February '16 - 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion Thread

Straights Focus February Bonus Shave:

Simpsons Commodore X3 Best Badger
MdC
Henry Sears and Son Queen 3/4
Stirling Unscented PSB -- Mentholated
Wholly Kaw Fougere Bouquet AS

A nice one pass CCS this morning. I am taking my kids to school this morning, which is a blessing for me, as I am usually at work long before the go. It is a great Monday so far. I hope everyone else has the same.

 

Monday, February 29, 2016

Pre: Warm Shower, Sterling Pre-Shave Soap, Omega Green Pre-Shave
Soap: Sterling Margaritas in the Arctic
Brush: PAV Barbershop Envy White Badger
Razor: Blackland Blackbird
Blade: Feather #2
Post: MITA Witch Hazel, Unrefined Shea Butter, Krampert’’s Frostbite Aftershave

 

Thank you.

 

Thank you Doug. The calendar helps an old guy remember what I am supposed to use.

 

I should get a calendar then.

 

SOTD February 29, 2016
Focus day 29
Break in focus yet again for Schick injector!

Menthol Monday!

Prep: Warm shower
Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: Schick G1 Injector (late 1940s)
Brush: Satin Tip 'The Purest' synthetic
Lather: Proraso Green shaving soap
Post: Witch hazel splash, TSD SubZero after shave, Nivea sensitive balm
WTG, touch-up

Well.......today was a rougher shave than normal. It was going well until I hit some kind of bump right under my nose and nicked it pretty badly. That was the worst nick I've had in a long, long time. It wasn't carelessness or laziness but just an accident. Then I ended up with some irritation on my lower neck to the right of the Adam's apple. I'm pretty smooth otherwise, except for the point of my chin (that's a hard spot for me to get smooth anyway).

Proraso Green is a great soap and I think the the Satin Tip brush does a great job of lathering and holding the lather. I am disappointed in the nick under my nose and the irritation, but most of my face is pretty smooth, so I'll take some consolation in that.

It's been a fun month of sharing my shaves with this group. I look forward to next month and continuing to improve!

Hope you have a great Monday!

 

Clint, that's a beautiful razor and brush.

I may break out the Mongoose in March. I'm sure Clark will enjoy his month-long test drive with the two on loan to him. That's very nice of you.

 

Me too! I want one with large print.

 

Clint, this is a fantastic summary. This is likely the best side-by-side comparison anyone will find on the Mongoose vs. the Alumigoose. It was also fun to read about your weekend shaves with the Cobra Classic. You have three mighty fine SEs in your stable.

I agree with your comments about how these 30 day focus threads have helped so many guys further their skill set. There's something here for everyone...the new wet shaver just starting out, someone wanting to take their shaves to the next level, and even those moving to the Dark Side. The fellowship, helpful spirit, and camaraderie here is unmatched. And Chris is the best!

 

Clark was going to just buy one but I urged him to give both a try before buying.

Thank you Charlie. With the completion of this month's focus, I have over 200 shaves with the Mongoose and AlumiGoose. The Mongoose was by a wide margin my most used razor last year. With the addition of the AlumiGoose I can see them splitting time this year. Honestly, I am glad that they do not shave the same. This way I can continue to enjoy them both with different blades.

If I were buying today, I would pick the AlumiGoose. It's lighter, more efficient and less expensive. Now that both will be sold through vendors with no wait, I believe we will see many new users.

 

SOTD
February 29, 2016
Prep: Hot Shower. Noxzema
Razor: Blackland Blackbird
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Lather: TFS Sottozero
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft
Post: Thayers Rose Petal WH. Gold Bond Ultimate
Aftershave: Pitralon Polar
Wonderful shave. TFS soaps are really good, and very inexpensive. Pitralon Polar has a nice healing effect. Good stuff. Blackland Blackbird. Automatic. Smoothness. Every time.
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE!

