May 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic-Discussion Thread

Like @Drygulch since switching to TSR (with DE clean up) I need a 2nd day of growth to get a great shave.

May 6 - no shave
Razor prep work today
Straight: Started with Gemstar DFS Razor #214- blade AJ Jordan, 5/8, Double Hollow Grind, Spike point
After contacting Glenn, he thinks that some more stropping might return the edge before a rehone. So I'll paint my face up with some TSD Signature soap and get to stropping. Might do this while watching the semi-final game of the Champions league soccer game.

 

Brush Focus: Day 5
Brush: J. Peterman 1903 Silvertip Badger, Dark Brown Mock- Tortoise Shell Handle
Gillette Super Speed, 1947 Birth Razor.
Gillette Platinum Blade
Bowl: KO Shave
Soap: Jack's Soap
AS: The Shave Den Coconut
Old Spice Coffee Mug.

This brush looks good is a nice size, however, it doesn't perform well. Doesn't hold water like other Silvertips I have and has virtually no backbone at all. Paint only. At $89.00 dollars a pop you could spend your money more wisely. This one goes to the back of the bus. It does look good though. Day 6 for the for the Gillette Platinum Blade and it is holding up well. The Shave Den AS, coconut is one of my favorites.

 

Prep: Hot shower, facial scrub (although I really don't think it adds a benefit)
Razor: Genco Henry XX
Brush: Omega 48
Soap: Caties Bubbles LPV
Post: Pinuad Bay Rum

Today was a so-so shave. You know what, I'm going to be optimistic and call it a good shave. Although adding more water did make for a more comfortable ride the results from today weren't near as smooth. I think maybe it has to do with the feel of the razor changed as it glided instead of feeling like I have to push or pull it. Now that the razor is feeling easier to maneuver hopefully I can focus more on angle and pressure and tie all of this together. I'm in no rush this is a fun adventure even though I haven't had a bloodless shave yet lol.

 

Shave 7 of the 30 day brush focus/trial - Head Shave!

My wife commented yesterday that my scalp stubble had a little more "silver glow" than she'd noticed before, so I took that as a signal to pop in a mid-week head shave. I'm rotating through 5 brushes with Dusy Kabinett and seeing if I can learn anything about each brush. Today was the TGN synthetic knot in the Burma Shave handle I received from @MoAllen earlier this year. It is an amazing brush! I loaded the DK for about 15 seconds and then whipped up a slick and shiny lather in my bowl. I ended up with enough lather for 3 full scalp passes and could have done another if I'd needed it, but I didn't. The Merkur blade in my Weber was used for the 5th shave and shows no sign of slowing down. I could easily use this set-up every day for quite a while.

Prep: warm wash with Kirk's CocoCastile soap and Cornhusker's Lotion
Lather: Dusy Kabinett (perhaps the finest shave soap ever)
Brush: TGN Synthetic
Razor: Weber PH
Blade: Merkur Super (5)
Post: Clubman Classic Vanilla

 

May 6

I'm hanging in there with my current set up (Weber PH, Feather blade on day 1, Shavemac two-band silvertip, and MdC scented) and had a very nice two-pass plus touch-up shave today. I'm following the advice I have received from my friends here - eliminating the glycerin and working on the soap/water ratio - and I had a more slick and protective lather today. I still have a way to go before I achieve the famed MdC lather explosion.

I hope you all had a great day!

 

Love the Futbol theme!

 

Not ideal results today on Barcelona but we have one more in Munich.

 

MAYhem & Mercy
May 6, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Tweezerman Badger
Soap - Williams (Finally.....something that lasted a bit)Mug Shaving Soap
Razor - Rapira
Blade - (2)
Post - Alum, Nivea Replenishing Post Shave Balm

Day two on the 7 a.m. and it was in the Rapira after yesterday's disaster with the Soyuz 1...although that is why I named it that....disaster. Better shave in the Rapira though far from great, at least during the process. One side of the blade is definitely sharper than the other. Only one minor nick with the duller side. The drag was still evident but better than yesterday, but I think the aggressiveness of the razor was overcompensating for the dullness and unevenness. Finished the shave with, surprisingly, a DFS though barely.

The Williams problem.....I let the puck soak a couple of minutes with hot water on it, shook the brush out to damp and went after it. Got a mountain of soap bubbles out of the Old Spice mug. If it had been dense it would have looked like foam from a can. Alas, no density. However, when I face lathered I got a thin lather that actually covered my face and lasted through each pass. It was slick enough to count as lather as well. I'll stay with that formula a few more days.....super wet puck, damp brush....and confirm the results. Then try to tweak it to a bit thicker lather. Maybe there is hope!

For tomorrow's final day on the 7 a.m. I'm going back to the Soyuz 1. I want to try and center the blade better. I think it's getting angled in the head due to the tightening process and it drags on the threads...if that makes sense. If I can get it loaded with an even gap, or as even as the Soyuz gets, I'm thinking I can improve the result. If it works with the Rapira it should, at least in theory, work in the Soyuz. We shall see.

​

 

So today was a total departure from my May focus.... mostly because I picked this up from the Post Office, and just had to try it.
I have no idea just which Russian Slim this is, but I must say it looks great. It really is quite heavy, compared to my Tech, or SuperSpeeds, or Krona. I tried it with a Wilkinson Sword blade, set on 3. I tentatively took a pass, and found it to be a bit more aggressive than I have been used to, but a really nice shave! Two passes later, I ended up with a few weepers at the neck area, purely due to sloppiness on my part, and a DFS_ BBS shave. I really like it, and later, will see what adjusting the dial accomplishes. I also have a Black Beauty coming in soon, so it will be interesting to compare the two. DA, Comrade!

