April 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix and Discussion | Page 148

brit · Apr 8, 2020

Trigger said: ↑

Very cool shave Gary!
Click to expand...

thank you Joe....good morning..

brit · Apr 8, 2020

McCrae said: ↑

Great looking shave, Gary!
Click to expand...

thank you Dan..good morning..

Trigger · Apr 8, 2020

McCrae said: ↑

View attachment 222783
Hello, everyone. This month's focus had been going very well and I'm starting to quite like the Rex Ambassador now. Since I've been getting good shaves with it, I decided to begin sampling different blades, which were conveniently delivered last night.
I ordered about 15 different blades (2 of each) and I'll be putting them up against my current favorite blade in the Ambassador, the Rockwell.
I decided to load up a new Voskhod blade and get to work. The blade was very smooth, almost too smooth to even mow down my hair. The blade had a bit of trouble on my resistance area on the neck, leaving a bit more stubble than I'm used too after two passes.
The alum gave no feedback which is what's important to me, so good already. I'll keep these blades around and revisit them sometime in the future, for now, the Rockwell blades are still 1st place. I might try out one of the Personna blades next.
Finished off with some Zingari Man balm in their new Sego base, very nice stuff.

I see a lot of great shaves. Take care fellas!
Click to expand...

Dan, the late Kirk Douglas would be proud.

brit · Apr 8, 2020

Primotenore said: ↑

April Focus

Chiseled Face Groomatorium Sherlock~~Simpson The "Duke"~~Barbasol Floating Head/Sharp Star
Moment of truth part two...
Brand, spankin' new puck of CFG Sherlock.
I didn't even do a test lather.
Varied my routine slightly, taking a very wet brush on the non-bloomed puck and
began to create the lather. CFG is a soft croap, easily molded. Not as gooey as B&M reserve, however.
As one might imagine, the lather started out fairly soupy.
View attachment 222784
But during the face-lathering, it tightened up and was pretty much at the correct hydration.
I did add a touch of H2O to the tips of the bristles, which always gets me that gorgeous,
sheen, which is universally coveted.
The Sharp Star blade was on its last leg, but I muddled through the shave nonetheless.
Because the blade had lost so much, I was compelled to do some buffing.
The issue of tingling is interesting.
Just as yesterday, after the first pass, some very slight, but noticeable reaction
on the skin begins to occur. It's similar to a numbing sensation.
Once again, I do NOT get this feeling with the Midnight Stag, so I must conclude,
that Ghost Town Barber and Sherlock share a particular ingredient which causes this effect.
So, in conclusion, while these two soaps are magnificent with regard to
facilitating a great shave; have unique and attractive scents;
they will not be repurchases.
I am happy, however, that my favorite, Midnight Stag, doesn't give my skin any issues.
Click to expand...

cool shave and pic Joseph..

Trigger · Apr 8, 2020

jtspartan said: ↑

April 8th
RR .68 Gamechanger Jaws w Astra SP
Zenith boar/ BRM
Fine American Blend combo
Thayers
View attachment 222779
Broke up my run of neglected razors as I wanted to get a few days in with my JAWS that I used for several days when it came it last month, but hasn't had a run since. Whipped up a nice lather with the Zenith. Tbh, I like it more and more all the time. If you don't own a Zenith, what you have to realize is that you can't really compare it to an Omega. Yes, they are both boars, obviously, but the Zenith is much softer out of the box and stays softer. If you enjoy the scritchiness of an Omega, you have to be prepared for a different boar experience. I have found, though, that as it has broken in (a very quick process), lathering off of a hard puck is easier with it than it used to be. The handle is massive -easily the largest in my den- but I guess that is my fault.
The GC Jaws delivered 3 very nice passes this morning. A bit of talk about the Astra on here this month- I find it smoother than sharper, but a quality blade nonetheless. I'm completely smooth, seeing no red and smelling pretty good. I guess that makes it Epic on the Keith scale.
Have a great day all.
Click to expand...

