It's been a quiet week on the shaving front...Sorry about that.
Not a whole lot to report...I've been working on cleaning up the Kawaguchi collection--and cleaning is all it really is, some minimal rust around the hinge pins and a few years' worth of cobwebs in the scales is really the only thing to take care of. A spit and polish so to speak. When I'm finished, I'll post some pics and perhaps some details, if I can dig them up.
I'm also restoring a lovely old Torrey straight which has finally made its way from Kansas to my hot little hands...it's gonna be a beauty when I get done with her, indeed.
I'm planning to work on some honing as well, but really...it's just been kind of a work week around here. My shaves have been good, reliable ones--some tests of the Kawaguchi razors (good, but not great edges...) and some getting reacquainted with neglected friends (Cella, Valobra, Tabac...)--but nothing worth mentioning, I'm sorry to say.
In the next week, however, I've got some new things I'm hoping to share with you, and a big project that I'm excited about...I hope you'll stick around, and I'm sorry it's been kind of dull for the last few days.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Rasage Polonaise...
My last few shaves have leaned heavily toward Polish products, and I'm fairly well pleased...
If you've paid any attention to my daily shaves, you might have noticed I've been using my Wapienica straight and Brutal Shave Cream for the last few days. Both are Polish products, and both are quite good.
The Wapi is a sweet, smooth shaver and I've grow really fond of it. The stainless scales, while heavy, are durable and the blade has a very nice line. The steel is, apparently, quite good...the edge it's taken, and kept, is perhaps my best...smooth smooth smooth. But the real aim today is the cream...anything but Brutal!
The name tickles me far more than it should, I know, but I make no apologies. I mean, come on...it's called BRUTAL!!!
But enough of that. The cream is quite nice actually. It's smooth and light, and very gentle on the face. The lather it makes is admirable--it reaches a very nice consistency easily, with great lubrication and a decent level of cushion. It has great beard softening qualities--my normal routine works very nicely with this one, and offers up a better shave than many creams I've tried.
The scent is quite good. It's strongly reminiscent of Tabac--which, as you might have heard, is the German take of the Shulton Old Spice. So, in a roundabout way, Brutal is a good take on Old Spice--and that's certainly good enough for me!
After the shave, my face feels fresh and well cared for. There's no hint of tightness I associate with a drying cream, nor any of the irritation from too strong a one. All in all, a pleasure to use and well worth tracking down--it's cheap, too. Look for it on Ebay, and you won't be disappointed...
If you've paid any attention to my daily shaves, you might have noticed I've been using my Wapienica straight and Brutal Shave Cream for the last few days. Both are Polish products, and both are quite good.
The Wapi is a sweet, smooth shaver and I've grow really fond of it. The stainless scales, while heavy, are durable and the blade has a very nice line. The steel is, apparently, quite good...the edge it's taken, and kept, is perhaps my best...smooth smooth smooth. But the real aim today is the cream...anything but Brutal!
The name tickles me far more than it should, I know, but I make no apologies. I mean, come on...it's called BRUTAL!!!
But enough of that. The cream is quite nice actually. It's smooth and light, and very gentle on the face. The lather it makes is admirable--it reaches a very nice consistency easily, with great lubrication and a decent level of cushion. It has great beard softening qualities--my normal routine works very nicely with this one, and offers up a better shave than many creams I've tried.
The scent is quite good. It's strongly reminiscent of Tabac--which, as you might have heard, is the German take of the Shulton Old Spice. So, in a roundabout way, Brutal is a good take on Old Spice--and that's certainly good enough for me!
After the shave, my face feels fresh and well cared for. There's no hint of tightness I associate with a drying cream, nor any of the irritation from too strong a one. All in all, a pleasure to use and well worth tracking down--it's cheap, too. Look for it on Ebay, and you won't be disappointed...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Words Can't Express... (Pic Heavy)
I'm usually pretty flip around here, which is ok, you know? It's fun...But not this time. This time, I've got a very important story.
I might have mentioned my barber before; he's a coolold guy, about 60, who has as "authentic" a barbershop I've ever seen...fishing tackle strewn around everywhere, nudie magazines for his waiting customers, and when you get a shampoo, you wash your OWN damn hair. He's been good to me, he helped me out with my first brush, and my first soap (terrible as it was...) and he's one HELL of a haircutter. But today, he floored me with as great an act of generosity as I've ever experienced.
