislike the VDH bowl because of its small size, but lately I have discovered how to use that to my advantage, creating denser and more concentraited lather in the smaller area.  Thanks to this revelation I now find myself using this bowl almost exclusively when I bowl lather.  It’s a nice, compact bowl that’s easy to find and inexpensive to buy.
–Soap: Van Der Hagen Deluxe/Glycerin blend.  I take one puck of Deluxe and one puck of Glycerin, melt them and mix them together, and pour the mixture into either a Kingsley dark wood bowl or a twist up shave stick container and I end up with the perfect soap…all for under $10.  It smells good and works great.
–Cream: Kiss My Face Cool Mint.  When I’m in  hurry or need a cool down, KMF Cool Mint works wonders.  It’s fast, easy, and not so cold as to completely freeze my face.  11oz. costs less than $8, and I can often get it on sale for as low as $5.
–Post: SAL Alum.  This stuff is inexpensive, effective, and easy to use.  I know that my skin is safe when I use SAL Alum.  The only thing that even comes close is T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel, but when I need my skin ready to be abused by sweat and heat without having to worry about irritation, I always turn to SAL Alum.
–Blade Disposal: Tin can blade bank.  There are a lot of options for blade disposal, but none are as effective, customizable, and low cost as a DIY tin can blade bank.  50 cents gets you years of safe blade disposal, for me there was never another option, the tin can blows everything else away.

So that’s it.  Nothing fancy.  Most of that stuff I can get locally and none of it costs more than $10, but it’s all good, solid gear.  I know what to expect from these products and I can recommend them without reservations or qualifications.  In fact, it’s the exact set up that I used today…and my skin is baby butt smooth, so really what more could I ask for?

A Lavender By Any Other Company Still Smells Like Old Lady

I don’t care for lavender, but I really like Truefitt & Hill, so I decided to give the T&H Lavender sample a try.  I think that it’s pretty cool that T&H have a sample set of all of their creams.  It gives you a chance to try out all of the scents before plunking down $30+ for a jar of cream that you may end up disliking.  There are a lot of places that sell samples of soaps and creams, but there aren’t a lot of nonartisan companies that put there entire range into a sample set, I think that speaks pretty highly of T&H.

Along with the lavender cream I am using my newly reknotted mixed loft brush.  I’ve managed to remove most of the shedder hairs and destinkify the knot in just a couple of days, but the breaking in will likely take a while.  In the mean time I have to say that I am really impressed with this brush so far.  The handle is plastic, but it still has an elegant feel, the knot was purchased off of eBay from China (but not from Ace, Frank, or Liojuny).  It’s a mixed loft badger/boar (the description actually called it a badger/bear hair knot, but I’m pretty sure that was a typo) 20mm diameter knot with a 64mm loft that cost me a total of $8.44 ($4.94 for the knot, and $3.50 for shipping).  This mixed loft plastic handled frankenbrush of unknown origin is quickly becoming my favorite.

To finish off I am back with my Gem 1912 and a carbon steel blade.  I’m getting the hang of this beast and will soon be moving on to the Clog Pruf to further hone my SE razor skills.

I did a typical three pass wtg/atg/xtg shave followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum.  The results were a BBS shave with zero nicks and mild irritation along my jaw line on the right side.  The T&H lavender wasn’t as slick or as easy to lather as the Ultimate Comfort and I dislike the scent, but it did a good job and left my skin feeling untouched.  Like the UC, this stuff leaves absolutely no residue and while it does not dry out my skin it also does not moisturize it much either.  The Gem did a fine job and is absolutely worth the effort, it’s an uncomplicated efficient razor.  This was a pretty good shave that mostly just reenforced how I already feel about lavender, T&H, and the Gem 1912.

Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem 1912
Blade: Gem carbon steel
Brush: Mixed loft badger/boar
Soap: Truefitt & Hill Lavender cream
Post: Cold water rinse and SAL Alum

Product Review: Bath House Spanish Fig & Nutmeg Shave Soap

We all do it.  All of us find a soap, or a cream, or a car, or whatever that grabs our interest from the first moment and then we proceed to build up that thing in our minds until it is so amazing, so spectacular that it could not possibly live up to our expectations.  I’m more guilty of this than anyone I know.  I’ll find a review for a really good soap, or pen, or giraffe biscuit on line and I’ll do what I usually do, research it to death.  I’ll find out so much about the product that I could be called upon to act as an expert witness in a court case, and then I will, of course, buy the product only to find that the super duper giraffe biscuit may be pretty great at feeding your giraffe, but it’s still just a biscuit.  We all do it, but I’m more guilty of it than most.

Every once in a while I will find something that catches my eye and I will resist the urge to obsess over it.  Sadly, what usually ends up happening is that, in spite of my best intentions, this thing sticks with me and nags at my subconscious until I’m left a drooling fool with only one thing on my mind (rosebuuud…).  This was the case with Bath House Spanish Fig & Nutmeg shave soap.

I initially encountered Bath House on Connaught Shaving’s web site.  I was intrigued by the look, the interesting ingredients list, and the odd brand name.  Everything about it made me want to try it out, but at the time I had just encountered several creams and soaps that left my nose cringing with horror, so I was reluctant to try something new and unknown.  Months passed by and every now and then I would place this soap in my electronic shopping cart only to remove it later.  Eventually I broke down and decided to buy a bowl of the stuff, but by then no one in the UK seemed to have it in stock any more and everyone who had some in the USA wanted $10-$20 MORE than they were charging for it in the UK.  The refills were readily available, but the wooden bowl with the soap seemed to have disappeared.  I don’t know if the soap was discontinued or if the demand required to stock the soap just wasn’t there, but for whatever reason, it appeared as if my window of opportunity in regards to this soap had closed.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I was posting a B/S/T thread to see if I could eliminate some things from my “need to try” list.  For some reason I decided to throw the Bath House soap on almost as an afterthought.  I figured that if someone had a partially used bowl of the stuff that I might get lucky and be able to snag it for a decent price.  Luckily for me a fine member of The Shave Nook shaving forum, Oscar (A.K.A. ojinsa), just happened to have an unused bowl of the soap, just happened to see my post, and just happened to live a short distance away.  After a little logistical finagling we met up and I ended up with a nice, new wooden bowl of Bath House Spanish Fig & Nutmeg soap.

Let me just pause right here and say that Oscar is a great guy.  He’s easy to deal with and has some great insights into life, the universe, and everything.  If you ever get the chance to have any interaction with this bastion of traditional wet shaving goodness, then I highly recommend it.

So, now that I had the soap all that was left to do was to try it out.  This soap is, in a word, Spectacular.  The scent is amazing, it lathers easily, and it’s extremely slick.  It was everything that I was hoping for and more.  When I started on my preshave routine I noticed that I was still a little tender from yesterday’s shave, so to test this soap out I grabbed my ultra soft EMJ synthetic brush, some Shave Secret, and my cocobolo Schick G Type (with a Personna blade on its second shave).  I did a three pass wtg/atg/xtg shave followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum.  The results were a DFS with zero nicks and zero irritation…and a new soap for my shelf-o-goodness.  The Bath House smells earthy and spicy, but mild and unobtrusive at the same time.  The scent lingers pleasantly for a while, but stays in the background where it belongs.  The lather is typical of a veggie based soap in that it is a bit thinner than many tallow soaps, but it is also super slick and provides plenty of protection.  Afterward my skin felt as if I hadn’t done anything to it.  The soap isn’t as moisturizing as PdP, but it also isn’t harsh or drying.  I wasn’t ultra soft, but I also wasn’t dried out.  In the end, even with slightly tender skin, I managed to have a very pleasant shave with an unfortunately overlooked product.  Bath House Spanish Fig & Nutmeg is an excellent soap and I would recommend that everyone stay as far away from it as possible…so that I can snatch up and hoard every puck still in stock.

