May 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion

Sunday Straight Focus

Seeing @mrchick 's love for his Japanese blade I was inspired to use my FEON 172 Takehana today. This is a western grind razor and it does take a great edge.

A nice slow Sunday morning so I took my time and did my usual passes. No blood and the alum test gave just a little feedback, final result BBS. Great way to start the day.

 

That would explain why I read they compare to Case.

BTW, I really have you to thank/blame for wanting to try out some American steel again. I am also pretty excited to try the Wiss & Sons razor.

 

That's a pretty setup!

 

Thank you, it is not often I am in marzipan mood but today was the day.

 

MAYhem 2016
May 21
Razor - Soviet Mladost II
Blade - (1)
Brush - Vie-Long 12705
Soap - Proraso Green Tub
Post - Alum, Nivea, The Veg

Happy Saturday, and boy was it a busy one. Working into the summer selling season and we're a week away from the Memorial Day Sale and it's starting to show. Just a heads up for next weekend...extended hours and lots of them so we'll see how much I can post from Friday through Monday.

It was the @Norcalnewb second round today and up against a tough one. The Dorco Prime blade is usable, just not a favorite by far. Unlike the 301, this one seems to raise some extra irritation withe me. I suspect it's the Platinum. Rapira platinum blades are fine with me, some don't work well for me. This is one, or so it seems. However, the blade isn't really the problem, it's the razor. The Soviet Mladost II. Looks like an adjustable but it's not, it is a TTO but the mechanism sucks, the engineering is about the same as every other Russian razor I've seen and so yeah, it's tough to enjoy much. It would turn a Voskhod into a bad blade so the Dorco had little help.

The lather with the Vie Long and Proraso was great. Plenty of it and good and slick as always with Proraso. The razor felt like it was pulling all the way, but not necessarily because the blade's dull. It did manage to create three total nicks. Some blood was lost this morning. Not horrible but definitely not good. Finished two passes, did some tough up, hit the alum for the instant fire on the whole face and neck, stopped the bleeding, added Nivea and finished with the Veg to smell wonderful as well as burn a few more layers of skin off with that irritation. Not my finest shave by far, but it did end up barely DFS and cooled down before too many hours went by. All in all, acceptable but not enjoyable.

So, if that was bad, tomorrow will make it seem like paradise I'm sure. Tomorrow brings the @Mr. Freeze93 "no mercy" shave. 1918 Old Style, Blendax hacksaw blade, Marvy and the VDH Boar brush. Last chance to change the blade to the SM Tiger......oh who am I kidding, he's laughing like a maniac waiting for the Blendax tomorrow.

@Keithmax has chosen Monday's shave and I'll have more on that in the morning! Hope your weekend is going well.

​

 

I'm going to bed for an early wake up so I'm just posting a teaser until I get home tomorrow afternoon.

Hurt hinge
Sharp stainless
Williams/cremo
VdH boar

Shower shave
Most blood I've shed so far this year.
No hot water

So I'm just leaving that there until about 3pm EST tomorrow when I get home.

 

No pic late shave after a day of hard work in the yard !

Cooper MonoBilt/ Astra SP (3)
RR Plissoft
Blades Grim Smolder
Alum

As promised a while black I decided to give cold water another shot. The chill was quite refreshing after e day of working in the sun. No tugging from the blade and no irritation. I did get a little sting from the alum which tells me I almost took it a little too far on the third pass. The Cooper is such a joy to shave with, I know they are rare but if you ever get a chance to pick one up don't let it pass you by. Have a great night friends!

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

 

Mystery May - Shave Den Sunday!!

Planned 22 May 2016






Feather Popular TTO
Mystery Blade (1)
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic
TSD ISZ Shave Stick
TSD 2x Iced Florida Water AS

Have a super Sunday!
​

 

You do realize...you could have purchased that razor, PIFd it to me, and we'd both still be in NB16 like champs.

 

Pretty good day! Was your last pass ATG? If so, loss of angle control may be your cuprit! You may have gotten a little high and scraped a bit. But, it sounds as if the Cooper is a good razor for your face!

 

Thanks gents.
Tough duty, but somebody's got to do it!

