January 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic&Discussion Thread

SOTD January 31, 2016
Focus day 28
Shave Den Sunday!!

Prep: Warm water rinse
Blade: Schick injector
Razor: Schick Eversharp G-type injector
Brush: Escali badger
Lather: TSD lanolin bay rum
Post: Witch hazel splash, TSD Iced bay rum after shave, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, XTG (neck and jaw only), touch-up

Received a big haul of TSD products yesterday. Wow!! This was a terrific shave! The bay rum soap is a heavy clove-influenced scent. It reminds me of the holidays. The lather is top-notch - exceptionally easy to load, rich, thick, cushioning - all the good stuff you're looking for. The Escali badger brush lost a good many hairs a couple of days ago but performed really well today. I had enough lather left over to do two or three more passes. The post shave feel after the cold water rinse was the best I've ever experienced. I am really pleased and impressed with the TSD soap!

The Schick razor was a gift to me and I've really enjoyed it. I will return to a Maggard DE tomorrow to begin a new focus, but the Eversharp will be close by and I'll use it off and on.

TSD's iced bay rum was a real treat. It stung a little bit at first and then the menthol kicked in and really cooled things off. I finished with Nivea balm.

All in all this was a terrific shave. I'm overly impressed with the quality of the TSD products! Now I see why so many of you sing their praises.

Have a great end to your weekend!

 

SOTD
January 31, 2016
Prep: Hot Shower. Noxzema
Razor: Gillette Super Speed Flare Tip TV Special 1958 D3
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Lather: Stirling Executive Man
Brush: Semogue 830
Post: Thayers Cucumber WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Stirling Executive Man
Stirling Executive Man is a great soap and aftershave! Scent, slick, post, everything about this product is right on. The Gillette SS TV Special is an efficient razor, very smooth shaver.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE!

 

My goals at the start of the January 2016 focus were.

• Concentrate on 2 new razors, Cobra Classic & AlumiGoose, for weekday shaves with the goal of comparing both to the Mongoose by month end.
• Weekends will be free form on razors but I do want to use the Ikon B1 OC head arriving next week & my Mongoose.
• Use various brushes.
• Use various soaps working down the soap inventory.
• Participate weekly in The Shave Den Sunday thread.
• Embrace NB 2016 and enjoy the shave gear I currently have on hand.
• Provide advice and encouragement to new participants.
• Continue to improve my technique.
• Most important of all hang out with this wonderful group.

Overall I would rate the month as a success. I did split time between the Cobra Classic and AlumiGoose comparing the two razors. I will spend more time with both in February. I have the AlumiGoose dialed in at this point. Strangely, I prefer the Feather Pro blade in the AlumiGoose while I prefer the Super Pro in the Mongoose. I do need some more work with the Cobra Classic to get it dialed in. I am having problems becoming comfortable with gripping the razor. The very stylized handle looks cool but I am always afraid of dropping the razor. The grip issue only becomes worse when going ATG. I did get a couple of pretty good nicks from the snake while shaving. While the CC shaves closer, I prefer the AlumiGoose for work mornings, at least until I can get the CC dialed in.

I used the Ikon B1 OC razor one day each week this month. I bought the head on a whim when it was on sale and I am glad that I did. The razor has been a pleasant surprise shaving very similar to my Gillette New Deluxe. I look forward to spending more time with the Ikon razor this year.

Surprising myself, I have made it through the first month of NB 2016 without really a thought. I will keep trying to work down the soap inventory.

I enjoyed following the progress of the guys venturing into SR shaving. It seemed that all of you were quickly able to master the basics without many problems. Just goes to show that all the months of focusing on techniques were not wasted. I would hope that the newer guys recognize the benefits of spending the time mastering the technique. Once mastered you should be able to transfer these techniques to other razors.

 

January focus recap

This month has flown by! As usual....the days are long but the months and years are short. This forum and this thread have been a great addition to my hobbies.

I began the month as a newbie DE shaver and still am. I wanted to use all my razors and really dive in to all my soaps and products, but clamped down on a focus/rule hybrid. I used Proraso White a lot, used the same razor all month (with the exception of the past two days) and began to gain lots of confidence.

The clamping down of the razor and repeated use of the Proraso were the two key ingredients. I learned technique with that 3-piece razor and dialed in some fantastic lathers with the Proraso. My next month's focus will incorporate a few of these tenets with some alterations. It's going to be fun again!

