very cool thank you ..i am very grateful..

NOVember is NO whatever you want it to be! Apparently.

November 11

Razor - Gillette NEW LC (Delta Echo)
Blade -
Soap - Stirling Bay Rum
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Post - Alum

Talk about a nice random draw today. The New LC? Check. Nacet blade? Check. Stirling Bay Rum? Check. Omega Pro 48? Check. My goodness the gods were favorable. I actually did the randomizer late last night since I knew I'd have a late night tonight and I spent all day waiting for this shave.

The New LC is, in my opinion, one of the top 3 razors ever produced by Gillette. A lot of them showed up last month and I don't think anyone had anything but praise for these razors. Amazing shaving tools. The Gillette Nacet - the "croc cutter" - only one of the finest Gillette Russians from St. Petersburg. It's the stainless blade, the St. Pete cousin to the Moscow Ladas. Stirling Bay Rum? Traditional scent, Stirling lather. And the Omega 48 is a classic BIG brush that will load and face lather like a beast. I probably don't even have to say how the shave went. Three passes, nearly four just because it was so fun, and the baby is in the house. I'd take this setup every day.

Monday approaches! Grit your teeth and get ready for the new week!

Shaving with a British FB Tech is like shaving with a butter knife, or at least it feels that way! It insanely gentle with any blade choice... It is relatively efficient too! All in all, a lovely little razor! I managed to pick up a near mint one, cased for £22.

one of my favorites..

November 12 SOTD:

Razor: Gillette 40s Style Rocket
Blade: Voskhod
Brush: Ever-Ready 150
Lather: CO Bigelow
Aftershave: Proraso Green
Additional Care:
Stirling Unscented PSB

Good results today, but the process was lacking. I took the straight I just revived to two days of thick Iron beard stubble. Don’t know if it was the TOBS, the technique or the honing that was to blame, but the blade didn’t cut through the whiskers as effortlessly as I would have liked. I suspect something about my honing is to blame. Regardless, the result was a DFS on the neck and a BBS everywhere else.
In other new I was going to thin out my AS collection and add more good stuff by selling my Fine L’Orange Noir when one of you enablers started a discussion of how awesome it is. I brought it on the weekend trip to the Gator game, and am giving it a second run. Still on the fence with some of these old school scents, but the menthol alone will keep it in the den for now.
Time to hunker down and do Monday...

Great pic, Jim!

Hopefully tomorrow's shave is better, Randy.

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Gorgeous brush, Jason! You did a wonderful job on the handle!

November 12th
Razor: Blackland Vector
Blade: Feather Professional (5)
Brush: PAA Switchback/TGN boar
Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
Soap: Hendrix Classic & Co.
Lucky Tiger face tonic
AS: Fine American Blend

Good morning!

Quick tip for you guys that need reading glasses. When installing the blade use your readers. Seems the blade can be installed backwards. Super smooth lather removal but that's all it removes.

Up next, Hendrix Classics & Co. soap samples. Yes, samples. @Pete123 sent me two. A full ounce to get to know this soap.

Three full passes to BBS results. That is once I got the razor situated. The Hendrix Classic soap provided a rich slick lather with great post shave feel.

Have a great Monday!



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Thank you, Jim!

Wonderful picture this morning!

Thank you, Jim!

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Y'know, when Chris Bailey does his video of his 13 best Barbershop shave soaps, he may as well call it "The Fine American Blend Show". He gives good coverage with his other 12, but you can see how devoted he is to Fine.

Monday morning November 12 - military surplus puzzle shave

Military surplus 4-pc brass razor / Rapira Swedish Supersteel (4)
Semogue Owners Club cherrywood Tuxedo brush
TSD Sensitive (unscented) soap
Alum and TSD Vanilla milk aftershave



Today's shave was another military one carrying over from yesterday's Remembrance Day shave with the American WW1 Khaki Service Set. Today's razor is a puzzle that I am hoping someone here can solve for me. About a decade ago, these little brass travel razors were available all over eBay. I am virtually certain they are military surplus because of the green containers, the lack of commercial markings, the raw nature of the brass, and the fact that the sellers were military surplus dealers. I figure the date to be sometime between the 1950s and 1980s, probably European.

The only mark is on the box - a wheel split by a sword with the initials S B in it. I can't pin it down.

One seller listed the country of origin as the UK but I am sure that is wrong. If it was UK government issue, it should be marked either with the Broad Arrow or a NATO stock number. The other most common suspects don't fit either. Not Swiss (Helvetic cross), not Sweden (three crowns), not Russian (hammer and sickle plus manufacture too good). The Czechs used a sword, but it was crossed swords.

Maybe Belgian?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

When loaded in, blade alignment is good and all angles are consistent. The razor shaves like a mild Tech. Two passes brought me to a DFS with no hotspots picked up by the alum. The TSD Vanilla aftershave then leaves a pleasant aroma to finish.

Overall, a very good shave from a neat little travel razor. If only I wasn't going nuts trying to identify its origins...

Thank you, Bruce.

Wonderful shaves and photos this morning, gentlemen!

Thank you, Perry!

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Thank you, Perry!

NOvember Focus



MW Sandalwood Rose~~Semogue 620~~'47 Super-Speed~~Feather~~St. Charles Bulgarian Rose
Good morning all. The saga continues...
Making pretty good headway with the Mystic Water, which now resides in a wooden bowl marked:
Pickwick Shaving Soap. From what I can tell, this bowl dates back to the '30s.
Brush chosen was my good old Semogue 620. Nice acrylic handle, albeit somewhat small.
The bristles are as soft as any top-shelf badger that I own. Not pretty, but utilitarian.
Decided to bowl lather today utilizing my Aesop SS bowl. This is a no-nonsense shave bowl with
decent dimensions. The lather mostly stays inside and is easy to use.
Mystic Water soap is a soap which could use some love. Except for our friend @celestino
I don't see it being used nearly enough. The unfortunate lathering stigma is, IMO, completely unwarranted.
My best guess is that the shavers that aren't able to achieve great lather with this soap add the water too quickly.
Best results I have found are when I use a damp brush on a, of course, bloomed puck.
The 1947 SS is an excellent razor, but mine always fights me loading and removing the blade.
Nonetheless, 3 smooooooth passes delivered a very nice shave.
The DRH Pink is about ready to give up the ghost, as is the Thayer's.
Today's finale was St. Charles Bulgarian Rose. Not as nice as Penhaligon's, but at a tenth of the cost,
I am not complaining.​

Great picture and report, Joseph!

SOTD November 12, 2018

Prep: Cold water and Stirling mentholated pre-shave soap
Blade: GEM PTFE
Razor: GEM Micromatic
Brush: JR #41 badger
Soap: C.O. Bigelow cream
Post: Witch hazel, Barbasol Pacific Rush aftershave

One pass shave with the Micromatic. Took down 48 hours of growth with ease. Probably a CCS, certainly not as smooth as I can achieve with another pass, but after the redness and raw feeling a couple of days ago I went with safety and did the one pass. Nice results with no complaints.

We are off from school today in observance of Veterans Day. About to brave the rain with my wife and Wilson to get some lunch and run a few errands. Good shaves, everyone!