April 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

With a food processor, a little rolled oats, and some whole milk you can easily turn that basket's contents into a readily digestible, holiday baby cereal treat.

Doesn't seem fair to make the kid suffer because of a few outdated ideas about proper parenting.

 

Shavemac Flattop. Turns that 20 into a 22.

 

"Setting Neal" really isn't that difficult to use. It just takes a temporarily loss of self-preservation instinct and a shrug. As for the aged skin - why my face is as smooth as the day I first started shaving! I've not aged one bit in all these years. I can't figure out why all of my old acquaintences from college look like old men though. Strange.

 

Here are the Grandma rules. Grandma can do anything she wants. Learn it now, embrace the horror of it, and just let it go. Remember, this was your mother (or your wife's which may be worse) and you will never outrank her. Ever. And when it comes to your own kids.....well....that curse she threw on you that she "hope you have one that is just like you".....she'll do anything and everything to make that a reality.

Now, on the positive side.....since he can't eat any of that stuff the duty falls on the dad to clean it up. It's a tough job.....but I think you're man enough for it.

 

I agree. The longer I do this, the less blade choice matters with regard to outcome and results.

 

Great picture, Perry! Happy birthday!

 

Gentlemen:

Happy Easter and a Great Sunday to all!

 

Ok, we have to have words about this. As one who has tried blade after blade and continues to do so to find the top blade of them all, or at least the best of each group, I can say with absolute certainty that...........oh alright. I have been considering the shaves I've done in the past year as part of the Grand Blade Trials and if there is one thing I have definitely learned, relearned and once again proven, it is that almost any blade is a usable and even quite good blade as long as it's in a good razor and the user possesses strong technique. While there are still blades I prefer to use (Voskhod, Bic CP, Ladas and a few others), I haven't had a truly bad shave with a blade unless it's either a)made in China and not by a major manufacturer or b) is past its prime in number of uses.

While blades do lose their edge and their smoothness over time, it's the skill of the shaver that determines the quality of the shave. Dull or rough blades are, after all, considered as "defective" at that point. Certain razors will also be defective simply because they are cheap and poorly built (as in the Soyuz 1). Even then, the skill of the person using the tools can overcome a lot of issues with even defective equipment as long as it isn't defective to the point of being unusable. (Think Tiger blades)

For proof of concept look no further than the popsicle stick shaves and the blade on a bolt. The blade on a bolt, where the only "tools" are a bolt and nuts not designed for shaving and a bare DE blade was a pure lesson in technique. Angle had to be set by the person using the blade without any help from a guide or safety bar on a razor. And, with a free blade that could bend, flex, chatter and all kinds of other terrifying things, the amount of pressure needed to keep it straight and cutting had to be figured out on the fly. It's a test of skill that you either pass with flying colors - or just color the sink with blood. Fortunately nobody found the blood.

I'm working on a MAYhem plan that will further test the limits of technique but applied to the software end of the setup more than the hardware this time. In addition I"ll also be trying a couple of other items along with some others just for fun and to continue to prove out technique. But when it comes to blades there are lots out there and I've found very few that are actually total failures. I'll keep working through the ones I haven't used yet, but it's become more of an exercise in "oh that worked fine" rather than "oh that is is far worse than those two but better than those three", if you catch my drift.

 

So you mean that if I am new, and I can't get a great shave, buying tons of blade brands and new razors won't help my results very much? You mean the bad shaves are because I don't yet know what I am doing?

 

I know, shocking right? That's pretty much the exact meaning or at least a major corollary thereof. (Now I feel like I've been sufficiently pompous). Believe me, I know the temptation to buy everything in sight and try everything as fast as possible, but the best advice is still - find a blade that you like at first shave, a razor that is in good shape, a soap/cream you like and a brush that works. Use those items ONLY for 30 days to learn what to do with them. It's amazing how much better your shave will be at the end of that 30 days. THEN go ahead and mix and match if you want but don't ever forget that if the results aren't good you should look first at your technique. If it's solid and the shave sucks....then figure out what part of the equation is off.

 

Happy Easter!
I brought out one of my favorites today.
Irisch Moos Shave Stick
Oscar11 Brush
Wade and Butcher Celebrated Razor
Thayers Witch Hazel
Penhaligons Endymion Cologne
Have a blessed Easter!

 

Sounds about right here.

 

Well put.

 

Beautiful razor!!!

 

You know what my doubt is about the whole "blade doesn't matter" is? That, i 've read several experienced wet shavers while googling and they are divided. There are those that say "blade doesn't matter". There are those who say "blade doesn't matter, except 3-4 which i can't stand" and there are those who say "blade does matter, YMMV". Oh, and there are those who say "blade doesn't matter, only technique does and this includes prep".
Starting from the last one, i immediately discard that, because for me, prep isn't part of a technique. It's part of a "chemical attack" against the whiskers, so that even the worst blade can cut them. That's not technique, it's chemistry.

