(This post was last modified: 04-08-2019, 12:20 AM by 120inna55.)
One more week...
Lather Bros. | Howling Winter
Leo Frilot Tru-Stone 322 | AP Shave Co. SilkSmoke 28mm
Phoenix Shaving | Ascension Double Open Comb SS
Triad | Rolling Hex SS
Treet | Platinum Super Stainless Steel
Just a few quick comments on this shave. "Howling Winter" is Lather Bros.' homage to Cool Water. Not having experienced the target, I can't speak to its accuracy. Howling Winter is a crisp aquatic with faint icy green notes by way of spearmint and peppermint. However, it's not overwhelmingly minty, but rather just enough to "smell" cool without feeling tingly. Overall, this is a very pleasant clean fragrance.
Now to the shaver. I've spoken about the Ascension SS previously, but I just can't get over the efficiency of this razor. In my experience, the original DOC was a good daily shaver, but I shave every other day. The Phoenix couldn't handle my 48-hour growth without a shim. The Ascension is a different story. I was approaching 3 day's growth, and this razor yielded a smooth-as-glass dome after a single against-the-grain pass. Truly an amazing shaver.
If you're wondering about the after-market handle, it's my beloved handle from my DE days. After becoming enamored with vintage SEs and injectors, I'd all but abandoned my DEs, but I sorely missed this Toby Sooter production. The Ascension is the only razor that brings me back into the DE realm. Given that the handle is 316L SS, and weight within a gram of the stock Ascension handle, it's as if it were made for it.