I went in for my usual haircut ("What do you want?" "Short...") and we started talking about the usual random crap, and of course we somehow got around to my shaving hobby. I started talking about my recent straight addiction, about honing and restoring, and he gave me that "Are you nuts?" look...and then he out and out said it. "You're a little strange in the head, aren't you?" We josh, it's normal, I laughed and said "Probably, my wife would certainly say so." Then, of course, he brought out a straight--I knew he used them occasionally. I had even harbored hopes of asking him to teach me to hone a bit. It was a nice little Japanese made spike point--one of those western style straights that I've been seeing around. I tested the edge and it was wicked sharp. He asked me "Can you hone?" I said just a little, and lo and behold, he comes out with a little Japanese natural water stone. He shows me some Japanese style honing (circles) and I show him some X strokes, and he says something along the lines of "Yeah, not bad!" So we talk a little about the hone, and he said it's a Kyoto Honyama Kamisori hone which is pretty awesome, and he sets it down for a while. Then he says, "I'll give it to you."
"What?"
"Take it, it's yours. I've got lots of them!"
"No...I couldn't possibly.."
"Go on! Look!" And of course he brought out more. He explained how he used them to hone his scissors, as he rarely uses a straight anymore. And of course I'm speechless...he has just given me a hone worth a couple hundred dollars, at least.
Then he goes to a cabinet and starts digging around in some papers, and brings out more razors. Some really nice western style straights, including an Iwasaki (!!!) and then he digs some more and brings out a box. In the box are three very well used, and very cool, Japanese style straights, including (of course) a big old Iwasaki. I ohh and ah over them, and after a while we go back to the hair cut. Then...of course, you can see where this is going, right? After a while, he pointed at the razors and said "If you need one, take it!" "What? No...I'd be happy to buy one..say, 5000 yen?" "No way, take one!" "I couldn't..." "Listen," he said, "if I keep them, they'll just go back in that drawer. I haven't used them in ten, fifteen years. Take it." So I start looking and of course, they're in really nice condition. Well used, and a bit aged, but certainly worth a good bit. He was helping me, saying "This one's good...Oh, and this one..." and finally he said "Take them all. I want them to be out in the light, I want them to go to someone who'll enjoy them." He got out the Japanese straights and said "What about these? Do you have one?" I said yes, and he said "Well, take one...they're good!" I took the smallest, oldest one, feeling so greedy and terrible..."Here, take these too. As long as you use them!"
So, moved almost to tears, I was given the lot. He refused any money to the last, and I still can't believe it...He's been such a good friend, and now...well. I'll treasure them forever, of course...
It may seem crass, but I did think about the value. Just to drive home to my wife and mother-in-law what an amazing thing this was. I figure it at around US$1,500...astonishing generosity.
And now, of course, pictures.
First, everything. (He also threw in a "Japanese Scuttle" which is pretty above and beyond, because THIS IS THE SECOND ONE HE'S GIVEN ME!!!)
The three Japanese style straights. On Iwasaki and two...somethings. I can't quite make out the Kanji. Anyone know?
One of the unknown blades:
And the other...
The Iwasaki:
And the maker's mark:
And then the western straights. First, one I had never ever thought to see: an Iwasaki folding straight.
A "Gold Rex", made with Swedish steel (not uncommon for Japanese made folding straights):
Here's a "Towa", a brand I've seen on Yahoo Auctions before.
And finally, a "Three Dolls". Notice the similarity (Click to enlarge...) of the "Dolls" to the Henckels Twins?
doubt that's an accident--Germany has long been a role model for Japan, and German made goods are widely respected.
Here's the mark from the Gold Rex, as well:
Clear similarity.
And, finally, the big one. Even he said this was the best one of the lot...with care, it'll last a thousand years.
I hope Kawaguchi-sensei does, as well.
I might have mentioned my barber before; he's a cool
I went in for my usual haircut ("What do you want?" "Short...") and we started talking about the usual random crap, and of course we somehow got around to my shaving hobby. I started talking about my recent straight addiction, about honing and restoring, and he gave me that "Are you nuts?" look...and then he out and out said it. "You're a little strange in the head, aren't you?" We josh, it's normal, I laughed and said "Probably, my wife would certainly say so." Then, of course, he brought out a straight--I knew he used them occasionally. I had even harbored hopes of asking him to teach me to hone a bit. It was a nice little Japanese made spike point--one of those western style straights that I've been seeing around. I tested the edge and it was wicked sharp. He asked me "Can you hone?" I said just a little, and lo and behold, he comes out with a little Japanese natural water stone. He shows me some Japanese style honing (circles) and I show him some X strokes, and he says something along the lines of "Yeah, not bad!" So we talk a little about the hone, and he said it's a Kyoto Honyama Kamisori hone which is pretty awesome, and he sets it down for a while. Then he says, "I'll give it to you."
