March 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion

jluc · Mar 4, 2020

jgreenepa said: ↑

View attachment 219655
SOTD Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Well, here I am, back again after a brief 6 day health blip with 6 days of whisker growth to remove. And ironically, the razor chosen for the job was my Rex Ambassador, my former nemesis, until Razor Emporium worked their magic and sent me back what to all intents and purposes is now an entirely different razor. So much so, that I found myself shaving with it every day upon its return. The Gibbs #17 used to be my favorite adjustable, but no more! Rexie’s my boy, and he sure knows his business. Back to today’s shave!

This being the first day of the month, I opened my new PannaCrema Nuavia Blu and followed their directions for bowl lathering, which is not my normal approach, but when in Rome! They recommend 3 grams of soap to 7 grams of water. I have the RazoRock 400 Special Edition Black Plissoft Synthetic here in the condo, and it did a spectacular job whipping up a very rich-looking, glistening lather. Which I then applied, following my customary cold water rinse, after inserting a vintage Polish Wizamet Super Iridium,

I set Rexie on 6 and had at it! My customary setting is 5 for my face and 3 for the noggin, but given the density and heaviness of the whiskers, I stepped up one level for that first pass. It was the right decision. 6 and 4 did the trick! Those old Polish Wizamets - I’m down to my last 70 or so blades - are amazingly smooth and quite sharp. Rexie swept through those whiskers like the Romans through Gaul. That bloodless WTG first pass left me at the DFS+ level. Amazingly, an Alum check revealed minimal, if any, heat, so I decided to go for it.

For my second ATG pass, I set Rexie at my regular 5 and 3 for an uneventful, bloodless BBS finish to the first shave of March. An adjustable razor is the perfect tool for six days of growth. This new soap has an incredible post shave feel. My post shave cold water wash with the Nuavia Blu brush squeezings left me with the same luxurious skin softness I have after a MWF shave. I do think I’m going to like this soap. I feel smooth, clean and refreshed.

RAZOR: Rex Ambassador (6,4; 5,3)
BLADE: Vintage Polish Wizamet
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: RazoRock 400 Special Edition Plissoft Black Synthetic
SOAP: PannaCrema Nuavia Blu
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by T.N. Dickenson’s Witch Hazel and finished with Fine Accoutrements Lavender AS Splash
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Terrific shave, Jeff!
So glad to hear you're back home!

Primotenore said: ↑

James.
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Thanks, Joe!

jluc · Mar 4, 2020

jtspartan said: ↑

March 4th
New Improved ‘Bostonian’ w GSB
APShaveCo Mixed/ Resin and Sapele
Soap Commander Endurance
Thayers
Barrister’s Reserve Spice
View attachment 219660
3rd day with the New Improved and GSB. Some Soap Commander talk the past few days, so I brought out my solitary tub. A good product, and this badger/boar mix produced a fine lather. This knot hasn’t completely softened yet, but is it partially Boar so that would make sense.
3 passes later, and I am quite smooth, although I do have some jawline/neck irritation with a small weeper. No idea why, probably just rushed a bit ATG. I’ll switch up razors tomorrow and spend a few days with another NEW.
I’m hitting the road early this morning for a series of meetings an hour out of town. Nothing overtly problematic, but it will be a long day.
Have a great day all!
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Pretty picture, Jason!
Safe travels.

Hembree said: ↑

ATT mini focus update.

Awesome shave this morning with the Above the Tie Atlas with the R1 plate and a fresh Astra blade. No irritation, weepers or blood loss. Smooth all the way! The more I use the Imperial soap the more I like it.

Next step is to remove the Atlas handle from the equation and replace it with the Kronos handle for tomorrow’s shave. If that goes well then I'll move up to the H1 plate. I love it when a plan comes together. Y'all Have A Great Hump day!

Jim @jluc how do you like my color coordinated shave picture?
View attachment 219661
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Love it!

blondblue · Mar 4, 2020

Happy with my shave this morning-featuring Stoylin's Blood On Steel(soap&A.S.). It's odd, but I just can't put my finger on a description of this particular Stoylin product. I've never had a "Bloody Mary" drink, but that is the only thing that would make sense to me-as we've seen other "alcohol-type" soaps&aftershaves out-including from Stoylin. To me, it appears meant for colder weather, but it's cover shows that it was a feature product at TSD "30D's" gathering last summer. To each his/her own, I suppose. But I was very pleased with the result today-no cuts, weepers, maybe a couple "nicks". 2 healthy passes. Nice fresh, soft, clean feel of a Stoylin shave . Most Excellent.

