July 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Fantastic picture, Clint!

 

Thank you Jim. Happy Friday .

 

Great photo Clint!

 

Thank you Andrew.

 

No shave report for me today, but it is Friday! Have a good weekend everyone!

TGIF!!!

 

He is growing up so fast. Thank you for posting his pictures every week.

 

Thank you, Clint! I do enjoy posting them as well!

 

Razor: Mongoose AlumiGoose w/ iKon Bamboo
Blade: Feather Professional (3)
Brush: Oscar 11, w/Omega 10049 Boar
Soap: Reef Point Soap Tranquility
A/S: Proraso
Bowl: TW 3D Printer Bowl

Very close 3 passes for a very near BBS.

 

Funniest picture I ever saw of me as a baby was when somehow I ended up in my parents' bed with the sheets pulled up almost over me.

 

Great picture, Doug! I hope your Friday has been going well!

 

Jim.

 

And we enjoy seeing them.

 

+1

 

The Bamboo handle really makes the razor pop.

 

Jul 21

Face shave

Maggard V3A on a Utopia handle w/ an Astra Green
Simpson's Commodore x1
Mickey Lee Reunion croap -smells like La Toja to me
Aqua Velva
Witch Hazel pre and post

Fine shave on automatic -very enjoyable!!

May the road rise up to meet you; great shaves and restful days off everybody!!

 

I went back to my old, hated, aggressive Sally's no-name DE. It is by far the most aggressive razor I own. It's light, feels cheap, and the blade gap is far wider than my Fatboy or Slim on 9. It was my first (and almost last - I was saved by a Merkur 34c) DE razor and I thought it a worthless piece of trash. And I got the closest, longest-lasting shave I have ever had with it today. It goes to show that technique does trump tools. I am beginning to prefer more aggressive razors now that I understand how they work. The 30DC brush and Stirling Glacial MITA set me up for the win, and Brut closed it out nicely. Best shave in a good long while.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

Saturday shave

I have rendezvous tonight so I was going to hold off shaving and shave before head out for fun. But I was feeling scruffy and itchy so I showered and stropped my Drew Dick 5/8. I was planing on only doing three passes because I will shave again in the evening. The edge was smooth and very sharp. After 3 passes I felt if I did the 4th pass the shave would be epic.... so... I did the fourth pass and the shave was epic, A+ across the board.

Irritation A+ Closeness A+ Smoothness A+ Sharpness A+

Razor: Drew Dick 5/8 extra hollow
Strop: Drygulch black latigo
Brush: silver tip forgot the maker
Pre: Proraso
Soap: Razorock Tight Buns
AS: Alcoldao Glacial (from the fridge)
Scent: Dior Cologne Royale

 

Glad you are loving the SR shaves. Looks like you are doing awesomelicious too!

Another happy baby pic. Bully!!!

Love reading success stories like that. You like aggressive it's time for a OCMM. Woo

 

Time to straighten up!

July 21 - Grand Blade Trial Edition


Razor - Feather SS
Blade - (1)
Soap - Route 66 Bourbon Jungle
Brush - 30DC LE
Post - Alum

I discovered a new to me Feather blade a couple weeks ago. The Feather Pro Soft Guard. Now, I've used the Pro Guard, which is a pro blade with a guard on it, as well as the Kai Mild Guard blade. The guards can be a good choice when learning the pain stick or just to minimize the risk of a severed artery if you so choose. But the Soft Guard, in its glorious pink dispenser, was a new item for me. After some research it would appear that it is designed to minimize the risk of cuts as well as provide a smoother feel, or at least to remove the feeling that you're one mistake away from a cut. The Feather AC blades, especially Super Pro, can be harsh.

I tried to get a picture to show the guard on the blade and this is the best I could get.



You can see the extra guard plate on the blade and the serrations along the edge. The extended "bumps" are actually a guard that extends to the edge. Thanks to Connaught Shaving I did find a good illustration.



Now, you may be asking if the Soft Guard is simply a repackaged Pro Guard. The answer is no. Here's a picture of the Pro Guard.



So, the Soft Guard is a unique blade possibly designed for use by women - the pink dispenser could be the key there.

It is worth mentioning that Feather also makes the Pro Light blade which is designed to minimize exposure for women's shaving or those with sensitive skin. I've never tried the Pro Light as it has a very mild reputation that some call ineffectual. I'm sure those of you who know me well know, though, that I'll be getting a couple of those in, as well as some Pro Guards and Kai Guards to do a complete comparison now that this new blade has shown up. Such is the life of the Blade Czar.

Now, on to the actual shave. I chose Route 66 Bourbon Jungle for the soap. I had nearly forgotten I still have a partial sample of this soap so used the LE brush to whip up a very fine lather. Incredibly slick and very nice scent. The blade is very forgiving. Very. Yet, it cuts well enough to be a Feather. Its most forgiving moment occurred when I got a bit over confident and set it down for a stroke vertically. I mean straight down. With a bit of pressure. Do that with a Pro or Super Pro and you're booking plastic surgery. With the Soft Guard - nothing. Thank you. That could have been vicious.

I did two full passes with a touch up pass on my neck and around my goatee. Very comfortable and smooth if a bit less of a finish that I'm used to. I finished with a barely DFS. It's good enough, but a Pro blade would have me at high DFS or BBS. I did discover one small weeper near my goatee on the left jaw but I worked that particular area pretty hard at one point so that's a technique problem.

My impression overall is that this blade would be great for a newbie pain stick user. It commands respect for what it is, but the guard clearly provides a lot of protection against stupid handling errors. Almost makes me wish I had found it when I was learning!

I'll continue on with this blade for a couple more days. See if I can get to the baby with it without raising irritation which, by the way, was quite light. No problems there. For those who aren't familiar with all of the Feather AC blades here is a handy comparison chart, minus the Soft Guard. Have a great weekend!

​