Day 4 - 5 June 2015

30 Day Rule with a Cadet OC!


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I took a break yesterday because Wednesday the shave was so close, I felt like Thursday would have been very irritating, so I did 36 hour interval and got a great shave this afternoon. I am trying something new on the Williams. I am lathering it with bloom and a damp brush. Then I am letting the lather collapse, then whipping it up again. It is producing more consistent and better lather, still no mosquito bites! Today was a new blade, this seemed smoother than the last one--or I am holding the angle better. 25 more days to dial it all in, but so far so good! I finished with Alum, TSD ISZ and a splash of the Florida Water. Face feels good, each shave is better than the last!

Have a great Weekend!
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World Tournament of Blades - Russia vs. the World!!
June 5, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Omega Pro 48
Soap - Arko
Razor - EJ DE 89L
Blade - (1)
Post - Alum, Nivea Balm

Day five of the tournament and it's the Sputnik up for consideration. This is a blade I've always liked to a point but haven't really used it enough to determine where it ranks among my favorites. So today, we judge. Two passes today to a DFS, which is a very nice result and a good one to get as I was a bit off my game. We have a few negatives that have arisen, actually more than a few, so not much sleep last night. But, I focused in and got a good shave. Back to Arko and the Pro 48. Can't miss with that lather (unless you try it totally sleepless). The blade is sharp but not overwhelmingly so. Have to give it a 2 as the smoothness was also a bit less than I like. That earns a 2 as well. Irritation? Quiet alum and a nice feel. A 1 for that. And the result was DFS. That's a 2. Total score - 7. Not too bad but it may have to step up its game if it advances. Tomorrow - The Sharp Star, a relative newbie to my list of favorites. It's the difficult to find Russian from Moscow that I really like a lot....but how will it stack up in the tournament? We'll know in less than 24 hours!

Hope you all had a great Friday. I'm off to bed in a few to get ready for a busy Saturday.

June 5 - Shave 3
Prep: Hot shower, Nivia Face wash
Brush: Omega 48
Preshave: Stirling Mentha Preshave oil
Soap: TSD Lanolin Signature 2x ice scent
Razor: "Spike" Henry Sears and Sons 1865, round point, 5/8
Growth: 1.5 days
Post: Cold water splash, alum, Clubman AS, Proaso Green + m-bomb post shave balm.
Passes: WTG, XTG, WTG
DE: Gillette SS with Wilkinson (5)

Tonight was all about getting that BBS. HASHTAGCHASINGIT!

So many exciting things to share tonight! Not only did I welcome two new whipped dogs to the rotationm, but actually added 4 new razors! Two were my whipped dogs (thanks Larry) and two flea market finds freshly cleaned and honed by Glen (@gssixgun) I started my shave this evening prior to checking the mail so I didn't even know my gemstar reconditions were in! So I took spike out for a spin on my face. Being that it's a round point, I didn't have to be as careful while shaving.

What a pleasure shaving with spike. Great shaver. I struggled with the stretching due to soap slickness - yeah hashtaggreatsoapproblems (@Queen of Blades) honestly the easiest soap to load and produce a great, slicker, lather. Off my "soap" box...

After three easy passes with very little pressure, I move to the DE to chase the BBS! The only thing needed was a neck XTG and a face ATG pass. GOT IT!!! So happy the have established a process - during the week, no DE. weekend - add the DE to "clean up" the goatee. I will say that in my process of working a handlebar goatee, I'm not 4 weeks out and entering that "freakin' annoying" phase.
Cheers!
Eric

Today is the last SR shave for a few days because tomorrow I am off to Macau for some R&R!

Last time I tried just 2 passes then DE to see if the extra passes was the cause of irritation. So today I went for 3 passes and had the least irritation ever for 3 passes with a SR. I am still not as close as I would like. I used a DE to touch my next for DFS. Even the alum did not highlight any irritation, hopefully the shaves will start getting closer. Either way I feel some sense of accomplishment before I head to Macau (I will be using a DE).

Proraso Pre Shave
AoS Sandalwood Tallow
Rooney 3/2 silver tip
Futur with a Super Iridium blade
Alcolado Glacial AS
Edwin Jagger Lime and Pomegranate ASB
Hermes Terre d' Hermes


Tomorrow Macau!

Looks like great! Orange menthol sounds very nice

Coming along very nice!

Beautiful photo! I recently picked up a few vintage razors (details below) that I will eventually work into my rotation. One of them is a '54 Super Speed that looks nearly identical to your '58 Gillette TV Special. How do you like the shaves from your '58?

I picked up two Fat Boys (E2 - good friend's birth quarter and G2 - my birth year), 1 Super Speed (Z3 - Bride's birth quarter), and three Slims (G4 - my birth year, I3, & N2). Everything came from eBay except for the I3 Slim compliments of @Bristle Me . I plan to keep a few of these and PIF a couple to a friend. I will post a photo when I get them all cleaned up.

Thanks! I really like the TV Special, as it is probably the easiest razor for me to just pick up and shave with. I have a '48 Milord and honestly prefer the TV Special. That is a nice haul you have.

