I really enjoy bonus shaves. They let me plan a shave that’s different from whatever shaves I’ve got going at that time, and they give me the opportunity to play with a combo that I might not have planned for that moment. And because they’re not on the usual schedule for my shaves, I try not to have huge expectations for them.
I had planned for this shave to feature the Perma-Sharp blade, which is one of my favorites. But it’s also fairly aggressive, and I have learned and read that if you’re shaving every day (or multiple days in a row), you should go mild to avoid extra irritation.
So last night I swapped over to the Gillette Silver Blue blade, a blade that I do like a lot, but comes out more on the moderate to mild end of the spectrum. I paired it with the Rockwell 6C plate 2, to try to ensure a nice mild feel to the shave, but hoping for some closeness with a few extra strokes. And after checking and discovering I’ve never used the Silver Blue with my Rockwell, I was anxious to give it a go.
The Ratings
Sunday’s Shave, #220. The Proraso blue Silver Blue Christmas Eve bonus shave.
The setup:
- Razor: Rockwell 6C plate 2
- Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Protective pre-shave cream (blue)
- Brush: Proraso boar shaving brush
- Soap/Cream/Gel: Proraso Protective shave soap (blue)
- Alum Block: Stirling Soap Co. Alum
- After Shave: Proraso Protective aftershave balm (blue)
- Stats: 7th shave with the Silver Blue, 1st with any Rockwell plate, 10th shave with the Proraso blue combo, 15th different blade with any Rockwell plate, 42nd almost perfect shave (overall rating 23 or 24).
As noted in the new Stats listing above (something I’m going to try for a bit because I have stats readily available from the spreadsheet), this was only the 7th shave with the Silver Blue blade. I used it for two weeks back in February and March with the King C Gillette and Henson mild, but haven’t touched it since, which I need to fix, because I think it would favorably compare to the 7 O’Clock blades I’m finishing up trying out this week. For that matter, I need to give a more in-depth try to the Gillette Platinum, which my spreadsheet notes I’ve only used for 3 shaves, and it is pretty widely well regarded.
The Rockwell plate 2 and Silver Blue was a good pairing–mild and comfortable but still pretty close. This is interesting because for the six prior shaves with this blade in the KCG and the Henson mild, only two of the shaves rated as excellent (overall 21 or above).
As expected, there was some more irritation than I’d normally like, but not a huge amount, and it faded quickly. There was sting on the neck with the alum, but that went away within the minute that I leave the alum on my skin. And the Proraso balm did it’s usual outstanding job of calming my face down after the shave. But I’ll also say that I’m almost certain that this irritation was because I’ve shaved two days in a row. Tomorrow will be interesting, because that will be a first on this experience: shaving three days in a row. I’m very happy that it will feature the 7 O’Clock yellow.
As always, the Proraso products did their job and stood out, and I’m ready for a busy but fun Christmas Eve with family and friends.
I hope you have a great holiday if you celebrate, and that you have a wonderful season full of friends, family, and great shaves.
Comfort: 23 of 25
Quality/Closeness: 23 of 25
Overall: 23 of 25