Product Ratings (1-10, 1 being the absolute lowest and 10 being the absolute best):

Scent Quality: 9
Scent Strength: 6
Lather Quality: 8
Slickness: 8
Skin Care: 7
Overall: 8

Product Links:
http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/bahospfigand.html
http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/bahospfigand1.html

http://www.connaughtshaving.com/bhm9.html

Caveat Emptor

We have all had transaction that turned out to be less than stellar.  Maybe that used bike had a weak chain that busted off on the first use, or that amazing deal that you got on a computer turned out to be for the CPU only, or that cased Schick Injector that you bought off of eBay was pure junk…in the end, whenever we buy anything we should all keep in mind that Latin wisdom: caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware.

I consider myself a pretty good buyer.  I worked in sales for years, I have dealt with shady situations, and I am fairly good at recognizing when something is not all that it appears to be.  Unfortunately, even I end up on the wrong end of a bum deal every once in a while.  Sometimes I’m too impulsive or I make a purchase contrary to what my research and instincts are telling me and I end up with the shaft.  It happens and I can either deal with it and learn from the mistake or I can whine and go on the offensive in attempt to force the seller to rectify the situation.  More often than not the latter course of action ends up costing more in the long run, so I usually try to just suck it up and move on…after all, I should have known better.

Recently I was looking for a cased injector.  I found several on the B/S/T sections of various forums, but none of them really grabbed me.  A quick eBay search netted me several results, but only a few were priced reasonably well.  One such auction caught my eye.  The razor was being sold by a professional eBay seller who quite obviously had no real knowledge of vintage razors, there were only a couple of mediocre pictures, the case looked beat up on the outside, and the razor was described as having a crack in the handle.  Every instinct told me to walk away, but I kept thinking, “Eh, I can clean that up and a little epoxy should fix the handle well enough.”  So, in spite of my better judgement, I bought it.

At his point I can already imagine some of you folks shaking your heads.  I know, it was a poor choice and I regretted it almost instantly, but the story does have a somewhat happy ending, so stick with me.

The razor arrived rather quickly and was well packed, both of which struck me as good signs.  When I opened it up the case turned out to be in worse condition than I thought, but still looked salvageable.  The razor had some gunk and a small crack on the handle, but appeared to be in otherwise excellent condition.  All in all, I was fairly happy.  Then I began to clean.

The case’s fake leather lining came loose instantly, revealing a ton of corrosion and gunk.  I scrubbed everything with soap and water, sanded off the corrosion on the metal, let it all dry, treated the fake leather and the metal with some oil, and glued it back together.  It was more work than I expected, but it came out serviceable, even if it was still somewhat ugly.  The razor was another story.

I sprayed some scrubbing bubbles on the razor and then went at it with a cotton swab, but as soon as I applied a little pressure to the razor’s head the handle literally crumbled into pieces.  I blinked a few times before gathering up all of the pieces and sitting down at the computer to figure out a solution.  I considered returning the damn thing, but it only cost me about $9 and returning it would have been a huge headache.  I looked up custom injector handles, but apparently that is a mostly untapped market (although apparently a few people have done this).  My first instinct was to glue the handle back together, coat it all in epoxy, wrap tape around it, and then put a clear coat on top…but the thing was in about fifty tiny pieces and would have been way too labor intensive to be worth the effort.  That’s when I remembered a custom dip pen handle that I had.

About a year ago my wife bought me a nice, hand turned cocobolo dip pen handle as a present and while I Iiked the way it looked, it just didn’t perform well, so it sat in my desk mostly unused.  As I sat at my desk, staring at my dip pen and trying to come up with a solution, it occurred to me that the shaft of the razor head might fit nicely into the dip pen handle’s nib hole.  So, I pulled the last of the bakelite handle off of my useless Schick, and wedged the razor head into my dip pen handle…and it actually fit pretty well.  With a plan in mind I finished cleaning up the razor head, cut off about an inch from the end of the dip pen handle, rounded off the end, and epoxied the head into the handle. I would’ve used cement or something a little more secure, but two part epoxy was all that I had on hand and it’s pretty good stuff, so it’s what I used.  The razor ended up looking pretty decent and, after setting properly, the epoxy seems to have created a pretty secure bond between the metal and wood nib hole and the metal razor head.  Now all I had to do was shave with it…which I did this morning, but that is a story for the SOTD.

