Things got busy a for a few days, and I went AWOL for a bit. At approximately 32 million posts behind, I was able to catch up reading, but there is no way I'll ever be able to respond to them all outside of saying fantastic shaves and experiences, everybody. Here are my shaves for the last three days:
July 4
The Emperor Strikes Back
A very rushed 2 pass shave!
Gear
- Razor: Max Headroom Focus R21 Shavette
- Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (2
- Brush: JOmegan boar
- Soap: Stirling Glastonbury
- Menthol: Stirling Frost Drops
- AS: Clubman Original (1 Frost Drop)
- Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented
View attachment 229846
The Shave
Took the shave stick directly to my face today and face loaded up a quick and decent lather.
WTG and XTG/ATG passes with no time for touch ups got me a DFS. Trying to shave too quickly got me 2 small weepers. The Missus and I wound up with the last shift at the fireworks fundraiser stand for my son’s high school marching band. We were supposed to close and take down at 9:00 pm, but didn't get done till 10:00pm. Needless to say we missed all the festivities (and the lunar eclipse)? Such is life.
July 5
The Emperor Strikes Back
Gear
- Razor: Linuxguile Lupo
- Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (4)
- Brush: The JOmegan Boar
- Soap: Stirling Iced Pineapple & Glastonbury (prepared and chilled with ice water)
- Menthol: Stirling Frost Drops
- AS: Pinaud Citrus Musk (1 Frost Drop)
- Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented--1 small drop applied to a lightly wetted hand
View attachment 229847
The Shave
Another great bowl lather--slick super-goop, plenty of it, and zero fluff.
@Primotenore --I also feel some KC and the Sunshine band coming on...
A 3 pass Sunday shave: WTG, XTG, ATG. Super smooth BBS and no irritation. Just what I needed after a long, difficult 4th of July. Sat around and enjoyed my day of rest!
July 6
The Emperor Strikes Back
Gear
- Razor: Linuxguile Lupo
- Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (5)--still going strong! I did some experimenting today, though that might very well have taken some of the life out of this fine blade. Only time will tell.
- Brush: The JOmegan Boar
- Soap: Stirling Iced Pineapple
- Menthol: Stirling Frost Drops
- AS: Avon Wild Country (1 Frost Drop)
- Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented--1 small drop applied to a lightly wetted hand
View attachment 229848
The Shave
Got the bowl lathering down for the JOmegan boar, so I moved on to face lathering. I applied the delightfully chilly Iced Pineapple to my sandpapery face, took a modestly damp brush and worked it into a fine lather. A couple liberal applications of water got it right where I like it. I don’t think I use quite as much soap this way--that is a good and bad thing; I like buying new soaps
After reading some of the ride-the-bar experiences that Clint and Jim have had, I thought I’d try it with the Lupo:
WTG--I was afraid this was going to cut me up like a Cuisinart. It didn’t. I thought it would irritate me like poison sumac. It didn’t. A pleasant surprise. It worked very well along the cheeks. Very smooth and efficient. The thicker growth along the goat zone felt like it was just punishing the razor, though, so I tipped things in the opposite direction and rode the cap for the initial mowing down.
XTG--I was able to do the whole pass riding the safety bar. Pretty impressed with how it worked.
ATG--pretty much the same experience as WTG. cheeks, neck and upper lip went well, but encountered a bit more resistance along the chin than felt comfortable.
Final results. BBS and very little irritation.
Riding the safety bar--my thoughts
Pros: I found the mechanics of riding the bar very intuitive (even easier than riding the cap). It also shaves more efficiently.
Cons: Now it could be because my blade was on shave #5, but riding the bar struggled on certain parts of my face. It also seems like it might be harder on the blade than riding the cap.
The Lupo is a pretty mild shaver, so
@jluc the next time you pull the Lupo out of the den, I would be curious to know your thoughts concerning how riding the bar with the Lupo compares with riding the bar on some of the more aggressive razors you've used.
Enjoy this marvelous monday, folks!
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