July 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

July Focus

Last "Focus" shave for July.
The Williams is gone; the little crumbles I had this morning were so inefficient, that I was compelled to REALLY
molest it with a dollop of Proraso cream. Sorry Fuzzy.
The Super-Max is a crappy blade, one that will never see use again by me. Junk.
Pulled, tugged, aggravated to the "Max" (Pun intended)
Nevertheless, these past 25 shaves with the 2011 R41 have been quite a learning experience.
Even with the less-then-stellar lather AND blade, except for my neck I was able to achieve a DFS.
There was no way I was chasing the baby on my neck with this blade.
Floïd Blue AS is wonderful. One of my all-time favorites and while I miss the Mentolado Vigoroso,
the Blue stepped in and filled its shoes with aplomb.
Taking a few shaving days off to go to my ex-brother-in-law's cabin for a couple of days of
manly debauchery.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and I have enjoyed participating in this thread immensely.​

 

Another great report! Have fun at the cabin!

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That's my dream setup. Enjoy your stay!

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Adventures in shaving. Minimal setup, maximum name:

Somerset's Grooming For Men "Henley On Thames" Maximum Glide Extra Sensitive Shave Oil.

Derby DE Razor (Sally Beauty Supply)
Sputnik Blade

Another thread got me thinking about my first razor so I brought her out for a spin. I decided to forgo a soap shave and attempt a go with this shave oil, thinking it could be handy for a toss and travel kit. Warm water, five drops of oil rubbed into the beard, and...well, it was a lot better than I thought. The oiliness at first was odd, and it didn't glide like my soap does, but it didn't bog down either. The face feel is nice, and I got a good solid DFS in one pass with touch up. The hardest part was not having the soap to help gauge where I had already covered, but the end result was better than I had hoped.

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SOTD July 25th


Stirling Mentholated Pre-Shave Soap
Blackland Dart
Astra SP (2)
Maseto Shaving Classic (30mm Finest Fan, Battle Cruiser Class)
Stirling Glacial Lemony Orange AS

It was mentioned by Shane on the Dart thread over at DFS that he recommends a steeper angle with the Dart. So I did some experimenting and found that it is a little smoother with a slightly steeper angle but the Dart is still an aggressive razor. I did two passes and had no need for a third because at this point I was already BBS. I splashed on a generous amount of the Glacial Lemony Orange and had no sting from the alcohol, a second later the glacial freeze kicked in and my face is feeling great. Have a great day my friends!

 

Fantastic photo, Joseph! Enjoy your time at the cabin and I hope to see you here for Anything Goes August!

That sounds like a MAYhem type of shave right there, Chris!

 

Nice photo and shave, Andrew!
I'm getting a mild case of RAD everytime I see the Dart.

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Thank Andrew. August sounds like my kind of month.

 

Thanks Jim, I'll try...

 

I am so sorry John! Your Mom and family are in my prayers.

 

I’m caught up reading through the thread. I’ve made few comments lately, but I do enjoy seeing what everyone is up to and looking at all the awesome “shave porn”.

I’ve been working at the VDH soap (mostly - I do use others sometimes) to use it up. There are still a few shaves left with the VDH, but it’s getting very close to being finished. I’ve decided that the VDH will not get replaced when it’s done. I teetered a little while with it, but while it’s a very good soap, and a cheap one at that, it just doesn’t have the “comeback sauce” as Randy @BaylorGator puts it. It was my first “real” shaving soap, and it has served me well. However, when it’s gone, it’s gone.

“Ol’ Shedder” continues to earn its nickname. I have a feeling that it’ll end up with a new knot in the future, at which point, the brush will no longer be able to be called a Simpson. I just don’t know what knot will be selected.

The shaves have been great - mostly using the Rockwell 6S. Today, I chose to break out the Gem Jr. What great shavers these little fellas (Gems) are. This one is user-grade, without a doubt! It almost seems to me that the Jr. has just a tad more blade feel than the Damaskeene. Hey Fuzzy @wchnu - is that the case, or just my perception?

I have no idea what a Stainless Gem blade shaves like, and I really don’t care. The carbons seem to hang right in there with the best of the DE blades in terms of efficiency and longevity. I think I have 5 or 6 shaves on this blade, and it still doesn’t show any sign of giving up. From what I’ve read on here, I’m not missing out by not trying stainless Gems.

Today’s shave was brought to me by the following:
Gem Jr.
CVS Carbon SE
VDH soap
Simpson Commodore X3 “Ol Shedder”
Stirling Electric Sheep A/S

Two nice, easy passes - plus a little touch up. Smooth shaving, smooth results. Zero issues. Wonderful start to the day.




Have a great Wednesday, fellas!


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Great photo, Jim! Congrats on finishing up the soap!

 

Another great report and photo, Joseph! Enjoy your time away!

 

Excellent shave - and a cool pic!

 

What an awesome setup, Andrew! Love both the razor and the brush!
I came so close to ordering the Dart, but went with the original plan - a Karve. Now the wait....

 

Excellent shot Bruce! Love the 1912s!

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Thank you Bruce! I bet even with the most aggressive plates the Karve is smoother then the Dart, I think you will be happy with your decision.

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John, praying for you and your family.

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Prayers for your mother and you all.

 

Thank you Andrew! The Gems seem to be under appreciated razors. They're widely available, and dirt cheap.
I've yet to hear anything negative about the Karve razors. I had my eye on them before the Dart, and with all the hype, I suppose I fear that the price will jump - then I'd be kicking myself. Maybe that won't happen, and I hope it doesn't...but I'm not taking chances!