August 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Congrats Adam! It's cool to read about your honing skills and your first BBS with the straight. Those are two huge accomplishments!

 

Yep just different knurling in gold plating..

 

I'll get a better feel for it when I get a few days in a row on it. Keeping the Feather SS in play for the month splits up my time with the Slim. I still need to dial in a setting too, or at least get a handle on what they all really do with each blade. Honestly I'm not totally sold on the idea of an adjustable razor. It's a nice theory and perhaps a way of working with more blades using only one razor to match them, but it takes away the need for another razor. Can't have it interfering with RAD now can we.

 

The Committee is pleased both are Russian, and the GSB and Voskhod are two very similar blades. We'll give it a pass. (Besides, even I have GSB's in my blade box)

 

August 5 Monday, shave 4

The stars seemed in alignment today. I remembered my focus less pressure and try to keep the blade flatter to my face. The Hart was very smooth today, the three passes were without blood and without irritation. It also felt like I the shave was closer than usual for 3 passes with a SR. I was tempted to go for the touch up with did the 4th pass with a DE. Finished BBS no blood and no irritation. A success.

Proraso Pre Shave
QCS Cubano Breeze
T&H silver tip
Hart 7/8 + Ikon SB
Dry Gulch bench strop (horse)
Alum block to keep my fingers dry
Homemade vodka menthol AS
Muhle ASB
Hermes Terre de Hermes

 

Great suggestion! I usually let the water run in the sink during the shave. I shut it off this morning and listened to the blade cut the whiskers. I had no idea the Slim could give so much audible feedback. It made a difference in the quality and closeness of the shave. I'm poking along with my Slim on a 3, so I need all the help I can get!

 

Adam congratulations, that is inspiring!

 

I am sorry I don't have a Fatboy for comparison. I have 2 New LC razors, one LC with a common bar handle and one 15mm Red & Black New Deluxe LC. Because of the narrower base plate increases blade exposure, the New Deluxe is more aggressive. I have loaded up a feather for the next couple of shaves. It's not that I dislike the Slim but I am suprised that it is not equal even at 9 to either of the News. I believe this might be that the blade is more rigid in the Gillette 3 piece razors compared to the TTO razors. As you said it's certainly YMMV thing. Perhaps my thoughts on the Slim will change by the end of the month.

 

Congratulations Adam on your SR victory! Sounds like you really hit the jackpot today with a long lasting BBS shave. Very cool! :rah:

 

I hope to get a better feel for it over this month. I can see a big advantage in being able to dial the razor way down on those days when I have to shave a second time in a day for an evening function.

 

Huh?!!!

Don't let the water conservancy committee see you say that!

They're almost as tough as the Russian Blade Commission!

 

Nobody as as tough as that. Say hello to our receptionist.

 

Day 3 of Adjustable August.

I used the Executive on 4 today without a noticeable difference from yesterday when I used it on 3. Again I was in a hurry to get to work, but it was still a very nice DFS shave, but I think a higher setting is still in order. Once I find that 'sweet spot' I'll stick with it. I'm actually learning!

The story behind this razor is that I picked it up on Ebay when I paid too much for what the seller said it was "near mint'. It wasn't close. As a DE rookie, I thought it was OK, but wondered why one side seemed more aggressive than the other no matter where I set it. Anyway, I wanted to keep it so I sent it to Chris Evatt at RazorPlate. He contacted me to let me know that the head was terribly out of alignment. He wasn't sure I wanted to continue with the replate, it was that bad. He then suggested sending the razor to Cap'n Murphy of B&B. So, I had Chris replate the razor and he sent it to Cap who tore it down and completely straightened everything. He even used a feeler gauge to set the blade gaps to factory settings. Now I have this beauty that's probably better than when it was originally made.

BEFORE AFTER

 

If I can keep one person from making the same mistakes I did, it will be worth it!

 

Don't let them give you too hard a time. You're not the first to forget the blade, or put the base plate on upside down. Still, it's good for a chuckle.

 

No one could give me as hard a time or have as good a chuckle as my fiancee who was there to witness it! Oh well!

 

That's a keeper!

 

In Soviet Russia, water conserves you.

 

Never thought of that.

 

Good point about RAD.