April 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

But you can always trouble us with straight razor stuff...we love shaving!

 

I did a month with a Slim earlier this year and found that settings 8 or 9 was most comfortable for me...it will be interesting to see your reaction as you open up the razor to be more aggressive. I was surprised because I started on 3, but found that the razor got easier for me as the aggressiveness dialed up. Before that, most if my shaves had been with mild razors. And much like you... I love menthol! Thanks for your thoughts on Stirling!

 

I didn't want to post without researching other previous posts. Really the only question I have is when starting, is it better to go with a traditional straight or an injector straight? I saw a couple of links for whipped dog and gem customs for cost effective straights and beginner honing tools. Is it that tough to keep a straight shave ready sharp? Is there certain qualities to look for when buying the first one or more like safety shaving experience when I started then found things that I liked and then sought those razors out.

 

It's my understanding that they are similar, yet very different in practice! I have an idea...

Could @HolyRollah or maybe @gssixgun share their thoughts on straights versus shavettes for the 30 day board?

 

April 18th , SOTD (Shave 8 of the focus)
Two days’ growth
Prep: Hot Shower
Razor: Wade and Butcher 5/8 Square point (post 1890)
Strop: Oiled Red Latigo and Linen- 20 laps on linen, 30 on leather
Razor: Gillette Red Tip- B2 (1956)
DE Blade: 7am- Stropped 30 times per edge (1st shave on blade)
Soap: Barrister and Mann Fireside
Brush: Tulip Wood Brush- TGN Best Badger Knot 22mm x 54mm loft
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block
Aftershave: Iced Pinaud Clubman

Where do I get the new punch on my man card?

Went fairly slow on the stropping on the straight, but I am sure it will speed up. Love the sound it makes. The grip on this is different than the Feather Artist Club Kamasori I have been using, but it is easier to shave around facial hair. I did two passes with the straight, N/S and S/N. Honestly had a DFS, almost BBS everywhere except on my chin. I have a horseshoe mustache, so it is challenging to get between the bars. As long as I concentrated very hard, I didn’t have trouble using my left hand. The point on this razor made it much easier than the Feather to get next to facial hair.

The blade on the W&B felt incredibly sharp, but nowhere near as harsh as the Feather. Even with the Kai blades, the Feather felt harsh on the skin. This blade didn’t feel as harsh, but pulled the whiskers off just as well. I am going to agree with a bunch of stuff I have read, and say it is actually easier to shave with a straight than the Feather AC. Not sure how much of that is because I have about 30 shaves with the shavette under my belt already. @Seabs, does that help at all?

I did a third pass with my Red Tip, mainly to get the area on my chin. I also tried J-hooking and got the spot under my ears on both sides really clean. Whoo hoo. The alum block had some bite today, and there were three nicks on my chin. Overall, I’ll take it. DFS, almost BBS! I may be putting the Feather away for a while. This shave feels awesome, as in the closest I have ever gotten, and I can’t wait to see how it holds up.

 

You did it and no blood shed!

 

Congrats on the fantastic start on straights.

 

04/18/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2
Blade –Feather Pro (4)
Brush –Rudy Vey with Shavemac Finest
Lather – B&M Latha
Post - Witch Hazel and Myrsol Blue



Fantastic BBS shave this morning. The last couple of shaves I have removed the shim from the razor. While it is a little less efficient, I actually prefer it as designed. The Latha loaded very easy and whipped up a very slick lather. Post shave feel was good. Finished off with a splash of Witch Hazel followed by Myrsol Blue.

 

I would be more then happy to share my thoughts, only one question

Here or a separate thread ????

 

I would say here as there are probably several people thinking of trying either a straight or AC Feather.

 

Aggressive April - Day 11 (4/18/15)



Prep: Hot shower
Soap: TSD Barber Shoppe shave stick
Brush: Omega 13522
Razor: Cadet OC
Blade: Voskhod
Post: Witch Hazel, Nivea Sensitive Balm
Scent: Tommy Bahama Very Cool

Great 2 pass shave again today. I still struggle under my nose with the Cadet. Tricky to maintain the shallow angle this thing likes while working around the ole beak.

