Head & face shave. 2 days growth.
Technique: WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower. Lucky Tiger Face Wash
Soap: Dapper Dragon Soaps - Black Dragon
Brush: Plisson Synthetic (1st gen)
Razor: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' Sidewinder
Blade: Astra SP(1)
Post: Fine Aftershave - American Blend, Soap Commander Aftershave Balm - Integrity, 1740 Beard Balm - Peppermint
This was my first time trying out Dapper Dragon Soap. Using a slightly damp, insanely soft Plisson, Dapper Dragon loaded very easily. After a moderate amount of water was dribbled in, an incredible amount of lather exploded in the bowl, and it felt like the Plisson doubled in weight. Since I was trying out a new razor, I took my time with 3 passes on my face before moving on to my head. There was plenty of lather volume to have done my head without reloading, but it didn't hold up to the amount of time I was taking. I therefore had to do a quick reload/lather before moving on to my head shave. This is not really a critique of Dapper Dragon as I think it would have been fine had I moved at my usual pace.
The scent of Black Dragon was pretty interesting. It was so complex, I had trouble picking out the individual parts. There was familiar vetiver with a crisp, clean green overtone. In the middle there was an effervescent, almost medicinal scent that briefly crept in. After looking at Dapper Dragon's scent profile, I see that anise is mentioned, so that's most likely what I was interpreting. Towards the end of the shave, the scents settled down to a more earthy, leathery side of musk. It was a very pleasant scent, and I wouldn't mind having a cologne with this exact profile.
As far as performance, I would rate Black Dragon high on the durability scale despite the fact that I needed to recharge. I was asking a bit much for the lather in the bowl to last as long as I was taking. It provided excellent protection and glide without feeling like artificial slickness. I was using an outstanding razor, so there was very little clean-up needed after 3 passes, but the residual lubrication from Black Dragon allowed me to make the clean-up swipes using only a wet hand (no visible lather). That's a testament to its durable lubrication, and it carried over to a very pleasant, moisturized post-shave feel. I'm ready to try Dapper Dragon's other offerings, and Black Dragon will certainly stay in my rotation.
Now to that outstanding razor I mentioned. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' latest offering is a beauty. The Phoenix Sidewinder is a classic 2-piece shaver. The cap is zinc alloy, and the handle is chrome-plated brass. By design, the baseplate is not removable, and I can't confirm whether it's zinc alloy or brass. The cap's stem is relatively short, and the threads catch by just resting the cap on top and then twisting the bottom knob. Of course, if you are loading a blade, you would most likely invert the razor and install the blade on the cap, and then begin threading. It's a pretty quick process since the threads catch so easily. It's not near as awkward as say a Merkur Progress. Speaking of---because someone's going to try it---other caps may work, so you frankenrazor enthusiasts will have fun experimenting. My RazoRock Baby Smooth's cap fit, but the Merkur Progress's stem was too long, and it bottomed-out preventing the cap from even approaching the baseplate. Assembled with the stock cap, my Astra blade had no alignment issues and there was no play even when the bottom was not fully tightened. So, yes, it would be possible to safely tweak your blade gap by loosening the knob. However, I found the efficiency to be spot on with it tightened down as it's designed, but more on that later.
There's some obvious tooling marks inside the shaft and what appears to be a transected tension collar just inside the top orifice of the shaft. It's only visible when the razor is disassembled, and I'm told that is normal for this razor. I don't believe the bottom knob is removable by design unlike some other 2-piece razors. There is an obvious spring allowing you to pull down the knob a maximum of about 2mm when the knob is disengaged. When it's tightened down, it doesn't budge.
Top to bottom, the finish is flawless. The knurling is finer than PAA's Double Open Comb, but looks like it's still part of the family. It's an elegant spiral knurling with perfect grippiness that is certainly appreciated by shower shavers. The planar surface maintains the signature laser-etched Phoenix logo. The surface is flat so you can balance the razor in a vertical position, but a gentle breeze would be enough to knock it over.
I confirmed the Sidewinder's plump handle diameter to be 14 mm and a hefty weight of 104 grams. The length is 4 1/4". While I usually prefer handles on the shorter side, I discovered this is more of an issue of balance. The Sidewinder was quite intuitive to handle. I tend to choke up on the razor in tight spaces like that annoying little patch right above my ears, but while shaving the back of my head, it just felt more natural to hold the distal end of the handle. This is where the length really facilitates head shavers.
The angle is also quite intuitive with a surprising amount of audible feedback given the inherent density of the material and relative lack of resonance. It is possible to have the wrong angle, however. Held correctly, there is no drag from the closed bar. It glides effortlessly across the skin.
The Sidewinder is very efficient. It rivals my iKon #102 slant which has been my most efficient razor thus far. After only one shave, I can't say it beats my iKon #102, but it's certainly in the running. Due to the excellent efficiency, there was very little clean-up to be done. My usual problem areas (the crown of my head and occipital region) were about 90% BBS prior to any clean-up. No doubt the Dapper Dragon soap played a role, but I was able to safely and comfortably take long sweeping passes from the nape of my neck to my frontal hairline. PAA markets the Sidewinder as an "above medium/aggressive" razor. I agree with leisureguy that the descriptor, "aggressive," can often have a negative connotation. While the Sidewinder is very efficient, it accomplishes this without sacrificing comfort.
The Phoenix Sidewinder is a beautiful representation of a classic style that could easily become my workhorse daily driver.