February 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

February 19, 2017​

Mongoose B2 with Triad Ti​

Feather Pro Super (8)​

Rubberset 400 #3 with WSP HWM​

Route 66 Rum Runner​

Captain’s Choice Bay Rum​

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Starting of a new week and some new items. Since I comfortably get 14 shaves from the Pro Super blade, the Mongoose will solider on this week. The soap of the week sees the return of Route 66 Rum Runner which is truly a stellar shaving soap. The brush for the week is a Rubberset 400 #3 with a Wet Shaving Products HWM knot. The knot is set at 26mm x 52mm with a huge bloomed diameter over 60mm. The knot has good backbone with moderate scrub and no scritch. Given the size of the brush, face lathering provides a unique experience among my brushes and adds to my enjoyment of the morning shave.

With the introductions out of the way on to the shave. Really the shave went as I expected. Route 66 soaps are super easy to lather providing a wonderful slick lather for the shave. Sticking with my normal 2 pass, XTG & ATG, routine followed by touch ups yielded a near perfect shave. With the time, I decided to chase the baby. A little skin stretching and buffing on the neck caught the baby without any irritation. A splash of Captain's Choice Bay Rum and I am ready for the day. I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

 

You sir, are going to build some lather this week.

 

It helps thin out the soap inventory

 

We need to choose the driver very carefully.

 

Not sure who should drive, but I found the vehicle.

 

Sounds like the old SNL sketch about the Bris in the back of a luxury car:
https://www.hulu.com/watch/2323

 

Jim, you have a way with a camera, I'm very impressed
But, come on now, let that face heal and crank that baby UP!

 

Nah! I tend to save words like "idiot" for much more deserving people. I've been at this long enough to recognize that YMMV is a real thing. It probably just turns out that my face and beard have the properties of a Russian woman's legs (or some such).

 

All razors in any moving car challenge shall be kept above the neck. Those are the rules.

 

Ah, that coulda happened to anybody. I'm one of the guys that doesn't shower before shaving. But, I use copious amounts of hot water on my face prior to applying lather and steel. Seems to work for me. YMMV.
I've found that the hunt for the right blade/razor combo is a lot of fun, especially with this crew of scallawags!

 

Nice pic Doug!

 

You are going to cheat and have someone else drive?

 

Well not if I have to give up difficulty points.

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I wasn't going to post this video, but you brought it up, Neal.
(Caution; parts of the male anatomy are named using scientific terms)

 

Great minds think alike Clint. I'll be using my Rum Runner tomorrow morning! With a brand new 7 o'clock Green in the Parker 99r I'm looking forward to a excellent shaving experience.

 

I'm not sure what was funnier. My assistants reaction when this played or the video itself. Now.....if he would use a real razor I'd be more impressed.

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You certainly have the ingredients for a excellent shaving experience. It would be hard to have a bad experience with Rum Runner in the mix.

 

February 19, 2017

Razor: Gillette New LC
Blade: Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus (5)
Brush: Cremo by Vie Long Horsehair
Cream: KMF fragrance-free

I was at Target yesterday and picked up one of the Cremo horsehair brushes. I've been curious about a horsehair brush for a while though I don't think I would have bought it if I hadn't had a couple of gift cards. The packaging says it is made from the finest Spanish horsehair which brings to mind images of Andalusian or Lipizanner stallions, though I doubt the source for this brush is anything so prosaic.

First impression: This is a small brush! It reminds me of pictures I've seen of brushes in vintage travel tubes. I'm pretty sure it would fit very nicely in a tall pill bottle. Lots of backbone but decent softness. Every once it a while, though, I'd get the sensation of being poked with a particularly stiff/sharp hair. I assume this will get better with break-in. Into the second pass, I started to get some odor of wet equine despite having taken precautions prior to use.

Good lather and a decent performance from the Rubie in the New LC for an overall DFS. I was pleasantly surprised to have no issues as my last couple of outings with the New LC and New LC-based Goodwill ended with some blood. I think the Rubie is getting a little tired, though, so it's time to retire it to the blade bank.

 

That "pokiness" from the horse brush is the tail hair. All horses have a certain blend of mane to tail. If it's pretty stiff I'd say you have a higher tail ratio. They talk in terms of 25:75, 35:65 and the most common is actualy 50:50. The first number is the mane percentage. I prefer a 35:65 and am still trying to find a good 25:75 to try. I like the "scritchy" feel though. The 50:50's tend to be a bit floppy though not always depending on loft and knot size.

 

Yeah, at least a DE! What could go wrong. Besides, if it did, Darwin would have struck again!