SEPT 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

I have decided to jump on the SEptember focus as it has occurred to me that I have neglected my SE razors. Most of them have been acquired in lots and set aside while I play with the DE razors. I dug through and pulled out a few examples.

I think week one will include the Valet Autostrop with Feather blades.
Week two will be injector week and split between my Schick B1 and G1.
Weeks two and three will be for the Ever Ready and Gems. I got out the Ever Ready "1912", Micromatic Open Comb, G-Bar and Pushbutton.
I look forward to learning the SE razor this month.
Here's to a fun September!

 

Nice collection. I'll start with my Auto Strop also. Thanks for the idea.

 

Aloha Adam! Enjoy your trip, we're all very jealous!

 

I will keep this in mind. I'm trying to decide whether that will be my focus and I just need better technique with that particular razor or if it's just a beast and my face doesn't like the particular level of down hell is torture. Lol its not that bad really.

 

Wow, Ive never inspired / incited the reading of scripture before?
Maybe there's hope for me yet?!

 

I pledge to use at least two TSD exclusive products every Sunday through 2015! I really like this idea.

Hint: preshave balm, AS, and M-bomb... I just found a way to do Shave Den Sundays while still doing a strict rule.

 

Thanks! It's always nice to see a Mongoose contingent for September!

 

Nice! Another fun month!
Depending on my progression thru my week 1/2 (Schick J3, I2 and G1) - I may just join you for some GEM work as I too have found a few in lot purchases:

The GEMs from L to R:
Micromatic Open Comb (MMOC) -Agressive
Micromatic Clog Pruf - Agressive
Micromatic Bullet Tip-
G Bar
Feather Weight
I also have a Pushbutton.

 

Nice! Carbon steel blades are very stoppable, but require more care to prevent corrosion. Looks like a big month!

 

Here's to a fun September!

 

Welcome aboard! Ymmv, but aggressive razors do require more careful technique. Consider working with that razor until you have an intimate feel for what the best angles are for your comfort. It may simply be too early to judge.

 

Welcome back, can anything SE take the Phoenix? We shall see...

 

Finally joined up!

Have fun!

 

This will be fun!

 

I also have a handful of PTFE blades and assume I should start with those?

 

It's gonna be "Shaving Soap September" for me. I'm not gonna use a single shaving cream, just all soaps.

 

I starting with the PTFE first. I tried the carbon once and found them very rough.

 

I'm looking forward to your assessments.

 

Well, here we are at the start of a new month. Looks like the SE's are out in full force! SEptember apparently caught on for a theme within the group. Well, who am I to argue? But, while I am going to throw my hat into that ring I'm also going to march to the beat of my own drummer. Shocked to hear that, I know. So, without further ado, here's the Crazy Ivan plan for September which, amazingly enough, doesn't feature anything Russian for the first time in several months. I will, however, be sniffing Voskhods to keep myself from suffering from withdrawals, so it's all good.

I have never tried the SE razors, well not since I bought my first Schick when I first started shaving. But, I have accumulated a few in order to give them a shot. My collection includes a 1912 Gem, a 1914 Lather Catcher, a Schick E2 Injector and a Schick M2 Injector, which was my first ever razor. All four of these razors will get a run this month, three shaves each to be exact. I'll use the Gem PTFE blade with the 1912, the PAL Blue Carbon blade with the 1914 and, of course, Schick blades (made in China) for the two injectors. That covers 12 days of the month with SE's and should be fun and interesting to learn, especially the '12 and '14.

So, 30 minus 12 equals 18 days left over. What to do. Hmmmmm. Well my blade box is brimming with blades I've never gotten to try. Let's see if we can have some fun, shall we? I'll start by picking two razors to use. Let's play it safe on that end and choose the Edwin Jagger DE89l and the 1959 Ball End Tech by Gillette. Two very good razors, on the mild side, that should provide a bit of safety and comfort in the mix. So, now to the blade box and a thought occurs......what about the more obscure blades made in places not necessarily famous for blades? Say.....China. Yeah, the Flying Eagle (wounded elephant) comes from there along with the Baili which I found horrendously bad, but are there other choices? Why yes. The Blendax and Patrix blades, both produced by the Tanin Behdasht Para company in China. Both Super Stainless Blades. So now that China is on board, how about......Czechoslovakia? They have made some pretty good blades there before but still produce the Tiger. I"ll take it. And then there's the Gillette company with a couple of Super Thin branded blades, both Platinum, one made in Vietnam, the other in Thailand. What the heck, in the monthly bag they go. So, to recap the DE blades.......Blendax and Patrix from China, Tiger from Czechoslovakia, Gillette Super Thin from Vietnam and Thailand. Three shaves each (we hope) for 15 days covered.

30 minus 12 minus 15 leaves three days. So, let's just make it easy and use the Feather SS for three Sundays. But, if we're trying obscure blades for DE let's do the same for the AC razor. Kamisori blades from Canada. Yeah, perfect, three chances to use a potentially poorly made blade or one that is sharper than any known to man since I know nothing of it, and put it in the most lethal razor I own. Three days of smiles, raves, and perhaps a bit of MAYhem deja vu.

Confused yet? That's why it's a Crazy Ivan! But here's a quick rundown of dates and equipment to help sort it out, and to keep me from being totally lost and confused. It all starts Tuesday.

September 1-3 - Gem 1912 w/Gem PTFE
September 4-5 - EJ DE89l w/ Blendax
September 6 - Feather SS w/ Kamisori
September 7 - EJ DE89l w/ Blendax
September 8-10 - Schick E2 Injector
September 11-12 - '59 Ball End Tech w/ Gillette Slim (Vietnam)
September 13 - Feather SS w/ Kamisori
September 14 - '59 Ball End Tech w/ Gillette Slim (Vietnam)
September 15-17 - Everready 1914 Lather Catcher w/ PAL Carbon Blue
September 18-19 - EJ DE 89l w/ Patrix
September 20 - Feather SS w/ Kamisori
September 21 - EJ DE89l w/ Patrix
September 22-24 - Schick M2 Injector
September 25-27 - '59 Ball End Tech w/ Gillette Slim (Thai)
September 28-30 - EJ DE89l w/ Tiger

Soaps and Brushes - All of them. I'll pick and choose as I go. Mostly likely we'll see MWF and Tabac prominently along with the smaller Vie Long and Omega.

Is there an actual purpose for this rather convoluted focus? Well, yes, since I want to try the SE's and see how well they work and if I like them. And yes, since it will weed out some obscure blades in the process. And maybe I'll find another pseudo-reason to validate it as we go along. I'm a creative guy. Anyway, it should be fun along the way. And look at all the goodies I get to play with for a month!!!

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That's the least focused focus I've ever seen