August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

There is no way I can get BBS with a mild razor. If I chase it I only end up irritated and still not BBS.

 

30 day Focus - Day 9
MDC Lavender Face Lathered
Rapira Platinum Lux Blade (Day 1 on blade, Day 3 on Rapira Platinum Lux)
Slim Adjustable set to 8
3 passes

Yesterday's shave didn't last as long as I had hoped it would. But, it was still a fine shave. The more I use MDC, the more I like it.

 

So Clint, recognizing that it was near BBS on a work day, and that I seem to recall you are a Master of Many Razors...when you have some time...have you ranked your favorite razors (DE/SE) in terms of consistent, reliable, close and efficient shaves?

I know, I know...YMMV.
Thanks!
RT

 

August 10, 2015

Adjustable August Slim-apalooza
30-Day Focus - Gillette Slim Adjustable

Morning shave.
Hot Shower
Pre-Shave Oil: Gingers Garden
Soap: Catie's Bubbles Mile High Menthol
Brush: Omega 31025 Scarlatti (Boar)
Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (3)
TSD Witch Hazel
TSD Aftershave Milk: Iced Subzero
A/S: TSD Lemon

Slim settings:
8 - WTG
8 - ATG
No touch-up or repeat strokes. This is as much about technique as it is about finding the best settings on this razor for me. My objective in this 30-day Focus on the Slim (and with any Focus I do on any other razor) will be to see which razor/blade combination will give the most consistently reliable and closest two-pass shave.

Todays shave was a whisker or two away from the excellent results yesterday - and I’m very satisfied.

With all the time left in this month, I have the opportunity to experiment. So I will probably go to a 9 on the second pass tomorrow and then stick with the 8/9 set-up for the rest of the week. If successful, I’ll probably then give a few different blade brands an audition in the Slim.

Cheers!
RT

 

August 30 Day Rule

A good cool shave today, not totally frozen like some Mondays, but keeping the soap etc consistent for the 30 Day Rule. Very smooth shave! No nicks or weepers, very very minimal irritation in my usual spots along the bottom of the next and around my chin. Lots of audible feedback.

Blade still cutting smooth and going strong with day 4 on this blade. Last GSB lasted 5 days and then called it quits. This one will get at least one more day tomorrow, then we shall see.

With the past few shaves, I have paid a lot of attention to the beard patterns on my neck. I have figured out the beard growth of my face. Think I am just about done mapping my beard growth and will then really pay attention to the directions needed for WTG and XTG to see if I can get the shaves any closer without any more irritation.

Prep: Shower and homemade PSO
Razor: Lord L6
Blade: GSB
Brush: VDH Boar
Soap: Stirling MITA
Post: Cold rinse, Witch Hazel (M-Bombed), TSD Bourbon Vanilla AS (M-Bombed)



Have a great week!

 

RT interesting question. I am hardly a master of many razors and only have the following in my modest collection. I will say that I am able to get a acceptable shave with all the razors so for the most part it is purely based on which I enjoy using the most.

1. Mongoose with Feather Super Pro- The closest shave by a wide margin.
   
2. Mongoose with any of the other blades
3. Gillette New OC (either the LC or new Deluxe)
4. GEM Featherweight
5. GEM 1912
6. Schick Injector ( I type or J Type Hydro-Magic)
7. Gillette SS 1964
   
8. Merkur 34c hd
9. Gillette Slim

Based purely on the results of the shave the Mongoose with the Super Pro blade is all alone for me. The stubble 24 hours after a 2 pass shave with touch up is more like a 5 O'clock shadow with many of the other razors on the list. #2 and #3 could be interchanged depending on my mood that day as the shaves are very similar. From there on out the list is not based on the merits of the razor or the shaves but just the order in which I want to shave with them.

