SoS: January 5, 2015 - January 11, 2015

Now it's my turn to cough up crud so same shave as yesterday, and just as excellent.

Gillette Slim (4-6)
'60s Personna stainless (shave #2)
TSD vetiver soap

A touch of Lucky Tiger afterward but didn't really need it.

 

January 6's


Nivea Men's Face Wash
Williams Mug Shaving Soap
Wild Cherry PTS
Schick Eversharp Eversharp I2
Personna Injector
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Aqua Velva

The Williams Mug Shaving Soap face-lathered well with my Wild Cherry PTS Brush. Two passes with my Schick Eversharp Eversharp I2 and Personna Injector blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Aqua Velva after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

Thanks, Mark! I am using a Nikon D7000 with an older manual Japanese 50mm f/1.8 lens.

 

Day 4 - Thirty Days with Merkur 34c (Jan 1-Feb 4 [No shave on Saturdays]) BSG 1-5-2015​

Hot Shower and Prep - Nivea Men Sensitive Skin Face Wash, & Wm. Neumann & Co. Peppermint Leaf Bar Soap
Razor Merkur 34c
Blade Astra SP (4)
Brush - Plisson Synthetic
Lather - Poraso Green
Post - Warm & cool water rinse, Neutrogena Razor Defense post shave lotion

Great two pass, NS- SN then touch ups ATG in the trouble spots around chin and jaw line

 

Nice!

 

SOTD - Monday, January 5, 2015

Hot shower
Prep: Lime PSO
Brush: WD Synthetic
Soap: DR Harris Arlington
Razor: Weber PH
Blade: Personna Lab Blue (2)
Post: Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Aftershave: AV Ice Blue w/ extra menthol

- Don

 

Planned SOTD 6 January 2015
Day 4 of 30
30 Day Rule with a Slim
​

J2 Gillette Slim Adjustable
Kroger Israeli Personna
VDH Kit Badger
TSD Lanolin Shave Stick - Barber Shoppe Scent
Today's Great Cheap AS™ is Aqua Velva Musk

Good Lord willing...this will be day 4 of 30. Turning up the dial a little...maybe a more aggressive setting will make easier more comfortable shaving. 4 was a bit mild, gonna master this Slim in January!

Ever wanted to start a Soap Review Crew?

Come see what activity @JR Reyes has cooked up for TSD for 2015.

"4 Guys - 2 Soaps"​

Check out the 30 Day Crew as we write about our month of focus on razor technique and share our experiences throughout January. Read about it here:

30 Day Rule Pic/Discussion Thread- All are Welcome!


Join in the fun in 2015!​

 

Jasman you have hit on a point that I also found in my DE Challenge. The Big Ben is a mild and very smooth blade and even for me it is not my favorite in many of my razors. The issue is that it is not the sharpest blade, so if it is coupled with a mild razor such as a Merkur OC it will not be as effective as it is in very aggressive razors. In fact it can begin to cause tugging for me on shave #2 if the razor is not aggressive enough.

Example: Big Bens do not work as well for me in my Slim as other blades do. The Big Ben for me is my testing blade in unfamilar razors or I use it extensively in very aggressive razors such as the R41 2013, Neillites, etc. where I want smoothness over sharpness. In many of my less aggressive razors I prefer the Rapira Sweedish Supersteel, Lux or Ladas to provide a sharper edge to give me more performance.

I usually tell people to try Big Bens if they are having issues with a combination of razor and blade that are too aggressive to see if it is the razor or the blade. If they have an aggressive razor (in their opinion) the Big Bens allow them to use the razor rather than giving up on it.

 

I am having an experience like Big Ben with Kroger Personna. They might be a good fit for the Cadet OC that owned me on Halloween.

 

That is why many times if I use an OC and I don't want to have as many issues of weepers from an aggressive / hi sharp combination, I will use the Big Ben blades as a cautionary plan.

 

Menthol Monday...

This setup never disappoints, and I look forward to it each week. My face feels fresh, cool, clean, and smooth.

I loaded a Rapira Swedish Supersteel from the generous blade sampler I received, (Thanks Guy), and think it's worth taking advantage of that hot deal on the bay.

