April 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Yep! DEs to injectors and SEs. Tried straights for a few shaves and didn't care for it.

Injectors and SEs are my go-to razors now and for the long haul.

 

Sounds a lot like, "Hold my beer and watch this"

 

Pals are vintage, the Supply is the only modern I know of other than a Schick O Type knock off out there. I'm not sure who sells it. A very mild shaver as far as I know. I'm thinking about the Colonial General for instance, where heads can be had for $25, and there is the Razorock Hawk which can be had for the same price. The Colonial is one of the best shaving razors I have ever used, as is the Supply. In terms of injectors, I would look for an I, and an L or M. You will find the L and M's are mild razors though. But with a little style adjustment I could get a good shave from any of them. The thicker injector blades allowed me to use a buffing sort of cleanup that ai never would get away with in a DE. The PAL razors are good shavers, but tend to be expensive comparatively. For efficiency I felt the E smoked them all.

 

Run your razor over it a few times, see what you get out of it.

 

Popsicle sticks aren't just for shaving anymore

 

Sigh... another disorder to acquire. So just curious, but what handle did you use with the General? Or did you buy the whole razor?

 

I have to get three more days out of this travel straight. I think I'll wait until I get home.

 

I bought the whole razor. I do like the cannon barrel handle that's on it, but I have also played around with different Stainless ones too. It shaves equally well with either. They just came out with the brass one, and I want it BAD, but I just don't think I will use it enough to justify buying it. If I were going to recommend any one safety razor to someone at any level, it would be the General. I think I prefer the Supply over it, but for the price, I just don't think the General can be beat.

 

Since I've got an early flight out tomorrow morning, I decided to shave tonight. Based on my less than stellar last two days with a tiny uncharted travel razor and some Walgreens blades, I decided to revert to a cart, and get back on track when I get home. A few things were surprising about tonight's shave. 1. After about a month of DE shaving, better understanding prep, beard mapping, etc. and achieving better cushion & lubrication using TOBS, I ended up getting one of the better shaves I have had ever had from a cart. In fact, I would probably characterize it as a DFS. 2. Surprisingly, the lack of skill required gave me the feeling that I just wasn't doing anything special here. I'd equate it to something similar to driving a racing car with automatic transmission; 95% as effective, but also a lot less fun due to the lack of skill required. 3. Getting a DFS from a cart is possible, however achieving a BBS shave from one pass with a cart seems more unlikely than finding a unicorn in the wild. Those are my thoughts until I reach warmer weather and better shaving equipment back home.

 

Safe travels!

 

Looks like the brass complete razor is the only complete one they are currently selling. So might just have to get the head only. The SP is certainly attractive.

 

Eerily similar.

 

Do you have any three piece handles to use on it?

 

Of course. I'd probably start with my Maggards MR5 handle.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

No shave for me today. We were out of school due to the threat of severe weather. No problems or damage, and all is well. I enjoyed a day off!

Tomorrow I will shave with Williams Mug Soap. Wish me luck!

 

Thanks for that reminder. Although with yesterday's purchase I think any more shaving gear is off the radar for the immediate future. The sacrifices we make to stay mobile.

 

Arko Adjustable April!!!!!

April 5

Razor - 1962 (H1) Gillette Slim (6)
Blade - (2)
Soap - Arko
Brush - West Coast Shaving Synthetic
Post - Alum

Second shave to try the Lord Super Platinum. I had a comment last night about the Classic SS being better so I'm lining it up for the next blade after I finish this one. That will keep me going three more shaves and give a good direct comparison.

The only change in the setup tonight was the higher setting on the Slim and I used the new WSC Synthetic. Very nice feel to this brush, very similar to the Maggard knot and it made more than enough lather for three passes with extra to go around. As I get the hang of using the synthetics I'm pretty impressed. Not sure I can ever abandon my other brushes, but the synths are nice for sure.

Three passes to a near BBS tonight with a smooth feel and no issues. The blade was more obvious at 6 than at 3 last night but that's to be expected and it didn't cause any problems or discomfort. We'll see how it works wide open tomorrow.

Start of a new week and a new period and quarter at work today. It was good to get home and relax with my wife and....with my shave. Pretty good zen tonight.

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And now your forecast for the rest of April:

Conditions will be normal for this time of year around 30DC territory. Fairly stable daily pattern in play. Expect mild high temps, and every evening will be partly to mostly cloudy with a variable chance for pain.

Carry on.

 

Awesome April
5 April 2017
Day Six - The Arko Challenge


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@NCoxSTL - your sun lit Cartel Zen Still Life for Wednesday.

Had a productive and fun day. Learned some new tricks on bass, had a smooth day otherwise, ate a lot of pork shoulder to top it off. Parker is headed in for a pit stop with the scrubbing bubbles tomorrow. The Arko, as @PickledNorthern notes, has a tendency to pick up minerals and form a fine white film. However, on Stainless, no worries...as for the shave...two passes to bliss. The quarter inch thick, almost nickel sized alum ?block? was fairly silent. If it lasts until the fifteenth, that's 30 months of near daily use as my only astringent. Far less than a penny a day at its $6 price, and this block has suffered impact damage from drops that have shortened its life, so three years is possible in my estimation. Hero finish. 30 Day rule doesn't cover AS, so I may mix that up soon. Keep on keeping on, and never stop never stopping. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a Terrific Thursday morning!

 

Awesome! Personally I think these Schicks (E&G) are the finest safety razors out there, and mimic the blade feel of a straight. With some skin stretching, your trouble areas can easily be BBS with the heavy injector blade. The fact that your Alum was good is most encouraging, and means your pressure was in the ball park. If you master this razor and skin stretching, I mean like until you can shave in the dark master it, you can shave with literally anything. I wish you all the luck in the world with this one! It should be awesome in a few days.