March 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion

That's the solution....much less of that clove scent today. As for that right side-that fellow inspires me

 

Thank you Gary.

Thank you Terry. I do find the Lupo to be on the mild side. For me it easily delivers a near BBS shave without much thought or work. I needed the extra buffing to catch the baby.

Thank Joe.

Thank you Tim. I have a birth year/quarter Slim.

 

Nice shave and photo Jim! Love the colors. Good job riding the cap.

 

The Super Pro is the AC with the most blade exposed. Thanks for the kudos. To be honest I didn't put much thought into it. I figures since I shave with straights it wouldn't be a big deal. Oh well. No turning back now.

 

Thanks, Evan!

 

Very interesting.
At one time, I was looking at twin injector blades. I understand them to deliver very pleasant shaves although I don't think they work in all hardware.

At the time, these blades were pricey. I'm not sure if they are NOS or modern manufacture.

Sounds great.

 

Thanks gentlemen. I appreciate it!

Thanks Evan. In 2012, my Bride purchased a 10X mirror for $10, and it has cost me thousands of dollars since that time. We were out, and she found a 10X mirror that she wanted. I'm being honest here. I thought it was silly, so I walked up to the display and caught a look at my freshly shaven mug. I had done battle with my Norelco rotary shaver maybe an hour or two earlier. I hesitate to describe myself as looking like a bum. A bum doesn't deserved to be insulted in such a horrible way.

The 10X mirror sent me on a quest to improve my skin condition and shaves. Now I'm here...a few bucks lighter...with more stuff sitting on my sink top than Kathy has on hers...aggravating my new and growing circle of friends every day.

True story.

On watch forums, the watch nuts recommend that perfectionists never look at their watches with a 10X loupe. It will show every micro scratch and swirl. I dare not check my watches for that reason. However, I often take a quick look at my mug under 10X after a shave. It's as good, or maybe better, than feeling around on my face.

Thanks Keith. I don't own (or aspire to own) a Grand Seiko. However, I admire their appearance and craftsmanship, particularly those with the Snowflake dials. I picked up a SARB033 awhile back that I enjoy almost as well, and it was more than 90% less expensive than a GS.

I'll drop some Feathers in the mail to you, Chris.

If someone is brand new to traditional shaving, a mild razor may prevent a serious injury. For many years, I had not shaved with anything except an electric razor when I got started with a DE razor (a Muhle R89 loaded with a Derby blade). I had watched a few YouTube videos, but I didn't have a mentor. I approached that shave with a bit of nervousness and fear. I felt the chance of drawing blood and maybe even getting cut badly was pretty high for that first unsupervised shave. In those kinds of situations, folks may be better off with a mild razor. With a bit of experience or with some mentoring like we provide here, though, I don't think it really matters.

As far as blade choice in shavettes...it doesn't matter in terms of safety, IMO. I get that folks have their favorites and that some blades agree with a particular shaver's mug more than others. I flat out exclude blades like those Flying Groundhogs or whatever they are that @NCoxSTL uses occasionally. When you're shaving with an unguarded DE blade, as one does with a shavette, minute differences in sharpness or smoothness between blades won't result in a more or less risky shave. I would say YMMV, but I'm sorry...this is 110% fact.

Paul, our friend @ezlovan attended the meetup and was more than kind. He actually gave each of us a matching set of BoS soap and aftershave. I have a spare puck (he even gave one to my Bride) that I'll be glad to send your way. I've have already gifted the extra aftershave to a friend. Otherwise, I'd send it also. I'd just ask you to please PIF it (and not trash it) it the scent is not for you. I personally find the performance and scent to be wonderful.

Thanks Tim. Sometimes I hurry the second pass too. I don't know why, though. I will also try to slow it down. That will be a good area for me to focus too. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

Thanks Charlie, but Mr. Cawtuh already PIFed me both(soap&A.S.).

 

That's wonderful, Paul. You have to get up early to beat those generous folks from Pennsyltucky. Keep us posted on your impressions of it. I personally think the BoS soap scent and performance are top notch.

 

March 15
”The Day of Rest”

I survived Friday the 13th with a shavette, so I was not all that concerned today when the Ides of March rolled around (my name, after all, is not Caesar). However, it is nice sometimes to get a bit of variety in, so I put my 30DC rule on hold so I could play with some new gear...

