Brushes Getting Out of Hand

No way will I ever be able to sell my few remaining PUR-tech, classic-style synthetic shaving brushes at a profit, in this world full of giant $10 "Plissofts," like the one pictured below on the far right. (I couldn't even get that good a deal to begin with.) So, with an arbitrary clearance reduction, I guess I can finally afford to try one myself. It's clearly more firm, with thicker fibers than the newer synthetics, but just as fine at the tips. Perhaps it can help me avoid rubbing lather in with my fingers. At least interesting enough to justify expanding my lineup, second from right in the picture below:


~$80 in brushes (and I'm not proud)

Meanwhile, a reddit tip xeems to have decisively saved the Bestshave No. 6 (third brush). Soaking for three days in plain water unlocked the hair near the knot somehow, which was apparently the stink's refuge before fouling my lather. After one more wash with dish soap, followed by letting shaving soap dry in the knot, the rubber tires were undetectable. This soaking procedure is said to help against "lather eating," also. I see the wood handle was waterlogged near the knot, too, so I guess I might have tried something a little different there. Indeed, I'm pretty sure the consensus I read (red flag, right there) is that the knot itself must NEVER be waterlogged, lest the glue holes be expanded like a pothole.

So of course, I gave the Omega 10049 (leftmost) and Ever-Ready 250D (center) the same treatment. The former is new, the latter old, but never broken in -- I guess it doesn't really belong in the picture, except I find it beautiful; and who knows? Like the PUR-tech, it might hold the key to lather penetration. It started looking usable when I treated all the boars to the chemical approach recently. My grandfather's brush stub, used mainly on his moustache, is at least as stiff.

I didn't think the Semogue 620 had much fight left in it, such a poofy thing. I wasn't thinking about lather eating, though, and I guess it will be good to have one subject for comparison.

The Shaving Liberation Army Wants You, Dorco PL-602

What the --? How could anything surprise me anymore? Really!

I know what I don't know; I feel the lack of safety razor R&D in my bones. I've traced my pain back to the poison of corporate betrayal in my own lifetime. Like a four-year-old standing in the debris field of a terrorist-downed jet, I could tell roughly what happened, the pieces are all there. But I had never seen the plane in flight, until now.

The Dorco PL-602 looks like a piece of crap on video, and Google lets you know it's worth about $0.99 on the West Coast. Sure, I'd buy that for a dollar -- two DE blades included -- but shipping jacks it to 2 for $7 on ebay. That ain't right! But, since Uncle Ding had already screwed me on a Futur clone deal that was too good to be true, I had refund money to burn. Leisureguy hooked me up with a link to this new razor like an Uncle Ham, on his blog. He's not selling anything himself, though -- except many other razors, apparently.

So, will I be garage-selling my DE collection? Not yet. I'm already way impressed, though.

Hybrid Bred Right


It seems DE and disposable aren't mutually exclusive, as P&G would have us think, because they've clearly gotten together at Dorco, spawning the PL-602. It's made of that cheap, hard plastic that goes white when stressed or chipped -- ABS, I guess -- allowing fine details. There are fins at the blade corners sculpted into both the top cap and the guard, as well as hair-raking fins on the latter, ahead of the blade. It's nice and thick plastic, though, ironically giving it the (cheap) look of softer polypropylene in places, and a more polished look on the top cap.

It's hard to say exactly which detail, probably not feasible with cast metal, leads to the unique shaving character. Having just used the Ming Shi 2000S, I'm inclined to think the top cap has the greater effect. The normal round curve has been ground away, sloping steeply down to the edge, exposing an extra-low angle of pitch except at the corners. It strikes low enough on the hair to miss no stubs, without the excess traction of extra blades (in a modern disposable) or a twist of the single blade (in a slant DE). It also misses the skin pretty cleanly. Fins could obviously be contributing, there, raising the entire breech of the razor off the skin similarly to the plastic frame of a cartridge.

I hesitate to apply the term "efficient" (yet), because it took four passes to reach DFS. Almost BBS, I should say, because that is what I was aiming for, but I didn't dig far enough into one of my cheeks. Alum found a couple over-exfoliated spots, too. A little bit too much of the cartridge nature shines through, in the natural configuration, forcing pressure. I'm reserving final judgment until after a less safe shave. I plan to raise the edge to flush with the fins, like I do with Stella, if that's possible.