"What?"
"Take it, it's yours. I've got lots of them!"
"No...I couldn't possibly.."
"Go on! Look!" And of course he brought out more. He explained how he used them to hone his scissors, as he rarely uses a straight anymore. And of course I'm speechless...he has just given me a hone worth a couple hundred dollars, at least.
Then he goes to a cabinet and starts digging around in some papers, and brings out more razors. Some really nice western style straights, including an Iwasaki (!!!) and then he digs some more and brings out a box. In the box are three very well used, and very cool, Japanese style straights, including (of course) a big old Iwasaki. I ohh and ah over them, and after a while we go back to the hair cut. Then...of course, you can see where this is going, right? After a while, he pointed at the razors and said "If you need one, take it!" "What? No...I'd be happy to buy one..say, 5000 yen?" "No way, take one!" "I couldn't..." "Listen," he said, "if I keep them, they'll just go back in that drawer. I haven't used them in ten, fifteen years. Take it." So I start looking and of course, they're in really nice condition. Well used, and a bit aged, but certainly worth a good bit. He was helping me, saying "This one's good...Oh, and this one..." and finally he said "Take them all. I want them to be out in the light, I want them to go to someone who'll enjoy them." He got out the Japanese straights and said "What about these? Do you have one?" I said yes, and he said "Well, take one...they're good!" I took the smallest, oldest one, feeling so greedy and terrible..."Here, take these too. As long as you use them!"
So, moved almost to tears, I was given the lot. He refused any money to the last, and I still can't believe it...He's been such a good friend, and now...well. I'll treasure them forever, of course...
It may seem crass, but I did think about the value. Just to drive home to my wife and mother-in-law what an amazing thing this was. I figure it at around US$1,500...astonishing generosity.
And now, of course, pictures.
First, everything. (He also threw in a "Japanese Scuttle" which is pretty above and beyond, because THIS IS THE SECOND ONE HE'S GIVEN ME!!!)
The three Japanese style straights. On Iwasaki and two...somethings. I can't quite make out the Kanji. Anyone know?
One of the unknown blades:
And the other...
The Iwasaki:
And the maker's mark:
And then the western straights. First, one I had never ever thought to see: an Iwasaki folding straight.
A "Gold Rex", made with Swedish steel (not uncommon for Japanese made folding straights):
Here's a "Towa", a brand I've seen on Yahoo Auctions before.
And finally, a "Three Dolls". Notice the similarity (Click to enlarge...) of the "Dolls" to the Henckels Twins?
doubt that's an accident--Germany has long been a role model for Japan, and German made goods are widely respected.
Here's the mark from the Gold Rex, as well:
Clear similarity.
And, finally, the big one. Even he said this was the best one of the lot...with care, it'll last a thousand years.
I hope Kawaguchi-sensei does, as well.
Friday, May 22, 2009
I'm Blue Dabadee...
Wilkinson Sword, oh ye devils...hopping on the old multi-blade, foaming goo bandwagon. But you've got a secret, don't you? A good old fashioned secret...
The Wilkinson Sword is an English arm of the Energizer/Schick empire, which makes it all the more interesting to me that they are the producers of this little beauty...
The shavestick inside that box is as blue as the box, and it makes me glad. Smearing that stuff all over your face every morning is just plain fun. And then, of course, there's the shave it gives.
The scent is a classy kind of vague semi-fougere, nothing exceptional but somehow pleasing. The lather loses its blue tint fairly quickly, but it comes up smooth and clean, and full of slick cushion. It was a lovely shave, really, and I enjoyed it for several days.
What really stands out on this one, though, is the skin care. It's a very soothing soap, and the glycerin and the lanolin in there really make your skin feel great. I found the stick to be overall a grand shave, and at the price really hard to beat.
That's the ingredient list of a fine soap, and one I'll be hunting up more of...
The Wilkinson Sword is an English arm of the Energizer/Schick empire, which makes it all the more interesting to me that they are the producers of this little beauty...
The shavestick inside that box is as blue as the box, and it makes me glad. Smearing that stuff all over your face every morning is just plain fun. And then, of course, there's the shave it gives.
