It’s week three with the Lord blades, and this week’s entrant is the Lord Super Chrome. It’s another coated blade, so I’m expecting good things, but I’ve been burned by chrome coated blades before (I’m looking at you, Shark Super Chrome, which is also a Lord product). And let’s be clear, this is only the second solely chrome-coated blade I’ve used in a shave.
And again, I’m using the same three razors in the same order: Rockwell 6C plate 2, Henson AL-13+ mild, and the Mühle R89. Last week’s shaves were noticeably better than the first week’s shaves, as the Lord Platinum outshone the Lord Classic. But both blades are very mild, and needed a lot of work to deliver a close shave. I’m expecting the Super Chrome to also be mild, but I’m hoping it might be the best of the bunch so far to deliver a comfortable and close shave.
This week, alongside the blade, I’m debuting 2 new items in the shaves. First, on Tuesday, I’ll use the brand new Simpson Trafalgar T2 synthetic brush. I’ve been watching for the chance to pick up a synthetic Simpson for a while, and the Labor Day sales provided. To the touch, the bristles feel stiffer than some of the other synthetics I have, so I’m expecting it to lather very well. It’s on the smaller side, but should be just fine.
On Thursday, I will bring out one of Stirling Soap’s standards in the shaving soap world: Margaritas In The Arctic. This is a fruity but also menthol infused soap that has a reputation as a good Summer soap. So I’m pulling it out as we’re approaching Fall. Good going, me. But I’ll pair it with a cooling pre-shave and balm, so it should be a nicely cooling shave.
I’m excited for this week’s shaves again, mostly because I’m expecting something better from the blade than the first week. But also because of the other software I’m using this week. The TOBS Jermyn Street lather is in for its third use, and the Proraso red pre-shave and lather also come out for their third shaves.
So let’s get into it.
The Ratings
Sunday’s Shave, #334 The Proraso Sunday Red Lord Super Chrome Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Rockwell 6C plate 2
- Blade: Lord Super Chrome
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Nourishing pre-shave cream (red)
- Brush: Proraso boar brush
- Lather: Proraso Nourishing shaving cream (red)
- Alum Block: Osma alum block
- After Shave: Proraso Sensitive Aftershave balm (red)
- Stats:
- 22nd shave with the Rockwell 6C plate 2
- 56th shave with the Rockwell 6C all plates
- 1st shave with the Lord Super Chrome blade
- 17th blade used with the Rockwell’s plate 2, 21st blade used with all Rockwell plates
- 35th blade used in my shaves
- 3rd shave with the Proraso Nourishing lather
- 82nd shave with the Proraso boar brush
- 147th almost perfect shave
- 14th consecutive almost perfect shave
- 57th shave with an overall rating of 24 (21.2% of all logged shaves)
I keep hoping that each shave with the Proraso red samples will convert me and I’ll end up loving it as much as I love the others. But nope. It seems to perform fairly well, but the fragrance is just warm and flat.
But we aren’t here for that. We’re here for the Lord Super Chrome blade results. And if this shave is an indication (which it likely is), this is another good shave, perhaps even slightly better than the Platinum blade. It was smooth and very comfortable, and even seemed to be a little more efficient than either the Classic or the Platinum. I’ll have to see how it performs in the other two razors this week to truly judge it.
In general, though, this was a great start to the week’s shaves, and I’m excited to hit the other two shaves.
Comfort: 24 of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 of 25
Overall: 24 of 25
Tuesday’s Shave, #335 TOBS Simpson Trafalgar Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson Medium AL-13+ mild
- Blade: Lord Super Chrome
- Pre-Shave: Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street pre-shave gel
- Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T2 synthetic
- Lather: Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street shaving cream
- Alum Block: Osma alum block
- After Shave: Nivea Sensitive Soothing Post Shave balm
- Stats:
- 68th shave with the Henson mild razor
- 25th blade used with the Henson mild
- 3rd shave with the TOBS Jermyn Street lather
- 1st shave with the Simpson synthetic brush
- 148th almost perfect shave
- 15th consecutive almost perfect shave
- 58th shave with an overall rating of 24 (21.5% of all logged shaves)
If someone would have told me a month ago that a shave with one of these Lord blades would be seriously considered as a perfect shave, I would have told them they were crazy. I mean, sure, it’s possible with any blade, but these are a bargain brand and I had very low expectations from them.
But that’s what happened today. Everything just seemed to go perfectly–the lather was very rich and thick, possibly a little under-hydrated, but working with the Simpson Trafalgar T2 for the first time, I found it didn’t perform quite like other synthetic brushes I have. The razor and blade just glided effortlessly across my skin, and without a lot of extra effort, it delivered an outstanding shave that I would happily come back to. I seriously debated whether this would be the first perfect shave I’ve ever had.
And I seem to forget that the Nivea balm is really nice. It smells fresh and clean, doesn’t go on heavy, and just feels nice after a shave.
Yes, so far the Super Chrome is the Lord blade to beat.
Comfort: 25 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 out of 25
Overall: 24 out of 25
Thursday’s Shave, #336 The Frozen Margarita Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Mühle R89
- Blade: Lord Super Chrome
- Pre-Shave: Razor Emporium Menthol pre-shave
- Brush: Maggard Razors Purple Swirl synthetic
- Lather: Stirling Soap Margaritas In The Arctic shaving soap
- Alum Block: Osma alum block
- After Shave: Nivea Sensitive Cool Post Shave Balm
- Stats:
- 17th shave with the Mühle R89
- 9th blade used with the Mühle razor
- 1st shave with the Margaritas In The Arctic lather
- 7th shave with the Maggard brush
- 4th shave with the Nivea Sensitive Cool balm
- 149th almost perfect shave
- 16th consecutive almost perfect shave
- 59th shave with an overall rating of 24 (21.5% of all logged shaves)
So yes, the Super Chrome is the best Lord blade yet. It’s very comfortable (in the three mild razors I’ve used with it), is more efficient than either the Platinum or Classic, and glides very smoothly.
This shave wasn’t quite as perfect as Tuesday’s shave with the Henson mild, so that appears to be the sweet spot. But as I’ve established through these three weeks, the Mühle R89 is probably the least mild of the three setups. But all 3 shaves this week have been outstanding and well worth returning to.
The first shave with the Stirling Soap Margaritas in the Arctic lather was good. It lathered well, produced a nice rich lather, but interestingly, while it has a strong citrus fragrance in the tin, that scent faded quickly once lathered. There was a hint of that smell there, but not much. But it did deliver a strong but not aggressive menthol cooling feel–more than either the menthol pre-shave or the Nivea Sensitive Cool balm.
Next week is the last week with the Lord blades–the Super Stainless, the other uncoated blade–will be called into action, and I’ll see how it stacks up against its brand siblings.
Comfort: 24 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 out of 25
Overall: 24 out of 25