July 2016 Blade Focus Bigfoot Focus

July 20

Razor: Bigfoot Shaves/Baili
Blade: Bigfoot Shaves/Devil
Brush: VDH Boar
Soap: Stirling MITA
Post: Cold water rinse, Alum block



Today I gave in to the peer pressure (I am looking right at you Neal @NCoxSTL ) and used the full Bigfoot Shaves combo. The razor yesterday performed quite well with the GSB blade. I was actually pleasantly surprised with how well the razor felt and how easy it was to use. Would I have the same impression from the blade today? HECK NO!

So I loaded the blade, which comes stamped as a Bigfoot Shaves Super Stainless blade.



The back of the blade package should have contained all the warning I needed not to use the blade (Notice the Manufactured in portion of the label). But what's the worst that can happen?



So I put the razor to my face and began my first pass. Part way down my cheek I stopped in complete disbelief. Did I put 60 grit sandpaper in the razor instead of the blade? Wow that was rough. I checked my cheek, no blood but also very very very little reduction. Took the blade out, turned it over (like that is going to help anything) rinsed it off good, put it back in and set out determined to finish the first pass (WTG on cheeks and XTG on chin and neck). Well, I finished one cheek and it let me know it was not happy. I took stock of where I was, and decided that I would listen to the little Ivan/Boris in my head and go forward with this blade instead of running away.

I managed to finish the first pass. By now my face looked mangled. I had spots that had reduction in hair. Other areas looked like they still had every bit of hair that they had before I shaved even though I know (and could feel) that I went over them with the razor. The areas of my face that the blade removed the hair, I am pretty sure it just pulled the whiskers out instead of cutting any of them. I rinsed my face with cold water and the cold water burned. Yep, that was it. I was done.

Butttttt, what if the blade could do better going ATG? Maybe? Ok, definitely not, but for some reason at 6:30 this morning the idea crossed my mind and I actually started the process. I did ATG on both cheeks. Fortunately (did I really just say that?) my face stung so bad that I guess my brain finally woke up and said no more. I immediately deposited the blade into my blade bank and grabbed the GSB. I managed to salvage the look of my shave so that I actually ended with a decent looking shave.

So I finished and rinsed off with cold water. Again, my face was already not happy. Then came the alum. High holly heck that hurt. My face was on fire, stinging and burning like crazy. Everything about my face was red, not just like mild sunburn red but like fire engine my face hates me red. I immediately grabbed the Nivea and applied . . . crapppppppp that was not helping. I contemplated the fire extinguisher, but instead I grabbed my wife's moisturizing aloe lotion and some more Nivea and put it on. My face now felt only like a small fire was ongoing as opposed to a massive burning blaze.

You know a blade has done you wrong when two coworkers at two different times asked if you were ok because your face was very red. One called it blotchy and like I had a bad fever and the other called it rashy and "like both side of my face got the stuff (not his word) slapped out of me." The worst part is that my cheeks are still tender to the touch and it is 7 hours after my shave. The blade was honestly worse than the counterfeit MEM blade I tried a while back and that thing was bad! Probably no shave for me tomorrow as my face recovers. I think I also need a day off to regain my common sense that should have told me to stop after that very first pass this morning.

Looks like the perfect ingredients for an amazing shave!

What's the worst that could happen?

So last Friday I was asked told I needed to be in the DC area on Monday for a special project. Once I got there, I got added to another project on the other side of town, so I spent about 9 hours a day working, and 2-3 driving around. I was also asked to keep travel costs to minimum and avoid checking a bag. Sigh. I went to the dollar store and got a two blade disposable razor. The rest of my travel kit includes a Omega Boar travel brush, with a handle that slides over the brush but leaves it open to dry a bit, Route 66 Black Pearl sample that I finally finished, alum block, Rose scented Thayers' witch hazel, and Pinaud Clubman that has been M-bombed to the point that the scent profile is different.

I shaved both Tuesday and Wednesday morning with this set up. First time I have used a disposable in probably five years. Rt. 66 is good soap. I made it a little thick to start for face lathering, then dipped the tip of my brush in water and it exploded into great lather, kept adding water until it was a little thinner. This is a two blade Dollar Store clone of the Gillette Atra, I think. I did WTG and ATG, two passes each day. I got SASs on both days with zero irritation. One of the things I love about wet shaving, and straights especially, is that the shaves last a long time. Two days between shaves isn't a big deal. I actually had a five o clock shadow both days with this. I didn't want to chase the baby because of the meetings I was going to I couldn't look like I tangled with a angry cat. (I avoided the Veg so I didn't smell that way either.) The other weird thing for me was on Wednesday night, as I was heading home my face broke out. Since I am almost 40, I rarely get pimples anymore, but I got 6 big ones on the areas of my face where I was the closest shaved. I will be taking a straight on my vacation starting tomorrow, so hopefully this won't be an issue again. I was hoping I might have a carry on travel solution, but no luck.

