March 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Repeat all ya want, Jim! Still a great shot and a great shave!

 

Great photo Clint!

 

Thank you Bruce.

 

Congrats on nailing down the shavette!

 

Very nice photo and gear selection Andrew!

 

Thanks!

 

Luxor shavette
Gillette silver Blue
Copper Hat bay rum
JR #29
Witch hazel
Aqua Velva blue

Great shave today again with the Luxor. This month was a very good learning experience. After much study and practice I'd say I got a handle on the shavette. Got some perfect shaves and some not so good at the start. Since I do 2 pass shaves , I found 1 WTG followed by an XTG gave me the most satisfaction. Thought the soap wasnt going to make the 30 days but i stretched it out and have 1 shave left in the bowl.Have a great day gentlemen.

 

Thank you, Andrew!

 

Beautiful G3 Andrew! Terrific razor!

 

Thank you, Bruce!

 

Thank you, Clint!

Thanks Bruce!

Great shot Patrick! Congrats on getting comfortable with the shavette!

Thanks Jim!

 

Well, today I changed out the razor I had been using for one that had been professionally honed. Holy moly! A few quick nicks and spilled blood was an ample lesson to slow down and treat the blade with a bit more care and reverence. Kind of a reset, and showed me I still have more to learn. Without the DE final pass, the results are still disappointing, but I’m going to continue the journey for a bit, just because. Not sure I will ever truly be a dark side guy, but I guess time will tell.

 

I still have a few shaves left to go on my focus - finishing up the last week with Williams. This month I gave myself the scenario of being forced to chose only one soap out of four classics - Arko, MWF, Tabac, and Williams - as a deserted island soap. The razor I used all month is a Gillette Slim, paired with Artra S/Ps. I stuck with a Simpson Commodore for the first two weeks, and a few shaves into the third week, then started going through several others. I realized that my JR brushes haven’t gotten a lot of (much deserved) love lately. Yesterday I used #216 with a synthetic knot, and today I broke out #113 with a boar. Both are a pleasure to use.

I was going to wait until the very end to declare a “winner”, but I’ll go ahead and do it now….drumroll please….

By a very, very slight, teeny tiny margin….I choose Tabac. Betcha didn’t see that one coming, didja? Can’t say that I did either.

It was right there, neck and neck with MWF. Why Tabac over Mitchell’s? I preferred the quality of the lather just a little more than The Fat. They’re both outstanding soaps. I just felt that Tabac had a touch more cushioning and slickness than MWF. I’m splittin’ hairs here, no pun intended. As far as scent goes, I like Tabac, but prefer the clean scent of Mitchell’s. Even still, Tabac wins out for me.

It’s been a fun month with all of these soaps. Each one is a quality soap that can easily perform for a close, comfortable shave and earn its way into any wet shaver’s den. Even Williams…it’s an excellent soap that offers up plenty of slickness, and it’s not nearly as difficult as many make it out to be.

On Sunday, I’ll transition into ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) April, where I use whatever “moves me” at the moment…in other words, the norm! The fact that I actually stuck with a focus for an entire month is amazing to me. I do feel that my shaves have improved this month. When I do draw a little blood, it’s from laziness and/or greed - going over spots without re-lathering.

I’m looking forward to getting back to some of my other soaps and razors!

Sorry for the novel, folks!






Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!


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Great photo, Patrick! Glad to see you were able to tame the shavette this month!

 

Fantastic shot, Bruce! I figured it would either be MWF or Tabac, cant go wrong either way!

 

Thanks Andrew! I guessed it would come down to those two, but thought I'd prefer MWF over Tabac. You're right...you can't go wrong with either!

 

Good job continuing the journey. I admire your persistence.


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Wow. I didn’t see that one coming. Great photo as well.


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Great shots and shave reports this morning, gentlemen!

@LevelupShaves and @9nein9 -- congratulations on the progress you have made with the shavettes, and for sticking with them for the month.

Randy @BaylorGator, sound like going to a profesionally honed SR was a smart move, even if the first shave with it was disconcerting. I imagine your progress will be much faster now that you are no longer trying to shave with a butter knife...

Bruce @FaceScraper, well done sticking with your Focus for a whole month! I was a bit surprised that Tabac won for you as I thought it would be MWF, but either way they sound like great soaps (I've never used Tabac myself; have the other three.).

Clint @clint64, Jim @Norcalnewb, @MR41, @PanChango -- enjoyed reading your reports as always (and seeing everyone's pictures except for PanChango's, also as always...).

 

Great job mastering the shavette and great picture.


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