Le Maurice Pass around

Package has arrived safe & sound. My initial impressions are extremely good, at least aesthetically with the whole set and presentation. There was careful thought from this artisan in how this razor set is presented and I can appreciate that. Deciding on which set up to begin with.

First shave thoughts to follow shortly.

Oh you're gonna enjoy this set Gus !!

2 days worth of whisker growth and an extremely satisfyingly good shave. The initial shave I went right for the top gap set up, the 1.2 with a fresh Feather blade. I feel no need to explain the fitment and quality of craftsmanship that has been thoughtfully and eloquently said and described from the previous pass around participants. Their analysis and breakdown is spot on in those aspects I mentioned. As for feel and how it works in my hands the razor is overall balanced quite well. The cutting ability is smooth and precise with an easy angle to attain and maintain throughout the whole shave. Early gripe? Though the handle is not slippery, I do wish it had deeper serrations/cuts into it or just plain old knurling. Not a deal breaker to be perfectly honest as it shaves that good. But, I’ve been ruined by the excellent handles out there that provide a tactile grip that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Call me spoiled. Nevertheless, the shave was as good as one can get with a feel and distinction that is all its own. I haven’t experienced a razor that has shave characteristics similar to the Le Maurice. Perhaps a combination of the Razorock BBS-A with a Karve E or F plate in shave feel & performance. It’s unique and honestly, superbly done. First shot and I like it!

Next shave will be with either one of the other two and I’ll stay with the Feather until it gives up the ghost. Big thanks to Atelier DURDAN in allowing us to sample this unique and pleasing razor tool set. Looking forward to giving it a run for its money. Or mine. 

Great shaves to all….

Nicely done as ALWAYS GlazedBoker

Nicely done as ALWAYS GlazedBoker

You da Man…

Nicely done as ALWAYS GlazedBoker

You da Man…

Couldn’t get a shave in yesterday with the Le Maurice as a work emergency put a halt to my plans for the day. So, I went with an early morning shave today and went with the dual comb 1.0 base plate. I installed the one time used Feather blade from the previous shave, whipped up some Melange d’agrumes by Ethos for a full bodied and gorgeous lather. This stuff never disappoints in giving a perfect barrier for the skin & steel to meet. The blade feel on this base plate is slightly toned down from the 1.2 yet still effectively cuts through the whiskers with a smooth efficiency. The open comb side was used through the first pass that clearly brought down the whiskers with ease. The Feather after its first use is magical in the Le Maurice 1.0. The harshness is nonexistent as the Le Maurice tempers the feel beautifully with the bend that the head puts on the blade. Switched it over to the solid bar side for pass 2 which is always my ATG pass and it was effortless in execution that reminded me of the Timeless Ti..68 SB in feel but, cut closer more like the Ti .95. I was DFS at this point and could have called it then and there but, I wanted the full baby bottom finish. Flipped it again to the open comb side just to get a bit more feel and feedback so that it could work against my skin easily in catching any stragglers. The feel of the open comb side is so non aggressive that you can literally throw the razor around with ease and in the secure thought that it would not catch or bite unless you deliberately intended it too. The teeth are machined near perfectly to just roll over the skin comfortably and easily without feeling pointy or obstructive in any way. The dual comb set up just gives a quiet but, effective feedback on what it’s doing at every facet of the shave. Simply a wonderful shave that was just as good if not better than with the 1.2 Brass set. The feel in hand felt just as balanced as the 1.2 yet, I liked the slight top heavy feel or weight bias of the Brass set of the 1.2 just a bit more. Splitting hairs though as the 1.0 is well done & executed.

