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Is Arko the greatest value in all of shaving?

Poll closed Apr 30, 2020.
  1. Yes

    16 vote(s)
    72.7%
  2. Yes

    6 vote(s)
    27.3%
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  1. April 29
    Shavette Shave #54--"Ice, Ice, Baby!"

    Gear
    • Razor: Max Headroom Focus R21 Shavette
    • Blade: Derby Premium (1)
    • Brush: Semogue Boar
    • Soap: Stirling Glastonbury (4 Frost Drops)
    • Menthol: Stirling Frost Drops
    • AS: Aqua Velva Ice Blue ( Frost Drop)
    • Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented
    20200429_112801-01.jpeg

    The Shave...
    Inspired by Joe’s @JACarbone iced water shave, I loaded up a mug with iced water, soaked the Semogue Boar for a few minutes, and then began lathering. Chilled lather is soooo nice, but throw some menthol in the mix, and it’s heavenly. Another nice thing about iced water is, unlike the occasional hot lather experiments that were going on a couple months back, the lather consistency doesn’t seem to suffer in the least. I am not a prognosticator by any stretch of the imagination, but I see iced water becoming a very regular part of my routine in the future.

    3 passes today (WTG, WTG/XTG, and ATG). I’m somewhere between BBS and DFS--even the dreaded chin. I must have worn out my welcome with lather and reshaved an area on the corners of my mouth without it--very slight irritation. Nothing worth complaining about, but something that a little watchfulness might completely remove next time.

    As for the red stuff, I may have reawakened the weeper on my chin from yesterday, and I got a new one on my upper lip. Iced water ended that nonsense pretty quickly, though--the styptic remains dusty.

    Hope everybody enjoys their hump day! :D

    54 down, 46 to go!
  2. Awesome shave Tim! You and Joe @JACarbone may want to start a new shave fraternity and name it The Polar Bear Shavers!
    Keithmax, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  3. I get cold water shaves. I even get cold-water rinses, which I do after every shave, but what advantages, if any, do ice cubes bring to the process?
    clint64, jluc, jgreenepa and 4 others like this.
  4. thoughts and prayers Jeff..hopefully a tough nut like his dad..
    wristwatchb, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  5. closet aqua velva drinker..:D
    clint64, jluc, jgreenepa and 2 others like this.
  6. thursday sneak peek.. 20200429_135156_edited_edited.jpg
  7. fine shave and pic Tim..you like your av on the rocks..;)
    clint64, jluc, jgreenepa and 2 others like this.
  8. Thanks, Joe! :D

    That's completely Joe's baby, but I'm certainly in on the ground floor if he does. It's weird: I can't stand cold water anywhere below the neck, but above the neck I prefer very cold water. I couldn't begin to tell you why that's the case, but it is :happy102:
  9. I am strictly a cold water shaver. I never bought into using warm water to get a nice shave. However, I do like an occasional hot towel shave for the relaxing effect.
    clint64, jluc, timabababaluka and 2 others like this.
  10. Sorry to hear about Sam’s diagnosis, Jeff. I hope he beats this quickly!
  11. In my rather unique case, it makes my hardly-cold cold water cold (best sentence ever). I have to run my bathroom sink's cold water for a good minute or two before it gets to where I'd call it refreshing. And then two minutes later it's gotten tepid again. I'm not comfortable watching that much water go down the drain just so I can feel cooler.

    As to advantages: for me, colder temps are simply more refreshing. I suppose the same question could be asked about menthol as well, and I'd probably give the same answer. Just makes things feel more brisk, and I like it when my face feels nice and cool during and after a shave (especially now that it's in the 90's here in California's Central Valley). Does it make the hair cut any easier or my face smoother? Not that I can tell--simply a matter of temperature preference :)
  12. No, I drink my Aqua Velva out in the open ;)
    Edison Carter, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  13. Thanks, Jason! I certainly hope so! He’s the one member of my three sons with the strongest sense of duty!
  14. Let’s hope so, Gary! He’s a great guy!
    wristwatchb, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  15. Another absolutely gorgeous razor! I'm beginning to understand why so many other companies have copied the ball end design--it really is a classy look :D
    Edison Carter, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  16. Wonderful shave report, Tim! I’m really glad Joe @JACarbone has joined us! He has a lot to contribute! The FB shave communities are fun, but nothing like TSD.
    Keithmax, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  17. Thanks, Gary!

    Actually, I'm very curious to see what chilled Aqua Velva would feel like (but not curious enough to take inevitable flak that I would get when the Missus discovered it in the fridge ;))
    Keithmax, clint64, jluc and 3 others like this.
  18. Lovely razor pic, Gary! The razor looks new!
    clint64, jluc, Trigger and 2 others like this.
  19. I've done the hot towel thing too, and sometimes it's exactly what the doctor ordered, but usually I tend to find my comfort in cold. ;)
    clint64, jluc, Trigger and 2 others like this.
  20. Thanks, Joseph; I know I’ll be using it with greater frequency from now on.
    clint64, jluc, Trigger and 2 others like this.
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