SoS: December 8, 2014 - December 14, 2014

Felt like a very mild shave today so I picked out my trusty black tip razor and it delivered in a mild, efficient way.
Love Stirling's Bay Laurel A/S splash this time of the year...it's very yuletidy

Also went oldskool...a bit with the brush today as I fished out my Burma Shave brush from the very back of my shelf. I think I've ever only used it once before this morning.
Not bad...not great..but not bad

Overall a great shave was had.

 

Friday:
hot shower w/Wm Neumann & Co Lavender bar soap
Homemade PSO
Maggard MR4 2+ passes
Personna Platinum (red) (4)
VDH Premium boar
LASS Topanga Fougere soap (sample) in a warm bowl
Thayers Lavender
GFT Lavender Water (sample)

Nice close shave this morning.

 

Well, Barbon pairs really well with this cream also because it brings out an awesome menthol feeling. Here's an aftershave which really goes well with Glacial Obsidian - it's Glacial Wintergreen witch hazel. A splash or two of this stuff will knock you for a loop because it's hyper-menthol on top of hyper-menthol.

 

The UFO handles are awesome and so hard to find. Yours is gorgeous.

 

Today I used a different razor and a different blade for the first time since starting wet shaving about a week ago.

• Dreadnaught cream
• 1954 Super Speed
• Personna Lab Blue
• Alum
• Dreadnaught balm

I really liked how the SS felt in my hand. The comparison to the EJ89: heavier, more grip, shorter and thinner handle, balance point is closer to the head. Now I understand the name... it just zoomed over my face. The Personna tugged less and was smoother than the Astra SP I was trying out first. A few more tests and then hopefully the 30 day rule will start.

 

Glad you like the vintage shavers, I haven't shaved but once with a modern razor in the last 6 months. I just love the old stuff! I like to know that I put in the work to find the razor and think of the journey I've been on with it as I shave. Lol I'm a tard.

 

40-50s Super Speeds

 

Very nice choice of razor. Nice Otto!

 

Most excellent brush Don. How does it perform? I'm waiting on one right now.

 

SOTD December 12, 2014

My favorite razor so far + one of my favorite soaps + one of my favorite aftershaves = relaxing way to end a work week

Prep: Hot bath, Proraso as a pre-shave.

Brush: Parker Pure Badger.

Soap: Wilkinson Sword stick.

Razor: 1941 Gillette Ranger Tech.

Blade: Ladas.

After: Proraso Lozione Dopobarba.

 

Very nice!
Hoping to get time to clean up my '41 Ranger Tech this weekend to see how bad/good it truly is

 

Well, it definitely punches well above its weight class as far as cost goes. The WD silvertip is an excellent value that's super soft and sports a nice handle. The downsides for me are: it's a bit of a lather hog, it shed a few hairs per shave for the first dozen or so uses (though it has calmed nicely since), and the knot has less backbone than I'd prefer. I requested a deeper drill to set the loft at 47mm. I can only imagine how floppy it would be without the deep drill. Because of its weak backbone, I tend to use it primarily with creams.

In summary, I'd recommend it. I think it's a great value for what it is, but it certainly has some limitations that may be significant depending on your needs and expectations.

I hope that you enjoy yours once it arrives, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it after a few shaves.

- Don

 

Shave of the Day

OH, IT'S YUMA AGAIN



Prep: hot bath, home made sandalwood & patchouli PSO
Razor: YUMA
Blade: Lord Platinum
Brush: Rubberset 400-4
Lather: Arko pressed in an Avon mug
Shave: 4 passes; WTG, XTG, RXTG, ATG + Cleanup
Post: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel, Royall Spyce

Yet another good shave with the YUMA cheap crap razor. Paying attention to the setup of the razor and to technique made for a great close smooth shave tonight. I did a lot of prep as well, just like Wednesday night. I probably had the PSO on my face for 30 minutes and lathered right over it. Worked well.

I'm probably done with the Yuma razor now as I got 2 great shaves from it. Time to move it on to the next person in the pass around list.

Good night all

 

Evening shave
Had a fine shave tonight with my old reliable H. Böker (early 1930s vintage). The Pré de Provence Savon a Raser smells great, but I'm hopelessly spoiled by the better performance of other fine soap I use regularly (Cade, MdC, for example). However, the post-shave balm made by PdP is truly exceptional stuff!
Have a wonderful weekend, my fellow shavers!

 

That's probably the best ASB I've ever had the pleasure of using. Need to reacquire some soon.

 

If you enjoy the scent of SAGE, it's da bomb! balm!

 

Saturday:

L'Oreal Men Expert Facial Wash
Large Horsehair Barbershop
Lord Super/new 7 AM
Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill SS
Gold Bond Moisturizer
Stirling Glacial Wintergreen WH

OMG, after such a menthol bombardment it'll take almost the whole day for my face to thaw out - the Glacial Lemon Chill soap felt colder today than it ever did and my eyes were tearing throughout the whole shave and even my nose was running. I love the scent of this soap so much, and after I let the puck soak for a few minutes I wet my brush and the lather exploded - wowwwww, did it ever bury my face. The skincare of Rod's soaps cannot be beaten because it's absolutely brilliant. The Gold Bond is a fabulous moisturizer and so cooling and soothing. A couple of splashes of the Glacial Wintergreen witch hazel was a most frigidly end to a magnificent and enjoyable shave.

 

I wanted a lighter shave today, therefore I went with a Gillette blue tip.
Shower with Clinique men's face soap

VanDer Hagen Deluxe soap

Feather blade
Vulfix pure badger
Finished with witch hazel and Clinique post-shave soother



Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Castle Forbes Lime croap
Plisson synthetic brush
Mongoose with custom satin SS handle
Maggard Limes & Bergamot AS
CO Bigelow Elixir White cologne

Perfect shave with the Goose today. It was a bit lighter today because I swapped out the Dr Bomber handle for my custom satin stainless steel handle. Got a great burst of lime from the soap and AS. Excellent shave.