Great write up, Vince. I find the Repeaters to be among the best safety razors. It was interesting to read about the different blades you used and the differences between them. I will keep this in mind for my future use!

What a fantastic write up Vince..You have offered a great insight into these blades for folks that haven't used them..

Billy..

Jan 30 Focus Shave 22

Today's razor is Rasurpur Western grind kamisori which was on a Shapton 12k followed by Dovo red/black and 200k grit diamond paste. This is the third shave since the touch up.

It feels a little rougher than the past two shaves, it does need to at least go back to the pasted strops. Went through the 4 passes and no blood. Yesterday's shave with the Feather DX gave allot of irritation so I do not know if today's irritation was left over from the feather or due to this razor. The alum gave some feedback, a little bit of burning. I was pleasantly surprised that I was BBS

Irritation B Closeness A Smoothness B Keenness A-

Razorock Mudder Focker
Shavemac silver tip
Woodhead scuttle
Rasurpur Western grind kamisori
Dry Gulch strop
Lucky Tiger AS
Speick ASB
Davidoff Silver Shadow

Great write-up. Thank you!

Vince, you did a great job on the recap of your January focus. I'm amazed that you can still find SE blades from the 70s and 80s. The C1 is a beauty, and I look forward to following your February Focus with your newly acquired Type D.

Did you take advantage of the "Free Motor Oil" offer on that blade pack? 10W-40 (or 20W-50 if you're in a hurry) might be just the ticket for a pre-shave oil.

Jan 31 Focus Shave 23

The last shave of the month is with a Feon 172, a Japanese western grind straight. It was finished on Goyumoko 20k by someone far more experienced than I.

It really has a smooth and sharp edge and has me thinking on and off about buying that stone but its more than $300. The first pass was smooth but there was some irritation and a couple of weepers in the following pass. The alum test stung, I think it is still the impact of using the Feather DX two days ago, just short of BBS today.

Irritation B Closeness A- Smoothness A Keenness A

What did I learn this month:

I really can't tell the difference between Dovo red/black and CrOx/FeO finished razors.
I did not feel any improvement using the 200k diamond paste.
Not sure if I can make a judgement between the J Nat and Shapton 12k. Clearly I don't have allot experience with the J Nat
A side note is that this month my skills with a SR saw a big improvement, allot more consistency in low irritation close shaves.

So...... next months focus:
J Nat Vs. Shapton 16k

QCS Vetiver
Etsy silver tip
Woodhead scuttle
Feon 172
PRC strop
Speick AS
L'Occitane ASB
Chanel Coromandel

General announcement: since February has 29 days, I will start the new thread around midnight tonight. Lots of great stuff this month! See you all in a couple of hours with my Shave, wrapup and a new thread for a "focused February"!



@RaZorBurn123

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Pre: Hot Shower, Sterling Pre-Shave Soap, Chatillon Lux Pre-Shave Butter
Soap: TSD 2X Iced Barbershoppe
Brush: Elite Razor TGN Super
Razor: Gillette Aristocrat
Blade: Feather #1
Post: Alum, Witch Hazel +Menthol, Whipped Shea Butter, Fine American Blend

January 31

Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed (Z3)
Feather (3)
Kent BK8 silvertip badger
TSD unscented
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine Platinum

Finishing January on my feet!

Razor - Mongoose
Blade - (4)
Brush - BoS Omega 10066
Soap - Proraso Green
Post - Cold rinse, Alum, Nivea, The Veg

Another day with the Mongoose and Pro blades. Having used this razor as much as I have this month I can honestly say I like it. But, I don't love it. Not sure how to explain it, exactly, but somehow I just don't prefer it necessarily over DE. It may just be because it's SE and, while I like to use a Gem or Schick every now and then, I really do prefer DE shaving. And, with my work with straights over the last several weeks, I really came to appreciate the level of technique required for straights as well as the results that were beginning to show. So, the Goose is indeed a very nice razor. Certainly one of the finest examples of SE, especially modern SE, but not something I can't put down.

Having said that, today's shave was again a great DFS in two passes and touch up and a good way to finish the Mongoose portion of January. Tomorrow I'll give the Rabbit a last use for the month as my hands have settled down now. Then, February and a new month of focus and work. Still deciding my exact course of action.

A huge thanks to @Rufus T. for the loan of the Mongoose. Glad to have had it around for a bit. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Nice focal distance! Makes the chrome really explode visually.

30 January 2016

Day 30 - 90 Day Intro to SR



Ralf Aust 5/8
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic
Route 66 - Lumberjack
Alum
TSD ISZ AS under Pinaud Clubman

Best straight razor shave yet!

Have a superb Sunday!

​

Still working on a wrap up, but, as promised before midnight arrives:

February '16 - 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion Thread

The Intro does contain new material. If anyone spots errors/omissions....PM me! Thanks in advance...

Thank you, Chris. Beginner's luck, for sure.

