October 7, 2023

• Brush: Wild West Brushworks Deep Pearl 26mm Sweet Spot Badger
• Razor: Gillette Super Adjustable 109 (Black Beauty) Gold O-4 (setting: 5)
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword Black (2)
• Lather: Faena - Taurus - Soap
• Post Shave: Fabergé - Brut - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This is my first time using the gold Black Beauty. Very enjoyable. My second time using Taurus. This is a great soap.

2023.10.07 SOTD:

• Prep: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleanser

• Brush: AKA Brushworxs Metamorphosis Kaiser-i-Hind with 26mm AK47 knot

• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy AL

• Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (2)

• Lather: Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime

• Post Shave: Alum, Stirling Mentholated Unscented Witch Hazel and Aloe, Stirling Glacial Satsuma Aftershave Splash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry

Really nice shave today, although I seemingly missing the right side of my face. Oh well. Real story of this shave is the new brush. It arrived yesterday, and this was the first time I used it. It is super dense, so it has a strong backbone, while still being nice and soft. It whipped up lather in no time flat. Very impressed in my first go with it, especially since it is different than my other knots. I have an Independent Synthetic Fibre Knot (UHD) on the way, so I’m curious as to how it will compare to the AK47 knot.

October 7, 2023

• Brush: Hand
• Razor: Blackland Era - Level 3 SB
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue (6)
• Lather: Barbasol
• Post Shave: Brut - Splash On

The well water is still quite heavily chlorinated, so I skipped lathering. Barbasol worked. I’ll leave it at that.

I also skipped showering, so hopefully my coworkers don’t mind today. There’s a shower at work, but I won’t have time to explore that option.

Seventh Day of TabOKtoberfest

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Tabak Oridjinal
• Razor: Böker S.S. Paris Wins
• Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
• Post Shave: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original
• Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original

So, apparently commemorative razors for important events were a thing back in the day. This pretty Böker was seemingly made to celebrate the S.S. Paris and its record breaking 1889 westbound Atlantic crossing in under 6 days which won it the Blue Riband. I’m assuming this means that the razor was made sometime between 1889 and 1892, when the S.S. Paris won it again (or it would read "S.S. Paris Wins Again?), but I don’t have any tangible evidence of it.

The razor is in excellent condition, indicating that it was indeed bought as a memorabilium and then barely used. It’s either that, or it’s one of Böker’s remakes like this S.S. Saint Louis. See for old vs new versions:

Vintage S.S. St Louis

Retro (new) S.S. St Louis

The reasons why I think I have an old one despite the good condition are:

1. The old ones have smiling edges and spines like mine, the new ones are perfectly straight.
2. The old ones use brass pins like mine, the new ones use some silver-coloured metal.
3. The old ones have thin, rounded, polished black wood scales like mine, the new ones have bulky, flat, matte wooden scales with the Böker trademark.
4. Mine is stamped with just the word “Germany” on the back of the tang, and it seems to me that all modern products would read “Made in Germany”.
5. I’ve seen modern Bökers. The jimps and stamps look machine-made, perfectly even, while the “Germany” stamp on mine was a bit off-axis when the hammer struck the stamp and the “G” made only a barely visible impression.

But again, none of these constitute conclusive evidence, and I’m adding a dose of wishful thinking.

To the shave:

The razor has a loud hollow grind, and shaving with it is all toast buttering. When I honed it yesterday (I had received it dull like a butter knife) I think I didn’t test the edge everywhere, and the heel half of the edge is a bit tuggy (I’ll need to find styrofoam packing peanuts for this, as suggested by @gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social). But that’s minor and I’m liking this razor!

Stank++;