August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

I retired in 1998.

 

Getting ready for my fourth attempt with the Feather Artists Club SS with a Pro blade. Your prayers are appreciated

 

SOTD
August 29, 2015
Prep: Hot Shower. Axe Energizing Face Wash Boost
Razor: Mongoose B3 Dr. Bomber Handle
Blade: Kia Captain Titan Mild
Brush: Semogue 750
Lather: B&M Latha
Post: Alum. Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: B&M Latha
Great shave. Latha. If you want a great soap at a great price look no further. Okay. 10 shaves in with the Mongoose, if you are looking for a high end, top quality razor I would highly recommend a Mongoose. Get on the "list" This Semogue 750 was one of my first brushes.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE

 

Yes it does mean that by simple geometry but let me tell you a little secret shortly. Here is the setup. Our hands when we shave cannot be accurate enough to differentiate 30 degrees from 32 degrees. We will not pull out a protractor to determine our shaving angles when we shave. Nice in theory but not borne out fully in reality. Even those that are shaving with straight razors will not be doing angle measurements.

Now to the secret. The secret is there is science behind the development, manufacturing, and functioning of hardware is part of the science of the matter of shaving, but the technique you develop for your skin and your hands and your equipment is the art of the matter of shaving. So you will more than likely use a slightly different angle with one razor versus another somewhat unconsciously because the "feel" is right to maximize the cutting action and minimize irritating the skin. This will truly vary (albeit it slightly) between different equipment because your brain will (or should) eventually determine the methods that are right for you. That is why I discuss that technique which is the art of applying the equipment will almost always (unless you are using truly defective hardware) trump hardware. Many get the same great shaves from a lesser expensive set of equipment as they do with expensive equipment for that reason.

As to your "riding the cap" you should work on the technique of backing down on the cap to allow more blade to contact versus cap and you will begin to notice the different, but again that is applying the art of the issue because the science part is static in this case.

I hope this helps.

 

It helped me Thanks!

 

Today was my fourth effort with the Feather Artists Club SS with a Feather Pro blade. My first three efforts were one pass WTG. Today I graduated to a two pass WTG and ATG with good results. I did have to do a little touch up on the neck with my Krona. I have one consistent trouble spot with the Feather AC. I have a crease in my neck that I consistently nick with this razor even when stretching my skin. My wife came in the bathroom and said, "Why do you always bleed in the same spot"? I turned off my inner smart mouth and just said, "I'm working on it".
SOTD
Feather AC SS
Feather Pro (4)
Truefitt and Hill #10 cream
Omega boar brush
AOS AS Balm
Florida Water AS
Have a great weekend!

 

Very thorough post. Thanks. Looks a great setup. I also find #7 is my best overall shave with my Slim this focus.

 

Great and informative information. Thanks.

 

These focuses are very beneficial to progress in shaving.
Have a great weekend yourself.

 

08/29/2015
Razor – Wolfman OC with Triad Helix SS
Blade – Feather (2)
Brush – Rubberset 400 with Omega Boar
Lather – Mystic Water Lavender
Post - Witch Hazel & Captain’s Choice Bay Rum



My Wolfman OC razor head arrived Friday afternoon. I can not pass up the opportunity to play with shiny new things. A fantastic 3 pass near BBS shave this morning. Mystic Water soaps were hard for me to lather consistently in the beginning. I have found I can lather the soap with my boar brushes better. Finished off with a splash of CC Bay Rum .

 

Beautiful looking razor @clint64. Good picture also. I also like CC Bay Rum.

 

Thank you. I really like the CC Bay Rum a lot. I did add some menthol crystals to it. I didn't go over the top with them but I do like the cooling effect now.

 

It looks like I need to decide what to do next month. I have a couple of ideas. One is to do an SE focus, the other is to pick a razor and do a series of blades three days at a time. Oh well, I have a couple more days to decide.
I decided how I am going to finish the month. I did a Feather blade focus where I tossed each blade after the third day. You may have noticed that I liked the Feather better on day two and three. Well, I am going to toss all caution to the wind and extend this blade to five days. Yes, I said five days. What a Daredevil huh? I do have safety precautions in place (see below). Wish me well.

 

I learned all about Irish history on TV. I believe it was a documentary.

 

Thanks @clint64 for the tip. Did you measure the amount of Menthol you added? I'd like to try that.

 

Charlie thanks for asking. My daughter is pretty much over the bug she caught. I am much better but my back is still not right. I have a follow up appointment with the Orthopedic on Wednesday morning. My guess is another round of spinal injections in hopes of avoiding surgery.

My initial impressions of the Wolfman is that of a very well built and crafted razor. You can tell he put a great deal of effort into finishing. It is very similar to a New LC. I got mine with the standard blade gap so it is mild but super efficient; maybe more so than the New LC. I'll be better able to compare the 2 after I spend some more time with it.

 

I didn't really measure how much I added. I added one large crystal to my partial bottle and let it dissolve. Gave it a try and added a little more. I really should have weighed the amount I added. I did the same thing with CC Sandalwood and managed to go over the top on that one freezing my face off. A little of the stuff goes a long way for me.

 

Thanks, I'll take your advice and add a little at a time.

 

I will be interested to see what happens on day five as well. I'm starting to regret canceling my Mongoose when my turn came up on the waiting list. Who am I kidding, I still have tons of razors to try

 

I'm planning to join the SEptember focus by starting off alternating my J1 and L1 injectors just to see if I can detect any difference. Later in the month, depending on waiting lists and replating service deliveries I hope to add in either the Mongoose or a Gem and do a blade comparison to find the best combination. I don't shave everyday so there won't be a daily post, but hopefully I can add something to the discussion.