So I was able to have my first shave yesterday after James'
@Acer89 fantastic job of refurbishing this beauty.
First off, pictures really don't do this razor justice, even in the many wonderful SOTD shots. I've always loved the signature look of the open comb and scalloped top cap and I'm really not surprised so many people have bought into this, it's a very desirable piece of engineering, very gadgety indeed. It's appeal is increased further by the reassuring weight of it.
It's quite a sight when you open the box, the fit and finish is phenomenol and I'm sure like most of you, I didn't know where to begin. Although I do like fairly aggressive razors, I opted to go with the milder 0.68 scalloped base plate first, with the flat top cap. Based on looks alone, I don't think I'd actually want to buy the straight bar, I just don't think it has the wow factor of the other two plates. I will of course still be trying it later though. It's a shame the 0.68 OC wasn't part of it or I would probably have only used that, again based on looks and a preference for open combs.
I chose the standard knurled handle as the grip is reassuring given the combined total weight, which is somewhere in the region of 130g I believe. For the blade, I chose a Perma-Sharp Super as it's the only blade that gives me consistent results over a broad range of razors. They are particularly smooth and efficient in my NEW LC and Aristocrat #15, the only comparable DE razors I've used.
So, the shave. For once I am glad I have to sit at the minute, it means the razor is never far off the sink. I'm sure dropping it from any height wouldn't do much for my relationship with my wife.
The first pass started well, I was very impressed at just how much the extra weight helps to cleave through my stubble. The lack of clogging and ease of rinsing is impressive too. I was also very perturbed however, something didn't feel quite right for me. It wasn't until I was finished the second pass that I worked out what it was - complete silence! All the DE razors I've used give a certain amount of audible feedback. SE's of course can be very noisy, and that's a major part of why I love them so much. The blade is held so firmly in the head that there's no detectable blade chatter. Add in the solid build and material and you've no vibrations either. I really wasn't expecting this. I was concentrating so much on its other attributes and the shave that I missed the lack of sound, and I really do miss it. It's quite unsettling for me, especially when blade buffing as the noise is the only thing telling me when the stubble is completely gone.
I normally do three passes with most DE's but the quality was so good from the first pass that I skipped the XTG, opting for only WTG, ATG and a touch up on a difficult area around my Adam's apple. The shave was fantastic, right up with my favourite Gillette NEW LC, only improved upon so much due to the weight. It really is a dream to use, I get the desire for modern stainless razors. I was left wanting to shave my entire body, that's how badly I didn't want to stop using it. I resisted though but I can't wait to shave again.
I'll follow up with my next shaves but I really can unfortunately only manage a couple a week at the minute. I'll be trying the 0.95 scalloped base next to see the difference in aggression between these two plates.
I love that this razor is obtainable, and so customisable. Timeless have been fantastic in allowing us this opportunity to try one of the most desirable razors on the market so they deserve the credit due to them.