March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

What's the prize? #11

 

-Irving Barber Co
-Stirling Kong
-B&M Lavanille
-Proraso Green

I was in enough of a time crunch getting ready today that I was just going for a decent looking shave. I was very pleased to discover that I can do a two pass and touch ups in basically the same time as with a safety razor. And I didn't bleed. Ended up somewhere between a CCS and a DFS. I did switch the AS after I took the pics tho, cause I was headed to a pre job meeting, and I always think it is weird when guys who wear hardhats for a living smell like foo foo juice at work. Just sayin.

 

Keith will mail the winner some sort of fermented Korean food delicacy.

 

Ok. Then I pick 1-10, 12-15,18-20

 

March 9 (Thursday ) - SE focus
EverReady 1912 SE / Gem PTFE ( 4)
1930s Simms reknotted w/ Maggard 22mm black synthetic
The Eternal Tub of TOBS Avocado Cream ( croap )
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Aftershave

Absolutely superb lather today; rather ho-hum shave.

Did my usual diagonal passes but didn't attempt an extra ATG because my neck felt sore from yesterday when I went lightly over it WTG. I also noticed that I slightly reopened yesterday's weeper below my lower lip. Without the extra ATG pass or any buffing the result was a decent DFS with the baby showing a bit in some areas and other spots still a bit rough. The alum was warm especially on my neck. I used the Thayers aftershave anyway and ended up with a pretty warm burn.

Of the two 1912s I am using, I think I slightly prefer the Gem over this one. But so far I still prefer almost any of my rotation of DEs or injectors over either.

 

Synthetic Tourney Day 2:



The Stirling "Kong" synthetic is exactly what the name implies; a big ole hand full of brush. At 26x63, it looks big on the shelf and bigger in your hand. The handle is fat. Fatter than what I really enjoy, TBH. It is big to grip, and the near flat baseplate isn't uncomfortable per se, but isn't especially comfortable either. It is a heavy handle, and the weight is substantial but not over the top. It is decently made, with no mold marks or anything to subtract from its quality, and is polished to a high black gloss. As I have mentioned before, I am lukewarm on logos, and this one doesn't do anything for me in terms of the look of the brush. Neither really, does the Plisson type knot. It is an entirely subjective thing, but they are just lackluster in the looks department. So what I see is a utilitarian workhorse of a brush.

While the scores may not have been especially high in the aesthetic department, this brush is definitely a performer. It has a little more backbone than the Tuxedo, but thanks to the high loft it does not have a springy feel. It still gives some scrub, and the large size gives it a full feeling on the face. The tips are pillow soft, but whether it be a product of the type of fiber or the backbone, they fall a bit short of the Tuxedo in that department. I loaded enough lather for two shaves, and in synthetic style, it did not hog any of it.

So what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in performance, and while it isn't going to be in the money, it still posted a very respectable score tonight.

 

Day 2 J West, Gemstar brush and Castle Forbes

Yesterday I used to much soap to start so today I was moderate in my scoop of CF and still had enough lather for 5 or 7 passes. Now with very wet lather the edge was just super smooth today. I had a feeling this shave might be an epic shave. Final result, epic shave.

Irritation A+ Closeness A+ Smoothness A+ Sharpness A

 

With this cold, I could use some of that tea. Hey, this 6-passer could be my opening TSD video .

 

Beautiful razor and also a very interesting looking brush. Is it antler with some sort of endcap?

 

Razor: Maggard's V3A Head with MR5 Handle
Blade: Polsilver
Cream: TSD Monkey Farts
Post: Alum+Thayers Witch Hazel and some Col Conk Desert Breeze Lotion

So.... tonight's shave did not go as planned. To start it off I dropped my DE89 and snapped the head clean off. So there is one razor that won't get passed down. I was about to say F it, but decided to try the Maggard's V3A with the MR5 Handle I bought. Length wise, it is about the same size as my DE89. It is definitely heavier though. I was gripping it down by the base, below the bottom grip. And since I was already changing razors, I decided to live dangerously too and switched up the blade. I decided on the Polsilver that @wristwatchb sent me to sample. New razor new blade, I didn't have any problems with the blade. It felt just as good as my Astra SPs. As for the razor... well I'm not really sure if I noticed its "aggressiveness." It did its job, but upon closer inspection post shave I did a terrible job on my neck, something I didn't discover when I was doing my post shave rub down to see what needed touching up. I'll chalk it down to using a new razor.

We will see what Saturday or Sunday means.

P.S. - Is there an easy way to drill out the broken piece from the handle?

 

Keith it gives me a very close, comfortable, and efficient shave. It's light for a stainless razor (about 78 grams). It's somewhere between the BSB-1 and a standard gap Wolfman in aggression. Beyond that I'm a sucker for the (80mm) Darwin Handle.

 

Friday, March 10, 2017

Shavemac ATG LE Silvertip D01 Flat Top
Panna Crema Nuavia Verde
Asylum Evolution
Feather HS #3
Chatillon Lux Delor de Treget
Brooks Brothers 1818


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Sorry about your razor! The Maggard is fairly medium on the aggressive scale.

 

Yes it is elk antler with malachite cap on the end. I bought it a couple of years ago from Glen, @gssixgun. I think it has a TGN knot.

 

Thank you, it does look good.

 

Don't drill, you will loose the original threads inside the handle. I'd consider carefully superglueing a toothpick or matchstick to the broken stud. Don't get any glue down in the thread or it's going to lock up.

 

March Madness & Spring Cleaning!!

March 9

Razor - Feather SS
Blade - (3)
Soap - Stirling Barbershop
Brush - Semogue 620
Post - Alum, Nivea

The Feather SS is up again and I just transferred the blade from the Greager. It's instantly obvious from a look down the blade that the Feather is holding it straight and firm. Should be no issue here. Stirling barbershop and the Semogue for tons of lather and the first pass was quite nice and uneventful. I find that I don't have to think about how to work the blade with this razor like the Greager requires. Just the usual motions and grip changes and it's all good for a nice first pass. Second pass was equally good if a bit tricky just because of a couple of attempts to go ATG where I normally don't. No damage and the result, after a touch up or two, was DFS. Can't complain at all.

I'm not having an issue with the lip on the razor but I've used it enough to know the angle to accomodate it. Still not willing to say it really makes a difference in reducing cuts but I won't know that until I can compare to a DX head, which the Kai Captain uses. I'll have that in my hands in a couple of days to do some comparing.

Had some rain and thunder today and the bitter cold rolls back in tomorrow. Yep, it's March in the Lou! Never a dull moment with what the weather has in store! Hope you have a good Friday!

 

I still vote for it causing cuts.

 

I know. It gets so boring when you master the fun stuff.

 

In defense of the SS, it probably is only fair to remember that I was working it in with two other razors that have a more traditional wedge. If I would have done a stricter focus/rule for just the SS, I am sure it would have gone differently. But switching between them while still learning to shave was probably not the easiest path. (Or brightest)