July 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

From July 2 through 31, it will be 30 days of RazoRock for me. Primarily that means the One-X, but the Cumba Cheech will make appearances as well.

 

I'm not alone.....another July 2nd start. I feel better now.

 

...and as posted, I'm starting on the 6th. Late out of the gate as usual!

 

I run slow so you'll catch up easily enough

 

I like that soap!

 

But, as I recall, your family does not share your enthusiasm?

 

True, but since I'm the only one who uses it, they'll just have to grin & bear it!

 

July Focus: Different Straights
The four straights I'll be using this month with be:
Week 1: A.J. Jordan 5/8" Spike point, Double hollow
Week 2: Random razor, 5/8" full wedge. Spanish point
Week 3: Lakeside Cutlery, 5/8" hollow, Round point
Week 4: Heljestrand, C. V. "No 24" 9/16 quarter hollow French point
All shaves will be keeping the cream, brush, prep the same with ToBS sandlewood with a face lathering. WSP Silvertip badger brush (because it's soft ) I want to focus on the differences between the hollowness, points, and size. I don't have a lot of variation in the size of the blades, so that might be a bit difficult but plenty of other things to look at. Pressure between different blades needed (any guide to your experience welcomed)

Week one: A. J. Jordan Spike 5/8"
July 1 - Shave 1
Prep: Hot shower, Aveeno 5:1 face wash
Brush: WSP Silvertip (face lathering)
Preshave: None
Soap: Tobs Sandlewood
Razor: A.J. Jordan
Strop: @Drygulch Modern Barber Strop 24"x3"
Growth: 5 day
Post: Cold water splash, Clubman, Nivia Post shave balm
Passes: WTG, XTG, WTG

I appreciate face lathering - especially if I'm pressed for time. I wanted to give the ToBS sandlewood another shot, since I enjoyed another brand of sandlewood so much earlier in the month. The scent was intense this morning but not overwhelming. I am determined on two things this month, learning the differences between these razors and maintaining the best technique.

ToBS gave me nice fluffy lather that was nice and slick. After a good dose of stropping, I went in for the first pass. I really do enjoy this razor - it's very loud. Easy to tell when I've removed all the whiskers. I noticed that with the spike, I have to stretch my face more in order not to nick my neck and ears. Second pass was just as nice as the first - especially the ATG on the neck. I went closer angle (15% ish) with much better results. Little irritation. Now my cheeks I've feeling a little tightness but I think that I may have put wedge pressure on a double hollow blade. If I lighten that up, I might be some better results? We'll see tomorrow!
Cheers,
Eric

 

Razor: Gillette Black Tip SS
Blade: Gillette, Platinum (7)
Brush: Every Ready 100T, Boar
Soap: Proraso Green
A/S: Aqua Velva Classic Blue

Day 1.

My focus this month will be on boar brushes and the different soaps and creams that I have. I want to see if I can improve with boar brushes. I stank the place out with boar brushes last month. I have 4 boar brushes that I will be using.

Left to right: 1/ Every Ready 100T, 2/ Semogue 1305 Superior Boar,3/ WDC-5 Whipped Dog Boar, 4/ Omega 10066.

Todays shave went pretty well even though the blade was on it's last legs. The Every Ready 100T preformed very well and made good lather. It did loose a few hairs, and I had to reload for my last pass. Three (3) pass shave. I will use this brush a few more times with different soaps before I change brushes. I learned a lot with last months focus. The big thing I learned was that I know nothing about boar brushes. "Quitter's new win and winners never quit."

 

Like wmbjr and Rufus T, I plan on doing a 30 day focus to help me choose my best blade from among the ones I have on hand. I will keep everything else constant.

My equipment:
1956 Gillette Super Speed Flair
Vulfix Super Badger (660) brush
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Proraso Sandalwood cream
Aqua Velva after shave

The Blades:
1. Shark Super Stainless
2. Derby Extra Super Stainless
3. Astra Superior Platinum
4. Gillette Silver Blue
5. PolSilver Super Iridium
6. Feather Hi-Stainless

So far in my journey, I’ve spent 14 days each with the Shark and Derby blades, and 4 days with the Astra. Now that my technique is better, I plan to do some comparisons. I’ll first spend 4 days with another Shark.
If I think the Shark is better than the Astra, I’ll move on and shave 4 days with the Gillette.
If I think the Astra is better or if I’m not sure, I’ll put another Astra in the razor and shave with it 4 days before moving to the Gillette, and so on.

