Saturday Summary: 20 Shaves, Keeps Going....

Energizer Bunny -- with an Edge

Today was my 20th shave with a single DE razor blade. This morning I used my Merkur 15C open-comb razor for the first pass with grain. Then I switched the blade into the Weishi 9306-F one-piece razor for the second pass against the grain. I was in the mood for a very close shave and took another 3/4 pass after that. The result is a very close shave -- nearly baby smooth (certainly that on my cheeks) -- with no wounds.

The blade happens to be a Personna red label. I don't think the brand matters as much as the type of daily maintenance I provide to the blade.

Not only do I rinse and, with a square of TP, pat dry the blade after each shave, I also apply a bit of oil to my palm prior to palm stropping the blade before storing it in the razor for the next day's shave.

After 20 morning shaves, this blade is certainly getting long in the tooth, but that tooth has still got some bite; I don't think it's ready for the recycle bank quite yet. I'm going to push the performance envelope to see what this baby can do.

Recent Themes

In addition to the oiled-palm stropping, I have been emphasizing these themes, which are summarized below:

• A standard shave is a solitary, with-grain pass, not three passes in varied directions. Essentially everyone outside the DE-enthusiast community that I query takes a single pass. (In fact, most look at me like I'm a little deranged when I discuss taking two or more passes.)
• Because I, myself, am a DE-shaving enthusiast, my daily routine takes a step beyond the standard shave with a second, against-grain pass -- and occasionally a little more.
• I use different razors for my shaving passes. First pass is what ever razor is the instrument du jour. The second pass is with my ultra-face-friendly Weishi 9306-F (or its cousin, the Dorco one-piece razor).

That's it for this morning. Big things to do today... helping a loved one move into a new apartment.

Happy shaving!