January 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Mark I always enjoy the eye candy you shave with but what is the egg in the background?

 

Happy Anniversary January!!

January 25

Mostly Shavettes

Razor - Magic Shavette
Blade - (2)
Soap - Route 66 Rum Runner
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum

Final shave on the shavette and it started with another fine lather. Learned my lesson about not changing what works on that front. The Rum Rummer sample is pretty much a goner at this point and I liked it a lot. Definitely on my list of possibles to get a full tub as I said last night.

Two passes again tonight and again no issues and the blade didn't seem to be giving me any problems. I was trying to determine if it would be less smooth like it did in the DE, but from what I could tell it was just as nice as the first shave. Since I've noticed this in all of the ones I've tried, but particularly this one with the difference in the two DE shaves, I'm pretty sure it has to do with two things. First of all, the pressure allowed with a DE is greater without any injury. Shavettes are light, but it's mostly angle that creates the shave, not pressure. Too much pressure on a shavette gets the same results as with any straight type razor - Blood! Also, the full angle availability allows for minute adjustments that can reduce drag or simply align better for the cut. Clearly a advantage over any DE razor that will keep you locked into a relatively small arc of angles.

Whatever the exact reason or reasons using a shavette can produce just as good or better a result in the same number of passes as a DE. And it's pretty cool to do as well. Gives you that "steely eyed straight razor man" feel without having to strop! Or change an AC blade, whichever.

My weeks is started and was a pretty good day overall. Temperature is falling again as we are headed back to traditional STL winter weather. Cold, wind, no snow. Lucky us.

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Thank you very much.

 

This has to be one of your best photographs yet Mark. What a unique and beautiful brush.

 

Mark, I have the same brush except with a plain purple handle. I got mine slightly used from a B+B member and don't know much about it. I used mine in my Focus shave a couple days ago (I just called it a B+B special edition) and thought it was a wonderful brush.

I think it's made for B+B by Omega but am not sure. The knot looks similar to the 1000 series, for example, but the handle style doesn't look like any of Omega's. Do you know anything more about it? Is it by Omega, and if so, what model is it based on or close to?

 

January 26 (Thursday) - on focus
Gillette Black Beauty on 3
PAL Gold Thin Hollow Ground carbon (22)
Kent woodhandled "badger effect" boar brush - unknown model number
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream ( croap )
Alum and plain cold water rinse

What a difference a day can make! After yesterday's less than stellar performance by the small Kent boar brush, at the end of the shave, I re-lathered with the brush and left it to dry soapy. In the afternoon, I rinsed it out and then did that again. I think the two extra test latherings did the trick.

Today, the brush seemed nicely broken in. Yesterday, I overdid the bowl lathering and ended up with a lather bowl filled with meringue-like lather but an empty brush. Today, I started the lather in a bowl briefly but then finished by face lathering. I ended up with a nice thick even coating of lather on my face and enough left in the brush for several more passes. And the brush was still firm but not in the least bit prickly.

This Kent boar brush has now definitely joined the keeper pile as well.

Tomorrow I will revisit the eBay artisan badger, which I am still somewhat on the fence about. Although, to be honest, what I mainly like about it is the turned ivory-like handle and the sentiment attached to the fact that it was my first "good" (badger) brush rather than anything to do with its performance.

Otherwise, I started this brush focus month with 17 brushes and am ending with a rotation of 10: 6 synthetic, 3 boar and 1 badger. Not a bad result, all things considered.

As for today's actual shave, after the lather got onto my face, it was entirely uneventful. The carbon blade on shave 22 gave a smooth close shave with no irritation. I didn't bother with any post shave products after the alum rub.

 

I started my Blackbird and Feather focus on December 24 and have used that combo for every shave since then. I had 26 shaves in total and used 4 blades for an average of just over 6 shaves per blade. The longest 1 blade lasted was 8 shaves. I'm pleased with this combination. Focus/rule for February will be the Gillette NEW SC and Feather blades as well.

 

SOTD January 26, 2017

Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: Schick G8 injector
Brush: Artisan badger
Lather: Route 66 Sweeney Todd
Post: Witch hazel splash enhanced with TSD Energy, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, touch-up

Really smooth shave this morning with Sweeney Todd. The G8 injector just rolls along. Great razor. One pass with touch-up is all I need on a workday morning. Easy, comfortable shave.

Have a great day!

 

The B&B Essential Boar was made by Omega as an exclusive limited edition item. The brush was only available through West Coast Shaving and was part of of their Badger and Blade items. Different color handles were released at various times. There is a huge thread on Badger and Blade with all the info and colors.

 

January 26, 2017
Timeless OC .95 Gap
Feather (2)
BSB-2 with Vie-Long Two Band Fan
Route 66 Lumberjack

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This week is just rolling right along. After a couple of weeks in the 60s and 70s, winter seems to be returning. The wind was much chiller this morning during the walk. The Timeless is one heck of a DE razor with close, smooth and drama free shaves the norm. This month with Route 66 has confirmed the soaps to be top notch. For those starting out, I would be hard pressed to recommend a soap that is easier to use.

 

Thanks. I guess this means I will have to go slumming at the "other" forum for a bit. .

Actually, I signed up to The Shave Den, Badger and Blade, and The Shave Nook all at the same time, but TSD is where I have ended up hanging out. I have found this 30 Day Rule/Focus thread particularly helpful as well as being a classy and fun group to mingle with online - even if some of you are unicorns or try shaving with skunks on occasion.

 

1/26/17
Gillette NEW SC
Feather
RazoRock Plissoft
TSD Spice type
Dollar store Spice aftershave

I just received this back from Delta Echo and my previous favorite razor of all time just became 'favoriter'! So smooth to shave with and so nice to look at.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

Nice black and white pic, Perry!

 

Beautiful picture, Clint!

 

Your New definitely looks great! Nice set up!

 

I did the same thing and still participate in the SOTD threads in the other forums. The B&B boar was a really big deal in 2014 when I first signed up and started DE wet shaving. There were folks stalking the times when the next edition would be available.

 

Troy congrats on the fantastic razor. The color combo really looks great. I have been thinking of sending one off to Delta Echo. Pics like this don't help.

 

Thank you Jim. I hope your week is going well.

 

26 January 2017 Blade Focus Shave
Coming down to the wire and it looks like unless the GSB's turn in a fantastic performance next week, Voskhod's will be the blade of choice for my NEW SC. That will be two razors out of my 4 razor rotation. Now on to the shave.
This morning GFT Limes Shave Cream stepped up to the plate delivering a great slick lather and heavenly Lime scent. The Voskie made short work of the weekday stubble and at the end Mr. Alum had nothing to say. Cold towel, Dominello Vitali Calming Post Shave Moisturizer and a splash of Clubman VIBR. Excellent start to a crappy looking Thursday here in the Great Garden State.
And finally a funny for @Douglas Carey that I spotted in the NY Post this morning:
"Gen. James Mattis has a bear rug in his house-but it's not dead, it's just too scared to move."- Rob O'Neill, former SEAL Team 6 operator and the man who ended OBL.

 

January 26 SOTD:

Razorock Plissoft Brush
La Toja Shave Stick
Gillette SS
TSD English Fern AS