view the rest of the comments
WetShaving
This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.
New subscribers welcome!
Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.
Check out these alternative front-ends for this server:
https://gem.wetshaving.social - a nice modern interface
https://old.wetshaving.social - designed to look like old.reddit.com
Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social.
Community Rules
Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette
-
Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
-
Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
-
Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.
Rule 2 - Content Guidelines
-
Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
-
Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
-
Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.
Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure
-
Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
-
Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
-
Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.
Rule 4 - Advertising
-
Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
-
Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
-
Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.
Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content
-
All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
-
Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.
Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion
- The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.
October 18, 2023
Brush: Wald Nimbus Bloodline 27mm J3
Razor: Thiers Issard Évidé Sonnant 6/8" Extra Hollow (Straight Shave 356)
Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch - Soap
Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch - Aftershave
Post Shave: Thayers - Rose - Toner
Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch - Eau de Toilette
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
I'm enjoying rediscovering Black Watch. Wonderful scent, and I enjoy the Highland base which I think has its own character. I appreciate the effort these artisans make because I suspect it is difficult to do.
I haven't used the Évidé Sonnant in a while. It gave me a comfortable and close shave. I don't get much ringing from this one but it was convex honed by the seller, then honed by me on flat stones so, perhaps, the singing part of the edge is gone.
Black Watch++;
That seems a bit quick for getting through the belly of that blade. Was it singing more when you got it?
No, it has never been a singing blade which is quite weird considering its name.
It might be a marketing nothing burger, then?
There's a karma thing going on. I suspect that @whosgotthepudding's Évidé Sonnant sings like crazy. Mine sings like a wedge. Same goes for edges. My Ralf Aust edges were only ever OK when new, but I just refreshed @oswald_heist's 5/8 Ralf Aust and the condition of his edge after 25+ uses looked great (just stropped well), and still tested at a very comfortable sharpness level.
That's odd 😅
I wonder whether this is the iffy QA which Brad Maggard mentioned
I wonder whether this is the iffy QA which the shopkeeper at Au Grand Rasoir mentioned
Maybe they were both correct?
My guess is that there's a little of "you get what you pay for" in this. I don't know about TI, but Ralf Aust does an amazing job of producing great quality at a very affordable price point. And he is able to supply vendors with a good volume of product. To do this, there's no way he can put the time and effort into each razor that Ulrik, at Koraat, does for his customs. So I would expect that, due to all the necessary hand work, there is variation in manufacturing tolerances for Austs, and perhaps this is true for other vendors who market more in volume. Perhaps most of the time errors compensate, but occasionally, they accumulate.