Awesome setup Mark. I was under the impression that you had to use the Feather blades in the One Blade. Do you have to modify the GEM to get it to work ?

September 7, 2016- For The Alliance! Er, For Science!

Razor: Pre-War Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Generic Personna (1)
Brush: VdH Boar
Soap: Marvy + Glycerin

Today, we put the Focus on hold in support of @NCoxSTL's Grand Blade Trials. This is part of an excursion to try and explore the mystery of why the Personna Red (both and branded and generic forms) perform badly in a Gillette Adjustable set at '2' to simulate a mild razor. The purpose of the next three shaves is to see how the blade performs in a purpose-built mild razor versus the simulated mildness of the Adjustable. Today's razor is the humble Tech. Neal will be using a ball-end Tech (date?) and I will be using a Pre-War (Triangle Slot) Fat Handle Tech.

First impressions- mild though not as mild as with my FatBoy; moreover, the is feedback from the blade. Decent reduction on the WTG pass. Much more audible feedback on the ATG pass. Overall good reduction, though there is a spot or two on my neck that could be better. Face feel seems consistent with, though muted, from what I'd expect from this blade in the FatBoy at 4 or the Slim at 5. I'll call it a DFS- and say that it is definitely somewhere between the CCS from the Adjustable at '2' and the DFS+ from the Adjustable at '4'. I'm definitely curious to hear Neal's experiences with his Tech.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do have to report one nick (more of a small scratch) at the corner of my mouth. Totally a technique failure on my part as I put the razor down wrong during some buffing.

On a different note- Today was also a Marvy experiment. I finally figured out where to get some Glycerin (CVS in the skin care section), so I tried it today with the Marvy. Two drops on the puck before a long load produced plenty of lather with good stability and no need for pampering. This is somewhat frustrating... It's a bit like discovering that the worst food you've ever tasted is totally transformed with just a sprinkle of salt. Things to think about...

Tomorrow, is my wetshaving anniversary and the Personna excursion will continue with, ironically, the setup that started it all- a 60's SuperSpeed and the supermarket Israeli blades (same pack, even).

9/8/16 SOTD
Razor: Jacob Ray 5/8 Round tip
Strop: Drygulch Leatherworks Chromexcel Horse and linen.
Brush: Custom Aluminum with 28mm Ubersoft II Synthetic
Soap: Beaver Woodwright Queen Anne's Revenge
Post: Cold Water, Alum, Thayer's
Aftershave: Beaver Woodwright Queen Anne's Revenge

Today was the first time trying several things, including this razor, soap and aftershave. The razor is a Jacob Ray production razor, and was purchased as part of @Keithmax's den reduction. I was warned before I purchased it that the edge wasn't quite there, so it seemed a good fit for my focus of using only my own edges. Rather than sitting at my workbench to work on this one, I brought my translucent Arkansas stone and some honing solution to the living room, and worked on this while watching TV. I did several hundred circles on each side, then did sweeping X strokes for 40 minute or so. The best edges I have made have been on this stone, but it is very slow. This was the right way to get a chance to really spend time on it, but having a razor on my workbench allows me to see what I am doing a lot better. I did not take the edge to the microscope or ink the edge to check it. Unfortunately, this razor has some things going against it. The scales are big and clunky, and look like a premade set from eBay that don't quite fit. This is a pretty new razor, but already has uneven hone wear and an uneven bevel. My work on the Arkie didn’t get all of the bevel, but I got parts of it smoothed out. I need to research how to hone a razor with an uneven bevel to get all of the edge.

The soap and aftershave were a trade for another Beaver Woodwright/ Blackship Grooming Co. set I had and didn't like the smell of. Manufacturer describes the scent as a bright blend of Pineapples, oakmoss, bergamont, patchouli, jasmine and vanilla. I liked the smell, and my wife didn’t hate it, so I will call it a win. I did three passes on this shave, N/S, S/N, and side to side. Result is a DFS, with some rough spots on the neck, jaw, and chin. Some irritation too. Closeness B, Smoothness C, Irritation C, Sharpness B+.

Congratulations on the shaving anniversary

Stunning brush amigo.

Thank you Jim. Staying out of the reflection myself is half the battle in photographing the Cobra.

Andrew, the One Blade will use GEM blades without modification but they do not lock per se. You can take the spine off and make a couple of notches on the side and the modified blades will lock firmly in place. Manythat use GEM blades do not modify the blades and rely on friction fit to hold them in place. I'm not sure which method Mark @Boojum1 uses

Wednesday Shave

Brush- AOS Fine Badger
Razor- GEM MMOC / Ever-Ready 1924
Blade- GEM
Soap- Route 66 Barbershop Hop
Post Care- Crystal Alum
Thayers Witch Hazel
Stirling Barbershop

I shaved about 8 hours ago but I didn't have a winner from today's shave until now. This was a redemption shave since my last was less than desirable. First, the Route 66 is a dream to use, fantastic lather, protection and scent. First pass I have to say the GEM was more comfortable on my left side but the Ever-Ready shaved closer on the right. Second pass went to the Ever-Ready. By the end of the third pass I was dolphin smooth. The winner was to be decided by the alum however...complete silence on both sides. Eight hours later I am still BBS on the Ever-Ready side, slight growth in the GEM side. The Ever-Ready shaved deeper than the GEM so I have to give it the win. We'll switch sides Friday to determine a winner for this round. Have a great day folks!