1/31/16

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



Back to my primary setup for this month with the exception that I gave the Supermax Super Stainless another try.
2 passes with average reduction followed by moderate touch up. After doing a cool water rinse, I embarked in a more determined effort to catch the baby. As I mentioned yesterday, this blade isn't as efficient as the GSB or the Rapiera SS. Even with multiple passes in my trouble spots, I still wound up with a near BBS. It actually behaved similar to the Lord Platinum class. While the Lord wasn't able to give me a BBS in the Phoenix DOC either, it did a great job in the other four razors I used it. Perhaps one of my other razors will like the Supermax.

A comfortable near BBS from the Phoenix DOC loaded with the Supermax Super Stainless despite the heavy touchup needed. The Clubman didn't sting as much as I expected and settled down quickly. The Vulfix Super Badger is a great brush and I had enough creamy MWF lather remaining for another couple of passes.

I hope everyone has a nice Sunday.

It will be a No Shave Sunday for me today, as I am still fairly smooth after yesterday's great shave. It has been a great first full month dedicated to straight razors. I have definitely gotten better at skin stretching, which has improved my straight razor shaves significantly, but should also help with a safety razor. I feel I have also made improvements in my angles, and in general the razor feels much more natural now. I am now able to get close to a CCS on a single pass fairly consistently, which has helped on work mornings. If I work in a second pass, it is very close to BBS results.

A few of things I have found: 1) a straight razor shave just seems to last longer for me. I am not sure why, but it seems that I can go much longer on one of these shaves. Maybe this is related to the winter, so I continue to watch this. Second, stropping fast doesn't help. I got a few nicks (minor) in my strop by moving too fast. Even when I seem to get a rhythm going, if I don't focus, I still nick the strop a bit. I have also learned that I still have some improvement needed on my lather. I did make some progress, but still have my lather drying out a bit. Dividing my face into three parts (left, center, and right fields) has helped, but there are mornings where I don't need to worry about and others that I have some problems.

All in all, it was a great month. I really enjoy the feel of a straight razor, and as @Drygulch noted, it is cool to say I shave in a way that 80% of men would say they are afraid to try. I am looking forward to continuing next month.

One more thing I have learned: I am going to have to step up my photo game. The pics keep getting better and better on this thread. I appreciate the eye candy!

Shave thirteen of my january focus. This will likely be my last shave of the month, and it went very well. While I have to admit that I'm champing at the bit to try something new, I must say that taking a month to focus on one set of gear was very useful. On this last shave, I was on the third use of my Astra blade, and I was going to go out to dinner with my wife, and so I wanted an extra smooth face. As a result, I may have tried too hard, which left me with a slight case of razor burn, and one tiny weeper at the corner of my mouth. Nothing that alum and aftershave didn't take care of, but I think this might be the last nugget of wisdom I will take away from this focus; I will pay a little more attention to how my skin is feeling during the shave, and a little less attention to removing even the slightest hint of beard.

Still, it was a marvelous shave -- the idea of a similar focus now and then on my own seems like an effective tool for solving the little problems that evolve over time.

I learned something important today.
I donate plasma every Sunday and have to check in with no fresh wounds. You guessed it, I decided to shave with a square tip straight this morning. I nicked an earlobe and a cheek with the tip. After much hand wringing and an examination by an RN, I was cleared for donation and am posting this from the chair. Maybe I should do my straight shaves after donating
SOTD
Route 66 Sweeney Todd
Omega Boar
Otto Deutsch Hans
Alum
Ogallala Bay Rum
Have a wonderful Sunday!

January Recap

My setup for the past two months has included Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed (Z3, my Bride's birth quarter) loaded with a Feather blade. I've varied my brushes, soaps, creams, and aftershaves. My goal was to work on my two-pass shave technique, minimize the need for touch-ups, and still get a near-BBS shave.

My shaves with the Super Speed have been fantastic, and it could easily be my "one and only" razor. I have found an ATG first pass followed by an XTG second pass provides me with the best results. I really concentrated on the quality of my lather and on properly stretching my skin, and it made a noticeable difference. For me, two passes is a nice balance between enjoying the traditional shaving ritual, getting a wonderful daily shave, treating my skin well, and not taking too much time in the morning. I've particularly enjoyed some new soaps and aftershaves during that past couple of months. The standouts for me have been the Route 66 Lumberjack soap and the Derby City Chop Shop Small Batch Shave Tonic. And of course, the cookies were fresh-baked and plentiful.

I invested a bit more time in my photos this month, and that was a lot of fun. I'm inspired by all the talented photographers here on The Shave Den.

I want to thank everyone for the help and encouragement. I have so enjoyed following everyone's shaving journey this month. You all have truly helped me, and your friendship means a great deal. The Dark Siders provided me with some great insights, as I prepare to use a traditional straight razor sometime in February. A big thanks to Chris for continuing to be our gracious 30 day host.

One day, I hope to be among the great men who have mastered the two-pass BBS shave.