True, catfish don't have teeth, but when you try to noodle one out and come up with a snapping turtle on your hand....

I find the Palmolive Menthol cream more heavily mentholated than Proraso Green, for what its worth.

Adjustable (Arko) August!!!

August 2 - Grand Blade Trials

Razor - 1962 (H1) Gillette Slim (3)
Blade - (1)
Soap - Route 66 Sweeney Todd
Brush - Jayaruh #46
Post - Alum

And we're off and running with the Trials again this month. I'm waiting on a couple of blades to arrive in the next day or two so in the meantime I'll pick another blade from Lord in Egypt. The Rainbow is a Super Stainless blade and we can at least say its wrapper is colorful. Not sure what else we can say until we give it a try.

For this blade I'll be using the Route 66 soap and for tonight's shave the JR46, which produced its usual phenomenal lather from the load off the puck. Of my three synthetic brushes, the Maggard knot is still my favorite, followed closely by the Tuxedo, then the West Coast Shaving knot.

In addition to having a colorful wrapper, the first run with the Rainbow on the mild 3 of the Slim also proves it has a lack of sharpness. Pretty "meh" feel to it. Reduction was less than optimal but I still managed a DFS in two passes and touch up. Nothing close to the baby but better than I thought it would do. No dragging or other problems, it just doesn't cut like a sharp blade. Definitely not dull, but not sharp. What do we call that, "darp"? "Shull"? I'm hoping it may improve as we dial up to 6 for tomorrow's shave. This may be yet another less than sharp blade that improves with aggression in the razor.

Otherwise, no issues and the alum was quiet. Can't complain about the shave, it just wasn't exciting. Which, actually, is probably a good thing if I think about it long enough.

I ordered the QShave version today, including the nifty little stand with it. Faster boat from Michigan, though I don't mind slow boat deliveries. I have used the Russian version plenty of times along with the China boat a time or two.

I broke down and ordered one today, including the stand just because the price was right.

Adjustable Arko August 2017
Day 2


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Been a while since I've used a DE safety razor for three straight days. Check that dial...it's on @wristwatchb reccomended setting of six! What this translates to in terms of technique is a slight adjustment in presentation angle, and also resisting the urge to add pressure to a milder geometric setup. Stuck with the two pass today, and really tried to get a "feel for the edge" on six. Decent and irritation free shave followed, though I was focusing on technique and not chasing at all. Alum was good, Osage is good if you don't get nuts with it, and will toss this blade and start over tomorrow! Today it was 90F, tomorrow--maybe 71F. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Go out and get it.
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I get great lather but.....I also overload to do so. With a synthetic it hasn't eaten through as much as a board would, though.

The last guy to get nuts with the Osage suffered the consequences......and the continued mention of that unfortunate episode. As experienced here. Sorry about that @Drygulch .

Glad I could help.

That is a lesson we all learn at one time or another. My first time with loose doors was with my Gillette Flare Tip Superspeed. One of the mildest yet effective razors out there. Same issue - didn't check the tightness of the doors and only made it two strokes before drawing major blood. I hated to admit the problem but I've never failed to check a TTO razor since!

I have no problems with it at all. It's a bit more work to get it consistent but there are a few tricks that make it work. My best tips are 1) Soak the puck. As in, cover the puck with water and let it soak it all in. It will swell to fill the soap dish it comes in. Then, get the brush a bit drier than you normally would and load it like you hate it. Beat it up. Seriously, load for longer than you ever have to get the brush full. Then, face lather. Works every time for me.

And, by the way - I stole that technique from @mantic off of his website, so you can refer to that if you'd like.

Shampoo or, I've used an equal mix of vinegar and water soak, then a thorough rinse under running water to restore several of mine when they get a bit too much buildup.

Better a snapping turtle than its prehistoric cousin that lives around here.



Alligator snappers are enough to make me think twice about wading in certain areas. Ugly devils too. Unless you're a female Alligator Snapping Turtle I suppose. Which, by the way, I'm not. (Just to be perfectly clear)

Are you sure that's not extremely stale fruit-flavored chewing gum?

Well, now that you mention it.......but I don't think I'll try chewing on it.

Animals found in Alabama that I feared as a child, ranked:

6) The occasional brown or black bear. We ain't talking Kodiak bears, but when you're seven...worth a mention.
5) Bobcats, rare...but noteworthy.
4) Coyotes, shy...but sound awful at night.
3) Wild Hogs. Scary, forests are dense...they are fast.
2) Snapping Turtles....ouch.
1) Venomous Snakes (esp. diamondback and cottonmouth varieties)

Yeah. I should have thought that one out aloud. Kinda like the time when some newbie asked where was a good place to store used DE Blades. My natural sarcastic person instantly snapped replied "Halloween Candy".

This kids....is how one gets profiled by keyword tools.

Sounds like a great family vacation Adam. Have an excellent time.

Gem OCMM
Gem SS (4)
Semogue BC Texugo
TOBS Avocado

Nice shave today.

Wonderful picture, Mark!

Beautiful brush, Doug!