January 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic&Discussion Thread

SOTD
Happy New Year!
January 1, 2016
Prep: Hot Shower. Axe Energizing Face Wash Boost
Razor: Mongoose B3 Dr. Bomber Handle
Blade: Kai Captain Original
Lather: Route 66 Retro Spice
Brush: Oscar11 28mm Silvertip
Post: Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Fine L'Orange Noir
What better way to start the New Year? Bring out the best of the best! Smooth shaving Mongoose. Slick, cushion-y and fantastic scented Retro Spice. Oscar11 28 mm Silvertip. And a splash of Fine L'Orange Noir. Winning!
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE!

 

I think your right Chris. I've wanted one of the Phoenix DOC razors ever since folks started posting about them. The fact that a few other modern razors had disappeared from view (Razorock Jaws for one) made me want to pick one up in case it went away too. I found out later that some of these "here today, gone tomorrow" razors have been rebranded, but I still didn't want the DOC to slip away. My wife was kind enough to give me one for Christmas, even though she still thinks my "shaving hobby" is silly.

 

The DOC intrigues me a lot. It's also nice knowing I'm not the only one whose wife thinks this obsession is strange.

 

01/01/2016
Razor – Cobra Classic
Blade – Feather Pro (2)
Brush – Rudy Vey with Shavemac Finest
Lather – MdC Original
Post - Witch Hazel, Folsom & Co Capri



Happy New Year everyone. The 30 day thread is already off to a flying start. I was looking forward to this shave since I took the Cobra for a test drive last month. After indulging a little too much last night while watching Alabama take care of business, I thought I would reward myself with one of my favorite soap and brush combinations. I love the scent of MdC and the Shavemac Finest is soft without being floppy. MdC is so easy to lather that one can fail to add enough water. Adding water slowly as you lather allows the MdC to develop a nice slick lather.

Using the Cobra with a regular Feather Pro blade I decided to go with a 2 pass shave, ATG followed by XTG. With a rinse I had a near BBS shave but decided to touch up a couple of areas and get the BBS. The razor has a nice heft to it. It is somewhat difficult to get a firm hold on the razor. I am sure that with more use, I'll get the hang of it. I can go ahead and say without a doubt the Cobra is more aggressive than my Mongoose B2. Graded out today's shave would be Closeness A+ and Irritation an A.

Finished off with a splash of F&C Capri and I am ready for a day of watching football. I hope everyone has a great New Year's Day.

 

I was planning on skipping my shave today, due to the razor burn I got yesterday. But today there is very little sign of burn. I've got just enough growth to justify a shave I'm going to start my plan to over prep in an effort to see how prep effects the shave quality. I will be back later hopefully with good results.

 

1/1/16

Phoenix Double OC
Astra Superior Platinum (2)
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Pinaud Clubman Original



Happy New Year! I had my second shave with my Phoenix DOC loaded with the Astra SP. A mountain of rich lather in my scuttle provided by MWF. 2 full passes: Pass 1 XTG. Very good reduction, but I re-opened the nick on my neck from yesterday (didn't even feel it). Pass 2: ATG. Did a little more than normal amount of touch up. A cool water rinse and moderate touch up brought the baby home. The Pinaud Clubman stung, but not to the point I would call fire (as it did yesterday). I had enough lather left for at least 3 full passes.

A nice comfortable BBS from the Phoenix DOC and the Astra SP. The Mitchell's Wool Fat provided nice protective slick lather throughout the shave. The razor felt very mild, yet folks have said it is very efficient. I needed to go over some spots more than I might have with my New LC and the Rapira SS, but I ended up with a BBS and no irritation. I’m wondering how different blades will perform in this razor. Naturally, the longer I shave with it the better I’ll be too, so it looks like I’ll need to revisit the early blades again after I pick my favorite.

I hope everyone has a great day, and a fine year.

 

The DOC is one of my favorite DE razors. I find a very shallow angle works best for me. It is super smooth and comfortable for me.

