August 2018 30 Day Rule/focus Pix & Discussion

You're welcome. The first vid I posted was made by a TSD member. @gssixgun happens to be one of the most knowledgeable (and helpful) SR experts in the USA, we're lucky he's here.

 

That's pretty damn cool! I think I am going to strip it back to basics over the next few days. Just going to shave one pass WTG to get the stretching, pressure and angle right. It seems like, when done properly, the first WTG pass should have you well on your way to a DFS.

 

You're correct. Skin stretching allows the razor to cut in a more efficient manner than without stretching. One precise SR pass is actually all I need some days.

 

Astra SPs are good blades. Consistent quality, plenty sharp, with a platinum coating that shouldn't cause irritation. After a while blades will matter less because your technique will adjust to compensate, or you will know that particular product is less than satisfactory. I've heard of some folks having irritation attributed to the coating applied to DE blades. For you to judge, but Astras ought to be just fine. Later you can step up to some fine Japanese Steel ( Feather Hi-Stainless).

 

I actually DO have 8 Feather blades left from a tuck of 10! I really do like those blades! I just have so many Astras!

 

I would be more than willing to do my rule with a Feather if you think that a sharper blade would be beneficial in helping me hone my technique.

 

Pick anything you like. Consistency in tools is more critical than the actual choice. Just stick to something.

 

Astra it is then! I have a load of them, so need to be consistent to get them done and gone!

 

I would also suggest just using the blade 3 shaves and then replace. That will allow you to judge your technique without trying to prolong blade life.

 

Congrats, Paul, on the first outing with the Dorco 6. Don't tell anyone, but I occasionally shave with a Dorco 3-bladed cart. I keep one in the shower for mornings when I'm short on time. I use it pretty much like a DE, with ATG shaving aplenty, and it performs just fine. I'm surprised at how many guys in shaving videos advise against shaving ATG. It's the best thing since sliced bread (whiskers?) once you learn how to do it. I predict you'll like the Trac II once you get around to it. Carry on, my friend.

 

Good point, Clint! A lot of people make "3 and out" or even sometimes "1 and out" a regular part of any 30-Day Rule just for that reason -- eliminating another possible variable that could lead to a bad shave. I don't always do that anymore but if I'm doing a Rule to work on some technique problem, then I do to avoid the whole possible bad blade issue...

 

Don’t feel like you have to get them “done and gone”. Astras are very good blades. They’re not just for newbies. There’s no such thing as a “newbie blade”.

For the last couple of months, I’ve been using a Rockwell razor for most of my shaves. I’ve run a number of different blades through it so far. Honestly, I don’t think I could tell much difference between those blades in a blind shave test. Only one blade that I tried in there didn’t seem quite as efficient - and that wasn’t an Astra.

By all means - once you get your technique up to snuff, try other blades. I think you’ll find that the difference isn’t all that much.

 

Wednesday noon August 15 -- almost entire Supply Provision Co. day

Supply Co. v2 matte black interchangeable injector on plate #2 / Personna (4)
Supply Co. Silvertip Fiber synthetic 26mm brush
Kent/MWF in beechwood tub
Supply Co. Post Shave Healing Balm - Lost Provence

Every now and then, when I am using a modern razor from one of the companies that tries to sell everything needed for a shave, I will do a day where I just use that company's products. Rockwell is one of those companies -- in addition to razors, it now sells brushes, cream or soap, and post-shave balms. So does Supply Co. I was going to do a complete Supply Co. day today, but my soap and creams from it are buried deep in my soap and cream boxes and I was too lazy to dig through to find them. So it was an almost complete Supply Co. day with the MWF on my sink top subbing in for the Supply Co. cream I would otherwise have used.

Good shave. The Supply Co. brush uses Muhle-type silvertip fibres, which were the first generation of synthetic brush fibres that truly acted like animal hairs - badger in this case . There are a lot of other good fibres on the market now, but the silvertip fibres originally developed by Muhle are still an excellent choice. This is one of those brushes that I don't use enough simply because I have so many others to play with. If somebody only wanted one brush though, this would not be a bad choice. For that matter, if a new wetshaver does outfit himself entirely from the Supply Co. site, he can shave for the rest of his life without fear that he is "missing out" on a brush, razor, cream, balm, etc. that would be "better". (That's true of Rockwell's offerings too, come to think of it.)

I did two passes as usual today, but paid more attention to stretching the skin and keeping the razor pressure non-existent. I ended up with a DFS as good as yesterday but without any of the irritation. No need to test for errors with the alum. Also no need for an application of Thayers Witch Hazel to cool things down. I did use the Supply Co. balm, but only because I enjoy it and not because I really needed it. Lost Provence is one of my favourite scents -- a mix of blue sage and lavender.

Hope everybody is doing well on the Hump Day of the week!

 

James, I agree 100% with Chris on the importance of skin stretching. If you can find a way to gently stretch your skin with every shaving stroke, the closeness and comfort of your shaves are sure to improve. It's especially beneficial when you shave ATG, and it will reduce or eliminate irritation. In other words, keep your off-hand busy during the shave. After you become proficient with a DE, you might consider doing a focus with a shavette like the Parker SRX. (Everyone needs a Parker SRX in their den. ) After becoming proficient with a shavette, you will be able to get great shaves from most any DE razor.

This dude demonstrates some pretty good skin stretching. Watch his off hand...it's always busy during the shave.

 

Very well written post. It is very easy to forget how good Muhle silvertip fiber brushes perform.

 

Great picture, Brian!

 

I find I can't tell a significant difference between blades anymore. If they aren't defective, they all provide close comfortable shaves. Some are a bit smoother than others, but none of them are bad now.

 

I received a surprise gift in the mail today. At the beginning of the year, I did a PIF for new members of a small Muhle black fibre synthetic shaving brush and added a Gillette Tech, Arko, some blades and some balm to make it a complete shaving kit. It was won by Alex @AlDm from Russia.

@Vlasta has been making an aluminum version of the Rubberset 400 that he is now ready to start selling. He had a few shavers test a prototype earlier, and then in July he set up a pass-around to allow more shavers to try his brush, comment on it (and if they liked the pass-around trial, maybe buy their own ). Alex had been one of the shavers who tested the prototype, and when I said I would be interested in the Pass-around, he contacted me and told me he would PIF me his prototype.

It arrived today. Alex had included not only the prototype brush but also a Complete Russian Shaving Kit -- three packs each of Rapira Swedish Supersteel and Gillette Rubie Plus blades, three creams sold domestically in Russia, and even a shaving cloth and some kind of Russian 3-pc razor in a tin travel box! I promised Vlasta I would review the brush when I received it, but it looks like I will have to do some Russian Shaving Days too!



First impressions: The brush is absolutely beautiful. Flawless fit and polish on the aluminum, the interchangeable ferrule screws on and off easily (I believe Vlasta's sale versions come with three ferrules with or without choice of badger, boar, horse and synthetic knots), and the badger knot supplied by Vlasta seems on brief testing to have lots of both backbone and softness.

Edited to add: Alex @AlDm sent me a PM with a bit of extra information about the razor. Apparently it is late Communist Era manufacture, being made in the Ukraine during the period of Perestroika in the late 1980s to early 1990s. From its appearance, it is a very standard sort of 3-piece design with a top cap and baseplate that are most likely made of some form of Zamac or pot metal. Could be aluminum but I don't think so.

I will have to try it and see how it shaves...

 

Thank you, Clint! I hope this evening is slower.