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Hello there! I’m looking to replace a razor for the first time in about a decade and I have no idea how to start.

About a decade ago, as a broke student, I purchase this razor. I have since learned it’s likely a knockoff of the Merkur Futur, but at the time I just knew it was a cheap way to try an adjustable razor. I quickly settled into using a spot between 3.5 and 4 (out of 6.5) with feather blades, and have been using it as my daily ever since. However, it’s not the best quality razor (shave quality is solid) and it has started to develop some rust spots. At this point, I figure I don’t need adjustable since I never adjust it, and I now can afford a nicer razor.

Things I like: the shaving angle at that 3.5-4 range and the weight. This thing is HEAVY and I love it.

Things I’m neutral about: Everything else. I have no preference for color, design, handle length… so long as it’s heavy and has that angle I’m golden.

I know it’s a long shot, but anyone use the above razor and have another they’d recommend? Or have used the Merkur Futur and have another razor they’d consider similar to a 3.5-4 on that (I’m assuming their shave angles are similar)?

Thanks in advance!

• Razor: Lambda Athena
• Blade: ASCO Super Stainless (Orange)
• Soap: Cella Organic Aloe Vera
• Aftershave/Post Shave: Thayers Unscented Witch Hazel/Cella Organic
• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir

The post shave feel of this soap is pretty good however I find the residual slickness to be a little lacking particularly in comparison to its elder brother (Cella Red) which contains tallow where as this one is an organic/vegan soap. Whilst I do prefer tallow soaps there are some very good vegan soaps out there although this one in particular is not the best but still gets the job done.

I find the aftershaves from Cella to be quite pleasant whilst giving off a very European cologne like scent. This aftershave is not tacky at all and leaves your face feeling great.

The Athena razor is a pleasure to use and consistently an excellent performer. A definite favourite for me.

• Razor: Tatara Muramasa (316L Stainless Steel)
• Blade: ASCO Super Stainless (Orange)
• Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented
• Aftershave/Post Shave: Thayers Unscented Witch Hazel/Myrsol F./extra
• Brush: YAQI 24mm Moka Express Synthetic

The Tatara Muramasa has delivered a fantastic BBS shave today to remember. Initially I was not expecting this razor to perform well for me as it has had a bit of a love/hate relationship so I did not even bother using anything special for my soap or exert any effort in creating a lather and yet this razor not only gave me a good shave but a great shave. I started off on level 1 with the grain, level 2 across the grain and then finally level 3 against the grain. I really enjoyed this razor today and if it continues to perform this well I will keeping it firm in my rotation for the foreseeable future.

I haven't used any of my Mysrol aftershaves in a long time now and have to say I have missed them. They are definitely fantastic but have become much harder to find for some reason whilst being impossible to buy locally in Australia.

Have any of you used this razor before and if so what is your opinion?

• Razor: YAQI The Final Cut (Brass)
• Blade: ASCO Super Stainless (Orange)
• Soap: PAA (Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements) Scentless CK6
• Aftershave/Post Shave: PAA Fin Unscented/Thayers Unscented Witch Hazel
• Brush: YAQI 24mm Moka Express Synthetic

I started on setting 2 followed by setting 2.5 then finally setting three. It's likely I could have went beyond those settings but didn't find the need for my use case. The end results is a wonderful BBS shave.

August 12, 2023

• Brush: Stirling 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Baili BR171
• Blade: Treet Platinum (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Ozark Mountain - Soap
• Post Shave: allMan - Fearless - Aftershave

Hotel shave

• Pre-shave: Face wash w/ hot water & glycerin soap
• Razor: Mühle R89 closed comb
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock (yellow, 2)
• Brush: The Goodfellas “The Hog”
• Soap: Local unscented shaving soap with lanolin (wool fat)
• Post-shave: Alum, Hega (Citrus & Cedar)

A simple shave. Not completely irritation free, but almost. Wish you guys good shaves!

• Pre-shave: Face wash w/ hot water & soap
• Razor: Henson Mild v1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock (yellow, 1)
• Brush: The Goodfellas “The Hog”
• Soap: Local shaving soap with lanolin (wool fat)
• Post-shave: Alum, Nivea Men Sensitive AS

Six day's growth. A good, smooth shave, even though the blade is supposed to be on the sharp side. It wasn't harsh at all and I'm beginning to think that it was just the Astra SPs that don't agree with my skin. YMMV as they say.

• Pre: Warm shower + conditioner
• Bowl: Timeless
• Brush: Maggard 22mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: Personna GEM
• Soap: Noble Otter Plunder
• Post Shave: Alum + Noble Otter Plunder splash

Left the conditioner on while bowl lathering and did a minimal rinsing, leaving a layer of it before applying the larger.

Full 3 pass. The GEM was easy to use and not as aggressive as I was lead to believe so I went a little chase-ish. It's not an exceptionally close shave, so I might try a slight bit of pressure or a different angle next time. Also, it might just be the patina on top of the razor, but it doesn't glide as easy as my other ones.

