OCT 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by Bama Samurai, Sep 30, 2015.

?

Since it is autumn, how do you feel about menthol?

Poll closed Oct 30, 2015.
  1. I'll have a double of Osage and a TSD ISZ chaser!

    36.2%
  2. I like a little, but not too cold. Fun once in a while!

    32.8%
  3. I don't care for menthol, you guys are nuts!

    6.9%
  4. I have not yet tried a menthol shave product.

    6.9%
  5. I'm new, but the pedantic Bama Samurai says no heavy menthol until I master technique!

    6.9%
  6. I am just here for the cookies!

    10.3%
  1. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Greetings fellow Denizens...

    It's time for a new month, and a new 30 DAY RULE or 30 DAY FOCUS!​



    I am Chris, the permanent newbie of TSD. I do a new 30 Day exercise each month. My favorite thing on TSD is helping and watching a new convert "get it". It happens right here every month! Give us a month, we will give you techniques and tips you need to maximize your daily shave.

    The 30 Day rule was a concept invented by GDCarrington, and it is something I strongly recommend for a brand newbie. I endorse and recommend a 30 Day Rule as the foundation for learning shaving in general. It greatly accelerated my learning curve, and helps to develop techniques that transfer across all razor types. The 30 Day Focus is geared more toward those who are more experienced, and gives more latitude to explore the interaction of technique and hardware. On this thread, you are likely to see a mix of both things, and a wide variety of skill/experience levels and equipment. Some guys will go with themed months, but all 30 Day exercises are welcomed. All thematic elements seen in posts are unofficial with regard to this thread. All razor styles and experience levels are welcome here. Please read the above links, pick an exercise, and join in the discussion! This thread is based upon the idea that "Techniques Trump Tools." If you have shaving issues, we have solutions, from DE to SR! Great shave experiences, 30 focused days at a time, are what we aim to achieve.

    Our discussions are motivated by the ideal of exploring and finding the best shave techniques for each individual. The discussion can be far-ranging, and this thread wanders quite a bit at times. We touch upon just about every aspect of shaving, and I guarantee someone on this thread knows the solution to just about any shaving issue. I encourage each user to use quotes when replying, so that we all can follow the discussion. Seek solutions, help someone out, meet the other members, master your equipment--but mostly, come be a part of a vibrant and dedicated group who knows how to keep the fun going! The only things required to participate are a decision to do a 30 Day exercise, a love of traditional shaving, and a desire to be a part of the TSD community we call the 30 Day Crew.


    Special Message to New Shaving Converts: Welcome! You have landed in the right place. We love traditional shaving and we love people who love traditional shaving. Lots of good reference found >here<. If you are new to TSD, please go back and click that link...it will help you make sense of our acronyms and chatter. We are glad you joined the best shaving forum on Earth. TSD is participation driven...you should read SoS (Shave of the Day) too! It is central to the goings-on at TSD. Feel free to jump in and post pics! It is probably the easiest way to get a feel for TSD and meet the regular posters. They love pics. Coming up with unique and/or interesting pics daily in October is an implied challenge. :) Good luck! Have something to ask? Please do! This thread is primarily about shaving technique, but discussion often touches upon just about any shaving topic out there. You are the reason this thread exists, and we welcome your participation, regardless of experience level. Also, if you are new, be sure to register for the October Newbie Give-Away! Moderator @RaZorBurn123 runs that drawing as a welcome for the new guys each month. We are glad you chose to be a member of TSD!

    The housekeeping-

    Support your forum here. TSD is a user supported community. I am a proud user of a TSD exclusive product almost daily. You may also donate funds using the link on the forum page. And FYI, PIF culture runs very strong on this thread!

    :( Things we don't talk about:

    Politics
    Religion
    Neal's Rapira Shave
    Other Forums and People

    :) Things we do talk about:

    Cookies
    Technique and Gear
    Shenanigans
    The Alabama Crimson Tide

    These are the rules. Follow them. This thread operates under the idea of the Golden Rule and being a good neighbor to all. FYI, everyone is your neighbor on the internet. :happy088:

    So, now that all that has been covered...let the shenanigans commence. It is gonna be a great October!


    Thanks for reading!

    image.jpeg

    Thanks for choosing to be a part of the TSD community!

    Chris
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2015
  2. Rufus T.

    Rufus T. Late for dinner

    Thanks for all the effort you put into this @Bama Samurai !!!
    I'm sure all will agree that we've become better shavers as a result of the 30-day theory according to @GDCarrington and from your tireless efforts and coaching each month!