Great shave and report Jason!

brit · Apr 8, 2020

jtspartan said: ↑

April 8th
RR .68 Gamechanger Jaws w Astra SP
Zenith boar/ BRM
Fine American Blend combo
Thayers
View attachment 222779
Broke up my run of neglected razors as I wanted to get a few days in with my JAWS that I used for several days when it came it last month, but hasn't had a run since. Whipped up a nice lather with the Zenith. Tbh, I like it more and more all the time. If you don't own a Zenith, what you have to realize is that you can't really compare it to an Omega. Yes, they are both boars, obviously, but the Zenith is much softer out of the box and stays softer. If you enjoy the scritchiness of an Omega, you have to be prepared for a different boar experience. I have found, though, that as it has broken in (a very quick process), lathering off of a hard puck is easier with it than it used to be. The handle is massive -easily the largest in my den- but I guess that is my fault.
The GC Jaws delivered 3 very nice passes this morning. A bit of talk about the Astra on here this month- I find it smoother than sharper, but a quality blade nonetheless. I'm completely smooth, seeing no red and smelling pretty good. I guess that makes it Epic on the Keith scale.
Have a great day all.
Click to expand...

fine shave and pic Jason,good morning..

brit · Apr 8, 2020

McCrae said: ↑

View attachment 222783
Hello, everyone. This month's focus had been going very well and I'm starting to quite like the Rex Ambassador now. Since I've been getting good shaves with it, I decided to begin sampling different blades, which were conveniently delivered last night.
I ordered about 15 different blades (2 of each) and I'll be putting them up against my current favorite blade in the Ambassador, the Rockwell.
I decided to load up a new Voskhod blade and get to work. The blade was very smooth, almost too smooth to even mow down my hair. The blade had a bit of trouble on my resistance area on the neck, leaving a bit more stubble than I'm used too after two passes.
The alum gave no feedback which is what's important to me, so good already. I'll keep these blades around and revisit them sometime in the future, for now, the Rockwell blades are still 1st place. I might try out one of the Personna blades next.
Finished off with some Zingari Man balm in their new Sego base, very nice stuff.

I see a lot of great shaves. Take care fellas!
Click to expand...

cool shave and pic Dan..

jgreenepa · Apr 8, 2020

Edison Carter said: ↑

Unveiling the Awesome Stealth TAR

Thanks to the overwhelming response to recent revelations, the time has come for the proper preentation of the aluminum Stealth TAR, the big size without the weight.

On hand for the honoring festivities were:
The Colonel (although he smelled a bit like The Captain) with his very own bowl, never used for soup.
The tall and majestic Jayaruh 367 in dress blues
The Mighty Brass TAR
and.....
....... now what in the blazes is that..... Feather wrapper doing in there, glue dots and all.
....... Almost like he was a spy photo bombing my parade
........ probably a spy.

View attachment 222757

Keeping my test pattern, I dialed the minimum and went to work, buffing strokes all the way.

The Col. puffs an easy lather and is sufficient for light buffing work. A gentle and pleasant Bay Rum. The Col Conk is my economy fave.

A delightful, irritation free shave was finished with Stirling Bergamot Lavender AS which seems to be hanging better than I remembered.

No need to go middle of the road setting here. For me it is wide open for riding the blade or down all the way. Same result, different techniques. I've not used buffing on the lowest setting before but it worked well, I'll try it on my other adjustables in the future.

The tools got a soapy brush clean and are getting the Barbicide sanitation as I write. They will be off soon to that Shaver Extraordinaire, @jgreenepa who can in plague free times be found domiciled 50 stories above the City of Brotherly Love with his faithful friend Grommet.

In conclusion;
I count it a high privilege to be fortunate enough to have a test run at these World Class designed and meticulously fabricated tools so generously passed around by Tom White @twhite, an experience I won't forget.

Either tool would be a welcome addition to my stable, but I give the edge right now to the Stealth TAR for the great feel and handling in the buffing zone at bottom setting. Opened up and riding the cap I liked the Heavyweight better, but I could adjust....... or, if they were commercially available I'd just do what any decent shave fan would do..... Get Both!

