Россияне победили в славный день за Родину! (Russians win) MODIFIED!!!!!

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by NCoxSTL, Apr 27, 2015.

  1. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    SEE BELOW FOR MODIFIED PLAN!


    If you want the full translation you can plug that in on Google translate. But the short version is.....MAYHEM it shall be! After a month of dialing in the CJB it's time to have some fun and work on discovering what it takes to get a quality shave with some less than quality products. This may be the acid test of technique vs. tools. Or it may be me wasting another month of my life I'll never get back. Here are the ingredients.
    mayhem setups.jpg

    The glorious Soviet vintage razor on the left is fairly common on auction sites and I have never found a name for it. So, I have dubbed it Soyuz 1 as I mentioned in an earlier post. Truly an amazing piece of Russian design and engineering. Two totally different blade gaps...actually more than that if you count the variations in each gap. I especially love the sound of crinkling metal when you tighten in the blade. On the right, the modern Rapira from Russia with its high end cheap plastic and mystery metal all designed to almost hold a blade in place. Those lovable Russians have certainly kept their engineering standards consistent over the years.

    The brush.....a Tweezerman. A starter brush basically, badger, cheap, sheds like a Husky in Jamaica. Hoping it lasts the month with over half its bristles.

    The soap.....modern Williams. Some say it is great and easily lathered. Most say it's tough to lather and that insecticide scent....lovely. We'll see if I can master it....or is that survive it.

    The blades as shown but one substitution. You can't start May without a Russian blade in a Soviet razor. So....the first of the worst blades is one I truly despise. It's the Gillette Rubie from St. Petersburg. When I trialed it in February in my DE89l I tossed it after one shave. Maybe it just needs a fellow Russian to create glorious May 1st shave. The rest of the blades were chosen due to their reputation for being horrible. DISCLAIMER - Blades are extremely YMMV so if you love one of those blades that's great. Maybe I can help their reputation by figuring out how to make them work in the mess I've created around them.

    Hopefully I'll learn more about technique and also find out the truth about the blades.

    Three shaves per blade. I'll start with the Soyuz 1. The Rapira is a backup to be used only if the Soyuz is just incredibly horrible with a blade. Then I'll use the Rapira to verify if it's the blade or the Soyuz. If both deliver truly unbearable results I'll switch to either my '47 Superspeed or my '46 Aristocrat for the final day to see what a great razor does with the blade.

    Now, as to @Darkbulb and his request that I change my goatee to match Lenin.....still considering. It really isn't a huge change from how I wear it so he may get his wish. It may also depend on the amount of the bribe he offers. After all, what's a month with Soviet/Russian razors without a little corruption thrown in for that unique political experience, eh?

    I'll be finishing up the next two days with the CJB then setting up my best and favorite razor with a great blade (translate Aristocrat with a Voskhod) to set the bar high for comparison. Happy Monday all. The party starts this Friday.
    12470857982.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
  2. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    As epic an adventure as this is comrade I can't help but to think that a full month is beyond what Mother Russia requires out of you.
    How about a dual-month?

    The M-M-May Experience
    Week 1-2: Mayhem (worst stuff you have...)
    Week 3-4 Mercy (calm your senses - face - and use your best stuff).

    And end the month by reflecting on which experience taught you the most and if the tools are as important as we think they are?
    - Was Mayhem just dread..or could something be learned from it?,
    - Was Mercy just pure bliss or did you find that you missed some of the feeling of overcoming challenges during Mayhem,
    - Etc...
     
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  3. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    I have money ridding on the Flying Eagles.
     
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  4. Slow Joe

    Slow Joe Relishing his obsession

    I think mayham could be 2 weeks or 30 days. What I do think is interesting is then following up with better quality products afterwards to see how they match up. Whatever you do this will be an interesting experiment.
    Here's hoping it's not a complete disaster and you get some decent shaves from this gear.
     
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  5. bald as

    bald as Well-Known Member

    I'll be watching. I promise not to laugh - "too much". My tolerance of bad blades is measured in millimetres not months. All the best in your experiment.
     
  6. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Good luck Neal. I don't think I'd make it through the month.
     
  7. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Soft decadent capitalist imperialist @Darkbulb shows mercy! :eek: I'm buying a lottery ticket today.

    I have actually been thinking of ways to combine the two but with ten blades on the list it's tough to split them evenly for a trial. I like 3 days on a blade in order to give it the best chance to perform as well as judge its durability, at least to a point. I'll consider cutting back to the 5 with the worst reputation, though....and yes @Keithmax that would definitely include the Flying Eagle. Either that or two days on the Russian with the third day with good gear for the comparison. The only problem with that is the good gear would be getting a used blade...though that might provide interesting feedback. Hmmmmmmm.........where's the KGB when you need them?
     
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  8. SDK

    SDK it's his fault

    It's a communist plot. First he will lull you with an easy two weeks, then the indoctrination starts...

     
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  9. subvet

    subvet Well-Known Member

    Sounds challenging but what the heck, you can always grow a new face!
     
  10. Drygulch

    Drygulch Snowballs

    Any plans to strop the blades if they are particularly rough? I have been going through my stack of less than steller blades, and stropping the heck out of them.
     
  11. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Yes. I plan to do whatever I can to get them to perform if needed. Of course I might be surprised and discover they're all great blades.......well wishful thinking.
     
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  12. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Rots o' ruck.
     
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  13. Norcalnewb

    Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

    I am awaiting with great anticipation the results of this experiment!
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
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  14. Daytonkb

    Daytonkb Well-Known Member

    This will be interesting! Its always a treat to see a cheap product out do an expensive one. My money is on the Russian razors! As for Williams and the Tweezerman brush, yes cheap but once mastered they do work that's for sure!
     
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  15. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    photo.jpg
     
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  16. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    MAYHEM MODIFIED!!!

    I am touched by the concern so many showed for my welfare. Well, ok so three or four but hey I'm still touched. Given the input I've received today I've decided to modify MAYhem to include both the horrible and the awesome as suggested. While I could just use June for the good in comparison I feel like getting the shaves closer together will provide better data as well as narrow the blade focus a bit. So.....here's the new plan.
    Mayhem modified.jpeg
    I've cut the blade list down to six, with only five of them actually being compared. The razors are the same, the soaps/brushes are the same but the blades are the Zaza, 7 a.m. Plus, Baili, Sharp, and Flying Eagle. I'll be using them in that order with each setup. Based on my research in forums and other sources I think these are the five most likely to be voted crappy. The Rubie is still going to be the lead off blade since it's Russian and horrible. By cutting it down to lead off I can still do three shaves with each blade finishing the MAYhem side on the 16th and the Mercy side on the 31st. Month complete!

    I suppose this could also be seen as the Cold War of comparisons. Soviet vs. American razors for the glory!! So, comrades, I think we're set to go! Yeah I know I've said that before but now I'm sure. Still haven't heard about that bribe from @Darkbulb on the Lenin beard. I'm cheap and easy, as my ex's will tell you. All offers cheerfully considered.

    Now, off to stock up the caviar and vodka!
     
  17. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    I think this is a most excellent decision comrade.
    As far as beard-related-bribes goes I'm sorry but I can't offer much as this should really all be done out love for Mother Russia.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2015
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  18. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Unfair invoking love of the motherland. :angry019:
     
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  19. Daytonkb

    Daytonkb Well-Known Member

    Lol! Definitely the vodka after these blades hit your face :p
     
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  20. NCoxSTL

    NCoxSTL AAACK!

    Well that's one side benefit I suppose. A good excuse for vodka makes even the dumbest idea that much more attractive!
     
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