Cold water shave focus day 6:

Homemade PS Oil
Vie-long Horsehair Brush
TSD Iced Sub-zero
'58 Gillette TV Special
Stirling Unscented PSB
Aqua Velva AS

Once again a good shave this morning. I can see this becoming my way of shaving. The cold water intensifies the menthol. A nice chilling effect.

That's a very nice haul Charlie. Are you doing a vintage focus for June?

5/0615 - A Month of Proraso!!!

Proraso Green Soap
Semogue Italian Barber LE
Gillette Bostonian
Pol-Silver Blade (3)
Osage Rub

BBS Shave. Proraso, once finding the right water content, is a great soap. Slick with a good cushion. It's not a thick lather, but just right for me. The menthol and scent are tuned down to where neither is over bearing.
I like a good paste to help the blade glide, and this soap does just that.

06/06/2015
Razor – Gillette New LC with Triad SS Helix
Blade – Feather (2)
Brush – Shavemac Silvertip D01
Lather – Mystic Water Lime
Post - Witch Hazel & Myrsol Agua Limon Sample



Great 3 pass BBS shave this morning. This morning was the last shave with the New LC for this focus. This week reminded me that the New OC are truly great razors. You should give one a try if given the opportunity. The performance of Mystic Water is worth the increased effort to lather. The scent is fantastic and the soap is so slick. Finished off with Myrsol Limon.

Clint, thanks for the good words. I had fun locating the razors, and I have been pleasantly surprised with their good condition. The construction and overall feel of the FBs and Slims are amazing. I now understand why these razors are so popular and are still around after half a century. IMO, the Super Speed is in a totally different class. It's much lighter, has a very simple design, and is visually the most appealing. I think this one will be the most fun to use, especially after @Norcalnewb 's endorsement.

I'm still looking for a G-3 (my birth quarter), but they don't seem to be quite as plentiful (in my price range) as the other G's. I'm sure one will turn up soon enough.

I have an R41 (2013) out and ready to go for June. I've never used an R41 before, so I plan to get started with it beginning tomorrow morning. The vintage focus sounds like a real possibility for July, though.

June 6

MdC facial soap
Weber PH
Feather blade (day 3)
Omega Pro 98 boar brush
D.R. Harris Almond Shave Cream
Two passes
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Nivea Sensitive Post-Shave balm

Hey guys. It's good to be back.... I had my last shave for awhile with my Weber PH. I'm moving on to an R41 (2013 version & the weenie baby compared to the 2011) for the first time beginning tomorrow. It was hard for me to put the Weber away, it's that good. I had a really good shave this morning, although I have some redness and irritation from letting the lather sit on my face while I got a photo. (I knew I was going to have a problem when the witch hazel caused a burning sensation after my shave.) It has calmed down, so I'll chalk that up as a learning experience. I switched from LPL (a fantastic soap) to D.R. Harris Almond cream. I've had it for awhile, so I'd like to use it up and try something new. I also switched over to my Pro 98 brush, and I was rewarded with a lingering whiff of Arko when I began my face lather.

I'm still catching up on the June thread, but it has been fun so far following everyone's exploits. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Day 5 of 5; 30-Day JUNE Rule
Final day using the Red Imp.
I've decided to add one more razor to the June mix—which means each razor (a total of 6) will be used for five consecutive days before moving on to the next.
Five days is ample time to really see what each razor can do; how the edge feels on the face, how much effort is required to get a smooth result, how the razor feels in the hand and ease of navigation around the face.
In the case of this…Case Red Imp, I came away very impressed with the performance. Easy to use, very audible, keen smooth edge, brilliant results with minimal effort. If you have the opportunity to try or acquire one of these IMPS, I highly recommend them. This one is my third—the largest (6/8") of the RED IMP trio—and each one has proved to be a very good razor.


Tomorrow: A taste of Sheffield Steel….

No growth, no shave.

June 6th, SOTD (Shave 4 of this focus)
One days’ growth
Prep: Face Scrub
Razor: Wade & Butcher 5/8 The Celebrated Extra Hollow Ground- Post 1890 with wood scales
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel Horsehide/ Linen (25 on linen, 50 on leather)
Soap: The Shave Den Lime
Brush: Eveready 100T re-knotted with 22mm TGN Synthetic
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: The Shave Den Iced Lime Aftershave Milk


Decided to try shaving daily for a few days, and see how it goes. This is the second shave on this razor since I got it back. It honestly feels a lot like a Feather in my DE, in that it does a great job, but is a little harsh on my face. It was finished on an Apache Strata stone. I am hoping that it will mellow out some with use. Would taking it across a pasted strop do anything to help? Did a two pass with no touch up today, XTG then ATG. With only a day’s growth it was simpler to get a DFS. Because I could feel the irritation, I didn’t go for any touch up.


Getting ready to leave on another business trip, and am debating on taking a couple of straights in my travel kit. (I will remember soap this time.) The Shave Den Soap is nice, and the milk helped with the razor burn I ended up with.

I might see if I can get away with a daily straight as well, but if my weekend DE goatee maintenance keeps giving me such a close shave, not sure I'll be able to pull that off!

Take the straights on the trip! They love to travel

The milk was one of my first TDS purchases and LOVE IT!

I also think the wood scales look nice on that razor.

Cheers!

Clint, I'm so glad you're feeling better. That is great news!