    It's certain proof that - "If you build it, shenanigans will come!
    :happy096:

    ______

    October Focus - Count me in!

    This month I'll introduce myself to my OCs. I've never used any of them except the New LC once.

    Gillette New LC
    Gillette Goodwill
    Gem Micromatic OC
    Standard Safety Razor OC

    I'll also try to make some time to get more experience using my Schick C1 Magazine Repeater OC.

    Having just come off a month of SEs, I'll begin the month with the MMOC for comparison purposes with the other SEs while those are still somewhat fresh in my mind.

    Great shaves to all, (but watch out for that Crazy Ivan!):scared011:
    Cheers!
    RT
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015
    spacehobo, Keithmax, Drygulch and 8 others like this.
  3. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    I like a little cold
     
  4. mrchick

    mrchick Odd, Terrible Avatar

    Thanks Chris for rolling out yet another month. I have been wet shaving for almost ten months and have learned more in two monthly focus threads than I did in the previous eight months.
    This month will be all about blades. I currently believe that Feather is the best blade for me but have others that I want to try. I will be giving ten blades three days each in the same EJ DE89 to compare. I hope to narrow myself down to a couple of favorites and avoid yet another AD. I look forward to another fun month.
    [​IMG]
     
    spacehobo, Keithmax, Drygulch and 8 others like this.
  5. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Well where did SEptember go? Guess it's gone so it's time to move on. It's time to escape from Crazy Ivan for a bit so I'm going to travel to the southern region of the continent and do something different. For me it may be nearly radical. For many it is OCtober, focusing on open combs. Well, I have two of them so I'll include them but that isn't my focus. OCtober is the month of Halloween, or in some circles, Samhain - the new year in the pagan world and the beginning of the dark half of the year. It's also the night, whether Halloween or Samhain, that we think about all of the ghosts/goblins/ancestors and the kids (and more and more adults) dress up as scary things (or not so scary with some of the adults) and knock on doors making that yearly threat.....TRICK OR TREAT!!! The idea, of course, is to give them a treat or they'll do something "bad" to you. Or in the case of adults that kind of gets reversed or combined........but I digress.

    Well, I have decided to honor that great tradition with Trick or TREET!!! I will spend OCtober with only Treet blades from Pakistan. The radical part for me? Not one single Russian blade all month. Hmmm...maybe that is crazy, Ivan. Anyway, Treet manufactures twelve blades and I am using ten of them. I'm not using the Double Edge, or Black Beauty because it is a favorite and I know it well. I'm also not using the Treet Durasharp as I know it and don't like it. So those are out. Now, if the blades are the TREET, what's the TRICK? A different razor with each blade. So.....ten razors, ten blades. AND......to make it even trickier, I used random.org to determine the order of the blades, then did it again to determine the order of the razors. So none of the matchups were my design. All random. Here are the blades with their corresponding razors.


    1. Treet King Super Stainless - Gillette 1918 Old Style

    2. Trig Super Stainless PTFE - Edwin Jagger DE89L

    3. Treet New Steel - RazoRock TTO

    4. Treet Silver Carbon - Gillette 1959 Super Speed

    5. Treet Falcon Carbon - Gillette 1959 Ball End Tech

    6. Treet Platinum - Gillette 1947 Super Speed

    7. Treet New Double Edge Carbon - Gillette 1946-50 Fat Handle Tech

    8. Treet New Edge Carbon - Gillette 1949 Super Speed

    9. Treet Classic Carbon - Schick Krona

    10. Treet 7 Days Platinum - Gillette 1928-30 New Long Comb

    I'm doing three shaves per setup and the brush/soap will be determined by how I feel that day. Same with A/S. I'll be spending a lot of days with carbon blades by doing this as well which should be interesting. I generally like carbon blades though the worst two I've found overall were both carbon as well.

    One interesting thing......I randomized each list and noticed that my two open combs, the 1918 Old Style and 28-30 New Long Comb ended up going first and last. So, I will be starting OCtober on an OC and ending it on one as well. Don't tell me the spirits aren't already mixing things up. By the time this month is over I may wish I had Crazy Ivan back!!!

    October 2015.jpg
     
  6. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    I didn't know I'd make the censored list. :party:
     
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  7. Rufus T.

    Rufus T. Late for dinner

    I'm exhausted! :whacky011:

    How does he come up with these?

