I posted my January rule shave gear yesterday, and I ended up completing my first shave today. I rarely go three days between shaves, so I had plenty to mow down this morning. The Omega '98 boar knot made quick work of the Tabac. I perform about a 15-second load off the puck, and I went straight into a face lather for about a minute. This particular knot has a few dark hairs interspersed through it, so it has some scritch. Maybe I noticed it more today since I had been shaving with a soft-tipped two-band badger brush for the last month or so. On to the shave. One pass (mostly WTG with continual skin stretching), and I was clean enough to call it a day. After the first two strokes with the Gillette NEW Short Comb, the angle and pressure became automatic. It was the first time I had used the razor in months, and the first shave on a Feather blade always seems a little more aggressive than successive shaves. I then opted for a few XTG/ATG touch-ups on my upper lip and chin (I like those areas in particular to be BBS) and then proceeded with a second mostly ATG pass. I ended up with a comfortable near-BBS shave with a couple of red dots on my chin and neck. I drew the blood simply due to operator error on some ATG strokes. I did have to go back and grab a bit more soap for the second pass and also add a little more water by wetting the brush tips. No shame in that. It's just part of the routine. I finished up with my usual post-shave products and ended up with a pretty nice vintage Gillette shave. A couple of shots of Aramis to the chest and two healthy splashes of CC Bay Rum set me up for a nice outdoor hike with some friends this afternoon.
As a science guy, I can't give you a quantitative answer because there are many variables, such as temp and amount of water, pressure of brush on puck and face, soap brand and ingredients, beard growth, etc. There really isn't any way to repeat these things via calibration. Honestly, I would hypothesize that there would be a small increase in soap usage, but not to the point where you are going to lose 10 shaves on a puck. My educated guess would be no more than 3 plus or minus 2 shaves on a puck.
Nice details and results Charlie. The wildlife will have you spotted by a country nose....err....mile.
No problem maintaining social distance today, Joe. It's a very scenic trail (different from the one yesterday) that's located near where we live. It was only in the upper 30's, so we almost had it to ourselves. We're meeting another friend tomorrow at the state park we visited yesterday for another short walk/hike.
Whatever it is is so slight that I’ll never have to worry about using it around her. Just a very slight clean scent. 9
No, it’s never been there! I set the bevel and built the edge myself after purchasing it on the live auctioneers auction site.
Thanks Blair. It was just like we had the trail to ourselves except for the occasional wildlife stampede.
Thanks Gary. I tried to provide a few educational details so you wouldn't yell at me for messing up the Gary Mini-focus. I don't want to cause major thread trouble like @Dave in KY.