Globally a DFS with a bit of irritation. Good enough but I'm not impressed for now. Plunder is a wonderful scent. Instant classic.

It's most likely from 1930-1931 since it doesn't feature bumps to accommodate double edged blades. This is after a quick clean using dish soap and a brush. I'll submit it to an alcohol bath just in case and then try to flow some mineral oil in the mechanism. After that, we'll see if I want to do some detailing, I'm still unsure which product to de-grime it with and bring some luster back. I've heard it's supposed to be full brass with gold plating.

• Pre-shave: Face wash w/ hot water & soap
• Razor: Henson Mild v1
• Blade: Astra Super Stainless (1)
• Brush: The Goodfellas “The Hog”
• Soap: Local shaving soap with lanolin (wool fat)
• Post-shave: Alum, Hega AS (Citrus & Cedar)

This was my first time using the Astra Super Stainless. They were milder than the Super Platinum, which I could feel scraping my face. The first pass was cleaner than with the Lords. All in all, a good blade and a relatively good shave, save for the big red spot (nick or razor burn?) on my neck. Maybe I just over-hydrated the lather, resulting in less cushioning and protection.

• Pre-shave: Face wash w/ hot water & soap
• Razor: Henson Mild v1
• Blade: Lord Platinum
• Brush: The Goodfellas “The Hog”
• Soap: The Goodfellas Smile "Abysso"
• Post-shave: Alum, Nivea Men Sensitive

Are there any products that are currently on your wish-list? For me, these are the things I'm planning on getting:

• Mühle triple pack (marketed as Trio) of vegan, hard-puck soaps (sea buckthorn, sandalwood and aloe vera)
• TFS witch hazel
• Yaqi brush (Night Emerald 26mm or Yaqi Ocean 28mm)
• Yaqi shaving bowl

I hope threads like this are allowed, I'm not advertising anything.

• Pre-shave: Face wash w/ hot water & soap
• Razor: Henson Mild v1
• Blade: Lord Platinum
• Brush: The Goodfellas "The Hog"
• Soap: TFS Ciotola Rossa
• Bowl: Old dog bowl (clean)
• Post-shave: Alum, Nivea Men Sensitive

Micromatic, I don't know more about the exact model. Found on EBay. Will need advice to clean, maybe restore it. I also ordered the proper Personna PTFE coated blades.

• Pre-shave: hot water + soap
• Razor: Henson Mild (v1)
• Brush: Goodfellas Smile "The Hog" boar brush
• Soap: Proraso White
• Blade: Lord Platinum blades
• Aftershave: Nivea Men Sensitive AS Balm (No Alcohol)

Had an average shave, nothing special, no surprises. Tried to face lather, but didn't soak the brush long enough so it wasn't co-operating (didn't produce a good enough lather). Ended up bowl lathering instead. I must say the scent of the Proraso White is growing on me. As for the brush, I'm looking to upgrade it with a Yaqi Night Emerald synthetic brush (softer and no need to soak). The Goodfellas brush is about as cheap as brushes get, it came with my shaving set.

Music: Nouvelle Vague "I Could Be Happy" (album). Nouvelle Vague is a cover band, but I quite enjoy their versions.

From left to right: random Chinese razor that I got from my local shaving store (+ Asco Super Stainless blades), Mühle R89 (+ Lord Platinum blades) + Henson Mild (v1 + Astra Superior Platinums).

The Chinese razor is a bit more aggressive than the Mühle. I use the Henson the most, but would love to try out a Medium one. I don't use the Astra's too much, they feel kinda harsh. Ascos and Lords are both made by the same company (Lord), and are pretty much identical, although the Lords are marketed as a bit sharper.

SOTDs to follow soon (tho I don't have much gear, I'm a simple man).

• Pre: Warm shower
• Bowl: Timeless
• Brush: Maggard 22mm
• Razor: Parker Variant @ full turn + 4 and 5
• Blade: Treet Silver Carbon Steel (Pakistan)
• Soap: Noble Otter Rawr
• Post Shave: Alum (immediately) - Stirling Bergamot Lavender balm (tomorrow morning)

1 pass WTG, 1 pass J-hooked XTG-ATG hybrid with frequent relather and touch-ups with water only and smaller blade gap.

Went well enough, 2 painless nicks that did not survive alum. This might be the combo I'm looking for...

Edit: Picture prob. Fixed No picture, cannot upload. Help will be appreciated.

Currently, I am using Pinaud Clubman. It makes me feel fresh like a grandpa. My wife likes it apparently, initial impressions was that I liked my Lucky Tiger more... It seemed to smell better to me and made my skin feel great... They both are quality and the clubman has been growing on me quite a bit. What are your favorites? What do you use?

Just like old times! Post your shave of the day, the sweet new soaps you got, what blades your enjoying, why you need that new razor! Whatever.

Enjoy!