January 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Congrats on the great start to your focus Randy.

You are off to a great start Dan. The bowl is just stunning.

 

Thank you Dan.

A broken in Omega boar is really hard to beat. Even though my Zenith was much softer from the first use, it has never been as nice as the Omega.

 

What a great photo.

 

Thanks very much Jared.

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Thanks, Andrew!

I did shave my neck too. In fact, I did better on the neck today than yesterday. Just had to go very slow. Thanks, John!

Thanks, Jim!

Thanks, Clint!

Thank you, Jared. Glad the cold snap broke for you today. It got up to the mid-30s here today. Felt like spring compared to what we've had.

 

- Parker SRX W/Polisilver (1)

 

Great lineup and photo Jared. Whar do think of the shaving cream ?


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Jared, that's a cool-looking razor!

 

That's a great shave! Love the Speick cream. Great stuff.

 

January focus

This month I am going to compare my two finishing stones, a Shapton Glass 16k and Suehiro Gokumyo 20k. I am not honing master so I prefer synthetics, both these stones have been quick, easy and delivered excellent edges. I round up some of my straights where I have similar pairs to do the test. I have various grinds and steels in the test so late the games begin.

The razors I am comparing:
Mastro Livi Grifetto 2
Koraat 2
Dovo 2
J West 2
PRC 2
Wosty & W&B

 

First results of the finishing stone face off:

The only difference between these Dovo razors is the steel, one is carbon and one is stainless. I have never been able to tell the difference in the steels. Both these razors have great geometry and have always been easy to maintain and take great edges. I used the same soap and similar brushes for the test.

Both blades were very smooth, I rate them identical in smoothness. The Shapton 16k seemed to deliver a slightly sharper edge. This round goes to the Shapton Glass 16k, but it was very close.

Irritation A+ Closeness A Smoothness A+ Sharpness A

Razor: Dovo Masters (G20)
Stop: T Miller
Brush: Shavemac silver tip
Pre: Proraso
Soap: R66
AS: Spieck AS, L’Occitane ASB
Scent: Chanel Antaeus

Irritation A+ Closeness A Smoothness A+ Sharpness A

Razor: Dovo Bismarck (S16)
Stop: T Miller
Brush: Thater silver tip
Pre: Proraso
Soap: R66
AS: Spieck AS, L’Occitane ASB
Scent: Zoologist Rhinocéros

 

January 2, 2018

Razor: Pre-War Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Dorco ST-301 (2)
Brush: 30DC LE/Pure Badger
Soap: Williams
Post: Alum, Listerine, WH

Second shave with the Pre-War Tech and Dorco Platinum blade. Definitely smoother than yesterday's shave but this combo has a lot of blade feel. Overall, a near BBS with no issues. My plan for next time is to try the Dorco in the English Flat Bottom Tech.

 

GAWD you folks is chatty.

Random is more fun.

I very rarely comment on a picture...but that is beautiful.

That is molesting a Schick. We have bricks to throw for that!!

I have seen people use cotton balls. Drag them over the face different directions with a day or so growth. Then you go against the grain the cotton should pull.

 

January 2018

Shavettes and Jeeves January!

January 2

Razor - Saiver Russian "Double DE"
Blades - (2) (2)
Soap - Jeeves of Hudson Street Bay Rum
Brush - Jayaruh #54
Post - Alum

My plan for this month was to start on the 1st with the Saiver Double DE then move on to the pain sticks. Well, thanks to dropping a mattress/box spring on my middle finger on my right hand yesterday, and catching it between the box and frame, I have a rather bruised and painful finger. Just the wrong touch and the pain hits and I jump. Well, I don't want to jump while using a pain stick. So, I repeated yesterday with just a brush change to the Jayaruh #54. I mentioned yesterday that the blades, especially the bottom one, are a bit wonky, though that didn't seem to affect the shave. I tried to get pics of both sides to show the "wonkiness". No, not Willy Wonkiness, blade wonkiness.



Yep. Typical Soviet engineering. Like I said, though, it doesn't seem to interfere with the shave. The biggest challenge seems to be the lightness of the razor and the extra drag of that second blade. It isn't uncomfortable, but holding lightly you can feel it trying to pull it out of your hand just a bit. Interesting feeling.

Two passes and some G-Slide just because and I'll be doggoned if the baby dign't show up. Surprise by that, but happy overall with the shave. This razor will fit in nicely with the rest of my Russians for some fun down the road.

Back to work tomorrow as I am transferring to a different store. I'm going to our busiest store in the District as the number 2. Nothing really changes as to what I do other than I answer to the Area Manager who also runs that store. She's been my AM for two years so no big change except I'll run the store, in reality, while she does AM stuff and we hopefully sell a lot more beds than I have been.

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I do not see much Valet love. So I will spread my own. VDH luxury with synthetic brush Feather SE and Classic Vanilla. Lovely.

If you have not used a Valet here is a video of todays shave showing off this great SE razor.

 

I was a bit surprised that Clemson didn't have a better showing. That's one fine program they've built there.

 

Welcome aboard! Don't worry about it if you wander a bit. Most of us are known for that as well. Your reference to the three year old after a pound of M&M's reminded me of the mother who came into the A&W I ran in Branson back around 2002. It was around 7pm and her son was about 3. She asked if our root beer had caffeine. Not, it certainly did not and I told her that. So, she said, it won't make him hyper from caffeine then. Nope, no caffeine high from our root beer ma'am. So, she bought him one. Notice she didn't ask about the sugar content, nor did I volunteer that. We made the root beer by hand back then, using 12 gallons of water and, wait for it, 120 pounds of sugar for the base. Yep. 10 pounds of sugar per 1 gallon of water. You can't tell me that kid slept at all that night.

 

Just my two cents worth, so I will probably owe you a penny. To me, pain sticks are a razor (folding or straight handle) that uses AC blades. Regular shavettes that use half a DE blade are just shavettes. The blades are what make the pain sticks that much more of a challenge. Those things are so incredibly sharp and a bit thicker and heavier than DE's that they up the challenge to avoid blood.

 

Excuse me while I clean up the Coke Zero and pretzels I was eating when I saw that.