This was my Shave of the Day (SOTD) for Sunday, May 11, 2025.
The Wicked Edge SubReddit has a tradition of people posting their shaves of the day. Most of the time there’s a photo of what was used. Sometimes there’s commentary or review. And almost always, there are replies asking questions or affirming the product(s) used, or talking about one of the products–good and bad. But there’s an almost universal understanding that in that forum that everyone’s face and experience will be different–what works for one person may not work the same for another.
I’ll post my SOTD once a week or every other week, especially when I have something to say about it. (It should be noted here that I keep a spreadsheet of what I own, what I’ve tried, combinations I’ve used on shave days, and reviews of the individual products and combinations. It’s helped me understand what works well and what doesn’t, and since I started doing it about 3 months ago, it’s really helped me zero in on directions to go, or what to go with if I want a close shave, or a comfortable, mild shave.)
This particular shave solidified some learnings for me.
- First, that my second razor, and second cheapest, my King C Gillette, is a very solid performer. Because I bought it for about $15 at the grocery store because I wanted something different than the cheap Van Der Hagen I’d started out with, and I had a $10 off coupon on King C Gillette products, so I didn’t feel very guilty about getting a second razor, when, at the time, I believed that one should be quite enough. This razor is heavy, is easy to use and find the right angle with, doesn’t require much effort to shave with, and delivers a medium-mild shaving experience. It’s well made, comfortable, and works well, and for some reason, I don’t really remember that until I use it again.
- Second, that Feather blades, widely reviewed as the sharpest blades made, are indeed very sharp, but work really well in a good setup. A good, sharp blade shouldn’t pull on the hairs, it should just cut right through. It should be efficient in shaving. I was nervous about using a very sharp blade–I’ve used others that are sharp, but not quite up to this standard, and one of them, the Kai, no matter what I used it with, was just terribly uncomfortable. This is starting the third week of trying out the Feathers, and I’m very happy with them.
- The Nivea sensitive shave gel and after shave are outstanding. There are some in the SubReddit that say nothing other than a soap or shaving cream applied with a brush will deliver a quality shave, and I agree in most cases, but this is an exception to that. This shave gel is thick and rich, makes a great lather, lubricates well, and has never given me a bad shave. And I love the fragrance, and the after shave is rich and moisturizing, and my face loves it after the shave.
So this shave combo? Outstanding! Because of how my neck hairs grow and what the skin there is like, it’s almost impossible to get the BBS (Baby Butt Smooth) shave that is the holy grail of shaving. So I’ve learned to accept a very close, irritation-free shave with minimal stubble as my gold standard. And this hit it. It was very close. It was smooth and easy. There was very little sting with the post-shave alum block. One of the best shaves I’ve had. 4.75/5 for comfort. 5/5 for quality. 4.88/5 overall.
