January 14, 2026

• Brush: Elite Razor Honduran Rosewood Burl 24mm HMW Fan
• Razor: Ale 7/8 Full Hollow Spanish Point
• Lather: Areffa Soap - August Moon - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Aftershave: Areffa Soap - August Moon - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Great test shave with this Ale razor. This was my second use of Areffa Soap August Moon. This has a wonderful soap base (bear tallow) and has a subtle fragrance which opens up beautifully as you use it.

video

January 12, 2026

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Classic 26mm V23 Fanchurian
• Razor: Thiers Issard Sheffield Best Silver Steel 6/8 Hollow Ground Round Point
• Lather: Elysian Soap Shop - El Dorado - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
• Aftershave: Elysian Soap Shop - El Dorado - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Elysian Soap Shop - El Dorado - Eau de Parfum

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This was a test shave of the edge that I created on this Thiers Issard razor using a Nakayama Japanese natural stone. I was very pleased with the result.

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January 11, 2026

• Brush: Brad Sears Scotsman XL 28mm Super Badger
• Razor: Thiers Issard Évidé Sonnant 6/8" Extra Hollow
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Cedrati - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
• Aftershave: Floris London - No. 89 - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Close comfortable shave. No nicks or irritation.

As of this evening’s shave I’ve decided all this fuss about bevel angle (self-generated) is overrated 😂

January 10, 2026

• Brush: Elite Razor Neo-resinate 26mm Mother Lode
• Razor: River Razors 6/8 3/4 Hollow
• Lather: Noble Otter - Firefighter - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Aftershave: Noble Otter - Firefighter - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

The River Razor 6/8 has a slightly large bevel angle (19 degrees) and I have not had the type of shave that I hoped to have with it. Today, I tried preparing the razor with a Jnat edge (for softness), and using the same “soft touch” technique that I used yesterday with the 22 degree Thiers Issard razor. I’m thrilled to learn that this technique also worked with my River Razor. I may have just learned how to shave.

Shave video

She said it gave her a headache

Ahhh the headache excuse …

Hopefully I can do that again!

I guarantee you that you can!

I did a little research on this a while back and don’t recall if there is a precise definition. Most people seem to lay the razor down on a measuring tape and measure the distance from the apex to the top of the spine at the center of the razor. I measure the distance from the apex to the grind line on the spine because that is part of the bevel angle calculation.

The EdP is a must-have imo. You get all the complexity of the scent that is not present in the soap or splash. I’m always surprised by how good it is.

The struggle is real.

It certainly is! 😂

Ok, here’s (probably) more than you want to know 🙂. An edge is made up of two (bevel) surfaces that come together (intersect) to form a line. This is almost always drawn as two lines that come together at a point (the apex) showing two sides of a triangle.

In cutting, you achieve more precision by narrowing that triangle; think about the difference between an axe and a scalpel.

We call the angle between the two sides the bevel angle. On a straight razor that angle is determined by the width of the spine and the height of the blade.

Generally speaking, smaller angles are better for shaving. Most straight razors that I’ve measured have a bevel angle between 15 and 18 degrees. The challenge I had with this razor, which had a bevel angle of 22 degrees, was, “how can I get it to shave well?”.

Wet shaving turns out to be a terrific hobby and there’s a whole world of safety razors (DE and SE), soaps, splashes, etc. to explore. Straight razors are another rabbit hole to go down within the hobby.

I love that pattern of one soap per week. I would have to seriously thin my collection in order to do that.

January 9, 2026

• Brush: Wild West Brushworks Blue Space 26mm Cashmere
• Razor: Thiers Issard Le Petit Français 5/8 Hollow Ground Round Point
• Lather: Noble Otter - Monarch - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Aftershave: Noble Otter - Monarch - Aftershave
• Talc: Pinaud Clubman Finest Powder

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This Le Petit Français razor has over a 22 degree bevel angle. And it is a new razor! It was sent to me to have a new edge put on it. I chose to use a Jnat to create the edge with that Jnat softness, and then I tried a new technique while shaving to deal with the wide angle. This was very successful for me, and I very much hope that it works for others.

I picked Monarch because its fragrance is modeled on a French market. I thought that was fitting to go with the French razor. Surprisingly great shave today!

Shave video

👍

He has been living there for almost 5 years now.

Yeah, my son sent me some photos of Paris covered in snow. Amazing looking.

Yeah, the Noble Otter splashes don’t get enough praise. Excellent formulation to accompany the great scents.

Well, you’re no longer a beginner with a straight 😉

January 7, 2026 - A Gentleman’s Nod to Wednesday

• Brush: Wolfman WRB2 Bronze w/AP Shave Co MiG 26mm Premium Hybrid
• Razor: Wolfman Razors WR4/WRH3
• Blade: Feather Artist Club Professional (6)
• Lather: Gentleman’s Nod - Tusitala - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Aftershave: Gentleman’s Nod - Tusitala - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Gentleman’s Nod - Tusitala - Parfum Extrait
• Talc: Yardley Gold

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Wonderful shave with the WR4 today. I’ve now used all of the razors I have that take AC blades. Tusitala has a fragrance that was created by a perfumer. You can tell. There’s a woody, musky nature to it but there’s also a touch of citrus, tobacco, and spice in there. Even the Parfum Extrait has a mild to medium scent strength to it, but overall, this seems like a sophisticated scent to me.

“Nothing personal, it’s just business”