OCtober 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

It's right behind Sweeney Todd as my favorite soap.

 

Your right, both are good.

 

October 20 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
Stirling British Leather SS
Gillette Tech Ranger
Stirling Unscented PSB
Stirling British Leather AS

 

Beautiful razor Jim.

 

Thank you, Clint!

 

You have a really great collection of DE and SE razors.

 

Oct. 20
Soap - Proraso Green Tub
Brush - Omega 10098 Boar
Ceramic Suribachi Bowl
Blade - Blade - Gillette Silver Blue - Russia
Razor - 1937 Gillette Sheraton
Alum
Aftershave - Fine L'Orange Noir with Terre d'Hermes parfum

Four is ENOUGH! Today was my 5th day shaving with the same blade. Being a Thursday morning, I won't say I was at the top of my game, but I was not distracted and ended up with 3 minor nicks and a rough shave. Nothing that didn't stop bleeding after applying the alum, but I was a little disgusted with my performance. I got feedback all over from the alum and then I realized that the last time I had a rough shave, I was more than a couple of days into one of these blades. So rule of thumb for these blades is no more than 4 shaves. After my face calmed down, I "treated" myself to some Fine L'Orange Noir. I love the scent, but wow did I get some more feedback after splashing on a good amount. So today I smell great and have a substandard shave. Lesson learned.

 

OCtober Focus - shuffling through the cabinet

Stone Cottage Hesperide & Vulfix Super Badger
B-V3.1 "The Bunny" and Chineese Schick blade
Alum and Pinaud Special Reserve Aftershave


Working my way through little used soaps brought me to a savory cream. Being a softer consistency I brought out my single badger brush. After looking up descriptions I realize this is a better than average brush. Having started with boar brushes, but learning to appreciate my synthetics, the softness of a badger is OK even if it's floppy. Technique triumphs tool. I didn't raise a yogurty lather, yet got good glide. Three passes with a slight scrape across the line of my chin still counts as a successful DFS. Good moisturizing from the cream, a swipe of alum, and double splash of Pinaud for a smooth Thursday.

 

Thank you. I still have plans to thin the heard a bit. This is proving to be much more difficult than anticipated!

 

4 is the max that I will use a blade as well

 

October 19

Razor: Cadet OC
Blade: GSB
Brush: Maggard 24mm
Soap: Stirling MITA
Post: Cold water rinse, Alum block

Now that October is over half way finished, I have gotten going using my one open comb razor. I really enjoyed using the Schick Adjustable Injector. A great razor that became an almost automatic BBS. I will be on the look out for one to put into my rotation. It is now on its way to @Bama Samurai to test out.

The Cadet definitely takes some getting used to after using the Schick. The Schick was really a simple process. If you were off on the angle a little bit either way it was forgiving enough that it did not cause any problems. Maybe a slight irritation, but no weepers or nicks or any blood loss. The cadet on the other hand is aggressive and very picky with its sweet spot. You miss it by much and it will let you know. Going from a razor I could probably shave with in my sleep, I remembered very quickly in picking this one up that I have to pay attention to what I am doing. No blood, but some definite irritation and a couple weepers were the result of my first pass with the Cadet. By the time I was done, I think I had found its angle and things were definitely better. I ended up with a solid DFS in terms of smoothness, but there was most definitely some irritation and the alum let me know. Looking forward to the next few tries with the Cadet and then will do some blade experimenting with this aggressive razor.

 

I know the feeling oh so I well. I thinned out a total of 5 razors and it was hard to do.

 

Razor: Gillette Goodwill 1930's Ball End Open Comb (Made in Canada)
Blade: Personna Platinum (7)
Brush: Shavemac Zebra, Honeycomb 2 Band
Soap: Route 66 Bourbon Jungle
Aftershave: Route 66 Bourbon Jungle Balm

Finished the week with the Gillette Goodwill OC and I'm happy to say I got great shaves with it all week. The Personna Platinum held it own for 7 shaves. The week with the Route 66 Bourbon Jungle soap and balm was excellent.

 

Thanks very much Chris.

 

Beautiful background and photo Doug.

 

Thank you very much Clint. you are to kind.

 

@NCoxSTL what are your thoughts on Gillette Rubie blades? I just placed an order for a Russian variety pack that includes some Voskhod (I am down to my last tuck) along with a few I haven't tried before including Ladas, Rapira Swedish, Sputnick, and Gillette Rubie.

I vaguely remember reading something on the Rubie, but I can't remember if it was positive or not.

 

Not. Worst Russian I have found. I typically avoid it like the plague. It looks like the Platinum Lux Rapira but not from the same company, factory or even the same planet in my opinion.

 

Rubies were no good for me either

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

 

I am back and posting several shaves. This month focus is to use soap or cream several times in a row under different conditions. Now I am focusing on P160 from Razorock. Is a croap with a strong marzipan scent.

Shave 1, Omega Pro face lather. I load a Futur with a fresh Super Iridium blade and opened it all the way. The lather was rick and slick. Four passes and just awesome no irritation and BBS. I had to reload the brush in the middle but no big deal.

Irritation A+ Closeness A Smoothness A Sharpness A+



Second shave bowl lather with Vie Long silver tip. This brush is very soft and of all my brushes it has the least back bone. I enjoy using this brush with creams. I put a fresh Feather in my Ikon SB and built up allot lather. The Ikon with a Feather is my travel set up because it consistently delivers a close shave with no irritation. It is the mildest razor I can use and still get a BBS.

This was the worst shave I had in recent memory. The blade felt rough and tugged, the irritation started immediately. I should have binned the blade and reloaded a new one but I pushed on. Several weepers and then done. Applied the alum and wow, that burns. On the other hand it was a very close and long lasting BBS but the irritation was unacceptable..... so I deleted the photo and binned the blade I was so pissed.

Irritation C- Closeness A+ Smoothness C Sharpness B

Pic Deleted

Shave 3 Rooney brush with good backbone and bowl lathering. My face is still very irritated so what to shave with I had a Hart Steel 7/8 freshly stropped and decided to go with a straight. I take this as a good sign of my straight technique because I felt I can control the shave as mild as I want in the irritated areas.

Build us some good lather and went to work with the Hart, when I came to the irritated areas I lowered my angle hence lowered the aggressiveness. 3 1/2 passes and done, zero blood and no added irritation. All the irritation is the residual from yesterdays screw up.

Irritation A Closeness A- Smoothness A Sharpness A

One more test, the hot scuttle test for this soap. So far it has performed well but with several days in a row I but it a notch below my top soaps/creams. It performs better when I make thick lather rather than a runny lather but the wet lather is what I want for SR shaves.