- Joined
- Thursday March 30, 2017
Sotd - today - Tuesday the 10th of March -
Prep - facial scrub
razor - Muhle R41 - on a ES s/s handle
blade - Wilkinson Sword (1)
soap - MT - Mint Ice Menthol paste - vegan
brush - Semogue - Owner's Club - LE 2012 - mixed badger/boar
post - witch hazel
a/s - Myrsol - Formula K
balm - Proraso Green.
Result - F**k me - that was good.
Most of you reading this will know that the Muhle R41 enjoys a certain reputation among shavers - I'd only ever tried it once before - about ten or so years ago - when - frankly - I was a bit shite at shaving myself - with predictable results - at least I learned that I wasn't haemophiliac. Recently thought to ask my mate for a lend of his - revisit the razor - thinking that I now will pick up a Streamline or Cobra Classic without worrying about the outcome. He brought it round - I didn't fancy the stock handle - so swapped it for the Executive Shaving stainless steel - incidentally a Rockwell handle doesn't fit - the thread isn't deep enough. So - set about the shave - after the first stroke - you realise - this razor is different - absolute total concentration required at all times - all the stuff you were taught as a novice - but kind of forgot about - the lightest of touches - attention to angle - take your time - do not let your mind drift. I found an ever-present sense of foreboding using it - like when the shark starts playing the cello in 'Jaws' - something could go very badly wrong here - thankfully - at the risk of overdoing the analogy - I was Chief Brody - not Quint. What a shave - one pass - a tidy up of the problem spots - that was all that was required. End of. Wow. Normally two passes get me to where I want - although a single pass is - wtg down to my jawline and atg up to the jaw - and then reversed for the second - weird - I know - but no other method works as well for me. Suits my beard growth. Would I use a R41 every shave - no - I prefer to be more relaxed - will I get one - yes - never used anything like it. Finally - first use of my new Semogue 2012 mixed knot picked up from @Blademonkey - initial impressions are very good - the best of both worlds - nice soft tips and all the backbone you want for face lathering - lovely handle too - I look forward to using it more - suspect it will be ideal with hard soaps - enjoy your shaves - yours - I.
My skin feels great; I am putting this down to the Blackbird and improved technique and the Kepkinh soap.