 

I've moved on to my March Injector focus but would like to recap my February Mongoose focus.
When I first tried the Mongoose, I couldn't understand what all of the fuss was about. I figured it was a technique issue and played with angles and pressure only to keep getting average shaves. I finally started playing with different blades. The Kai milds were so-so. The Feather Pro was better. The Feather Pro Super was THE blade for me. Wonderful two pass BBS shaves with this blade. I enjoy these 30 day threads because I would have given up on a wonderful razor without the focus. Have fun! See you in the March thread.

 

** My February Focus wrap-up **

My main focus this month was a comparison between closed and open comb razor heads, specifically the Maggard V2 heads with MR1 handle.

My initial thoughts are that I enjoy the open comb head very much! It seems to be efficient and effective at smooth shaving. It will also mow through a 48-hour beard with better results than the closed comb. It's not more aggressive as some people say or think, at least in my opinion. It's more effective at beard reduction than closed combs and so perhaps that leads people to label it aggressive.

I still like closed comb safety razors, and I'm not going to get rid of them. I need to go back and use one to compare it to the open comb again.

My lathering skills continued to improve as did my razor technique. I was getting some really good shaves the past couple of weeks with the open comb. The injector shaves I did the past couple of days reminded me of how much I still have to learn about overall technique.

I was happy with the results and comparison of the razor heads this month. Open combs are good for me and that was a valuable lesson to learn. I'm not apprehensive of them now.

Thanks for everyone's help and guidance and good will as we all go on this journey together. Now I have to decide what to do in March!

 

February 2016 Focus -- Schick injectors

February 29

Razor: Golden 500 Schick Injector J Type
Blade: Chinese Schick
Brush: Maggard 24mm Synthetic
Soap: Stirling MITA
Post: Cold water rinse, Alum block, Fine Snake Bite


Today was my final shave of the February injector focus. Used my J-type again along with some of my favorites including the Stirling MITA soap and my new Maggard Brush . . . really an amazing brush and my best pick up in a while! Today's shave was a pretty standard injector shave for me. Near BBS, minimal irritation and really only in those trouble spots of under the jaw line and around the Adam's apple. I could not get many actual BBS shaves with the injectors. Not sure the reason to be honest, but I will settle for the almost automatic near BBS any day.

As far as a comparison, the G type was definitely my favorite of the three. It was milder than the E type but more aggressive than the J. It could handle a couple day's growth, which would bog down the J type. I also loved the handle of the G compared to the J. The long handle just did not suit me and made it more difficult to maneuver the razor, especially under the nose and around the chin. I found myself choking up on it to get better control. I do wish the Hydro-Magic feature was on other razors. The G type with that feature would probably be an excellent daily razor. I may have to find me an I type which I believe has the hydro magic but a shorter handle than the J type just to compare.

Couple of purchases this month. I learned it is best to stick with the Chinese Schicks from Amazon instead of the Personna's from EMS supply company. While they cut fine, they were not quite as sharp and not as smooth as the Schicks. Maybe some more usage would change my opinion, but the dispenser of 20 will basically be used as filler if I run out of the Schicks down the road or maybe my fiancee will eventually use her lady schick razor and will like those blades. Time will tell. My favorite purchase though was the Maggard synthetic brush thanks to Kerry's recommendations. What an excellent brush. Feels great, lathers great, cleans up easily, and is ridiculously cheap at about $12 . . .what more could you want!

A good month with the razors and with the 30 DC! Thanks Chris for organizing the thread as you do every month! Definitely looking forward to March!

 

Razor: Gillette Red Tip
Blade: Wilkinson (1)
Brush: WDC-5 Green Handle Boar 24/65
Soap: Proraso
A/S: Booster Iced Lime
Last day with my Red Tip for awhile. I've used it just about all of February and I'm happy to say I learned a lot about it. It is a great razor. I improve both my angle of attack and my pressure. I didn't think I could use the same razor all month, but I happy I did.

