Open Comb Central - The Place With Real Teeth (No R41, Hybrid or Closed Combs)

OCtober 24 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
MWF
1936 Gillette Aristocrat
Stirling Unscented PSB
Proraso Red AS

 

Wowzers Jim! What a beautiful 'Crat!

 

Well we are halfway through the second phase for OCtober and today starts the fourth pairing, a Fatip Grande and a Valet AutoStrop.

Fourth from right:

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During the first Phase the Fatip Grande was pitted against a Gillette New SC and honestly shaved me even closer and more comfortably than the Gillette New SC; 'twern't even close.

Today's shave was a repetition of the Phase 1 shave, super smooth, super efficient, super comfortable PDG+ near perfect. My Valets usually do a good job but it will need to do a great job tomorrow to stay in the running.

Today started with a wash using Herberia Bay rum for soap, Speick Shaving Cream in the Heather n fern shaving mug. I used the Gibbs boar brush and this is it's third break-in session. After the shave I used the Speick Balsam balm followed by Chatillon Colonia Basalmica aftershave.

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The Fatip Grande has really impressed me every time I've used it and I have a Fatip Piccolo lined up against an ATT R2 as the final pairing for OCtober. Now that should be very interesting.

 

Tuesday's OC Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Colgate Mug Shaving Soap
Jayaruh #229
New Standard
Gillette Silver Blue
CWR
Thayer's Lemon WH
Pinaud Clubman

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Colgate Mug Shaving Soap face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #229 synthetic brush. I did two passes with the Gillette New Standard Tuckaway razor and Gillette Silver Blue blade and ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Lemon WH and then Pinaud Clubman AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

OCtober 24, 2017

Paladin Lapis Chief
Mike's Natural Soap Babershop
Wolfman Titanium WR1-OC with Darwin
Polsilver Super Iridium
Barrister and Mann Seville
Brooks Brothers 1818


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Thank you, Andrew! Shaves better than it looks!

 

Beautiful picture, Mark!

 

Thank you Jim!

 

Love the Aristocrat Jim!

 

Beautiful photo Mark. The razor is gorgeous but the brush steals the show.

 

Thank you, Mark!

 

SOTD 10.24.2017

Face Shave:
Pre-shave: hot shower
Shave Cream: Barbasol Sensitive Skin travel size can
Razor: Schick G1
Blade: Schick (3)
Post-shave: Dickinson WH, Nivea Sensitive PS Balm, Pinaud Musk cologne

Head Shave:
Pre-shave: same
Shave Cream: CO Bigelow
Razor: Gem Micromatic OC
Blade: Gem Blue Star (2nd or 3rd use)
Post-shave: same

I hope everyone is having a terrific week!

 

OCtober 2017 - day 25.



iKon B1 DeLuxe / OSS handle.
Asco Super Stainless (red wrapper) (5).

Yaqi model R151016-S2.
Monsavon.
Arko Men "Platinum".

Monsavon -for sale in almost every French supermarket at a low price.
Excellent lather and a very acceptable scent (YMMV)

 

Williams Wednesday's OC Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Williams
Jayaruh #229
New Deluxe Tuckaway
Gillette Silver Blue
CWR
Thayer's Lemon WH
Pinaud Clubman

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Colgate Mug Shaving Soap face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #229 synthetic brush. I did two passes with the Gillette New Deluxe Tuckaway razor and Gillette Silver Blue blade and ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Lemon WH and then Pinaud Clubman AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

OCtober 25 SOTD:

Razorock Plissoft Brush
TSD Lanolin Barber Shoppe
1936 Gillette Aristocrat
Stirling Unscented PSB
TSD Floid Blue Type AS

 

OCtober 25, 2017
Wolfman OC Ti (0.74mm)
Personna 74 (10)
Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic
Reef Point Test Depth
Folsom & Co Capri

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1911 OLD Wool Fat Wednesday shave...

 

Well today is another bummer experience. We are starting the last three pairings for the month and this set pitted a Fatip Grande against a Valet AutoStrop VC1 using a despined GEM blade.

Yesterday's shave with the Fatip Grande was another fantastic very near perfect shave and I pointed out "Today's shave was a repetition of the Phase 1 shave, super smooth, super efficient, super comfortable PDG+ near perfect. My Valets usually do a good job but it will need to do a great job tomorrow to stay in the running."

Third pair from left:
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Well it did. In fact the two results are so close together it will be tough to pick a winner.

Today started again with shower using Herberia Bay Rum soap followed by Old Spice lather made using a Vie-Long horsehair brush. Then the shave itself using the Valet AutoStrop and the despined GEM blade. It was a two pass shave then rub face with alum (still tastes bad). I let that dry while I flushed and fluffed the brush then wiped up any water on the sink. With my face dry and the alum making stretching easier I did a few touchup strokes around the always tough to get spots.

After shave was Chatillon Vide Poche aftershave.

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Last it was time to clean up the razor and put it away and finally, that was when I determined the winner.

To fully rinse the blade in the Fatip Grande you have to take it all apart and rinse the parts individually. To rinse the blade in the Valet AutoStrop VC1 you push the lever up, swing the blade and carrier up and run both side of the blade under the faucet. Easie Peasie. WINNER.

But it really was that close. There was literally no difference in the shave comfort, efficiency, speed; nothing. Since there had to be a winner the ease of cleanup with the VC1 is the only real advantage to either.

 

SOTN OCtober 24th


Ericsson Open Comb
Voskhod
Proraso Red sandalwood SC
Stirling 24mm Synthetic
Fine Platinum

 

SOTD 10.25.2017

Face Shave:
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Shave Cream: Barbasol Sensitive Skin travel size can (#11) http://theshaveden.com/forums/threa...m-travel-can-experiment-sensitive-skin.57755/
Razor: Probak OC
Blade: Derby Extra (4)
Post-shave: Dickinson WH, Aqua Velva Sensitive 5 in 1 AS Balm, Aqua Velva Musk AS / Cologne

Head Shave:
Pre-shave: same
Shave Soap: VDH Deluxe soap puck
Brush: VDH boar
Razor: Pal Injector
Blade: Schick (2nd or 3rd I think)
Post-shave: same

In keeping with my experiment on the Barbasol travel size can I again only used it on the face shave so it's not doing double duty on one day, i.e. a face and head shave. Besides, I want to keep some of my other shave products in rotation.

Did yard work this morning. I think this may be the last day I will have to mow the lawn. Although it's supposed to get to a high of 80 degrees Fahrenheit today (26 C), tomorrow the high will be about 40 degrees cooler and there's a slight chance of snow late in the day. Time to get the snow shovels ready!

For the face shave I did my usual 2 passes, and a clean-up pass on the neck area. I am very impressed with this Probak razor.

I took out the Pal injector to handle the head shave and it performed admirably. The only hiccup to an otherwise fine shave today was a cut to the back of my neck. I knew I hit something with the razor, twice. I didn't think too much at first about it but when I re-lathered my scalp for a 2nd pass I saw some blood on the brush. I finished up the shave and had to get some help from the wife because I could not tell what I had done. She said I cut open a blemish and also had a minor cut near it. She gave me some first aid, and made it all better.

Have a great day, everyone!