Shaving notes of the MaineYooper

Well (I know, a deep subject. <insert groan>), I think all amber handle Schick Type G razors either have it in for me or I am not compatible. The last few days I have been trying to shave with my new to me Type G amber handle, and it continues to be a rough slog. I had one a few years ago and gave it up as too aggressive feeling to me. It leaves my face mildly irritated, unlike my cream handled G which is an uber smooth shaver. Then I had the one with the cracked spring (BTW, it was returned at seller's request and my moola refunded!). Now I have a wonderful looking specimen. After the shave, even having done the last pass with the Canadian Type E (another great injector for me!), the Thayer's WH "lit up" my face! Not really. But I got plenty of feedback. Parts of my face are just now returning to a normal feeling. I suppose this aggressiveness has to do with blade exposure? I worked hard to keep the injector flat to my face, and while this tamed it somewhat, it didn't stop that harsh feeling. I'll sway out the blade, maybe, but I really don't think it is the blade. That experiment will have to wait, though. The postal service tracking bot informs me Mike's Blackland Era (Thank you so very much, HighSpeed) should be arriving today, and the Ti Vector tomorrow. So sorry, Type G amber, my shaving dance card is now full for the rest of the week!!

Have a great day, guys!

Well (I know, a deep subject. <insert groan>), I think all amber handle Schick Type G razors either have it in for me or I am not compatible. The last few days I have been trying to shave with my new to me Type G amber handle, and it continues to be a rough slog. I had one a few years ago and gave it up as too aggressive feeling to me. It leaves my face mildly irritated, unlike my cream handled G which is an uber smooth shaver. Then I had the one with the cracked spring (BTW, it was returned at seller's request and my moola refunded!). Now I have a wonderful looking specimen. After the shave, even having done the last pass with the Canadian Type E (another great injector for me!), the Thayer's WH "lit up" my face! Not really. But I got plenty of feedback. Parts of my face are just now returning to a normal feeling. I suppose this aggressiveness has to do with blade exposure? I worked hard to keep the injector flat to my face, and while this tamed it somewhat, it didn't stop that harsh feeling. I'll sway out the blade, maybe, but I really don't think it is the blade. That experiment will have to wait, though. The postal service tracking bot informs me Mike's Blackland Era (Thank you so very much, HighSpeed) should be arriving today, and the Ti Vector tomorrow. So sorry, Type G amber, my shaving dance card is now full for the rest of the week!!

Have a great day, guys!

Sorry about the rough shave but glad you got your money back on the bad razor and have some others that you like. Also cool you have a couple new ones to play with !

Well (I know, a deep subject. <insert groan>), I think all amber handle Schick Type G razors either have it in for me or I am not compatible. The last few days I have been trying to shave with my new to me Type G amber handle, and it continues to be a rough slog. I had one a few years ago and gave it up as too aggressive feeling to me. It leaves my face mildly irritated, unlike my cream handled G which is an uber smooth shaver. Then I had the one with the cracked spring (BTW, it was returned at seller's request and my moola refunded!). Now I have a wonderful looking specimen. After the shave, even having done the last pass with the Canadian Type E (another great injector for me!), the Thayer's WH "lit up" my face! Not really. But I got plenty of feedback. Parts of my face are just now returning to a normal feeling. I suppose this aggressiveness has to do with blade exposure? I worked hard to keep the injector flat to my face, and while this tamed it somewhat, it didn't stop that harsh feeling. I'll sway out the blade, maybe, but I really don't think it is the blade. That experiment will have to wait, though. The postal service tracking bot informs me Mike's Blackland Era (Thank you so very much, HighSpeed) should be arriving today, and the Ti Vector tomorrow. So sorry, Type G amber, my shaving dance card is now full for the rest of the week!!

Have a great day, guys!

So sorry the Injector isn't playing nice. There's a 3d printed dunce cap I've seen on Etsy, which seems appropriate for bad razors (really designed for bad D20s). Perhaps it's time we all add one to our dens? Lol.

On the other note... wow! I look forward to hearing how the Era works for you. We have somewhat similar tastes in razors, so your review should absolutely provide some context to whether it's a razor for me. What plate(s) is he sending you to try?

Have a great day Eric.

Well (I know, a deep subject. <insert groan>), I think all amber handle Schick Type G razors either have it in for me or I am not compatible. The last few days I have been trying to shave with my new to me Type G amber handle, and it continues to be a rough slog. I had one a few years ago and gave it up as too aggressive feeling to me. It leaves my face mildly irritated, unlike my cream handled G which is an uber smooth shaver. Then I had the one with the cracked spring (BTW, it was returned at seller's request and my moola refunded!). Now I have a wonderful looking specimen. After the shave, even having done the last pass with the Canadian Type E (another great injector for me!), the Thayer's WH "lit up" my face! Not really. But I got plenty of feedback. Parts of my face are just now returning to a normal feeling. I suppose this aggressiveness has to do with blade exposure? I worked hard to keep the injector flat to my face, and while this tamed it somewhat, it didn't stop that harsh feeling. I'll sway out the blade, maybe, but I really don't think it is the blade. That experiment will have to wait, though. The postal service tracking bot informs me Mike's Blackland Era (Thank you so very much, HighSpeed) should be arriving today, and the Ti Vector tomorrow. So sorry, Type G amber, my shaving dance card is now full for the rest of the week!!

Have a great day, guys!

So sorry the Injector isn't playing nice. There's a 3d printed dunce cap I've seen on Etsy, which seems appropriate for bad razors (really designed for bad D20s). Perhaps it's time we all add one to our dens? Lol.

