Today's shave had two significant differences.
I followed my usual alcohol splash, once it boiled off, with a few precious drops of Aqua Velva* since it's Sunday.
The second, and perhaps more significant, change is a new... well, old, actually... razor sent to me by my friend Steve Garsson. It's a 60's vintage Gillette in very servicable condition. It's only the second DE razor I've ever used. Until now, DE for me began and ended with my beloved Merkur Futur. I decided to start in on this Gillette it with a Derby blade. This was my first Shave with it.
I achieved a very good shave with it. I'm pleased. It certainly is different, that's for sure. I not going to make any comparisons today because this morning's was only my first shave with it. I will want at least a dozen to start to say anything substantial about it or the differences... except to say that this was the quietest DE shave I've ever had by far.
So, I am excited to continue developing into this razor and broadening my DE experiences.
* One may say, "Chuck, Aqua Velva isn't exactly 'precious.' It's seventy cents an ounce at Target." But, Combe, the makers of Aqua Velva, are changing the bottle from the traditional glass to plastic. You're store's next shipment will come in plastic bottles. This is a shame for me because, A) whenever this sort of change happens, the manufacturer ends up reformulating the product to be chemically compatible with the plastic, and B) While not a raging environmentalist whacko, I prefer products in recyclable packaging. Yes, plastic is, in theory, recyclable, in most places there isn't yet effective plastic recycling available. So, my private stock of Aqua Velva in glass bottles, while considerable, is precious. One might wonder about the shelf life of aftershave. The key is to store it in a cool, dark place. So, a small corner of my wine cellar is now repurposed as an aftershave cellar.