May 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

That's great news, Myles! We're all ready proud of you, my friend.

All good here. I've been catching up on some stuff I've wanted to do for awhile since we're in lock down.

 

Wonderful shave and picture, Jason!

 

There are two Red Rings available from a shop on Etsy right now. They aren't bargain priced, though. Well over $300 CDN.

 

I love the Korean (or other cultures from your trips around SE Asia) cuisine pics you show, Keith. Some very interesting combos for sure. What are the scissors for, and what is the sliced root veggie on the left?

 

Outstanding combo, Jim. I think that 'open comb ish' plate is my fave in the Occams. Is that JOHS soap from after the relauch? If so, is it the same quality and scent as before?

 

The cream does indeed sound like a winner, Clint. Nice to have Lanolin in an inexpensive product as well. Another winner from Swati.

 

SOTD TUESDAY MAY 5, 2020

I really enjoyed my Single Ring shave two days ago. The Gillette Old Type I used dated from the first year of production (1905), and is an excellent shaver for most, but just a decent shaver for shaky old me. The major issue I have with safety razors is their weight. Because of my Parkinson’s, whenever I shave with a lighter safety razor, I’m forced to concentrate on managing my tremors while at the same time concentrating on shave technique. When I had the opportunity to shave with Tom’s (@twhite) heavy (156 grams) brass adjustable razor (TAR) on his pass around, the weight freed me up to just concentrate on technique, and resulted in stupendous shaves. In that same spirit, I remembered my Gillette ’Big Fellow’ (1920 production) which is essentially a Gillette Old Type on steroids. The Gillette Single Ring Old Type weighs in at 51 grams which makes it difficult for me to shave as smoothly as I prefer. The ‘Big Fellow’ is 31 grams heavier at 82grams. The greater weight coupled with the excellent balance, about 3/4” below the head, just workEd for me. The ‘Big Fellow’ was produced from 1919 through the early thirties.

The software for today’s shave included Talbot Shaving’s ‘Marlogue Wood’ Soap salted with 6 drops of M-Bomb and Barrister and Mann’s ‘Fern’ AS. Accompanying hardware consisted of Alpha Shaving’s T-400 Tribute Brush and Creek Road Pottery’s TSB Shave Bowl. THE 26MM Badger fan knot whipped up a decent lather, but it definitely took a fair bit of time. This is probably the thirstiest soap I own. It was hard to believe the amount of water necessary for a decent lather in my new shave bowl courtesy of a group I belong to on FB. The shave worked well, although the scent from the soap (eau de lumber mill) was not my cup of tea. Despite the scent, the soap after excessive hydration, did deliver a thick, yogurty lather. The razor was a pleasure to use. It felt great in hand and delivered a ‘no-brainer’, bloodless BBS after 2 1/2 passes (WTG, ATG, ATG), where the last half pass was simply some ATG buffing. I feel clean, cool, smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: Gillette Big Fellow (1920)
BLADE: Suneko (2)
PREP: Iced water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute 26mm Two Band Badger
SOAP: Talbot Shaving and Maol Grooming Marlogue Wood
POSTSHAVE: Iced water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Barrister & Mann ‘Fern’. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

 

Love the custom wrap you put on that Kami, Blair. The Proraso is a quality product, especially for the price.

 

May 4 and 5

Gillette Slim Twist
Wilkinson Super Sword
A&E Badger
Ingram SC. UK
Master Blue AS




5/5
Gillette Slim Twist
Wilkinson Super Sword 2
Ever Ready Badger
Coates SC Lime
Lime Sec AS




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Excellent side by side comparisons of the Single Ring and Big Fellow, Jeff. Very informative. I love the quality of the Maol splashes, but do wonder how a few of them would translate into a soap scent. I have a few straight up 'lumber mill' scents as well. Just shave and then go play with something made by Stihl or Husqvarna and all will be good...

 

Thank you Joe..maybe I can get a few more "cold/cool weather" shaves in

 

May Focus

Williams~~Simpson~~Fatip Lo Storto Originale/Personna 74~~SMN Nostalgia
Sticking with this tub of Williams until the bitter end.
However, it's anything but bitter, because it's such magnificent soap.
The "Duke" gobbled up plenty of soap to satisfy three passes of the just-acquired Fatip.
This is a slant razor, which I ordered from Connaught shaving two months ago.
It arrived yesterday and naturally, we had to give it a go.
The price was £24 + S&H, so I wasn't expecting much and I wasn't let down.
The head is brass, but I suspect only the top cap is actually brass.
The OC base plate reeks of Zamak.
The blade is torqued evenly on both sides, at what degree, I couldn't say.
The handle is where the company really drops the ball.
Many of you know my thoughts on the standard Mühle handle.
This handle makes the Mühle handle look like a Weber Bulldog.
It's that slippery to hold.
I found myself having to dry my hands thoroughly between passes and once during a pass.

Other than that, the razor holds the blade very securely and I was able to
achieve a very smooth and comfortable shave.
Santa Maria Novella completed a wonderful, albeit dangerously slippery shave.​

 

That’s good to hear!

 

Great photo and excellent summary, Maestro! Fatips have never been a premium razor. The shave is decent, typically; sorry about the handle!

 

Thanks, Jason.
The "OC" plate is my favorite as well.
I don't have any Jeeves from the new vendor. I'm curious if the scents and performance are on par with the previous iterations myself.

Excellent shave and report, Jeff!

 

Thanks, Jason! I really enjoy shaving with both razors. That lumber I’ll scent just doesn’t do it for me. I'm not qualified to talk about scent nuances, but can say this one’s not for me, although I’ll keep shaving with it until I can pawn it off on one of my sons or grandsons.

 

Thanks, Jim!

 

Great classic kits, as usual, Tom! Ikm really a fan of Lime Sec, in fact most lime scents!

 

Love the warm tones in the photo, Jason.

 

Joe, Terry of the Shave Shop on Etsy is a great guy, and always carries top flight merchandise. I’ve been eying one of those Red Rings for some time! Fortunately, the sane part of me is very happy with the one I currently own