SEPT 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

1959 E3 Gillette Fat Boy on 6
VDH Boar
La Toja shave stick
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

Shave #1 with the Gillette Stainless in my '59 Fat Boy set to 6. Used La Toja shave stick for the first time along with my inaugural run of my VDH boar brush.
3 Full passes: Pass 1 WTG on my face and XTG on my neck. Passes 2 & 3: ATG. No Noxzema today as I wanted to try the La Toja shave stick. I'll be gone for a couple of days and wanted to see if I should take a travel kit. I also broke in my VDH Boar brush.
The lather for my first pass was a solid layer, but quite a bit drier than the Proraso. It seemed to protect well. I needed to wet the razor much more often to improve lubrication. Did a rewetting instead of a rinse because I was concerned I might not have enough lather left. The lather was thinner for pass two, but worked OK. Did another rewetting for a third pass (because I needed it) but there was almost no lather left. I ended up with a very thin layer. I kept wetting the razor and tried to be very careful and deliberate and it turned out OK. At this point, the brush was empty. The only touch up I could do was around my goatee since there was a tiny bit of lather there that could be spread out. A cold water rinse surprised me in that my face and neck felt almost BBS, actually very close to where I was after my shave yesterday. The Aqua Velva screamed at me, but went to sleep in less than a minute and the menthol kicked in.

The near BBS is a surprisingly good result from the Gillette Stainless and the Fat Boy considering the poor lather. This is my first time with a shave stick, so it is likely to be operator error more than the La Toja. It could also be that the new boar brush wasn’t a good choice. The shave was as comfortable as it could be given the thin layer of lather. I didn’t feel any irritation during the shave, but a spot that woke up after yesterday’s shave feels like it might complain today also.

 

SEptember Focus Day 3:

Homemade PS Oil
Stirling Synthetic Brush
Dettol Fresh SC
Gem Micromatic
Stirling Unscented PSB
Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill AS

This was the second shave with this razor, and boy is this thing aggressive. It is by far the most aggressive safety razor I have used. I got pretty much a BBS yesterday with a few weepers, so I went with just a single pass today. I got a close shave, but I also got some definite irritation. I can see this being a really great razor, as I don't know that I have ever had a shave as close as I did yesterday, I just have to get my technique with it down.

The Dettol SC was a gift from a coworker who picked it up at an Indian market in Houston. It is pretty good stuff. The lather was nice and thick and provided decent slickness and protection.

 

09/03/2015
Razor – Wolfman OC with Triad Helix SS
Blade – Gillette 7 O’clock Blue (1) @Rufus T.
Brush – Rudy Vey with TGN Finest
Lather – TSD Yin Yang
Post - Witch Hazel & Fine L’Orange



Loaded up the 7 o'clock blues from @Rufus T. for this morning's shave. I liked the 7 o'clock blacks and find this to be very similar. YMMV. A fantastic 3 pass shave with a few touch ups got me as close to a BBS on work mornings as I care to get. As usual the TSD soap was easy to lather and very slick. If you've never tried it, you should consider ordering some. Finished with a splash of Fine L'Orange.

 

Well this 3rd of Septembers shave was a hell of alot better then yesterday. 2 pass with a touch up under the jaw line and boy was it a close one this morning. No irritation no nicks.tried the cold water splash and I think I like it.thrown on some clubman select aftershave and then assembled my uniform (it was washed last night) and off I go.here it is about two hours after my great shave and still just as smooth .....this morning was a great shave morning..... Hope tomorrow is the same.

 

So decided this morning that I'd put that Walgreens club 35 blade into the tech for the last day of its life. Everything else was the same. Semogue brush, same soap and AS. The tech glides around with the GSB. This particular blade just felt rougher. It was a quick two pass shave. WTG everywhere and then XTG everywhere. Slight buffing on my jaw line and center of my neck. Looks like a good shave but I'd say close and comfy shave only today.

 

Do that in today's HS environment. I'm so glad I'm not 15 today.

 

SOTD
September 3, 2015
Prep: Hot Shower. Axe Energizing Face Wash Boost
Razor: Mongoose B3 Dr. Bomber Handle
Blade: Feather SuperPro
Brush: Omega 10098
Lather: Stirling Executive Man
Post: Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Stirling Executive Man
This is my blade. Very easy three pass shave with no irritation at all. No need for the alum block. Yeah I like this Omega 10098 brush a lot. Not as much as my synthetics but enough to use it weekly. Stirling Executive Man pretty much lathers its self.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE

 

Mark, Great photo and setup.

 

I thought you would like the Super Pro. Once dialed in it allows an almost effortless close smooth shave. I've been able to get 14 daily shaves out of the blade which only adds to the appeal for me.

 

Congrats. You are off to a fantastic start. Just imagine what the shaves will be like after you've fully mastered the technique.

 

Yeah it only makes sense to go with the sharpest blade, I've found that I tend to get smoother shaves with them. What's really important for me is an irritation free shave as opposed to a BBS.

 

They do smooth out a lot with a few shaves on them. For me the Mongoose, is almost the perfect blend of aggression and smoothness. Also, being able to change the characteristics of the razor by changing blades has been a huge plus.

 

I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I love the way each different blade type reacts in the Mongoose, such an added bonus.

 

I just can't wait till I get some new blades but it will come in time.I think I have figured out which way my whiskers grow so I can get as close as possible.my neck grows all funky like so it was quite the puzzle.

 

My neck is the same way with crazy growth patterns. You'll get it figured out over time. It just takes time to develop the muscle memory of shaving with a DE razor and time to unlearn the habits of cartridge razors. For me it everything began to click after about 30 to 40 shaves.

 

Yea good ol muscle memory.its starting to come together as I have been using a DE for about three weeks now.but those bad shaves do still happen.I'm far from the perfect shave consistently.

 

Waiting on my order from the Den. Takes a while.

 

​

 

Well, I just couldn't do another day of the Valet. I originally planned on four days with it and made it two. This morning I decided to switch to an injector. I grabbed my Schick Model G and loaded it with a new Schick blade. I decided to do it simple today and face lathered with some Arko and did a two pass shave with a little touch up and got a DFS on the first day.
The first thing I noticed with this razor is there is almost no feedback. I had to feel my face to see how I was doing. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it did on the first pass. I had to do very little angle adjustment to get good performance. As an injector rookie, I see potential here and look forward to learning this razor.
SOTD
Schick Model G
Schick blade (1)
Arko
Pinaud Citrus Musk AS
DFS on two passes
Have fun!