August 2018 30 Day Rule/focus Pix & Discussion

Fun report, Charlie!

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@wristwatchb , the guy doing the video on the Dorco 6 website was real good. Straightforward, nothin' fancy. Not like the whacko doing a Williams shave and saying he doesn't .ike Williams, or a couple of the clowns on the Local Gent site who used a few profanities(just to be "cool"-nothing about LG itself). I'm going to watch the Dorco man again. BTW, I'll still get another Local Gent-the overall soap quality is too good for me to let the clowns get to me.

 

That's a cool looking razor, Clint! Looking forward to your report.

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August 15th
Razor: Timeless .95 SC
Blade: Shark Super Stainless (3)
Brush: Maseto Finest
Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated
Soap: Shannon's Soaps Etherea
Stirling Orange Chill witch hazel
AS: Shannon's Soaps Etherea

Good evening, gentlemen!

Great two pass shave this evening! I didn't do as good a job on my neck tonight but I'm still calling it a DFS!

Slow improvement with my left hand but it is improved.

Have a great night!


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About the Trac.....I may give you a call sometime so you can walk(talk?) me through that "sliding" motion of making the blade meet the razor. Or attempt to, at least. I think I'll like it, too.

 

Thanks Jim!

 

Anytime, Paul! You'll get the hang of it!

 

Pretty picture, Jim!

 

Thank you, Jim!

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Makes sense to go with the blades you have the most of, especially if you are thinking about an extended Rule. As Bruce @FaceScraper stated - (barring truly bad blades) they all behave similar when your razor handling and associated techniques come together. Brian @mrchick noted a common thought about Feather blades; harsh on the first use but smoothing out for the 2nd and 3rd. I've given up counting uses. Instead I toss em when I feel that tell tale pulling with no hesitation.

 

Adjustable (Arko) Anything Goes and whatever else we decide AUGUST!!!!

August 15


Razor - 1972 (S2) Gillette Super Adjustable - Long Handled Black Beauty (9)
Blade - (14)
Soap - Stirling Sheep
Brush - Jayaruh #54
Post - Alum

Day 14 on the same Personna 74 and it's in the Gillette Black Beauty. Shave #2 in this razor for the blade but it's the end of two straight weeks. AND.....just to add a little challenge I took a no-shave night last night and that sets up a two day growth shave for a blade that should be long in the tooth. I grabbed the Stirling Sheep to let that wonderful mutton tallow give the blade a bit of an advantage and used the JR54 to load and face lather a magnificent lather. Seriously. Rod's sheep soaps are just that good. After the shave I squeezed out a handful of lather from the brush and it's truly amazing in its thick and slick consistency. It's far from baaaaaad.

Well, I wasn't sure what to expect but I can say I'm not totally surprised. However, I would say I'm pleasantly intrigued. After those two sentences I'm sure you need no explanation, but let's simplify. The shave was smooth - in spite of the number of shaves on the blade. A couple of times I felt a slight drag but no more than normal on two day shaves. I did not get the baby, but I did get a very nice and high end DFS. That's quality and good enough. I think a brand new P74 would give me the baby on this shave but I finally may have found a bit of weakness after two weeks. We'll see how it goes tomorrow on shave 15 with the usual one day growth.

​

 

I know a few others have answered but here's my two cents. For what it's worth. Probably less than a penny. My experience in testing nearly every blade known to mankind, coupled with all of the time I've spent working the technique trumps tools theory, has led me to the following conclusions. As long as the razor (otherwise known as the thing that holds the blade) isn't broken or defective, and you have solid and consistent technique, any reasonably well made blade will deliver a shave that will be acceptable at the least, and excellent at the most. Now, that doesn't mean some blades aren't better than others but what is "better"? That depends on what works for each individual. Some people value smoothness over sharpness. So, a Derby blade might be the best choice for them. Some prefer sharpness over everything else. Feather, Kai, Voskhod, and a few others come to mind.

When we talk about defective tools we also have to include blades in that category as well. Here are a few blades that are defective/bad/broken/horrible or whatever you want to call them. Flying Eagle, Tiger, Quick Tiger, and nearly every Chinese made and named blade you'll find. I would also personally add Gillette Rubie to that list but others love the Rubie. There's your personal preference and performance we talk about. However, the list of defective ones I just gave is pretty much a universally accepted "avoid these blades" list. Many of us have suffered to discover that.

If I remember what I've already read you've decided to stick with Astra SP blades for now. Great choice, in my humble opinion, as I always have those in bulk and use them for my head shave without exception (unless I decide to go pain stick) because of how well they perform for me. Get your technique dialed in then expand out a bit. Try some other Russians, some of the Treets, Bic, and whatever else you're curious about. You'll find they all have their benefits and some will suit you better than others.

 

August 15th
Travel SOTD
Prewar Canadian Tech w Nacet (1)
Palmolive SS
Semogue Boar
Thayers
Stirling Gentleman AS

Hotel shaves the next several days. Packed a few different software combos and brought the Semogue boar this week in an attempt to break it in a little more. It was a Shavey Award from @BaylorGator and seems like it will be a good size for a travel brush.
The Palmolive performed as well as it always does, and I had an effortless 2 1/2 pass shave finished with the excellent Gentleman. I’ve maybe had shaves that have been a little closer, but this is one smooth razor/blade/soap combo.
Have a great day tomorrow all!

 

Can't go wrong with that combo!

Hope your trip is productive and your travels safe.

 

Thank you for the music and nostalgia.

 

Missed this one, it is one of my favourite songs.

 

Fourth shave with the Persona 74. I am not keeping up with @Primotenore nor @NCoxSTL I am just at shave 4. I do 4 passes so this represents 16 passes. I always bin blades after 2 shaves and the most I ever get out of blade is 3 shaves (Iridium Super)

The blade is still there, smooth and sharp. The sharpness may have fallen off a tad but it is still good to go. An excellent shave.

Irritation A+ Closeness A

Razor: Joris Persona 74 (4)
Brush: Rooney
Soap: SMN
AS: Enhanced Florida Water AS, Stirling ASB
Scent: Creed Tabarome

 

OK, so first of all... Apologies for the colossal multi-quote - I just want to make sure I respond to the enormous amounts of people offering help and support with my new rule, and I apologise in advance for anyone I miss!

I will definitely do this! I have found that pushing an Astra to 4 shaves with my crappy technique led to a significantly poorer shave!

That's a cool way to look at it. Is it ever likely that I get a bad blade from Astra? Or is their quality control pretty good?

Thanks, Bruce. I didn't mean because it's a newbie blade... More to be able to justify to myself the act of buying/trying new blades.

After watching all of those videos on skin stretching and straight razor shaving, I can safely say that it is something I want to give a go in the future!

That's cool! Ever found a defective Astra?

I'm definitely always on the look out for products to care for my skin (on my face anyway)! I'll bear that in mind for when I get the irritation down the hard way! Thank you, Charlie.

Haha, I look forward to it!

Will do! Thanks.

I'll definitely stick with the Astra for 3 shaves then bin! Thanks

 

Thank you for such a detailed response. Yes, Astra, 3 shaves, bin. Thank you for the list of bad blades too! I'll stay away from those for at least the time being!

 

Random question... Does anyone know if @PanChango is still using his Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf? I recall he was attempting to use it for a year with the GEM PTFE SE blades!