Williams Wednesday!
DEcemBoar!
Cold Water Shave w/ Hot Water Lather
Pre - Aloe Vera Glycerin Soap Face Wash, Noxzema Cream as Pre Shave
Razor - Gillette Parat (German)
Blade: Gillette Nacet (3rd Use)
Brush - Omega 66 Boar
Lather - Modern Williams Mug Shave Soap, Face Lathered
Post - Generic Reformed Alum Block, T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel, Aqua Velva Ice Sport, Nivea Sensitive Balm
The Williams I loaded to my brush just about held out for a solid two-pass shave. The Omega 66 boar did a fine job face lathering, squeezing the last of the lather out for the second pass.
The Parat proved to be even more efficient and slightly smoother than the '47 Super Speed. Part of the efficiency may be due to the weight difference ('47 SS 54g vs Parat 61g). You can really tell a difference in the mechanical smoothness when using the TTO mechanism, with the Parat feeling much smoother and a tighter action.
The Parat is a version of the British Rocket. There is not a lot of information about this razor online. I believe it was built for the German market between 1956-1962, with some of them being built in England and some in Germany. The British made versions say "Made in England" on the underside of the blade tray, while the German made version do not have any "Made in...". However, the underside of the case that came with this razor does say "Made in Germany". The Parat has the notable TTO gap just like the British Rocket. The only way to tell the two apart is to open the razor and you will see the Parat's TTO knob is of equal diameter to the handle, while the Rocket's knob is of a slightly larger diameter. It is a common opinion that the British Rockets are better made versions of the US Super Speed. With my minimal experience, I would concur with that sentiment.
I recently picked up the Aqua Velva Ice Sport at an Ingles grocery store. This is the same place I found the Williams soap. Surprisingly they also carry the 6oz size of the classic Clubman Pinaud A/S. It's a shame that these items are getting harder to buy locally!