January 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

January 5 - and still out of Focus

Gillette FatBoy dial 3
PAL Thin Gold Hollow Ground (carbon steel) (2)
B+B special edition purple-handled Omega boar brush
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream (croap)
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original

Today's scheduled shave equipment, a Canadian Gillette Tech with a Topaz Platinum blade, was rudely jostled aside by the PAL blade, which wanted to be tried again in a different razor. So the PAL replaced the Gillette Platinum Plus in tomorrow's FatBoy and away we went. (When your shave equipment starts bossing you around, you know you have a problem...)

The Omega lathered up The Eternal Tub nicely in my lathering bowl. Now that I have used it a couple times and learned how much extra water it needs, this brush is working well for me. I expect both it and yesterday's Kent boar will stay in my lineup.

The blade in the FatBoy set on my usual 3 was clearly extremely sharp but also manageable. A single diagonal pass with a bit of touchup gave me a DFS+ everywhere with no blood or irritation. The alum stung only in the two cuts from Tuesday's little faux pas with the 1912 SE but was quiet everywhere else. I used the Thayers to round out the shave but didn't truly need it.

The vintage PAL carbon blade seemed more comfortable to use in the adjustable rather than the preWar Tech, even though the Tech is supposed to be a very mild razor. It also was still every bit as sharp even on this second shave as PAL's advertising claimed it would be; I don’t think I will ever need to get a tuck of Feathers to try because I can't imagine how any razor blade could possibly be any sharper than these ones.

I think my planned Focus - such as it was and what there was of it - has just gone out the window. Instead of running through a rotation of razors and blades and seeing how they do and how long the blades last against each other, I am going to play with this newly acquired PAL instead. Tomorrow I will try it in the Black Beauty, and then I will put it in the Rockwell 6s and run it until it dies. And when it starts to dull down, I will also see if the old 1930s Stanford Sharpener can really extend its life by several shaves.

At least I can continue to test my brushes as planned.

 

Good looking photo Perry!

 

I asked him what happened and all he said was that the blade(which was a Shark) was well named.

 

He destroyed himself with bad technique as a newbie, it had little to do with the blade.

 

You are probably correct. I'm gonna talk to him again the next time I see him. Point him here and some other sites that I looked at when I was doing my research. I'll just hang on to the Parker for him for now.

 

This is my fourth badger. I won't pay more than about $60 for a knot, so I know I am a little limited, but this is the first one I have been happy with. I don't like a floppy brush. I didn't find my horse hair brush all that floppy, but I didn't enjoy it as much. Brush AD is one I have managed to avoid so far, I have decent Badger, Boar, and Synthetic, and am quite happy with the three I have.

 

The Envy White is an excellent knot and equals knots costing much more. My Envy White has more backbone and scrub than my Omega or Zenith boars by a wide margin. TGN Finest is also a very good knot at a very good price. Not as dense as an Envy White but more economical.

 

Shavette January Focus

Beta Test; Menthol & Lavender Cream
B-400 Tuxedo synthetic brush
Weck Sexto & Personna blade
'59 Gillette 195 on 9, Ladas SS
Alum block, Barbasol Pacific Rush


Testing a New Product thanks to Chris @americanshamrock by way of the Monty Hall for Donors PIF. He has put some time into crafting a shave cream and invited several TSD members to give it a whirl. I selected one of my best brushes and gathered up a snurdle of the pearlescent product. The well drained Tux knot and suribachi bowl brought up smooth thick lather. Additional water didn't break it down and rewarded the wetter lather needed for a straight razor like shave. Plenty of menthol for a comfortable cooling effect. Light on the lavender, but that's in comparison to SCS Bulgarian recently sampled. Application rewarded a thick coat that doesn't fade with my somewhat slow deliberate shavette use. Getting my WTG & ATG passes the lather is as slick as most soaps. Switching to the Fat Boy for XTG, G-slides, and clean up duty rewarded a fine DFS+ finish. The cream rinses off hardware without residue and left my face comfortable. No sensitivities to any products yet used allows me to try new stuff without fear. Cool water rinse, alum bar no louder than normal, and a splash of Barbasol menthol kept the cool going. Now 30 minutes later and still feeling fine - I look forward to trying the Peppermint Patty Test cream that's in the mail. Also going to receive some Unscented product that I'll experiment up into Patchouli and Lime EO flavor.
Good Shaves Y'all
(Collage photo inspired by Jared @PickledNorthern)

 

That looks like awesome cream.

 

I have tried C.O.Bigelow, Cremo Regular & Cooling, and Scentsy brands. Chris's labors have produced a cream that's on par with commercial products. He & I have discussed the process - this is not just something you stir up in an hour. I appreciate the opportunity to be a tester! I'm looking forward to more uses of his products.

 

Glad you like it Rick

 

Testimony from the Expert Witness already in the Record.
Break for lunch?

 

"Order, Order, Order in the Court!"
"I'll have a BLT please your Honor!"

 

Maybe the 30 Day Focus Group should be subtitled "Guinea Pigs R Us"...

 

I wasn't so brave this time last year.
Popsicle stick shavette WILL happen this year!
In my shave den I'm

If others are involved I use proper procedures.

 

I wish I'd kept mine. All I have is one of those silly round thingies. Basically a useless brass disc with some numbers on it.

 

I found this at Razor Emporium...

"For Adjustable razors, all measurements are taken at setting number 1. Because of the design of the slotted adjustment dial, once the setting is made at 1, all other settings move up automatically / incrementally from there."

"Move up automatically / incrementally" by how much?



Edit: I see they list the blade gap of a Slim, on "1", @ .381mm. Another chart I found gave it @ .56mm ("Gillette Adjustable", so I'm taking the chance in assuming it's a Slim).That's quite a difference.

 

Razor: Gillette Aristocrat 1947 (Birth year razor)
Blade: Feather Platinum (5)
Brush: Fendrihen Silvertip Black Faux Ebony Handle
Soap: Route 66 Lavender Wood
Aftershave: Folsom Capri

The Route 66 Lavender Woods is a deep woods cedar, crushed Pine tips and hints of unmistakable wild English Lavender energized to create a soothing, woodsy, masculine scent. Excellent soap.
Tonight's shave was without any problems at all. Did 4 passes ATG in both direction for a very near BBS. Folsom Capri is a top 5 aftershaves in my books.
Canada and the U.S.A. play tonight for the World Junior Championship. This is probable the best hockey you will ever see. Good luck to both teams.

 

Great setup Adam. Your right Fine Platinum is a great aftershave.