 

At least you went out for a pretty one. Love those scales.

 

I hadn't thought of that way....

I am fairly certain, though, that my wife wouldn't see it that way.

 

Thank you. I like the look of it, too.

 

May Focus Day 21:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
TSD Interception SS
Robeson ShurEdge
Stirling Unscented PSB
Florida Water

Shave two with this razor, and it was a bit better than yesterday. I went for a full two passes just to see how it would go. There are a couple of patches on my neck that keep me from calling it a true BBS, but it close. I am going to give it a few passes on the pasted balsa to see if I can smooth it out just a bit.

It was still a great start for my Sunday. I really like the TSD Interception scent, which I thought paired nicely with Florida Water. I hope everyone has a great day.

 

forgot to post yesterday's shave did a quick one pass with the injector. Low grade DFS. Not bad. The Jabonman aftershave balm is amazing, with the best post shave feel of any of my aftershaves.

Then I got the mail and this was in it. Satin finish Mongoose head. Thanks, @Keithmax! Trying to hold off shaving until either tonight or tomorrow so I have a good crop of whiskers to sacrifice.

 

So @NCoxSTL.... how was your shave today?

 

Alright. shave report time.

Hurt Hinge
Sharp Stainless
VdH boar
Williams/Creamo superlather
no aftershave

I shower shaved last night. I wasn't in the mood for the smell of any of the soaps I was using this month so I added a pea sized amount of cremo to sweeten the smell of the williams. Very wet lather from the added humidity in the shower messy and drippy but it was in the shower so clean up was easy. First pass N/S. I started at the sideburns and found that the blade was pretty smooth. I tested it a bit and found the suck when I increased blade angle to the normal angle for most DE razors. I was on the last stroke of the pass when my neck decided to catch the blade with its very shallow angle and bite in. I felt it start but only saved myself from being filleted. I had a good dribble of blood going. I didn't need to turn the water any colder because the kids all took baths and killed the hot water anyway. I stuck my head and neck under the icy water until the blood stopped, relathered and went for pass 2, S/N. The neck was easy going this time so when I passed the jawline I added some scything to help the blade not catch like it did on the first pass when it hit that one ATG patch. It must have decided that the blood sacrifice was enough because It didn't slice and dice me anymore. I noticed some blood running down my chest from the first pass and also a few weepers along the jawline. Heavily clorinated cold water to the rescue. I ended up dabbing the cut with Alum and curse words and finished my shower. By the time I got out I had forgotten all about aftershave.

Now how many of you expected a dropped razor story?

Finished with a BBS on the cheeks and a DFS on the neck but with blood flow. Looked good this morning but now I look like I need a shave.

 

Straight Mayhem
I went for a 15 mile bike ride with friends this morning. It was nice to take a shower and have a leisurely shave afterwards. I'm feeling relaxed
Route 66 Perfect Storm
Doug Korn brush
Otto Deutsch Hans
Alum
Fine American Blend AS
Have a blessed Sunday!

 

MAYhem 2016
May 22
Razor - 1918 Gillette Old Style
Blade - (2)
Brush - VDH Boar
Soap - Marvy
Post - Called the suicide hotline and got talked down. Lots and lots of Nivea.

Well, what can I say about the @Mr. Freeze93 no mercy shave? How about one of the worst I've ever experienced. This blade is harsh, tuggy, nasty and just all around horrible on a good day. This was its second use, which I've never done, and in an unforgiving beast of a razor. Oh, and using Marvy soap. Yeah, so let's say that the fact I finished two passes should get me a medal of honor.

Absolutely harsh and scraping feeling and it created a number of weepers along my neckline. In fact, my neck was so rough and irritated that as I started sweating in the heat of sales today, my collar (I wear a tie) was actually rubbing my neck even more raw. I had to splash cold water on it to cool it down a couple of times.

The result? Maybe CCS. Honestly the worst I've actually accepted but my good looks overcame that. At least I have that going for me.

Time to eat dinner. I'll be back in a bit with the setup for tomorrow. Hope you all had a good Sunday and a better shave than I did. Although rubbing your beard off on the bark of an oak tree would be better.