July 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

1956 Gillette Super Speed Flair
Vulfix Super Badger (660)
Georgetown G12 Scuttle
Proraso Sandalwood cream
Aqua Velva Ice Blue
Current Blade under review: Lord Platinum Class

Shave #3 with the Lord Platinum Class blade. Fine BBS results, a nice shave. Very close, comfortable, no nicks, weepers, irritation or razor burn. My lather was much better today. I took Adam's (Drygulch) advice and dipped my brush in the water a few times (3 times today) after beginning my lather.
2 Full passes: Pass 1: WTG on my face (N/S), and XTG on my neck (N/S). Pass 2: ATG. At this point, I had a solid DFS and almost a BBS shave.
Lathered up those areas that needed touch up. I used stretching and some blade buffing to get the remaining two spots. The Aqua Velva was pretty calm today.

A nice BBS shave from the Lord Platinum Class blade. During the focus I’ve moved on to another blade after 3 shaves, but because the Lord didn’t get a fair shake due to the poor lather I had Monday and Tuesday, I think I’ll give it another go tomorrow.

 

30 day rule - Day 29
MDC Lavender Face Lathered
Ladas blade
Slim Adjustable set to 8
3 passes

Another excellent shave. 30 days of concentrating on one method really does wonders for one's technique.

 

07/29/2015
Razor – Mongoose B2 with Jürgen Hempel Ti
Blade – Feather Super Pro (14)
Brush – Rubberset 400-3 with WSP HMW
Lather – Lo Haiku
Post - Witch Hazel and Fine Platinum



Had a decent shave this morning ending up with a near BBS but alot of tugging and work to get to that point. This blade is just done. I think I'll load a Kai Mild to finish of the Focus. Finished off with a splash of Fine Platinum.

 

As someone who lives in Kansas, I just want to say how much this explains about Missouri.

 

You should post this in the Straight Razor forum in it's own thread. People won't really find it here, and its very good information.

 

July 29th, SOTD (Shave 16 of this focus)
Two days’ growth
Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Cattaraugus Cutlery Co Green Lizard Model B54GL
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel/ Linen (20 laps Linen/ 20 laps Leather pre and 10/10 post)
Soap: The Shave Den Lime with M-Bomb added
Brush: Spalted Maple Brush with Badger Knot
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: The Shave Den Aftershave Milk, Iced Lime with M-Bomb

Great shave today! I am trying to use up the last of my samples of Lime soap and Aftershave Milk from the Shave Den shop. They are good products, but I ordered full size ones, and want to put a different soap in the soap bowl. Whipped up a great lather, and went to add a few drops of M-Bomb, but more came out than I planned. Soap was cold enough it was making my eyes water. Did my normal N/S pass and S/N pass, and my chin and jaw were still just SAS. I lathered up again and did a XTG pass on my chin, jaw, and neck. Ended up with BBS on face, chin, and jawline, but a few spots on my neck are keeping me from calling this a BBS. Since I had already over mentholated the soap, I decided to add some M-Bomb to the already mentholated Aftershave Milk. Made it very frosty. Took almost an hour for the menthol feeling to wear off on my face. It was awesome.

Starting to think about what I will be doing for next month’s focus, but haven’t nailed anything down yet.

 

Phoenix Dbl OC Focus:

Homemade PS Oil
WD High Mountain Badger 30 mm
Kiss My Face Lavender Shea SC
Phoenix Dbl OC
Stirling Unscented PSB
Old Spice Classic AS

So after somewhere near 30 shaves with this razor, I can say that it has jumped up my list and may indeed be my favorite razor. I will need to spend a little time the next couple of weeks working on my other razors, just to remind myself about what they were like, but I suspect this will confirm it for me. The razor is definitely smooth and mild, but it feels very efficient to me. I consistently get a DFS out of it and can achieve this without as much care as with my other razors. Not that I usually get too much irritation, but I have less with this razor.

The most aggressive razor I own is a FB set on 7+, and I get just as close a shave with the Phoenix, so it is up to the task for me. I would definitely recommend this razor to others, especially if you are looking for a nice, smooth and mild shaver.

 

You're right! Only slight negative, I ordered a bulb and they sent me a fan. Would have sent it back but that would have taken another two months.

 

Nice set up! Why do I keep imagining a 4, or no number on that brush? Oh nooo!

 

A new no number 400 was just listed on the bay this morning. You know it's calling your name.

 

Razor: Merkur 34 C
Blade: Merkur Super (3)
Brush: Semogue 1305 Superior Boar
Soap: Knock Out, "Cool Blue"
A/S: Pinuad Musk
Day 29

Excellent 3 pass shave this evening. The razor, blade, brush, soap, and A/S work great together. I have never gone 30 days not using a Badger brush and tomorrow will be the end of this focus.
DFS & BBS.

 

July 29

Gillette Fat Boy G3
Feather blade (2)
Edwin Jagger XL Synthetic
Trumper's Coconut cream
Two passes
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Trumper's Coral Skin Food

Two passes with the FB on a setting of 9 provides a really nice shave. A setting of 8 is just barely more forgiving, and it may accommodate a few more touch-ups after the second pass. I'll stick with 9 for the next few days to see what I can learn. I'm trying Clint's suggestion to add water into the center of the knot to see if it helps produce more lather. I need to work with this brush some more, but in the meantime, it generates plenty of lather for two passes.

I hope you all are having a great week!

 

Vince, it's hard to believe your week of fun is already over! I hope you and your Bride had a great time. Your family back home is waiting up for you.

 

Neal, thanks for the well written side-by-side comparison of the Feather SS and the CJB. This is a wealth of information for someone looking to get one of these razors. You have made much progress in kamisori style shaving. Bring on the Henkotsu aka Плохой парень!

 

Clint, I love the Jürgen Hempel Ti handle on the Goose. It looks to have a wonderful grip. Is it a custom handle? I assume it's fairly lightweight if it's made of titanium.

BTW, every time you use the Lo Haiku, it makes me think your days go something like this:

 

Charlie, it does have a good grip but not as good as the Bomber Mongoose handles. It is a little bigger than the Big Bomber handle but only weighs 62 grams compared with 95 for the Bomber and 150 for the Big Bomber. The Hempel is a custom handle made by Jurgen Hempel in Germany. I just sent him and message on Facebook but if your interested I can get you his email just message me and let me know.

I do really like the scent and performance of the soap. It was a gift from @Darkbulb While my wife likes the scent, I have not had that reaction yet. Not sure my back would survive.

 

By the end of the month it's all basically automatic!

 

Agree. Good idea.

 

The Henkotsu is getting ever closer to its month in the spotlight. I appreciate your comments on the comparison. And I did post it to its own thread at straight razors.

 

Done and done.