First Stirling purchase, won’t be the last and yes, I had to go with something that I’d love, oud, glorious oud.
Stirling’s Agar is pleasing, playing it safe coming off as a clean oud-spice with just a very slight hint of that more funky aspect that can come from an oud scent.

Though I have to note that Stirling did a great job taming the oud with cedar, spices, and very notably missing floral notes that most perfumers prefer to use to balance the oud and spice.
Which is probably why you can still detect that hint of funk.
For those who have never tried Oud, this might be a good one to step into as it’ll give you an idea of where the middle ground of oud would be if its tamed but still has that slight hint of the animalic.

Paired it with one of my favorite Oud scents, Davidoff’s Agar blend EDP.
Dominant notes of Amber, Cinnamon, Pepper and Oud.
Delicous.

*****

The Oren with the Pro-Guard blades combination is probably one of the smoothest shaver I have use.
It’s also one of the more annoyingly inefficient.
Not sure if its my technique or the blade.
I’ll plug it as my technique for now, since I am still learning the quirks of this razor.

I might want to go to the 3 DOT plate with the Pro-Guard.
For some reason I keep finding unshaven whiskers scattered around my problem areas. Given, there is no irritation … yet.
(4 passes + clean up ; WTG, XTG, ATG, XTG-ATG + Clean Up)

I eventually got myself to where I am more or less satisfied with the shave but this time round (and last night) it was still a DFS, not BBS.
I almost reached for the Tatara to complete the job but decided against it.

I’ll change to the 3 Dot plate when I get home and see if that helps.
And while at the moment I am using a Pro-Guard blade, I know the Info-card do not recommend using the Pro Blades with the 3 Dot plate.
I wonder if that is a hard rule (because accidents *will* happen if you do) or its just not recommended but you can try. 🤣

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy Mancurian Dual Band Badger by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Stirling Soap Co. Agar
• Razor : Occam’s Razor Oren Nano Enhanced w/Feather Pro-Guard Blade (3)
• Post Shave : Sirling Soap Co. Agar Aftershave Splash and Balm
• Others : Davidoff Blend Collection : Agar Blend EDP

Haven’t used Vetiver in a long time, and it’s one of my oldest favourites, actually this scent is / was my signature scent for a long time dating way back around the 80s when I was given a “used” bottle as a young man and later again in the 2000s when I found these being sold again.

Fine’s soap are okay. Scent and strength are better then Fresh Vetiver both stronger and closer to the present version of Vetiver. But still weak.
I don’t think many remember that original old Vetiver now, which had a very very rich tobacco and aromatic vetiver scent, far less fresh than today’s versions, more grit and yet had a very refined vibe.

I always think of my Vetiver scents as “James Bond” and I don’t know why.
But if Vetiver scents are James Bond, Guerlain’s Vetiver is Sean Connery’s James Bond.

And oh yeah, shave was excellent. Can’t say if I prefer this blade or the Pros yet. Need to use them both more. But it was a very much more smoother shave than with the Pro blades. Need more time with both before I decide which is going to be the primary blade of choice.

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Fine Green Vetiver
• Razor : Occam’s Razor Oren Nano Enhanced w/Feather Pro-Guard Blade (1)
• Post Shave : Fine Green Vetiver Aftershave splash, Prep Balm
• Others : Guerlain Vetiver EDT

Scent profile as per Ginger’s Garden web site:
Cedar, Fir, Herbs, Leather and a touch of Musk.

I’d swear that my nose thinks there’s birch in there, as the scent to my nose is best described as gunsmoke and wood and a hint of saddlebags.

Paired the soap with Whiskey woods and the layered scent combination is actually pretty damn good.
If Heller Highwater had Strong Bourbon in the Original mix of notes I think I would have very definitely liked it much more.

About the Oren.
The one thing I do appreciate with this razor is how forgiving it is. I forgot that I have a bump on the side of my chin, its one of those large lumps that is sort like a pimple but need time to “mature”.
So the blade ran over that bump and I thought I had nicked it.
Nope. Luckily the soap (which as per ginger garden’s tallow stuff) had pretty awesome slickness and the razor itself, I think, “forgave” that little mistake.
If this had been any other razor, I am pretty sure I would have got a “user error” nick / cut / bleeder.
As it was, no blood was drawn.

Handling is still a little awkward, due to the handle. I keep wanting to hold it a certain way but the handle doesn’t allow for it. This will probably change in time, over prolonged use and I get used to the handle.
I’d highly recommend getting the other version (Hiram) with a rounder shaped and textured handle so that you can shift your grip far more easier.

The shaves themselves are very comfortable but not as efficient as either the Tatara in Nodachi-Base plate + Masamune-Top Cap configuration or PAA’s Ascension where the razor being the Buffing God it is, can and will give you that glase smooth BBS 100% of the time with less time spent going over problem areas.

