Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Wolfman - WR2 Solid Bar .85 Brushed
Blade: Gillette - Platinum (10)
Lather: Barrister and Mann Omnibus - Four Horsemen - War
Brush: Thater - 4125-6 Fan Ivory (9 uses)
Post Shave: Pre de Provence - No. 63
䷀ General Notes
Slurry Lather with Omnibus today, and trying a huge badger as well. I'll load more next time, but I have full faith that these are great.
䷀ Razor and Blade Notes
(Wolfman - WR2 SB .85 Brushed ::: Gillette - Platinum ‹10 uses›)
Great combo! Just a tiny bit of blade feel, and excellent glide for the close cut.
Confirming here that for me, the Platinum works great in the Wolfman WR2 after just a day's growth.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 4 out of 5 (Very Good)
䷀ Soap Notes
(Barrister and Mann Omnibus - Four Horsemen - War)
Them: "War is the strangest and, in some respects, the darkest of the four fragrances. Characterized by the aromas of hot metal and gunpowder laid over the core chypre accord that represents Death, the full fragrance encompasses notes of metal, aldehydes, gunpowder, leather, citrus, resins, clary sage, and amber. The peculiar, unsettlingly clean aroma of ozone and gun oil hangs over the scent of War like smoke on a battlefield, belying the foul, elemental hunger beneath."
Scent: The first time I used this soap, I had not heard that this soap smells like a certain herb to a bunch of people. Knowing that, the second time I used it, that still didn't bother me. It wasn't an exact match, and my brain was able to keep it separate, and focus on the elements of hot metal, gunpowder, resins, and moss. It seems that all those together smell like that herb, as it turns out.
That odd situation, where the sum of some parts makes something totally unintentional, reminds me of that other soap he made a couple of years ago, that smelled exactly like Copenhagen chewing tobacco.
Staying power: I did not notice anything different than other soaps by Will.
Scent Strength: 7/10, nicely present during shaving.
Lather... This soap hadn't been used in a while. So 50 swirls was not quite enough to gather enough soap with this brush.
I loaded a bit more, and gave it a little more water too.
I had three slick passes in pretty short order, but I'll increase load time to make the process a bit smoother next time.
Omnibus here is not going to be a problem for Slurry Lather fans, I'm certain.
Hydration: Dry End of Perfect (for me)
- 17 sec load with a Very Wet brush
- = 4 passes of lather
Bowl: No Bowl
䷀ Brush Notes
(Thater - 4125-6 Fan Ivory 35mm ‹9 uses›)
Not loading quite enough is very evident with such a big brush. It felt good, and I think proved that it won't take much for this thing to work well with the Slurry Lather technique.
However, one thing jumps out at me. The chief advantage of the Slurry Lather is speed in your shave. For guys who are short on time, and just need to get on to the next thing. Well, a super thick/dense/big brush like this one might be the opposite of what you would normally want for speed! Takes a while to rinse out all the suds at the end of the shave.
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Almost Smooth
Neck: Almost Smooth
After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Near BBS - About as close as I'll ever get
Neck: Cut flush to where I just see the tips (above average for me)
Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet
Prep: Splash of Cool Water
Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (538)
Lather: Wholly Kaw Vegan - 1776
Brush: Stirling - Finest CravingtShaving Blue Slate 26mm (42 uses)
Post Shave: Barbedeaux - Razor Bump Therapy
Gear Pic :: Video
䷀ General Notes
Trying the Slurry Lather again with the Stirling Finest Badger and Wholly Kaw vegan formulation. STill not quite right.
I also tried a couple of Barbedeaux products for the first time. I tried the shaving foam as a pre-shave face wash, and I hated the slime it left on my hands.
I also used the splash at the end, and did not like the nasty rubbing alcohol scent... that I've never experienced with folks like Stirling, BaM, Mammoth, Summer Break, Declaration, Proraso .. well, anyone. And the way it conditioned my skin with the food that it has in it (hey, at least there is some) didn't seem to be any better than any of these others. At full price, buying 2 bottles of Stirling is a way better deal, because no alc hit, and you can get scent choice (Barb is basically unscented).
䷀ Razor and Blade Notes
(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹538 uses›)
Tuggy since i was shaving off two days of growth. But after the first pass, allw as comfy. Got a close shave.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)
䷀ Soap Notes
(Wholly Kaw Vegan - 1776)
Them: "a summer blend perfect for saluting the Fourth of July. It is a refreshing green aroma with notes of osmanthus, benzoin, labdanum, grapefruit, artemisia, tarragon, patchouli, musk, tonka bean, cedarwood."
Me: I did a blind shave with it first, not knowing the notes. I just know that i really enjoyed it.
Scent Strength: 4/10, present during shaving.
Lather... I'd guess I loaded for 80 swirls: 70 at start, and then a refresher later.
So I did have to go back and get more soap and a little more water, but with the Slurry method, that's really a small thing.
But it still is not coming together how The SL method usually does. I see two possible culprits: the brush may be so dense that it doesn't hold as much water as needed, which I think is less likely than... or that the soap just needs more product than usual. That is something I've experienced wtih WK in the past, but I can't remember whether it was vegan or tallow at the time.
I'm going to change one of those variables for next time.
Hydration: Dry End of Perfect (for me)
Bowl: No Bowl
䷀ Brush Notes
(Stirling - Finest in CravingShaving Blue Slate 26mm ‹42 uses›)
Firm backbone, but somewhat soft tips, as usual. Brush seemed to start out with enough water, but when I needed it in the second pass, not much was there.
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Tuggy
Neck: Tuggy
After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Close Shave
Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)
Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet