I suppose that would have been my next logical guess. Coffee beans are flaxseeds on steroids. (Course the TASTE is a bit different).

Good setup Brian. How do you like that soap?

Solingen Sum Extra
Yaqi Brush
Calani Classic Havana Shaving Soap
Vitos Pre/Post Shave
Speick After Shave Balm

Good looking brush!!!

Today's Shave
Prep: Shower
Brickell, Spicy Citrus, Facewash
Proraso, White, Pre-Shave Cream
Shave: Razorock, What the Puck, Lime Burst soap.
Tuxedo knot brush with faux marble handle from APShaveCo
40's Gillette, Fat handle Tech, restored by Delta Echo Razor Works
Gillette Nacet blade
Post: Omega Alum stick
Thayer's, Unscented, Alcohol Free Witch Hazel
Clubman Pinaud Lime Sec splash

Result: DFS with a little alum burn so some adjustments are needed.

Go Leafs Go.

LOL, been waiting for someone to notice the back drop.

Cheers Doug

The Yaqi brushes, synthetic and badger are terrific brushes at a terrific bargain and they do look good, to boot.

Ok, the Rockwell/Astra combo is rocking my shaving world, producing a shockingly close shave with only a little bloodletting, so the inquiring mind has asked, "Is it the blade, the razor, or both?"

Since the science isn't settled, I tossed the old Astra and loaded a Rockwell Swedish Steel blade into the razor, whipped up some high quality lather, and pulled the trigger on a classic two pass Saturday morning shave.

The soap is Barrister and Mann's First Snow, a seasonal soap that produces a huge, slick lather perfect for this test. Soap quality variable scientifically controlled.

The brush is a high quality two band badger, perfect for lathering and application to my leathery face. Brush variable scientifically controlled.

The variable here is the blade. The technique is the same: two careful passes, followed by any needed touchup with the remaining lather. The razor is the same. The lather is of the same quality. It's the edge that's different.

And in the end, it is in fact the edge that is where the action happens. Where energy, matter, physics, and technique come together to achieve a result consciously desired by a higher intelligence - me!

So, the result.

The shave is completed, the face has dried and recovered from the contest between woody whiskers, leathery hide, and a glittering edge wielded by a focused and determined wet shaver.

Cheeks: super smooth. A dolphin would be jealous.

Jawline: Good, but I can feel a subtle roughness when brushing my hand against the grain in one spot.

Underchin: A tough spot, but the result is great. There's one small area that still has a roughness, but that's probably caused by a touchup miss.

Jowls: The rubbery part. Good result, but a little bloodier than I like to tolerate. Again, I can feel some post shave roughness when going against the grain here and there. A third pass would normally be called for to address this, but since the cut is already too close, maybe a change in technique would solve the problem. I wouldn't want to ooze anymore blood out of this area than I'm already oozing, and a third pass would only make the shave a reddish mess.

Errata: Somehow, I nicked the back of my left hand during this process. I'm right handed, so somehow in all the swiping and gesturing I cut a quarter inch line just below the knuckle line with a safely razor. How that could even happen is a mystery. Maybe I should fire up the GoPro and film the next shave to figure out the answer.

Errata Errata: This Noble Otter Lone Star aftershave is great. I can't describe it correctly, but it's the polar opposite of the normal fruity/citrus juice I normally prefer. Leather from an old sweaty saddle would be the best description.

Conclusion: A high quality shave, but not quite the match to the Astra blade. However, this difference could be caused by a slight difference in technique, or even attitude and/or patience level during the shave. The fact that I managed to nick the back of my hand makes me suspicious I didn't take my time like I should have. I'll need to do five or ten more shaves to better determine the truth.

Repeatability. Classic science.

August 4 SOTD:

Razor: Gillette Toggle
Blade: Sputnik
Brush: PAA Atomic Rocket
Lather: Queen Charlotte Soaps Fougere
Aftershave: PAA Jitterbug Fougere
Additional Care:
Stirling Unscented PSB

Shampoo - Paul Mitchell Lemon Sage Tea Tree
Bath Soap - Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lemon Verbena Bar Soap

Razor - DaveOcean33 "Atlas"
Blade -
Blade - Wilkinson Sword *4th Shave
Shave Brush - Gentleman's Hangar Synthetic
Shave Stand by Robert Evans on Etsy. Must request custom project to order.
Shave Soap - Mama Bear's "Bounty"
Pre-shave Oil - Lather & Wood "unscented"
Aftershave - Country Club for Men "1837"
Post-shave Balm - Retseliney Luxury Skin Care Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum
Deodorant - Ooh La Active Organics "Lemon-Mint"
Fragrance - Creed Royal Water

SOTD August 4, 2018

Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap
Blade: GEM PTFE
Razor: Jayaruh 'Woody' SE
Brush: JR #41 badger
Soap: Arko
Post: Witch hazel, Skin Bracer aftershave

Enjoy your weekend!

Todays shave was a newly acquired, restored, and honed razor. Maiden voyage. I had about the best shave ever, with this razor. It wiped away the whiskers, in 2 passes, and left me BDBS. Zero issues, just a Top Shelf razor.

Razor- Waterville Cutlery Co. Waterville Conn. Waterville Hand Forged.
Brush- B400 By Tom(@twhite ). Whipped Dog Boar Knot. Super Soft.
Soap- Artko/Sandalwood Scented(By ME).
Aftershave- Shulton Old Spice. Ships Lantern Decanter. Mmmmmm Mmmmm Goood.





..

Beautiful Toggle Jim.

cool pic...

very cool, classy..

Thanks, I was just shooting for cool looking and usable.

Tuesday.
Prep: Hot towel
Pre shave: Prep
Razor: Weber ARC
Blade: Permasharp
Brush: 'The Duke' (Duke 3 Best)
Soap: Local Gent ‘Kona Colada’
Post: Cold water rinse / Witch Hazel / L'Occitane Cade After Shave Balm

An outstanding shave, with ‘Kona Colada’ laying it down for the awesome Weber/Permasharp combo.. ooh yeah!!




Thursday.
Prep: Hot towel
Pre shave: Prep
Razor: Merkur 34C HD
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium
Brush: Rough,No Name Boar
Soap: Soapy Science ‘MINT MINT’
Post: Cold water rinse / Witch Hazel / The Sudsy Soapery: Lavender & Peppermint Aftershave Splash

a no nonsense shave with ‘MINT MINT’ laying the foundations ... so good, they named it twice!





Saturday.
Prep: Hot towel
Pre shave: Prep
Razor: ‘The Rock’ (Rockwell 6S – #3)
Blade: Gillette Bleue Extra
Brush: 'Mama Chub' (Chubby 2 Two Band)
Soap: Barrister & Mann: Leviathan
Post: Cold water rinse / Witch Hazel / Tallow + Steel: Dark Aftershave
Fragrance: Arabian Oud MUKHALLAT DEWAN AL SHARQ...

an amazing shave with ‘The Rock’ / Gillette Bleue Extra / Leviathan setup, finished off with Dark Aftershave, and Arabian Oud MUKHALLAT DEWAN AL SHARQ...