My personal plan is to finish Sunday with the Feather SS and most likely freestyle Monday the 31st. I'm a stickler for starting the actual focus on the 1st, but it's not a hard and fast rule. I'm still trying to get the final design to my month figured out so the extra day will help in this case.

And she puts up with those ears!!

August Focus - Slim and Feather AC
August 28
Razor - 1964 Gillette Slim (J1)
Blade - (1)
Brush - Vie Long 12601
Soap - Tabac
Post - Cold water, Alum, The Veg

Changing to a super sharp blade today so a bit of change in protocol. Instead of starting the Slim on 5 I'm dialing down to 3. The Feather gave a fantastic shave at 3 so that will be the starting benchmark. The pony and Tabac for the lather and again, really really a nice result. I have definitely gotten my two favorite soaps nailed down...Tabac and MWF. The Vie Long 12601 and the Omega 10066 both seem to work equally well with each soap and my other brushes aren't that far behind. I notice the Arko and Proraso sit on the shelf a bit forlorn right now.

First pass with the Kai on 3 was extremely smooth. Very nice and very close for a first pass. No issues or concerns except to get the lather on for the XTG. Second pass just as smooth and I was DFS at the end of the pass. A few minor touch ups and I was rinsing, enjoying a nearly burn free alum splash and had the Veg on and out the door. Fantastic shave with this combination. Tomorrow I'm going to dial down to 2 just to see what happens.

Glad to have you aboard! If you've enjoyed this thread, I know you'll fit right in!

I resemble that remark. I was a newbie in the July focus.

I'm still planning on going through several razors in September. I have an Old Type and two Techs that need attention. I also have my father’s Eversharp Shick Injector. I’ve only had one shave with the Old Type, the others are untouched. I’m thinking that for the DE razors, I’ll limit myself to two or three of the blades that have stood out for me to see if they shine in these razors as well. While I’m going to stick with the rest of my setup most of the time, I’m likely to try a new soap or two, a different after shave, and perhaps dig out my untouched VDH boar brush. I don’t have any injector blades yet. They have some generics at the drug store. Do I dare go for those or is there something I should order instead?

I use these. Works out to about 85 cents a blade after shipping. I do find the blades last longer than DE blades so it's not too bad.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E6VHUQ/?tag=thshde-20

Thanks Chris!

August 30 Day Rule

My equipment for the past month:

Razor -- Lord L6
Blade -- GSB
Brush -- VDH Board
Soap -- Stirling MITA
Post -- Cold water splash and WH

This may be my final shave for the month or I may shave Sunday depending on how early I get up. This month has been incredible (the gushy thank you post will follow) and I have learned so much about wet shaving as well as about my own face.

First pass used the WTG on cheeks and XTG on chin and under my lips. Again a very smooth pass. I really tried pulling on the chin, paying close attention to any change in sound. I realized that the tighter I stretch toward my ear as well as up and down the better the cut I get. A very smooth pass. The neck was XTG on first pass and it went very well. Holding the angle, nearly perpendicular to the floor on the face and slightly bigger angle on the neck seems to lead to a great first pass.

Second pass is ATG on the chin and below the lip and it went very well with stretching. The XTG on the cheeks also went very well and making long strokes from chin to ear along the jaw line really does well. The ATG on the neck was a great pass. I tried to make the angle a little more shallow when I do the ATG pass and it seems to be perfect. The same angle does not work as well with the XTG first pass.

Another excellent shave. Splashed some cold water, had one little spot on the underside of the jaw that needed touch up, so re-lathered that spot, hit it real quick with an ATG pass and away went the spot. Another cold water splash, WH, and wait. What is that noise? I think a baby may be cooing.

Injectors give amazingly smooth shaves. You may really like it.

Great illustration. By geometry, would the FB not be more aggressive, in general?

I like the Schick that @cmorris357 reccomends, I get up to 12-15 shaves on one blade if I really wanted to, 7-10 would be really average. They are also on Walgreens web site, along with Pinaud products...free shipping after $25.

Oh well, as the real newbie (sorry @mrchick but you seem to have been at this a little longer than I have ), I will gladly keep the torch if no one else joins in, but I do hope we have some new 30 Day Rule participants.

I cannot say enough about how much I have learned this month! I have progressed from nicks and weepers on every shave, to very few, to none. I have had some rather rough shaves that have left me red and irritated to shaves that are pretty much BBS. Hopefully the technique has come together and has become ingrained as I start adventuring into other blades, other razors, etc over the next few months and years.

The advice, experiences, and encouragement from the people here has been invaluable. I wish every person, no matter their age, that is starting out with wet shaving could find this thread. It has been the greatest asset I have found toward having smooth, enjoyable shaves which ensure that I remain with wet shaving and never consider going back to electric or carts.

I still have a lot to learn (hence the reason I have no problem keeping the newbie torch a while). I look forward to learning it with, and mostly from, the great guys on this thread. I also hope that I am able in some way to contribute, whether to another newbie or just by reminding everyone to put a blade in the razor before you start shaving!

See you in September!!!

It seems like you got the basic ideas down really well. It was a pleasure to watch you get it so quick. Thanks for sharing it all and learning with us!

It looks like we are in the same pledge class. Have you memorized the secret handshake yet?

Not sure if it was all that quick or not or if I even have it down, but definitely world from where I was before. I will keep learning and keep improving. Thank you for everything, especially keeping the 30 day threads going. It really is the greatest resource I have found here at TSD and that is with all the great resources this site has to offer!

Shoot! I knew there was something I was forgetting!

Is this the video where you demonstrate it?

Thanks for your kind words! I am glad you found us! By doing this you are creating a literal daily journal of your shaves, and a record of your incremental progress. It is obvious that you made big trades over just a month! I look forward to seeing you participate next month. And congrats on completing a 30 Day Rule! It will pay off as you start to explore new razors and such. Angle is key, good lather helps, technique trumps tools.

Thanks much @GDCarrington !

Ok so that tells me that my sense of being able to shave under my nose more easily with the Slim, is confirmed by the physical dimensions of that razor vs the Fatboy - as your comparison shows.

(Yes, yes, as well as the size of my very Italian proboscis! I figured I'd beat @NCoxSTL to that statement first!- Ha!)

Does this also mean that the curvature difference between the Slim and Fatboy would also result in there being a different optimal blade cutting angle? Riding the cap as much as I do, I could not tell if the cutting angle was much different.

Thanks again!

No rude comments about your Italian nose from this Irishman. One of my best friends at work is Italian (last name Valenti) and my boss is Sicilian (Scariano). I'm an Irishman who knows when to keep his mouth shut. Besides, the drinking jokes about Irishman outnumber Italian nose jokes.

Thanks Neal, for the nice words and generous complement comparing me with your own yearning for quantitative reasoning. Looking back on all your detailed blade analysis tells me that any hairball coming out of me will always be a lower case aaack, compared to your upper case AAACK!!! attacks!