August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

August 28, 2015

Adjustable August
30-Day Focus - Gillette Adjustable Slim / Fatboy

Morning shave
Hot Shower
Soap: Arko (homemade travel stick)
Brush: Butterscotch Fauxmere 24mm synthetic
Razor: Gillette Slim AND Fatboy
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (4)
After Shave: Proraso Green
No touch-up or repeat strokes. This is as much about technique as it is about finding the best settings on the razor for me.

30-Day Assessment

This month has gone by so quickly as I've tried to learn the Slim and attempt the same with the FB. I've gotten very nice shaves all month. I began with the Slim and moved up to 9 within about two weeks. Began the same process with the Fatboy. Ran up to 7 within a few shaves and realized my focus had become a race to 9. It told me that I could shave with this equipment, but I wasn’t learning anything.

I reconsidered my process in an attempt to discern a difference between the Slim and FB.

I locked in all the variables, including blades, and fixed on setting number 7 on both. I then spent a week alternating between the two razors after every second shave. I still couldn’t tell any difference to the shave!

I devised one last attempt - I divided my face into halves (left side, right side) and spent two shaves (yesterday and today) using one razor on one side of my face for both passes (WTG and ATG) and the other razor on the opposite side, splitting the face right down the middle. I even alternated strokes/razors - i.e. cheek on one side with one razor, then cheek on the other with the other razor; jawline one side and then jawline on the other, etc. I even switched them around the next day so I didn't just do cross-body strokes with just one razor.

Bizarre? Probably. But it was my last gasp to use my novice abilities to assess these razors against each other. Not that its a competition. I’m just trying to see if I can tell a difference.

The easy differences are obvious - length and weight - one shorter and heavier, the other taller and lighter. In my mind, those lend themselves to the personal preferences of the user.

If I dedicated more time to the side-by-side shave approach, I might come up with more specific technical differences. I will admit that the user may get a better shave from one or the other IF they have a distinct preference for the size / weight issue - since the user MUST adjust their technique (pressure, stroke length, etc.) to the individual attributes.

I could not discern a specific preferred blade angle difference for the most efficient shave. They seemed to be the same - requiring me to ride the cap on both.

One very minor difference that I ‘think’ I experienced. I do not know if the height of the doors/cap are different or if it was just technique, but…

I have a mustache, but trim the upper part of it on the left and right side to have a clean, visual line on the top of the mustache. In my two side-by-side shaves, there was a slight difference in getting the Slim into that narrow area between the nose and the ‘stache. But for me, this would hardly cause me to choose one over the other.

I haven’t read any comparisons, but I think it comes down to a height and weight issue - that is preferred by the user. I do not subscribe to the idea that the physical differences between the two cause one to be “better” than the other. It just provides choice between, or preferences as a user i.e - “I want a longer handle because I want a more maneuverable shave” or “I want a heavier razor so I can use less pressure.”

These are preferences, in my opinion, that lend themselves to the user, but do not cause a better or worse shave IF you have your technique down.

Enjoy your shave folks, I enjoy being here with you all!
Looking forward to next month.

Cheers!
RT

 

Great write up on your experience. I can see every point you made when I think back to comparing the two myself.

 

Awesome! I hope you're right. I did have a very nice shave today and my skin feels great. Thanks!

 

Thanks Adam! Watching you work with straights recently has only piqued my interest even more. I also thought this month's group went really well and had some fun along the way. Have fun in the sun! Safe Journeys!

 

Very nice.

 

Outstanding assessment!

 

This month sounded like a breeze. Your thoughts on the two razors echo what I have read other places about the Slim and the FB. The differences in the razor heads might actually cause me to prefer a Slim, but I guess I'll find out later. Sounds like your intro to adjustable razors was a success!

 

Do you guys stop your focus today? Freestyle the weekend, and start fresh on the 1st?

 

Personally, I think it depends. Timing is everything. I've gone into the first week of the following month before, and stopped early as well. Some just like to start on the Monday. No hard and fast rules that way.

This month of August, essentially ending on a weekend, lends itself to a natural break for me because I'm a sporadic shaver on the weekend. I'll start my September focus on Monday.

@Bama Samurai generally gets the new thread template up a day or two in advance so folks can post their plan for the coming month ahead of time. You can see what I mean by going back to the first page of this month.

Hope to see you and your Mongoose around here for a long time to come Kerry! I think @wristwatchb is doing a Mongoose focus in SEptember!
Cheers!
RT

 

I'm going all of September with the Mongoose, I may take a break this weekend and use my Gillette British Rocket? Thanks for the heads up.

 

Kerry-

I actually have to keep going through 31 August to get my 30 in this month. So I will be here finishinhthis month, even though as @Rufus T. mentioned, the new month will open this weekend. We may have a flock of mongeese, there is an unofficial trend of Single Edge September about to break out on the 30 Day board. I will be doing an antique injector I received PIF from @dscaver late last year, and hopefully we'll have a brand newbie or two to help out. Plus cookies!

 

Thanks Chris, it was a fun month, thanks for your help!
But I know I hit a snag when I realized I was just racing to "9". The month did end nicely though.

As far as the head of these razors is concerned. I did no physical measurements of them. In fact, when I eye-balled them side-by-side, I thought their perimeter dimensions looked equal. My statement about the physical difference just refers to how tall the cap area is. I don't know if there is a difference. It was a two-shave perception that may / may not actually exist.

 

Go for it!

 

Razor: Gillette Slim (1965)(8)(7)
Blade: Gillette Platinum (5)
Brush: Frank Shave Best Badger Beechwood Handle 22/55
Soap: Proraso
Decanter: Old Spice Telegraph Product ID #36280
A/S: Old Spice
Day 28

Not my most favorite shave soap, but not bad. This brush is a little floppy, it could be set a little deeper form me. Three pass shave, two on #8 and a final at #7. A good shave tonight, but not the best.
Have a good night and a happy weekend.

 

I'll be done my adjustable August on Sunday. I'll have to see about SE September. I don't have many SE razors.

 

Is the September 30 day set up yet or waiting for the first? I've been following this whole thread and it's been funny and informative. Been doing my own rule pretty much so interested in getting in on September's

 

It's coming soon! It'll start the 1st. Please jump right in. And why you are at it, stop by and introduce yourself HERE
Welcome to TSD!
Kerry

 

Excellent! Im going to go with the Mongoose up until September 30th! I really love this razor, even though I'm only 9 shaves in I've noticed that changing the blade to a different type you get a completely different shave. I still have soooooooo much more to learn with the Mongoose. Thanks for having me.

 

Welcome aboard! You are welcome to post here until I open the September thread this weekend!

 

It's pretty informal here as you've probably already guessed. I would take the weekend off and enjoy the Rocket. I will be joining you in with the Mongoose in September but with a twist. My focus will be a comparison between the Mongoose and my Wolfman OC. I plan to take this weekend to get acquainted with the Wolfman OC.