This already works quite a lot better than a Bic, though, and just a bit better than my favorite cartridge (if one can say such a thing), Supermax Swift 3. I ask you, the consumer: is paying three and a half times too much on ebay the best expression of political will? Because I can just as easily see this coming to Wal-mart at $2.50.

Opening Her Up


Using the notch between top cap and safety razor as a gauge, I loosened the blade to what I reckoned was zero exposure. (The side rails remain unreachable, so that's gonna be hard for anyone to check.) Against the notch, the edge looked about halfway up, whether loose or tight. If its angle changes, it is very slight; I see more extension. Not as cool as the Baili razors, perhaps, but much more securely fixed at the chosen gap/exposure by the long plastic screw mechanism.

Stubble tolerance is a subjective thing. The previous, "planing mode" shave wouldn't have made it 9 to 5 for me. Though the initial smoothness was impressive, I had stubble again around lunchtime. In "tug-and-cut" mode, I got a solid BBS and a perfectly even, 8- to 10-hour shave. BUT: I found myself doing dry pickups again. More stubs were missed ATG it seemed, this way. No other technical change was required between the two geometric configurations. Or so it seemed to me, an experienced DE user. A super-safe, yet efficient travel razor, with respect to both wallet and face, the PL-602 makes a good looking set, even, with a plastic, synthetic brush and a lump of Arko.

For the cartridge user, the Dorco PL-602 is a unique opportunity to dip a toe into DE shaving, requiring no assistance whatsoever. Nor could any cartridge-conforming fireman at the station, student in the dorm, or trucker at the truck stop make fun of one's endeavor to achieve a better shave, 'cause it looks like a humble disposable. Which it really is, in the same vein as the aforementioned Supermax system, a throwaway handle with replaceable blades.

But I'm sure no one will throw this away, even when the included blades run out. Much more likely will be an order of real shaving soap, some blades, and a brush. And a couple more for the buddies.

Classic Take on Modern Gear

Father's Day "gifts" (selected by myself, from Italian Barber, on behalf of the kids) met and exceeded as I knew they would, but in ways unpredictable enough to keep it interesting for me.

The Razor


More doubt clouded the unveiling of the Ming Shi 3000S than the soap and brush. I wished the modern razor to bring some progressive value to my personal routine, without corrupting my classic technique. The Torsionshobel, for example, provided an easy alternative to careful angle selection, without compromising my ability to slide.

This razor was not immediately successful, the included Ming Shi blade cutting into my chin on setting "3" (Just below median: there are 12 settings, 0.5 to 6, in 0.5 increments.) The lifter was fully seated against the razor body at the lowest setting, so I knew it was in good assembly; also noted, the asymmetry of the top cap design, allowing me to determine the "best" orientation for even blade exposure. But I may have been late noticing a problem with on-the-fly adjustments: as with the Slim, the blade can go off kilter vertically, so it's best to open first.

Not found: any quality problem, with the retaining springs convincingly crimped in their place; nor any hazard involved with the opening. I always load my blade onto the downturned top cap, which rests on a cloth. So this design works perfectly for me, saving the hassle of screwing on a handle while manually compressing the cutting head. Click -- done! The metal of the razor is obviously soft, with little dinged edges here and there, but the fit and finish are convincingly good.

I took some immediate joy in the shave, too, despite knowing well in advance that high blade exposure doesn't suit my skin. Incredibly smooth, not stabby; efficient, and it sings. It did take too much skin in three passes, leaving me shiny. Yet the BBS was legit, a 12-hour shave at least; and to be fair, it was my choice to skip astringent aftershave.

Next morning, I was at it again, this time taking advantage of the very anchor-like pressure modulation to forego progressive adjustments, controlling traction manually. Set it and forget it, I say, choosing the lowest setting that will reach the root, 2.5 in my case. That might make the adjustment mechanism seem like an unnecessary encumbrance, but remember, different blades do pull differently. Indeed, I won't know how to characterize the Ming Shi blade, until it meets the fixed reference of a familiar razor.

