Biased is good if it's based on direct experience.

Hey! What about Voskhod??!!!

Going to limit myself to three straights. Plan on experimenting with stropping routines, using a badger brush, and maybe one soap. Will flesh it out a little more this weekend.

Oh, sorry yeah I left that one out. Definitely Voskhod.

Phew that was close! I would have never thought of that one!

Day 24 - 25 June 2015

30 Day Rule Focus with a Cadet OC!

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Day ten on the blade. Yup. 10. On a Derby! Pretty decent 2 pass shave finished with Pinaud Clubman. I do think I will try for day eleven. Looking forward to finishing out June and starting something new in July. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.
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Have a Happy Friday!
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I heard Voskhod is worth a look.

Well based on your recommendation I'll have to try and chase one down to try it!

Your blade tourney matchups are a bit surprising. Will Ladas pull it off?

06/26/2015
Razor – ATT R2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade – Feather (1)
Brush – EJ XL STF
Lather – Mystic Water Lavender
Post - Witch Hazel & Myrsol F/Extra



Happy Friday. Another great shave with the R2 this morning. The scent for the MW Lavender is intoxicating. For sure it's a finicky soap to work with requiring you to work the lather longer than most soaps. I have found it much easier for me to lather with a synthetic brush. The performance of the soap is top notch if you figure out the lathering. Finished off with a splash of Myrsol F/Extra. I am so ready for the weekend.

Nobody is more surprised than I am! Only one of the final four is one I thought would be there.

Shave of the day

Pre- Hot shower, Anna and Claras sandalwood bath soap

Soap/cream- The shave den lanolin Iced Lemongrass

Brush- Semogue 1470

Razor- Merkur 37c

Blade- Wilkinson sword(3)

Post- Cold water rinse, Old spice original aftershave lotion and Nivea sensitive cooling aftershave balm + 1 drop of M-Bomb

I started out lathering DR Harris Arlington and added 3 drops of M-Bomb to make it a cold shave. I failed with the lather, I'm not sure why. But picked up my TSD iced lemongrass and before I could say "lather" I had enough menthol filled lather for 3 passes. Love the performance and scent of this soap.

Love my merkur

I have had an unopened Old spice original AS for a while. Opened it and put it on the shelf, damn it's nice! Finished with Nivea with 1 drops for a little chill but not much =)

Today is day 5 with the Nacet blades and day 23 of my blade focus. The Nacet seems plenty sharp and smooth and so far is pretty long lasting. I went my typical 2 face and 1 head shave with a blade in my New LC and now am using my Weber for the next 4 or 5 shaves with a fresh blade. This box should take me through June and into July.

Pushing the envelope!

June 26th, SOTD (Shave 17 of this focus)
One days’ growth
Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Dubl Duck Satinwedge with Obnoxious Orange scales
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel Horsehide/ Linen (10 on linen/ 20 on leather)
Soap: The Shave Den Lime with M-Bomb
Brush: Eveready 100T re-knotted with 22mm TGN Synthetic
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: The Shave Den Aftershave Milk- Iced Lime

Great shave today. Did a N/S pass and a S/N pass, and a little bit of touch up on the neck. DFS plus. Still too early to tell, but I didn’t notice any less performance of the blade with less stropping.

....and I thought my 30 days of Groundhog Day was a challenge.

30 days of Williams?!!! You should be inducted into the TSD Hall of Fame or something. I would think you're ready for something new!

Day#6 of 5; 30-Days in June
This is the final day using this vintage C-Mon (five days with one interruption). Opinion? Not surprisingly, this razor was everything I anticipated it would be, having used several C-MON razors in the past. All were similarly styled 5/8" full-hollow blades, the main exception this was the first stainless blade. This particular CMON had the keenest edge I've ever achieved on these razors—arm hair popping off at the top from heel to toe; Clean HHT results. This is also the first razor in which I've used the complete Naniwa super stone regimen (1000k thru 12,000k)—so this may have influenced the sharp yet super-smooth results.

With JUNE winding down, I've no idea what JULY will bring, nor what challenge to take. These past two months have really solidified in my mind which razors I'll definitely keep and those I'll sell off in August.

June 26 - Shave 18
Prep: Hot shower, Aveeno 5:1 face wash
Brush: WSP Silvertip
Preshave: None
Soap: TSD Sub zero stick
Razor: Wedge french tip. 20 x linen strop 40 x leather strop
Strop: @Drygulch Modern Barber Strop 24"x3"
Growth: 1 day
Post: Cold water splash, Alum, Clubman AS
Passes: WTG

This actually for the Wednesday shave but just getting around to posting. Wedge was a dull feel - kind of like the difference between a steel bike frame and carbon. Two passes and went well. A little nick on my neck but the biggest thing I learned this month was pressure - keeping pressure light and still getting the whiskers sliced. Not sure what to do with the bottom half of the goatee - almost able to turn the tips of the mustache. 7 weeks into the growth. Started waxing it train the hairs.

From other straight shavers, what would you suggest as a focus for next month?

If you want a TRUE challenge, try straight-razor shaving using your non-dominant hand exclusively for the entire month.

A few months ago, back when I had CT surgery on my dominant left hand, I was compelled to shave using my only right hand for a 5-7 week period.
Challenging? You bet. But with slow & steady work, I made progress and after several weeks of daily practice, I became quite competent with my non-dominnat hand.

Day 25 - 26 May 2015

30 Day Rule Focus with a Cadet OC!


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Day eleven on this blade! Stuck with the program and got a nice 2 pass smoothness, a little touch up on the chin. The only issue was a little weeper. I will give this blade one more day, probably the last. Finished with cold water, alum, and a good splash of Clubman again today! Near perfect weather today. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado!

Have a nice weekend!
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