January 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Excellent photo and shave Amigo. Stay warm.


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When they said smoke em if you got em, I figured I was not getting a break. So I bummed one and started that day.


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Jan 26
Saturday night shave

H. Boker Red Injun 101 5/8
Palmolive shave stick
Mountain rain soap by Jeeves
Jayaruh 117
Myrsol emulsion

On fridays shave I had a bad experience with the Palmolive stick and wasn’t sure if the soap was the issue or not so I gave it another try. I had decided to use the less than a looker red injun, this poor razor shaves like a champ, but as you can see it had a very hard and neglected life before it found its way to me. I cleaned it up the best it could be without destroying the integrity of the blade. I used less of the Palmolive this time and still had more than enough lather for the full shave, I was still experiencing the burning sensation that started shortly after lathering up for the second pass. I did decide to rinse it off and relather with the Jeeves mountain rain for the remainder of my shave. It’s too bad that Palmolive doesn’t agree with my face because it lathers easily and gives a really good cushion, slickness, and has a scent that I enjoy.

 

January SR Focus

Barrister & Mann Bay Rum~~Declaration Grooming B5~~Wade & Butcher~~Small Batch Shave Tonic
Best shave on my neck since switching over to the "dark side"
First, let me point out that bottle of Small Batch Shave Tonic.
I have been SBST "curious" ever since seeing it for the first time.
Our friend, Guy @ram57 reached out to me last week and offered to send me this bottle.
It was an incredibly generous offer and I am so fortunate to cohort with the many amazing and
generous members here at TSD. Thank you Guy!
I expected a Bay Rum type scent, but this juice is so much more.
It is deeply complex and I should mention that it received the elusive Seal of Approval from SWMBO.
The shave today was lovely. I am still avoiding an ATG pass on my cheeks, so I cannot call this a BBS shave.
I can call it a DFS and for the 10th SR shave...I will also call it successful.
For those of you who have never used a leather strop, I can tell you that as a
they are REALLY easy to cut.
I am getting better at that, however, so I hope to avoid cuts on it and on my face as well.
I have picked out my DE's that are going on a BST thread. There is no sense keeping them all,
now that my intentions are to use an open blade henceforth.
The soap and brush combo were excellent.
Another consequence of my focus on the SR, is that I am LESS focussed on my lather choice.
As long as it is slick and has a good scent, I am satisfied.
I still haven't taken the Wade & Butcher to the 12K yet. It needs it. I also need some quiet-time,
without any interruptions. That report will come soon.​

 

Bummer about the Palmolive, Paul. Sounds like a candidate for a PIF.

 

Welcome back Randy [Fancy Pants]
Nice blade, nice shave!
tp

 

January 26th
'51 Canadian Tech w PermaSharp* Stainless
First Canadian Maximo Gomez SS
APShave Co Flattop/Sapele Handle
Thayers
Jeeves Tobacco Bay Leaf AS

Shaved early yesterday evening, but didn't have a chance to post until now. Shaved in the evening before we went out for Robbie Burns night. It is a big fundraiser for our daughter's Highland Dance association, and I got roped into being on the executive so had to give one of the speeches as well.
Pulled out the post-war Tech as the next razor up for the 'oft neglected' focus. The lather was as good as always with this soap and had 3 very pleasant passes. Finished with the Tobacco Bay Leaf for the day's Jeeves product.
I do need to talk about the blades for a bit. Those of you who know Perma Sharps will see that I didn't call them PermaSharp Supers. I ordered PermaSharp Supers from a vendor in Turkey. They arrived this past week and the packaging wasn't even the same as usual:

Not labelled 'Super', and the tucks look different. My first thought was counterfeits, but they didn't even try to get all that close, as I would imagine a counterfeiter would so. There was a fair amount of writing on the back, most all in Turkish. An online translating site got me as far as 'Double Edge Razor Blades Made in Russia' and then some information on distributor/distribution into Instanbul. Some P&G info as well.
How did they shave? Just fine in the Tech, to be honest. But I'm a fan of most everything that comes from St. Petes, so that is no surprise. My hypothesis? These are just a 'whatever' Gillette St. Pete's stainless blade (Astra SS, 7 O'clock stainless, etc, who knows?) labelled for the Turkish market. A usable blade, but I paid PermaSharp Super prices for them. Live and learn. And, yes, I did contact the seller (full disclosure- posts on TSD as well) who did say this is how they come into Turkey now. That is probably true, but he shouldn't portray them as Supers.
Have a great day all!

 

So did John Wick. When you are good at something, folks won't let you quit?

 

tp

 

Thanks Clint, they should be here soon.

tp

 

Excellent shave and recap Joseph. Congrats on the aftershave.


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Great shave today. Switching to a fresh blade helped with the razor burn. First shave using the arko stick and face lathering. Really enjoyed the arko. I like the scent and think I got a decent lather. The proaso sandlewood af is very nice. Happy Sunday fellas

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santal absolut and italian citrus is great stuff as well..then theres american blend,..

 

Great looking shave. To bad about the soap.


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Excellent shave and photo Jason. Sorry about the blades.


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Nice going Keith!
BIG! and nice!
tp

 

Cool photo, nice all way round Jim.

tp

 

Thanks, Terry!

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You don't seem to bring out that big Kent very often anymore, Keith. It looks like it is the same diameter as that Castle Forbes tub, fwiw!

Very informative write up, Neal. Love the paracord wrap on that Kami handle. Nice balance of coolness and utilitarianism.

Very cool pic, Jim. I'm pretty sure that is the same knot as the SynBad. I have it in a 30mm and it is awesome. Funny that you say it has more backbone, I find that it has less than either the Tuxedo or the new Flat top. More backbone than the Plisson/Maggards/TGN style synth for me.
I'd rank them, in terms of backbone only, 1. Tuxedo 2. APShave Co flattop 3. SynBad 4. Plisson style

56lbs! Charlie, that is absolutely amazing. Following what you have done over the past year is inspirational.
PS- no pics of you in the skinny jeans, please...

What a top shelf combo, Mark. Amazing gear!

Patrick- If you want to realize how fully you've fallen into some rabbit holes, created a 'Patricks Den' link and list all of your hardware and software... that was when it really started to hit home for me.

Tomorrow will be better, Terry. Did I read that right- Do you change GEM SE blades with every shave?

Love that beehive, Doug! Yup, looks like you'll give Mark a run for his money this month.

Yup, shame about the Palmolive stick. Great lather at a ridiculous price point. I'm irritated by a couple of Stirling soaps actually. The good news is that there are lots of other great Stirling scents and soaps in general. Same with the Palmolive.

 

Thank you, Clint. At least they are still definitely usable. I guess I am a year safer when the Shaveapocalypse comes...