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

Easily predictable.

 

Sorry about the accident. Glad to hear it was not too bad! At least you did not end up like Evander Holyfield. Tyson took a big bite out of his ear!

 

Thank you. One would think I'd lost an ear the way my wife has looked after me tonight..... I will stop milking it tomorrow.

 

February 2016 Focus -- Schick injectors

February 4

Razor: Schick Injector G Type
Blade: Chinese Schick Injector (3)
Brush: Stirling Kong
Soap: Stirling Gin and Tonic
Post: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel, TSD ISZ


Another good shave with the G type. I left my note on the mirror in place so I would force myself to remember no pressure. 2 very good passes with the razor and only needed mild touch-up along the chin. The blade really does work well to just slice through even a thick coarse beard with ease. I still did not quite get BBS out of it, but it was darn close. The blade is still plenty sharp after 3 shaves. I am heading out of town and will be using the razor and blade the next couple days. Hopefully I will get 7 without a problem and then I will be switching over to the Canadian E type. I understand it likely shaves the same as the G as the Canadian E are apparently about the same aggressiveness as a US G and not as aggressive as the US E.

I am also thinking I will order some Personna blades and if I get them by the end of the month, I will try to do a comparison between the two blades. Now that I seem to have the angle figured out and the lack of a need to apply pressure ingrained in my head, I am enjoying shaving with this razor.

 

Great pic, I am finding myself more and more intrigued by the schick injectors

 

It is a great shaver. The injector blade system really is a great system that keeps your fingers away from the blades. They can also be found fairly cheap, which was one reason I ended up with a couple. Found the G and E both as a combo at an antique store for $10. I think on Ebay they are not much above 10 usually. Cleaning is not as easy with the G as it is with a DE razor since you cannot really open it up. They made models later in their run (my Golden 500 is one) with a feature called Hydro Magic, which essentially is a lever that operates to open the blade area for better rinsing and cleaning.

 

I attempted to do a comparison but I disliked the personna blades so much that it was replaced with a Schick blade before the first pass was finished and then PIFed away before I could talk myself into trying them again.

 

I opened up my G type. Bent a screwdriver doing it but its clean and still works flawlessly afterwards.

 

February 4

Weber Polished Head DE
Feather (1)
Edwin Jagger XL Synthetic
Arko
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Fine L'Orange Noir

I enjoyed another wonderful 4:30 a.m. two-pass shave with the Weber PH and a new Feather blade. The Arko always provides me with a slick and protective lather. The scent is marginal, however, so I won't replace it when my current stock is gone. I went ATG on the first pass, followed by XTG on the second pass for near-BBS results. Last month's focus using the Super Speed helped me discover the ATG/XTG two-pass shave. The Weber shaves a bit closer than the Super Speed, and I have to concentrate more on using no pressure. I finished with the Fine L'Orange Noir and made it to work before the chickens woke up. We had another beautiful, sunny day with temps approaching 40 degrees.

I hope you all had a good Thursday!



Technique Trumps Tools...

 

Feb 5 Focus Shave 3

Today's razor is Dovo Bismarck refreshed on Shapton 12/16k followed by Dovo red/black paste.

The edge felt smooth and sharp. Four passes and not even the tiniest weeper. I felt like I nailed this shave and the alum confirmed very low irritation, just a small reaction. Faceturbating.... yes BBS.

Yesterday I used my Dovo Master's which shaves almost identical to the Bismarck but it was finished with a J Nat. During the shave the Shapton finished felt smoother but left a little more irritation. The Shapton edge felt sharper and provided a little bit closer shave. Hard to say was it the stone? lack of consistency in my technique? or the software? Either way both gave nice shaves.

Irritation A- Closeness A Smoothness A Keenness A

CF Lavender
Etsy silver tip
Big Woodhead scuttle
Dovo Bismark
Lucky Tigers AS
L'Occitane Cade ASB
Parcfum D' Empire Cuir Ottoman

 

I don't know if it first blood of Feb focus but definitely the best blood so far.

Hope the migrant is better.

 

Friday, February 5, 2016
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Soap: Mystic Water Jasmine
Brush: Druida D-7 Manchurian
Razor: King Cobra w Triad Aristocrat
Blade: Kai Captain Mild #3
Post: Whipped Shea Butter, Fine Fresh Vetiver

​

 

Great picture and beautiful razor!

 

No shave today which must mean I'm lacking focus.

 

My kids got a big kick out of that video. I had to play it for them several times.

 

No shave for me today or the past two days as it seems my daughter decided that I needed the same cold that she has. On the plus side when I do feel better I will be able to see how the tech handles more then 24 hours growth...

 

I just ordered some right before reading this so hopefully they treat me better! If not I guess they will have the same fate.

 

SOTD February 5, 2016
Focus day 5

Prep: Warm shower
Blade: Rapira platinum lux (5)
Razor: Maggard MR1
Brush: Badger
Lather: TSD Shave Stick unscented
Post: Witch hazel splash, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, touch-up

I fear my posts here are becoming boring. But I've been getting good shaves! Today's shave was no exception.

Nice shave this morning. This was the first use of a shave stick of any type and I have to say it was pretty cool! I needed a touch more water on my face before applying the stick and the brush probably could've used a little more water. It lathered pretty pasty and I dipped the tips of the brush and kept lathering. That helped but the lather dried on my neck a little before I got there with the razor. I'll get it dialed in with a little experimentation.

I tried the shave stick this morning because I'll be going on a weekend trip and wanted to see if it was feasible to take with me. The answer is yes! I'm taking a synthetic brush along as well (since they dry out quicker).

After a cold water rinse I spritzed some Fine American Blend into my palm with a pour of witch hazel and splashed it on. Then I finished with Nivea balm.

Nice CCS results on a TGIF. Hope you all have a great day!

 

I got one with a trade. It's a pretty nice one. I need to get some blades and try it out.

 

2/4/16

Gillette Old Type
Rapira Super Stainless (2)
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Pinaud Clubman Original



Another morning shave that I didn't have time to post.
Normal 2 passes with minor touchup followed by cool water rinse and a small amount of additional touch up. The Rapira SS was smooth everywhere except during the first pass in the same spot on my neck that gave me trouble two days ago. Second pass and touch up did not pose a problem. I suspect that my angle was off when I went over that area earlier.

Another nice comfortable near BBS. The MWF was nice, slick and plentiful and the Clubman stung only a little.

I hope everyone had a nice Thursday.