The Feather still feels awesome and onto the .8 for the next shave. Great shaves to all…

Another early morning shave and this time with the Ti .8 base plate & cap. I like the overall finish of this set up over the other two as it is nicely polished and looks more refined. Think of it as a very close or identical rendition of the finished product. Again, it’s a dual comb set up and the feel with this one in particular was mild & smooth. I used the Feather blade again on its 3rd use and it did what it had to do. The lighter weight of the whole set (all Ti head & handle) made me adjust slightly with a bit more pressure but, never felt as if I was going to pay the price for the change in technique & assertion of that pressure. Some good skin stretching and flexing and a DFSwas easily achieved in 3 passes with a slight buff on the chin & jawline to pick up stragglers. It was not the most efficient or effective cutting base of the 3 but, by no means is it an ineffective cutting tool. If a shaver prefers the mid to lower end of razor cutting spectrum, the .8 would fit that bill to a tee. I would like to think that its creation is to be a comfortable, non aggressive daily shaver with a smooth & softer feel on the skin that Titanium alloys have proven to show in the artisan razor creation field. I’m a sucker for Ti alloy in shaving gear and especially in razors. In the end though, I preferred the shave feel and qualities of the 1.2 Brass & 1.0 SS over the Ti .8 by a substantial margin. And that is not to say that this is the razors fault as it is more of my own doing that I prefer a more efficient or a more aggressive leaning shave designed geometry to get me to the shave qualities that I look for in a razor. 

I’ll get two more shaves in, one each with the 1.2 & 1.0 with a Bic Chrome and KAI blade, respectively and get this wonderful kit ready for the next pass around participant. Great shaves to all…

Short & sweet. Just a remarkably good shave this morning with the Le Maurice 1.2 Brass head. As I stated in my previous post I went with the Bic Chrome Platinum and it worked to near smooth perfection. Still as sharp as the Feather imho but, vastly superior in smoothness & comfort and the Le Maurice 1.2 took full advantage of this blades attributes. I did not need a full 3 pass shave but, the shave process was so smooth and seamless, I just went for the 3rd pass just to search for whiskers that honestly, weren’t even there. That’s how good it was. Easier on the face than the Feather yet identical results. I’m leaning towards this configuration ever so slightly the 1.2 that is but, I still need to try the 1.0 with the KAI blade just for my own personal reference. Today though, the Le Maurice with the Bic Chrome felt majestic in performance.

One more to go and my final thoughts afterwards. Great shaves to all…

An evening shave with the Le Maurice 1.0 and the last of the shaves in this pass around. I installed a fresh KAI blade just to see how blade feel & efficiency would fair in this set up. Also, went with the Daveli Farms Green Tea shave soap on its inaugural shave outing just to see how it fairs with some of the other comparably priced soap products out there. Brought out the Ethos Lather Booster just in case I needed an extra boost in lather & slickness. The shave yesterday was very good with the 1.2 & Bic Chrome as the stubble growth wasn’t as pronounced as normal. Nevertheless, there was enough to get my shave on and the 1.0 with the KAI did not disappoint. I used a bit more of the Daveli soap to get a thick and silky smooth lather and it actually provided very good protection and glide for the razor. I only used the Ethos Booster on the 2nd and final pass just to up the residual slickness of the soap. The Kai in the 1.0 is a step up in blade feel and most certainly in its efficiency in cutting thoroughly without any fanfare. I sacrificed just a tiny bit of the Le Maurice’s inherent smoothness to gain a bit more blade feel and overall feedback from this particular shave. Like I said previously, I was done in two great passes though I did create some heat/irritation at the corners of my mouth clearing out the ends of the stache area. No doubt caused by the extra blade feel/exposure on the skin and that is no fault of the razor itself. Just me experimenting with blades and feel. A lighter touch from hands and that irritation would have never reared its ugly head. On me, totally. Otherwise it was a BBS finish of the highest order with smooth and supple skin once all was said and done. Alum pass and the splash subdued the irritation gremlins in under 10 mins and I was good as new. The soap performed as it should providing good glide and protection for the skin allowing the Le Maurice to move smoothly and easily across my skin. Great shave, period.

Summation to follow. Getting dinner ready at the moment. Great shaves to all…