A pain stick on day one (early). It's gonna be a great month!

The sinuses have mostly cleared. The scent was mellowed out a bit, but still present. No mosquitos accounted for, YET. Rest assured that they will arise with a vengeance. The Masters crowds have begun to arrive in town, so that's close. They will suck you dry of any desire to get out for the next week.

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April 1 (Saturday ) - already off Focus

Gillette Old Type Single Ring / Voskhod (1)
Alluminati Envy White brush
Arko
Alum

In keeping with personal tradition, after laying out a careful Focus plan for the month, I promptly tossed it out the window. A post in this thread reminded me that I had never tried the Old type Gillettes in my collection, so I pulled out two to try. These two puzzle me a bit. Both are in good shape, apart from losing most of the original silverplating. Both are marked with the Gillette diamond and Made in USA on the head and both are clearly Old type. One is a Ball End, the other is a Single Ring with the Nov 5 '04 patent date on the base of the handle. But neither is serial numbered. What's with that? Anybody have any ideas as to date?

Anyway, today I hauled out the Single Ring to try. I did use Arko, which face lathered beautifully with the Envy Shave badger brush. And I loaded with a Voskhod for a sharp, smooth blade.

The result was a great DFS shave. The razor was efficient but did not seem inclined to bite - no cuts, nicks, weepers or irritation and the alum was quiet. I was careful to ride the cap and to skin stretch. I would say the razor felt like it "could" bite if treated with disrespect but seemed fairly forgiving. I would place it at slightly less aggressive than the Fatip Grande but much more than a Tech. All in all a pleasant razor to use.

I will have to see how the Ball End compares.

One thing I did notice was that the razor didn't always slide as slickly as it might. I think the plating loss has affected it. If I keep these razors in my rotation, I would eventually want to get them either replated or treated by Delta Echo.

In the picture below, the razor I used today is on the right. The bowl is my normal lathering bowl, a horn quaich.

Nice picture, Keith. How is the DOC Evolution? I have the original DOC, and really like it. I could see adding the Evolution at some point.

April 1, 2017​

Cobra Classic​

Feather Pro (7)​

Brothers Bristles with Tuxedo Synthetic​

Fine Italian Citrus​

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The shave this morning was the end of the week and the last shave with this lineup. With a wet but well shaken brush I loaded the soap. Many people go by time or count swirls in order to get an optimal loading of soap on the brush. I instead look at the brush and watch the soap climb up the bristles towards the handle. This gives me a visual clue insuring the brush is well loaded with soap. Using the Tuxedo knot with its good backbone and soft tips makes face lathering a dream. I have found Fine Italian Citrus very easy to load and lather with good post shave feel. Since I had the extra time, I went with a traditional 3 pass shave that had the baby within reach. I couldn't help myself deciding to chase the little guy. A few touchups with skin stretching on the neck brought the baby home. Overall an excellent smooth shave without nicks, weepers or irritation. I finished off the shave with a splash of the matching aftershave for a great start to the day. I hope everyone has a fantastic Saturday.

It's April 1 which means - April Fool's Day!!!!!

Hey calling @wristwatchb and all the rest of the Calvin and Hobbes fans AND Bloom County fans - Watterson and Breathed have struck again. I thought I'd throw the first shenanigan up this month and share their genius new cartoon. And remember - don't believe ANYONE today. It could all be a joke and a trap!

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Day 6 of 30 days of Henckel straights

I did only a single pass again today with great results. I did manage to nick myself under the nose, which was caused by leaving lather on which prevented me from seeing the area where I nibble at the whiskers because I don't want to cut my nose off.

I am quite pleased in the ability of a straight to give such a good shave with only one pass. This is definitely a DFS, and wold be fully capable of a BBS with a second pass. However, I have not had much luck with second and third passes, so I am sticking with a single pass until I can consistently avoid cutting myself.

