Terrific shave, $2.25 razor
I received my $2.25 razor (with free shipping) today: a Ri Mei called “Sodial” on Amazon—currently unavailable. It’s the same razor as the $6.32 (with Prime shipping) Silvertone and the $10.95 (with Prime shipping) Concord. I don’t understand the range of pricing, given that it’s the same razor in each case—and not a bad little razor at all.
But first, the lather. I used the Vie-Long horsehair brush shown—I’ve run through my current collection of boar brushes—and Calabria shaving cream:
Calabria is truly a heavenly scent: mild yet with a lot of character. The top is lively and bracing with some nice citrus, and then the heart is lightly floral but given time it evolves into a slightly sweet and lovely quiet woody note
The fragrance is pleasant but far from assertive. The lather, as always, is terrific: a tiny dab gave me loads of lather for a three-pass shave, which I did using the enclosed Ri Mei blade—not a bad blade at all for me, providing an easy BBS shave.
A good splash of D.R. Harris Pink Aftershave, and the weekend begins.
I’m tickled pink with the inclusion of the DR Harris aftershave!
adelonshaving
9 February 2013 at 8:33 am
Love the pink AS. I usually pair it with the Klar Kabinett, but you dont seem to pair AS with soap scents.
A few unrelated questions for you:
- Have you used a red tip? How different is it from a Gillette slim adjustable?
- I often find that what blade works well for me depends on how many day’s worth of stubble I have. e.g. Feather works better for longer beard and bic for one or two days worth. Ever observed that?
- Could you recommend a good bay rum soap without tallow?
Thanks
Ayodh
9 February 2013 at 11:15 am
Yes, I do have a red tip that I like. I’ll shave with it this comping week, back to back with a Slim Handle, and see. (I have my Slim (and Fat Boy and Super Adjustable) set to 5.)
I shave daily except (most) Sundays, so I have at most two days of stubble to deal with. I don’t change the blade for that, but I often will use the Slant.
For a good Bay Rum tallowless soap, check out HoneybeeSoaps.net, KellsOriginal.com, and MamaBearsSoaps.com. All have samples available. Honeybee Soaps have shea butter and are *very* reasonable priced.
I often will pair an aftershave with a soap—Creed’s Green Irish Tweed (now), Floris 89, D.R. Harris Marlborough and Arlington, and various combinations—e.g., coconut shaving soap/cream with bay rum, bay rum soap with lime, and so on.
LeisureGuy
9 February 2013 at 11:28 am
Michael – you have often praised the Strop Shoppe soaps. I notice they have two bay rum soaps.
Special Edition Bay Rum at https://stropshoppe.com/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=bay+rum&product_id=113
Tallow Shaving Soap Bay Rum at https://stropshoppe.com/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=bay+rum&product_id=81
I am tempted by these. Have you had experience with them or heard any comments about them?
..
9 February 2013 at 5:13 pm
Michael, I tried this “Silver Tone” razor that is available on Ebay and Amazon under different names. I really like it, and find that it has an intuitive blade angle perfect that would be perfect for a beginner. I found that it was a little mild with a Kai Blade, but that it really shines with a Feather. You should try a Feather in yours. I wasn’t brave enough to try the RiMei Blade that came with it, but now that you’ve gone first…
Ryan
9 February 2013 at 7:29 pm
Feathers in general don’t work for me, but I’m willing to experiment, since the Kai did well for me.
LeisureGuy
9 February 2013 at 7:34 pm