July 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Razor: Gillette Flare Tip (A3)
Blade: Feather (6)
Brush: WDC 5- Whipped Dog knot Boar/ Green Handle
Soap: RazoRock Don Donato
A/S: Pinaud Clubman Citrus Musk Eau De Cologne
Day 8.
Three passes.
Still liking this boar brush. It has a little less backbone and holds lather very well. It helps to use a good soap also. Good shave this evening and would classify it as a DFS. Pinaud Lime was a great finish. I'm learning to like boar brushes. I find the ones that I have with less backbone seem to work well for me.

 

A similar type of handle as the Auto Strop. Nice razor.

 

That's a trick question! There ain't no train tracks with passing lanes here in my neck of the woods.

 

1956 Gillette Super Speed Flair
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Proraso Sandalwood cream
Aqua Velva
Current Blade under review: Astra Superior Platinum (round 2)

Lathered up and ready to go:



Shave #1 with 2nd Astra Superior Platinum blade. Excellent BBS results, a wonderful shave. Extremely close, smooth, no nicks, weepers, irritation or razor burn.
2 Full passes: Pass 1: WTG on my face (N/S), and XTG on my neck (N/S). Pass 2: ATG using my grain map. At this point, I could have ended the shave with a nice DFS, actually, almost a BBS.
Lathered up again for touch up and to deal with the spots where the grain is every which way. I was very happy, applied my Aqua Velva, and two of my difficult to get spots woke up and showed me some tiny stubble. I splashed on some hot water, lathered those spots and gave them another ATG pass with a little blade buffing. Then rinsed, and put on my A/S again. I wound up with my closest shave yet.

I don't know if it is kosher to go back for a touch up after using the A/S, but finding something I missed at this point has happened before and I ended up just stopping. Today, I thought I'd go back and fix it. I'm very pleased with how things turned out.

The first time I tried the Astra Superior Platinum blade I got the impression that they were very smooth and comfortable but not as sharp as my Shark Super Stainless. Now, I'm not so sure. They certainly feel comfortable to me, but since this was my best shave yet, and I only did two passes, I can't complain that they're not sharp. Time will tell, but I think that my technique has been improving and I'm pretty happy about it. Finding that I like almost every blade I try isn't a bad problem to have.

Happy Shaving!

 

Not enough info to set up an algebraic solution.

Move on from The Reds. They are apparently not right for your razor/technique.

 

That brush should continue to split and get softer for about another month. And I always dig your AS selections!

 

Day 8 - 8 July 2015

30 Days of Maggard and MITA!


​

Day 8 means halfway through the the blade selections in the PIF box from @Bobcat. So far these Super Max are my least fave of the four I have tried. The 7O'Clock SS, ASCO SS, and 7O'Clock SP are 1-2-3 at this juncture. I find the ASCO and 7O'C SS to be perfectly acceptable blades. The big thing I am noticing is the the Maggard is less aggressive than the Cadet from last month. The Maggard with the top 2 is giving me a really good shave, but 3-4 lack in the sharpness department, vis-a-vis the return of stubble faster than usual. Next up is Rapira Swedish Supersteel, followed Rapira PL, GSB, and Gillette Platinum.

Today's shave was alright, just alright. See the decanted green AS in the pic? That's the Veg. It's how I finished up the shave after another gloomy, smoky, cold day. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a Super Tuesday!

​

 

City guys...

 

Let's take these one at a time.

It is possible that the Personna Red is not a good 2 pass blade but I wouldn't know. I've never used one. Some blades just won't give you a 2 pass shave though. If it consistently requires 3 then you know it's not the one.
Too much lather can be a bad thing or a soap that is too thick. That sometimes happens to me with MWF if I don't hydrate it enough. You end up getting drag from the thickness or getting "lift" from too much lather.
It is possible to get a great DFS with 2 passes. That was described by @Bama Samurai several months ago as the "grail" shave. If you can do 2 passes and end DFS you've hit the butter zone. But, it takes the right razor and blade. I can do it with the EJ DE89l and a Voskhod if I pay attention. I've also done it with the Aristocrat and a Voskhod more than once.
I will definitely make it through NBJ unscathed. I refuse to give @Darkbulb the satisfaction and the opportunity to hit back should I fail. Not gonna happen. Never!!
This question requires some clarification. Are the trains leaving at the same time within their respective time zones? In other words the Chicago train leaves at 2pm and the New York train at 3pm....which would be the same moment? Or both at 2pm local time? Assuming at the same time, meaning the same moment, the trains would pass at 9:04:28 pm Eastern time. I'll assume that's what the question implies. And no, I did not Google that answer. I did use Google to determine the mileage. That's all.

 

We have a winner!


These hayseeds and their "one track logic" - is that anyway to run a railroad?!!!


That's why they have switches and rail yards!

It's not like there's one rail track in the whole country and you can only run one train at a time!

Didn't your dad every set up a model train set? Or did yours just go around in circles?

 

Grail shave is DFS on one pass. But Grail Shave is a user defined term.

@Rufus T. - click that link.

ETA: one pass is my Grail Shave, others use other definitions.

 

I am from Bama. We just threw rocks for fun...no model trains or anything like that. In fact, in college some guys heard we could watch some pornography, but no one in Alabama knew where to get a pornograph.

 

Never surrender. NBJ!

 

Doggone it. I forgot that. It's the Monty Python Grail shave that takes 2 passes....and a European swallow.

 

Hopefully any mishaps result in mere flesh wounds.

 

NEE!!

 

Love Clubman! Which Fine label do you use?

 

You will be hard pressed to top GSB. Maybe Voskhod. I tried GSB early on, and it became an instant fave.

 

Great thread!
The jury awards to both @NCoxSTL for his knowledge of the Rail

and to @Bama Samurai for his knowledge of the Grail!

I am but a mere mortal in the presence of legends!

 

@GDCarrington totally breaks it down.