I think the skinfeel and regrowth at twelve hours post shave is an indicator of shave/technique quality.

World Tournament of Blades - Russia vs. the World!!
June 17, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - VDH Boar
Soap - Proraso Green Tub
Razor - '59 Ball Handle Tech
Blade - (1)
Post - Alum, Nivea Balm

And here we are, the final round of the Sweet Sixteen and the final blade. It's a legend, it's loved, adored, worshiped but also feared, hated and avoided. The Japanese Feather. Long held as the sharpest DE blade (and also Artist Club) and the one that all others must be measured against. Ok, enough hype. It's a blade boys and girls. Yes, it's a good blade, but a blade all the same.

I gave the Feather the final slot and gave it a strange opponent in the Derby. However, the Derby performed above expectations. So here we go with the Feather. Again a great lather with Proraso Green and the VDH Boar. First pass...and I remembered to adjust technique for the sharpness.....very smooth and comfortable. The adjustment I made? NO pressure. Let the razor do the work. Second pass XTG was the same. No pressure, let the blade and razor work together and smooth smooth smooth! No cuts, nicks, weepers or noticeable irritation. Checked the two pass result and decided to go for BBS on the neck. After all, the Derby got me there. Went ATG on the neck, then checked....still a few issues. Gillette Slide with a Feather.....don't tell me I'm not bold. Still not quite there. A bit of light buffing and I think it's there. I've gone further than I thought I would have to to get it.....and......I think it's BBS. Decide to let a little time go by and found........one spot on my left jawline that clearly didn't quite get as close as the rest. Even now I can feel a difference in the two sides. So, what does that equate to?

Sharpness. Well we all know this is a 1. Smoothness? Have to go 1 again. Keeping pressure off kept the feeling very smooth with no problems. Irritation - felt really good throughout the shave even the Gslides. Alum for the proof? Ouch. A bit of a burn on the neck and even a tiny bit on the face. And it was persistent enough to call a 2. That's 4 so far.....if I got the BBS I got the tie with the Derby. However, I can't quite call BBS due to the one spot that wouldn't clean up. It's a NEAR BBS...which I'll score a 1.5.

Total - 5.5

Winner - DERBY by the slightest of nods. Surprised? Me too in a way. Now, I'm not saying Derby is a better blade, but it is different, and in this instance it won.

So, on to the Elite Eight! Pairings are as follows:

RUSSIANS
Voskhod vs. Gillette Silver Blue - Using EJ DE89l, Vie Long 12705 and MWF
Sharp Star vs. Ladas - Using '59 Superspeed, VDH Boar, Arko

WORLD
Super Max Platinum vs. Bic Chrome Platinum - Using '47 Superspeed, Omega Pro 48 and Tabac
Personna Lab Blue vs. Derby - Using Ball End Tech, VDH Boar and Proraso

Hope everyone is having a good week!

IMHO, with good technique, a 2 pass precise shave with some touch up is more than sufficient most days. You also seemed to notice that if you know you are going to need a really good shave, abstain from shaving the day prior.

The Russia bracket is loaded like the NBA west.

Great analogy. Yeah, pretty fearsome on that side of the bracket. The World side is so scrambled from what I expected it would be that it is anybody's guess.

Two passes has become my norm when I'm not working on a focus, which is rarely come to think of it. Well actually even in the tournament I go two passes and then neck work since that's my problem area. I only go a full third pass if I have a bad combination or my technique breaks down.

I ordered a regular size M-Bomb last week. Are you just adding drops to the surface of the soap before loading up?

(We both face lather, for reader context)

Yes just a drop or two on the puck is sufficient to 'bring the chill'...

Thanks HR!

Would the same apply to a jar of cream? Or do you use a shaving mug to lather cream and add the M?

Does M-Bomb radically alter performance or water ratio needed?

The nice thing about having your own bottle of the m-bomb is you are free to experiment with how much or how little to use. If I were using a cream or bowl-lathering, I would add a few drops to the mug in which I'm developing the lather. Go easy with the bomb, though. You can always add more, but you can't remove too much. I put the final 4-5 drops of a bottle into a shaving mug and realized quickly too much is not a pleasurable experience.

I can detect no difference when using the m-bomb

You can search on the writings of @GDCarrington and the Big Ben, he really broke down the interplay between razor head and specific blade qualities far better than I ever could. I am looking for it, but I can't recall the razor he was using, ergo having trouble finding it. Looking at your final eight blades, razor selection is probably the determining factor for victory. Derby is in my top three now, but only when in this Cadet.

I'll see what I can find from the encyclopedia of razor shaving knowledge that is @GDCarrington . I've chosen the EJ DE89L for the first pairing because I've trialed both of the heavyweight Teflons in it and know it is an awesome match for them. I might find I need to make a change in the other pairings.

Great choice. Both are awesome in my Utopia and the Tech. Almost too much in the Cadet OC.

06/18/2015
Razor – ATT R2 with Triad SS Helix
Blade – Feather (2)
Brush – Rudy Vey with Shavemac Finest
Lather – Soap Commander Renewal
Post - Witch Hazel and Myrsol Blue Sample



Another great 2 pass plus touch up shave this morning. I recall when I first tried a Feather blade it just didn't work for me. However, now that my technique has improved, I can really appreciate and enjoy the sharpness of the blade. I am also enjoying the shaves for the ATT R2. Said that it will be going back to its owner in another week or so. I find the razor to be very similar to a New LC.

A big thank you to @david of central florida for the Soap Commander Renewal Soap. This is my first Fougere scented soap and I really like the clean fresh scent. Soap Commander is a vegan soap that performs very much like a tallow based soap. Very easy to lather and super slick. Finished off with a splash of Myrsol Blue from my sample pack. A very good morning indeed.

Just take it slow & steady on the stropping and you'll do fine. Problems arise when those new to stropping begin to speed up before they've developed the muscle memory and technique— thus they wind up rolling the edge or slicing the strop—or both!

Day #2 of 5; 30-Days of June
Second consecutive shave with the Duck this morn—with equally satisfying and near-BBS results compared to yesterday's shave. These past two months, I've probably used the MWF more than at any other time in recent years. I really like the stuff! Sure, it can be temperamental at times, but I've had very good success with it as of late using a synthetic brush and relatively little water. Terrific slickness and lasting lather.
Finishing with the Fine 'Snake Bite' takes me back to my younger shaving days when I would use my dad's Mennen Skin bracer—giving me a cold, menthol smack to the face post-shave. Face feels great!

I believe so, yes! Thanks for digging that up!

June Open Comb Focus
Day 13

Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Gillette New SC
Blade: Voskhod
Brush: Omega 10083 Boar Brush
Lather: Maggard London Barbershop
Post: Cold rinse, Alum, Witch hazel

Did very minimal 2 pass. Got some nice irritation yesterday because I went ATG around the neck. Still recovering. I might take tomorrow off.

I finally understand not to do ATG around the neck when I shave daily. It has to be 2 day growth at least for me to get a comfortable ATG in that area.