30 Day Rule/Focus; August 2022

https://www.badgerandblade.com/foru...ur-majesty-please-accept-my-apologies.614000/

The first post in that thread pretty much sums up my feelings on shave soap ...and lathering, too, if you end up following the rabbit hole that deeply.

Any soaps other than SV I use now are simply because I like them, or because I'm using them up, or both. Occasionally, I'll purchase a soap or cream if it's a really good deal (like the recent TOBS pack deal). Other than that, SV is the only soap I always keep on hand. That and MWF. I keep Mitchell's Wool Fat around because of the cool ceramic container. Love that thing. Most soaps are 'good' soaps, few are great soaps.

I haven't tried most soap brands, but I'd say I've tried many of the old established names and most of the large artisan soapmakers. Barrister & Mann, Stirling, Italian Barber, PAA, etc. and Porazo, Trumper's, Tobbs, Trufitt & Hill, MWF, De Verguld Hand, Williams, Kiss my Face, Maca Root shave cream, Arko, etc.

What I've found is the Artisan soaps cost at least twice as much as Saponifico Verisino, and 4 times as much as MWF on a shave per shave basis.

I know what I like in brushes too. Two-Band badger, stiffer the better. Simpson's Manchurian High Mountain badger has me intrigued, but if I were to buy a new brush, it would be another Shavemac D01. Like a good pair of boots, they take a long time to break in. They also load faster than any other brush I've used, including synthetics. A lightly soaked boar might load faster, but then you run the risk of sucking soap up into the bristles. When I use other brushes, it's usually for photographic reasons, and yeah, again, I rarely do SOTD pictures.

The only challenge left for me in this hobby is the search for a better razor. They were more creative with razor design in the 1930's through the 1950's than they are now, and that led to quite a few unique razors. The shake sharp, the shave king, the barbasol floating head, the Krect, the MonoBilt, the Rythmic razor, the Stahley Live Blade, the BP razor, the Micromatic, Schick injectors, the Darwins, the Rolls Razor, the Berkeley Custom Shaver and hundreds more. Each offering a unique shaving experience.

I've tried quite a few modern DE razors, and most are prettier than vintage razors, but I can honestly say none shave any better than a vintage Gillette. A skilled shaver can correct for a razor's shortcomings. It takes a really good razor design to minimize any and all shortcomings. It takes a ton of prototyping and no small amount of luck to nail a near perfect razor on the first try. The Blackland Blackbird and Tedalus Essence are the two modern 'high end' razors I own, and I consider both to be the peak of their particular design, despite each razor being the launch razor for the brand, and each having a minor flaw that bothered some people (which was immediately corrected in both razors). I'll admit to some bias where the Essence is concerned, as I helped in the design process. I still think it is the best shavette design to mimic a straight razor. The Blackbird has such a narrow sweet spot, it's almost impossible not to get a close shave with it. A raw newbie will struggle with both razors precisely because the angle of the razor must be held perfectly throughout the shave. The Essence is a fast teacher though.

...and it's time for bed.

Edit: Holy wall of text, Batman!

 

Aye, we all want to see the red lines welling blood on your face.

I wouldn't call it a "starter shavette," though it probably has been for the vast majority of shavette users.