May 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic-Discussion Thread

MAYhem & Mercy
May 13, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Tweezerman Badger
Soap - Williams (Am I done yet?) Mug Shave Soap
Razor - Rapira
Blade - (3)

Let's say goodbye to the Sharp. Another fine example of why Bangladesh is not known for precision steel work. The 7 a.m. performed slightly better getting a barely DFS with the Rapira, but it also nicked a bit. The Sharp didn't manage a nick, but never managed more than a CCS. I'd say a tie between those two. Again, no way will this blade become a rotation blade. Just too dull and difficult. The Rapira did improve the results somewhat due to its aggressiveness but I paid in irritation both on my face and in my head.

Williams......enough said. Three days to ANYTHING else. Tomorrow.....heads up @Keithmax...the Flying Eagle gets its three days in the spotlight. Although if it's as bad as it's advertised it may not last three days. It will be featured in the Soyuz 1 tomorrow and we'll go from there. Hope you all had a good Wednesday.

Oh, for those keeping score, we have three blades that have passed the MAYhem setup...the Zaza, 7 a.m. and Sharp. I'd rate them in that order as well. The miserable Baili Blue failed and will be in the running for worst blade of MAYhem. Of course they all get a chance to redeem themselves in the Mercy round. Slight change of plans for that round but I'll get to that in a day or two.

 

rub the puck on your face...try it...

 

Very interested in how you finally judge the Rubie. Watching with a worm on my tongue! (baited breath)

 

I'm desperate enough to do just that. We'll try that tomorrow and see what happens. Can't get any worse. Interesting too that SWMBO noticed how many hairs the Tweezerman has been shedding. It's beginning to look a bit worn after only 13 days. Not sure if it's just not designed for daily use or if the Williams is dissolving it!

 

I have read elsewhere on this forum that tweezerman brushes are notorious bristle shedders.

 

I think they are in the same line as the Escali for their shedding ability. Kind of like having a Husky in the Bahamas in summer.

 

MdC? Best soap this shaver has ever used. Pricey, but the performance is top-shelf, love the fragrance as well. Some experience some post-shave drying of the skin, but that hasn't been my experience with this particular soap. Plus the large 200g jars last forever so I suppose if one amortized the cost of MdC over 365+ shaves, the price seems justifiable.

 

I think we've found a new item for proof that wetshaving has taken over your life.....when you start amortizing the cost of your supplies!!

 

Lol! Mainly those goodies that come at a premium such as $60 soaps and $200 hones...

 

The 200g part makes it a little more easy to swallow.

 

30 Day Rule with a Schick!

Day 13


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This would be day 2 on this blade, no degradation yet. Proraso is basically a sure thing on a Plisson. Next month I may face lather with a 48....

Caught an automatic 2pass...face is feeling good. I am sticking with the SR-style skin stretching, as illustrated by @HolyRollah earlier in the thread. It's really working out, and think it's gonna stick around as a standard technique. It really lets me feel and hear the whiskers as the steel cuts them, and it makes it easy to shave the neck and jaw. Went back to the Veg today...

Have a great Thursday!
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What's the most dangerous combo so far? I am gonna venture the Soviet Voskhod disaster still reigns.

 

Be careful with the following video. Precision and well defined? They got it covered! Enjoy.

 

So far it's the Soyuz and 7 a.m. combo on day 1 of that blade. However, not before drawing blood a few times. And that was all before getting a good start on the second pass. Used the emergency exit to the Aristocrat/Voskhod to avoid anymore damage. The Rapira/Baili was the most painful, however, as I couldn't even get through the first pass from all the drag/tug/dullness. Ouch.

I think my worst DE shave overall during 30 day fun was my Russian Roulette shave which was the first time I used the Rapira. Had the blade a little off center and even with a Voskhod it felt like rough rusty steel across my face. I've since learned how to hold the blade in position while loading and just expect some issues as it is very aggressive and inconsistent.

Most blood overall? Has to be the morning I set the CJB down wrong under my neck and opened up a nice cut. Bad enough that everyone at work immediately asked me what happened when I arrived.

 

Swallow? We have people eating Arko on this board and now swallowing MdC? I'm afraid to think where my SAD will lead! How about some MWF on a bagel? Or maybe a nice snack of crackers dipped in Tabac. Mmmmmmmm good. We could just "lather" Williams and suck it through a straw. No chewing required and our breath could keep the mosquitoes away!

 

Face lathered the TSD Wheat cream today with my synthetic brush. It was much better. I will try doing the same with a badger tomorrow and see what happens. The lather today was fine, so I know it is not the soap, it must be operator error with the badger brushes.

 

05/14/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade –Feather Super Pro (2)
Brush –Rudy Vey with TGN Finest
Lather – B&M Latha
Post - Witch Hazel and Floid Blue Sample



Another great near BBS 2 pass shave this morning. I was not paying enough attention and managed to nick myself. I have to remember that the Super Pro blades have much more blade exposure and must be placed gently against my face. The B&M Latha was easy to use and provided a very slick and protective lather. I'm not a real fan of the scent but at least it all but disappears during lathering. Finished up with witch hazel and a splash of Floid Blue from a sample pack. Hope everyone has a great day.

 

MAYhem & Mercy
May 14, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Tweezerman Badger
Soap - Williams (Finally??) Mug Shave Soap
Razor - Soyuz 1, Rapira
Blade - (1)

The final blade of MAYhem!! The one I've certainly been looking for and one that I generously received from @Keithmax for this month. The Flying Eagle has quite a reputation....check out this review from another forum:

"I found it painful to shave with these blades in my Merkur long handle HD, even after prepping with Proroso pre-shave and my best shaving cream. After quite a bit of noisy ineffectual tugging and scraping on half my face I gave up trying to get a smooth shave and swapped in my standby Lord blades to get a smooth shave."

Well you know what? He wasn't kidding!!!!!!!!! This thing is a disaster. I didn't get three strokes in before I realized how bad it was going to be. Extremely rough, pulling, not cutting....as in no beard reduction on that part of the pass. So, I switched it to the Rapira and found it just as bad if not worse. It cut a little better but pulled a LOT more. Nope, it's done. Grabed the RR TTO and Vokhod and finished the shave. This blade is done....done.....done. Definitely the worst blade in the bunch. By comparison the Baili Blue is a fine piece of engineering! If you're ever offered some Flying Eagles.......RUN AWAY!!!!

Thus ends MAYhem. Not sure if I'll go straight to Mercy tomorrow or take a day to recover with a great setup before going back to these blades with good gear. We shall see.

 

Day#13 of the 30-Day Focus—Anniversary Day Shave!
..and Day 6 with the Otto Deutsch Straight Razor.

Another early morning shave today. It's going to be a long day of meetings and and work deadlines. I needed a good close shave as I'll be taking my sweetheart out for dinner later tonight as we celebrate 32 years of marriage. The Otto Deutsch didn't disappoint as I was able to pull a near-BBS result with this fine razor! Using both the Otto and the Böker from last week are two razors that makes it so easy to get a smooth, comfortable shaves!

 

Just...wow. They've got me covered huh...grandpa didn't use one...I think they may have dropped a "high fashion" blast in there as well.