 

Razor: Gillette Aristocrat 1947 Birth Razor
Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum (2)
Brush: Fendrihen Silver Tip Badger Black Faux Ebony Handle 22/49
Soap: Route 66 The Perfect Gent
A/S: Fine L'Orange Noir

Monday will be the start of my focus for January. Excellent DFS this morning after a quite New Years evening. Watched some good football games yesterday and one poor hockey game.

 

I'm still waiting on the return of 2 straights that are being re-scaled, but once those arrive, they will be my weapons of choice.

I also plan on doing more soap reviews.

My post shave will be Mrysol F extra and emulsion balm.

This thread is so active and moves at an incredible pace...

Happy 2016 gents!

 

That is one beautiful brush Clint. Great picture again. Your starting the year off with a bang.

 

Got todays after shave idea from your post. Worked out great, thanks.

 

Great photo Doug.

 

Thanks for your kind words @clint64.

 

Thank you Doug.

I really like the winter shots.

 

Is there a way to specifically identify the 1947 aristocrat from the 48 etc? The reason I ask is that 47 is my father's birth year and I would love to get a razor from 47 but haven't figured out how to specifically identify any as a 47. Thanks for the info!

 

January 2016 Focus -- Blade search for the 1958 Executive

January 1

Razor: Gillette 1958 Executive adjustable
Blade: SuperMax Blue Diamond (1)
Brush: Stirling Kong
Soap: Stirling Sharp Dressed Man
Post: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel, Fine Platinum


First shave with this blade and I have to say that I am fairly impressed. Set the executive on 6 for myWTG/XTG pass. The reduction was very good and it was a smooth shave with no irritation. Changed to 7 for the ATG pass. A very nice and smooth shave again with no irritation.

Had a little more touch up than usual with the GSB but not too much. Ended with a DFS++ shave. Probably 98% of the way to BBS and no irritation. Definitely an acceptable first shave with this blade. Will be interesting to see if it holds up for a couple more shaves.

 

Interesting about 1947. I'd eventually like a 1947 razor as that is also my father's birth year. He is not a shaving enthusiast by any means but I would still really enjoy having a razor from that year.

I'd also eventually like a 1981 razor - that's my birth year. But I'm not actively looking for these yet. I have too much other equipment to use and learn!

 

Beautiful brush!!

 

Got to be this one:

 

January 1, 2016 (Shave 1 of this Focus)
Razor: Ontario Cutlery Co. Geneva NY 5/8 muted square tip
Strop: Drygulch Leatherworks Chromexcel Horse/ Linen
Soap: Sterling Glacial Peppermint
Brush: 28mm Ubersoft in Aluminum handle
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Alum Bar, Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Lustray Draggon Noir

The focus this month is to see how different finishes feel on the straight razor. My first razor I picked was one of the first ones I honed. It is an American razor made in New York by a company that still exists. I actually have one of their kitchen knives. I touched up the edge on my Translucent Arkansas stone, and stropped the edge on linen and leather. I successfully made a long lasting lather with the Sterling. I think I might be done with the Glacial soap. It performed well as far as slickness and cushion, but the level of menthol numbed my face to the point that I can’t really feel the way the edge was moving on my face. This caused me to apply more pressure. This helped me figure something out. I don’t think I ever got the bevel set with this razor. The bevel is the most important part of the edge, and if you don’t have a good consistent bevel on your razor, you won’t be able to polish it out to a sharper edge. So this shave, I used my hardest stone, but it felt neither keen nor smooth consistently. I actually had two lines of about 2 inches where I used too much pressure, the blade skipped, and sliced into my neck. Whoops. Finished all three passes. Closeness B, Irritation C, Smoothness D, Keeness D. Going back to the hones and going all the way back to bevel set on this one before next shave. The Draggon Noir is awesome stuff. Scent didn’t last long enough to irritate SWMBO, but I smelled nice for about 30 minutes. Then it died way down. Burn felt like clubman, and 16oz was only $6.