Very interesting. You and I must have very similar preferences in brushes. The top 4 were my picks as well.

What are the signs that I went too far and broke the lather?

This lather remained in this state for a long while after I shaved and even when I was washing it out of the bowl it almost was resistant to rinsing out and stayed like meringue floating on the water.

I was thinking about it last night, and if I only had those four, I would be quite satisfied. Large, small, soft, scrubby. I think it is a pretty solid core.

I am really starting to love the Simpson Synthetics. I never thought a synthetic could top a badger for me.

I felt the same way about synthetics but now I have 2 Simpson CH2 Synthetics. It is the only synthetic I have tried that begins to feel like a dense badger brush. Your review of the Duke 3 synthetic has me interested in that one as well. I just wish Simpson would to a synthetic in the M7 or Captain 2 handle.

It looks foamy in the pic. This is all preference of course, but I want my "lather" to be almost gloopy; with just enough body to be able to put it on thick, but not quite enough to hold a peak. If I scoop out of the bowl and it forms a peak on the brush, within a few seconds I want that peak to be starting to fold itself over. That texture combined with a shine that will reflect in a photo is what I look for every time. That is where I find the soaps I use to be their slickest. One thing I don't want to see is bubbles. Volume doesn't equate to density. If it wasn't dissipating, then you didn't break actually break it, so it was something of a bad assumption on my part, but it definitely looks like it has too much water in it. I don't find Arko to be as slick as Stirling (to use an example you are familiar with) or other the soaps I use, but it is darn good stuff. Certainly slick enough that I don't feel like it is lacking.

Everybody has their own preferences. I see a lot of people mix their lather a LOT stiffer than what I do. It just takes some shaves to learn a new soap, and figure out how you want it to be.

There's no such thing as to much coffee in the morning!! I prefer mine in an IV drip where available.

The idea of a single cartridge lasting a full month is interesting, if probably unrealistic. It would almost make a good focus in itself.

Here are a couple of shots.

Gillette is trying to push their Fusion carts as being able to go a month or more as well. I've never had any cart last nearly that long in the past but it's the only thing they can do to try and compete against Dollar Shave Club. I am tempted to give the Tough Blade a try, just to test the claim and see if it's as big a hunk a junk as I suspect. They have them marked down at Walgreens to $9.99 which is still probably too much but better than $19.99.

Interesting... it almost seems like what you would get if you made an SA-109 clone with Slim aesthetics.

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is well. I'm back after a few days of R&R with my beautiful Bride in the Southern Caribbean! I'll eventually get back in the swing of things and share my tropical Trac II update.

I missed April Fools Day, but I'll more than make up for it with shenanigans and Tom Foolery as we go along.

It's good to be back!

It has a look that sort of crosses the Slim and Black Beauty. There is also the Russian "Ideal", which is closer to the Black Beauty and, I recently ran onto the Rubin, which is more of a direct clone of the Black Beauty. The main difference in the Consul and Slim is the feel of the mechanism and the blade gaps. The Russian is more aggressive and it's a little cheap feeling when you dial up the setting. Not as tight or smooth a feel to it. The quarter turn lock down that the Gillettes have is also different. It's more of a half turn that feels like it might snap off, but it finally snugs and you're done.

April 2, 2017
Wolfman WR1 OC
Feather (1)
Doug Korn DK7 with Druida Manchurian
Nuavia Rossa


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A start of a new week brings about a change in hardware and software. The razor for this week is the Wolfman Stainless Steel WR-1 Open Comb. This razor has the standard blade gap of 0.61mm. The blade feel is very similar to a Slim on 5 or 6 but smoother. While not my most efficient or aggressive DE, I find it to be more more efficient than a Slim on 9. If I had to narrow my razor collection to 1 razor this would be the one that made the cut. For my uses I find it to be a near perfect combination of smoothness and efficiency. The brush for the week is a Doug Korn Dk7 handle with a Druida Manchurian knot. The DK7 is Doug's take on the classic Simpson M7 handle. I would characterize the Druida Manchurian knot has having a great deal of back bone with little to no scritch. The knot releases lather exceptionally well. In fact it releases it so well I feel I have to overload the brush to have enough lather for 3 passes and touch ups. The soap for the week is PannaCrema Nuavia Rossa. Nuavia is a premium vegan soap in the same league as MdC. Nuavia is a softer soap with very pronounced scents. In fact the maker recommends using the remaining soap from the brush as a post shave balm and aftershave. After I complete the shave I remove the lather from the brush and rub on my face leaving it on while I clean up the sink area. A cold water rinse is my only post shave when using Nuavia. The Rossa scent has a strong base of amber and musk, with sandalwood, patchouli and tobacco top notes. The scent strength is very high and lingers for hours after the shave.

With the introductions out of the way, let's get onto the shave. The DK7 whipped up the Rossa easily into a slick lather. The scent of the Rossa is intoxicating. Even my wife commented on how it scented the room. The Wolfman with a fresh Feather felt so small and easy to maneuver compared to the bigger Artist Club Razors. I decided to go with a traditional 3 pass shave, WTG, XTG and ATG, followed by some touch ups. I paid particular attention to my trouble spots stretching the skin as required. After 3 passes I was so close to the baby that I had to chase it. With minimal touch ups I did end with a BBS. If not for a small weeper on my neck it would have been the perfect shave but I really could not expect much better. I hope everyone has a fantastic Sunday.

Welcome Randy @BaylorGator!
There are Rules, then there's Focus, but if you choose you can go full on Anarchy. We're easy here at the 30 Day Club House. The idea of sticking with a setup for 30 days is to eliminate hardware as a variable. When someone spends a month working with their gear and their shave improves; Technique Trumps Tools.
Feel free to adjust you equipment as you see fit. You can call it a Blade Focus; Keeping all things the same, but trying different blades is a valid scientific test. Just don't write off a particular brand of blade yet. Your technique is still in development. Some time in the future you'll try them again maybe with better results.
That was the Coaching portion of the program.
Here come the cheerleaders...

Hope you had a famtastic time. It is good to see you back.

I think that is my favorite brush that you own. The color of it is stunning, and the DK7 is the perfect style. I wish I could afford to have one turned for a whole variety of knots.

Sounds like you have an excellent rig there for a 30-Day Rule or more informal Focus. The Superspeed is a good, solid razor that manages to be mild, forgiving and efficient all at the same time. Perfect for learning technique with as you can get good shaves without nicks almost right from the start. The Astra SP is a blade many people like as both it is consistently both sharp and smooth. And TOBS makes great shave creams. Very easy to lather, excellent protection and pleasant scents too. Which one do you have?

It would probably be a good idea to spend the entire month just using that same setup. With nothing changing, you can really focus on technique, find what works, and then drill that into your muscle memory. Then, with your techniques set, you can play around with different blades, soaps or creams, and razors. I spent my first month doing a Rule (in October) and it really paid off for me.

The three shaving techniques that have made the most difference for me are Riding the Cap (there's a thread about this), using light pressure (which turned out to be lighter than I originally thought possible), and skin stretching (pulling it taut with my offhand).

Welcome to the Crew and enjoy your shaves!

Thanks Jared. We had a great time, but it's good to be back!

Reminds me of Group hug time.

Welcome to the thread!