Then you have the rest of opinions. Which brings several questions:
1) What is at the end this technique and why some can have this "universal technique", while others, despite years in wet shaving, still believe that blades make difference? Are there specific instructions other than 30 deg angle and no pressure?
2) Is this technique universal and works with any blade or must you use different technique for different blade?
3) Since a person has at some point a certain technique, bad or good, if the results vary with blades, then blade does make a difference, at least, if you don't have an excellent technique.
4) How easy is to develop "excellent technique"? Because, one can drive for 30 years and be a good driver, but he won't be as good as a Formula 1 driver.

To me, the ultimate proof, would be very simple. Eliminate observer bias. It would be to gather some commonly acclaimed wet shavers, give them same razor and start changing blades, without informing them which blade they use (blind trial). And then, have them do the traditional 3 passes, but without repass. 3 passes. At the end, some judges, who also don't know the blades used (double blind trial), should assess the results (BBS, DFS etc). If technique equalizes the blades, they should all get BBS no matter the blade. If not, the blade matters. That's how you test drug efficacy vs placebo, so it's as objective as it gets. But, i understand that this would be very complicated...

 

Define experienced reviewers. That's the biggest problem. From my reading it's apparent that some of the strongest negatives always come from new converts or people who are not proficient with open blade shaving. I feel like many times new converts blame the gear because it's easier than admitting that they lack the fundamentals.

We are not saying blades "don't matter", rather we are saying that they catch a lot of blame that should he heaped upon the technique inadequacies. When you read a review that says a blade is "bad" or a razor model is rough, rest assured, you're not reading the opinion of someone with finely developed razor skills.

All razors are the same.

 

I'll equate it this way... I have skied most of my adult life. Some skis are better for ice, some better for powder, some better for speed; this is why olimpians have different skis for different events. Having said that, my technique is good enough that you could strap me to two trash can lids and I can get down the mountain in good form and without falling. This comes solely from time on the mountain. I've seen a ton of new skiers who think better equipment will help them be black diamond skiers quicker and older equipment/technology will hold them back, and so they focus on the equipment not the time on the mountain. Bottom line is, a few successful blue runs plus Tommy Moe's skis won't make them Tommy Moe. I could still outski them on 2x4s. There is no equipment that can substitute for time on the mountain, and you can't become an expert without it, no matter what anyone tells you.

 

It's like golf. All clubs are the same when your handicap is - 43. New equipment won't get you to par.

 

Think of it like golf. I am a terrible golfer. I can go and buy the best clubs you could possibly get and still be a terrible golfer. The tools aren't going to change that because I missed all the years of practice that good golfers have put in. Their technique is far superior to mine. They can play with the same crappy set of clubs I have, but they will still be under par. Their Technique Trumps Tools. For me that new $500 driver will just mean I slice it that much further into the rough. The only way for me to ever get good is to practice, practice, practice (we talkin' 'bout practice).

The pros, however all use different equipment. Different clubs, different balls, etc. Why? They have certain preferences that match their particular game. The equipment doesn't make them better, but it does fit their game a bit better.

Razors and blades are not much different from this concept. With good skill, you can shave with just about any blade and razor. As @NCoxSTL stated, the carriage bolt razor challenge from March showed this. That doesn't mean that some blades are difficult to use to just plain suck. I used a Rapira Swedish blade earlier this month that very definitely had a bad edge on one side. Quality control problems can effect blades just like everything else. I have used some blades in the past few months I swore I would never use again, and I got a good quality shave from them. Why? Did the blade change, or was it my technique? Once again, just like golf, every shaver has some preferences, but with good technique, quality shaves are achievable with any blade. The same could be said for razors.

Without good technique, consistently good shaves are difficult. Again just like golf. I get lucky every now and then and hit in the 80's (I said I was bad) for a round of golf. But I average in the upper 90's. Just like when I started wet shaving. I would get a decent shave, then several bad shaves. Honestly, I thought I was doing everything well, even spending a year on this thread, until I realized what good shaves were all about. That came when I really focused on riding the cap. I had been thinking I was good, and finally opened my mind to trying something different and found a whole new world of good shaving.

 

I understand that experience makes better. However, my question, remains, whether one blade can shave better than another. Passing 5 times with a Derby for example to gain the same result as 1 time with Astra, doesn't mean that the blades are equal. It means you need to do 5 times the "work" to equalize them. The discussion about technique, works both ways. Take a newbie with rudimentary technique. Like me. My technique, as rudimentary as it is, is the only one i have... So, i should be getting equally bad shaves with any blade. That's not remotely true. So what's the variable that makes that? To me the obvious answer, is the blade.

I didn't speak about "experienced reviewers". In my hypothetical experiement i spoke of commonly acclaimed wet shavers. I mean, wet shavers that the wet shaving community could accept as "experts". The other people i spoke of, are people that i found googling, that had many years of registration in a wet shaving forum and of posts. Which suggests that are not newbies.

I understand that. But the real question is. An equally experienced skier as you, with some expensive ski gear, will he outrun you? If yes, then gear matters.