The blade feel is very much on par with the Tatara, its almost not there and like the Tatara, I shave via audio cues looking for spots where the blade still sing out to indicate that there’s stubble. And like the Tatara I need to suppress the urge to push down harder.
Just because a razor feels smooth and gentle does not mean it won’t bite.

Which come to the other part, how long do these blades last anyway? On DE’s I don’t usually see my blades go past 4 shaves or by the time they hit 5/6 shaves, the quality of the shave has degraded to the point where irritation is guaranteed if I don’t settle for DFS and chase BBS.
I get the feeling that I could have gone another 5 shaves easy.
The main thing with these blades is that even as fresh blades, they do not feel as sharp as DE feathers while they are certainly much much more smoother, which is appreciated.

No irritation BBS shave and after post shave, I recycled the blade to swap to the Feather Pro-Guards.

Tomorrow’s shave will be see which blade is better suited or if I want to pony up and get the Super-Pro blades. (or use the 3 dot Top Plate)

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Ginger’s Garden Heller Highwater
• Razor : Occam’s Razor Oren Nano Enhanced w/Feather Pro Blade (5)
• Post Shave : Clubman Pinaud Wiskey Woods and Ginger’s Garden Hellar Highwater Balm

Going fresh blue scent today and pairing with Bvlgari’s Atlantiqve.

Getting better at handling the Oren, think the blade is still good, though can’t tell if the edge is going yet, since while it does do the job, the SE blade isn’t as sharp as or smooth as the DEs that I am used to, requiring more passes over an area.
Still, it was a no irritation shave and the end results are good.

• Pre-shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy Manchurian Dual Band Badger by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Soap Commander Vision
• Razor : Occam’s Razor Oren Nano Enhanced w/Feather Pro Blade (4)
• Post Shave : Soap Commander Vision Aftershave Splash and Blam
• Others : Bvlgari Aqva Altantiqve EDT

2nd use of the Oren Nano Enhanced and this time without the caffeine shake and some actual sleep, handling the razor is easier, though at some points when I want to adjust the grip (going XTG-ATG up across and up the underside of the chin) it wasn’t as intuitive.
Yet.

I did get a perfect BBS so that’s good.
But it did took a little more effort than with shaving with a DE, having to go over my usual trouble areas a few more times than say I would have especially with the Ascension-TADOC or the Tatara Nodachi-Plate+Masamune-Cap with a Bic or Feather blade.

Again, it was a very mild shave with very little blade feel and audio feedback plays a lot into telling you that it is doing its job.

Stretching the skin does help the blade to pick up on those pesky hold out micro whiskers.
No irritation and the shave itself was a very pleasant experience, especially if you take that extra bit of time to lather up between passes.
I think I didn’t need too, as smooth as the shave was, but I wanted to.

Also for those who like stretching their blades’s lifespan, it does seems that the blade’s edge seems to hold up better then with DE shaving, kind of expecting that since these are much thicker blades then DEs and it didn’t feel like the edge is giving up yet.
I wonder how many shaves do those of you who use the feather pro blades usually get?

All in all, another great shave.
Can’t wait for the evening’s shave.

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Brush : Oumo SHD Silvertip Badger
• Soap : WTF Grey’s Vetiver Tallow Puck
• Razor : Occam’s Razor Oren Nano Enhanced w/Feather Pro Blade (2)
• Post Shave : WTF Grey’s Vetiver Aftershave, Prep Balm
• Others : Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver EDP

• 

• 

Supply Drop : Occam’s Razor Nano Enhanced, 60 Feather Pro Blades, 15 Feather Pro-Guard Blades

So this dropped in just as I got home from work.
Just in time for the evening shave.

Vanilla Tobacco is fanfrackingtastic and sets up the face for that perfect shave.
Except, that I didn’t get that perfect shave.
No fault of the razor though, first time using the razor and I need to use this guy more as my technique with it needs work.

Two things that threw me off, the handle and I had the caffeine shakes (apparently that 5th cup of the day (soup mug sized) and about 8 hours of sleep in the past 2 days… yeah…

Still, it was **almost** perfect.
Blade was easily loaded using my fingers only, didn’t bother with the tool, and used the default 2 dot plate (medium aggression) with the Feather Pro blades.

I’ll try the Pro-Guard blades another time to see which one gives a better shave.
And after using the Professional blades I doubt I will buy the Super (more blade exposure? Nope, don’t want that) nor the Light and Softguard which are gentler blades or has less exposure.
I have a feeling that I’l be sticking to the Pro or Pro-Guard blades.

Got to ask those using this razor, what are your favorite blades? Schick? Feathers? Something else?

Shave itself was very very comfortable without any irritation though I didn’t get true BBS.
There were a couple of stubborn single micro-strands of growth that I am sure due to my hand trembling and non-familiarity to the Razor that wasn’t taken off around my usual trouble areas.
Rest of the face though, smooth as baby’s butt.
And no burn even though I did go over some spots several times.

