Monday 8th November
Ganders Goat Soap w/Hop, Sage & Birch
Derby Shaving Stick (Grated)
Omega Professional w/Blonde Boar 28mm
MARS Razor w/Number 5 Plate
Lord Classic (1) SE
Gillette Series Wild Rain Aftershave
Maiden voyage with the MARS razor and for the first go, my strategy was to go straight to the middle with the 5 plate and see from there if I wanted to go up or down the selection of 10 plates. After my first shave, I'm not unclear which way I do want to go but my strategy from here will be to shave again tomorrow on the 5 plate but with another blade (picked the Treet Platinum) and then go down to a 4 for a second shave on the Lord and up to a 6 for a second shave with the Treet.
... and see how I go from there.
As a razor, it's certainly well made! It has some weight, good grip and the angle is absolutely intuitive. The blade is quite vocal, but maybe that's the choice of plate and it quietens down with lower plates. It does feel like using a cartridge razor, but one where you're not chucking unnecessary plastic out once the blade is finished. Yes, there's some irony there that the razor is plastic but its construction in no way feels flimsy or that it might break. Consider the Gillette Guard, for example, which has a hollow handle, is super-light, can flex in use and if you really push hard enough you can get the cartridge to pop out < that's the Gillette Guard. The MARS is solid.
Shave enjoyed, and certainly looking forward to trying a different blade in it and exploring the feel of various plates. Off the 5 plate, I got a sound single pass shave that I'd grade as what we call DFS.
It's worth keeping an eye on developments at MARS as he's got an injector and an AC head in the works, different colours, maybe a rack for the plates, maybe a blade snapper with a catch for storing the other half until it's used, all sorts ...