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

Trigger said: ↑

March 3
Good evening guys!
I normally wait until tomorrow to shave, but I am shaving this evening in memory of my mom who would have been 90 today.
Shavette shave #144
Jayaruh Silvertip #386
Parker SRB
Rockwell 1/2 DE Blade (6)
Stirling Coconut and Lime SS and AS
Tonight, I decided to do a headshave as well as a face shave.

Face Shave: Bloomed the soap and used the water as a preshave. This is the second time I used the JR 386 and it is a lather machine! It really whips up an excellent lather. On a 30 hr growth, 2.5 passes gave me an IBSS++(VBBS) without blood loss and without irritation. Applied the matching aftershave to finish this nice face shave.

Headshave: Reloaded the brush and it really gave me a nice lather once again. Did 2 passes and got an DFS/IBSS but the blade was getting dull so I binned it and decided to clean up with my Model 6 C. Again, no cuts and no irritation occurred. It amazed me because I haven't shavette shaved my head for months. If I had a fresher blade than I would've gotten an IBBS++. I don't like using new blades for a shavette headshave because of the higher risk of injury. Anyway, finished the headshave with the Stirling Coconut and Lime aftershave. I am glad that my memorial shave for my mom was a great one. Have a great evening and Wed morning guys! View attachment 219631 View attachment 219631
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Nice shave, Joe!

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

timabababaluka said: ↑

March 3
Shavette Shave #3
Got a surprise in the mail yesterday, from your favorite source for blipvert-free news and mine, Bill @Edison Carter : a surprise that is going to signify a change in cast for my March Madness rule--the Focus R21 Shavette.

Gear

Razor: Focus R21 Shavette

Blade: Personna Blue (1)

Brush: Stirling Kong

Soap: Soap Commander “Drive”

AS: Clubman Original

Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented

View attachment 219633

The Shave
I stuck with just two passes today and almost no touch ups. First pass WTG, and the second pass a hybrid of XTG and AGT--whatever was easiest to perform for the particular area I was working on. Lots of skin stretching!

Got some good advice yesterday about focusing on technique rather than results, and I learned something almost immediately today: my last two shaves did nothing to help me learn how to hold the razor and approach my passes. I was too focused on getting things smooth to pay attention to HOW I was getting them smooth. And so I keep fumbling around with the razor trying to find an angle that worked. After today, I already have a better feel for how I’m holding the shavette, and I expect things will get even easier now that I’m more closely paying attention.

At the end of the day, though, results are an efficacious benchmark to gauge improvement. Today’s results--CCS with less irritation than yesterday, and one small weeper on the chin. Winner!

Thoughts on the Focus R21 Shavette
Pros
First off, holding onto this shavette is much easier than trying to hang on to my Utopia Care (UC) shavette. There is a slight tackiness to the paint that resists slipping, and it allows me hold it in a slightly more relaxed manner. The blade insert also covers the corners of the blade, so I am much less likely to nick myself because of toe/heel issues--as discussed yesterday, that is a mixed blessing.

Cons
Downsides? Covering the corners instills an unearned sense of confidence. Also, the R21 is considerably lighter than the UC shavette, so I can’t always let the weight of the shavette do the cutting for me. That will take some adjusting to, but it’s nothing major.

After today’s run with the R21, I’ve decided to stick with it. Covering the toe and heel is a bit like riding with training wheels, so I think I will compensate by learning to shave ambidextrously. For me, the biggest issue I have shaving with my left hand is that when I look in the mirror, sometimes I move the shavette to the opposite side I intend to--which is frustrating. Where it gets dicey is my knee-jerk reaction to move it back in the direction I WANT it to go in. This creates a brief sawing motion... with an open blade.