On the other note... wow! I look forward to hearing how the Era works for you. We have somewhat similar tastes in razors, so your review should absolutely provide some context to whether it's a razor for me. What plate(s) is he sending you to try?

Have a great day Eric.

Love the photo!

Mike has the 3 SB, which is what I figure is what I want, if the razor plays nice. I will definitely post my experiences here!

[No photo, so you'll have to decide for yourselves if it really happened]

TL;DR
A great first shave, hitting all my buttons for a wonderful shave, one I call a Really Comfortable Shave that leaves me Refreshed. I prefer not to chase babies around the bathroom, and instead shoot for close, comfortable, and with an overall enjoyable experience. What better way to start any day!

Details
I was assembling the pieces of the shave last night and did not have my preferred blade upstairs (Israeli Red, the Personna Platinum Chrome). Horrors. And I was too tired/lazy to want to wander down to where the Vault of Stuff is located. So, I put a Viking's Sword blade in, which may be a rebranded Personna Pt Cr. The plate was the Level 3 solid bar.

Soap was the Noble Otter Bare, which is a great performer for me, especially when I get the water to soap ratio right. (It is always performing well, but some days I can get it better with adding more water than usual). 
Brush was the Omega Jade boar. 
And off we went!

The angle was easy to find and easy to keep. I imagine we all have had the razor that for whatever reason, we find it hard to keep that perfect angle all the time. The Era, like the Karve Overlander, seemed to do well in that respect. How well the shave lasts today, along with more shaves, will be the final indicator. But my gut reaction was that the Era would be a great razor for me.

I like mild and efficient razors, and prefer a comfortable, relaxing shave without excitement. I don't like to feel a lot of blade, I tend not to get along with "aggressive" razors. The Era with the Level 3 SB plate is right in my wheelhouse. I may even be interested in the Level 4 SB plate, but that will be decided some time from now.

Thank you, Mike HighSpeed for the loan of this razor. I look forward to a few more shaves, and I should compare it to the Overlander, which has become the top DE right now.

You are very welcome Eric MaineYooper. I’m glad the razor worked well for you.

[again no photo. if a tree falls in the forest...]

Titanium Vector
Schick Proline (1)
Knothead Cottonwood/SynBad
Noble Otter Bare

A wonderful first outing with this version of the Vector. I went back over my notes from last year to reacquaint myself with the shaves. Lots of nicks and irritation, lather being fully removed which made taking an additional stroke hazardous, and many notations regarding close but not as comfortable as (fill in the blank). Then a "scratch and dent" Colonial The General came in late June, and the Vector went off to a more appreciative user. It just wasn't for me.

But this version seems different. Time will tell. It is so light, feels a smidge heavier than an injector. Compared to my other razors, like the Overlander and Sabre, it feels like a toy! It is not a toy, but that is the feeling I had. I didn't notice it pulling all the lather off my face like the SS version did, at least not so that I felt like I couldn't take another swipe at an area if needed. Again, I will have to pay attention the next time I shave. And there was definitely no death grip on the counter and gritted teeth, worrying how bad a cut would be, like I recorded in my notes. With the SS version, if I didn't want a "white-knuckled" shave, I had instead to keep all my attention on going really light and riding the cap as if my life depended on it. Not the case this morning. I took a deep breath and just shaved. Figured if there was a bloodletting, then I would know immediately if this titanium version would be around for long. Today's shave seemed like any other shave with a new razor; that is, some attention given above normal, but nothing seemed outlandish. So I like it and look forward to some more shaves. Thank you, San wetshaver_GA for providing this opportunity!

The plan, for the interested, is to shave at least tomorrow with it if not Saturday as well, to see how it does as a daily shaver. Then I need to put my attention back on the Era, so as not to deprive Mike of his new razor! He has graciously told me to take my time with it, and I may do just that; but having sprung for this titanium razor, I should probably stop thinking about an Era for the time being. Maybe later this year. 

The plan for the Era was to get some shaves in, then do some Overlander and Yates 921 shaves, and then do a few more Era and try to summarize what the experiences were like between the three. Those are my 3 modern DE razors and I am curious as to what I'll find. So come Monday, the Vector may be on its way west, young man, to Dave. I am looking forward to his thoughts as he recently reacquired the SS version. And I believe he also has a titanium Blackbird, and his thoughts on how titanium affected both the Blackbird and the Vector will definitely be Must Read material!

Almost the weekend, which is my work weekend this time, but the rest of you enjoy it as you can!

It's great news that the Ti Vector is working so well for you Eric, but don't worry about me regarding the Era.  I know what I need to know about the Era for now, and it won't be at the top of my list again until the #4 and #5 plates become available.  I don't see that happening soon, and I have enough fun razors to entertain me in the meanwhile.

This morning I had my phone, but my wife was in the bathroom. She already wonders about my obsession with shaving and if I started taking pictures of my stuff she would be calling some hotline, I'm sure! 

Ti Vector 
Schick Proline (2)
Zombie Genes/G5A knot 
Noble Otter Bare 

Very nice! Hit a pimple bump, but no irritation and less than 20 stitches. 

Seriously, I am very pleased with my major purchase. Looking forward to trying various AC blades and comparing shaves to the General V2 and the Hawk v3. 

More immediate, I am looking forward to comparing the Era to my Overlander and the Yates 921 this coming week.

Hope your Friday is going well!

I want to give a shout out to Rod and Mandy at Stirling Soaps and Stirling Roastery. I sent an email to them recently and just received such a wonderful response. Makes me want to order a lot of things to show my support and appreciation!