August 2018 30 Day Rule/focus Pix & Discussion

Once you get your technique nailed down you'll appreciate the more aggressive razors and settings in the adjustables. No need to rush it. Get the technique first. Then the entire world of razors opens up so easily you'll be amazed.

 

Why not just do the whole shave on 3 to start with? I, personally, wouldn't keep swapping and changing settings. It is hard enough to develop good technique with a non-adjustable! Good luck however you choose to proceed!

 

It is so surprising how simple this is... Note the use of the word simple not easy!

 

Shave Report #6

Gillette (Flat Bottom) Fat Handle Tech (Made in England)
Astra SP (3rd and final use)
Bluebeard Doubloon Boar Brush
TOBS Almond
Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave Balm

Hydrated the TOBS properly, the slickness was excellent. So much so that after my first WTG pass I did two more passes. Both were XTG on my cheeks, jaw, under my chin and WTG on my neck. 3 passes is not a goer for me on my neck. The third clearly aggravated me and caused some irritation. I was stretching the skin, paying attention to pressure, blade angle and was sure not to shave on skin without lather, the resulting closeness was noticeable and there was no tugging and pulling. Still a way to go, but I feel that I am getting to know my Tech a little better after 6 shaves!

Enjoy your shaves gents.

 

Wow. The Senator is just gorgeous. Congrats.

 

Great progress James. Just stay with the program and you'll be shocked how much your skills improve.

 

Thank you Clint!

 

Congrats on the progress, James. It's useful to learn that the third pass on the neck does not agree with you. The only way to know is to try it. It might be different later as your technique continues to develop, but for now you know that two passes are enough.

I learned awhile back that two careful passes and a few touch ups work better for me on a daily basis. I can sneak in a third pass every now and then, but I start seeing some irritation if I perform them on a daily basis. It's also nice to be able to pull off a decent one-pass shave when time is short, and good technique allows that. Everyone is different. Some guys here perform three or four passes daily and find that it provides epic shaves.

 

Congrats on making good progress @Robstreperous. James makes a good point that picking one blade setting for all three passes will definitely eliminate variables, reduce the learning curve, and make repeating those “irritation free” shaves more likely.

 

August 25

Today is a shave recovery for me today. Now I understand and appreciate why Sputnik blades were named after a satellite. I'll just ride along and enjoy the great posts, photos, and banter. Have a fun weekend!

 

Been there, done that, hated it. While you are sidelined maybe you can find some useful purpose for the day, Charlie. Can you maybe grab me a Gatorade?

 

Shout out to Andrew @Linuxguile . I know you're a busy guy right now. I hope all is well!

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

 

Absolutely! I'll do anything to keep you guys in the race today.

 

I'm in for the long haul, before buying my Parker SRX I have 94 more shaves on the Tech/AstraSP rule!

Yup, two passes is going to be the max for me... I am going to experiment with different passes on my face... I might eschew the true WTG pass on my face in favour of a more hybrid WTG/XTG pass, and see where that gets me! I'll be sticking with 2 x WTG on the neck until that can be done consistently without irritation!

 

My Barbasol "bottomed out" this morning. Luckily I had a travel-sized can to finish things off.

 

Is the Man from Kentucky going to hand it to you or dump it ON you? Ya never know with this motorcyclist.

 

August Focus

Much different look of the gear compared to the start of the month.
Finished two soaps. (one sample)
Learned that adjustable razors are (for me) superfluous.
Learned that small artisans such as Hendrix Classics & Co. can produce soaps just as
well as the "Big Boys" like today's Barrister & Mann.
Learned that Feather blades are good for three shaves.
Learned that the "gap" is to be ignored. (amended signature therefore)
Learned that the edge of the blade is ALL that matters.
I think I have earned some sort of diploma this month.
Great shave today.
The Gillette OT was running on all eight cylinders.
The Super=Max blade was satisfactory.
The lather was aroma-filled, luxurious, BUT not as slick as the Hendrix. (worth noting)
The Bay Rum AS is very satisfying.​

 

Looks like a photo finish for #s 5 and 6

 

Another lovely photo. What brand of Bay Rum AS?