December 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Razor: Gillette Slim K 4 1965
Blade: Voskhod Bocko II Teflon (5)
Brush: Elite Razor "Tres Amigos" Desert Ironwood Beehive w/Envy White
Soap: Route 66 High Mountain Mist
Aftershave: Floid Blue
Razor and Voskhod blade are holding up very well. One thing about using different soaps is that when I return to Route 66 soaps I remember why I like and use them so much. Not a bad soap in the Route
66 lineup.

 

Beautiful photo Doug. Are you planning on participating in the Route 66 January 2017 thread?

http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/january-route-66-month-for-me.53891/

 

I did not like the Feather SS because of the rounded lip. I prefer the DX and CJB which look and feel more like a wedge straight. I never could get a god shave with the SS, you may want to look for a CJB and see if it suits you better.

 

Thanks Clint.

 

Well I had better learn to use it now. I got as good of a shave on my neck today as I have yet, but after using the Irving Barber I can absolutely see the difference. It makes a little more sense to me now, as to why I was so prone to cutting myself before with the SS, and not now.

I had a Sam Seong, but never cared for the stupid little button on the top.

Have you ever used a Kai??? This Feather was supposed to be a folder, like my last one, but the seller shipped the wrong one, and I already had a Kai Captain ordered.

If one of the two doesn't pan out, I would look at a CJB. I like the kamisori style.

 

Frosty looking shave!

 

I have not tried the Kai, but I am curious about it.

 

Decadent December with Dovo

Day 2 with Haslinger and joining today's shave: Dovo Bismark 2 and 30mm Whipped Dog silver tip.

The Haslinger is good stuff, too bad it got lost in the back up bin. The edge on the Dovo was superb, very smooth and very sharp. Everything seemed perfect so I expected and epic shave. Just a tingle from the alum and BBS but not the long lasting BBS.

Irritation A Closeness A Smoothness A+ Sharpness A+

 

Last four shaves have been with DE razors, all using the same Feather blade. Shave 1 was a post-war Tech (rectangular holes.) result was a bloody BBS. I tend to use too much pressure with a post-war Tech, and I never remember until my neck is a mess. The next shave was a pre-war Tech, (triangular slots,) and shave two on the feather. Smoother shave with less blood, and a BBS again.

Monday's shave was with an Old Style short comb, and shave three on the blade. This razor is significantly more efficient than the two techs. I reopens a few cuts from the previous two days' shaves, and cleanly removed a bleeder of a skin tag on my neck. Did not chase the baby and got a solid DFS, but after several days of shaving I had to take a day off.

Today was my fourth shave on the Feather blade, with a New Short Comb baseplate. Blade was much mellower, and did two and a half passes for a high grade DFS. Much less irritation than the Old style.

I didn't intend to do a razor comparison this month, but that's what it is looking like. I'm trying to decide if I like the old or new head better, as I will be purging almost all of my DEs. I think I am going to shave for the next few days with brand new Swedish Supersteel blades to make the call. My original plan was to have the base plates all coated black, and keep the top caps satin nickel, but if I land on the New, it will be a different plan, as I will find a new home for the satin set. It has been very easy to shave with DEs this week, but I miss the ritual of my straights.

 

Flibberdegibbet Decadence December

Saint Charles Soap - Bulgarian Lavender
Vulfix 2235S Super Badger brush
Weck Bantam & Personna blade
Schick Type G1 & Chick blade
Alum, Lilac Vegetal


Louis @dustmite and I swapped a few items. My lather tonight courtesy of him! The 23mm knot of badger hair did a fine job of whipping up a decent lather from the Glycerin based soap. While the scent is very strong from the puck, it mellowed and took on a more soapy aroma in my suribachi bowl. Decent slip and slide, though I had to load more for my 3rd pass & clean up. Meh, new to me brush and soap so no blame on the products. After more than one misadventure with the long Personna blades, I ran the heel & toe across a stone and blunted those pointy corners. Not blood on steel this shave. Still brought in a pinch hitter to clean up. Thanks to a trade with John @John Ruschmeyer this G1 is a smooth shaver.
After rinse/alum/rinse I realized I don't have a complimentary lavender AS. So I went Heroic Lilac and all's well in my world.
Good Shaves Y'all!