Blade feel is minimal which surprised me, and you almost want to press down more and more on a stroke, I tried not to, and instead tried to find the that perfect angle for the best blade and skin contact.
I suspect though, that with this razor you do need to apply just that tiny bit of pressure for the blade to kiss skin and still glide to guillotine growth off.
All in all, it was a very awesome shave. Very comfortable, and I finally see why and how Don is able to shave the way he does … it might become a little addicting.
Which is more than likely that I will probably want to get the Hiram. 😁
I might have to change my Holy Trinity of razors to the “Holy Quartet”.

But I want to divert my “hobby budget” to more soaps and my other addiction, scents, for a bit before going back to hardware purchases.

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy Manchurian Dual Band Badger by Frank Shaving
• Soap : WTF Vanilla Tobacco
• Razor : Occam’s Razor Oren Nano Enhanced w/Feather Professional Blade (1)
• Post Shave : WTF Vanilla Tobacco Aftershave

#VanYulayWeek

Description of Shaving Soap Scent (as per the website description):
Top notes of spicy orient fragrances. Green notes of Bamboo, Sweetness of Orange blossoms, Peppery notes of carnation, Gardenia, Nutmeg, Clary Sage Vanilla, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean and Musk

Nice green and spice scent for the shave.
Went back to the Nodachi plate/Masamune cap combo for that more efficient feel.
To be honest at this point I can’t decide which combo I prefer more.

Since Enter the Dragon is a light green woods and spice scent that borders on being a little powdery, I decided to pair with Dua’s take on Creed’s Spice and Woods.
Dua’s juice performs better then the Original in all aspects of projection, silage and longevity.
Smells fantastic.
Ready to rock the day.

• Pre-shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy Manchurian Dual Band Badger by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Van Yulay Enter The Dragon
• Razor : Tatara Nodachi-Plate+Masamune-Cap w/Dorco Prime Blade (1)
• Post Shave : Van Yulay Enter The Dragon Aftershave Splash and Balm
• Ohers : Dua Fragrances Bois Precieux et Epices (Creed Spice and Wood Clone)

The Fragheads in the community will, the moment they see the SOTD picture, know what I am doing here.

Welcome to scent layering.
While you normally would layer a single scent to build up longevity, there is another side to this for the more adventurous and preferably experienced fragheads, that is to blend two or more scents to create something more unique, different.
Sometimes it works and you smell great, other times… not so much.

This time round, Dragon Spice is already a blend of two different family of scents and I am throwing into the mix, Santal Royal, which is an oud-rose scent, and it worked beautifully.
At least to my nose and taste.

For some, Santal Royal might be too flowery, it is afterall originally sold (and I think some places still do) as a woman’s scent though these days it’s labeled as “Unisex”.
It is heavy on the rose, which is fine, I do like the more fougere / floral scents.
But for the times when you you want something more “manly”, you can opt to layer it.
Layering on top of a blend of Dragon’s Blood and Spice Bomb, is interesting to say the least.
Spiced up oud-rose.

I’ll need to wear it for a day and see how it dries down and develops.,
And of course later when I get home from work. get the wife to comment on it.
Its 0230hrs, she’s not going to like me waking her up just so she can sniff me.

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shavning
• Soap : Ginger’s Garden Custom : Dragon Spice (Dragon’s Blood, Spice Bomb blend)
• Razor : Tatara Masamune-Plate+Nodachi-Cap w/Dorco Prime Blade (1)
• Post Shave : Ginger’s Garden Custom : Dragon Spice Aftershave lotion and Balm
• Others : Ginger’s Garden Custom : Dragon Spice Solid Cologne, Guerlain Santal Royal

Hail to the Oudh!
Long live the Oudh! (well at least the scent)
Love Royal Oudh as its a pretty good reproduction to Creed’s Royal Oud

Stepping down to the Masamune plate/Nodachi cap config for the sharper blades that I’ll be using in the next few days.

• Pre-Shave : Shower
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Van Yulay Roal Oudh
• Razor : Tatara Masamune-Plate+Nodachi-Cap w/Dorco Prime Blade (2)
• Post shave : Van Yulay Royal Oudh Aftershave Splash and Balm
• Others : Van Yulay Royal Oudh Deodorant and Cologne

Needed a menthol shave.
Still a little under the weather, nose blocked and stuff …the usual.
Oh wait, I work at the Airport, maybe its not so “just another cold/flu”
Ehhh … C’est la vie.

Mr Warlock though, is fantastic. Could not smell the soap, but I knew its peppermint-menthol.
Man, did it felt good.
Once I use up my rather substantial supply of Proraso Green, if its still available, it’ll be my mainstay Menthol soap.
For those of you who thought that Proraso Green’s aftershave is too mild …🤚…the Aftershave is something else too.
Loved it.

• Pre-shave : Shower
• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Soap : WTF Mr Warlock
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R3 w/Personna Platinum Blade (1)
• Post : Shave WTF Mr Warlock Aftershave Splash, Prep Balm