    Were you an only child?
    Did you have no playmates and live in a fantasy world of your own?
    Or were you the biggest kid on the block and always challenged to come up with a new game?

    :smiley respect: The Master of Confusion! @NCoxSTL
    :)
     
  8. Rufus T.

    Rufus T. Late for dinner

    And well deserved it was...couldn't have gone to a nicer guy!
    :wave:
     
    Drygulch, Norcalnewb, Bill_F and 3 others like this.
  9. cmorris357

    cmorris357 catching flies.........

    Another month of shenanigans and cookies. :happy108:
    For my focus this month I will be joining the OC bandwagon. Sounds like a reality show. "The Real Wetshavers of OC". Anyway I'll be using my Gem Micromatic OC, the Phoenix Double Open Comb, my Ikon OSS (open comb on one side, straight bar on the other) for which I will use the open comb side only. And a Gillette New Long Comb that will be joining my stable later this month. To channel my inner Ivan I will be using only blades I have never tried before. I look forward to following everyone's progress. Not to mention dragging the thread down a rabbit hole or two.
     
    wmbjr, Drygulch, Keithmax and 7 others like this.
  10. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Beware the inner Ivan. That guy is scary.
     
    wmbjr, Drygulch, Norcalnewb and 5 others like this.
  11. clint64

    clint64 Blind Squirrel

    Where did September go? But I am so looking forward to October and an OC Focus. Thanks to Chris @Bama Samurai for putting these threads together and keeping us in line (somewhat anyway) Like many here I have participated in all the monthly Focus/Rule threads since January.

    My plans and goals for my October Focus.
    • Unique photo each day
    • Focus on Open Comb 3 piece razors. Wolfman OC, Gillette New LC and Gillette New Deluxe 15mm.
    • The blade of choice will be Feather but I will try a couple of different blades that I received as PIFs from fellow members.
    • Focus on Olivewood shaving brushes. Romera with Synthetic Knot and the TSD Olivewood Group Buy Handle with TGN Finest.
    • I will choose soaps and aftershaves as the mood strikes me.
    • By the end of the month, I hope to have picked one of these razors to share workday shave duty with my Mongoose.
    I am really excited about the focus this month. OC razors in general and these 3 in particular are some if not my favorite DE razors.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    Looks like Ivan sent me a notice because my focus is starting to get mixed up too. I'm going to give the Schick B and C types a run through with both blades. I'm also going to give the Gem some time.e with different blades and try to tame my ballend tech with any extra days going to the elusive straight razor shave. I'm going to cycle thru 2 shaves on each blade for the schicks 2 shaves per blade on the Gem, 8 days on the tech with mixed personna blades and a kai 2 days each leaving the last week straight razor time. The order may shuffle but those are my goals this month. November will be fun too, I'm planning No disposable November. Straights and Rolls razor only. I have already started October off with the open comb type B schick and it hates my face. Why do I feel like @NCoxSTL?
     
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  13. Boojum1

    Boojum1 Valet Parking Available Here

    My plan for the OCtober Focus is to use my OCs in rotation with my Mongoose for 30 days. This in order to improve my technique with all razors and determine the best blade for each.

    OC5.jpg

    L to R

    Gillette New Long Comb

    Maggard OC

    iKon Short Comb

    iKon OC DLC
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015
  14. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    I think you may have let Ivan get too close! Even I'm confused but hey, I LIKE IT. Love the variety and I like where you're headed in November as well. I've also got my basic idea for November. Keep up the good work and it will sort itself out!
     
  15. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    As a former State Champion Debater we had a motto on our team......"If you can't beat them with brilliance, befuddle them with BS". The short version we adopted was "If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em". Don't know if that helps or not.
     
  16. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    By the way, you forgot to put on the "do not talk list"............Auburn.
     
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  17. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    It's OK to talk Auburn. I am atypical in that I want all of Bama's opponents to be undefeated if possible, it makes the victory mean more. I wish Auburn nothing but success.
     
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  18. DDuckyMark

    DDuckyMark Ducky Duck and the Hiding Bunch

    Wait what shave were we not supposed to talk about?
     
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  19. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    :eek: What heresy is this?!?!?!?! Well, ok so yeah, even I will root for Auburn at the END of the season if they are the SEC's best hope at a title.
     
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  20. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    I could tell you, but that would involve talking about it...

    (It's a joke about a bloodbath shave last winter by @NCoxSTL , it was the stuff of legend)
     
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