Week 3 (Comfort Week)
Feb. 20 Episode 19: “Super-goop!”
Gillette SS Flare Tip
A mild, smooth shaver. Admittedly, my favorite razor of the bunch...
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I was interested in Andrew’s (
@Linuxguile ) observation that some of my cuts could be coming either from too much pressure (which I know is a problem for me) or from improperly prepared lather. I normally get a pretty good shine off my lather, but it also can get fluffy on me if I’m using a bowl with agitators. I checked out the super-goop video and thought I’d give it a whirl this morning. Very slick, thick, and dense lather...
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....I’m used to it a bit thinner, but it worked out pretty well. I’m definitely going to continue experimenting with this over the next week or so.
Week 3 Gear
- Blade: Personna Blue (3)
- Brush: Kong
- Soap: Stirling Texas on Fire.
- AS: Tsuka. Burned a little. Sure smells good, though.
- Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented.
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The Shave
I noticed on the 1st pass (WTG) that as long as there was lather on my face, the area was hydrated pretty well. Covered areas were very well protected, but shaved areas dried out a lot sooner, so that ‘residual slickness’ that I stupidly rely on sometimes disappeared fairly quickly after moving away from an area--probably a good thing.
The 2nd (XTG) pass went well, though there were some slightly rough spots that touched up slightly, but knowing how touch ups can lead to obsessive scrubbing if I’m not careful, I kept things light and brief. I ended up with a DFS, and I’m okay with that.
The Score
- Comfort: barely noticeable irritation just above the corners of my mouth. Score: 4
- Closeness: DFS. Score: 3
Tally
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All in all a pretty good shave that may have been even better had I worked in a bit more water with my ‘super-goop’ efforts. Tomorrow we’ll see how the super-goop holds up to the Parker Variant on its highest setting.
Enjoy your Thursday, everybody--I'll catch up later in the evening

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