April 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Last night's shave:
Gillette Black Beauty
Perma Sharp blade
RazoRock Big Bruce Brush
Stirling Baker St SS
Thayers Rose Witch Hazel
Stirling Sandalwood Balm

This was my first go with the Black Beauty. I've not used a DE razor with a longer blade before, and I found that the heavy razor head coupled with the long handle kept me using the weight of the razor as opposed to pressure. I really like this razor and see myself using it regularly in my rotation. Baker St. has really grown on me, and has reached top shelf status. I wasn't sure what to make of the scent at first, but I now find it refreshing and invigorating. I may have to spring for the AS with menthol. I usually face lather, but decided to use my new bowl for the first time, and it was interesting to use. The lather turned out very nicely. Not sure yet if I am going for the new Slim or the new GEM tonight. New Stirling Glacials are scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so more good shaves are coming.

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April 23 (Sunday ) - still on creams

Rockwell 6s on plate #3 / Topaz Platinum ( 2 )
Alluminati Envy White brush
TOBS Lavender shave cream
Alum

The usual good shave I now expect from the Rockwell 6s while using TOBS creams - two passes, near BBS, no nicks, cuts, weepers or irritation and quiet alum.

Today's cream was Lavender. I really like this TOBS fragrance. It's a summery floral scent but intense enough not to be too "flowery" but more "botanical", if that makes sense. The Alluminati easily whipped up gobs of lather, which I used as an aftershave balm as well as a shave cream.

Overall a great shave.

In other news, I have a serious complaint to raise with Management, and Sunday is of course the traditional day for talking to Management anyway. Our snow cover completely disappeared between two and three weeks ago. People are riding bicycles, and other riders have now licensed their motorbikes for the summer and are riding them. I had even gotten to the point of starting to plan to change the snow tires on my car. So I looked out the window this evening, and it's SNOWING! This is NOT FAIR! I protest! I protest vehemently!! Management is being Unfair to the peons!!! I would threaten to find some other god to pray to, except that doesn't work very well when you are a monotheist...

Hope you are all having better weekends then we did here...

 

Horrible rain and wind here yesterday.

 

Maybe part of the same system that is now dumping on us.

 

Never abandon hope of leading the parade. After all, it's clear that a few of us aren't smart enough (or lack self-preservation instincts) to last forever!

 

There's a mole in instigating...a guy who seems quite intelligent....quite friendly......quite normal and devoted to his straights and their use and promotion. Until he uses that phrase......."I dare you!" Or his ultimate curse - "I double dog dare you". Yes, I'm speaking of (shudder) @Drygulch I'm sure he's hiring as well.

 

That straight razor stuff makes me a little nervous. I gotta back into it with a few more poor decisions first. No worries. This shouldn't take long...

 

I keep looking at my meager collection of straights and thinking I need to finally push past my mental block on stropping and go for it. Although the decision making process doesn't always work well for me either.

 

I like to think I have contributed is some small way to the insanity of shaving with anything on this thread.

 

April 23

Z3 Gillette Super Speed
Astra SP (1)
Kent BK 8 silvertip badger
Castle Forbes Lavender shaving cream
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, and unrefined shea butter
Zegna Uomo EDT

Automatic two-pass near BBS shave this morning. I had more stubble than normal this morning since yesterday's straight shave wasn't incredibly close.

JR # 160 is currently defunking. I'm not sure what this Boar got into (I don't want to know, actually), but I've got a few more lather...rinse...repeat cycles before that brush is coming near my mug.

The weather has turned cool again, but it won't last long. My Bride and I spent the day visiting family and had more fun than we deserved. I hope you all had a great weekend!

 

Today is the first shave since Wednesday, have finally gotten over the cold. Great three pass shave. Trying to catch up on the thread.

 

Great googly moogly, I go away for a few days and I have novel's worth of post to catch up on.



Our flight was delayed an hour last night so no time for pics from my shave or Kyoto.

Today's razor was my PRC western grin kamisori. It has allot shaves since the last touch up (allot of shaves for me) so last week it took it to the pasted strops but added a new twist, CroX followed by diamond past 50,000 then 100,000 grit.

Today the shave felt rough but the razor was sharp enough to give me a close shave. I do not know if it was because the edge is ready for a touch up or due to the high grit diamond paste. So I took my own advice and did the fourth pass with my Cobra.

Irritation B+ Closeness A- Smoothness B- Sharpness A-

 

Arko Adjustable April!!!!!

April 23

Razor - 1962 (H1) Gillette Slim (3)
Blade - (1)
Soap - Arko
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum

Well, that was rather disappointing. After three good nights with the new Derby Premium, with 6 being the best setting followed by 9 then 3, I was all set to have a good shave, if not great, with the Derby Extra. Yes, I know, this blade gets horrible reviews by a majority but honestly, with the right razor, isn't all that terrible. Well, I can tell you, the Slim on 3 is not the right razor. Or else the blade just sucks more than I remembered.

Also a bit disappointing was the lather process. Oh I got plenty of lather worked up for the first pass and yes, the silvertip did give me that luxurious feel I like from it, but when I finished the second pass I was running low on lather and the brush was running dry as well. Quite a different performance than the two synthetics I've been rotating. I'm not about to give up on natural brushes, but I'm leaning little by little toward the synths as an everyday brush.

Two passes and some touch up and I finished with an ok DFS. Nothing to write home about but I could go to work with it in the morning if I was going to work. Since I'm off tomorrow it's even less critical, of course.

The main complaint, though, aside from finish and lather - the feel. This blade was not smooth. Not so bad you'd stop shaving with it but definitely not the smooth feel I was expecting. Hopefully opening the gap will improve things and maybe prove out that this blade really does need some aggression on the part of the razor to help it out. Here's hoping that the Turkish twins perform better tomorrow in every way.

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This thread seems to generate a lot of custom titles. I'm sure you will get one. All I had to do for mine was mentholate the boys on accident and post about it.

 

I would confirm that contribution, as proven by the Russian straight razor in my drawer. And another item or two.

 

Agree completely. My favorite brush is a Dubl Duck M2. I wanted a nice soft boar brush, and my favorite brush at the time was my Omega 10066. At $10.50, the brush didn't cost much, and there isn't anything wrong with the handle. But I like it even better in the Duck handle. Brush is my n the picture below.

 

If you are just looking to maintain a razor or two, you need a finishing stone and some pastes for an existing or new strop. (You don't want to strop on a pasted strop every day.) You would probably be looking at about $150 for finishing stone and pastes. If you start doing razors from EBay, you will need a full progression of stones. That gets pricier.

 

I'm sorry, I thought of that after I posted. There is lots of crazy in this group. Not only are you one of the insane shavers, you are the lone unstable user of Osage rub

 

Ben Gay
Lava Soap
Gojo Hand Cleaner
Salt Scrub
That ought a do it

 

What sets this group of lemmings apart is our willingness to grade the other's efforts.