January 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Another day with the Simpson Chubby 2 Super.

It is Saturday so time for a nice uncrushed shave so in with the Castle Forbes and a Mastro Livi. The Chubby and the CF agreed with each other and CF delivered as always with some great lather. This my second shave with this Mastro Livi. The first shave was disappointing, my other Mastro Livi always has a great edge. So before taking this razor to the stones I hit the pasted strops and that was the ticket. Today the edge was very smooth. 4 passes without blood and zero irritation. Finished BBS so I will be smooth for a relaxing Saturday.

 

Ish...

 

What grade of knot are they? Pure is pure, and while there are some good pure brushes out there, the Vulfix example I had wasn't particularly good.

Their Super is the same hair as Simpson's best, and their Silvertip is the same as Simpson's three band Super. So depending on how the knot was put together, they could be very good brushes.

A guy doesn't have to spend a ton of cash to get an enjoyable badger, but my experience is that to get a good (not a flopper) 3 band costs a little more than a good 2 Band.

$26 will buy you a 24mm finest knot from The Golden Nib, $8 will get you a handle shipped from Whipped Dog. These are good badger knots; good enough to say you gave badger a fair shake. Lots of brushes you see in SOTD's from well known brush makers are sporting TGN knots.

$35 will get you a finest from Stirling, and they are fantastic knots. Not super scrubby, but still with some backbone.

In three band silvertip, and maybe some of these guys here will weigh in, I haven't found an inexpensive knot I really like. I want to try an Envy for my next knot. Other than that, Thater has the best 3 band knots I have ever tried, but you are looking at $100 for 22 mm.

 

Ice storms are much worse than snow. I hope the forecast prove to be inaccurate.

Don't forget fried cheesecake, fried twinkies, and fried mac & cheese.

 

So..... It's All Quiet On the Western Front?(ducks & covers)

 

Focus Shave #25....



-Kai Captain
-Flashy FinWrks with TGN Finest
-I Coloniali Mango
-Stirling Sandalwood Splash and Balm

A basic, nothing to report shave. I am somewhere in the realm of DFS, no blood, quiet alum, etc.... The blade is getting down there; could easily get a couple more out of my Mongoose or General, but I am not comfortable enough with this platform to deal with tugging or a buffing cleanup.

The Kai is definitely easier to use than the Feather. The end result is the same, but the continued absence of blood when using the Kai seems to speak for itself. It makes no sense to me why they make the SS with the rounded edge and the DX without. I do not know of a single person who has tried both and said that they prefer the SS. I am not giving up on it yet though. Maybe I should offer it up for a passaround and share the pain.

 

Resting my mug(the one that looks back at me in the mirror) today. Tomorrow it's back to the NEW Focus. Gillette 7 o'clock Green is up. Then it'll be the Voskies. To be fair I'm gonna do the Silver Blues again also. I'm stoked.

 

Two weeks of straights and Route 66. I am really enjoying these shaves. First time with this razor. What a sweet blade.
Route 66 Bay Lime Twist
B-400 Brush by Tom
Henckels Friodur 72 1/2
Thayers WH
Fine American Blend AS
Have a great weekend!

 

January 14, 2017
Timeless OC .95 Gap
Feather (2)
Shavemac D01 Silvertip
Route 66 Twisted Tweed
Floid Blue


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Another very good shave this morning, though not up to the level of previous shaves this month. Since everything else was in order, I will attribute the fall off to operator error. The Twisted Tweed is done and gone may it RIP. I have enjoyed the light fougere scent. The scent is present during the shave but does not linger long allowing me to use a variety of aftershaves. I will continue on with the Route 66 and Timeless focus this month.

I have been thinking of a Soap A Week or SAW routine for quite awhile. This seems like a good idea for me to work through my soap inventory while still maintaining variety. Since it was a good idea for soaps, I will extend it to include brushes as well and and making this multi-month routine. Now seems as good a time as any to kick this off. I will start tomorrow with Route 66 Rum Runner paired with the Zenith B02 Boar.

I hope everyone has a great Saturday.

 

That's good info. I'm not just using a substandard $3 ebay badger. If I'm driving a Chevy rather than a Caddilac I'm getting a similar function, but not the best that can be had.

That sounds like what I was hoping for. Considering the density of the knot, maybe a shorter loft? Since my experience is limited I understand there can be great ones, but these aren't them. The two Vulfix's I am using are (I think) a 2235 and a 660.

I've looked at that one. Adam @Drygulch recommended it as a good replacement knot. Top quality but not top dollar.

Now this guy I can understand. Brian @mrchick has used his Tuxedo knotted B-400 for every shave for the last month! I didn't go back and confirm that altho if he did he's found "The One".
This synthetic knot is what I think the high end badgers must feel like. Enough backbone to load, make lather, and apply. So soft you only feel the lather. Absolutely no scrub or scritch. Is that a Geltip? I'm OK with a bit of exfoliation. I like breaking in a boar brush with my face. If a new shaver started with this Tux knot they'd be spoiled for life.

 

The B-400 has become "The One". Love both the handle and the Tuxedo knot. My other brushes are getting lonely.