I have yet to do any side by side comparisons with razors. Maybe I should try it one day! I'm also jealous of all you guys using Route 66. I haven't tried it yet. I have so many other soaps that I feel guilty buying any more at the moment. Of course I say that with a used soap on the way to me in the mail! Oh well.

Good review and post. Thanks! Nice picture also.

I feel the same way Perry, at this rate I will never use up ANY soaps!

I have really enjoyed these head to head shaves; same lather, same conditions...It really helps to see which razor works best. Also, you owe it to yourself to try Route 66, fantastic products.

Thank you Douglas!

Smells like a Drug Store SEptember!!

September 7

Grand Blade Trial - Alliance for Blade Science Edition (in other words, we're playing around a bit)

Razor - 1959 (E2)Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade - (1)
Soap - Arko
Brush - Semogue 620
Post - Alum, Aqua Velva Musk

Time to figure out these Personna Reds a bit. @John Ruschmeyer and I discovered, as I'm sure you know by now, that these blades suck at an Adjustable 2. Just don't shave well. Smooth, but no real reduction. Yet they are sharp blades which should make them perform very well in a mild setting. Since we suspect it has to do with the head design on the Slim and Fat Boy we decided to try three separate razors over three days. A Tech, a Super Speed and a Weishi. If they do well with the blade we'll know it's the geometry and design of the Gillette Adjustable throwing the data off.

I have two Techs and chose my '59 Ball End Tech. It's a birth year razor, same as my Flare Tip SS that I'll use tomorrow. The Tech is a very mild razor , even milder than an Adjustable 2. And, after getting the Semogue to again produce enough lather to drown a hippo in I went to it. First pass immediately differed from the Gillette Slim. It was audible. And, it clearly removed beard. Second pass more of the same on the XTG. And the third pass, ATG with Slides had me at a DFS without any further hassles. The Slim on 2 produced only CCS with both the Personna Platinum and the Generic. Very nice feel, very quiet alum, as it should be with a Tech, and that's that. Clearly this razor proved that a mild razor is not the problem with the blade. It's head geometry and/or the bend in the blade.

As a footnote, SWMBO looked over my shoulder last night as I was getting the razors ready to go and commented, without me even mentioning what I was doing, how far the Slim bends blades. And when she watched as I dialed it from 1 to 9 she also asked about tensile strength of the blade. She kept saying it looked like the blade was being bent unevenly in the Slim. I'm not sure I saw that but I found her kind of instant remarks on questions we have asked, and adding one on the tensile strength of the steel, as a clue that, yeah, we're on the right track. We'll see what the TTO design of the Flare Tip does tomorrow.

As I was reading this post, I was thinking, could the adjustable not be putting enough tension on the blade at a lower setting to keep it from flexing? The only place I had trouble with I my popcicle stick razor was were the course hair made the blade flex. It sounds like the tech had no issues, so if tomorrow's shave is good, you can eliminate blade gap.

Something to think about.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Major hint right there ol'buddy, especially given your track record...This one's a keeper!
Don't mess up this time!

SEptember 7, 2016

5th and maybe the last shave with the 1912 Gem this month.
I have three other SEs to get to with a possible “shave off” at the end of the month between my faves.



1-day growth, 2-pass shave (WTG, ATG)
GEM PFTE blade (5).

Today was a Good Shave (3 out of 5 stars) with this combo. That’s about the CCS level. I’ve had two shaves like this and two shaves that were sub-par (2-star). Fortunately I had one at the 5-star level (BBS). This indicates that I am capable of using this tool well, but I’m not consistent.

I’ve not met too many razors like this one, that IMHO require keen focus on both technique and tools.

My technique to perform around the chin area with this razor could probably use a month-long focus as I found it rough nearly every time. (I may find the time for that somewhere in my distant future, but for now I’m still in the “so many razors, so few shaves” stage of my development.)

I will never blame my tools for a bad shave (unless I get a bum blade out of the box or a damaged razor) but to me at this point, this razor is the first that I have met that depends so much on a smooth sharp blade and a certain “glide-focused” lather. My only 5-star shave came when my lather prep was perfect to provide enough glide when going ATG on my prominent chin where the effort was smooth. That coincided with the third shave on the blade - right after the “face-stropping” of the previous two shaves that seemed necessary to “smooth out” the blade.

Yet my only dilemma is that I could not replicate that third shave on the two shaves following it.

Hence my desire to revisit this combo in-depth in the future. (I hate when I come upon a tool that I cannot get consistently good shaves.)

But as the wiseguy New Yorker once told me as I was wandering the streets of NYC and asked him - “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”
He smiled deviously, and wryly said - "Practice my friend, lots and lots of practice.”

Cheers!
RT

Razor: BV-3 Injector (Notso Comb)
Blade: Schick (2)
Brush: El Druida Mopane 2 Band Badger
Soap: Route 66 Lavender Woods
Aftershave: Old Spice Fresh Lime

Another very fine shave tonight with these tools. Three passes and no clean up for this month.

Another great picture Doug. You are on a roll.