30 Day Rule/Focus; August 2023. All Are Welcome!

SRS # 935

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: AA Gen Takahashi Tokusei
Brush: PAA Atomic Rocket 26 mm
Lather: Lather Bros. Calle Ocho
Aftershave: Pinuad Citrus Musk
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Dickenson’s Original Witch Hazel
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm

 

Very nice shave Gary.

 

Well done Pierpaolo

 

Wonderful shave Barry

 

Thank you Gary.

 

Very nice Joe

 

Hi John, good information there, these must be quite rare, being custom made.

Beautiful shave and razor Joe.
Oh yes, speaking of your cleaver called Max.... that reminds me, I need to add some steak to my shopping list!

 

06 Aug 2023 (Adjustable, Arko August, Artisan August, Anything goes, Adapting-Adjusting-on-the-fly August)

>48 hours

Razors at dawn (alternating sides of face, fresh blade in each) The Daily Double



Prep = usual
Soap = Captain Fawcett Scapicchio bottom scooped and pressed into…
…Bowl = Timeless, adding water until desired consistency
Brush = Puro Tasso Bristle, nice and stiff for the hard soaps
Brush = Omega Pura Setola 11137

Razor1 = Gillette Red B4 : left side of face, then right side of face, then left side
Razor2 = Gillette Rocket HD : right side of face, then left side of face, then right side and touch ups
Blade = Gillette Platinum (1) and (1)
Passes = Three passes, third including touch ups, different razor for each side of face.
Post = CW rinse, Alum was mostly silent, Thayers, liberal use of Brut, Proraso ASB
Damage = None
Outcome = super smooth, relaxing Sunday shave, minor leftovers in zone 8 right side of Adam, deduct half a point

Score = 9 ½ / 10

Thoughts:
#1. Razors: can I tell the difference between the two razors? Hmmm, not really, maybe the Red felt a bit more efficient but I may be biased. If blindfolded, the only way I could really tell the difference would be by the feel of the handles, so not enough difference to talk about, both performed outstandingly
#2. Blades: I know there are differing opinions about blades/brands/subjectivity etc but I did feel the Gillette Platinums felt much smoother than the Treet. Then again, I may not be experienced enough to know the difference, and of course this was a 2 day stubble rather than my daily shaves of earlier this week.

I am tending to want to bin blades after day 1 but since each blade today only got half a workout I have kept each of these for another outing

 

Terrific shave and setup Joe.

 

Thanks Joe. It definitely was a nice and leisurely shave.

 

Thanks Chris. Also, I am that my shave helped in a small way.

 

Nice shave and observations Chris. Although I have never tried Treet blades, my money is on the Gillette Platinum for a smoother experience.

 

My sense is that most razors of a similar aggressiveness shave much the same. The post-WW2 TTO Gillettes were designed to suit the widest possible range of shavers and all tended to be rather middle of the road. In my opinion, even the ones with the coloured tips classed as Mild, Medium or Aggressive fall in a narrow band equivalent to about a 2 to a 6 on a FatBoy's 1 to 9 adjustment dial -- and a FatBoy on 9 is nowhere near the aggressiveness of a fully open Merkur Progress, for example. So I wouldn't expect there to be a huge difference in the shaving feel of your two Gillettes.

As far as blades are concerned, there is the Feather at one end of the sharpness scale and on the other end there are the Chinese blades (like the Tiger iirc) that are totally unusable trash. However, most brand-name blades fall in the middle. Some are a tiny bit sharper or slightly smoother than others or will last for a couple extra shaves. However, the differences are minor and all of them can give you a good shave.

Truthfully, if you took half a dozen good brand-name blades and put them in identical razors, most shavers could not identify which blade they were using without opening the razors and checking.

Having said that, I do have my own preferred blades (like most wetshavers), and I do think the Gillette Platinum is just a touch smoother than the Treet...

 

Thank you Joe.

 

Thank you Gary.

 

6th August 2023.



​

Shaving Recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body+Face Wash.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face & head.
Pears with Mint Extracts Transparent Bar Soap.
Brush: Omega S10065.
Bowl Lather.
Bowl: Home Bargains Stainless Steel Side Bowl.
Frankensoap: Erasmic Shaving Soap+Cussons Imperial Leather Bar Soap+Van Der Hagen Scented Luxury Shaving Soap.
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux. (D2)
Razor: Yaqi DOC Head / Schmidt R10 Handle.

Post:
Cold water face wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face Rinse./Alum Rub./Cold Water Rinse. /Homemade (~Spring/Summer mix~) Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Essential Oils.3 Menthol Crystals Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel./David Beckham Instinct ASL./ Aloe Vera Cooling Gel.

A relaxing Sunday morning shave.

A enjoyable 2 pass + pick ups close comfortable shave with no errors to report.

Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of Aloe Vera Cooling Gel.

My face is feeling super smooth & smelling divine.

Stay safe, and enjoy your Sunday ladies & gentlemen.

 

Great shave Barry. I like the VdH soap and Rapira blades. Have a super Sunday afternoon.

 

Gorgeous looki g shave Chris.

 

Excellent shave Barry. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon.

 

Thank you Joe