Safe trip and I hope your back holds up.

@clint64

Have fun this weekend!

La Toja is the real deal. Everyone needs to hop on board!

I've got it as my travel soap. It really does perform well. I should probably consider using more in my rotation.

I definitely won the sweepstakes. We are empty nesters now and my lovely wife took the guest bath and gave me the master. Who am I to argue?

Master, I must learn from you.

The Crazy Ivan in SEptember!
September 18

Razor - Edwin Jagger DE89L
Blade - (1)
Brush - Vie Long 12601 The Pony
Soap - TSD Lanolin Bay Rum
Post - Cold Water, Alum, Nivea

So, yet another Chinese blade from Crazy Ivan just to see if we can find one that actually works. I've tried a number of them. The Baili Blue, the Blendax and the Dying Duck, better known as the Flying Eagle, all horrible, terrible, awful, though the Wounded Wombat is still the worst of them all. So, now to the Patrix, made by the same company as the Blendax and honestly.....I was not looking forward to this morning.

So, I decided to stop being so negative, load up the blade and give it a run for its money. No matter what I was determined to finish at least the first pass and, who knows, might even find it to be able to complete the shave in grand style. Using the Pony and TSD Lanolin provided an incredibly good lather (I really like the TSD Lanolin....plan on ordering more) and I was set to go.

First stroke was actually not as bad as I feared. Just down the right cheek, yeah it was a bit tuggy. Ok, more than a bit, but not the worst Chinese blade I have tried. (Did I mention the Krappy Koala?) Went ahead and worked down the right cheek, then endured the extra pain of the right neck. Same on the left. Cheek which was bad, neck which was worse. But....if I'm getting a good shave it's worth it, right?

Yeah, I'm not getting a good shave. I ran my hand over my face as I rinsed it and wondered if I had even reduced the beard at all. It felt as rough as when I started. All that pulling and tugging and overall suckiness and I can't even tell I made a pass? Yep. It's a Chinese blade. Bailed out to my rescue setup...Merker 23c and Astra SP. Did a full three passes with that setup without so much as a pull, tug or anything except beautiful DFS result. Yes, boys and girls, the Patrix is as bad as the Blendax and the Baili but still not quite as bad as the Vomiting Vulture.

I'm really perplexed at how bad Chinese manufactured blades are. The Schick injector blades they make are really good. So, again, it has to be that a foreign company manufacturing in China apparently has enough weight to control quality while the Chinese native versions just don't care. I believe, though, through some research, I may have pinpointed the problem more precisely. Allow me to explain using what is a very familiar video to many of you.

​

I believe the problem occurs because apparently they skip everything that occurs from around 2:02 to 2:26 on this video. They create blanks, then simply go straight to the packing process. Why bother with sharpening and all that? It just adds time and money to the process.

Well, after that fail it's up to Crazy Ivan to figure out what to do tomorrow. The good news is no more early Saturday shaves! As of 8 pm CDT today I no longer sell used cars. I have the weekend off before moving on to the next adventure. Have a great weekend!

Now that's Crazy, Ivan!

Yeah, hit post before I even typed anything. LOL Oops. All edited and ready to go now.

Well I'll read between the lines and assume that the interview this week went VERY WELL!

Congrats Neal!

Though we never did line up that '65 cherry-red Mustang convertible!

Birthday Shave
Saturday, September 19, 2015

B-3 Satin Mongoose with UFO Titan Fine XL
Feather Pro Super #1
Varlet Mega Badger 29 X 49mm
MDC Le Bol En Bois Fougere
Alum, Dickinson’s ++Menthol, Cucumber Melon Whipped Shea Butter
Derby City Chop Shop Small Batch Shave Tonic
Brooks Brothers 1818

This was my first shave with the Feather Pro Super blade. First impressions: increased audio feedback and extremely smooth passes. No chasing the baby with this blade, it’ll do it on its own. This was my closest shave with the Mongoose in more than 50 shaves. I had a near BBS in one pass. The second pass was mostly clean up. This is the blade of choice for a super close shave.


I pulled out the stops on today’s shave. A Luxury Shave: The Varlet Mega, 29 X 49mm, has a well-designed Alumilite Resin handle. It’s well balanced and large enough to be controlled by the thumb and first two fingers of the hand. The brush sits comfortably on the side of the third finger allowing for a secure and comfortable grip. There was zero shedding, after half a dozen lathers. The tips are soft not scratchy when dry. The knot is very dense, and covers a large area with a soft yet firm face feel. The crown has very little splay and holds enough lather for multiple passes. The Mega whipped up a mountain of rich MDC Fougere in seconds. The alum identified only one are of irritation along the jaw line. The witch hazel and whipped shea butter was cool and soothing. Finished off with a generous splash of the Small Batch Shave Tonic to be followed later with some BB 1818.​

Hope you all had a great shave today!

​

Closest I found was a lime green. Just not the same. And thanks. Yes the interview did go very well. The bigger picture is that it was my second one in two weeks. I actually have two jobs waiting....and can only take one. Not a bad problem to have, just have to figure out which is right.

Nice to have choice, I'm sure you'll make the best one!

Congratulations Neal! We all wish you the best in your new job. You're right, it's nice to have a choice. I'm sure you'll end up where you ought to be!
:hooray::rah::hooray:

All hail the Master!

Well, the youth bowling league has started back up so a late night shave for me. Got to look good for those bowling moms. Used the J1 today with Stirling Bay Rum. I tried adding a fourth full pass this evening. I've ever really had any problems with sensitive skin so it wasn't a problem. WTG, XTGS, XTGN, ATG. Yes my beard grows sideways so north south is XTG. A little baby chasing and a fantastic shave for my efforts. Happy Weekend Everyone.

September 19 Focus Shave 15

The first 2 passes went great so I decided to try an extra XTG pass. I nicked my self with the tip of the razor but other than there was no blood. The shave was close, DFS + but with some irritation. Over all I am making slow progress in getting closer shaves.

Proraso Pre Shave
Castle Forbes Lime
Thater 2 bad silver tip fan
Hart Steal 7/8
PRC hanging strop
Alum block to keep my fingers dry
Razor Rock Tight Buns AS
Speick ASB
Caron Pour un Homme

I spy Barber Shoppe AS! Good stuff!

Mine too.

Accept.

Don't question.

The bowling moms would be more impressed if you were bowling against adults. But, it's good to have goals.