Thank you gentlemen for an enlightening, fun, and engaging month of posts. I'm looking forward to joining you again in February!

 

I love that calendar with the photos, Clint! Really neat. How did you do that if you don't mind me asking?

 

Thank you. I us an app for the iPhone called Collect. As I take the daily SOTD photos I just save them to that day in Collect. At the end of the Month I just save the collection of photos as a calendar collage. Total extra time involved for the entire month is maybe 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Thanks Charlie, you're very kind. I enjoy your posts and photos as well!

 

Thank you, Charlie. I've really enjoyed your photos this month; they have been great. My son takes after his mother (luckily) and is much more photogenic than his old man, so the avatar was almost cheating. I hadn't thought the popsicle stick idea, but I will have to think of something like that. Great idea!

 

Thank you Charlie. I know I have learned a lot from you and the other 30 day crew over the past 13 months of the 30 day threads.

I haven't resorted to using the less favorites as bath soaps yet but that is a thought.

 

It has been fun following your progress this month. You have definitely come a long way in a short amount of time. Great job. Looking forward to what next month has for you.

 

I took a little more time this snowy Sunday and did a hot towel after shower with some extra pre-shave oil and bloom water. Can't say for sure it made a difference, but it seemed too. I got a new soap in the mail yesterday and really wanted to try it. I was afraid the scent would be too strong after opening the jar, but it calmed down nicely after lathering it up. I was hoping for more patchouli, but the grapefruit is the dominant scent. I still like it though, lathered up nicely.

My new found shaving bowl hold heat well. Put it in the sink with hot water before getting in the shower. Kept the lather warm through the shave.

It's been a very educational partial month for me. I feel like I understand the basics, now on to mastering them!

 

Thank you for another great month in the Focus Group. My goal was to learn to use hard soaps consistently. It was a success. I have been able to lather up several soaps that used to frustrate me, including MWF. In fact my new favorite cream/soap is a soap. Route 66 Sweeney Todd is now my favorite, replacing TOBS Grapefruit. Without this focus, I would have probably given up and just used creams. Thanks for being here for me. Time for a group hug!

 

January, 2016 Wrap Up



My focus this month has been on the razor my wife gave me for Christmas: the Phoenix Double Open Comb. Also to find which of my top blades would give me close and comfortable shaves with this razor, and then stay with one for the majority of the month.

I enjoyed shaving with the Phoenix Double OC this month. It is a mild razor but can be very effective with the right blade. I found the Gillette Silver Blue, the Rapiera Super Stainless, and the Feather were all capable of providing me with nice BBS shaves without a lot of effort. I ended up using the Gillette Silver Blue more than any other blade. This razor's most efficient angle appears to be while riding the cap and removing almost all of the lather during a pass. If I don't, then I'll have rows of lather left to let me know. The remaining lather allows for comfortable blade buffing. I found myself employing more techniques than on some of my earlier razors especially when working with blades that aren't quite as sharp as the GSB and its cohorts. This month was the first that I made a conscious effort to regularly copy the effect of a slant razor by angling the DOC like a guillotine when going over some of the trouble spots on my neck.

I used three of my brushes in January. The Vulfix Super Badger was my primary brush, the JR #27 with the Wet Dog Silvertip knot was adopted from @Jayaruh, and I used the Frank Shaving Pur-tech Synthetic for travel. The C.O. Bigelow cream was my travel soap, but my primary soap this month was Mitchell's Wool Fat. MWF provides a consistently slick cushion and I really appreciate the kindness of @clint64 in gifting me the soap.

I hope to see you all in the February focus/rule!

 

Bill, you have become the lather master over the last several months. The ability to lather MWF with a variety of brushes is a testament to your lathering skill. I am glad that you are enjoying the MWF.

 

January 2016 Focus -- Blade search for the 1958 Executive

January 31

Razor: Gillette 1958 Executive adjustable
Blade: Feather (4)
Brush: Stirling Kong
Soap: Stirling MITA
Post: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel, Fine L'Orange Noir


Decided to work in another shave with the feather today before I head out to spend the rest of my day with my father for his birthday.

Not the best shave. The feather is a good blade for shaves 2 & 3 but not 1 & 4. Today the blade felt a little less sharp but definitely lost any smoothness it had during there last two shaves. When using the feather I definitely have to stop after 3 shaves. Ended with solid DFS but the Fine AS definitely told me my neck was worked over by the blade.

