Ray, congrats on the great shave with the Pain Stick. Nice job!

Well said. I'm going to focus on having fun with what I have for a while. I am enjoying this a lot and have lots of toys in the queue.

By lots do you mean a different one for everyday of the week for the next 3 years?


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maybe for the next year

OCtober-een!

October 11

Grand Blade Trials - OCtober shave

Razor - Fatip Piccolo
Blade - (1)
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum, Nivea, Tabac Cologne

It was party day in the mailbox today. Perfect timing. I had the 1918 Gillette Old Style locked and loaded with a Sharp Star when the mail showed up and the new Fatip was there along with all three Proraso soaps. So, a quick switch to the brand new shiny Fatip Piccolo and a Voskhod and I'm all set. I decided to use the Fat as I had planned. I'll break open the Proraso Red and White at some point in the future. The Green was just a replacement for my almost empty one.

The Fatip has a solid reputation as a great razor. And an aggressive one. It is available either in Grande or Piccolo, or basically big or little. The difference is the size of the handle, though the smaller one weighs more since it's a solid handle. I chose that one for two reasons. First, for the solid brass. Second, I tend to shave better with smaller handles. The Gillette Ball End Tech, Super Speeds etc. I have the EJ DE89l which is a large handle and it's ok, but just isn't as comfortable for me. The head of the Fatip is, of course, the same no matter the handle.

My first impression on holding the razor was the weight. Very solid and head heavy. Feels like a real (translate vintage) razor. That fully open comb is sweet looking and.....it's a three hole razor so the Tiger will fit. That should make @Heisenberg 93 happier knowing I have another possibility.

The Wolf and Fat were magnificent and the lather absolutely decadent. The first stroke of the Fatip told me all I needed to know. It's a beast. Kept it up on the cap and just let the weight do the work. No pressure. Three passes later and I had the baby and a nice alum burn on the neck especially. I can't imagine putting pressure on this thing. You'd take several layers off. In examining the blade in the razor you see the gap is small, the exposure is huge. The two day growth I had going was absolutely no match for this razor. It's a welcome addition to my collection. With it I now have three OC's. The Fatip, the Gillette New LC and the 1918. I'll use the '18 tomorrow since it feels neglected after the last minute switch today.

Grand Blade Trial Update!

Here are the next five blades in line for the Trial for those who are following along or would like to. They are, in this order -

Treet Falcon (carbon blade)
Gillette Silver Blue
Gillette Platinum Plus (found at Walgreens)
Wilkinson (India)
Bic Astor

Three of these are new to me so this should be a fun group. I'll start on the Treet on Thursday and run through Saturday assuming nothing slows it down. The GSB next Monday through Wednesday.

Razor: Gillette OC
Blade: Personna Platinum (3)
Brush: El Druida Red Heart Chakte Kok/African Blackwood 2 Band Badger.
Soap: Eufros Tierra Humeda
Aftershave: Myrsol F./Extra

I have been getting some very close comfortable shaves with this razor. The Personna Platinum works very well for me. This has to be one of my favorite shave brushes both in appearance and functionality. I believe it could whip up a great lather with a bar of soap.

6 razors
6 blade labels
6 soaps
3 brushes
6 AS

3888 unique combos, or ten years of variety.

I knew you'd dig Fatip. Good razor.

Well you've never steered me wrong.

Doing it that way, I'll have to shave three times a day for the rest of my life

Shave 6

Today I touched up my 3 straights. I did this coming to the conclusion that I have been stropping too hard. Causing me to round the edges. I went back to 5,3&1 micron. Then finished with CrOx for 10 laps. This time I used my plate strop and did 100 laps on each.

I started with my Eduard Pauls 1/2 hollow. I started on my left cheek. It was fairly smooth there but when I got down to the jaw it was slightly tuggy. I stoped there with that razor.

I then went with my Eagle 1/4 hollow on my right side. The cheeks were very smooth. When I got to the jaw, it remained smooth. I finished off the first pass with this razor

My second pass I used my Boker 5/8 1/2 hollow. This entire pass was very smooth. So I finished my cleanup with this razor.

Finished with a decent shave. Missed cleaning up on my chin good. As this is a tough place to use a straight. Much more practice is needed here.


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SOTD October 12, 2016

Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: Schick L1 injector
Brush: Artisan badger
Lather: Stirling Barbershop
Post: Witch hazel splash, Stirling Barbershop aftershave, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, touch-up

Nice and easy shave again with the Stirling Barbershop soap. The Schick L1 continues to work really well for me. It's mild, but that's okay for my daily shaves. One pass with touch-up around the jaw and neck, then witch hazel and Barbershop splash, finishing with Nivea balm all equals a nice way to start the morning.

Here's to a great day and good shaves!

October 12, 2016
Wolfman WR-01 OC + Ti with Triad Ti
Feather (1)
Rudy Vey Rover with TGN Finest
AOS Sandalwood
Witch Hazel
Captain’s Choice Sandalwood

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Another solid shave this morning with 3 passes and minimal touch ups ending in a near BBS. I finished off the shave with a splash of Captain's Choice Sandalwood. I hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

SOTN OCtober 11th


Old Type clone
Super-Max Platinum (2)
Arko
Satin Tip The Purest
Lime AS and Nivea Sensitive ASB

Good morning friends! Last nights shave with the Old Type clone was fantastic! Much more efficient then my actual Old Type. The Super-Max showed that it is much more comfortable when working with lesser growth and might be a good option for those who shave daily as it is a very smooth blade and it is very inexpensive coming in at under $8 per hundred. Three passes brought home the baby and my homemade lime AS and Nivea ASB left me feeling silky smooth and relaxed and ready for bed. Have a great Wednesday my friends!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic
Mike's Natural Soap - Sweet Pumpkin Spice
iKon OC DLC w TRIAD Aristocrat Copper
Personna 74 #11
Barrister and Mann Reserve Cool

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October 12

Razor: Schick Adjustable injector (set on 6)
Blade: Chinese Schick
Brush: Maggard 24mm
Soap: Stirling MITA
Post: Cold water rinse, Alum block



Kept the MITA going with the Schick, this time set to 6 to see if it is the sweet point for me and this razor. The MITA is such a wonderful soap. Smells great, just the right menthol level, just makes you want wake up to shave in the morning. My two passes were completely uneventful. Ended with another BBS shave from the Schick adjustable. I noticed almost no difference in the 5 and 6 settings. So my next shave will be alternating 5 and 6 to see if there is really any discernible difference to me and to decide which would be my sweet spot. It will also be my last shave with this razor as it is time to pass it along. I will be taking up the Cadet OC for the remainder of the month.

It looks like an interesting next couple of weeks. I'd definitely curious to see your results with the Gillette Platinum Plus and the German Wilikies.

October 12, 2016- OC Focus

Razor: Gillette #160 Goodwill
Blade: GSB(3)
Brush: VdH Boar
Soap: VdH Luxury

I decided I needed a change, so I switched over early to the 160 Goodwill razor. This razor, for those who don't know, is based off of the New LC, but with the Probak-style posts and cap. Based on today's shave, I'd say it pairs somewhat better (or, at least, more comfortably) with the GSB than the OT does.

A DFS for the day marred only by a small nick at the corner of my mouth where I got a bit overzealous again.