DIY Pre-shave Oil
ABC Face Lathered
24mm High silvertip set an extra 10mm deep
1 pass, WTG
Sampsons All Natural Aftershave Balm
4/8 Round Toe Henckel 89 1/2

Beautiful setting for your picture, Clint! You definitely have me wanting to try a Tuxedo knot now, too.

I wish I could like this 100 times.

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I'm certainly no expert, but I saw a few threads when I got my old type that indicated that ball end ones with no serial number are from 1921-1929. Mine is made in Canada with Can Pat Mar 7 05 on the handle.

I'll be in again for this month. My focus will continue to be what it has been for the past few months, which is rotating through injectors and SE razors. I'll be traveling some this month and will take some gear for that.

Either today or tomorrow I will use Arko and the Schick M Adjustable. But that's about all the Arko I'll use, most likely.

I want to continue to try and reduce my soap collection. Only one soap is close to being finished, and that's Proraso Green. I may try to finish it off this month.

Looking forward to a fun month!

Thank you Jim. I prefer the Tuxedo to the plisson style knots. It certainly exceeded my expectations.

Thanks. Maybe then the Single Ring is from the same period as well - towards the end of the time when they were made.

Nice to see some other old timers around. The patent date of '04 would be the first year they produced the razor though it was produced for many years after that under the same patent. Mine is a 1918 based on the serial number under the top cap. And it was packaged in the military kit meaning it was likely issued to a soldier, or was intended for one. Very cool razors.

Adjustable Arko April!

Arko + Lime EO, Burma Shave boar
1959 Gillette #195 & Voskhod blade
Alum, Witch hazel; lime & patchouli


Lemon Lime Arko? Yup. Loaded my slightly shedding BS brush from the tub of grated Arko Goodness. Couple drops of concentrated Lime Essential Oil in the suribachi. I was curious if the added oil might affect lather quality - only in that it became Lemon Lime! I was so pleased with the enhanced scent I forgot to adjust the Adjustableness of the Fat Boy after my WTG first pass. Full shave performed at Nine using a Voskhod of unknown uses or abuses. Alum swiped smooth as a Gillette Fanboi could want. Not having a lime aftershave made by any particular corporation I gave the Enhanced Witch Hazel a shake and enjoyed the alcohol burn inherent in the original juice. DFS and out the door for what ever the day holds.
Good Shaves Y'all!

April 1 SOTD:

Omega Boar Brush
Stirling San Antonio SS
Schick Type G3
Stirling Unscented PSB
Adidas Dynamic Pulse AS

It was a strong start to the month for me. This was a terrific shave, as the G3 was smooth and easy. The Stirling San Antonio and Omega whipped up a perfect lather. It pretty thick, but still runny, which is just the way I like it. The lather had a nice shine to it, and proved to be very slick. With this lather and razor, it was almost impossible to miss in this shave. Two passes and just a little clean up for a very near BBS. No irritation, and the Adidas AS put a nice finish on this great shave.

Today will be an active day. My wife is taking a much deserved day with several of her friends, so it is just keep and the kids. This is the first time she has been away from the baby all day, so it will have some challenges for us both. Another one of the dad's is having a BBQ, so we should have some fun. I hope everyone has a great day!

Fantastic write up and photo Jim .

Thank you, Clint! Hope your morning is going well!

Razor: Supply Provision Custom 3 dot head
Blade: Chick
Brush: That Darn Rob silvertip
Soap: Martin de Candre Fougere
Post Care: Thayers Witch Hazel
Alum
Osage Rub
Aftershave: Fine Green Vetiver

Amazing shave this morning. I used a small sample of the MDC Fougere from the soap pass around box and had lather for days. It has a great scent, protective and very slick; I can see why people like this soap so well. It's a shame it's not for sale anymore. Three easy passes for a BBS shave. I finished up with the Fine Green Vetiver and although I love it, it didn't match the complexity of scents the soap had. Have a great day folks!

Stunning photo!