Thursday 4/17/2014
Merkur 45 Bakelite
Feather
Vulfix 28 Boar 21mm
WSO Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil
WSO White Lightning Soap
WSO Lime Blash
So todays shave was with my Merkur 45 bakelite razor. Well it really isn't bakelite, but it is modern plastic made to look just like a bakelite vintage de safety razor. I chose this razor because a thread was recently started in a shaving forum about it and I posted in the thread. That got me thinking I havent used this razor in quite some time. So today is the day I dusted it off and took it out for a spin!
My prep was pretty standard for me if I do not get a hot shower pre-shave. I washed my face with a new pre-shave soap I have been working on. I patted it dry leaving a slight bit of moisture. I then put about 4 drops..thats it...4 drops... of WSO mentholated pre-shave oil.while I allowed that to absorb into my skin I commenced lathering.
The brush I chose today is a vulfix 28. It is a 21mm boar knot brush and this would be my first actual use for a full shave. I have done about 4-5 test lathers with it while I was mainly testing the soap, nit this brush. The entire reason I got this brush is I wanted a boar around 20mm. I didn't want an Omega or a Semogue, not because they aren't good brushes, they most certainly are, just because I wanted something different. I have a vulfix 2234 in super badger and it is one amazing brush. I saw this vulfix boar and picked it up figuring why not. It turns out this is an excellent little boar brush that I believe will only continue to serve me better and better the more I use it.
My Soap today is WSO White Lightning. I had put a bit of hot water on top of the soap which i had in a plastic ziploc twist top container (like gladware but with a twist on lid). I had a very small amount of White Lightning left at the end of the last batch so i reached for whatever was close and this happened to be there. Man it was a good score! It worked great to lather in!. It was then I realized I was moving towards quite the travel set up with the Merkur 45, the soap in the ziploc plastic container, the small Vulfix boar, etc. At any rate I lathered my soap and well Ill just show you a pic of the result:
Some absolutely beautiful, Thick, rich , and slick lather today. So much so that when I put the brush in the plastic ziploc container full off lather I notice it stood straight up. Then I decided to dump some lather on a plate and see if it could hold the brush up without anything all around the sides being pushed in so to speak. The result is the pic above and I think it speaks for itself!
All lathered up I began the shave. The Merkur 45 is a small, lightweight (obviously) razor. That does not mean it is timid. It is not super aggressive but I would call it medium aggressive. It is definitely more aggressive than the Merkur head on say the 38c or the 43c. I think the fact that this is such a light razor throws people off on the aggression factor. I have heard many say it is very aggressive but I think perhaps that is due to the tendency to apply unnecessary pressure when using such a light razor. This could give the false impression of aggression in a razor.
I did my standard 3 pass, WG,XG.AG and got an excellent shave. There are a couple keys with this razor and if you follow them it is a winner in my opinion. First no pressure. Apply no pressure even thought it is a light weight razor. Second a very sharp blade. This ties in with the above. I think you need a very sharp blade with this razor or again it can come off as more aggressive than it truly is. Also being so light, if a blade is tugging, the tendency may be to again apply pressure. I used a feather blade and had no issues.
All in all todays shave was excellent. I really like this razor and I think I picked it up for like $19 or something. You can t beat it. It would make an excellent Gym Bag or Travel razor but by no means dismiss it from a role in a regular rotation. This plastic razor shaves that well if all else is in order.
Post shave I finished up with WSO Lime Blash which I very much like and cannot wait for full time spring and summer weather when I think it may become my go to scent in soap and Aftershave. My skin felt and still feels fantastic and upon inspection it was a fantastic shave.
Solid prep, Quality Pre-Shave, Good Razor, Sharp Blade, Nice brush, Great Lather, Quality Aftershave = Great Shave. Thats a formula that works right there! I hope you all have or had a great shave today!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsesssion
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