- Brush: Semogue Owner's Club (cherry wood and boar) (1)
- Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels Friodur 50 (7/8", hollow ground, stainless steel, masonic deco) (1)
- Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Roman Spice
- Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Roman Spice
- Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Roman Spice
This is my fourth AA and the first one I'm not doing in Mr One More Time's Ultra Nightmare Mode. I like the nightmare mode for trying out new hardware with disposable blades, because it lets you concentrate on technique and let's be frank, 31 shaves on a blade isn't a big deal. It's perfect for something like GEMs of Wisdom or the Days of Weckoning, but I am less of a fan when it comes to straight razor challenges, in particular if the goal is to make it easy for new straight shavers to join. It's not because I think it is particularly difficult to do 31 shaves on an edge, but because meistering straight razor maintenance is as much a source of satisfaction as perfecting the shave technique. This was my idea behind creating HoneMeisterschaft, the AA challenge that requires you to hone your edge and to discuss your process and its effect. Since this is a niche (straight razor honing) within a niche (straight razor shaving) within a ..., I wasn't sure this would attract any participants, but I'm delighted to see that a bunch (6 at the time of this shave!) of you decided to join the fray, thanks! 😊.
I decided on my beautiful and mysterious Friodur 50 for $FriodomRiders. Ever since I bought a Friodur 472½ two years ago (for The List) I was curious about why stainless razors have a bad reputation. They can clearly be fantastic, and not having to worry about every last bit of moisture with a straight is pure peace of mind, so it never made sense to me. I've shared my theory in the announcement post and I'm confident that everyone who took this ~~opportunity~~ excuse to use a quality stainless steel razor will be appreciate the shaves, and the confidence that the blade won't rust.
Ironically this shave sucked 😄. What happened is that I had planned to hone it before leaving for vacation 2 weeks ago, but 4 days before the travel, we had a (in hindsight minor) health emergency which meant that I had to rush Djunior to the hospital and take care of him instead of important things like honing this razor or going to work. So instead of just packing my razor, my RawHoggin' brush and my software, my AA setup now also included my stones, and I didn't want to schlepp all that stuff. Instead, I sent it ahead to the place I knew we'd be at on Aug 1. The plan almost worked, but our flight got delayed and we arrived super late. I honed the thing, but clearly didn't take enough time because it was quite the tuggy affair. Luckily the rules of HoneMeisterschaft allow for (and even encourage) corrective measures in this situation. I'm off to bed, and I'll hone this thing better tomorrow.
The SOC gets such contradictory ratings in this community that it intrigued me. From "favourite brush" to "forced bloom makes it feel empty" it spans the entire range, so I'm really curious to experience this new-to me brand of piggy.
Tagging Hog Daddy u/EldrormR as per rule #6 of Rawhoggin. The SOTD pic includes the (still packed) brush, and here's the unboxing video.
$FriodomRiders $HoneMeisterschaft $RawHoggin $Discord