I hope to have made a few of you, my friends, crack a smile in this turbulent time. It was educational for me and FUN.

Edison Carter reporting for Network 23
Click to expand...

Wonderful summary, Bill! Stay safe and healthy.

Trigger · Apr 8, 2020

Primotenore said: ↑

April Focus

Chiseled Face Groomatorium Sherlock~~Simpson The "Duke"~~Barbasol Floating Head/Sharp Star
Moment of truth part two...
Brand, spankin' new puck of CFG Sherlock.
I didn't even do a test lather.
Varied my routine slightly, taking a very wet brush on the non-bloomed puck and
began to create the lather. CFG is a soft croap, easily molded. Not as gooey as B&M reserve, however.
As one might imagine, the lather started out fairly soupy.
View attachment 222784
But during the face-lathering, it tightened up and was pretty much at the correct hydration.
I did add a touch of H2O to the tips of the bristles, which always gets me that gorgeous,
sheen, which is universally coveted.
The Sharp Star blade was on its last leg, but I muddled through the shave nonetheless.
Because the blade had lost so much, I was compelled to do some buffing.
The issue of tingling is interesting.
Just as yesterday, after the first pass, some very slight, but noticeable reaction
on the skin begins to occur. It's similar to a numbing sensation.
Once again, I do NOT get this feeling with the Midnight Stag, so I must conclude,
that Ghost Town Barber and Sherlock share a particular ingredient which causes this effect.
So, in conclusion, while these two soaps are magnificent with regard to
facilitating a great shave; have unique and attractive scents;
they will not be repurchases.
I am happy, however, that my favorite, Midnight Stag, doesn't give my skin any issues.
Click to expand...

Awesome shave Joseph! Did you compare the ingredients of the 3 soaps to see if there were any differences among them. If there weren't any, then it must be the fragrances of GhostTown and Sherlock that is causing the tingling sensation.

jgreenepa · Apr 8, 2020

Keithmax said: ↑

WF has a history of poor sales practices and the fines to improve it. I hope her business can quickly find the funding they need.

Welcome to the 30DC!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Keith, you and me both!

Trigger · Apr 8, 2020

brit said: ↑

thank you Joe....good morning..
Click to expand...

Good morning to you Gary.

jluc · Apr 8, 2020

McCrae said: ↑

View attachment 222783
Hello, everyone. This month's focus had been going very well and I'm starting to quite like the Rex Ambassador now. Since I've been getting good shaves with it, I decided to begin sampling different blades, which were conveniently delivered last night.
I ordered about 15 different blades (2 of each) and I'll be putting them up against my current favorite blade in the Ambassador, the Rockwell.
I decided to load up a new Voskhod blade and get to work. The blade was very smooth, almost too smooth to even mow down my hair. The blade had a bit of trouble on my resistance area on the neck, leaving a bit more stubble than I'm used too after two passes.
The alum gave no feedback which is what's important to me, so good already. I'll keep these blades around and revisit them sometime in the future, for now, the Rockwell blades are still 1st place. I might try out one of the Personna blades next.
Finished off with some Zingari Man balm in their new Sego base, very nice stuff.

I see a lot of great shaves. Take care fellas!
Click to expand...

Very nice, Dan!
I find Voskhods struggle through my whiskers as well. I will keep trying them though. Most seem to love them.

jtspartan said: ↑

April 8th
RR .68 Gamechanger Jaws w Astra SP
Zenith boar/ BRM
Fine American Blend combo
Thayers
View attachment 222779
Broke up my run of neglected razors as I wanted to get a few days in with my JAWS that I used for several days when it came it last month, but hasn't had a run since. Whipped up a nice lather with the Zenith. Tbh, I like it more and more all the time. If you don't own a Zenith, what you have to realize is that you can't really compare it to an Omega. Yes, they are both boars, obviously, but the Zenith is much softer out of the box and stays softer. If you enjoy the scritchiness of an Omega, you have to be prepared for a different boar experience. I have found, though, that as it has broken in (a very quick process), lathering off of a hard puck is easier with it than it used to be. The handle is massive -easily the largest in my den- but I guess that is my fault.
The GC Jaws delivered 3 very nice passes this morning. A bit of talk about the Astra on here this month- I find it smoother than sharper, but a quality blade nonetheless. I'm completely smooth, seeing no red and smelling pretty good. I guess that makes it Epic on the Keith scale.
Have a great day all.
Click to expand...