 

Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable (1965)(5)
Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
Brush: WDC-4, Silvertip Badger, Butterscotch. (VIG) 24/67
Cream: Bluebeards Revenge Shaving Cream
Bowl: "Once a Marine Always a Marine".
A/S: Captain's Choice Sandalwood
Day 10

Good shave tonight with the Slim. Need some time with this razor as I haven't used it that often. Bluebeards Revenge Shaving cream makes a ton of lather, however, I'm not sure it prepares the face well.

 

1. 
   Clint,
   
   Since they're high on your list I'm assuming you find the Featherweight and the 1912 give you shave as close as you DE razors? If so I may have to do a SE focus. (Don't know what happened to the numbers.)

 

Herm, I do find the both GEM razors to give exceptionally close shaves. In fact they rival the Mongoose with Super Pro blades, just not quite as smooth or easy. I have found that in general I prefer SE razors with their more rigid blades. I find that the limited blade choices makes it much easier to find one that works. Since I've been able to get very good shaves with all the razors it came down to which I enjoy using the most. Sometimes the enjoyment is rational and in others it's not. In terms of ease of use and shave quality on a rational basis, the Schick razors should be higher in my list. However, they feel so much like a cartridge razor that I just don't enjoy using them as much. Definitely a YMMV thing for sure.

 

I'm not slicing myself for your entertainment this week

 

I'm starting to agree with you guys. Time to crank up the numbers on the Fatboy.

 

Slim set at 4 today, and I participated in Menthis Mondays witrout thinking about it!

Started with a hot shower followed by Proraso green preshave.
Used my TSD sample, bombed. It's jasmine I think.
Nice 3 pass shave with touchups.
Next, the usual Proraso Green preshave used as a balm followed by Gabel's Bay Rum bombed.

Beautiful shave with little irritation! I guess the first time on 4 when I got the lousy results it was technique, as I liked 4 better than 3. One more shave on 4 Wednesday then on to 5.

On a plus note, I found a barber today who isn't afraid of doing a to the skin high and tight! He even followed it up with Clubman talc and Clubman aftershave after a warm lather neck and around the ears shave. This dude just found a regular for sure!

 

August Focus - Slim and Feather AC
August 10
Razor - None
Blade - None
Brush - None
Soap - None
Post - None

Woke up this morning to find that the cut and nick from yesterday were both in need of a little attention. Apparently sleeping on that cheek during the night opened them up just a bit. So.....shaving was suspended for the day due to an injury timeout. We will resume tomorrow.

 

Ouch. Riding the bench on the injured list sucks no matter how old you get. Take care and heal up soon!

 

Yup! You'll love it!

 

First one to get sutured is the winner!! Just kidding...take it easy, you know we'll be here!

 

Real barbers are a dying breed. I only assume he shaved the back of the neck to boot!

 

I love a contest! And that's one I think I can win! If I can't do it with the Feather SS I have a new candidate on the way. A gem that @Darkbulb and I were watching without the other's knowledge. Him, being the incredible enabler he is, mentioned it to me last night while we were working on a Russian translation on a straight razor he has on the way. I went back to the ad again, passed again, then went right back and clicked the magic button. Soon to be in my collection - a great and fairly rare Russian razor, the Mladost 2. Currently on a goat cart somewhere in Bulgaria speeding towards me at the speed of, well, a goat of course. I'm sure this thing can produce a few suture candidates of its own!

 

Day 9 - 10 August 2015

30 Day Rule - Phoenix OC


​

Day two in this blade, and decided to just do two cursory passes and evaluate the results. It turns out that I still need to work on a stroke pattern for the chin area, but the rest was near BBS, automatic! The mild razor head of the Phoenix really lets a blade like Rapira Swede really shine. This razor is definitely a keeper! Finished with Alum and some Osage since it's Monday. Had a very good day again today, and later I hope to catch some stargazing out on the prairie. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a terrific Tuesday!
​

 

I saw the thread on the translation. Nice work!

That thing looks like some straight up Soviet-era disaster waiting to happen. You really do some of your best work on Soviet equipment! I bet that thing would even make a Voskhod rough and dangerous. We live for this stuff.