Will be back this evening after time with dad to summarize my blades with the Executive and to figure out my February focus! Look forward to seeing everyone next month!!

 

Good looking pic!

 

My January Recap.

King Cobra gave me the closest shaves of the month when paired with a Feather Pro Super blade. It's slim design allows for better control and efficiency. The Cobra has a larger blade gap and more exposed blade than the AlumiGoose. It was the most aggressive razor used this month.

AlumiGoose took over for the heavier Mongoose in my Den. The lighter weight gives the AlumiGoose greater maneuverability in and around the nose and chin. It may be slightly more aggressive than its heavier older sibling especially when loaded with a Pro Super blade.

The One Blade has a high tech flex-head design which maintains an ideal shaving angle while keeping the entire head of the razor against the skin. It hugs the corners of the chin and jaw line. Short strokes worked better and it performed best when used with some pressure, like a cartridge razor. The blades designed for the OB (Feather FHS-10) performed well for only 2 shaves. The longer lasting (8-10 shaves) and less expensive GEM single edge blades fit in the OB. The Gem blades proved to be the best blades for the One Blade.

The Blackland Blackbird was by far the best DE razor used this month. It provided consistent two pass BBS shaves. The BB holds the blade tighter than the RR Black Mamba or any vintage DE razor I've used. The Blackbird is also one cool looking razor.

 

I have noticed that ANYONE who uses the Blackbird has sung its praises. @Troy M has certainly had tremendous success with it. @Boojum1 sings it praises in the post above this. May have to get one someday, but not any time soon!

 

Great comparison Mark. I find the Cobra Classic to be pretty aggressive with just a feather blade. I will work my way up to a Super Pro when I get more comfortable with the CC.

The One Blade is on my list to buy. Even more so now that I know Gem blades can be used in the razor. I am holding out for a sale similar to the sale they ran last Christmas.

 

January 30 Focus Summary

So I thought to write up my thoughts gleaned from the month. Overall I loved it and learned a lot, but I also hated it and cheated a little from time to time. I am nothing if not undisciplined.

• I'm pretty sure that none of my boar brushes are fully broken in yet. They all seem further along though. I figure another month should do it but in won't be February since February will be a synthetic brush month. If anything, I like boar brushes better now than I did going in. I also look forward to a break from them.
  
• I've learned to use Old Type Gillettes effectively. That being said, the two examples I have remain subtly different and require slightly different technique.
  
• Old Types will not be my favorite razor. They are too finicky and require too much thought and precision which leads into too much touch up.
  
• Old Types are fabulous for trimming around goatees and mustaches. Mine have never looked more precise as a result of using Old Types. I credited it to the much thinner/sleeker head design.
  
• The knurling of my gold Old Type is much shallower than on my silver one making it much harder to hold onto. I don't know if that's just my two examples or a general trend.
  
• Are there long comb and non-comb Old Types? If so, I wish I'd had them for inclusion in the focus as both my examples were short comb. Short comb seems to be the predominant model on eBay.
  
• I really could content myself with three soaps: Cella, Mitchell's Wool Fat, and Tabac. They all provide me a very pleasurable experience and are distinguishable enough for me so as not to get boring. That being said, I'll continue to mix in others from time to time.
  
• The jury's still out on razor blades. I think settling in on a final rotation could take awhile if indeed it ever comes about. I do think it might be that certain blades work better in certain razors, but ultimately, I don't think I will want to go into that much detail because the differences are nuanced and can be compensated for via technique.
  
• For similar streamlining, I'm about 90% settled in on 3 shaves per blade. For some, even that limited number seems a stretch and others I could go longer with, but 3 seems a good compromise. The fly in the ointment remains Voskod which really seems to require one shave to "break in." I'm experimenting with "corking" Voskods to see if that eliminates the first shave syndrome.
  
• I've managed to cut out a full pass via improved technique. What was a 3 pass plus touch up shave can now be accomplished in two pass + touch up.
  
• That being said, I've decided that daily shaving is impractical. It leads to skin irritation for me and less good shaves. I'm now on a every other day routine with daily thrown in when necessary.

As you can see, I benefitted a lot from 30 day focus. I've got a fairly solid plan for February which I'll post tomorrow.