But I already had the razor dialed in after one use, easily sliding to the third pass, and hitting the roots with confidence. Nothing else shaves so deeply, so effortlessly. I can appreciate the straight razor comparisons now. If this razor is a contender for me, with my tug-and-cut bias, it's an absolute must-buy for any direct-stroking nerd.

The Soap


XXX LE Formula Duro is all about the fragrance, which compares to Tabac and English Leather, without choking on cloudy notes of powder or tobacco when sniffing the puck. These are replaced with fresh lemon and flowers, when lathering. I still like PdP No. 63 for modern pungency, but this is the epitome of classic, to my nose. Just beautiful.

The lather lacks the Tabac magic cushioning, but on the other hand, has no problem holding its wetness. Maybe it was my new brush, but I felt the soap took longer to dissolve completely after loading. Second pass brought thicker lather, and third needed a dip. When I pushed the remaining lather to see just how much water it could take, it could take a lot without collapsing, but the protection faded long before that, like Kiss My Face cream. So, it seems I was just dealing with an unaccustomed, good lot of glycerin, here. But there was no hint of irritation.

I would never think of replacing my English Leather cologne with Tabac, but XXX is testing my minimalist resolve. Luckily, for now at least, one reviewer on the IB site said the soap smells better than the juice.

The Brush


Instant gratification. The softness, the acrylic reflections, and the kingly size of the "black and clear" synthetic lent most of the presentation value to my holiday. In the lathering bowl, the pawn-piece handle wasn't prone to clinking, even though the knot isn't nearly as tall as the new Omega. And I had enough lather left over to do some pit cleaning. Yes, I do believe this modern size standard is better than the true classics, which were geared more for one pass shaving (though it isn't too hard to push beyond the natural capacity, using any lathering surface.)

Having a vintage black-and-clear Ever-Ready 250D, as well as the fancy, modern Semogue 620 to compare, I could see important differences. The older, seemingly more authentic "black" is just painted inside the knot cup, hiding the glue that holds it together; whereas this "black" was in the fashion of the artisans' dyed acrylic, actually making up the entire top portion of the handle material. Quality-wise, that's a wash: the old way shows bubbles, this way shows a blem at the interface, a piece of black intruding at the center.

I follow artisan brush makers' posts, and have always found the clear acrylic material beautiful in its own right, for example, in screwdrivers and dice. So I have mixed feelings about the "homage" treatment, when the actual tradition is still alive. To resolve this, I googled to find that Semogue seems to have used the same approach with their new synthetic. I guess it's settled, then.

Summer Oily Skin, Solved

Vermont is a green and humid place in summer, which is very easy to forget over the winter. My thin skin seems to need extra support from my shaving products against this dynamic atmosphere. I figured out that in the winter, dry soaps coordinated best with my natural oil production, and I also knew that oil cleansing could relax and tighten sebum-swollen summer skin.

Working moisturizing shaving soaps and creams into my summer routine is logically expected, but has been problematic in practice. Oil is the local currency of exchange in my skin; you can't just walk in, turn tables and declare glycerin the new ruler. Irritation and a sticky flood of oil swept me away from soaps I would otherwise love to be using: Kiss My Face and Stirling.

I think I may have just found the key to the camel, though, in the form of good old alum. Taking my cue from a forum comment, I tried pairing alum with balm (3-in-1 moisturizer) instead of the usual chaser, alcohol splash. The adsorbent salt seemed to make my stratum corneum, usually closed to aqueous media, function in the normal, spongy way. Tacky, poorly textured skin was smoothed and dried.

And now, for the past couple days, I have found that I can safely use my lump of Stirling Coconut, hardened to a triple-milled-like state by months of neglect in an open dish. I'm making lumps of all ring remnants, now, so I can load my brush in the same palm used to subsequently work the lather up. It's a very casual form of lathering, with a bit more dripping waste than my careful, paint cup method, but it does feel like the most natural meeting of the tool with the medium.

