August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Don't let him hear you say that, lol....

Tony Sickles is a lot of fun, and quite witty.

 

Ok Doug, I've held out long enough...
Without getting too sentimental, my father always used Old Spice and seeing you use it I'm tempted to try to find some of the vintage stuff?

Any advice?

 

29 people voted in our poll.

What should the poll be next month? The last answer option will, by necessity, be "I am just here for the cookies."

?

 

Aside from all the Feather guys, I notice a bunch of you use Gillette Silver Blues. I've just started using them and get decent shaves from them.

How many shaves do you guys get from a single blade?

 

This is a fun question. At your stage in the game, I did three and out, not wanting to stress my technique by introducing the variable of a degrading blade. I firmly believe that with good blade angles, perfect lather and even usage--- 5-7 should be easy attainable down the road. That's the norm for me these days, I went 12 days on a Derby, but only the first 10 were really good.

 

Ha, that's interesting, cause that's exactly what I've been doing so far - 3 and out. But I'm planning for the future so I thought I'd ask.
Thanks!

 

I'll think of a possible poll but I do have to lodge one complaint....I have yet to find the cookies!

 

In my trials using GSB it has varied. I did 4 the first time but wished I had stopped at 3. The next time I got 3 and stopped, and did notice that the third day wasn't quite as smooth as the first two.

 

Well how 'bout that - a poll on poll questions!

My immediate reaction -
How long have you been doing traditional wetshaving?
5 years or more
2 - 5 years
1 - 2 years
Less than a year

I'm curious because as a newbie to traditional shaving (in my third month) I'd have thought that most participants in the thread would be newbies like me. But I get the sense there may be more people in this thread who have been shaving for quite some time. That surprises me.

(If you think that some people answering the poll aren't actively involved in this thread, then limit it with the qualifier- poll is open to those who have done at least one 30 day focus in the last 6 months.

Just a thought

 

And what are you getting from the vaunted Voskhod?

 

I have gotten 7 from a Voskhod, mostly to see if I could do it. Normally I'll go 5 without a problem. Tomorrow will be 4 on the current blade.

 

Wait, there are cookies? How come no one told me about these!

 

Interesting, I've found the Voskhod and GSB to be fairly similar, but evidently not for longevity for you.
Thanks

 

Exactly. That's the one major difference I have between them. Again, YMMV. For whatever reason the Gillette made Russians don't perform as well for me as the Mostochlegmash. I'd love to tour both plants and see if I could figure out the difference. So far nobody has invited me though.

 

keep looking...

I think blade cost is almost irrelevant. In cartridge world, $32 buys eight carts in a drugstore. $32 buys a lot of fine Russian DE blades. Or a short ton of Astra SP or Derby. Blades are the business end of shaving, and they are all about performance. They are like tires in the sense that a skilled driver can tell the differences in the top brands, but pretty much everyone knows a rough ride when they experience one. If you watch the SOTD, you get a feel for "fads" in blades too. Just a few years ago, Derby was talked up as a premium blade. Opinions wax and wane, and some blades change over time too. But no matter how you cut it, it's pretty hard to use up one hundred blades in a year if you have solid technique.

 

We have to keep them hidden in case @Darkbulb drops by. We're trying to help him on a recovery program from cookie addiction.

 

Cool, I'd like to see a plant like those myself.

 

Nice insight / perspective Chris, thanks!

But did you purposely plant that pun?!!

 

Interesting. I didn't know Derby was that highly revered in the near past, although I've seen videos from a couple of years ago that seemed to indicate that. My how times change. Maybe there is a bit of truth to the idea that some in the hobby do get a bit "hipsterish", always looking for something better, or more unique, or maybe even just a tad more expensive as "proof" of being somehow superior. Not accusing anyone because everyone I have talked to so far seems not to have that issue. But...on other forums.......yeah I can see that.