The scent is a classy kind of vague semi-fougere, nothing exceptional but somehow pleasing. The lather loses its blue tint fairly quickly, but it comes up smooth and clean, and full of slick cushion. It was a lovely shave, really, and I enjoyed it for several days.
What really stands out on this one, though, is the skin care. It's a very soothing soap, and the glycerin and the lanolin in there really make your skin feel great. I found the stick to be overall a grand shave, and at the price really hard to beat.
That's the ingredient list of a fine soap, and one I'll be hunting up more of...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Line Up
There are a couple of new things I've got hold of that I'm really excited about.
The addition to my ever expanding cream and soap collection might not be that noteworthy, but some of the things I've just got in are so cool, it makes me tingle...you know, like when you climb the rope in gym class!
First up is this blue stick.
Wilkinson sword, perhaps best known to wetshavers as producers of once-great, now middle-of-the-road DE blades, produces this shave stick on The Continent. I found it listed by a Polish seller on eBay for chump change so I ordered a couple. I've used it a couple of times, and it really is nice--full review coming, of course. The thing I REALLY like, though, is this:
See that? It's a tallow based hard soap, with glycerin and lanolin for skin care. In a stick that costs less than a latte at Starbucks--including shipping from Poland! Now THAT'S what I like to see. Budget price, snobby quality. And did I mention that it's blue?
Cause it is.
Then, from that same seller, is this cream:
Yep. I don't think there's anything I need to say. Cause if I did, that cream there might just beat me to death.
I enjoy myself way too much sometimes...
The addition to my ever expanding cream and soap collection might not be that noteworthy, but some of the things I've just got in are so cool, it makes me tingle...you know, like when you climb the rope in gym class!
First up is this blue stick.
Wilkinson sword, perhaps best known to wetshavers as producers of once-great, now middle-of-the-road DE blades, produces this shave stick on The Continent. I found it listed by a Polish seller on eBay for chump change so I ordered a couple. I've used it a couple of times, and it really is nice--full review coming, of course. The thing I REALLY like, though, is this:
See that? It's a tallow based hard soap, with glycerin and lanolin for skin care. In a stick that costs less than a latte at Starbucks--including shipping from Poland! Now THAT'S what I like to see. Budget price, snobby quality. And did I mention that it's blue?
Cause it is.
Then, from that same seller, is this cream:
Yep. I don't think there's anything I need to say. Cause if I did, that cream there might just beat me to death.
I enjoy myself way too much sometimes...
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Honing Diaries...
I've been making some headway with the hones, and I'm trying some experimentation...and I think it'd probably be a good idea to keep track of what's going down.
So it starts with a Double Arrow I've had for a while...I modded it, grinding off the shoulders and making the tip a bit more interesting, then I rescaled it and honed it up.
In the modification I breadknifed out part of the smile. To hone it up, I used a hybrid honing method--starting with Glen's guide to honing a damage blade. I set the bevel on a 400/1K diamond plate I had laying around, then moved to Bart's "Single Coticule method." I used the coti to refine the bevel and smooth the edge, and finished on a Shapton Pro 12k hone, gave it a few passes on CrOx pasted strop, and shaved. It was a good shave--not fantastic, but decent. It was quite encouraging. A little more stropping and refinement on the paste and I got a good shaving edge! So, there's razor one.
Razor two is a little Torrey I got off eBay. It was ugly. UGLY.
I cleaned it up, polished it, repinned it and got this:
So I went to the hones. This time, I went for a different route. Once again, I started with Glen's method...set the bevel on the diamond plate, refined the edge on a 4k King hone, and smoothed it out on 8k lapping film. Once again, I finished on the 12k Shapton and CrOx paste. The test shave was good, and the full shave I got this morning was GREAT. Some real success on this one. It feels good, indeed.
The last razor is this Japanese made spike point. This one was tough to clean up, but I rescaled it and got it looking ok.
For the honing, I went to Bart's "Simple Method for Honing..." Once again, set the bevel on the diamond plate, then I refined with the BBW and Coticule. My standard 12k and paste finish and off to the test shave.
The test shave on this one was good, but I found some dull points on the blade. It was a good shave, but not super good...going form 0, however, I'm not disappointed.
All in all, I feel like I'm making some real progress with my honing. I'm enjoying it, too...which, of course, is waht it's all about.
So it starts with a Double Arrow I've had for a while...I modded it, grinding off the shoulders and making the tip a bit more interesting, then I rescaled it and honed it up.
