July 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

That’s quite a breakfast. Looks delicious.

 

Keeping you guys in my prayers.

 

Great update Andrew!
Stay strong & keep up the good work.

 

You have a beautiful country Keith.

 

Yes, birth year and quarter

 

Great to hear from you Charlie. Thoughts and prayers for all!

 

Thank you Gary. Enjoy your steaming hot Saturday.

 

Awesome couple of days. Great little day trip Keith. That brush is a monster.

 

That they are Jeff. Hoping to Edmund Fitzgerald the soap by the end of the month. It is going to be close.

 

Thank you Clint. Today’s was a repeat performance.

 

Truth is, unless the blade is defective, I can get a great shave from any blade. It's all about prep and technique.

 

Glad things are looking good, Charlie. Stilling wishing Kathy the VERY best.

 

Great setup, report and shave Joe! The Kai Captain Pro Titan Pro Touch MG is one of a couple blades I tagged as 'later purchase' for my Feather AC DX. I did one of the sampler packs from tryablade.com last year, and it was included. For me, the AC blades with guards really help with the blade landing issues, but shave identical (to me) as one without the guards.

 

Awesome images, scenery and everything (include that Hart Steel!) Keith. Thanks for sharing.

 

SOTD SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2020

Today I had planned to originally do the entire shave with just my Seki Feather AS-D2. however, my new barber’s razor, the Monsieur Charles was beckoning me from the straight razor shelf. And quite frankly I was interested in why users raved about this quite inexpensive barber’s razor. I traded a Viking Chieftain TTO which I’d never used for it. The recipient had not used the Monsieur Charles(MC) either.

What is immediately apparent upon picking up the MC razor is its heft in the hand. The blade and tang are much beefier than the Dovo Shavette’s and a few other comparably priced barber’s razors. Heftwise, it felt almost identical to my straights, if not even a bit heavier than the Dovo Special in hand. But what I like most about this razor is that it uses injector blades of which I have many. The shave was a delight. The result was a DFS++ which I’m more than content with for a first bloodless run with a new open edge razor.

I was initially concerned with the length of the blade, but it actually works well. One of my issues when I first started down the open edge journey was the length of the blade on my Dovo Special which led to some minor nicks around the ears. The MC blade design avoids this entirely! I found that housing the blade at the toe end is quite clever. Three passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) were a breeze, and trimming around the goat a piece of cake! I like this razor, and the replacement cost is nominal.

The Feather AS-D2 sheared through my dome stubble in its usual effortless, muted manner. A shave brother who doesn’t use Feathers in his AS-D2 describes his shave experience with the razor singing the “buttered toast” song as it did it’s work. My usage is always silent due to the sharpness of the Feather blade. Its usual two pass (WTG, ATG) always feels like I’m just brushing away the lather. This razor is definitely one of the stars of my 27 actively used safety razors. I just love the skin feel of a freshly shaved dome after using a great safety razor! The feeling can only be described as refreshed, cool, clean, and oh so velveteen!

RAZOR: Monsieur Charles (Mug), Seki Feather AS-D2 (Dome)
BLADE: Schick B-20 Proline (Mug), Feather DE (2) (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Rabid Banana Preshave Cube
BRUSH: Rearden Razor 316L SS Synthetic
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat w/ 6 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Osage Rub. Finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm.

 

Very nice report and setup Jeff! Glad the MC is hefty. The heavier straights I have (not always because of a bigger blade) I shave with easier. The ABCo 7/8 seen from time to time is a good example.

 

Real good shave this morning with Stoylin Blood On Steel. I made sure to add a good many "drops" of the Stoylin Frost Drops and I think that made a nice difference. 0:30 to load the Maggard Marble Handle. I made sure to sweep my face and neck in a good "back and forth, up and down" way, so as to be sure not to add more soap between passes(if it must be done, so be it, but it indicates you need to focus better on loading). 2 strong, healthy passes. No nicks, weepers, cuts, although I did drive over a bump in a sensitive area on my face(left cheek), which worried me but nothing came of it. Great work down at Cactus Nation(neck, for newcomers). No question, but this one was Top Of The World Excellent. I think that's two consecutive TOTWE's...would love to get a streak going.

 

Maestro, there’s great and then there’s spectacular! Today was a great shave, taking into account the new Barber’s razor! Yesterday’s was spectacular!

 

Two days in a row, my friend! I think you’re on a roll! That muscle memory around ‘Cactus Nation’ is paying dividends!

 

Great shave lineup and report Jeff. I am glad the MC worked out so well on its maiden voyage.