I hope you gents had a good start to the week.

 

What razor make is that in the photo?

 

Following the SOTD is a review of Cold River Soap Works Select soaps.

Cold River Soap Works Select Vetiver soap
Plisson synthetic brush
RazoRock Stealth Slant razor
Feather blade
Queen Charlotte balm

Cold River Soap Works is a relatively new soap in my den and it is a shame it took me so long to try it. I have a full tin of the Puro Fresco and samples of Vetiver and Winter (Thank you JR Reyes for the generous sample of Winter!!).

This is my own tub and label rather than the professional packaging that you get with a full tin from CRSW. The opening is very wide on their tins, allowing you to quickly and easily load your brush.

The scent of this soap is very different from other Vetivers. It is a sweeter, cleaner version. It is very nice, but I don't love it as much as the. Puro Fresco, which is an amazing scent.

This Select line is a premium priced soap, and it comes with premium performance. It is loaded with top notch ingredients like tallow, lanolin, kokum, and shea. The lather is dense, creamy, and has a broad sweet spot when it comes to variations in the amount of water.

Slickness is very good, particularly if you are generous with the water and let it build - similar to B&M or Mike's. It is not slickest soap I've used, but certainly very good.

Where this soap really shines is post shave face feel. I have used the Puro Fresco soap without a balm afterwards and my face felt as if I had used one. I'm not sure any soap beats this one on skin feel. It is like Mitchell's Wool Fat but with a more robust (and very good) scent.

All in all, I think Cold River Soap Works has broken into my top 5 favorite artisans. I would compare it favorably to B&M and Mike's as one of the best tallow based soaps. The only reason not to try this soap is if you have an aversion to tallow. Otherwise, put it on your list.

 

Plan for 6 January 2015 Shave

​

 

You reminded me of another new soap I haven't tried but want to. People are raving about this one.

 

My planned shave for Tuesday:

Neutrogena Men Facial Wash
Large Horsehair Barbershop
Super Speed/new 7 AM
Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill SS
Stirling Glacial Wintergreen WH
Pour Un Homme de Caron EdT

What kind of a crazy, insane, wacked-out nutcase would dare to shave with the coldest set-up when the weather outside is -17C and a windchill of -29C? ME, MYSELF, and I - that's who's this nutcase is, and I'm not only crazy enough to shave with a set-up like this one in weather like that, I'm proud - so there!

 

That my friend is a Muhle MS 89 head paired with a Blue Lapis handle from Elite Razor. It's a mild combo, because I didn't have much to clear off after the awesome single edge Sunday shave.

 

Great review of CRSW. I love it when a member's top 5 list gets shaken up after trying a new soap...

 

That soap is in my top five. Bought a 2nd tin after the first shave just to make sure I had one on hand as rumors had it was a limited run.

 

Evening shave for Tomorrow

BRIEF PRODUCT REVIEW: I just received in the mail my packet of Vigilio Valobra soft shaving soap (with menthol) and put it to a shave this evening.
The VV is, as labeled, a 'soft shaving soap,' so comes enclosed in a clear cellophane packet within the cardboard box. It is soft and malleable to the touch, reminiscent of soft putty.
I opened the packet and had a good sniff. Honesty, not much scent at all. Ivory-soap like? Smells clean but nothing to writer home about (they do make a non-menthol with a subtle almond scent). I packed the 150g cake into a wooden bowl and began to load the brush. A very nice easy-to-whip lather was made on my face; thick & slick. The lather went on thickly—dense and slick to the touch. There was, however, absolutely NO menthol tingle that I could detect. The lather does provides decent protection for SR shaving; not as slick as some other quality soaps I've used—but no slouch. Post-shave, my skin felt very nice. Not overly dry (common) that I get after using many soaps. Overall, I do like the efficacy of this shaving soap. All it needs is a bit more menthol. $17/shipped @ amazon.

The Shave: Three passes with the Dubl Duck was effortless. Good, dense lather made for a quick DFS! Splash of the Fine to seal the deal!
Have a great Tuesday, all!