Open Comb Central - The Place With Real Teeth (No R41, Hybrid or Closed Combs)

SOTN OCtober 18th



Gillette Single Ring
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Stainless (6)
TFS Mastro Miche
Ever-Ready 200T
Canoe AS

 

Very fine condition Probak with Super Max BD (2), delivers and excellent mild shave. Two pass head shave yields results not quite as close as the Famex yesterday but a very pleasant shaver, an easier go than the Old Type it resembles.

 

OCtober 2017 - day 20.



Vintage Gillette Goodwill NEW (LC, #175, made in Canada) / Rocnel handle.
Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (8).

Semogue 1250.
Jabones by Luna "Fauno".
Hawkins & Brimble ASB.

Interesting razor, a little bit less comfortable than the "normal" NEW.

 

OCtober 20, 2017
Wolfman OC Ti (0.74mm)
Personna 74 (5)
Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic
Reef Point Test Depth
Myrsol Agua Balsamica

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Planned SOTD OCtober ??


Gillette New Standard
Gillette Super Stainless "The Spoiler" (11)
Cella
Jayaruh #134

 

It's Friday so...

 

Today was a bad day for Gillette.

The razor pair now on the course are the Gillette New LC that very narrowly beat out the Merkur 25C because while both shaves were fantastic, the Gillette New LC still has most of its original gold plating and was prettier than the Merkur, and the razor for tomorrow is a Durham Duplex with a modern compatible blade.

Third pair from right:
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Today though it stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. The first pass was so uncomfortable that I stopped and simply set the Gillette aside, tossed the blade in the can and finished up with the Above The Tie M1 that I had handy.

I know the Gillette New LC can do better but today it was simply off its feed.

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The final shave though was another near PDG two pass and slight touchup success but a couple scrapes where the Gillette stumbled on the track marred the day.

The razor today is another old one I found recently, a Simms from Canada and most likely boar. It appears never used and did lose three hairs in the first shave. It sold for $5.00 Canadian most likely during the 1950s so was not an inexpensive shaving brush for its day.

Paper Price Tag still attached:
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OCtober 20, 2017

Paladin Sumo
MDC Original “Le Bol En Bois”
Titanium Wolfman WR1-OC with Darwin
Polsilver Super Iridium
Fine Fresh Vetiver
Tom Ford for Men

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Great photo, Mark. And cool spinner!

 

OCtober 20 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
Latha
Gillette Sheraton
Latha Post Shave Splash

 

OCtober 2017 - day 21.



SSSeygus "Extrem" OC.
Asco Super Stainless (red wrapper) (1).

Semogue 1250.
La maison du savon de Marseille "Monsieur" (sample).
PeReJa Lavender EdC.

 

Saturday's Straight/OC Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Jeff's Soap Shaving Soap
Jayaruh #227
Dubl Duck 5/8
Old Type by Tom
Gillette Silver Blue
CWR
Thayer's Peach WH
Pinaud Vanilla

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Jeff's Soap Shaving Soap face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #227 synthetic brush. I did two passes with the Gillette New Deluxe Tuckaway razor and Gillette Silver Blue blade and ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Peach WH and then Pinaud Vanilla AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

OCtober 21, 2017
Wolfman Ti OC (0.74 blade gap)
Personna 74 (6)
WDC-8 with Druida Manchurian
Fine L’Orange Noir Soap and Aftershave

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This pairing continues to surprise me. It is between a Gillette New LC and a Durham Duplex (I have a second one listed in the auction; wink wink, nudge nudge.) and I really expected the Gillette to absolutely be a run away winner; 73-0 US Football match.

'taint gonna happen.

Third row from right:


And a top view:
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The Gillette New stumbled right out of the gate (let's see how many sports references I can mix) and never came out of its corner for the second round. It was a total wipe out and I even had some coral scraps to show for it.

