30/30
So, i followed up on my threat to stretch this blade out to 5 uses and tbh, it was very obvious that it had seen its best days. I got a shave out of it (i did a palm strop after the 1st pass), but it was rough enough. You wouldn't get a 6th for sure.
Following in from the shaving oil slickness boost i did yesterday, i face lathered and used some glycerine (thanks for the tip
PaulH ). I didn't notice as much a difference in the shave with glycerine as i did with the shaving oil, but it did stop the razor gauling on touch ups. Not that i did much of that with the dying blade.
A mediocre DFS shave really.
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(LONG POST WARNING!
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30 Day Rule Summary
The Start:
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And how it ended:
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The Equipment:
Razor: Merkur 34c
As one may expect from the Merkur stable, the 34c was utterly, boringly reliable. It never changed its manner from day 1 to day 30. If the 34c was a vegetable, it would be a potato. Capable of awe and wonder (who doesn't like a well done chip?) but just the same thing, day after day, after day....
The blade loading is rubbish. Gillette had this nailed down in 1930. Can't fathom why Merkur haven't cottoned on to this but still, it is a razor you have to set up carefully and that is its biggest fault. There is a trick to blade loading which is to turn it upside down and squeeze the head and base plate together and then tighten as this engages the locating pins with he blade properly. Works every time but it is still a fudge. The razor is well balanced and i like the proportions. The minimal overhang is good. Just enough to keep the tangs out of the way, but not to much to get in the way. The finish is workmanlike at best. It is a tool, not a work of art. This is no Aristocrat. I don't like the knurling either, far too shallow for it to be any good. The 3 piece design is ok, but given the problem of blade alignment, it is a wasted exercise given that you have to load it like a 3-piece anyway. The handle has a habit of holding water in it as well. You get this odd sloshing/popping noise when shaving/rinsing. Nothing that interferes with the shave, but definatly odd. No other razor i have does this. One nice touch: The flat bottom. This makes it easy to sit the razor down when not in use between shaves. I used that a lot as i do not have a stand. The shaves are ok with this razor but it is mild and needs a sharp blade
and a slick soap to get a close shave. Blade angle is quite wide. I didn't have an issue finding it and its sweet spot is wider than some other razors i have used. This is not a razor where you a tempted to ride the cap. It is very much a plug 'n play shaver. I like it, but i don't love it nor do i hate it. Its just meh. Perhaps that is good enough. Certainly, with some care it going to last longer than me.
For a mass produced razor, it isn't cheap, (nor is it expensive compared to artisans) but if you are cost-conscious, i recommend getting the 3 piece 33c. Because of the Merkur loading issues, the 2 piece design is wasted (imho).
For the 30DR, this razor was good. Too mild to be great, but robust enough and constant enough for it not to fail.
Blade: Rapira Super Stainless
The Rapira SS blades came in tucks of 10 and cost me $0.50c in Turkey. At that price, I should have bought hundreds of them at the time tbh. I love these blades. Smooth and comfortable. Not Feather sharp but not Derby blunt either and without the coarseness of WS blades. I used 7 blades over the course of 29 shaves. I got 3 shaves without issue and only really started to notice dulling on the last pass on the 4th. After that, they die quickly. Great consistency of shave and lifespan.
For this 30DR, my only criticism of them would be that for the mild 34c Razor, they are perhaps a little too forgiving to get a zinger of a BBS. (this could also be seen as a positive!).
I will be buying more.
Brush: Pashanna 404 (Vulfix rebrand) Badger/Boar mix.
This brush was used brand new out-of-the-packet. (I wanted to see how a brush would break in over the 30DR.) Not as cheap as a synthetic, but not as dear as a full artisan brush either. If you were to describe this brush in a word, it would be "Comprise".
The best bit, without doubt, is the handle. It is a great shape, weight and size and i love it for it. Perfect for face lathering which i do a lot, not so much for bowl lathering though ( a longer handle would be better).
The knot is a typical mix of badger/boar and accordingly, you get a mix of the two traits in use. It is soft but not floppy. It has a bit of the badger prickle, but has the softer touch of a boar as well. The boar hair really helps the brush keep its shape when in use. The knot is medium size and i don't think it is overly dense. I have seen brushes with much more (and less) hairs.
I lost 13 hairs over the period of the 30DR. Mostly in the 1st two weeks, and dropping to zero in the last week. Over the 30 days, the brush kept its shape well. There is no huge splay one can get particularly with pure boar brushes. On the face, the brush is nice use. Backbone is medium as is the splay. I found that this brush likes tip work due to its ability to keep its shape during the shave. This brush doesn't fan out like a synthetic does. Oddly enough, i felt it hogged the lather during face lathering. I could get 3 passes with ease if i used a bowl, but on occasion, i would be left wanting on the 3rd pass when face lathering. I don't quite know why this is, i suspect the brush doesn't hold onto the soap too well and lets it all go on the 1st pass. I had no issues with drying out or with any brush-stink.
Not a great brush for hard pucks like the Cade. In the beginning, i just couldn't get it to load enough to get 3 passes and mid-term, i switched out to a boar and then a synthetic for reference. Both those had no problem giving me the passes, so i had to find a way on my return back to the 404. Quite by accident, i stumbled upon the same techniques used by other s (noticeably
@mantic ) for loading soft brushes with hard pucks, that is to not use water (this encourages lathering) and not to mash the brush ( again, this encourages lathering). Just a few drops of water on the puck and go at it in constant circles with the tips of a
just damp brush. This combination seems to suck the soap off the puck and you can get 3 passes. I got this to work successfully (no blooming!!) but it is clear that the brush is suited for less firm soaps and creams. I found no issue with drying or other practical considerations. The wide, flat base made it easy to sit it down mid-shave.
