March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Once you've crossed the Rubicon we call Cinco de Julio, there are no bad ideas.

 

True, though the upcoming Ides Shave could add a new dimension to it.

 

March 10, 2017​

Mongoose B2 with Triad Ti​

Feather Pro Super (6)​

Chubby 2 Synthetic​

Route 66 Lumberjack​

Fine Platinum​

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Happy Friday everyone. The little Chubby 2 Synthetic is a great little brush. I enjoy the wall of "badger" feel that the synthetic knot delivers during face lathering. I am also enjoying the week with Lumberjack. Like all Route 66 soaps, it is very easy to lather and provides a super slick lather with great post shave feel. I see no reason to mess up a good thing, and continued with my 2 pass routine followed by touch ups in my trouble spots. As expected the shave ended in a near BBS and I will not chase the baby on a work morning. I finished off the shave with a splash of Fine Platinum. I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday.

 

Beautiful picture, Clint!

 

March 10 SOTD:

Razorock Plissoft Brush
Palmolive Classic Shave Stick
Gillette Black Beauty
Stirling Unscented PSB
Captain's Choice Bay Rum AS

Definitely a nice shave this morning. The Black Beauty really did its job well, as I am very near a BBS, with just one or two patches on my neck keeping me from it. It was extremely quick, but the razor can be efficient. For whatever reason, this combo of Palmolive Classic, Stirling PSB, and Captain's Choice AS has my face feeling great. This is one of the best post shave feelings I have had. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Thank you Jim.

 

Lovely colors Jim. The filters you are using really bring a great element to your SOTD photos.

 

Thank you, Clint! I have to hide my lack of skills somehow!

 

March 10 - Astra SP is done

Merkur 34C HD
Astra SP Day 5
23mm AOS Pure Badger brush
DIY PSO
Stirling Vanilla Sandalwood
Alum /TWH
Nivea S-PSB

What's to say. Love Stirling Vanilla Sandalwood. Great scent. AOS brush was soaked and I decided to shake and then squeeze the brush and nothing came out. This is very different from The Phoenix. Its Silvertip holds tons of water in comparison. I think this difference in water holding capability is largely why I have had difficulty lathering with The Phoenix. Lathering resulted in enough for 6 passes and touch ups and then some. I ended up leaving some in the bowl and had extra in the AOS brush as well.

The shave showed the Astra SP was done. It, like the Voskhods, only dip at the top of cleaning ability. This blade remained smooth throughout all shaves. Today, I feel it is done due to requiring more touch up and more pressure to get a DFS out of 3 passes (WTG, XTG and ATG). Only stubble can be found on the center neck. I am sure it could have gotten this but time was running out. I think a parameter often overlooked is time. All of these great blades can cut even when some get long in use. I think that , for some, the increase in time to get a good shave outweighs any additional lifespan still in the blade. Maybe some of the extra lifespan, for me in my opinion, comes from my use of PSO since it really smoothes out the shaving action of the blade as I found out yesterday.

Alum was bright but calmed quickly. This seems common for my sensitive skin. Thayer's WH has never been anything but calming. Closed out the shave with Nivea Sensitive PSB.

The Astra SP are definitely a blade I would buy again. Need to debate on trying a new blade in the 34C or drop back to a Voskhod for direct comparison.

In all, another pleasurable shave..

 

I wouldn't say that. You have great composition to the photos and they are consistently very good photos. Plus with young kids the fact you take photos is a huge plus. I am not sure where you find the time.

 

Good morning, everyone. I want to give a big shout out and my sincere thanks to @Douglas Carey for the very generous PIF I received this week. A classy shave towel will now grace my Den, and I have my very own package of the legendary Personna 74 blades.

 

Mar 10, 2017

Gillette SA w Astra (4)
WD High Mountain Badger
Jeeves Apothocary
Thayers Unscented
B & M Reserve Spice


Day 7 of the Black Beauty focus, day 4 of the Astra. Dialed back the settings a bit today, as I felt a little raw. Went 5,3,1 on the 3 passes. Nice, smooth shave. Not quite as close as I've had the last couple of days, but still very good. Will change out the Astra for a Polsilver for next shave.
The lather is excellent from this Jeeves soap. It is thick and easy to whip up. The soap just doesn't have much of a scent to it. A positive is that it allows me to pair it with whatever aftershave I want, so I splashed on the Reserve Spice and am off to shovel the driveway again, as we have a late winter storm going on outside. This has been a ridiculous winter.
Have a great day all!

 

Catching up on yesterday's shave...

March 9, 2017

Razor: Gem Featherweight
Blade: Gem by Personna (3)
Brush: Razorock Plissoft 22
Soap: Cella

I was fully prepared for a second day with the Schick Adjustable when I succumbed to the temptation to try a newly-acquired Gem Featherweight. Having used both an early Gem 1912 and a wartime Gem Junior, I was curious to try what is supposed to be one of the mildest Gems. To be honest, I'm kind of mixed about the whole experience. Maybe it's me, but I seemed to have a harder time finding the right angle than with the 1912. The shave was definitely close and two passes were near-BBS, but I feel like it was somewhat harsh at times with some irritation on my neck. I'm wondering if I need to pick up some of the Blue Star blades on the idea that the Carbon Steel might be less harsh than the Stainless.

I have a feeling, though, that I need to do a proper Gem focus at some point if I'm going to get the best out of these razors.

 

SOTD March 9th


Ever-Ready Shovelhead
Gem Stainless (4)
Stirling 24mm Synthetic
RazoRock XXX
AV Ice Sport

My final shave with the shovelhead before moving on to the Schick C1 repeater. I think I rushed my prep a little because there was some tugging in the mustache and goatee areas on the first pass and I know that Gem blades generally have much longer lifespans. Even though the start was a little rough the shave smoothed out nicely for the final two passes and in the end was left with the same close long lasting shave as the last three shave before this one. On a recent amazon order I threw in a bottle of AV Ice sport and am really glad I did. I much prefer this more modern scent over the classic AV Ice Blue (And so does SWMBO) and the menthol level was just right, unlike the Barbasol Pacific Rush which was way too frosty for me. Have a great day my friends!

 

Nice setup Doug!

Great photo, Clint!

This is what I imagine an acid trip would be like! Very fun photo Jim!

 

I would agree with Clint. Like me, you seem to take your pics in pretty much the same spot every day, but you manage to lay them out differently enough that they do not seem the same. You also put some effort into choosing effect/filters which makes it fun to wonder what's next. I enjoy your posts.

 

Your badger has quite the bloom. Nice pic.