A very fine shave today. Mr Pomp, the brush shown, worked up an instant great lather from Strop Shoppe, still one of my best shaving soaps. I observed my brush wetting procedure: wet brush well under hot-water tap, squeezing the knot slightly, until brush is dripping wet. Then I give it a little shake (I had been writing “medium shake,” but on observing it today, it’s more a little shake) and start loading the brush. With this, there is zero water spillage: all the water the brush contains goes into the lather, except for what little remains on the wet surface of the soap.
A great lather, than to work with both razors (alternately, not one in each hand), both loaded with Feather blades, naturally. The D2 just arrived from a MassDrop order.
The D2 is much shinier—almost garish, in fact—and I definitely prefer the appearance of the D1. The D1 baseplate has holes that are like slots, and the slots are simply holes in the baseplate. On the D2, the holes have a raised rim on the bottom of the baseplate, as shown in the photo. The rim has no purpose that I can detect, and I prefer the D1’s simpler treatment.
So in terms of appearance, D1 strikes me as better. The chequering on the D2 is somewhat grippier, but I never had a problem with the D1. Still, for those who like a crisp feel to the chequering, the D2 would be pleasing.
Both razors shaved extremely well, with the D2 perhaps a tad more aggressive. But note: I have one of the good D1s. The D2 came to be because a significant percentage of D1 razors simply would not shave. I had trouble understanding this—although my D1 feels very mild, it wipes away stubble like magic—until I had a chance to use a bad D1, which shaved somewhat as if it contained no blade.
Both razors are very nice. The D1 had great packaging, in a wonderful wooden box (which was no doubt expensive). The D2 comes in a cardboard box—very nice, but cardboard. Still, anyone who gets one for a gift this season is going to be delighted and not disappointed by performance.
I’m getting to the end of the Alt-Innsbruck—probably one shave left. But fortunately I have a lot of other after shave.
Filed under: Shaving
