JUNE 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Nothing better than a fresh shave and a ball game!
And a hot dog....and a beer...........and sharing it with Dad!

 

Day 28 - 29 June 2015

30 Day Focus with Cadet OC!


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Day three on the Derby and another soap comparison. This is one thirsty soap! Good lather for a quick 2 Pass smoothness! The last three days have actually helped me evaluate Williams through comparison. More on that in my summary tomorrow. Hot day, muggy evening and another chance at it all Tuesday. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a terrific Tuesday!
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Monday's shave was another very nice 2-pass shave. I only hope it holds up because......

a 100-mile business road trip has gone overtime and I'm forced to overnight out-of-town - without my kit!!!
(no I was never a boy scout, another character flaw, so I didn't train in the "always be prepared" doctrine!)

What's worse is this business fiasco will require additional time on Tuesday before I leave town. So there will be no report on my Tuesday shave because I won't have one!!! - I pledged to not go back to cartridges and would rather have a mild shadow at work, then to succumb to the hotel disposable or a Rite-Aid/Walgreen's quick cartridge bailout.

(hmmmm....Brainstorm for more AD purchasing justifications...)

"Honey I had to buy that extra DE razor, blades, etc in order to pack an emergency kit in the car at all times in case I ever get stranded again on business!"

Cheers!
- RT

 

This is what a Weishi 9306 is for. It's a fifteen dollar copy of a Flare Tip SS, mid-late fifties style. Don't believe the haters. Keep the vintage fun for home.

Edit: a minimal kit in your desk is totally kosher. Tell her we approved it.

 

06/30/2015
Razor – Gillette Old Type with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade – Feather (2)
Brush – Rubberset 400 with Omega Boar
Lather – B&M Seville
Post - Witch Hazel & Myrsol F/Extra



Another great 3 pass shave this morning to finish off my June Focus on Open Comb razors. Sadly the Old Type didn't make the cut. I just find it too mild for me and I just prefer the New LC and New Deluxe. Just to show that everything has a silver lining, this razor head along with Hibco handle is on the way to Adam @Drygulch. He sent a PM yesterday inquiring about a trade and I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. It's cleaned up and on the way to him as a PIF as soon as I can make it to the post office.

I'll post up my thoughts for the month later today. I need to get ahead of Atlanta traffic if that is possible.

 

World Tournament of Blades - Russia vs. the World!! THE FINALS
June 30, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Razor - '59 Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade - (1)
Post - Alum, Nivea Balm

Welcome to the FINALS!!!!! It's Bic vs. Voskhod, Greece vs. Russia to determine the best blade in the world!!!!! Well, in my world anyway and today because, as we know, this can change quickly based on opinion. But....for now.....this is for THE BEST BLADE IN THE WORLD!!!!! Sort of.

The Bic is up first today and this is a blade I've come to admire. Since @Jasman suggested it I've had great shaves with it and it went through the competition like a hot blade through butter. So, loading up a fresh one for the finals and off we go. I stayed with the Omega Pro 48 and MWF for the lather. This is now a rock solid lather for me. And, I have chosen the '59 Ball End Tech. A mild razor, it should match up nicely with both blades as they are sharp.

Lathered up and here comes the first pass. Yep, the Bic feels great. Sharp, cutting well and smooth. No issues at all on the first pass. Second lather and away we go with XTG. Smooth with no issues. Finished well, felt good. This is a great blade doing a great job. Just need to do the XTG/G-slide on the neck. Lathered up the last time, neck only, picked up the razor, looked in the mirror and...........hold on......what the.......yes we have a foul! There is a red spot low on my neck coming through the lather. I didn't feel it, didn't see it, no idea it had even happened but there is a problem. Checked it and found a small nick. Whipped up a bit more lather after the delay and finished the shave to a DFS. The nick had stopped bleeding. All that's left is the alum. Did a cold rinse, applied the alum and said a few bad words. Wow, that is hot and persistent on my neck. The crowd was silent.

Scoring - Sharpness is a 1. Bic has that part down. Smoothness would be a 1, except for that nick. Wow. That's the first time a Bic has taken a bite of me. So, smoothness goes to 2. Irritation - I'm going to be generous and say 2. The level of burn may have been a bit higher but I'm only counting off for persistency. Result is a DFS for the 2.

Total - 7

Well, a great blade seemed to lack the killer instinct on the biggest stage. Not the score I expected but it is still not the worst of the tournament. The Voskhod is up tomorrow to try and claim the crown and that nick by the Bic may have given the Russian too much help. Only the final shave will tell.

 

I did this a few months ago, and purchased some stuff on the road. SWMBO was not impressed, and didn't agree with the completly logical argument I laid out. Let us know how it works for you.

 

30-Days of June Finalé
The final day of June today, and with it, my last posting in this thread. This is also the last selection for my 'top three' razors from the past 60 days of razor testing. Along with the previous days J. A. Henckel Friodur and the large Wostenholm Pipe razors, I selected this Dubl Duck Goldedge to round out the top three. This wasn't a surprise choice for me as this razor has always been a exceptionally a smooth, consistent performer. Choosing just these three razors was not an easy as there were other razors that rivaled the great shaves this trio delivered.