Gear

• Razor: Gillette Flare Tip--I was going to go for the Lupo Andrew @Linuxguile generously PIF’d me (forevermore to be known as “The Linuxguile Lupo”), but then felt kind of like grabbing the Slim that Jim @Norcalnewb PIF’d (known forevermore as the “Slim Jim”). Rather than settling the decision on a coin toss, I took it on in typical father-fashion, gave both the razors a time-out, and went with the Flare Tip that Evan @MrEE PIF’d me (known from this day forward as “Evan’s Flare Tip”). Gentlemen, it suddenly hits me like a bolt of lightning: every shave I undertake is an honorary 30DC shave--heart-warming and humbling all at the same time.
• Blade: Feather (3 or 4...most likely 4)
• Brush: Stirling Finest Badger (fan)--I have been impatiently waiting for Sunday so I could try one of the brushes Andrew included in his box ‘o fun last week. Every brush I have ever used has been a bulb style brush, and when you load them they come to a point that the lather concentrates around. The fan style is quite different, and took some getting used to, but I’ve got the hang of it now.
  • Due to my face’s sissified skin, I stopped face lathering a year or so ago. With this brush I may take it up again for two reasons: (a) I put all my soaps into sticks, so face lathering is pretty darned easy, and (b) this brush seems like it’s designed for it; It covers a wide area, splays easily and feels nice on the face. I’ll definitely try to face lather next go-round.
  • Also, either Stirling pre-defunkifies their brushes or Andrew did me a solid or badger isn’t nearly as funky as horsehair or something--there is no funk to this brush that I can detect. At all.
• Soap: Stirling Texas on Fire--like meeting an old friend after a long absence… wonderful.
• AS: Clubman Original
• Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented

The Shave...
I was going to go with a 2 pass shave and give my face a bit of a break, but I was enjoying the process so much that I threw in a 3rd pass (ATG) and caught the baby. I’m super smooth and irritation free.

Also, I was struck by how easy it is to shave with the Flare Tip. It doesn’t mow the hair down, but it’s smooth as silk, and if I gradually reduce the hair, I can get a BBS easily in 3 passes and some change (chiiiiiin!) without irritation. I think part of this is coming from shaving with a shavette for the last 2 weeks. It really does translate into better shaving in general.

It’s Sunday folks--relax, get your bearings, and prepare for the fantastic week you are about to have... corona virus or no

 

My wife has a 3x mirror. Even at that level it's easy to get obsessive. Mystery explained.

 

In time, I became of the opinion that a mild razor is more difficult to get on the best cutting angle than an aggressive one.

Considering greater skill requirements needed, at some point cartridge instinct says add pressure. Irritation occurs but more serious injury is less likely. People develop the fear of anything more than mild.

Shaving on edge feel is a more time consuming skill to learn, yet teaches you to best use of a greater spectrum of gear.

I've talked to folks who aren't even interested in a two week acclimation period, let alone a 30 or 100 day learning cycle.

I've loaned mild stuff that never got used because they were afraid of cutting themselves. I'd never loan an open edge tool to someone not committed to learning it's safe use.

Is that conventional wisdom? Who knows.

Like many, my journey began with a popular mild DE. Today, I find it more challenging to match end results using it.

 

Feathaaah uuuuup!

 

Great shave, Evan! I still struggle with balance and pressure when I use my shavette too.

Kudos to you and your family for thinking of others. I've listened to the "experts" and thought a lot about this over the past few days. I believe that self-quarantining my family has the potential to benefit others much more than us. I don't want to minimize the extreme hardships it places on working families with kids (like you guys) and business owners, but I actually do think it is the right thing to do...as much as possible. Every family is of course different. I do realize that some people have to get out and go to work, but we all have opportunities to minimize our public interactions.

It's a very interesting time, for sure. I'm sure the experts, scenario-builders, and the rest of us normal knuckleheads will be critiquing this crisis and our response to it for years to come.

 

I still don't understand why I keep hearing all the voices.

 

Excellent shave and report, Tim! Great picture! Love the close up!

 

A Big 300 Yard Congrats!

 

March 15th
Canadian New Deluxe w GSB
Omega Pro/ Poculi
Asylum/SV Colonia combo
Thayers

Day 12 of the NEW focus, 2nd with this Deluxe. Had a lazy, mid morning shave a few hours ago. It was not my most straightforward shave, though. I think I’m working through a substandard batch of GSBs. I got in a 100 pack of GSBs last month. I got one bad blade at the start, and then 3 blades that were of the usual quality and then today’s blade. Perfect on one side, rougher on the other. Not an alignment issue in the razor, either. I finished off the 2 passer only using one side of the blade. With that, I got great results for only 2 passes. I’ll open up a new tuck for next time and see if the issues persist. @Linuxguile asked someone else on here about which era they are. Mine are double wrapped.
Everything else worked as it should, which is a good thing indeed.
Have a great day all!

 

I appreciate the sentiment but it's your flare tip now. If it must have a name call it Steve the stubble slaying superspeed (ssss or s4)...

As for it being Sunday, today I learned that skipping church is only fun when going to church is an option... Who would figure I've been attending church all these years because I enjoy it?

And nice shave Tim! Your reports are always entertaining!

 

Great shave Tim!
The flair tip is a wonderful razor.
Stirling is a champion when it comes to soap.
A very nice shave indeed!
tp