Very nice, Jason! Informative review of the Zenith boar brushes.

Primotenore said: ↑

April Focus

Chiseled Face Groomatorium Sherlock~~Simpson The "Duke"~~Barbasol Floating Head/Sharp Star
Moment of truth part two...
Brand, spankin' new puck of CFG Sherlock.
I didn't even do a test lather.
Varied my routine slightly, taking a very wet brush on the non-bloomed puck and
began to create the lather. CFG is a soft croap, easily molded. Not as gooey as B&M reserve, however.
As one might imagine, the lather started out fairly soupy.
View attachment 222784
But during the face-lathering, it tightened up and was pretty much at the correct hydration.
I did add a touch of H2O to the tips of the bristles, which always gets me that gorgeous,
sheen, which is universally coveted.
The Sharp Star blade was on its last leg, but I muddled through the shave nonetheless.
Because the blade had lost so much, I was compelled to do some buffing.
The issue of tingling is interesting.
Just as yesterday, after the first pass, some very slight, but noticeable reaction
on the skin begins to occur. It's similar to a numbing sensation.
Once again, I do NOT get this feeling with the Midnight Stag, so I must conclude,
that Ghost Town Barber and Sherlock share a particular ingredient which causes this effect.
So, in conclusion, while these two soaps are magnificent with regard to
facilitating a great shave; have unique and attractive scents;
they will not be repurchases.
I am happy, however, that my favorite, Midnight Stag, doesn't give my skin any issues.
Click to expand...

Too bad the soap causes a reaction, Joseph. Good that your favorite scent doesn't bother you.

Primotenore · Apr 8, 2020

Trigger said: ↑

Awesome shave Joseph! Did you compare the ingredients of the 3 soaps to see if there were any differences among them. If there weren't any, then it must be the fragrances of GhostTown and Sherlock that is causing the tingling sensation.
Click to expand...

Midnight Stag:

Sherlock:

Ghost Town Barber:

"Fragrance" is quite ambiguous.

jtface · Apr 8, 2020

Making the most of isolation...

Trigger · Apr 8, 2020

Primotenore said: ↑

Midnight Stag:
View attachment 222795

Sherlock:
View attachment 222796

Ghost Town Barber:
View attachment 222797
"Fragrance" is quite ambiguous.
Click to expand...

The ingredients are identical except it doesn't list KOH (potassium hydroxide) in the Sherlock soap, but that is moot because you didn't have a problem with it it with Midnight Stag and other brands of soap. Therefore, it must be something in the fragrances of Sherlock and Ghost Town Barber soaps that doesn't agree with you.

Trigger · Apr 8, 2020

Checked my pinky and the wound is healing nicely after 5 days. Took a cotton swab with cold water to clean it up a bit. Placed a new bandage on it while leaving an opening at the tip to allow it to breathe.

b1hart · Apr 8, 2020

jtspartan said: ↑

Thank you, Blair! I don't think I've even achieved 'enabler-in-training' status with so many pros on here...
Click to expand...

Au Contraire, Mon Frere.....

There's a few items shown every few days in this CajuTex's rotation either directly or indirectly enabled by posts from 30DCrs' north of the border......

timabababaluka said: ↑

Out of curiosity, is it that you aren't a fan of barbershop-y scents, or that you're happy with what you currently have and curiosity isn't enough to get you adding more?

Personally, I passed it over initially when I saw the word "powdery" in some of the reviews, but I hear people say the same thing about Clubman, and I like Clubman.
Click to expand...

