JUNE 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

9 on a Derby. That is really an impressive showing for a blade that so many write off as "not really a blade".

 

When I first tried Derby as a newbie, I criticized it heavily. Now I realize that my skill level (or lack thereof) was the real issue. It's a fine blade, not my fave, but more than adequate for a comfortable shave.

 

I think it is too =) we'll see how it goes. Is there people here that does is a little less than 30 days? =P

 

World Tournament of Blades - Russia vs. the World!!
June 25, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - VDH Boar
Soap - Proraso
Razor - '59 Ball End Tech
Blade - (2)
Post - Alum, Nivea Balm

Wrapping up the Quarterfinals with the Derby! This blade was a surprising winner over the vaunted Feather and has its work cut out for it to keep going. However, @Bama Samurai is using Derbys this month and just ripped off 9 good shaves with one. Let's see if the hot streak continues here!

Lathered the Proraso and went to work on the first pass. Very smooth and the blade is as sharp as it ever was, which is to say it isn't as sharp as some. Still, a great pass, comfortable and effective. XTG for the second and another smooth pass. The lack of sharpness showed up a bit as the blade left a bit more work for the third pass than I normally see. Went ATG on the third on my face, XTG and G-slide on the neck and finished with a very nice DFS. No complaints there.

Scoring - Sharpness - This is a 2. Same as its first run. The Derby isn't among the sharpest blades but it functions well. Smoothness, definitely a 1. Very nice feel throughout. DFS for the finish which is a 2. That's 5 so far. Irritation - this was the one I was waiting on because a 1 forces the tie. And, in the last round, the Derby scored a 1. Let's go to the alum.....but wait....there is a mark high on my right cheek.....red....no blood....but looks like a scrape or near-weeper. Huh? Well if it's nothing the alum won't affect it. So....alum all over and.........yeah, that's a scrape or minor nick which lights up the alum.....and.....the burn is all over. Face, neck, especially the neck, and it's persistent. That makes irritation a 2.

Total - 7. Great effort but not good enough.

Winner - PERSONNA LAB BLUE!!!!!

So, here are the Final Four!

Voskhod vs. Ladas
Bic vs. Personna Lab Blue

Not the pairings I expected but they are good ones. The Final Four.....begins tomorrow!

 

06/25/2015
Razor – ATT R2 with Hempel Ti
Blade – Feather (3)
Brush – Rudy Vey with TGN Finest
Lather – B&M Latha
Post - Witch Hazel and Fine Platinum



Another great 3 pass shave this morning. Not crazy about the scent of Latha but at least it dissipates by the time lathering is finished. The performance of the soap is very good. Finished off with a splash of Fine Platinum.

 

Day#5 of 5; 30-Days in June
This was supposed to be the final day using this fine vintage C-MON razor, which I paired this morning with Martin De Candre soap. Result? A near-BBS 3-pass shave.
I may squeeze one more day from this razor as yesterday I opted to use Drygulch's trio for my morning shave. This CMON definitely goes on my 'Keeper' list as it is such a smooth shaver.

 

June 24th, SOTD (Shave 15 of this focus)
One days’ growth
Prep: Hot water splash and Homemade Pre-Shave Oil
Razor: W. B. Speed Rabbit marked razor
Strop: Drygulch Chromexcel Horsehide/ Linen
Soap: Maggard’s Orange Menthol
Brush: Eveready 100T re-knotted with 22mm TGN Synthetic
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, Thayer’s Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Maggard’s Orange Menthol Alcohol Based

Changed a few things today, and it worked. Because a skin condition I have, I don’t typically shower every day, unless I have been working outside and need to wash the sunscreen off. On the days I don’t shower, I don’t typically shave, because the whiskers aren’t soft enough. This month, one of my focus items was trying to shave every day for a week. Today is the fifth day in a row I have shaved. It honestly hasn’t been going that great, lots of irritation. This morning, rather than scrubbing my face with soap, I just used water. I then put on a homemade pre-shave oil, and let that soak for five minutes. I didn’t wash it off, but I made my lather for my first pass very thick, without much water. I did my first pass WTG or N/S. Because of the irritation I have been getting, I did no pressure, and just assumed I would have a rough neck. Rinsed my face with hot water, added more water to my lather, and did my second pass ATG, or S/N. Menthol felt great on the parts of my neck that get irritated. Didn’t do any touch up either. Went into the shave figuring I would get a SAS, and ended up with a BBS.

One other area that was weird for me today, I was in a hurry and forgot to strop my razor before the shave. It was smooth and didn’t pull at all. I was half way through my second pass when I realized I hadn’t stropped it. Typically I do 20 laps on both linen and leather after my shave to clean the edge. Apparently that was enough to prep the razor for the next shave. I may have to revisit my stropping routine.