Overall, these past 60 days of 'focus & discussion' were quite enjoyable. I learned a considerable amount about the performance of many SR models—the strengths and weaknesses, and clarified my own personal preferences when it comes to choosing a type of razor. Plus, in these threads, I've learned more about DE razor blades than I really needed to. I've also enjoyed watching several of you guys having success in your initial journeys into the world of straight razor shaving with amazing progress!

I want to thank you all for allowing me to share the ride with you, and a big thanks to Chris @Bama Samurai for getting this all started! Good fun and thoroughly enjoyable!

 

Drygulch's Wrap up for June:

For the most part, did a two pass shave with touch up all month. This is the point where I was on my DEs, so I am happy to be here on my straights. Now I just need to get better about the effectiveness of the touch ups. The synthetic brush worked great, and is an easy brush to use. A little tricky figuring out how to load the right amount of water, but it worked well.

Yup, RAD is still a little crazy, but I am participating in No Buy July, so that should help. The three razors I mentioned getting fixed up in my kick off post for this month are back, in in fantastic shape. They will be the razors I use in next month’s focus. I have five more than when I posted at the beginning of June, and will be trying to learn to hone a razor with those.

I did a seven day stretch of shaving daily. Honestly, it wasn’t that comfortable. The skin right under my chin was particularly irritated, and I ended up with ingrown hairs and bumps. Its good to know I can do it, but I don’t have to do it.

Overall, I would say I learned a lot this month on techniques with the razor and skin stretching. I also started playing a bit with my stropping routine. I have enjoyed reading about everyone else’s journeys, and have learned a ton from you all.

 

Well this month was my 6th straight 30 day Rule/Focus month having shaved 180 days out of 181 since the first of the year. I used this month to focus on OC DE razors. I rotated thru 5 different razors over the past month. The Gillette New LC, Gillette New Deluxe, ATT M2, ATT R2 and Gillette Old Type. I learned that I truly like my New LC and New Deluxe. They will maintain permanent spot in my collection. The ATT heads were on loan from a friend. The M2 is just too mild for my taste and is not something I would care to own. The R2 is a very nice razor and I could see myself owning one but I had ordered a Wolfman OC back in May. The Old Type for me was also very mild. I learned a great deal this month. For DE razors, I have solidified my preference for OC razors. I just like the shave much better than the SB DE razors I have used.

I have enjoyed following the progress of the participants in developing there skills, test blades and mastering their SR shaves. Thanks @Bama Samurai for putting this together and thanks @HolyRollah for participating the last 2 months. I am not ready to take the SR plunge but I have learned a great deal from your posts should I decided to give it a try.

 

Thanks for the warning Drygulch!

Forwarned is forearmed!

 

Shave of the day

Pre- Hot shower, Anna and Claras sandalwood bath soap

Soap/cream- Taylor of old bond street Jermyn street collection

Brush- Semogue 1470

Razor- Merkur 37c

Blade- Qball platinum plus(2)

Post- Cold water rinse, Mentholated homemade aftershave lotion and Geo F. Trumpers Coral Skin food

I got AMAZING lather with this cream, I had forgotten what a good performer it it, wow! I pulled out a big amount of shaving cream and lathered up a creamy, slick and protective lather.

This blade was better on this use than the first… hmm maybe the cream helped too. But I did feel it struggle on the more coarse places around my chin. I dont think it will be a daily driver.

Coral skinfood smells amazing, I have a sample and a little goes a LOOOOONG way. Im thinking of getting one, I like smelling like roses =P



My brush has become better. Bowl lathering and then going to the face just a LITTLE bit bets the lather under the hairs and I avoid the skipping part. Great! It's looking up for this brush

 

30 DAY RAZOR AND COLD WATER FOCUS



PREP: MUSGO REAL ORANGE AMBER
RAZOR: MAGGARD 18C
BLADE: BIG BEN (4TH USE)
BRUSH: OMEGA S SYNTHETIC
SOAP: WSP TOBACCO
POST: DIY CITRUS LAVENDER PACHOULI BALM

3 PASS BBS SHAVE TODAY. THE COLD WATER SHAVES THIS MONTH HAVE BEEN VERY NICE AND IT SEEMS LIKE I HAVE HAD A LOT LESS IRRITATION. THE WSP SOAP HAS A GREAT TOBACCO COLOGNE TYPE SCENT AND THE PERFORMANCE WAS AWESOME. THE HOMEMADE BALM IS MY FAVORITE DIY PRODUCT IN THE DEN. GREAT INGREDIENTS AND VERY MOISTURIZING. HAVE A GREAT SHAVE EVERYONE!!!

 

Razor: Gillette Black Tip SS
Blade: Gillette, Platinum (6)
Brush: Omega Boar #10066
Soap: Les CocoNuts (test)
Bowl: Wife bought it for me in Montreal. $4.95
A/S: Pinuad Lime
Day 30

The test soap is not creating a good thick lather. The Omega boar brush is working very well for a new brush. Next month's focus on this brush will tell the story.
Had to reload the brush several which was more of a soap problem than a brush problem. Three passes.
Finished with a good shave.

 

That is impressive.

 

Just a simple phone app. Helps an old man remember what I am supposed to use each morning.

 

Good luck with the traffic. We don't get much of that up here in the woods.

 

One day when I retire I can get out of the city. It takes me a little over 1 hour on a good day to go 15 miles to the office. It would be even worse if I had to use major highways.

 

Super wrap up photo!

 

You gotta love the New Long Comb. I had mine replated at Sport Shaving. Now she looks great and shaves great.