Not exactly cool here today. Well, it is in the house.

I'd take 101 with 36% humidity. 94 and 56% here and that's dry for us. Next couple of days will be 97 and 80%. Swim to work.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

What's wrong with Phoenix? Perfectly comfortable in July

Its where I grew up. Lived 28 years in AZ. I love most of the state, but am not a huge fan of the Valley. If you get 20 miles outside of town, the temps drop at night to the point where it is bearable. Phoenix was like that until the mid 80s, then as it got more developed and more concrete was added, the nights stopped cooling off. I am more adjusted to Kansas weather now, with highs in the 90s or low 100s, with just a little humidity. DC this week was a swamp. I am sure we will survive a week in Phoenix, but it will probably remind me why we left in the first place.

Also reminds me of a Jeff Dunham routine with Walter.



Relevant part about 3:45 into it.

Looks like y'all are trying to compete with Columbia. Our city's slogan is "Famously hot." This weekend it looks like 100 with heat indexes between 110 and 115 because of the humidity. Should be great for all the yard work I need to get done.

I had a feeling you'd enjoy this razor. It's a load to hold—especially compared to the stub tail—but the edge it took was really smooth & keen off the hones. A fine example of why folks love those old Sheffield choppers!

We are expecting monsoon weather all next week. It's been miserable this week.

Peer pressure? Me?! Never. Wouldn't happen. Much. I did have a good laugh at that write up though. No, not laughing at you. Well, ok a little. The picture of the blade wrapper warning that the blade is very sharp..........that is some of the finest propaganda I've seen!

Of course you were only laughing a little bit. Sureeee. I definitely do think something got lost in translation for them to call that blade Sharp. Rough, yes. Basically like trying to grind the hair off of your face.

Friday Focus Shave

I received a new Hoken Daishi Yasuki steel straight razor. I honed it up and took it for it's first shave this morning. Wow, I did not feel anything while I shaved. After the 3 passes I checked and found out why I did not feel anything..... It felt like I had hardly shaved at all, there was more than stubble than is normally left after just one WTG pass. Definitely honing failure. The edge looked good under the loupe and I thought it was cutting arm hair.

Fortunately my Cobra Classic was loaded and waiting. It stepped in a provided an excellent shave. Anyway here is a picture of my butter knife.

In the Good Old Shavertime!

July 21

Grand Blade Trial

Razor - 1962 (H1) Gillette Slim (2)
Blade - (1)
Soap - Arko
Brush - Wolf Whiskers Custom Silvertip
Post - Alum, Nivea, The Veg

Moving from South Korea to India on the next three days of the trial and it's the Zorrik Super Stainless blade. To say that this blade has negative reviews is, well, like saying it's hot right now in STL and a lot of other places. Haven't really found anyone yet who would recommend this blade.

The blade is made by Vidyut Metallics which is a part of Super-Max Corporation. Yes, the same Super-Max that produces their own branded blades. And, when visiting their website, I found no evidence of the Zorrik still in production. However, it is available, though more commonly in the Super Platinum than the Super Stainless. We're on the Super Stainless at the moment. More info on the company will be on my blog a bit later.

The shave wa, well, a shave. Mild setting on the Slim so little chance of any serious damage. And, I didn't do any damage but I can't say I enjoyed the shave. This blade is rough from the start. Now, not so rough you can't deal with it, but definitely the roughest so far. Not the sharpest in the bunch either. First pass was fairly ineffective and the second XTG didn't fair a whole lot better. The final ATG pass with Gillette Slide did get me to a barely DFS. But barely. Alum was pretty warm, especially on the neck and around the goatee. These dull blades just don't work well around the goat.

Overall, I'm not impressed and I'm more than a little concerned about turning it up tomorrow. If it was this rough on a mild 2, a mid 6 could be a bad morning.

​

July Leopard Blade Trials
Travel Week



Upon arrival, 100F, 96% relative humidity! Some things never change.

It's always quiet in Alabama.

Have a great Friday!

I am still trying to work out the economy of scale needed to make razor blade counterfeiting a profitable venture.

Thinking it's pretty big. That seems like a "fool's scam (errand)."

It's a cool butter knife!

Only 96%? Nice day in Alabama.