April 2016 - 30 Day Focus - Recap
A month with my Schick Type F.
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I had searched out this razor for months after I had discovered how great injector shaves could be for me. Unlike other Schick / EverSharp injectors, the manufacturing of this type lasted only one year. So it’s considerably more rare than most any other injector just for that reason. Paired with a reputation for providing wonderful shaves, it made my commitment to No Buy ’16 easily tossed to the side when I found this one available.
My three weeks with the F were so very successful that I was able to vault it to the top of my injector faves without hesitation, nor the need to assess it for the full month. The first few weeks of shaves with various blades let me know immediately that the purchase was worth every penny, but the last week with a Feather blade surpassed my expectations.
Along with very pleasing aesthetics, looking so unlike any other injector, the quality of the shave was at the top of each of the qualifying criteria. Smoothness, handling and efficiency all scored high - and with any blade - though it floated to a heady peak when paired with a Feather AC Pro. Other razors have scored high but not in every category, nor with every blade.
At some point later this year, I’ll regret all the time that has gone by since I last shaved with the F, but alas, the fun continues as I must move on to other razors.
Needing only three weeks to assess the F, I was able to use this last week for a very quick assessment of the Schick G4.
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Reputed to be one of the more aggressive injectors, I used three different blades in the G4 that also performed very well. Once again the modified Feather rose to the top of the list. Four shaves with this razor (two of which with the Feather) left me very perplexed…
Will I ever get a bad shave with an injector? and…
How will I possibly be able to rank them all, with as many great shaves that I get from each one?
Tough problems to have!!!
Bonus Soap Review - Route 66
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Though I started out the month as part of the Arko Alliance on this thread, I received my first order of Route 66 soaps and samples during the last couple of weeks. So I spent the rest of the month sampling them.
When I first left cartridge razors and moved to this type of shaving, I thought it was all about razors and blades. But I soon recognized that the wonderful ‘face feel’ we get during and after shaves, does not just come from razors and blades alone, but to varying degrees from the “software” products we use with them.
As soon as I realized that part of it, I contracted a wee bit of the SAD. I then indulged in various premium soaps and creams and began my stroll down another rabbit hole.
Traipsing along that path, I ran into one smiling Cheshire Cat - @
Douglas Carey - who provided me with a very generous PIF of Bourbon Jungle soap from Route 66.
A winner!
It was so good, I went right out (violating No Buy 2016, yet again!) and ordered another full-size container (The Black Pearl) and various samples - (Perfect Gent, Sea and Citrus, Sweeney Todd and Barbershop Hop).
Scent
The scents are as pleasing as most any soap I’ve used and very close to my favorites from Saponificio Varesino. I’m normally a soft scent guy and as luck would have it, I managed to get exactly that out of all five soaps I ordered! The nuance and complexity of each one make each of them unique and discernible from each other. Now this may seem odd, but as subtle as they are, they seem to last into the day almost as long as their more bold kin, such as the Bourbon Jungle - whose scent, oddly enough, I’m finding intoxicating as well. (No pun intended - Ha!)
Lather
They all receive top marks for lather, cushion and glide. Face lathering with my favorite boars produced the immediate feeling of an imminent lather boom, followed by that wonderful moment when you realize you’ve nailed the soap/water equation as the lather goes from a drier soap consistency to full-on whipped cream lather goodness.
The great shaves I’ve had this month with my Schick Type F and very sharp Feather blades, must give some credit to the lather. The stellar glide was so good that I was zipping around my face like a teenager in his first sports car. (I wonder whatever happened to my Triumph Spitfire?) But that glide zippiness did tend to contribute to trouble now and again - which one should avoid when using ultra sharp blades!
Face-feel
Compares very closely with my premium soaps. During a shave, I worry about the last few strokes of each pass and their potential to be dryer than the first strokes of the pass. Once the soap/water equation is dialed in - this is not a concern.
Most refreshing is the length of time that the moisturized face-feel lasts after the shave. The clean, moist, non-greasy, fresh face feeling lasts for hours, nearly through the workday and that includes a few face washes during the day.
All in all, a fabulous soap formula that most should be able to afford even on a tight shaving budget.
Cheers!
RT
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