In the end, I managed to find a solution for a bad situation and came out from it alright, but it could have gone in an entirely different direction if I had not had just the right tools and parts to create a solution.  I have no one to blame for making a poor purchase but myself.  It’s my own fault for forgetting: caveat emptor.

The More The Marrier

One of the things that many of the folks involved in the traditional wet shaving community have in common is their desire to try new and different things.  Sometimes what starts off as a simple shave can spiral into an orgy of products, experiments, and outright excess.  It can be difficult to say, “OK, I don’t need anything other than some soap, a brush, and a good razor with a fresh blade.”  What it usually turns into is, “Hmm, I’ll add some of this cream…and try this new blade…ooh, I better use some preshave too…”

I started out today with a fairly straight forward set up: the restored Made-Rite brush with a pure badger knot, my 1912 with a Gem stainless steel blade, and some Kell’s Ultra Aloe Energy soap, but then I added on.  I pulled out the Shave Secret for a preshave oil and decided to make a superlather using the Kell’s and some AoS Ocean Kelp.  I also decided to use some of my trusty SAL Alum and a dash of AoS Ocean Kelp after shave lotion.  I also made the decision to change out the Gem stainless steel blade for a Gem carbon steel just to see how the carbon blade would compare.  The stainless steel still has some life in it, so it gets to live in the Clog Pruf for a while. In the end, what started out as a simple lather and rinse sort of shave ended up being a product extravaganza.  The picture of today’s set up does not reflect all of these changes because all of that stuff is a pain to photograph together and because I already took the picture and did not feel like redoing it.

I did a three pass wtg/atg/xtg shave followed by a cold water rinse and my post shave add-ons.  The results were a BBS shave with zero nicks and zero irritation.  The superlather worked up into a nice creamy result, but the scent of the Kell’s Energy overpowered the AoS Ocean Kelp.  Next time I’ll use some Karo Classic or Local Pig instead.  The carbon blade was nice and smooth, but was not significantly different than the stainless steel blade.  Overall, this was a good shave.  My abilities with SE razors continue to improve and with that improvement my comfort level also increases.

Pre: Hot shower, warm water splash, and Shave Secret
Razor: Gem 1912
Blade: Gem carbon steel
Brush: Made-Rite pure badger
Soap: Superlather of Kell’s Ultra Aloe Energy and AoS Ocean Kelp
Post: Cold water rinse, SAL Alum, and AoS Ocean Kelp After Shave Lotion

Part Four, or How To Shave Hairs And Influence People

Part Four, or How To Shave Hairs And Influence People

18 AUG 2013

This is my final day of testing out the various SE razors that I recently acquired before deciding on which one I will be using to improve my SE technique. The las razor is a Gem Contour II. It is actually the razor that I have been looking forward to using the most. This razor has a nicely contoured handle (hence the name) with fine grooves for grip and most of the weight in the head. It snaps open and closed very easily and smoothly, which makes loading a blade a breeze. The guard bar should also make this razor a bit less aggressive than the other Gems that I have used so far. It has kind of a drab 80s design, but it seems to work on this razor.

I have been working on the Made-Rite brush over the last couple of days (sanding down the rough spots, buffing out the dings, removing the few spots of excess epoxy, and applying some turtle wax), so I am taking this brush out for a little spin. The knot isn’t my favorite, but it’s fairly soft and has good backbone, so it does well with soaps that need a little extra force to get them to cooperate.
The Stirling Costal soap will round out the shave. I have test lathered this soap a few times and really like the way it whips up, so I’m looking forward to seeing how well it performs. The Costal scent is no longer listed on Stirling’s web site, so I have to assume that it has been discontinued. I’m not too sad about this because as well as the soap seems to perform, the scent just is not all that great.

Following my usual prep I loaded my Gem stainless steel blade up and did a three pass wtg/atg/xtg shave followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum. I managed a DFS with mild irritation and no nicks.