The Durham Duplex shouldn't have had a chance. It is super light, likely aluminum handle and both top and base plate just stamped metal. It's two full lanes wide and needs warning flags and police escort to be legal on most city streets. (Let's abuse meta4s equally). There was no way something even wider than an AC format razor was gonna work.

But it did.

It took me part of the first pass to figure out that you shave with this just like it was a Single Edge razor, head flat on your face and super light hand. By the start of the second pass I had the technique down and whiskers just seemed to disappear. It was smooth, effortless, efficient, comfortable; kinda cool.

Getting the hard to mow little spots took some effort so I went ahead and did an Alum rub down to help stretch the skin and touchup became fun.

What I learned:

• Head flat on face.
• No pressure.
• To load the blade, first put the blade on the base plate, then the top cap on the base/blade assembly.
• Take extra time around nose, lips, chin and try to match strokes to the contour. More up and down than ear to nose.

The cream today was Tabac in the Heather n fern shaving mug with another old brush I found online. This one is a "Nobility" brand and almost certainly started life in a PX after WWII and before the early 1970s.

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The key things that lead me to that conclusion is that the label is an export type label, written in English but US as opposed to British English (sterilized with a "z") and "Made in Germany" not "W. Germany". From the division of Germany after the war until the early 1970s neither West Germany nor it's allies recognized East Germany as a legitimate State. For Nations outside the Soviet Bloc there was only Germany and "Occupied Germany".

Putting it all together points to a German made boar shaving brush meant to be sold to US English speaking customers and the most likely route through a PX.

The brush did great by the way but did shed about three bristles, one obviously broken.

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1906 Single Ring with fresh Nacet, AOS Sandalwood. Great shave. Happy weekend.

 

Pulled out the Gillette old type from a 1921 Standard combination set

As I was placing the Dorco blade in it I noticed the date code of D232779. That would date it as a 1916??? making me think I don’t have a real 1921 combination set.

None the less for my one and only OCtober Shave this month, it was phenomenal.



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OCtober 21 SOTD:

Rubberset 400
Henri & Victoria Cognac & Cubans
Gillette Sheraton
Stirling Unscented PSB
Henri & Victoria Cognac & Cubans AS

 

OCtober 21, 2017

Pre-shave: Black coffee and a hot shower
Brush: Omega Hi-Brush, Synthetic
Shave Cream: Barbasol Sensitive Skin travel side can + Cremo Sandalwood Shave Cream http://theshaveden.com/forums/threa...m-travel-can-experiment-sensitive-skin.57755/
Razor: Gillette Milady Decollete Open Comb, 3 piece razor(SN D767833 made in 1917)
Blade: Derby (2)
Post-shave: Dickinson WH, Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm, Stetson Cooling Moisture AS, Stetson Original Cologne

I acquired this Gillette razor in a travel case back in July during an out-of-town trip. I didn't know a lot about it initially, except that it cleaned up very nice and the serial number indicates it was manufactured in 1917. I chose to pull it out and do a first shave with it. I was a little reluctant because it has a crack down the side of the handle, which makes it a bit loose so I had to go slowly. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant shave and the razor performed well.

It wasn't until later when I did a little research on this razor, and an old type with a ball handle that I realized this "Milady Decollette" razor was marketed for women. And here I thought it was a little travel razor.... Oops! No wonder that handle is so petite! Well, if my wife can rifle through my side of the closet and wear my shirts whenever she wants, I think I should be able to use a razor marketed for women once in a while.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

 

OCtober 2017 - day 22.



Probak / RR HALO handle.
Asco Super Stainless (red wrapper) (2).

Cadman / finest.
Jabones by Luna "Azahar".
PeReJa Lavender EdC.

Razor head is made of zamac, therefore treated with Cerakote by Delta Echo Razor Works.




My razor head has the configuration as in Fig. 11 of Gaisman's patent.

 

OCtober 22, 2017
Wolfman OC Ti (0.74mm)
Personna 74 (7)
Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic
Reef Point Test Depth
Myrsol Agua Balsamica

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