March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I decided to compare the ability to hold up a tub as well. This is a full TOBS Sandalwood cream. Sorry, it is the only full tub I have. Most are samples at the moment.

Art of Shaving 23mm black pure badger brush



the red is the 20mm Virginia Sheng Silvertip in The Phoenix brush from Josephslathe. It measures 21mm at handle and 53mm loft if I recall.


The Phoenix is so soft when wet I barely feel anything when lathering. Holding this much weight you would think it stiff but it is not. I think it might reflect how many hairs the brush has since more hair would require less weight to be held by each hair so it will support more. A bigger knot or denser one should hold even better. Also the shape might be important. The AOS is a fan while the Phoenix is a bulb.

 

I wouldn't look at my photo of the AOS Pure Badger brush as bad. I think they acted smart. I believe that if it had more hair it might really feel rough being the scratchiest badger hair . It has strong scritch and rarely scratch to me but it was my second brush and it did come in a kit so what would you expect. In all, they did the best they could with what they had and to keep it inexpensive.

Of course If we compare retail prices, the Phoenix was $5 cheaper making it a better value not to mention a better brush. It only lacks in scritch. It barely has any.

 

Most guys load the brush from the top of the container. But hey....whatever works for you!

 

March 12 (Sunday) - Gem 1912 focus

Gem 1912 SE / Gem PTFE (5)
Supply Provision synthetic brush
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream ( croap )
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original Astringent Tonic

This was my first shave with the Gem 1912 SE after bending the backplate angle back closer to what it would have been when the razor came from the factory. This lessened the shaving head angle from nearly 45 degrees to closer to 35. This change of just a few degrees markedly improved the razor's handling and maneuverability. I can now understand why so many people like the Gem-style SEs so much.

My normal diagonal passes with no additional ATG pass gave me a solid DFS shave with no problems and no irritation.

I will use the Gem 1912 for a couple more days to confirm my new impression of it. I will then switch to the EverReady 1912 for a few days -- and see if straightening its backplate to steepen the shaving angle back to its original factory spec improved its handling by an equal amount. Since both the Gem and the EverReady now have almost the same head angle, I expect it has. After that, I will finish the month by using my 1914 and a 1924 fliptop. Both those razors have much more rigid parts and were not susceptible to tinkering like the 1912s.

 

Monday, March 13, 2017

Shavemac ATG LE Silvertip D01 Two Band
Barrister and Mann Cheshire
Asylum Evolution
Gillette Silver Blue
Chatillon Lux Colbeck


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Had time for one this morning.

 

Very interesting looking razor. Definitely a nice addition!

 

March Madness & Spring Cleaning!!

March 12

Razor - Kai Captain Standard
Blade - (2)
Soap - Route 66 Sweeney Todd
Brush - Jayaruh #46
Post - Alum

Second shave with the Kai Captain and I think I'm overthinking it a bit. First of all let me say that the lather courtesy of Route 66 and the JR46 was awesome. My handling of the razor could use some work.

I can't complain about the first pass. This razor seems well balanced and easy to handle. Setting the angle is also pretty intuitive with just a straight bevel down to the blade. Find the angle that's cutting and stick with it. With the mild blade I'm not really sure how forgiving the razor is but I know the blade let me slide by a couple of potential problems. One involved my hand instead of my face when I just simply had my off hand too close skin stretching and let the blade swing away when I ended the stroke. I felt the blade graze my fingers but the mild isn't enough to cut. Or at least it wasn't that time. A Feather Pro would have opened two fingertips.

Second pass was the one I overthought. Decided to really go for a nice finish and stopped focusing on grip etc. as much. Worried more about the result and got one small nick from the blade tip digging in near my left ear. And, I finished the second pass with a CCS. Maybe. So, I grabbed my Flare Tip with a Rapira Swede and took a quick pas to get to DFS and call it a night.

Alum was pretty warm due to my overworking the blade so I paid the price. I'm not going to complain much. Still a fine shaving machine that I know I'll enjoy a lot. I'm going to switch to the Captain Original blade for tomorrow to put a little more "oomph" in it. Should be fun. Hope you had a great weekend! Seemed a bit quiet here which tells me lots of people were having some good times with family and other things. Hope you were one of them!

