My plan for July is going to extend past July. Well past. I plan to begin trialing blades and documenting in a formal manner the results from each blade. Its sharpness, smoothness, efficiency in reducing the beard, level of irritation....all the usual stuff. When I'm finished I should have a fairly detailed description of every blade I have tried. And I plan on trying a lot of blades. The current total I have listed is 109. And, I plan to try them in a mild razor, "normal" razor, and aggressive razor. So, three days per blade with three different levels of aggressiveness. To do this, and keep it consistent, I will be using a Gillette Slim. Setting 2 for the mild, 6 for normal, 9 for aggressive. That razor is not yet in my possession. It's somewhere over the Pacific on its way from @
Keithmax who donated it to the TSD Raffle. I was fortunate enough to win it. By using the Slim I can get the most consistency in different settings for all blades since it will be a single razor. Some of us had discussed this idea a couple of weeks ago and debated using the three Super Speeds - blue, flare, red, but the Slim should provide the same basic info with less hassle (and no need to buy a couple of razors so I stay out of trouble at home).
To maintain consistency I'm also going to use one soap. I haven't decided yet on that. It's down to two. Mitchell's or Tabac. It's a sacrifice to leave the one I don't choose on the shelf as much as I will, but I think it's best to maintain absolute consistency on soap. The brush will vary, as I think that has the least to do with the result.
Now, as to others joining in, it's simple. If you'd like to shave along with me, I would invite you to do so. The only thing I ask is that you use the same blade and in the same level razor I do on the days you join. In other words, if I'm using a Feather at "normal", then use a Feather in a razor like a Super Speed, or something else that's about average. If I'm using a Voskhod in aggressive setting, then use a Super Speed Red, or an open comb....something aggressive. And....if you join in on a shave or shaves, please share your results on the effectiveness, feel, sharpness...again the usual stuff. I will take your input and include it in my results. You don't have to follow along every shave, or any particular number of shaves, but it's something I invite you to do if and when you'd like. I'll be posting up the blades I'll be using ahead of time so you'll have time to acquire some if you want to join in.
After every two blades I'll take a day off to shave with something else. Just a day off to relax before hitting another six days. And yes, I totally get it that blades are subjective. Read my disclaimer below that I always have in my signature. But I would like to have a reference on all of the blades out there (well a huge part of them) for my info and hopefully as something I can help others with if they are trying blades or trying to narrow down choices etc. And, if it turns out I'm the only one who gets anything out of it then, I will be better off than I was before and the voices in my head telling me to do this will be silent at last.
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