First, let me say that I really liked the Stirling soap. It performed well, was extremely slick, and was fairly protective. I can understand why these soaps get so much attention.
The semi-restored Made-Rite had no trouble creating lather, but it did not hold much and had to be refreshed after each pass. I don’t know if this is due to its small size (I believe the knot is about 18mm) or because the hair is of poor quality. I may end up reknotting it, but I’ll give it another chance or two first.

With that out of the way let me move on to the initial evaluation of the razor. I was disappointed. The Contour II is so mild that I found myself applying unnecessary pressure to get clean passes, which resulted in some discomfort and irritation. While this can be dealt with in the future using proper technique and patience, what can not be dealt with was the ho-hum factor. I found the Contour II to be a boring razor. It did its job, and I have no doubt that I will be able to use it effectively in the relatively near future, but it was so middle of the road that I felt like I was shaving with a generic store brand cartridge razor. It did not impress me or offer up anything that I could not get from another razor. I was just there. I think the main problem that I had with this razor is that with so many options out there, using a middle of the road razor (even a well made and well designed middle of the road razor) holds very little appeal. This would be a good travel razor or a good razor to use when in a hurry, but I doubt hat I would ever want to include it in my regular rotation.

In spite of my apathy toward the Contour II, this was a successful shave and I can see my technique improving a little bit each day. I don’t know that I will become a full fledged L.O.S.E.R., but I can absolutely see adding some SE razors into the regular rotation. As for which razor I will be using to work on my technique, I think that the Gem 1912 will get the honor. It is a big, intimidating razor, but it also holds the most appeal for me. I figure that if I can manage with the 1912, then I will be able to handle any SE with ease. We will see how it goes.

Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem Contour II
Blade: Gem stainless steel
Brush: Made-Rite Pure Badger
Soap: Stirling Costal
Post: Cold water rinse and SAL Alum

Part Three, or How I Found The Edge And What I Did With It Once I Found It

It’s true that to get truly comfortable with a particular thing, any particular thing, that you should eliminate as many variables as possible. So, it should hardly be surprising that I am having some issues with my technique and tenderness. I do plan on settling down, I just want to try all of my newly acquired SE razors first. It’s not necessarily a recipe for success, but I can live with a little tenderness while I play.

Today I decided to try easing up a bit. I’ll be using the Schick Type G Injector. This razor is, by most accounts, a relatively mild razor and it’s similarity in style to older cartridge razors should make using it a somewhat easier task. I have avoided injector razors mostly because I thought they looked kind of boring, but also because their blades are fairly expensive when compared to DE blades and are also harder to come by. In spite of this, my curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed one up when the opportunity presented its self (thank you, Nation Wide Box Tour). I have two sets of blades for this razor, a seven pack of Schick Platinum blades and an eleven pack of Exchange Select Platinum Chrome blades. The Schick blades come in a blister pack and are dispensed from a nice metal container. The Exchange Select blades also come in a blister pack, but are dispensed by a plastic bottomed/metal topped container. I have no idea who made the Exchange Select blades, so I am going to be using the Schick blades to start with.

The injector has an old school feel to me, so I am going to do a sort of old school shave. I’m using some Colgate Mug Soap along with my scuttle and a partially restored Made-Rite brush with a pure badger knot. This set up really has a cool retro look and I rather like it.

I really liked the look of the Made-Rite brush and was looking forward to restoring it, but too much enthusiasm and not enough forethought often make for poor outcomes. I had a little bit of tragedy occur with this brush when I, without thinking about the fact that steam makes plastic unhappy, placed this brush in a steam bath to remove the old knot. I realized my mistake relatively early, but the steam and heat still warped part of the lower half of the handle…a stupid mistake, but one that did not make this brush unusable. a drill finished up the knot removal, some careful heating and shaping partially restored its shape, and a sterilized pure badger knot from another brush easily fit in (secured by two part epoxy). I still have to polish this guy up and redo the lettering on the bottom, but for now I am happy.