 

Correct analysis about knot density and shape. Probably more important than the fiber itself. I left a comment on your brush thread. In my usage, synthetics meet the sweet spot of soft versus backbone.

You've asked for objective thoughts on brushes. Here's a thought on brush opinions. You should value the opinions of those who employ their brushes in the same manner as you. For example, my brush advice might not be useful, because my usage may not match up with yours.

I don't rotate brushes. My selection of synthetic is optimized for shave sticks and face lathering, economy of effort/soap usage, and convenience and ease of maintenance. For my usage, anything other than synthetic is suboptimal.

 

Threshold of the Dark Side pic?

 

An interesting comment about brush opinions. And a good summary of the factors that would lead you to pick a synthetic as your sole brush (including the fact it's a sole brush and therefore has to dry completely within a day).

I think this holds true for soap, razor types and models and blades too. Your glowing review of a shave stick soap will really be pretty useless to me as an exclusive bowl latherer, for example. And Neal giving a big thumbs up to a blade that works great with a carriage bolt isn't going to tell someone else much about how well it will work shaving a light beard with a DE89...

That might be another reason why the 30-Day threads are so helpful -- they show exactly how people use their items over time which gives more perspective to their opinions about them.

 

March 13 SOTD:

Razorock Plissoft Brush
Stirling Cool SS
1975 Gillette Tech
Stirling Unscented PSB
Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill AS

It is sometimes easy to overlook the Tech, but there is a good reason why they made it for so long. This one is my birth year razor, and it shaves well. The aluminum is definitely light, so I have to pay attention to pressure. After two passes, I was at a nice DFS. A little freezing Glacial Lemon Chill AS capped this Monday morning shave. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Wonderful setup and picture, Jim.


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Great photo. Looks like you are enjoying the Evolution.


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Thank you, Clint! I push this razor to the back of my drawer and forget about it. That is too bad, as sometimes simple is best.

 

Mark, beautiful picture!

 

March 13, 2017

Razor: M3 Schick Adjustable (4)
Blade: Personna Mini Hair Shaper (3)
Brush: Cremo horsehair by Vie-Long
Cream: KMF fragrance-free

I was running a bit late and wasn't working with a lot of whiskers so I decided to try something that had been suggested a while ago- skipping my first (WTG) pass and just doing a single ATG pass. Interesting idea... I have to say that there were no issues though there are a couple of spots that aren't as close as I would prefer. Call it a DFS- for the day.

 

Thanks Jim!

 

March 13 - Merkur 34C/ Voskhod Day 2

Merkur 34C HD
Voskhod Teflon coated Day 2
The Phoenix brush
DIY PSO
Stirling Baker Street
Alum/ TWH
Nivea S-PSB

Was in a rush today and could not chance the Scientist. In all, that razor gave me a really good shave that lasted a long time yesterday. Comparing it to today, I can see why many like more aggressive razors. I think that is the primary lesson I will have learned this month.

The citrusy bergamot scent combine with the juniper makes me just love Baker Street. Again, started with a damp but dry-ish brush made working up a lather easy and reliable. Had perfect lather and enough for 5 passes plus touch up. I kept the brush a little softer to splay less and this improved the scritch. I am debating on resetting this knot deeper but I will wait for the Jayaruh brushes (yes plural!) to come in this week before I go that route. I might want a bit more backbone.

34C needed 3 passes and 2 touch up runs to achieve a DFS shave. Even with touch up, I still have some close stubble. I was meticulous with angle and kept it light to the touch. Alum was warm but no real burning. I left it on and let it dry before Thayer's and then Nivea was applied. Again, even with buffing and 2 touch ups, the jawline eluded me. I was happy not to be terribly irritated but having those areas not close while the rest of the face was BBS was saddening. The Stirling was so slick, I thought I had gotten these areas well but for some reason, when dry, I feel the stubble that wasn't there wet. It is begging me to press harder to get closer and all that gets me is more irritation with the closer shave.

Voskhods are nice but I think Astra SP are better. I think this is the case only because it seems the QC is better. This might be part of why this shave, why not irritating, is not as close as the Astras. Still like them but I think I lean towards Astra SP. Need the Fatboy to chime in before making a decision. Also have several other big hitters still to come so this could still change.

 

Thanks amigo! The Evolution is a great little razor.