 

Preshave: Hot Shower
Razor: Franken Razor Tech cap, New Short Comb Base plate, Tech Heavy handle
Blade: Rapira Swedish Supersteel
Soap: Barrister & Mann Lime, Lavendar & Cedarwood
Brush: Dubl Duck M-2 w/ Omega 10066 knot
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Bar, Thayers’ Rose Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Stephan Island Lime

Last shave for February. Did a late night shave, because I knew today was going to be a long day. @americanshamrock reminded me about some Russian blades I haven’t used yet, but that I have a bunch of. After Friday’s mediocre shave with a different Rapira Platinum Lux blade, and this was a night and day difference. (Neal, don’t read the next sentence.) I think this blade just replaced Voskhod as my favorite Russian blade. I did N/S, S/N, and then touch up. Chased the baby, and I caught the little bugger! It’s been about 16 hours post shave right now, and I would call this a DFS plus if I got it. Very little alum burn, but the Stephan lit me up. Calmed down quickly into a nice shave, and was still BBS when I left for work this morning. I still have about 80 of these blades, but I went ahead and ordered another 100, so I don’t run out. I will probably be getting rid of some of my other DE blades. This is the razor I plan on keeping for most of my DE use (with two base plates) so this blade will work well. I think this razor is going to take a trip to Delta Echo and get some coatings.

February wrap up. My focus this month was mainly on the brushes. I have determined that I am not a synthetics guy. I think I am going to be re-homing one of my badger brushes, my EverReady with a synthetic knot, and the 28mm Ubersoft knot in my Aluminum handle, so I can afford to get a 28mm badger. For soaps, I am finally seeing the bottom of some of my soap containers. Going to see if I can get a few of them used up in the next few months. For March, I will be focusing on two pass plus touch ups to see if I can get back to that. Chris, thanks for organizing these things. 14th consecutive one, and I am still learning. I hope I can continue to do that, and help others learn as well.

 

February Focus - German blades DONE! Best of the Best to the Finish!

February 29

Razor - '46-'47 Gillette Aristocrat
Blade - (1)
Brush - Vie-Long 12601
Soap - Proraso Green tub
Post - Cold rinse, Alum, Nivea, The Veg

Last day of February on a leap year and I'm finishing the month with my favorite and ultimate shave. The "detente shave" featuring American brass and Soviet steel. The Aristocrat with a Voskhod and it always makes me wonder why I don't just go minimalist and use this blade with this razor for every shave for the rest of my life. The lather combo isn't my favorite but still a great one with the Vie Long horse brush and Proraso. A great way to finish the month.

All that needs to be said is that I did a full three pass just to enjoy a full shave, ended BBS and irritation free and finished with the Veg that produced great sales again today. Ah, yes, this is living.

I'll get my March plan up soon. Trying to settle in a bit and be around more in the next month. Not enough shenanigans in my life in the new year so far. That's gotta change!

​

 

February recap



I decided to use February to get better acquainted with my Gillette Old Type and see which blades seem to work well with it. My top two seeds for the month were the Rapira Super Stainless & Gillette Silver Blue. In addition to those, I sampled 3 other blades. This made 5 different blades over 26 days. Some shaves were outstanding, others were just OK. I would be able to get a consistent DFS+ with any of these blades.
Every shave with the Feather (6), Wilkinson Sword (3), and Gillette Platinum Plus (3) was a BBS. The Gillette Silver Blue was 4 for 6, The Rapiera Super Stainless, 3 and 3, and the SuperMax Super Stainless gave me 2 near BBS shaves.

It looks like I need to give the Feather, Wilkinson Sword, and the Gillette Platinum Plus a try in some other razors as well.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Chris’ @Bama Samurai March focus/rule thread!

 

Thanks for the kind words! Big thanks to all you guys who post here, we got moved over to shave school, and the passion and care you guys show to newer converts is invaluable.

Thanks also to @RaZorBurn123 for his support and for all the time he puts in with new guys in addition to doing his mod duties. Kudos Kerry!

 

Well, February didn't go as planned for me due to my back pain early in the month I think I shaved a couple of times in the first 15 days. At least it felt like it. I do want to use my boar brushes more in March as I'm finding I enjoy them.
Happy shaving!
Kerry