Disappointed in my shave today. 2 cuts down at Cactus Nation, and a complete miss at the center of the right cheek. (I took care of the miss just now with hot water and today's razor.) Also a miss at the jawline(border of Porcupine and N. Cactus). Embarrassing. Fine loading action of the Stoylin Sheep onto the Crown King brush. 2 passes. I think the cuts happened during the first pass. The Bill Neumann A.S. did help clear out the cuts some. Good stuff that Bill Neumann. But what a waste of a shave with such fine products. Must do better tomorrow. A little bit Excellent.

Feb 7 SOTD

Good Morning!



Shavette Shave #331
Dovo Shavette
Personna Hairshaper Blade (9)
Omega Pro 49 Boar Brush
Proraso Green SS and AS
Maggard's Alum Block
Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Beard Growth: 25 hrs

I decided today would be Menthol Monday because it's going to be a "balmy" high of 42 degrees today on Long Island. My choice was to go Proraso Green. I won't use Cryogen until the temps hit 80 and above.
The Personna Hairshaper is still sharp that it took on my slight stubble without a problem. I was really done with just one pass, but I did two passes and a pickup on my right neck for a nice shave without any blood leakage or any irritation. Some feedback was present on my lower right neck and had minor zings in other areas. Finished the shave with my normal routine. Enjoy your day guys!

That is too bad about the subpar shave Paul. Do you think that you needed to use fresh blades so as to prevent the cuts or was it a steep angle with too much pressure?

Most probably the steep angle&pressure. It all happens so fast(the cuts)I can't answer the "Now how did THAT happen?" question.

Great Shave Joe...After watching your video i went to dig out the Parker 34R to start my 'Shavette training' but i couldn't find it. I now realise that i have thrown it out with the rubbish, by mistake after my last ruthless shave den clearance of items i no longer used and was gathering dust!...'Me and shavette's just arn't meant to be'!... I'll stick with my DE & SE razors from now on. Enjoy your mini freak heat wave!

SOTD MONDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 7, 2022

Welcome to Monobilt Monday my shave brothers and sisters! I decided to work downwards from the noggin today instead of upwards from the neck, my usual direction. I keep forgetting what a great little razor my second version of the Cooper Monobilt is. The inventor, George Hofmann, of Boston set out to invent a one piece razor.

From the 1920s into the early '50s there was a lot of the country where keeping track of loose parts could be a challenge (i.e., there was a lot of outdoor plumbing and shaving in a room where the floorboards might or might not be fully joined).

In comparison to Gillette models of the time, with comparatively fragile TTO doors, the Cooper is a tank. It's a durable 1-piece razor that takes "modern" blades and has enough blade exposure not to get clogged with 3-5 days growth, as well as being less maintenance-intensive than a straight.

The patent was applied for and granted in 1932. Harry Cooper, the founder of Cooper Razor of Brooklyn, NY purchased the rights and manufactured two sequential models of this razor from 1937 through 1942. Cooper Razor ceased sales of existing stock manufactured through the late 1940’s in the mid 1950’s when the founder was 65. He passed away in 1964 at age 74.

The shave with this remarkable little one piece safety razor is always extremely close due to the rigid blade clamping provided by the design. My closest shaves with this razor have always been with either a Feather or a Kai blade. This morning’s two pass ATG dome shave with a new Feather blade left my noggin glassine smooth.

My mug shave featured the Herder 49 15/16 “Ace of Spades”. Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn GmbH, a German Cutlery concern, was founded in 1727 and one of the company’s trademarks, the Ace of Spades, seen on this straight razor’s scales, dates from its founding. The edge on this razor is buttery smooth, and delivered a two and a half pass noggin to neck velveteen smooth result.

RAZOR: F. Herder 49 15/16 (Mug), Cooper Monobilt (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: BG Blue Resin Handled 22mm Two Band Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys WH. Finished with IB’s Floid Blue Homage AS Splash.

SE Shave # 240 - MICROMATIC & DARKFALL MONDAY

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
Blade: GEM Stainless
Brush: Shore Shave Creamsicle Swirl 24 mm White Synthetic
Lather: Declaration Grooming Darkfall
Aftershave: Declaration Grooming Darkfall
Osage Rub
Additional Care:
Stirling Alum Block
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm
Thayer’s Witch Hazel - Original
Declaration Grooming Darkfall EdT

Love this shave every Monday. I get a great lather with fantastic glissade and a wonderful outdoors Autumn smell. The topping on the cake is the shave I receive with either one of my Micromatics, the MMBT and the MMOC. This morning the MMOC received the call to duty.

A fabulous three pass for the mug and a one pass or the back of my neck to clean up after I buzzed my head with the barber shears. SWMBO prefers a little fuzz on my head. I guess she likes the feel when she does the “ I wish I had a watermelon” all over my head. Her hand easily slides over the bristles of hair. A clean shaven head causes her hand to encounter more friction. In her mind: No bueno.
I decided to throw in a little Osage Rub as I was desiring a menthol kick this morning. Post shave was fantastic. I am ready for my day which will included making a pot of sauce with some meatballs and sausage.

Anthony is going to enjoy his spaghetti and meatballs.

Have a great day gentlemen.

Fantastic shave this morning Jeff.

Just get back on the horse tomorrow Paul. No big deal.

You might consider doing a video, when it is in the 40’s with the Cryogen just so we can see your facial expression upon application. Very nice shave this morning Joe.

No biggie, Paul! We all have off days! Good shave!

Nice shavette shave, Joe!

Great Gem shave, Joe! That sauce sounds delicious. My Italian grandmother always made her sauces with pork shoulder! Enjoy your meal later!

Thanks, Joe!

I love getting a history lesson on all these razors I have never encountered.

Lol! Thanks Joe. I may be tempted to do it.

Thanks Jeff!

Thanks Barry! I do understand. My Parker shavette was 16 dollars US so it wasn't expensive. I bought it about a year
and a half ago. I don't tell anyone what to do unless I am asked. I just share info. That's the teacher in me. Take care.

Nice shave Joe! I think having more bristles would increase friction.

Wonderful shaves and historical info. The Herder Ace of Spades is a fine razor. I still have to hone mine soon. Take care Jeff.