I’ve had good luck with bade longevity, but I’m thinking that shaving with the same blade 7 to 10 days can make it harder to do a fair comparison, so I decided 4 days would be a good number to settle on. My plan is to choose the blade that provided the most comfortable, closest shaves after each comparison. If it isn’t the one I’m using, I’ll go back to the one I liked best so far to refresh my memory before moving on to the next blade. At some point, I’ll try the Derby again, but I’ll probably also order another sampler in a few weeks so I can have a few more to try. I’m saving the Feathers for later.

My shave today:
Shave #4 with Astra Superior Platinum blade. Nice BBS results, an extremely nice shave. Very close, smooth, no nicks or weepers. No razor burn.
3 Full passes: WTG, XTG, ATG, then lathered up again from the bowl for touch up of several spots. Lathering with the fingers doesn't give as much protection as when using the brush. Found some tiny areas of whiskers on my neck about 30 minutes after the shave, but I had to hunt for them.

General impression of the Astra prior to bringing back the Shark Super Stainless: Very smooth, especially for the first 2 shaves. It almost felt as though I didn't have a blade in the razor. On the other hand, I found that after two passes (WTG and ATG) that I needed much more touch up than I needed with the Derby, so after the second shave I switched to 3 passes before doing touch up. But my conclusion is that the Astra provides me a more comfortable shave than I received from the Derby.

 

30 Days with a Mongoose

Thursday, July 2, 2015
Mongoose Shave #8

Shower, Mystic Water Soap - Yemaya, Neutrogena Face Scrub
B-3 Mongoose with Jurgen Hempel SS
Feather Professional #1
Paladin Strawberry Amber Chief
MDC Le Bol En Bois – Fougere
Alum Block, Dickinson’s +Menthol, Unrefined Shea Butter
Chiseled Face Aftershave – Ghost Town Barber
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I changed blades today. The Kai CT Mild lasted for 7 shaves and was excellent until the end. Had there not been a desire to try the other blades in the Try-A-Blade Sample Pack, I might have been able to squeeze another shave or two out of it. The second blade, Feather Professional was sharper than the Kai blade. On the first pass I used a combination of ATG and XTG. This appeared to eliminate the need for a complete second pass, just clean up. The Alum and Black Ice Witch Hazel affirmed the closeness of the shave. However, there were some missed spots. My thinking, a complete second pass with clean up might have eliminated any missed spots. SO a mostly BBS shave today. The Palidin SA Brush is an outstanding face lathering brush. The MDC lather is totally spoiling me. My brush had enough lather for 4 passes. Ended the shave with a generous splashing of Ghost Town Barber AS. The perfect SW Desert Scent.
My wife requested the Stirling Black Ice Witch Hazel. She says it makes me smell like “The Good and Plenty Man”.

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July - 30 Days of MITA and Maggard
(30 Day Focus - Blade trial)


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Several weeks ago, my number was drawn as a winner in a PIF. @Bobcat really put together a cool selection of stuff, and I will be using some of the contents all month. Everything you see this month except for the brush was a part of that package. Chief among the contents was the razor, pictured above right. It is an MR11OC by Maggard, pictured next to last month's Cadet OC, left.


Comparing head geometry, the Maggard looks to be slightly milder. To see this, look at the curve in the cap and the angle at which the comb falls away. However, the proof will be in the shave. It is slightly larger than the Cadet, and since the Maggard is stainless, it is also heavier than Cadet. I am going to be doing a Gillette blade trial this month from blades included in the PIF. I will be using the included sample puck of Stirling MITA all month, face lathered with a Plisson.



First up is Gillette 7AM Super Stainless. I loaded the damp Plisson on a marginally bloomed puck and got down to biz. The razor is indeed milder than last month, but really smooth. The blade, soap and razor played together nicely . No issues with the Stirling, lots of great iced out lime scented lather. 2 passes later it was automatic. This is gonna be a great month already. (After a month of Williams, nowhere to go but up.) Today was actually one of the most comfortable all year. No irritation whatsoever, alum block was quiet. Tightened it all up with a little Florida Water, and face is feeling great. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado!

