Ikon B1 Standard head.
Yaqi handle.
Feather blade (3).
Yaqi silvertip brush.
Stirling Noir shave soap and splash.
Timeless shave bowl.

Three nice passes with the Standard head this morning. The Standard is definitely more aggressive than the OSS head. It has a good amount of blade feel but it does not feel like it will bite at anytime. It is a keeper but I need to dial it in a little more.....very efficient and smooth.

Take care everyone!

We all continue to learn even after years, and most if not all of us have crappy shaves occasionally. No need to go to the back row.

I wouldn't ever call myself a professional. My photography is often very low effort, and shave reports mediocre.

Yours is perfectly fine. And you have pictures of your cat!

Fine shave, Danny!

Please don't leave Hogie. I enjoy your presence here and I think you are doing great.

Back to the blade thing. I understand where Joseph @Primotenore is coming from but I also understand your situation. A few years ago a Feather would eat me up and I have a few razors that I have to be on my toes when I use a Feather now. I put Feathers down for a while and now they are my go to blade.

I asked that you please don't give up on the group.....back up a little and regroup. If a Feather doesn't work for you find a blade that does. That is why there are so many blades out there

By the way....I'm no professional. I'm still learning.

Hang in there!

Thanks Daniel

..The same thing happened to me with a Derby extra when i first entered into the wonderful world of Traditional wet shaving..My humble advice I can give is First and foremost 'ADD NO PRESSURE TO THE RAZOR,LET THE WEIGHT OF THE RAZOR & BLADE DO THE WORK,YOU JUST GUIDE IT OVER YOUR STUBBLE. Equally important is to practice your technique and this is the secret to traditional wet shaving, by doing this you will gain your shaving confidence...."I taught myself to shave the lather from my ugly face, rather than the stubble"....This will help to reduce irritation instantly...I find aggressive blades pair together well with non-aggressive razors and vice versa. The horrible experience i had with the Derby extra was purely down to 'Your's truly' through lack of Technique & shaving confidence, but i instantly put the blame on the blade! "A bad worker always blames his tools".....Since then I've used Derby extra's with good shaving results...However, the Muhle blade you used may have been a dud, which happens with any mass-produced product...Yours- Barry.

I have zero problems with the Feather blades. They have not cut me even when used in the Muhle R41. The Muhle blade did. So, are Muhle blades sharper? I have read that dull blades will cut. Not every blade is perfect. I have even gotten a blade with one brand name on one side and another on the flip side. I will never use a Muhle blade again.

No, somebody seems to have an issue with me with the way they jumped on my post. No problem.

I use no pressure. If I lighten at all, the razor will not be on my face.

i am OK Joe thank you. I am very busy for a new company. it is a startup company, lots of paper to read, lots of instructions to be written

I'm sorry...I misread and thought it was Feathers you was having a problem with.

I vote to toss the Muhle blades and move forward. Blades are all different even though they all cut.

I'm sure Joseph did not mean any ill will......sometimes things come across differently in the text.

Take care.

SRS # 673

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: Frederick Reynolds 5/8”
Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 26 mm Tuxedo
Lather: Declaration Grooming After the Rain
Aftershave: Declaration Grooming After the Rain
Additional Care:
Stirling Alum Block
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm
Thayer’s Witch Hazel - Original

Another wonderful Declaration Grooming shave this morning. The scent profile of the soap and splash is as follows: “Like a walk through a forest after a spring shower with notes of wet pine, muted lavender, cedar, and white pepper.”

I had a nice and comfortable three pass shave with a relatively silent alum report. A weeper developed about five minutes after my post shave routine of alum, witch hazel, balm and splash. Go figure!

On the docket today, amongst chores and a few other things, will be the honing of the second blade I have restored, the H. Bocker Co. If all goes according to plan, a test shave will be forthcoming tomorrow morning.

I hope you have a great day gentlemen.

Alabama awesome on all fronts Danny.

Excellent shave, Joe!

Terrific shave Giuseppe.

I don't think I will ever try a straight razor but, the Feather Artist Club is one I might try. I don't want the job of keeping a razor sharp. Replaceable blades are for me. Maybe sometime down the road...

Thanks Joe

Derby is another blade I just don't care for. I got some in a sample pack when I was getting started. They are on my "NOPE!" list.

Some of those Feather Artist Club razors look pretty cool.

I had a Parker SRX for a while, but ended up giving it to a friend.

Oh yeah, the blades with guards might be a good idea if you'll go for it some day.

With an open blade, I find that I can't have any distractions or I'll cut myself. My techique was not very good though.

With a curious dog and due to some medical reasons I decided to stop shaving with the Parker.

Someone with more experience than me can probably give useful tips about shaving with an open blade, if you decide to get one.

Yes, @JACarbone, @jgreenepa and I can help anyone starting to shave with a straight or shavette.