I want to confirm that a despined Gem blade will work. If not then I will need to expand the notches on the side of the despinded blade with a hole punch. It's not hard but takes a little more time. So I do several so that I have a stack ready to go. I have to take this step with my V2 SS Genesis or the blade will not lock in. I will take photos and write up the steps to modifying the Gem blades. I rarely if ever use the Feather FHS blades now.

Great shave Patrick! Looked up the WSP Blackbeard, 200 produced in 2017 it appears. Maybe they’ll do another run.

Very nice setup and shave Rick! Great report.

Nice Terry! Another Bay Rum day.

Very nice Jim. Cavendish I see. Hmm. Just a little nudge, huh? How’d you know I’ve already been on PAA’s site?

Good morning, gents

I decided to pay a lot more attention to pressure, and yes, i was probably using too much. I held the razor with my thumb and index finger, keeping my middle finger on the bottom of the handle, usually i use four fingers counting the thumb. Did two passes, got a CCS without irritation. Nicked myself once, bad angle of approach i'd guess. Wasn't the usual spot where i tend to nick myself (hair grows just all over there, very hard to go wtg). I applied tabac generously, very mild burn. I decided to skip balms and used the Nivea men creme, my skin was a bit flaky before the shave. Next month i might go with balm only, trying to find out the best post shave process for my skin. This has worked out ok, but maybe it could be better..

Have a nice day!

Yeah the AS is quite floral, to my nose. Never tried the soap, but i will at some point.

Thank you Blair . Only 200 eh? Maybe I wont load it like a drunken sailor today then. I want this stuff to last .

This would be awesome info Clint. I hopefully will have the 14 day trial kit with the Hybrid & Genesis by the end of the week. I like the Core, hoping the Hybrid shaves a little smoother, less plasticity feel with the SS head. Would be a great travel option, pared with a despined GEM blade. Not sure of buying into a proprietary blade system at this point. Over at B&B there’s a doom and gloom thread, some rationale behind it, but seems a bit of conjecture and drama too.

Thanks, Blair.
The nudge wasn't deliberate, I decided on this morning's shave and took the picture Sunday.

Great post Daniel! You got me to thinking about how I grip a razor now . I usually just pick it up and adjust my fingers to what feels right now that I think about it.

Good shave report, Daniel.

More great information Joseph. Thank you. Y’all have given me quite the list to research!

Great shave, Daniel!
I have noticed that I don't grip my razors, it's more that they rest between my fingers. For some reason I light grip seems to help me with keeping a light touch.

Thanks, Patrick! It felt like an easy way to use pretty much no pressure at all. My hands are on the larger side, don't know how how uncomfortable it would be with smaller hands. But if something feels right, do it!

Thank you, Joe!

Thanks, Jim!
Resting between fingers would be probably closer to reality in this case too. Just enough to hold the razor, no more.

It’s all good. I rarely plan shaves out that far. Sometimes plan the night before. Image done daily right after shaving. Today’s not that day. USPS has my shave gear....

I have some stuff showing up today myself. Tomorrow's SOTD pic will be taken after work this evening. I won't have the light for my after work pictures for much longer.

Very nice image and report, Daniel! Great progress and thoughts working through your shaves.

Thank you, Blair!

Exactly! I think we all tend to look for the sweet spot where the razor balances itself in the hand. I dont have a preference to long or short handles even though my hands are larger .

Wonderful B&W photo Daniel. You are making real progress in mastering the technique.