Now I don’t consider myself an expert on shavetteology--not by a long shot--but to my untutored understanding, it seems like sawing back and forth with an open blade would be a bad thing. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong; as always I’m open to feedback. Add potential heel/toe stabbing/slicing into the mix, and you can see why I decided to just stick with my dominant hand. The R21 largely takes that fear off the table, so bringing lefty into the shave game seems appropriate. We’ll see tomorrow.

And I’ll see you all tomorrow. I have enjoyed all your reports and hope you all enjoy your evening!

3 down, 97 to go...

... and Roll Tide!
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That is some good progress, Tim. It gets better bit by bit, and then one day you'll realize you are pretty good with an open blade.

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

9nein9 said: ↑

View attachment 219638
I battled harder with my truck today than I did the shavette. Damn electronics, o2 sensors, misfires, trouble codes . Please Lord take me back to the 80s when they made stuff you could work on.

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Excellent shave, Patrick!

clint64 · Mar 4, 2020

jtspartan said: ↑

March 4th
New Improved ‘Bostonian’ w GSB
APShaveCo Mixed/ Resin and Sapele
Soap Commander Endurance
Thayers
Barrister’s Reserve Spice
View attachment 219660
3rd day with the New Improved and GSB. Some Soap Commander talk the past few days, so I brought out my solitary tub. A good product, and this badger/boar mix produced a fine lather. This knot hasn’t completely softened yet, but is it partially Boar so that would make sense.
3 passes later, and I am quite smooth, although I do have some jawline/neck irritation with a small weeper. No idea why, probably just rushed a bit ATG. I’ll switch up razors tomorrow and spend a few days with another NEW.
I’m hitting the road early this morning for a series of meetings an hour out of town. Nothing overtly problematic, but it will be a long day.
Have a great day all!
Click to expand...

Love the shave lineup and the warm tones of the photo Jason.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

Terry said: ↑

Good morning all!
Tried to play catch up last night to no avail.
The kids piled in and that was that.
Can't be more than 500 posts behind.
Today another razor outa the box.
A new Feather blade and 4 passes on the mug, I'm better than yesterday.
The head got 2 passes but really need more.
I ran outa time.
It was a Lucky Tiger day, or morning.
The first time for the shaving cream and it works great.
I like the Lucky Tiger scent, I'll see what else is available.
View attachment 219648
In a hurry hit post instead of upload...
Well....
Wednesday's, long days.
Everyone
ENJOY!
tp
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Great picture, Terry! I hope today isn't too hectic for you.

clint64 · Mar 4, 2020

Hembree said: ↑

ATT mini focus update.

Awesome shave this morning with the Above the Tie Atlas with the R1 plate and a fresh Astra blade. No irritation, weepers or blood loss. Smooth all the way! The more I use the Imperial soap the more I like it.

Next step is to remove the Atlas handle from the equation and replace it with the Kronos handle for tomorrow’s shave. If that goes well then I'll move up to the H1 plate. I love it when a plan comes together. Y'all Have A Great Hump day!

Jim @jluc how do you like my color coordinated shave picture?
View attachment 219661
Click to expand...

Great looking shave and photo Danny.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hembree · Mar 4, 2020

jluc said: ↑

Pretty picture, Jason!
Safe travels. Love it!
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Thanks and happy birthday!

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

Edison Carter said: ↑

March 3 Madness

I Imagine the young ball player who got the Louisville Slugger made from the discard of the Jayaruh 367 is always wishing to know what lucky wet shaver is out there whipping lather with the business end of his bat. I just love the simple beauty in striking color it displays.

The brush and the GSB blade round up the indulgent portion of the shave today.

Derby stick, sufficient lather. Smells like Ivory soap.

The $14 shavette (Focus R21 Evolution) with the recessed blade and sissy corner guards is able to come in at minimal shsving angles, has a nice reach and balancd handling.

Paying particular attention today, I noticed that the description of my shaving stroke is not totally accurate. I usually say that I start flat and slightly roll the blade in until I feel it. I actually am beginning the stroke at the same time. I only go in enough to get a cutting sensation which happens best in motion . Could be why I usually need 3-4 pass shaves over 1&2. A little like tightening bolts, where you learn to balance the amount of energy required to get-er-done enough to hold without rounding off or stripping the hardware.