Have a great July and a Happy Tuesday!
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I hope you voted.

Welcome aboard! I am also using MITA.

By the end of July , that boar will be split, soft and awesome! Love Omega boar. Glad you are back!

Welcome aboard! My suggestion is load brush, then put dot of cream on top of brush. @HolyRollah does uber lather this way, I believe. I have done it too, followed his advice.

Welcome back to @bnccna2 , @clint64 , @Drygulch , @Seabs, @Rufus T. , @HolyRollah , and @Omelmad ! I am sure I missed somebody, apologies. 50+ posts on day one will teach me to not stay away too long. Looks like we are in for a great month!

 

Welcome to @Jasman and @NCoxSTL !

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Astra SP is my head shave blade. I've never had any issues with smoothness and it does an excellent job. I intend to try the Derby for my head though since, for starters, SWMBO swears by Derby for her legs and I have found it to be a decent blade. Would just like to compare it there. The Gillette Silver Blue is another excellent blade, well actually all of your choices are really good. The Shark I'm skeptical but I haven't done much with them. Nice focus though. I'll be following along to see how you fare.

 

Yeah you grew a goatee! Saw the fierce pic on the other thread! It's gonna be really cool after you handlebar it out.

 

Phoenix Dbl OC Focus Day 2:

Homemade PS Oil
Simpsons Commodore X3 Best Badger
Stirling Glacial Spearmint
Phoenix Dbl OC
Stirling Unscented PSB
Fine Platinum AS

Day 2 of this focus, and I got a DFS this morning. The angle on this razor is a bit different than my other razors, and I have to keep concentrating on that. When the angle is right, this razor is great.

 

07/02/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Triad SS Helix
Blade – Feather Super Pro (2)
Brush – Rudy Vey with Shavemac Finest
Lather – Soap Commander Renewal @david of central florida
Post - Witch Hazel and Fine L’Orange Noir



Fantastic BBS shave this morning. One of the best shaves I have had in some time. I have always felt that Soap Commander is a vegan soap that tallow guys would like. Super slick and easy to lather. Finished off with Fine L'Orange.

 

30 Day Rule - July 2015
Razor - CJB/Gillette New LC
Blade - Feather Pro AC/Voskhod
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Post - Cold Water splash, Alum, Nivea Original Balm, and whatever else may be needed to stop bleeding.

Well here we go, after two months it's back to the CJB. Time to spend 30 days hammering my technique into form and getting great shaves from the straight. I was doing well with it when I last picked it up so I'm hoping to keep the momentum and improve this month.

Lathered with the Fat and Pro 48 and set to work. I'm going to use kamisori style, meaning only using one hand and facing the same side of the blade toward my face. This does require some practice to get comfortable with the blade on the opposite side of the hand, in my case, the left side. The grip on that side turns backwards and upside down at times. Made my first pass on the right cheek and it felt good to feel the Feather Pro at work again. Made a good first pass on the right side, all things considered. Felt the blade tip graze the upper lobe of my ear but didn't see blood, and felt another small slice as I set down wrong on the cheek but didn't see blood. Went to the left side....got the hand in position, and had a decent pass down the cheek. Regrouped for the neck and glanced right......ah, yeah, there's the blood. Ear and cheek both like I felt. The Feather Pro is as unforgiving of slight errors as always. Ignored that for now, went to the left neck and finished that pass without incident.

Rinsed, checked the cuts and lathered again for the XTG. No issues there as far as bleeding or additional battle wounds. The finish on the second pass left it pretty rough still, especially on the left side. Put down the CJB and grabbed the NEW LC and finished the third pass with a good DFS. Can't complain overall.

Cold water rinse and alum all over and boy does that wake you up when you've finished with this razor. Not just the two cuts but the whole face and neck remind you it's good to be alive! Rinsed after 30 seconds and the bleeding had stopped, used the Nivea this morning to condition it and felt pretty good about the result. Clearly I'm a bit rusty with it but it will be a quick process to get it going. All in all a great shave and I'm happy to have the CJB in my hand again.

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