 

TSR -vs- Shavette styles

Keep in mind there are different Shavette styles, I am not a fan or user when it comes to the Half a DE blade styles, honestly they scare me, so they get nowhere near my Hollywood Face


Thinking of the Feather styles,,

They do have some advantages over Traditional SR's

No Stropping
No Honing
Less care
Ease of use
Speed

They have very few disadvantages

Cost of the blades
Some say they are a harsher shave, I haven't found that to be true
Some say you have to be extra careful, I haven't found that either

I think it is about what you grow used too, honestly if these had been a viable option in 1981 when I first learned to use a SR I might have never used a TSR


Thinking about Traditional Straight Razors
I am going to look at this as JUST shaving, not from the hobby standpoint which we all know can get rather crazy
I started with SR's in 1981, I bought two razors, a Illinois #835 strop, a brush, some soap, and a stupidly expensive rock to maintain them.
That served me for well over 20 years so yes if it is just about shaving it can be done ...

Advantages:

Costs are pretty much one time
The nostalgia
The comfort
The self sufficiency


Disadvantages:

The learning curve
The time involved


The simple fact of the matter is you have to WANT to invest the time into using a Traditional SR, without that commitment, there are much easier ways to shave. One of the things I see quite often is new guys getting into SR's that figure, I can do this, these guys just think it is hard..
Within 6 months they are gone never to be seen again, or worse they are still around the forums bashing the hobby

It really is a huge time commitment to learn it, you have all the aspects that you would with learning DE shaving then you have to add..

More attention to Angle and Pressure
Learning to strop correctly
and if you want to hone or maintain the edges you have another separate skill set to learn..

In return it is my opinion that all those things that make this a steep learning curve also make it the most adjustable type of shaving possible.

You can adjust everything that pertains to the other forms of shaving, but to even more of a degree, every minute detail can be adjusted to your face

Brand of razor
Size of razor
Type of point
Type of steel
Type of hone
Type of edge
Type of paste
Type of strop
Angle
Pressure

When you can tweak the experience to fit your unique shaving style and face combined with all the time you spend learning,,, in the end you should come away with an incredibly comfortable shave ...
Note that I did not say "Close" shave, I have never judged the success of my shaves by how close they are, to me comfort is more important,, but yes if it is clicking correctly then the shave should be BBS and comfortable

And that my friends is my story and I am sticking to it

 

Fantastic post with great information and very well written. Thank you.

 

April 2015 ... 30 day blade focus ...

pre: dr.bronner's, PSO(diy)
brush: EJ best badger medium
lather: proraso green soap
razor: EJ89lbl
blade:
post: alum block, thayer's witch hazel (various flavors)

04/12/15 ... astraSP (1) ... 3 days growth ...
04/14/15 ... astraSP (2) ... 2 days growth ...

both days with the astraSP were strong! no nicks, no cuts, no weepers, no irritation ... fairly smooth face and neck also after only a 2-pass shave on both days. quite simply, this blade gave me two solid performances!!

wilkinson, 7am, voskhod, astraSP ... next up is treet durasharp

 

Thank you. I know this was asked for in this thread, but I think it would be valuable in the straight forum as well.

Edit- I meant to quote @gssixgun 's post.

 

Well I changed up todays routine since my straight razor arrived this morning. It didn't take long before I threw in the towel and finished up with the slim. As always the slim provided a good shave but it could have been smoother. I was really looking forward to the straight and it didn't go as planned which changed my mood so nothing to blame on the slim. There's always tomorrow and I have a feeling it's going to take more than a 30 day focus to get the straight down.

 

Don't get me wrong - I love quirkiness w/in razors but if any of them would require me to shim it to give me a good shave I wouldn't hold on to it for very long.

 

I have used a shim with the Mongoose for several shaves this month trying to increase the blade gap and bridge the difference between the Feather Pro and the Feather Super blades. It did give me a good idea of what the OC Mongoose ( since it's reported as a little more aggressive) should perform like but it's too much trouble for a daily basis. I'll wait on the OC Goose.

 

Thanks so much for the overview and option. I may pm you to ask a few more questions Glenn @gssixgun.

 

Adam, congrats on the fantastic start with your new straight razor. Your first straight shave could not have gone any better. The razor, strop, and brush together in the photo look great as well! You truly accomplished an extraordinary act, thus earning a bullet hole in your man card.