 

I like my B-400 Tux enough that I'm fixing to trade/ship an original Rubberset 400 unnumbered. I haven't even install a knot in the vintage handle. Side by side they are near indistinguishable. Tom's has a little more heft plus extra ferrules for future knots.

 

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Yes, the Envy White. They are great. I want to get a 3 band silvertip in whatever the "Envy" model is. Twice the price of TGN, but probably twice the knot too.

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I have only had two knots that approach the Tuxedo's feeling , and both of them were three band silvertip, and a ways north of $100. It is still different though. I am not sure how to describe it other than the badger has more mass behind it. The tuxedo just sort of feels like it is floating.

The only true Geltips I have are both finest and still have a little scrub. I guess when I say scrub, I differentiate that from scritch or scratch. I just mean they have enough backbone to work up a lather. Those are the Stirlings and are pretty inexpensive. I think they are as good a bargain as one can get right now.

The thing about badger is that basically every single one is different. I have a few plissoft synthetics in different brands that pretty much act the same. I have an Omega Pro and a Zenith Pro that basically feel the same. If I was blindfolded and you lathered me up, I don't think I could tell if you changed up mid shave. But every badger I own is almost stand out different from each other. I even have two Envy White knots that are both 24 mm and set to the same loft, but they are two completely different animals, because one is set into a tighter hole, and the other is set so it is more opened up. I love using them both, but they couldn't be more different.

I think that is why I have a brush AD. Out of all the brushes I rotate, no two are the same. And not just handles. It's my always looking for one that will be different. It's like having a harem, only they never get mad at you.

 

Razor: Gillette Black Tip X 3 1952
Blade: Wilkinson Sword (7)
Brush: Brass Handle boar (?)
Soap: Route 66 Sweeny Todd
Aftershave: Route 66 Sweeny Todd Balm

Great three pass shave with a clean up for a near BBS. Can't say enough about this soap.

 

Jared is correct. I have yet to find a synthetic that feels the same as a top flight badger. That is not to say that the Tuxedo or Plisson type knots are not very good and work very well. They do but they do not provide that soft un-yielding pressure that a dense badger can. If you like scrub and a little scritch the Envy White is a fantastic knot and worth way more than the price. The next price point down would be the TGN Finest. For years this was the custom brush maker's knot of choice with excellent backbone. Order the knot and buy a handle from TGN or get a vintage handle of your choice. You can have an excellent brush for around $50 and more likely close to $40. I know that you will hear a lot about Whipped Dog brushes. Look for yourself and you will find no brush maker using his knots. I have had 2 and despite being a nice guy and cheaper than TGN, those two brushes represent the worst value I have had in wet shaving. I know that Larry is a nice guy and provides excellent customer service but that does not equate into the product provided. For my money I will add a few dollars more and buy something from TGN. In fact if you are in the Conus and want a used Whipped Dog High Mountain 24 mm knot, pm me an I will send it to you.

The main thing is badger hair can be made into a brush to suit all tastes. You want pillow soft and a cloud like feeling; there is a badger for you. You want backbone that makes your boar brush hide in the corner; there is a badger knot for that as well. Decide what you want in a brush and the price point then you can search and find what works best for you. If you are not opposed to a used brush check out some of the other forums where people change brushes all the time. I have picked up some of my nicer brushes at substantially less than retail.

Much like Jared, I find that changing brushes changes my morning shave more than the razor.

 

Cool looking brush. If the boar doesn't work, I bet a re-knot will make that brush the bomb.

 

SOTD January 14, 2017

Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: PAL Adjustable
Brush: Jayaruh #60 synthetic
Lather: Route 66 Perfect Storm
Post: Witch hazel splash, Route 66 Perfect Storm balm
WTG, XTG

Terrible, terrible shave. About 8-10 small, annoying nicks and weepers on my lower right neck and single dot on my chin. That neck area is on fire right now!! This is the worst shave in recent memory. Not sure what went wrong. This was the first time using this PAL Adjustable. The first pass was actually fine. The problems and nicks didn't occur until the second pass. I had dial only halfway up so it shouldn't have been too aggressive. Perhaps the blade wasn't in top shape, but since the first pass was okay I don't know if that was it or not.

It wasn't the soap's fault. Excellent lather and protection from Route 66 as normal.

Oh well. I lived and will shave again soon. Redemption shall be had. I hope you enjoy your weekend!

 

I can't say any about B&M Bay Rum, but I have found many of his scents to be a little to a lot funky. Having said that the best Barbershop scent I have tried is B&M Seville. The stuff is a modern classic without the old guy scent.

 

Have to agree on the Whipped Dog. Larry is a super nice guy, but all I can say about his badger knots is that I have had three of them, and don't own any of them now. I'm not coming at this from a brush snob perspective either. I have a couple of Virginia Sheng knots (cheaper yet), and think they work just fine.

That said, there are some users who really seem to like Whipped Dog badgers. Look at Bobcat, he has several of them, just got another one planted into a handle, and he certainly isn't using them because he's pinching pennies on brushes!