View attachment 88100
SOTD
Pre: Hot Shower
Soap: 345 Soap White Buffalo
Brush: Phoenix Shaving Atomic Rocket Razor: Raw RS-10
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Black (1)
Post: Facewash & Cold Water Rinse
A/S: Nivea Men Deep Comfort
First use of the Raw Shaving RS-10 razor. Thank you to Phil for letting me try it. This razor gets a lot of love from those that have it and some say its the smoothest razor they've ever used. Time to find out if it's true then...
The 345 soap is a fairly new US artisan and if this base is anything to go by, they are definetley one to watch. The smell of this soap is just great. A beautiful balance of scents that wafted throughout the bathroom as I shaved. I think it's made it's way into my top 5 scents. Great performance too with plenty of soothing skin foods in the ingredients list to make the post shave feel very good too.
PAA brushes are fantastic value and perform way above their price point and the Atomic Rocket whipped up the lather in the bowl with no trouble.
Now onto the razor...
This is a beautifully made and well crafted piece of shaving luxury. The packaging alone is sublime and very luxurious. Personally, I like that sort of thing, although some might say the fancy box won't give you a decent shave! You get 2 plates with the RS-10, a mild and an aggressive. The weight and balance in the hand is just right. As this razor is now unobtanium, the price point for those looking to acquire one just now is eye watering.
I loaded a brand new Gillette 7 o'clock onto the aggressive plate and off we go. First few strokes feel great and 5 days of growth is effortlessly melted away. This is one smooth razor. Second pass feels even better with the aggressive plate. Buttery smooth and an absolute pleasure. Third pass against the growth with the mild plate. Wow! This is going to knock the Rockwell 6S off my top spot if it continues to feel this good. 3 passes and minimal pickups and my face is like a skating rink.
Post shave feel from the 345 soap was really good. The Nivea splash smelks like something I've used before but I cant think what it is; like a strong cologne with a vanilla type base, very nice, although it only hangs around for an hour or so.
As I was cleaning out my gear reflecting on this shave I started to think to my myself, have I just had the "perfect" shave? I reckon its the closest I have come to it in over five and a half years of shaving this way. Everything just clicked and worked perfectly. So...is the Raw Shaving RS-10 the smoothest razor I've ever used...?
Yes.