Went and directly compared Clubman Vanilla to Stirling's Barbershop. Extremely similar base fragrance, but add baby powder (in a good, not too overpowering way) to Clubman's Vanilla to reach Stirling's Barbershop. The Clubman's Vanilla smells ever slightly more 'clinical', in comparison.....like there's an addition of original Listerene Mouthwash if that makes sense.

timabababaluka said: ↑

April 7
Shavette Shave #35”

Gear

Razor: Max Headroom Focus R21

Blade: GSB (1)

Brush: Semogue Boar

Soap: Stirling Texas on Fire

Menthol: Stirling Frost Drops (AS only)

AS: Clubman Original with a single Frost Drop added

Balm: Stirling Glacial Unscented

View attachment 222732

The Shave...
I’m going to have to do the Pipe and Drum Challenge to Iron Butterfly’s In a Godda Da Vida if I can’t find a way to cut down on my shave time. The good news is the shave was considerably closer today. Definitely presentable (even the chin), and a true CCS with parts of me at DFS levels. Obviously my technique has improved overnight. Or possibly it was shave gnomes. Or perhaps the brand new Gillette Silver Blue blade that I used instead of a 2nd-shave Bic Chrome had something to do with it. Naw, probably it was shave gnomes.

I was also able to cover more ground with each stroke than yesterday, though I’m still struggling a bit on the neck. It took me just as long to shave, however, because I was slowing down and focusing on it, but I’m repeating strokes less, and that’s likely to keep irritation at bay, and eventually shave some time also.

It’s looking like a terrific Tuesday

35 down, 65 to go!
Click to expand...

If it hasn't been said (since I'm playing a little catch up)......video required! BTW, great shave #35!

Brian Distance said: ↑

My SOTD for the coming weeks during the Covid-19 quarantine here in NYC:

Result: A very smooth, close, and comfortable shave.
Pre-shave: Olive oil and other natural oils.
Post shave: Lavender and other oils.
Razor: Darwin "Adjustable"
Blade: Personna 74
Click to expand...

Really nice Brian! Welcome Aboard....btw, B1hart=Blair

b1hart · Apr 8, 2020

clint64 said: ↑

I was thinking more of @b1hart Blair, so it would be easier for him to order.
Click to expand...

We'll see how well the 'Enter email for stock alert' system works....

MrEE said: ↑

April 7th
Anything goes April

Razor: Parker Variant
Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
Brush: DS Cosmetic Tuxedo
SS: Palmolive Shave Stick
AS: Old Spice Classic (the new stuff)

Easily influenced by Jason @jtspartan... After hearing how much better Palmolive Shave Sticks are over Arko, I had to buy some and give it a try. Also had to give Astra SP's another shot since the last time I used them I had only been DE shaving for a few weeks. Well, I'll say my harsh judgement of the Astra SP was due to user error. The blade performed quite well giving me a BBS shave with the Variant set on 3. I did have a small group of weepers on my chin, but again I'm willing to claim user error. I flicked my wrist and bam, weepers. I may have to do a Arko vs Palmolive vs Derby shave stick showdown at some point. I'd say the Palmolive vs Arko performance was too close to call, especially using different razors and blades on different days. I will say I liked the Palmolive. It lathered well enough and it's cheap. Not as cheap as Arko but still, and it doesn't start with an A. In fact, I'm having a difficult time finding a day or date that starts with a P. We already missed Palm Sunday. I expect a reminder next year Jason! The next Palm Sunday is March 28th 2021.

Finishing with the Old Spice worked well too. The new classic is well... new, but I liked it well enough.

View attachment 222738
Click to expand...

Very nice Evan! Love that brush handle.

jtface · Apr 8, 2020

Trigger said: ↑

Checked my pinky and the wound is healing nicely after 5 days. Took a cotton swap with cold water to clean it up a bit. Placed a new bandage on it while living an opening at the tip to allow it to breathe.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you are on the mend, Joe!

jtface · Apr 8, 2020

Just smoothed it over with SWMBO to order a Homelike Start razor with all the plates after selling a few razors I never use! Chuffed with that!

Is Arko the greatest value in all of shaving?

Yes

Yes