February 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Thank you Jim. This was my favorite of the two B&W photos this week.

 

Feb 18 - out with the new, in with new

Merkur 34C HD
Blade : Shark-> Volkshod
Homemade preshave
Stirling SDM
AOS PostS Sandalwood
​

Started with an open mind and tried the Shark SS blades. What a waste of steel. They felt like an old heavy rusty zipper. Terrible. I pushed a first pass and ditched the blade. I took out the Volskhod blade. I restarted a three pass shave. Today I did not shower but only splashed hot water several times due to a day of work an a later shower. The V is much quieter and was able to pull off a DFS. I again saw that after 2 passes, I was still feeling like 150 grit sandpaper so I had to do a ATG pass. All worked well. Stirling lather was great as was the homemade Preshave was indistinguishable from AOS and might have even been better. I did end with the sensation of 800 - 1000 grid but it calmed down to a DFS+ to BBS. Very happy wit the Volskhod blade. Will need to see how much better they are after a shower. Alum test was tingling so they were less irritating than the Derby Extra blades. So far one of the best.

 

February 18 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
Route 66 Sweeney Todd
Merkur Futur
Stirling Unscented PSB
Florida Water AS

I had the Futur set on what I have started referring to as Setting Neal, which is 6 on the dial. The blade gap is definitely obvious on this setting.

The shave went well until I got to my 2nd pass. I managed to open up the little cuts I had yesterday, and in one case it really came open. The styptic pencil by itself couldn't close it, and I had to apply a little pressure to get to stop dripping. Other than that, the shave was actually pretty nice. I paired the Sweeney Todd with some Florida Water, and they actually went well together. The Sweeney Todd really brought out the spiciness of the Florida Water.

It's been an active Saturday morning already, but I am looking forward to being with my family. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Beautiful photo. You are indeed a brave guy with a Futur on 6. At least it didn't turn out to badly.

 

So I've been slacking in my shaving, using the electric razor over the past two mornings. On the plus side, this has allowed me to get some decent stubble to shave off. So this morning i decided to shave, but no shower like my usual routine. Just some hot water rubbed into my face. Lather goes good and I pick up the razor and start to shave, and something just doesn't feel right.

Well when I pitched the blade the other day, I forgot to put a new one in. So I got a half pass with no blade before I realized my mistake. I put an Astra SP in, and it did a good job on three passes. First was a bit tuggy, didn't really seem to like my more than normal growth. So I might need to find a different blade/razor for that. Luckily I got some samples coming from a very generous member of TSD.

 

We can only hope.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

This photo is stellar. Magazine print/ad awesome.

 

Razor: Supply Provision Custom 2 dot head
Blade: Chick
Brush: RazoRock Tri-color
Soap: Mason Boutique Moroccan Sunset
Post Care: Thayers Witch Hazel
Osage Rub
Alum
Aftershave: Uncle Jon's Silk Road

A couple of firsts today, the razor and the soap. First, the razor. This is a fantastic razor, it's heavy, very well made, heavy, nice selection of heads, heavy, stainless steel...did I mention it's heavy? I love the weight of this razor, I just let gravity do all the work. The head is small enough to get into tight spaces around my nose, the shave angle is easy to find and it's very audible, a feature I really like. My only complaint is the handle is slightly slippery when wet but it's minor. I'm very happy I splurged on this razor.

The soap. This is my first try of the Mason Boutique brand and I was impressed. The scent off the puck was fantastic; amber, cinnamon, a little citrus with lots of spice notes. Upon lathering the scents intensified on the first pass. At the second pass something weird happened. All the spice notes went away and it smelled exactly like Arko. Now I don't mind Arko but that's quite a switch. The performance of the soap made me forget the scent however; very slick, nice cushion, easy lather. This is a top shelf performer. I splashed on some Uncle Jon's Silk Road and I'm ready for the day.

In my previous uses of Uncle Jon's Silk Road the scent is powerful and lasts all day. If my assumption that Osage increases the scent longevity is true then I guess I'll smell this scent until next Tuesday. We shall see. Have a great day folks!

 

Thank you Jared.

 

Still traveling but decided to switch to a razor I received for Christmas. Nice shave today
Travel SOTD
Ogallala Bay Rum Shave Stick
Pure Badger Brush
Jacob Ray El Diablo Razor
MK Sport Cologne
Have a great weekend!

 

Another wonderful travel setup.

 

Thank you Clint. I'm liking traveling with my straights. It's a great way to start my day.

 

Thank you, Clint! Have a wonderful day!

 

That photo really hi-lights the soap container. It looks interesting, and the spices and amber switch to Arko sounds more than interesting. This will be one to watch for in the future.

 

Friday Morning:



-Supply SE
-Stirling Kong Synthetic
-Route 66 Lumberjack
-Stirling Gin and Tonic

Needed a super fast shave early yesterday morning, and it is pretty tough to beat this setup for quick. Route 66 is probably the fastest lathering soap I own, and face lathering it with that 26 mm synthetic has you three passes worth of lather in just a couple of minutes. If I ever needed a rushed to get ready in the morning lineup, this would be it.


#51 (Saturday's shave)



-Kai Captain
-Omega 10666
-Stirling Barbershop
-Chiseled Face Summer Storm

My wife is out of town with our daughter for a couple of days, so I can wear stuff she doesn't like. The Summer Storm apparently qualifies, so I save it for occasions just like this.

Nice shave today. Very near BBS. I am like a dolphin with a couple small patches of whiskers. Or what about a bald unicorn?

 

Razor: Timeless .95 OC w/ Hempel Ti Handle
Blade: Personna 74 Tungsten Steel (18)
Brush: El Druida Cocololo Manchurian
Soap: Reef Point Soap Classic Barbershop
Aftershave: Fine Platinum
Fendrihan Shave towel
I'll keep on using this razor and blade until it starts to pull and tug. The El Druida Cocololo Manchurian is a pleasure to use. It is one of the best brushes in my den. The Reef Point Soap Classic Barbershop performed very well all week.
I'll start tomorrow with some new hardware and software.

 

They're probably just so used to delivering there the trucks go by without driver participation.

 

Voskhod Rules!!! Shark SS blades are not as good as the Super Chrome blades, in my opinion. And the Super Chromes aren't among my favorites.

 

Similar to Sitting Bull.