Like last week, my intended razors this week will progressively increase in aggressiveness of razor design. Starting with the Weishi 9306-F (the most mild), I'll move to the Dorco Prime (to continue distinguishing any difference from the 9306), then the Merkur 33, then the Lord L.6 razor head, and then finally to the Rimei RM2003. All of the three-piece razors will be used with the classic handle from the Merkur 33.
My shave soap again this week is from the second pre-production run of Grandad's Slick 'n Creamy Shave Soap for Sensitive Skin, which is just getting comments from the initial users of the sample offering. I'm pleased to say that I've gotten positive feedback saying it's easy to later, slick and creamy, not drying, and rinses cleanly. I've also received suggestions for similar soap formulations with minor tweaks such as adding fragrance.
- Sensitive & thin skin, somewhat loose on neck
- Lots of angles and dips -- paired with a moderately tough beard
- Challenging to get a close, comfortable shave
- Cool-water rinse only, prior to lathering
- Grandad's shave soap for sensitive skin lathered with a boar brush
- (After-shave treatments are specified in each day's notes)
- The GWS blade, made in India.
What I Learned this Week:
- The GWS blade is sharp and fairly comfortable for my face. I'm left with the impression that it's good, but not enough to make me rush to order a large quantity.
- The Lord L.6 razor head (which comes on the LP1822L razor) was my favorite this week, shaving closely and comfortably.
- The two TTO razors, the Weishi and the Dorco Prime, will go back into closet storage. They aren't bad for my beard, but the Merkur Classic, Lord L.6, and Rimei RM2003 razor heads shave a bit closer with no less comfort.
Next Week:
The Israeli-made Personna red-label blade is on deck.
This week's shave journal:
Sunday:The Weishi 9306-F. |
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.0; Cheeks - 4.0; Lower lip & chin - 4.1; Under jawline - 4.0; Neck - 4.0.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.02, Irritation-4.4, Wounds-4.4
The Dorco Prime, visually a twin for the Weishi. |
A basic three pass shave with the Dorco Prime razor holding the second use GWS blade gave a slightly closer shave than yesterday. No new wounds but some from yesterday (and last week) were re-opened. After-shave treatments included a cool-water rinse, a splash of generic witch hazel, and application of Neutrogena balm for sensitive skin.
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.2; Cheeks - 4.2; Lower lip & chin - 4.5; Under jawline - 4.0; Neck - 4.2.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.22, Irritation-4.4, Wounds-4.4
Summary rating: 4.31**
The Merkur Classic, model 33C. |
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.2; Cheeks - 4.3; Lower lip & chin - 4.4; Under jawline - 4.3; Neck - 4.6.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.36, Irritation-4.2, Wounds-4.7
Summary rating: 4.41** A nice shave.
The Lord L.6 razor head on the Merkur Classic handle. |
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.0; Cheeks - 4.7; Lower lip & chin - 4.3; Under jawline - 4.3; Neck - 4.3.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.32, Irritation-4.7, Wounds-4.3
Summary rating: 4.41** A good shave this morning. :-)
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.4; Cheeks - 4.9; Lower lip & chin - 4.7; Under jawline - 4.6; Neck - 4.6.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.64, Irritation-4.6, Wounds-4.9
Summary rating: 4.70** A really good shave!! Wow! :-)
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.0; Cheeks - 4.8; Lower lip & chin - 4.7; Under jawline - 4.3; Neck - 4.7.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.50, Irritation-4.6, Wounds-4.0
Summary rating: 4.40**
Rimei RM2003 head on the Merkur Classic handle. |
Closeness details: Upper lip - 4.0; Cheeks - 4.9; Lower lip & chin - 4.5; Under jawline - 4.4; Neck - 4.4.
Rating this day's shave*: Closeness-4.44, Irritation-4.0, Wounds-4.0
Summary rating: 4.22** (A good shave but not the best of the week.)
Closeness -- a separate evaluation is done for each of these five areas: a) upper lip, b) cheeks, c) chin, d) under jaw line, and e) neck; then these five are averaged together for a single closeness rating. The following are the scale criteria:
5 – Smooth when rubbed against grain & other directions
4 – Smooth across grain but not against grain
3 – Smooth with grain only
2 – Not smooth to touch, but appears adequately clean shaven
1 – Not smooth to touch, and stubble apparent
Irritation:
5 – No perceivable irritation
4 – Minor irritation just after the shave, disappears quickly with time or applied balm
3 – Minor irritation that lingers for more than an hour but less than six
2 – Irritation that is perceived throughout the day
1 – Visible razor burn
Wounds:
5 – Absence of any wounds
4 – Pinpoint weepers only
3 – A total of three or less nicks, small cuts, and larger-than-pinpoint weepers
2 – A total of four to six nicks, cuts, and larger-than-pinpoint weepers
1 – Worse than 2, above (first aid, quick!)
Regarding use of tenths of rating points: For closeness or irritation, each additional tenth of a rating point represents about 10% of the shaving area in question. For wounds, it represents gradations within a rating. For example, if I have, say, six pinpoint weepers only, I might give a wound rating of 4. However, if I only have one wound, which is a pinpoint weeper, that would likely get a rating of 4.9.
**Regarding the single-number overall shave rating: To give equal weight to shave closeness and harshness, I now double the shave-closeness rating, then add the values for closeness, irritation, and wounds, and divide that sum by four.
Happy shaving!
Looks like you got through the week with one blade? Better than what I managed before it started pulling.
ReplyDeleteI attribute the longevity of my blades in part to obsessive care. After each day's shave I rinse and thoroughly pat dry the blade, and thoroughly dry the razor as well.
ReplyDeleteI attribute the longevity of my blades in part to obsessive care. After each day's shave I rinse and thoroughly pat dry the blade, and thoroughly dry the razor as well.
ReplyDelete