My intention today was to do a one-pass shave with the Chinese version of the old Gillette Super Speed razor, the Weishi 9306-F. I say intention because I ended up doing two full passes and some buffing. Into this razor I had inserted a used Dorco ST-301 blade -- the same one used yesterday.
As I have written before in a full-on razor review, the Weishi 9306-F is an extremely mild razor. This makes it new-user friendly, but low capacity. After one full pass, which was against grain from my jawline down, and cross grain above (all oblique strokes), I may have looked okay, but wasn't quite satisfied with the feel of hand against face.
I should mention that today was to be another minimalist shave, meaning not only one pass, but also just splashes of cool water for beard prep, shave soap #10A (of my own formulation and manufacture), the shave itself, and rinses of cool water after each pass.
So I deviated from the minimalist approach with a second pass, which was cross grain everywhere and from the opposite direction of the first pass in those areas where pass one was cross grain.
Then I did a bit of buffing in those areas that, on my face, tend to be most stubborn, which is under the jaw line and my chin.
The net shave outcome was very close -- not baby-bottom smooth, but still pleasing to the hand -- and with no perceivable irritation. As a result, no after-shave balms or lotions were required -- an outcome that I have been seeing more consistently when using my best shave soap (that is, formula #10A). I also suspect that my moving toward minimum passes for the last few days has allowed my skin to revitalize, meaning that even razors that I found a bit irritating in the past, are now much less so.
So if I'm in a hurry, the 9306-F won't be my go-to razor because of the mildness of its capabilities; I'll go to a razor that can take a more aggressive bite out of my beard such as my slant razor or the Gillette adjustable set so that the blade-edge exposure is neutral, about even with the shaving plane of the top cap and safety bars. However, if time isn't the issue and I have the luxury of being a bit fussy about my shave, the 9306-F continues to impress in terms of its feel in the fingers and the skin-friendly characteristics, leaving not the slightest hint of blood nor any other post-shave irritation.
Also, though, the 9306-F won't find a place in my cabinet as a daily shaver because my skin doesn't need the potential irritation from the multiple passes encouraged by the mild bite of the 9306-F.
Tomorrow I'll revisit the one-pass shave with my Merkur 33C Classic. This time I'll be sure to shave against and across the grain using oblique strokes to see if I'm more satisfied with the quick shave it provides.
That's it for today. Happy shaving!
 |
| The Weishi 9306-f razor is a butterfly-door design with nice heft (being made of chrome-plated brass), good-gripping texture on the handle, a high-quality appearance, and mild-shaving character. |
As I have written before in a full-on razor review, the Weishi 9306-F is an extremely mild razor. This makes it new-user friendly, but low capacity. After one full pass, which was against grain from my jawline down, and cross grain above (all oblique strokes), I may have looked okay, but wasn't quite satisfied with the feel of hand against face.
I should mention that today was to be another minimalist shave, meaning not only one pass, but also just splashes of cool water for beard prep, shave soap #10A (of my own formulation and manufacture), the shave itself, and rinses of cool water after each pass.
So I deviated from the minimalist approach with a second pass, which was cross grain everywhere and from the opposite direction of the first pass in those areas where pass one was cross grain.
Then I did a bit of buffing in those areas that, on my face, tend to be most stubborn, which is under the jaw line and my chin.
The net shave outcome was very close -- not baby-bottom smooth, but still pleasing to the hand -- and with no perceivable irritation. As a result, no after-shave balms or lotions were required -- an outcome that I have been seeing more consistently when using my best shave soap (that is, formula #10A). I also suspect that my moving toward minimum passes for the last few days has allowed my skin to revitalize, meaning that even razors that I found a bit irritating in the past, are now much less so.
So if I'm in a hurry, the 9306-F won't be my go-to razor because of the mildness of its capabilities; I'll go to a razor that can take a more aggressive bite out of my beard such as my slant razor or the Gillette adjustable set so that the blade-edge exposure is neutral, about even with the shaving plane of the top cap and safety bars. However, if time isn't the issue and I have the luxury of being a bit fussy about my shave, the 9306-F continues to impress in terms of its feel in the fingers and the skin-friendly characteristics, leaving not the slightest hint of blood nor any other post-shave irritation.
Also, though, the 9306-F won't find a place in my cabinet as a daily shaver because my skin doesn't need the potential irritation from the multiple passes encouraged by the mild bite of the 9306-F.
Tomorrow I'll revisit the one-pass shave with my Merkur 33C Classic. This time I'll be sure to shave against and across the grain using oblique strokes to see if I'm more satisfied with the quick shave it provides.
That's it for today. Happy shaving!
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