If I haven’t said it, and in case you haven’t picked up on the idea here, I like to try the new to me blades in all 4 of my primary razors (the Henson mild, medium, the Rockwell, and the King C Gillette) to see how the blade performs in them (since they are remarkably different experiences), and to see if there is a razor where it just doesn’t perform well, or if there is one where it really shines.
I’ve gotten good at predicting the general experience of each combo, but there are the details of how the shave works and feels that I can’t exactly predict. Plus, weeks like this is just part of the learning experience and the full experience of trying to see what a great shave is like.
After six awesome shaves, the Shark is proving to be a great blade for me, delivering a great experience with awesome sharpness, and I do truly love the Henson design and performance, especially now that I’ve used two of its products.
After last week with the Henson medium and the Shark, I’m anticipating another week of awesome shaves, which will be a fine way to move on and put away the Sharks for a while as I try other things.
We’ll see if the reality holds up to the expectation.
The Ratings
Sunday’s Shave, #180. The Proraso White Sunday.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson AL-13 Mild
- Blade: Lord Shark Super Stainless
- Pre-Shave: Proraso White Sensitive
- Brush: Proraso boar brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Proraso White Sensitive shaving cream
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Proraso White Sensitive aftershave balm
It may be premature, but I think I can call it and declare my love the Shark blades. Even in the Henson mild, there’s positive blade feel, but absolutely no discomfort (at least today).
Let me say right toward the top that this was an almost perfect shave. It was close, even with some extra passes, but I was surprised at the efficiency even after the first couple of passes. The extra passes just were to clean up some of the tougher patches that are chronic problem areas. There was just a very light sting in one spot with the alum. And the Proraso white setup provided ample slickness and protection. When I talk about a great shave, this one needs to be considered a prime example, and one of the best.
Let’s talk about the Proraso white for a moment. This was my first use of the Proraso white shaving cream, and it didn’t disappoint. A pea-sized amount of the cream into the wet brush was enough to produce more than enough lather for the shave, and I didn’t need to reapply at all–just wiping some off of the beard onto the skin worked to provide enough for any extra passes. It has a slightly different scent than the soap, but not different enough to make a difference.
The last 4 shaves with the Shark have confirmed something I have declared for a while: the Henson razor design is perfect for me. While I would make them just a bit heavier if I had any say, I don’t really mind their weight at all since they just perform so flawlessly.
Comfort: 5 out of 5
Quality/Closeness: 4.750 out of 5
Overall: 4.875 out of 5
Tuesday’s Shave, #181. The Edwin Jagger Shark shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson AL-13 Mild
- Blade: Lord Shark Super Stainless
- Pre-Shave: Edwin Jagger Hydrating pre-shave lotion
- Brush: Razor Emporium Badger Shaving Brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera shave cream
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Edwin Jagger Moisturizing aftershave lotion
First off, this was another great shave, but not quite almost perfect and not quite the closeness I got on Sunday.
Second, looking back over the last 3+ weeks of shaves (11 shaves), 10 of them have had this same comfort and closeness scores. 8 of those shaves was with the Shark, 3 with the Dorco, and the one shave that scored a 4.750 was the Dorco with the King C Gillette.
Let’s talk about the Edwin Jagger samples. I did review the pre-shave lotion in the samples review, but it feels like a lotion in the classic sense of the word, not thick, but not thin and watery either. It comes on with a strong menthol feel and a light scent, and by the time I got the lather worked up, it had cooled my face and neck nicely.
The shaving cream is the best part of the set. It does not have a menthol finish, but the scent is strongly soapy with notes of aloe. It went on well and provided great slickness and comfort.
The aftershave is not a favorite. It is exactly what you think of when you think of a lotion. It goes on thick and takes a lot of effort to massage it into the skin, and even then it sits on top for a while forming a light white coating on the skin. It does moisturize, but just doesn’t feel right to me.
Overall, though, this was a great shave even if it wasn’t almost perfect.
Comfort: 5.000 out of 5
Quality/Closeness: 4.750 out of 5
Overall: 4.875 out of 5
Thursday’s Shave, #182. The Zingari Man Shark shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Henson AL-13 Mild
- Blade: Lord Shark Super Stainless
- Pre-Shave: Razor Emporium Unscented pre-shave
- Brush: Omega 10019 Boar shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Zingari Man Unscented shaving soap
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Zingari Man Unscented aftershave serum
This is likely the last Shark shave for a bit, not because I really want to stop, but because I have other blades to try and I’d like to get to them soon.
Today’s shave was objectively the worst of the week, but when the comparison is two outstanding shaves, it makes this one look bad in comparison. And let me be clear: this shave was not bad by any measure, it was just wasn’t as good as I know I can have with the Henson and Shark. There is some stubble left over that extra passes couldn’t knock down, and as a result, there was more irritation than I’ve had with this setup.
The Zingari Man shave soap just doesn’t seem to provide the slickness and cushioning that my beard needs for a good shave, and I’m not terribly impressed with the aftershave serum, but you can read the full product line review in the upcoming part two post for the sample reviews.
All-in-all, an okay shave to close out the week, but I know it can be better.
Comfort: 4.750 out of 5
Quality/Closeness: 4.750 out of 5
Overall: 4.750 out of 5
