Welcome. I can appreciate this approach. When I first started with straights, I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that a good shave was possible, I already had stones for my woodworking tools, and I was working on a budget.
My first brush and first soap were pure trash. No slickness to be found in the soap, and the brush seemed to irritate my skin more than a bad shave did. This really forced me to dial in both my shaving technique and my honing. After some time, patience, and blood, I was getting really good shaves and really good edges.
The first time I tried a good brush with an artisan soap, it blew my mind. I went from really good shaves, to fantastic shaves. Always leaving the experience smooth, hydrated and refreshed.
All this to say again: I appreciate the approach and glad to have you here. I'll be looking forward to how it develops.
Just had this 7 day set land today. Very minor rust on the tangs, otherwise in great shape. They all have yet to ever be honed.
KOBAR was a brand belonging to Friedrich Emde (as was the trademark Kiebitz). The company changed name to Gebrüder Emde and later EMDE. They produced razors between 1902 and 1939.
I just had this land, but moments ago, in from Spain. Managed to snag this NOS Iberia 14 Doble Temple. I'm looking forward to giving this thing its first edge.
The Degenerate Kamisori with that faux tortoise goes sooooo good with the Tabac setup!