For the 30DC, this really was a bad choice. The puck of Cade soap was just too hard for it. This brush is suited (imho) to face lathering and softer soaps/creams. Perhaps an ideal candidate for shaving sticks. It is not a brush for bowl lathering (handle too short) or hard soap (Badger bristles too soft).
I liked it though. A well made brush with a great handle.
The Soap: L'Occitane Cade Puck and Bowl
This soap was started from new as per the brush. I wanted to see how the puck developed over the shave and how much soap i would use. At the start, the weight inc. bowl was 268g. At the end, the weight is 258g. This is 10g of soap used over 30 shaves ( i did a few test lathers at times) giving 0.3g/shave. One must remember that i always felt the soap difficult to load so i imaging that with a stiff brush, that number could go up to 0.4g/shave. A puck of Cade soap is €12 for 100g giving 333 shaves from a puck. You can't argue with that tbh. A puck of Cade should last you a year of shaves. For an artisan product (?) that is good.
The soap has a light scent and one that does not linger post-shave. I liked that very much. It lathers very easily and gives a very creamy lather. It is thirsty and can take a great deal of water. Post shave is excellent. Perhaps the best of all the soaps i have. It doesn't respond well to blooming though. Blooming this soap will just give you a bucket of froth. You need to pull it off the puck as dry as you can and then dial in the water. I had no issues either face lathering or bowl lathering.
However, this was all about the 30DR and performance and in my experience, the shave performance of this soap is just so-so. I have far better shaving soaps for much less money. It is finicky with the water. Too little and the soap cushion will dull the shave ( a hill to climb with the mild razor and blades). Too much water and the already poor slickness disappears. Slickness is this soaps Achilles heel and that is a shame as it is the prime property required from a shaving soap. Cade does everything else well (somethings great) but this lack of slickness just kills it as a top of the line shaving soap. It is the reason why some chose to use it as a bath soap instead ( it is probably very good for that!).
For the 30DR, I found that my ability to get great shave was constantly hampered by this lack of slickness, especially on the post-shave/touch up residuals. My razor would just gaul on the skin and pull and tug. I tried everything i could to get the slickness out of it. Bowl lathering, face lathering, heavy loading, light loading, stiff lathers, wet lathers, but nothing worked. I had to do another full pass of soap to on the touch ups. Anything less was pointless. My only really successful shave was when i used a pre-shave oil and even then, post shave slickness was nada.
Also, i had a rash a few times during this run. I could be sensitive to this soap, hard to tell, but something to watch.
This then, is a lifestyle product. Nothing more or less. The bowl is heavy and smooth and slippery when wet and has no place in a tiled bathroom environment. I was constantly worried about dropping it on my bathroom floor and damaging the tiles. Pot metal is poor in the bathroom as well, the bottom of the bowl quickly tarnished with black spots appearing and staining the window ledge. The puck sits level with the top of the bow as well. No bowl lathering or blooming here!
Of all of the tools used in my 30 days, the soap was the most difficult. This is not a soap i could recommend.
I know there are champions of this soap on the various forums but i wont be one of them.
The Shaves and lessons learned
30 days is a long time in shaving. I went through many different emotions. I managed to upset some and alienate others in my journey. Hopefully that is all in the past. It was a worthy exercise. The 30 days is a good idea and it helped me stay on track during my tougher mid-term blues. Instead of jumping onto other gear and giving up, it helped me focus and look for the way through. My only detour was a help as well. In using the synthetic brush for a shave in the midst of struggling to get three passes out of the soap, i learned that it was the brush and not the soap at fault. This in turn spurned me on to look for ways to get the brush working and i did in the end succeed. I am disappointed with the soap though. It took over so much of my efforts that perhaps other stuff was pushed into the background. I may well return to the 30DC with the razor and brush, although with different blades and soap.
Lessons learned:
- Blooming a soap may not be the easy/best way to load soap
- Hard to load pucks can prefer a dry-load method which reduces lathering to a minimum
- Mild razors with mild blades and cushioning soaps = a mild shave.
- Shaving gear has synergy. Not everything will work together in harmony
- No pressure
- My best technique is a 3 pass: up/across (ear to nose)/down shave.
- Any more than 3 passes can irritate me.
- A dull blade is a dull shave
- Prep is everything.
- A properly wetted beard is a must
- More time=better shaves
- No pressure works for the brushes as well. Don't mash the brushes, use the tips. Sometimes long strokes is better at making lather than circles. Being rough on your face with the brush is not good for your skin and not needed. Light pressure only
- Face lathering is quicker.
- Slickness is the key property of a good shaving soap.
- Heavy cast metal shaving bowls are rubbish.
I know there is a huge amount of stuff i have missed and i am sorry for the long post but it is what it is
Thanks for the huge amount of support i got from all on the board. I listened to each and every word.
Sorry for any offence or insult i may have caused in my discussion and exploration of the tools and techniques, to this i would say that a lesson told is less value than a lesson learned and sometimes you just need to walk the path yourself.
My apologies as well for not responding to all of the comments individually. I simply didn't have time to
You all have such great stuff!
Till the next time!
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