It's not the size of the blade, but...

You get the picture.




So I've jumped back to the Henckels. I've decided that the Genco shaves, while in the end very good, weren't in fact comfortable enough and I wanted to work on some techniques that need a much sharper razor, so I'm back to the Henckels (I used it yesterday, too, but I forgot to post...sorry). I'll be taking the Genco back to the stones soon, Steve, don't worry. I'm not giving up on her!

I am happy to say, I think my new technique practice is paying off. I got a much more comfortable shave from the monster today, though still not without it's stings (sharper than a serpent's tooth, this bad boy...), and I might even be able to deal with the size in a better way soon.

My first technique improvement is a growing mastery of "negative pressure". With most of my blades, I found that the weight of the razor was just enough--no pressure was needed. But with this one, I think that's TOO MUCH pressure. Using the same technique as my smaller razors with a very big, very stiff, very sharp blade was leading to irritation and unpleasant shaves. But remembering some comments I had read about actually using negative pressure--taking the weight of the blade off the skin and just sort of moving the edge in a pattern that accidentally conforms to your face, thereby taking the whiskers off, removed a whole lot of that irritation. I haven't mastered it yet, of course, but I have gotten two shaves that are much improved with it...so my focus on technique here is really a good idea.

Yay me!

Technique #2 is stropping. I've been doing ok with stropping--ok meaning I haven't rolled my edge and they haven't been deteriorating because of bad stropping--but I want to be able to use stropping to actually improve my edges, maybe even use it to control the shave a bit more. I've read some threads on SRP that discuss stropping in more depth, and I'm going to try some of the different techniques--experimenting with pressure, taughtness, and passes to see if I can spot the results. But first, I think I need to work on the negative-pressure thing a bit more, so my shaves are more reliably comfortable with the Henckels.

Some things I still need to work on are a couple of tough spots on my neck and the right side of my chin...still some stubborn stubble there. Oh, and not cutting myself. That's pretty high on the list right now...

I also need to talk some more about this Florena cream...it really is something special...

And They're Off!

OK, so it's decided...I've got my Tsuyu Lineup.

The running was close...mostly because the stuff is all awesome. Really...it's like trying to decide which is better, beer or other beer. But in the end, totally irrelevant things like dates and stuff helped me decide. I mean you guys! You guys helped me out! Thanks for that. ;)

Ok, so let's meet our lineup:
On the razor front, I've got two winners--mostly out of maintenance concerns, but also because of the nature of the contest--if I were basing it purely on the weather/rusting aspect, there would only be one horse in the race and that's no fun!
First up is The Monster from Munster (not really, but close enough):
The 8/8 Henckels Friodur!



It's a beast, and we have...history...but it's undoubtedly a good shaver. And I want to be able to use it to its full potential!

The second blade was, of course, the one I had to think about--all the others are great, too, but...well...there were other concerns. So I went for The Genco Fluid Steel:



This 5/8 Half hollow American blade is a great little shaver (not THAT little, but next to the battleaxe I'm pairing it with it's downright WEE!) and it is close to my heart. But the real reason I chose it? Well, the 4th of July is coming up, and there's just a wee bit of patriotic spark in there. What can I say? Like the man said, "It's excellent and American." Just like me!

Now, I will be using some other razors, as I plan on doing some more honing and I need to test, but these will be my daily shavers for sure.

What about the lather?

Well...This was actually pretty easy. I believe Olafurson said it best when he said "Duh!". Penhaligon's in a landslide.


The reason it was so easy to decide in such a rich field of contenders ("It beat MWF? Come on!" I can hear you saying...) is the scent. Plain and simple. I keep my soaps next to my bed, and that scent wafts out over me morning and night, and I. Just. LOVE it. So here comes an English Fern Tsuyu.

My cream choice was a bit tougher, because 1.) I'm mostly a soap guy and 2.) I have only fantastic creams. I really do. They're all just lovely, and I could live with any one of them--because I don't keep any that are less than spectacular, for one reason or another.

But, in the end I had to choose, and Kodou had a good argument--what would Florena be like over the long haul?
So there it is! Florena, for the win!


Now, here's the deal with this. I am not only practicing fidelity with this. I have a real goal--I am going to focus hard-core on technique this month. Instead of testing blades and products, I'm testing myself, and my goal is true BBS. I'll start with the tough spots--my jawline, and the two patches to either side of my Adam's apple. Then I'll work on the pressure and angle to make sure that I'm eliminating hair, and NOT skin. And in the end, I hope to be getting consistent 9s or better on my daily shaves. I'll do my best to keep track of my progress here, and let you know how my goals are doing. I'll also be doing some more in-depth reviews of what I'm using, and some research into the history, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. (BTW, I'm also doing some research on Japanese razor makers, but I'm running into some walls--if anyone has any leads, especially as pertains to straights, I'd REALLY appreciate some help!)

Now, who's with me?!