In the modification I breadknifed out part of the smile. To hone it up, I used a hybrid honing method--starting with Glen's guide to honing a damage blade. I set the bevel on a 400/1K diamond plate I had laying around, then moved to Bart's "Single Coticule method." I used the coti to refine the bevel and smooth the edge, and finished on a Shapton Pro 12k hone, gave it a few passes on CrOx pasted strop, and shaved. It was a good shave--not fantastic, but decent. It was quite encouraging. A little more stropping and refinement on the paste and I got a good shaving edge! So, there's razor one.
Razor two is a little Torrey I got off eBay. It was ugly. UGLY.
I cleaned it up, polished it, repinned it and got this:
So I went to the hones. This time, I went for a different route. Once again, I started with Glen's method...set the bevel on the diamond plate, refined the edge on a 4k King hone, and smoothed it out on 8k lapping film. Once again, I finished on the 12k Shapton and CrOx paste. The test shave was good, and the full shave I got this morning was GREAT. Some real success on this one. It feels good, indeed.
The last razor is this Japanese made spike point. This one was tough to clean up, but I rescaled it and got it looking ok.
For the honing, I went to Bart's "Simple Method for Honing..." Once again, set the bevel on the diamond plate, then I refined with the BBW and Coticule. My standard 12k and paste finish and off to the test shave.
The test shave on this one was good, but I found some dull points on the blade. It was a good shave, but not super good...going form 0, however, I'm not disappointed.
All in all, I feel like I'm making some real progress with my honing. I'm enjoying it, too...which, of course, is waht it's all about.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Mild indeed...A Review
So, it's been a full shaving week for me. New products, new razors, new experiments...and I didn't post a word. Sorry about that. But here I am with a review of Nivea Mild Shave cream...Just like you've always wanted!
I got a tube of this cream a while back, as you might remember, and finally gave it a few runs; I thought I'd let you know how it went.
It went.
I used the cream 3 times, and for the life of me I can't imagine wanting to use it again. Now, it's not a bad cream. Not at all. The lather was fairly easy to whip up, it offered decent lubrication and protection...the after care was adequate. But...that was it. Decent. Adequate. Fair. The only thing that was at all noteworthy was the scent--rather than the generic "European Tubed Cream Scent" that you get with things like WARS or Florena (which this cream is supposed to be replacing...sadly), they went with a light, fresh generic "fruit" scent. Pleasant, indeed, but not really much of a hook.
I really wish there was something of note I could say...I wish I could say something either good or bad, but I can't. It certainly gave me a shave. I'd say the cream is good enough to use, sure. It's not as good as Florena in the protection or skin care departments; not as good as ARKO in the Lube department, and it's not as good as any English cream ever made in the scent department. It's just a cream that is will allow you to shave your face adequately. If that's what you want in a shave, well, my friend, you've found your cream.
I have recently found, however, that I want more. I want a lot more. I want a shave that brings a smile to my face when I think about it later in the day. I want something I can TALK about on Fora or this blog. I want a remarkable shave every goddam day. And I will never, ever get that with Nivea Mild Shaving cream. It's not bad, not at all, but it's not for me, either.
Sorry, Nivea...you've got nothing for me.
I got a tube of this cream a while back, as you might remember, and finally gave it a few runs; I thought I'd let you know how it went.
It went.
I used the cream 3 times, and for the life of me I can't imagine wanting to use it again. Now, it's not a bad cream. Not at all. The lather was fairly easy to whip up, it offered decent lubrication and protection...the after care was adequate. But...that was it. Decent. Adequate. Fair. The only thing that was at all noteworthy was the scent--rather than the generic "European Tubed Cream Scent" that you get with things like WARS or Florena (which this cream is supposed to be replacing...sadly), they went with a light, fresh generic "fruit" scent. Pleasant, indeed, but not really much of a hook.
I really wish there was something of note I could say...I wish I could say something either good or bad, but I can't. It certainly gave me a shave. I'd say the cream is good enough to use, sure. It's not as good as Florena in the protection or skin care departments; not as good as ARKO in the Lube department, and it's not as good as any English cream ever made in the scent department. It's just a cream that is will allow you to shave your face adequately. If that's what you want in a shave, well, my friend, you've found your cream.
I have recently found, however, that I want more. I want a lot more. I want a shave that brings a smile to my face when I think about it later in the day. I want something I can TALK about on Fora or this blog. I want a remarkable shave every goddam day. And I will never, ever get that with Nivea Mild Shaving cream. It's not bad, not at all, but it's not for me, either.
Sorry, Nivea...you've got nothing for me.
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