The return of my now-repaired computer is a great relief. Here I’ll play a little catch-up on the past 8 shaves, shown in here reverse chronological order (most recent at top left, oldest at bottom right), though that is of no great moment. (Click any of the photos to see the collection as a slide show.)
Of course, memories of specific details fade, but a few memories stand out. I particularly enjoyed the shaves from Phoenix Artisan’s Ascension (bottom right) and RazoRock’s MJ-90A (bottom right): they both deliver a crisp, efficient shave while feeling perfectly comfortable. Some of that is doubtless due to the freshness of the blade, but these two really are quite good as razors.
I have mentioned before that the optimal shave angle is when the handle is held so that the razor’s head is just at the border of cutting/not-cutting: if you raise the handle even a smidge, the razor stops cutting, but if you don’t raised the handle, the razor cuts efficiently. I noted in shaving with my Henson Shaving AL-13M (the blue razor, third from the top on the left), that this angle is built in. That razor cuts only at one angle, and if you move the handle up — or down — it stops cutting. If you look at the head design, you’ll see why. Not-nicking is built into the design of that head.
I have not understood the appeal of Barrister & Mann’s Lavanille (lavender+vanilla) fragrance but on this most recent shave, I got it. Somehow, this time the lavender and the vanilla fragrances were discernible separately and also as a blend, and the effect was very pleasant. I’ll probably start using this one more frequently.
L’Occitane Cade shaving soap again responded well to a synthetic knot, and that’s my recommendation for that soap.
With my computer back, normal shave blogging will now resume.