August 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Nice picture, Jared!

 

This is pretty much what I'm using at the moment.

 

well, I MIGHTA suggested that

 

I have been using just Feather Pro blades in it. I have not tried a better combination of efficient and idiot proof. I am not sure it is possible to cut yourself with it.

 

Quotes without context are sometimes awesome.


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Good ol' Proraso. What's the razor?

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Took me five pages of reading to catch up this evening.
Good job, Gentlemen!

Here's an experiment to try. Grate a whole stick of Arko. Spread it out on wax paper one layer thick. Let it air out to reduce the scent. Might take a week but I'm guessing a month. Add the scent of your choice using AS, EDC, EDT, E.O., etc. Stir and mash into a lidded container.

 

It's a Merkur Vision I picked up when it first came out. I love the menthol and eucalyptus feel on my face that Proraso gives me. Very refreshing.

 

I dig the look of it.

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Adjustable (Arko) August!!!

August 17 - Grand Blade Trials

Razor - 1959 (E4) Gillette Fatboy (3)
Blade - (1)
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Brush - 30 DC LE
Post - Alum

Well, here we are. In all its glory, the STD-301 from Dorco. The Dollar Store blade. Available at Dollar General or Family Dollar, this is the el-cheapo blade from Dorco. The blade is made in Vietnam, though all Dorcos appear to be made there now as well. There is documentation naming both South Korea and Vietnam on different blades, but the most recent seem to indicate production of the blades is done in Vietnam, while all corporate activities are carried out in South Korea. And DorcoUSA as well.

The first thing I noticed about this blade is the really cheap plastic dispenser. This isn't the same as the dispenser with the old Gillettes or even the modern Israeli drug store blades. Quite cheap and a bit sticky to get a blade out. The second thing I noticed is that the blade definitely appears thinner than a normal Dorco. The feel of the ends of the blade when loading the razor also feel thinner. I have no way of measuring them, but the thumb feel and eye test say thinner. The third thing I noticed is, on the 3 setting on the Fatboy, you have to work to get a good shave. I tried my usual two passes and touch ups and the touch ups took forever. The end result was a DFS but not a great one, with two weepers from trying to work my neck down to DFS. And the alum? Burn, baby burn. I really hit some irritation trying to get a decent shave with this blade.

Clearly this is not the same blade as the ST-301, Prime or Titan. Now, it may be the "seconds" off of the line, or perhaps where they run their second-rate material to use it up. I am interested to see if it will improve and how much as I open the Fatty up. I'm expecting some improvement, but how much is questionable. Especially if it is as dull as I think it is. Not a sharp blade at all.

Now, back to my calling it the "el-cheapo" Dorco. Yep, you can walk into Dollar General just like I did and throw down one whole dollar plus a few pennies in tax and own a package of 5 of these things. Sounds good, right? Well, that makes each of these blades cost 20 cents. You can buy a 100 pack of Dorco ST-301 on the bay for $7.91 shipped, which would be 7.9 cents. Or how about a thousand for $54.47 for just over a nickel a blade. Primes go for 8.9 to 9.7 cents each. And Titans - 15 cents. Suddenly the bargain doesn't seem like a great bargain at all. Especially if they can't produce any better shave than I just got. We can always hope until we know.

 

So decided to go ahead and go with Proraso Green tonight to change it up plus my face needed some menthol after this hot muggy day. Also decided to give the Schick Injector adjustable a shot tonight set on 5 and it did an awesome job. 3 pass BBS with only minor sting from the alum on the chin. Pretty good for a first use if I do say so myself.


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Very nice setup and picture.

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Great looking razor.

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Great looking shave den.

 

Actually, Jared, yes, it is possible. I have had the weepers to prove it, although nothing deep or serious enough even to need the styptic pencil. It is a great razor though.

And while I'm here posting this, a bit of housekeeping: I found myself pages behind on the thread and reading madly to catch up, as usual. One result is that I don't comment on a lot of things, because the thread has already passed them by by the time I see them. This includes the various daily photos. So I just thought I would mention now what a great lot of photos there have been on the thread this month! In today's reading (for me) I saw good ones by @Douglas Carey, @clint64, @Keithmax, @LevelupShaves, @PickledNorthern, @ColtJustice, @NCoxSTL (although he cheats and uses the same shot several days in a row), @Norcalnewb, @jtspartan, @Drygulch and a few more.

Well done, gentlemen! I can honestly say I haven't seen a single photo in the thread this month that made me think "Gee, that's a crappy shot! I wonder why he bothered posting it and/or what it's supposed to show..." On the other hand, I have seen several that made me suddenly lust after a previously undesired razor, brush or soap or even wish to go visit some new location...

 

Thank you.

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

Friday morning August 18 - back to the brushes

Rockwell 6S on plate #3 / Topaz Platinum (1)
1930ish Simms reknotted with Maggards 22mm black fibre synthetic
Kent/MWF in wooden tub
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original Alcohol-free

Continuing with my currently unloved brushes, today I used my Simms. Like yesterday's Rubberset, it's a good vintage brush that I reknotted with a modern quality synthetic knot from Maggards. And like yesterday's Rubberset, I find this brush to be somewhat "Meh". The classic pedestal-type handle is well suited to both bowl and face lathering and the new knot is superb. Classic "first world problem", I suppose: if this was the only brush I owned, I would use it happily every day to get a great lather job and wouldn't think twice about it; since I own several brushes, it sits at the back of the bench and never gets invited to play.

Today, it did play. A minute of rubbing the damp brush on the puck gave it a heavy loading of The Fat, and with the addition of a palm-ful of water into my black rice bowl, in no time it had whipped up enough good slick lather to shave a Sasquatch. The knot is stiff enough but soft enough to do a super job of facepainting the lather onto my mug, which it did for two passes today. And having said all that, I have now rinsed off the brush and once it is dry, it is going back to the back of the line again...

The Rockwell loaded with a fresh Topaz Platinum gave me my usual two-pass near BBS shave. No complaints anywhere from the alum, and I finished with the Witch Hazel tonic more because that's my routine than because I really needed soothing or moisturizing today.

Hope everyone has a good Friday!