I could also call this week’s shaves happenstance, since I didn’t actually order the razor, but it came to me anyway…
The Goodfellas’ Smile Syntesi is a bit of an enigma for me right now. I’ve never considered getting one, I haven’t looked into them, so while it appears that it’s pretty mild, I’m not entirely certain (it’s mild or medium-mild), and it just wasn’t a plan that my 10th razor would be this one. (Yeah, I’m skipping one that I actually did order, but we’ll get to that next week).
There are a few other new things going in this week’s shaves that I’m excited to try: first, I needed more of the Proraso white pre-shave cream, and ended up buying the Proraso Refreshing Shaving Soap (green) as well, because it was only $10, and I like the cream, so it felt like an automatic.
I’ll also be giving Mike’s Natural Soaps Unscented shaving soap a go. I’ve seen this a lot out there on the interwebs, and people really seem to like it, so I picked some up and I’m thrilled to try it out. I’m also going to use the Stirling Soap Unscented aftershave balm for the first time. Oh, and I took the Arko out of the wrapper and squished it down to a rough disc and put it in a metal container of its own. At the very least, it should be easier to lather now.
I’ve paired the Syntesi with the Astra Superior Platinum (green) blade, and am looking forward to the results. It should be a good pairing, but you never know.
The Ratings
Sunday’s Shave, #243. The Goodfellas’ Green Shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Goodfellas’ Shave Syntesi
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Refreshing pre-shave cream (green)
- Brush: Proraso boar shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Proraso Refreshing shave soap (green)
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Proraso Refreshing after shave balm (green)
- Stats: 1st shave with the Syntesi, 32nd different lather used, 8th consecutive almost perfect shave and 67th overall.
Everything’s green on this day after Valentine’s Day! I swapped out the Proraso green cream for the soap to give it’s first go, and the Astra blades are green, so that’s where that’s coming from.
The Proraso green soap lathered very well, similarly to the white soap, but it doesn’t have quite the same strength of scent as the cream does. But I will say that midway into the shave, I did really notice the menthol cooling effect on my face, and that is always pretty pleasant.
After its first go, I’m not entirely sure what I think about the Syntesi razor. I ended up with the machined aluminum version, and as such, it is very, very light–4 grams lighter than the Hensons, and apparently that’s noticeable to me. And the short handle really makes me feel like I’m daintily holding on to it. But the handle is easily grippable, so I don’t have any concerns on it slipping on me. So if you’re considering one, maybe drop the extra cash and go with the stainless steel model.
I clearly paired it with the right blade, as it really seemed to shine today with the Astra green–a nice efficient but comfortable shave, although there’s a strange feeling to it, and I think it’s because of the extremely thin and narrow bottom plate/guard/comb, as shown above. In many razors, those are kind of chunky, and seem to really respect their purpose. But here, it’s super thin, which makes for great style, but I’m not sure what I think about the feeling. I’m not positive, but I had the feeling that the blade was kind of flapping up and down in the razor. Not enough to cause problems, but that’s what it felt like. And the machined top cap, while pretty, seems to have a texture to it that without good lubrication, doesn’t glide terribly smoothly.
Fortunately, all worked great for this shave, and I’m very satisfied with it. We’ll see how the rest go for this first week.
Comfort: 23 of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 of 25
Overall: 23 of 25
Tuesday’s Shave, #244. The Goodfellas’ Arko shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Goodfellas’ Smile Syntesi
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (green)
- Pre-Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented pre-shave soap
- Brush: Omega 10019 boar brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Arko Shave Soap
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented Aftershave balm
- Stats: Only the 2nd less than almost perfect shave in the last 31 shaves since December 11, 2025, 1st Arko shave since I packed the stick into a tin, 6th shave with the Arko lather.
When I planned this shave, I intentionally went with a pre-shave and lather combo that isn’t as slick as many I use–the Stirling pre-shave soap and the Arko are nice, but certainly do not lay down as much slickness as I prefer. Little did I know at the time that the Syntesi is made in such a way that it just doesn’t glide well unless there’s excellent slickness.
And the shave bore that out. Even though I got the best lather I’ve ever achieved with the Arko, thanks to taking it out of its wrapper and pressing it into a tin, making me able to load the brush in the tin before moving to the bowl, it just didn’t have that lasting layer of moisture that let the shave head glide across my skin. I did reapply as needed, but with every pass, all of the slickness was gone, and I needed to put more there for the next pass.
So this shave really told me a lot about the Syntesi: first, that it really does deliver a mild yet efficient shave, especially with the Astra green blade. But second, that it does need a lot of lubrication to be comfortable. Third, oddly, this shave didn’t have the same cheap feel to the razor as Sundays. Not sure why, but it’s an observation.
Finally, a note on the Stirling Unscented aftershave balm: it’s a little disappointing. It is a lotion which goes on much like any other skin lotion and doesn’t feel like it’s providing as much moisture as my favorites.
All-in-all, this was a great shave with great closeness. But there is some very minor lingering burn that wasn’t there on Sunday.
Comfort: 21 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 24 out of 25
Overall: 22 out of 25
Thursday’s Shave, #245. The first Mike’s Natural Soaps shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Goodfellas’ Smile Syntesi aluminum
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
- Pre-Shave: Razor Emporium Unscented pre-shave
- Brush: Yaqi Rainbow Synthetic shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Mike’s Natural Soaps Unscented shaving soap
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Barbasol 1919 after shave balm
- Stats: 68th almost perfect shave rated 23 or 24, 5th almost perfect shave with the Astra green, 8th logged shave with the Astra green, 33rd different lather used in a shave.
Finishing up the first week’s of shaves with the Syntesi, and I have to say that it’s a good razor, but I’m not excited by it. I think it’s slightly more about form over function, and it just feels a little harsher than I’d like. Now I understand that it isn’t a fully mild razor, that’s clear, but I think it could just deliver a smoother experience (not outcome) while keeping its medium-mild or even medium aggressiveness. In the end, it’s a fine razor, but won’t be one of my top favorites.
This was, as noted by the title of the shave, my first experience with Mike’s Natural Soaps, specifically the unscented product. And I think it will be great–I say think because the lather came out a little thin, but that’s entirely my fault. It felt like it needed more water and that little bit more seemed to really wet it down. But it did perform well, lubricated very well, and I think once I dial in a good lather, it will be great.
The shave overall was very nice. Comfortable, close, and effective. It was almost perfect, but not in the top tier of almost perfect shaves. But I’d take this shave every day if I had to.
Next week, another new razor that I’m really excited to try.
Comfort: 23 out of 25
Quality/Closeness: 23 out of 25
Overall: 23 out of 25