To start this shave off I microwaved some water and poured it over the puck of Colgate Mug soap and into the scuttle to get everything nice and warm. I soaked my brush with hot water from the sink and let it rest on top of the scuttle rather than in the reservoir because I felt that the water inside was too hot for the badger hair. After my shower, and as I was loading up a fresh blade and wetting my face, I did settle the brush into the scuttle’s brush soaker. Loading up the injector was an interesting, but simple, process and I finally understand the point of the “key” on the blade dispenser. Lathering up the Colgate Mug soap was easier than I expected it to be. I was afraid that this stuff would act like William’s Mug soap, but I got a quick and easy lather out of it. It did start off a bit thin, but a return to the puck solved this issue. With everything set I was ready to begin my first shave with the Schick Type G Injector razor.

I did a three pass wtg/xtg/atg shave (normally I go wtg/atg/xtg, but I felt like trying a more conventional approach) followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum. The results were a BBS shave with zero irritation and zero nicks. The alum barely caused a tingle after my shave, which is always nice.

My first impression of this razor is that it is very mild and very easy to use. After the first pass I was concerned that it might be too mild for me, but I kept going and found that its mildness comes, at least partly, form its ability to cut smoothly and easily. The small head design made maneuvering a piece of cake and made it obvious as to why this razor design is so popular.The Schick is a forgiving, but effective razor that I really enjoyed using. It may not be the flashiest thing in the world and the blades may be a bit pricey, but it is a razor that deserves respect.

The Colgate Mug soap was a snap to lather and did the job, but it does not strike me as anything special. If it were still made I would call it a good workhorse type soap, but since it is not I think of it as a nice novelty that works well. It had a slight scent that I could not quite place, but was very subdued and could easily be paired with just about any cream for an excellent superlather.

The Made-Rite Brush did a good job and will probably make regular appearances in my rotation once it is fully restored. I really like the red coloring and might even see if I can snag one or two more on eBay.

In the end, my Injector experience was a very positive one and I will absolutely be working this razor into a regular rotation. It’s unfortunate that the blades are not more readily available, but they are far from rare and if they last a week then they will still be far less expensive than cartridges. I really feel that injectors and Gem type razors belong in separate categories, but I’m glad that their lumping together lead me to pick this razor up in the first place.

Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash

Razor: Schick Type G Injector

Blade: Schick Platinum Injector blade

Brush: Made-Rite reknotted with a pure badger knot

Soap: Colgate Mug soap

Post: Cold water rinse and SAL Alum

My Life With The SE Kult

This is day two of the great single edge safety razor experiment.  I have discovered a few tid-bits and tips in regards to properly using SE razors which should make for a better experience.  I’m also moving on to the next SE razor in my arsenal, the Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf with the same Gem stainless steel blade that I used yesterday. I’ll also be trying out the TSD Lemons and Figs lanolin soap with my EMJ synthetic brush. I’m a little hesitant about this soap because the few TSD soaps that I have used in the past have not worked well for me, but none of them have been of the lanolin variety. The Lemons and Figs feels completely different from the the other TSD soaps I have tried and it smells great, so I have high hopes.

For this shave, because my skin is still a little tender from yesterday I only did a two pass with the grain/against the grain shave followed by a cold water rinse and some SAL Alum.

This shave was an improvement over yesterday, but it was still not quite where I need it to be quality wise.As my technique improves I hope to be able to pull of shaves with SE razors as effortlessly as I do with DE razors.  As of right now using an SE takes me almost as long as using a disposable blade straight razor and results in irritation and some slight frustration.

Even after loading my brush up fairly heavily, the TSD Lemons and Figs soap lathered up a bit thin, but it did the job and smelled nice through out the shave. I will experiment with it and see if I can’t get it to come out properly in the future.

I made sure to keep the Clog Pruf’s head flat against my skin, rather than using the guard as a land mark, and kept a closer eye on my angle, but I still got some moderate irritation and a small nick. My technique with SE razors still needs work, but I’m improving and I look forward to mastering these beasts.  I would not quite call this a damn fine shave, but it’s close.

Pre: Hot shower and warm water splash
Razor: Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf
Blade: Gem stainless steel
Brush: Every Man Jack synthetic
Soap: The Shave Den Lemons and Figs lanolin
Post: Cold water rinse and SAL Alum