Fox Cutlery 11/16 Vermont Green Slate Edge Test
Oh, hey everybody. I was just teaching Chucky how to shave. He’s molted since the last time you saw him, bigger now, all grown up and ready to learn. Shaving is about the one thing I’ve got figured out. So I’m passing on the knowledge.
Anyway. Good Sunday morning and welcome to Chad Makes Wet Shaving. CMW if you prefer. Two things on the table: a Fox Cutlery 11/16 I honed on the Vermont Green Slate, and RazoRock Mudder Focker shave soap, first time using it. It’s about 5:30 in the morning and I haven’t finished my first cup of coffee. Let’s go.
The Fox Cutlery 11/16
Picked this one up off eBay. Put some work into it, cleaned it up, polished it. Nice little razor. If you know how to hone, you can find some good deals on eBay. That’s just the truth.
I called it a 5/8 in my honing video. Went back and measured. It’s 11/16. So there’s that.
If you caught the honing video, you know I finished this edge on the Vermont Green Slate. The real question is whether I did something good or ruined it. I stayed up till 10 o’clock Saturday night honing. Late for me. It’s been a theme lately.
RazoRock Mudder Focker
Funny name, sure. But it’s accurate: Mudder Focker is made with thermal mud from Italy. That’s where the name comes from.
I’ll be upfront. I had preconceived notions going in. I love RazoRock’s razors. But their soap? I figured it was entry-level stuff, something for people just getting started. I was skeptical.
First thing I noticed: this lathers extremely easy. I’d call it a hybrid soap and cream. Nice thick lather right away. And the scent hits me like old-time cologne. 1980s cologne, specifically. That’s what I get off it.
The listed notes:
Top: bergamot, anise, pineapple. Heart: jasmine, violet. Base: amber, musk, sandalwood, vanilla, hay, tonka bean, patchouli, and thuja.
That last one, thuja, I think it’s a coniferous tree. Maybe pronounced “thuya.” Don’t quote me on that. I’m not a good scent guy, everybody knows that. Lucky if I can smell half the time. I think I picked up a little something that could’ve been jasmine in there. Maybe. The overall impression was that old cologne vibe, and I liked it.
I didn’t have the matching RazoRock splash on hand, so I finished with some Floid. Figured the scents were close enough. Got some menthol in the Floid. Nice cooling after the burn.
The Shave
In the end it doesn’t matter what it smells like. It matters how it performs. The smell is not going to protect your face.
Fox Cutlery, first pass. And it shaves. Good, good, good, good, good.
Two passes. Against the grain on the neck and face. That back corner of the jaw is always a bad spot for me, that’s where I end up catching myself with the corner when I’m trying to get everything clean. No issues. Not too shabby.
Closed it out with T.N. Dickinson witch hazel. If anybody wants to sponsor me with a lifetime supply, I’m not saying no to that.
Vermont Green vs. Arkansas
This edge works. It shaves. But I know it’s not at the same level as the Arkansas. It’s just not. I prefer the Arkansas edge.
If I’m sitting in a witness stand and forced to testify, I say the translucent Arkansas. Against the grain is where it really shines, and the Vermont Green isn’t there for me yet. Not saying the green is bad. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just not the same thing.
I’m still learning. Still working on my old butcher wedge, off and on, slowly but surely. Until I conquer that razor I won’t feel good about my honing ability. And probably even then I won’t, because there are so many stones and progressions and things to try. I’m a baby in this. Just getting started. But getting a shavable edge on a razor, that’s where I was trying to get. Moving in the right direction.
Mudder Focker Verdict
Better than I expected. I owe RazoRock an apology on the soap side.
It’s good. Easy to lather, scent is solid. Cushion could be better. And after the shave, I’m not getting that same face feel I get from some of the artisan stuff, like Subtle Art, Cajun Blade, Adopted Acres. When you start using a bunch of different soaps, you get picky. No better word for it. You know what you like, you know what you want, and you notice when something doesn’t quite get there.
But for the price, it’s not bad. Not bad at all. Entry-level, I assumed. It’s not that.
I’ll link it in the description if I can track it down.
On a side note, Chris, take care of yourself, buddy. Things will look up.
Hope everybody has a great rest of their Sunday and a good week to come. Like the video, subscribe if you don’t mind, get in the comments and talk shaving. Why not? Sundays are for shaving.