 

So excited to use the Wilkinson for my clean up from the straight this month. Get some great shave buddy!

 

Thanks. The Wilkinson Sword blade was my first DE blade, back in November, and I still refer back to it when I want to determine what I think of a new razor!

 

Blade Focus Day 7:

Homemade PS Oil
Vie-long Horsehair Brush
Latha SS
EJ Chatsworth Barley
Bic Chrome Platinum
Stirling Unscented PSB
Latha Post Shave

So I said good bye to the Feather and hello to the Bic. I mean sticking with the plan of letting my daughter pick out my blades, and she picked the soap, too (her favorite scent; thanks again @Drygulch). The Bic is definitely more tuggy than the Feather, and my neck is quite irritated. I'll give it another go tomorrow.

 

Shave 8 in the brush focus. Today I used my Omega 10066 with the Dusy Kabinett. Quick observation - while the boar brush did not create as much lather as quickly as a badger or a synthetic, the lather was simply outstanding and was very slick and shiny with a great yogurt like consistency. A 20 second loading of the brush provided all I needed for my shave today and probably for tomorrow if I had a way to keep it!

Prep: warm wash with Kirk's CocoCastile soap and a dab of Cornhusker's Lotion rubbed in after the wash
Lather: Dusy Kabinett
Brush: Omega 10066
Razor: Gillette New SC
Blade: Rapira Lux (1)
Post: Old Spice Pure Sport

I'm going to have a difficult time selecting a "favorite" brush with this focus. Each brush is just slightly different and each one has been fantastic so far, just in a different sort of way.

 

05/7/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade –Feather Super Pro (11)
Brush –Shavemac Silvertip D01
Lather – Strop Shoppe Baker Street
Post - Witch Hazel and Myrsol F Extra



Another great near BBS 2 pass shave this morning. No nicks or irritation but did require a few touch ups in the trouble area. Still no tugging or problems with the blade but I can tell it is not as efficient after 11 shaves. Interested to see if I can get 14 shaves out of this blade. For a reference point, I have never been able to get more than 3 shaves from a DE blade. I really like the post shave feel of this soap and Myrsol aftershave combo.

 

MAYhem & Mercy
May 7, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Tweezerman Badger
Soap - Williams (Better......better)Mug Shaving Soap
Razor - Soyuz 1
Blade - (3)
Post - Alum, Nivea Replenishing Post Shave Balm

Final opportunity for the 7 a.m. during MAYhem. I reloaded the Soyuz in spite of its nasty performance two days ago but focused on blade alignment. Definitely got it straightened out. Not perfect but this razor doesn't have a perfect that I can find. The first stroke proved my theory that it was alignment that caused most of the issue before. The shave itself proved again that the two edges are different in sharpness and that the entire blade is rather dull and uneven. Not a quality product. However, I was able to finish with a very nice CCS. In the milder Soyuz it just couldn't muster a DFS as it can in the more aggressive Rapira. I can live with the shave I got for the day and.....no blood.

The Williams did respond again to lots of water with a damp brush. Two days in a row of a persistent, though thin, lather. We'll call it a good day!

 

Day#6 of the 30-day Focus
Cold-water shave, part of my regular routine. I've been doing the cold water shave probably the past 6-7 months, having previously been a hot water shaver, often using a scuttle for hot lather. Why the change? I find the cold water shave more invigorating; more refreshing. I get the pampered, luxurious feel of a warm basin of water, the warm lather and brush on the face. But my skin really responds well to the chilling splash of the cold and I like the feel of the cold steel. Less drying of the skin, post-shave. Now normally, I do soak my beard with a hot washcloth before shaving to soften the face, skin,whiskers—however, since a broken hot water heater meant NO hot water this morning, a hot shower beforehand was not an option.
I still managed a comfy 3-pass shave this morning with no blood-letting. I have come to truly appreciate the ease of using this Böker razor these past 5 days.
It could easily become my everyday razor and I'd have no qualms about it—although I would miss the variety.

 

Is that glorious Russian Ideal I see? On my list to buy as well comrade despite its reputation for aggressiveness.

 

Aggressive Apri...errrr May? - Day 25 & 26 (5/6 and 5/7/15)



Prep: Hot shower
Soap: Arko
Brush: Omega 13522
Razor: Cadet OC
Blade: Sputnik
Post: Witch Hazel, Nivea Sensitive Balm
Scent: Tommy Bahama Very Cool

Forgot to post yesterday so here's a double. Yesterday was a quick 1 pass XTG. Today was a nice 2 pass WTG & ATG DFS.

 

Messi...

 

Late post for Wednesday and plan for Thursday!

30 Day Rule with a Schick!


​

Day 6 went off without a hitch. I am still amazed by the longevity of Chinese Schick blades. No issues, 2 pass automatic BFS...I am kinda missing Arko, but I do enjoy the light menthol of Proraso. The skin stretching technique is cutting down on touch up and giving great results...will repeat for Day 7 later today...

As a note...I will be very busy and sporadic until likely Sunday afternoon. I hope everyone had a great Thursday and a better Friday!

​

​