I wanted to use my sole remaining vintage razor, the 1940s Gillette Aristocrat that is shown on the cover of the Guide, and decided to vintage the shave up as much as possible. The Sabini brush is reasonably old, the Yardley shaving soap is decades old, and Pinaud’s Lilac Vegetal is a standby from yesteryear.
As usual, I quickly got a very nice lather from the Yardley—age has not diminished its charms—and set to work with the Aristocrat, into which I had loaded the Astrak Keramik Platinum blade. It was extraordinarily comfortable—so much so that I checked to make sure the blade was there—but weirdly inefficient. Perhaps the blade is a tad narrow for this razor? I will try another brand tomorrow.
Three passes left my face still a little rough, so I grabbed the Rockwell R3 and did a fourth pass, ATG, and smoothed things out. A splash of the Lilac Vegetal finished the job. Those who use this aftershave know that the initial smell is not all that pleasant, but 15-20 minutes later it all comes together.
Weird about the Aristocrat + Astra Keramik combination. We’ll see tomorrow what another brand will deliver. I distinctly remember getting superb shaves with an Astra Keramik blade in a Fat Boy, with a setting of 5 (which may have helped).
Filed under: Shaving