 

I'm lookin' for thrills in retirement, so I considered this:



But I decided on Voskies instead. I'm livin' on the edge. I just hope it's a good edge.

 

December 28 -

Rockwell 6s on plate #3 / Israeli IP ( 2)
Supply Provision synthetic brush
Kaloderma camomile shaving cream
Alum and cold water

The Rockwell 6s and the IP blade on its second shave did an excellent job with my usual two crisscross XTG passes - BBS on the neck after an extra ATG pass there and DFS elsewhere. I am really liking the IP blade.

Dug into the soapbox today and came up with a barely-used tube of Kaloderma that was PIFed to me by my brother about a decade ago and never before tried by me. Maybe the cream keeps better in the older style metal tubes than in the newer plastic ones but this stuff was still perfectly fine. A dab in the bowl produced gobs of lather that provided good protection and a silky face feel afterwards. The feel was good enough that I didn't bother using anything after the alum rub and rinse.

I will be quite happy to continue using this cream until the tube runs dry, and I might even consider replacing it if they are still selling it in about 2020 when I will be needing to refill the soapbox...

 

Golden Corral. Mmmmmm... Mmmmmmm!

 

Russian steel beats German engineering every time. Now, as for Russian razors.....well, not so much.

 

Decadent December!!

December 28

Razor - Soviet Consul
Blade - (3)
Soap - Arko
Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Post - Alum

Sixth day on the Consul which means, of course, setting 6. Final day on the Rapira Platinum Lux and after yesterday's operator error I'm ready to redeem myself with a perfect shave. With the rise in irritation yesterday, though, I have a feeling I've passed the sweet spot for me on this razor. On the Gillette Slim my sweet spot is 6. Depending on how today goes I feel like 4 may be the sweet spot on the Soviet version.

Great lather as always with Arko and the first pass was uneventful. Still smooth but....that hint of harshness is beginning to creep in. Nothing serious but just that feeling that if I come off the cap at all I could feel it. I didn't reopen the cut from yesterday's mistake so that was good. Second pass was XTG followed by a half pass of ATG and slides as usual just to finish the neck. And, with no blood and no other problems the baby showed up. The gap is big on this razor and the exposure is making it easy to get effective passes. Now, how's the alum going to treat me?

On the rinse before the alum I already had a clue. I could feel some irritation just from the lather residue washing off and when I used the alum it makde it clear that the sweet spot for me is indeed 4 on this razor. Yesterday gave me a preview of burn from the alum, today brought the burn pretty consistently over my whole face with some stingers on my neck. Clearly the irritation is coming up fast on me. Could I use the razor at this setting to gain a two pass BBS? Yes. As long as I'm ready for the irritation. I think it's time to get the Nivea ready for tomorrow. Also tomorrow, the final blade, the Mighty Voskhod takes over for the final three shaves. It may be my saving grace.

Three days to the new year. No big plans here for New Year's Eve. SWMBO and I will probably cuddle up when I get home from work with a bottle of Danish Mead and a good movie to put a stake in the heart of this year. Here's hoping 2017 improves on many fronts, in spite of the odds we face. Happy Hump Day!!

​

 

If JTK is your Captain, what's the worst that could happen?

 

Did you find the lather a little less than reliable...as in dissipating a bit like Williams tends to? Just curious because it's made locally here and I've never been able to get a consistent lather with it. Just not sure if it's me or the soap.

 

I prefer the New to the Old, although the Old Styles are fun and aggressive beasts to use occasionally. You and those straights have been a true love story since you started with them a little less than two years ago. I remember your early days with them right here in this thread. Good times, and look how much money you've saved by using straight razors and giving up carts and even DE blades! Seriously....you must have saved hundreds by now!

 

Decadent December 2016 - Day 28



More of it! Two nice passes with R66 and Shark SS. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a terrific Thursday!