Thanks Joe. Lol!

When I shave with sophisticated goo, one pass DOES suffice.

thank you Joe.

that's a striking pic Danny.cool razor.

absolutely fabulous.

…, NY

Wednesday August 2 - Actually Adjustable, Arko, Artisan August

Prep: hot shower
Razor: Gillette SuperAdjustable refurbished and cerakoted by Delta Echo Razors (now defunct) on dial setting "4"
Blade: Gillette Rubie Plus (1)
Brush: Jason @jtspartan cypress handle with Maggard's 24mm two-band badger knot
Soap: Arko
Post: Rinse, alum, rinse, styptic pencil, TSD Vanilla shave milk



My last shave was July 30, so three days ago -- quite a short interval by my standards lately.

Actually Adjustable: The SuperAdjustable or "Black Beauty" razor was the last of the Gillette adjustables after the FatBoy and Slim. This one is dated P3, which puts it in the third quarter of 1970 . Delta Echo Razors refurbished it and then cerakoted it a quite striking black with red trim. The blade is a Russian-made Gillette Rubie Plus, which is quite decently smooth and sharp. Not one of my favourite blades but I certainly have no real complaints about it.

Arko: self-explanatory. Arko is a good travel soap, because it fits nicely in a large pill bottle.

Artisan: Jason @jtspartan from the 30DC made the brush handle, the knot was from Maggard's, and the aftershave splash is from our own TSD Shop.

After rubbing the Arko stick over my damp whiskers, the badger brush quickly whipped it up into a plentiful lather. One pass had me back to cleanshaven, but there was lots of lather left in the brush, so I re-lathered and did a second pass XTG. I felt a third pass was completely unnecessary although there was still lots more lather left in the brush.

I gave myself one slight nick in the goatee area -- possibly by running over a small pimple. A dab with the styptic pencil fixed that.

The TSD shave milk is always a good finish.

I think my August shaves are off to a good start. (The focus on the camera on my Kindle Fire tablet sucks, however...)

Outstanding shave John

Thanks Gary.

Lol! Exactly.

That's a great monthly theme trifecta John. Thanks for ringing in your first shave of this month with a loud clang.

awesome shave John.

Nice write up, and info about the Black Beauty. I had to look up cerakoted!

Thanks Joe.
When I think back on my younger days of shaving with cartridges I have no memory of passes. Just a quick shave and be done. Must have had fluff only, or it didn’t bother me too much then, and was never mentioned at early morning inspections. Maybe I should try the odd cartridge again……………!? With some real soap this time.

03 Aug 2023

(Adjustable, Arko August, Artisan August, Anything goes, Adapting-Adjusting-on-the-fly August)

24+ hours



Prep = usual
Cream = TOBS tobacco leaf
Brush = Puro Tasso Boar loading from the TOBS Tub, aiming to start off thicker than prior
Bowl = Timeless
Brush = Semogue OC cherry finest badger 24 mm overall length 112 mm nice balance, perfect length for the Timeless bowl
Razor = Gillette “Red”
Blade = Treated myself to another Treet day (1)
Passes = 3 + tu
Technique = mainly WTG and XTG, some ATG in the swirly zones
Post = Usual
Scent = No need, off to do some shopping, anyway the TOBS tobacco leaf is nice enough
Damage = Minimal weeper lower left lip, too much buffing, cold water took care of that
Sore = 8-9/10
Comments = The lather clogged the razor a bit, but I am thinking this provides extra protection. The Treet seems smoother than the Feather and more suitable for my with this Gillette.
The TOBS tobacco leaf works better when loaded from the tub. Yesterday the scent lingered long into the day, even though I used Brut and Proraso ASB. The Semogue OC held on to the lather well and released it progressively. Nice brush, nice grip and ergonomics! The lather does get progressively thinner with each pass, which is fine by me, one quick scoop with the finger to add some slickness for final buffing

Beautiful setup and shave Chris. Your posts are detailed just like Barry's. I am up late so I get to say have a great afternoon.

Thanks, Joe!

Thanks, Joe!

Loudly clanging like a big empty brass bell -- that's my head alright!

Thanks, Gary and Chris!

Chris, I can highly recommend Cerakote on razors!

Cerakote is a baked-on ceramic finish that was originally developed for firearms. When put on a modern semi-auto pistol slide and frame, it can withstand being dragged through the wet, sand and mud while taking the heat and wear from firing thousands of rounds. Needless to say, a little bit of daily soap and water on a razor doesn't bother it in the slightest. After five years, the finish on my Gillette shows absolutely no traces of wear. The cerakoting also acts like a permanent lubricant on the moving parts -- the twist-to-open mechanism and the adjustment dial operate far more smoothly than they ever did before.

Delta Echo Razors unfortunately ceased operations about a year before the Covid pandemic hit. However, if anybody wants a razor coated, North Shore Razors in Hawaii has been around as long as Delta Echo (and still is) and also does an excellent job. North Shore Razors uses GunKote rather than Cerakote, but it is an equivalent permanent firearm coating (and Cerakote's biggest competitor for the military-grade firearms finish market).

Great shave and detailed report, Chris! Also like your photo!

I had a Semogue OC cherrywood badger brush like yours. I loved the handle but found the badger knot was too floppy for my taste, plus mine shed bristles like crazy. I finally had the knot (and the metal cup it sits in) removed and replaced with a 24mm synthetic Tuxedo knot. It is now one of my favourite brushes.