Voskhod Nails It

ZZZZZZIPP! The perfect stroke against the grain: keen traction to reach the sweet spot right above the root of the hair, sharpness to make the cut at a safely low angle, smoothness to forgive user error. Voskhod after less than a week of shaves (I'm not actually counting, and have been keeping an odd schedule). I snuck up on this Super Speed shave with a couple light shaves in the torsionshobel, and found I had enough skin to shave 3 times in 24 hours. So, I went for the BBS, and made it.

It doesn't seem that the edge is being worn back into the first bevel, like my face did to the Shark. I see just a little band of glint at the edge, then the wide, dull, coated ground portion. So I haven't broken any Excalibur threshold, here. The blade has merely been shown to be useful through its factory-designed range of wear.

First pass was the scariest, displacing skin forward on my chin and buttresses before the cut. I can't imagine that being much of a technical barrier, though. So, who knows how far this blade can go?

Voskhod Very Nice

Great success! :-) The BBS streak is over, but this may be just the graceful exit I was looking for. Consistent with other sharp blades right out of the gate, but noticeably better cutting. Smoother against skin on second use, it seems I've worn off enough of the teflon coating to truly keep a low angle and not miss any hair. But that efficiency means it doesn't want to slide down to root level at all.

Good! A little breathing room for my continuing technical improvement. I got a hundred of 'em, so even I should be able to learn something new.

My pre-Father's Day selections from the Italian Barber order were all perfect! Loving the new Omega 10049 ("Pro 49"). I've translated "professional" to mean, ideally suited to bowl lathering, with its lightweight handle disinclined to tipping the brush out, the concavity mating neatly with the rim of my 4" bowl. All my soaps would be covering their asses, if they had hands, because by the time it's broken in, I think it's going to take four passes' worth every time. It's already perfectly usable and soft on my face, though. Some sort of pretreatment was obviously done. And I already see the benefit of the boar bristle hydrating the lather with what would be lost from evaporation in the scuttle. The final, squeezed out lather is a bit stiffer, but definitely hydrated to the "crema" state.

At least, with the one soap I have tried, my new "Fresco Verde." I was aiming for an Arko replacement with XXX duro formula, but I think I already got it here. If Williams smells like hand soap, and Arko smells like floor cleaner, Fresco Verde is the smell of laundry detergent -- and I think I've already intimated how I feel about that. (Purrrr...) Maybe just a bit more aromatic/surface-cleaner like. But in the same line of nose development, definitely. Nothing could be more appropriate for a musty new boar brush.

Three birds, one stone -- and it hasn't hit the ground yet! Italian Barber really delivers the goods.

Supersize Me

I'm focused on shopping, not selling, this Father's Day, with the biggest order of my life on the way from Italian Barber. It was hard work for me to make free shipping, but I've never been immune to communicable acquisition disorders, despite my good advice to others. Let us pause, for a review of the competing theories.

Classic

Thrifty
Skill appreciates minimal product
Marketing a mix of revolution and fraud
Soap < $5
Aftershave < $6
Razor $5 to $30
Made in China
Cartridges: BOO!
Canned Cream: Pooh-pooh

Neo-traditional

Indulgent
Purchases afford minimal effort
Social media strategy: charity and intolerance
Soap > $10
Aftershave > $12
Razor $30 to $200
Imported from England
Cartridges: Don't ask, don't tell
Canned Cream: You go to HELL!

Capitalism Rules


As dishonorable as individual marketers can be, the free market reliably provides escape from the ugliness of ideology. I'm beginning to understand how the great ones straddle the line. (Tip of the hat, Joseph and Michael.)

The Futur clone was an obviously envy-driven buy, along with the acrylic "Razorock BC Silvertip Plissoft" brush. I guess I can tell myself I needed a larger brush with some plausibility, and point to my other black-and-clear acrylic brushes to defend my style preference. But it's obvious from the reviews that I'm paying $5 extra for being late to the party, and that razor is a classic case of keeping up with the Joneses.

More stoically, I ordered a classic black Omega 49 to replace my rubber-smelling No. 6; I hope it's nice and stiff. I did my homework to fill the citrus-shaped hole in my soap collection with XXX Duro, and continue blade exploration with Voskhod. More soap from the Sensitive line, in a Fresco Verde scent, was a no brainer.