Today was surprising.

 

June 25, 2015

30 Day RULE - “Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Lather, Rinse….”

Hot Shower
Pre-Shave Oil: Gingers Garden
Soap: Arko
Brush: Omega Pro 48
Razor: Gillette Tech “Fat Handle”
Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword Stainless (India) (2)
After Shave: Floid Blue sample (didn't replace photo)
After Shave Balm: Gingers Garden



Very nice 2-pass shave today. Solid focus on better technique, more deliberate, shorter strokes. Noticed that my grip may have been a bit too high up the handle - almost right below the head. This may have caused the feeling I had on the past couple of shaves that I was more frequently in a place where I was about to cut myself as the blade edge tended to approach perpendicular to my skin. Bringing my grip down the handle a bit appeared to remedy that...or was it better focus?

Cheers!
RT

 

Yep, since you post-stropped after your last shave, the blade was already primed to go! I've forgotten to strop at times—particularly if I'm hurried or its zero-dark thirty when I'm shaving. Since I also have habit of stropping about 2 dozen laps post-shave, there usually isn't a problem. The problem arises IF I'm not using the same razor and I pull one from the drawer that may or may not have been stropped.

 

June Open Comb Focus
Day 16

Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Gillette New SC
Blade: Voskhod
Brush: Omega 10083 Boar Brush
Lather: The Copper Hat Island Hopper Shave Soap
Post: Cold rinse, Alum, Witch hazel, Nivea Sensitive Cooling ASB

Today was alright. Minimum irritation with a DFS result.

 

I am still trying to decide on my July Focus. What are some of your plans for July?

 

no buy july!!

 

30 DAY RAZOR AND COLD WATER SHAVE FOCUS



PRE SHAVE: MUSGO REAL ORANGE AMBER
RAZOR: MAGGARD 18C
BLADE: BIG BEN (2)
BRUSH: OMEGA S SYNTHETIC
SOAP: TIKI INTO THE FOREST
POST: ARKO ACTION AFTERSHAVE CREAM
SCENT: AQUA VELVA FROSTED LIME

HAD A PRETTY DECENT SHAVE TODAY.NOT BBS BUT NOT IRRITATION AND NO NICKS OR WEEPERS. THE SCENT OF THE TIKI SOAP IS INTOXICATING! IT DOES SMELL LIKE A WALK IN THE FOREST WITH A FRANKINSCENCE NOTE ADDED. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MAKES THE AV FROSTED AS I DONT NOTICE ANY MENTHOL IN IT BUT IT HAS A GREAT LIME SCENT AND IT CAME IN A 4 PACK THAT LOOKS LIKE POKER CHIPS. BEST WISHES ON GREAT SHAVES! CHEERS!!

 

Already in on NBJ. That should be interesting.

 

yea I haven't gone a month without buying something shaving related since I started lol. but it will be nice to use up the things that have accumulated.

 

Time is limited and I taking a friend on the town for his birthday tonight so I did a 2/2 shave, 2 passes with a straight and 2 passes with a DE. It is rainy and cool morning (for the summer) so I went the scuttle. I had not had a hot lather shave for a over a week and the hot lather always feels good. The 2 passes with Dovo went without incidence and I think I am taking more stable off than I used to with 2 passes. I wanted to go for the 3rd but not when pressed for time. Finished with the ATT for a BBS and no irritation shave.

Proraso Pre Shave
QCS Cubano Breeze
Whitehead scuttle
Simpson T3 in Super
Dove Bismark 2 - ATT H1 with Super Iridium blade
Harold Russian leather strop
Alum block to keep my fingers dry
Alcolado Glacial AS
Speik ASB
Dior Cuir Cannage

TGIF!

 

Clint, not that you'll get any ideas for your July from me, but here's my plan....

Following my Newbie 30-day Rule for technique, I will choose 4 brands of blades from the list below to begin to develop "favorites" to be used with my first razor - Gillette Tech. Each brand will get a one week trial.

btw - I'm looking for a daily, everyday blade that I can perform efficient, comfortable and close 2-pass shaves for my days at the office.

Suggestions from the list would be appreciated.

Bic Chrome Platinum
Big Ben Super Stainless
Derby Green
Elios
Personna Lab
Personna Reds
Rapira Platinum Lux
Vidyut Super Max Platinum
Voskhod Super Iridium

Cheers!
RT

 

Bic
Personna Lab
Personna Red
Vidyut

Completely biased suggestions.

 

Back to the CJB with a few days off for DE. But mostly straight baby!

 

Voskhod
Voskhod
Oh, did I mention Voskhod? Ok enough of that one.
Ladas
Bic
Super Max Super Platinum