February 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Thanks, guys! That's very kind coming from great photographers as yourselves. Have a great Friday!

 

Nice shot Jim. Dandy razor cover.

 

Thank you, Doug! Adam does good work, doesn't he!

 

I used Mennen Skin-Bracer again this morning,, as we are in the midst of this unseasonable warm spell for Feb. . I forgot how nicely it spreads across the face. We say that a lot about foams/creams/soaps, but it's great that an aftershave does that, as well.

 

Adam does excellent work for sure.

 

GSB's are indeed fine blades. However, I've always found Voskhod to have an edge over them. (pun, intended or not). And with Voskhod both performing ever so slightly better AND costing quite a bit less - the winner has always been easy for me.

 

24 February 2017 Happy Friday Blade/Focus Shave
Last day for the 7 o'clock Green. Today I ended the work week like I started it. Proraso Green(tube) Cream finished off with Proraso Green A/S. The cream whipped up very nice with the 10098. And there was no drop off from the 7 o'clock. The Green A/S has really grown on me. Might have to get more when this tube of Proraso runs out. Voskhod is up next on Sunday. Happy Friday my friends!!

 

Very nice looking gear!

 

Great B & W pic!

 

I agree. I have only shaved with one blade of each in four razors - Schick Krona, Fatip Grande, Fendrihan Scientist, and Fatboy - but I found the Voskhod gave a slightly better shave than the GSB in every single one. I already have more blades than I can ever use of some other brands but if I were going to bulk buy one of the two, it would be the Voskhod hands down.

 

Damn, Doug that is one nice picture. You guys should get together and do a hard calendar for publication. I'd buy one!

 

Gonna be using the Voskies in my SA-109. GSB's in my NEW. Love 'em both.

 

Doug actually produces a beautiful shave calendar each year! One is gracing my desk now.

 

I still have some 2017 calendars left. PM me if you want one. The 2018 calendar is in the works.

 

Thanks very much Charlie.

 

Thank you, Clint! The razor cover is perfect for packing a razor in a dopp kit. That it looks good is a great added bonus!

 

I'm honestly not surprised. I think that, for years, Gillette and their competitors have pressed an agenda of charging premium prices for dubious technical advancements. Shavers have woken up and are now fighting it. DSC is one result and the resurgence of traditional wet shaving, especially the resurgence in DE and SE razors, is another.

The reality is that the past 100 years of shaving innovation have been about improving the result while mitigating any need for skill or technique. It almost the opposite of TTT- the idea that a shaving system can be built that will produce an ideal shave no matter who uses it or how badly they use it. This is not unique to shaving, though, but is a common thread in a lot of 2oth and 21st century innovation. (Hmm.. driverless cars? What's next? Shaverless razors?)

The problem is one of diminishing returns. I will personally attest to the fact that a person with less than optimal skills can get a closer shave more comfortably from a twin-blade razor than from a single-blade one. But what happens when you add one or more blades to that? Is the Sensor 3 really shaving closer than the original Sensor? Is the Fusion really shaving *that* much more closer than the Mach 3? Moreover, do we now need to actually compensate in the razor for the effects of the extra blades? I have to wonder if part of the reason for the Fusion Proshield is to compensate for the additional potential irritation from the extra blades.

The reality is that no one razor or blade fits all, but that seems to be the message that Big Shave wants to ignore. Instead, they have pushed the idea that the latest technological innovation always represents the best. DSC and people like us represent the opposing view- that better and cheaper alternatives exist, some of which have existed for decades and were even cast aside in favor of "progress".

(Personal rant) As a DE and occasional twin-blade shaver, I wonder what sort of razors and blades we might have were Gillette to take the innovation that went into the Fusion (or even the Mach 3) and plow it back into DE shaving.

 

February 24, 2017- Friday Musings

Razor: Chinese Gillette Atra Clone
Blade: DG Twin-Blade (Dorco) (2)
Brush: VdH Boar (first pass), Razorock Plissoft 22 (second pass)
Cream: KMF fragrance-free

I spent some time cleaning the VdH Boar and decided to try it again. The last time I used it, it had sat for a while and decided to make up for that by shedding profusely. As I lathered for the first pass, I realized that it was back to shedding, not quite as badly as last time but definitely shedding more than it ever did before. For my own sanity, I switched to the Plissoft for the second pass.

I didn't have a lot of whiskers to work with this morning, but the razor did a great job on them delivering an effortless near-BBS, especially on the area under my chin. I really spent some time wondering about why we ever needed to go past two blades. (See my other rant.)

I wish I knew what was going on with the VdH Boar, though. Until Christmas, it was pretty much my daily brush and, if it shed at all, would lose 1-2 hairs per shave. I'm starting to wonder if something has happened to the knot since I stopped using it on a regular basis. Can the glue dry out and fail?

 

Feb 24, 2017
'52 Canadian Tech w Polsilver (4)
Tcheon Fung Sing Mastro Miche
WD High Mtn Badger
Thayers



Day 10 of the humble Tech focus, day 4 for the Polsilver SI. Decent shave this morning. Nice lather from the TFS as usual. This brush is more of a hog than my other brushes, but does very well with a soft soap such as this one. Quite a close shave this morning, I did have 2 weepers but they didn't even have the stamina to outlast the Thayers.
This was supposed to be the end of the Tech focus, but as I've only got 3 shaves left this month, I'll use this Tech until the end of the month. I'm going to make a clean start on my other vintages for a March focus.
Have a great day all!

 

Very good setup and picture.