30 Day Rule/Focus; February 2025. All Are Welcome.

-Menthol-Monday-
efbt
tuxedo
proraso



good morning gents
back to simple
face wash/prep with allepo soap
fine proraso green lather built with the ds cosmetics tuxedo synthetic
smooth 2 passer with the english flat bottom tech,minor pickups
pass 1 -north to south,pass 2 south to north
pick ups in the usual spots under the chin and lower neck
proraso green splash to finish
awesome
have a fantastic day everyone

​

 

February 24, 2025

Freedom February

El Cheapo Shave

Razor - VDH TTO (Weishi)
Blade - (1)
Soap - Arko
Brush - VDH Boar

Coming into the final week of the month I decided that it would be a good day to grab some cheap gear and use it for a day or two. Partly I'm tired, having only two hours of sleep before going into work last night, but also, I like to occasionally go back to the starter gear and recognize that all of the money we spend on high end vintage razors, or new stainless razors with their high price tags, plus the high priced soaps and brushes are really just for our luxury. As long as the tools we have aren't broken, or just poorly made and engineered (I'm talking to you Flying Tiger), our technique, learned over time and with the help of others, will overcome those tools and provide us with a comfortable and effective shave.

I grabbed my Van Der Hagen TTO razor which was the first safety razor I bought. I don't have any VDH blades, though they are available at a local Walmart, as is the razor. I did have the brush to match so grabbed it, and in place of VDH soap I used Arko. Arko is probably the world's best and most well known "basic" shaving soap. Wondrous lather, easy to whip up and definitely slick. The VDH boar had the lather well in hand in short order, and I was ready to go. The VDH razor is nothing special, but it's a solid design. It's mild, but with the right angle you can get a very fine shave out of it in only two passes, as I chose to do. Some touch up on the neck finished it off and I'm a very happy camper for the day.

This kind of shave reminds me that regardless of arguments about "the best razor", "the best soap", etc., etc., ad nauseum, the truth is that traditional wet shaving is accessible to everyone, no matter their economic situation. Remember the el-cheap shave. It's where we all came from and the root of our hobby.

​

 

Monday Evening 24/02/25

• Razor : The Goodfellas' smile Impero open comb, Handle (SS) Head satin-finish die-cast Zamak.
• Blade : Voskhod Teflon coated. (1)
• Brush : Beard & Blade chubby synthetic.
• Soap : Proraso Azur Lime.
• Aftershave: Pinaud clubman virgin island bay rum.
• Razor weight : 117 grams.

Hi all,
Fantastic shave this evening with the Impero open comb I picked up this one from connaughtshaving.com for under $60 delivered.
Its only my second time using this razor and I was very impressed.
The first shave with the razor was actually my first time using a razor of this weight as I have up until recently only used
Gillette's and valets with the exception of a few others.
On shave 1 I was put off by the weight being much heavier than what I was used to.
This time I let the razor do the work it effortlessly and super smoothly took of a 3 day growth the Voskhod was well suited to this razor.
1 pass WTG/AGT done no touch ups and no skin irritation at all.

The Proraso Azur Lime is part of Proraso premium range the lather was thick and strong with good cushioning
with a great scent during the shave defiantly recommended.

Hope you have a great shave.
Cheers.

 

Great shaves to start the week, gents!

ProRaso shave soaps/creams and aftershaves are always reliable. And nobody ever went wrong using Arko!

 

thank you John.

 

fine start to the week gents..

 

Finished off (for now)the

prep-Dove Care + Men Bodywash(in shower)
lather-Stoylin Agar*
brush-Maggard 24 mm. Marble Handle synthetic
razor-Gillette Sensor Deuce Pivot DisposeABLE
A.S. AgadirMen*

*Agarwood products

Nice shave. I'm beginning to see the bottom of the Stoylin Agar soap, but still many shaves before I flip it. This was my 3rd shave wih the same disposeABLE razor-gives me confidence that I can do 3 with 1 if need be. Great work with the brush, setting me up for the shave. Clean and clear all the across and up&down. No damage anywhere. 2 passes.



​

Thanks Gary.....my program kept exiting me as I was progressing with my post(i.e., making PROgress). Good report . It's been quite a while since I last used my Proraso tub.

 

Thank you Chris.

 

Yintal V7 stainless steel razor.
Astra SP blade.
Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite soap.
Shore Shave Cool Water Mint Ribbon synthetic brush.
Timeless Razor shave bowl.
Scottish Antique by Andy Hilfiger cologne.

I hope everyone is doing great and no I have not grown a beard. I'm still enjoying the shaves.

I thought I would get my favorite brush out this morning and whip up some Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite. Three very nice passes and the Yintal razor shaves way above it's price point. I would highly recommend it...very smooth and efficient.

Happy Monday everyone!

 

Beautiful brush and razor, Danny!

 

SOTD Monday, September 24, 2025

One of the nice things about being retired is that I’m on my clock. Had to get a Zoom class lecture ready for this evening. Wanted to get that out of the way so I could relax and enjoy a leisurely shave. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to it until about 2:30 this afternoon.

My shave this afternoon was superb. My Filly Novodur was exquisitely sharp and smooth after a touchup on the Suehiro 20k and a final prep on the constroption. Two and a 1/2 passes left my mug delightfully smooth. The FrankenFamex, my bastardized French cage head razor followed the Filly mug shave and left my dome in the same condition as my face. The Pre de Provence left me smooth, clean and veleteen from collar to dome.


RAZOR: Filarmonica Novodur 13P (Mug), FrankenFamex Cagehead (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Mr EE #007 Aluminum Handled Badger Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brushsqueezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys LilacWH. Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme AS Balm.

 

fine start to the week gents.

 

Thanks, Gary!

 

February 24 SOTE

Good evening.

GEM MMOC
GEM SE Blade (6)
Hembree-Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic Brush
TSD Barbershoppe SS and AS
Stirling Alum Block
Beard Growth: 2.33 days



It's Micromatic Monday so I picked up my only MMOC thanks to Joe @JACarbone.
Three passes gave me an error-free BBS shave. The blade is still sharp but it's beginning to lose its smoothness. Ii may have 1 or 2 shaves left. I bloomed the soap and hit it with a wet brush to make a preshave lather and then I flicked the brush a few times to rid the excess water. Hit the puck 2 more times to give me a nice hydrated lather.

The alum feedback was on my neck, but it wasn't terrible. Splashed on the matching aftershave to end this session. Tomorrow, I will do a headshave and will probably pick my Fatboy to do the job. Take care.

 

Marvelous Monday shave Chris.

 

Terrific traditional setup and shave Gary.

 

Fantastic frugal shave Neal. I have gotten some of my best shaves with my inexpensive razors. I use a steeper angle when I use my VdH TTP and get excellent shaves.

 

Congrats on your new razor. Great job dialing your razor.

 

Awesome shave and setup Danny. In case you haven't heard, our friend Jeff @jgreenepa is back.

 

Awesome head and face shave Jeff. Although I don't have one, I know that Novodurs are super razors.