I came into edge forward shaving devices from straights, which many recommended. That does carry a steeper investment and makes this a great option for those who want to learn at a minimum cost. Having the covered corners is just a safety plus. I figure you can run out and buy that spike point razor later.

View attachment 219647
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Nice shave, Bill!

Hembree · Mar 4, 2020

Paul Turner said: ↑

Happy with my shave this morning-featuring Stoylin's Blood On Steel(soap&A.S.). It's odd, but I just can't put my finger on a description of this particular Stoylin product. I've never had a "Bloody Mary" drink, but that is the only thing that would make sense to me-as we've seen other "alcohol-type" soaps&aftershaves out-including from Stoylin. To me, it appears meant for colder weather, but it's cover shows that it was a feature product at TSD "30D's" gathering last summer. To each his/her own, I suppose. But I was very pleased with the result today-no cuts, weepers, maybe a couple "nicks". 2 healthy passes. Nice fresh, soft, clean feel of a Stoylin shave . Most Excellent.
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Excellent shave Paul.

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

brit said: ↑

View attachment 219658
good morning gents,wednesday shave.up today is the brit new/tech hybrid loaded with a platinum.essentially an rfb with a safety bar with factory rhodium plating.wcs synthetic built a fabulous razorock blue lather.fantastic 2+ pass near bbs,blue splash to finish..awesome.have a fine day everyone..
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Excellent picture, Gary!

Norcalnewb · Mar 4, 2020

jluc said: ↑

March 4th
Razor: Blackland Dart
Blade: Astra SP (1)
Brush: Grizzly Bay PureMagic
Pre-shave: PAA The Cube
Soap: B&M Reserve Lavender
Thayers Lavender witch hazel
PAA unscented Star Jelly
AS: B&M Reserve Lavender

Good morning

Awesome shave to start the day! Three passes for near BBS. Totally silent alum. Gotta love it!

Have a great day!
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Outstanding picture and Happy Birthday, Jim!

Hembree · Mar 4, 2020

clint64 said: ↑

Great looking shave and photo Danny.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks Clint.....no Clubman today.

blondblue · Mar 4, 2020

Hembree said: ↑

Excellent shave Paul.
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Thanks Danny,.,really went well. Have a nice day

clint64 · Mar 4, 2020

Stopped by the post office this morning to pick up a package.

I’m very pleased with my latest addition to my ever growing Chubby 2 Synthetic collection.

Now I have to get to work.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Primotenore · Mar 4, 2020

clint64 said: ↑

Stopped by the post office this morning to pick up a package.

I’m very pleased with my latest addition to my ever growing Chubby 2 Synthetic collection.

Now I have to get to work.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Simpson Butterscotch is very attractive. Enjoy, Clint!

jluc · Mar 4, 2020

Hembree said: ↑

Thanks and happy birthday!
Click to expand...

Norcalnewb said: ↑

Outstanding picture and Happy Birthday, Jim!
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Thanks, gentlemen!

It's so nice that all you guys shaved for my birthday!

jluc · Mar 4, 2020

clint64 said: ↑

Stopped by the post office this morning to pick up a package.

I’m very pleased with my latest addition to my ever growing Chubby 2 Synthetic collection.

Now I have to get to work.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Beautiful, Clint! Congrats!

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March 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion

Is it okay to eat cookies and ice cream together?

Yes

Yes

jluc smelling pretty

jluc smelling pretty

blondblue Well-Known Member

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

clint64 Blind Squirrel

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

clint64 Blind Squirrel

Hembree Not as pretty smelling

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Hembree Not as pretty smelling

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Hembree Not as pretty smelling

blondblue Well-Known Member

clint64 Blind Squirrel

Primotenore missed opera tunity

jluc smelling pretty

jluc smelling pretty

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March 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion

Is it okay to eat cookies and ice cream together?

Yes

Yes

jluc smelling pretty

jluc smelling pretty

blondblue Well-Known Member

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

clint64 Blind Squirrel

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

clint64 Blind Squirrel

Hembree Not as pretty smelling

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Hembree Not as pretty smelling

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Norcalnewb Magnanimous Moos

Hembree Not as pretty smelling

blondblue Well-Known Member

clint64 Blind Squirrel

Primotenore missed opera tunity

jluc smelling pretty

jluc smelling pretty

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