... with the Merkur 41c open comb razor
The Brush: The Big Jock
The Soap: Phoenix and Beau Albion shaving soap
The Razor: Merkur 41c open comb
The Blade: Gillette 7 o'clock super stainless
The Shave:
Really very satisfying. My first try of Phoenix and Beau's Albion shaving soap. On the label it lists bergamot, lavender and grapefruit as its scent profile, but there seems to be more going on in there than that. I can't quite place what I can smell, apart from bergamot, lavender and grapefruit, of course, but whatever it is it's got me hooked.
I bloomed the soap first - recommended by the makers themselves, so don't judge me - and got a lovely whiff of (unsurprisingly) bergamot, lavender and grapefruit. Or did I? I suspect if you told me the scent was turmeric, rose and banana I'd be saying 'Ooooh, yes, definitely. I'm really getting those turmeric, rose and banana notes. Mmmm.' I'm generally a bit rubbish at describing scents of things. All I know is that I like the scent and that I got a very generous amount of lather with minimal effort. Fantastic.
Meanwhile - the razor. This was the first time I'd taken the Merkur out for a stroll and I wasn't disappointed. I'm a fan of open-comb razors and now have quite a few in my collection. I know not everyone gets on with them but they've always treated me well. The only one I've never got on with, particularly, is the Muhle R41. That's not to say it's a bad, ill-mannered lout of a razor. We didn't have an argument or anything. We just ... you know ... didn't click. There wasn't that spark. And in the end, it was over before it had even started. It was the same old story: boy buys razor, razor doesn't quite live up to expectations, boy consigns razor to cupboard under the sink, boy buys a different razor. We've all been there.