SoS: May 31 - June 06 2010

Location:1° 14' N - 103° 55' W
Brush: Kent BK2 grey badger
Soap: Kent's Luxurious Shaving Soap
Razor: 5/8" Berkshire Cutlery Co. 3/8 hollow
Aftershave: Patyka Organic Face Toner (Witch Hazel & Spearmint)

 

Monday, May 31st

Hot shower
TSD Subzero ss
Semogue 2015HD Silvertip
Mühle R89 w/ Red Personna
De Vergulde Hand alum
444 ASB w/ La Toja splash
Canali Style EdT

 

Monday

59’ Fatboy (#8 setting)
Derby Extra (3)
TSD Sub Zero SS
Vulfix 2235 Super Badger
Master Blue
Coffee: Aldi Donut Coffee, Hot and Black
Result: 4.5 (4-pass).

Used my new Vulfix brush for the first time. It lathered the Sub Zero puck quickly and adequately, and applied very gently to the face. So gently I found myself massaging the lather on face for some time. I think I am going to like this brush a lot!

 

Menthol Monday:

Omega Wooden Handle
Ming Shi TTO/new Super Max
Tet-a-tet-SC :love008 :love008 :freezing :freezing
Burt's Bees Bay Rum-AS Balm :love008 :love008 :freezing :freezing
Lubriderm unscented moisturizer
Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme-EDT

Who'd think that such a cold country like Russia would produce such a fantastic menthol cream? Tet-a-tet is so nice in the scent, lather, and cooling effect. It really is a gem!

 

Semogue 1438 : Le Grelot 6/8 evidée : Gibbs SS : Myrsol rojo ASB

 

Memorial Day

Typing this from work. Shaved before I left, so it's too late to photograph my shave gear.

Schick Type F injector with Schick blade
Penworks Silvertip
Musgo Cream

 

Mekur Monday

Prep: Hot shower, hand strop blade
Coffee: French Roast, dark, hot and blacke
Cream: C O Bigelow
Brush: The Dridecker
Razor: Merkur HD
Blade: AAFES branded platinum chrome - going by the base today (McGuire/Ft. Dix), gotta get more!
Post: Cold water rinse, ice water splash, Humphreys Maravilla Lotion, Curve
'Stache Wax: Firehouse Wacky Tacky

Shave Rating: 5 Blades

I've mentioned before that I've reached a point with my gear and technique that for me there is no such thing as a bad shave, just that some are better than others. This was one of those "better than others" shave .

Funny story: So there I am at the sink this morning, taking the cap off the Bigelow. I slowly begin to lay down a line of this fantastic cream and begin to zone. I become fascinated by the way the cream is just slowly coming out of the tube, spreading out into a thick line, tiny ridges forming where I pause for the briefest of moments. I continue to squeeze the tube, completely ignoring the voice in the back of my head, "Hey, stupid! That's enough cream!!" I continue to zone. Then I snap out of it. Looking into the bowl I realize I have way more than plenty. But, hey, what can you do? Can't put it back into the tube. So I hit it with the Driedecker brush. If you've used Bigelow or Proraso, you know the foamy bubbles this stuff starts out as. Good thing I have a large lathering bowl - this stuff just exploded into foam. I kept whipping it, knowing the bubbles would pop and I'd get that great thick, creamy lather Bigelow has come to produce for me. I wound up with enough to do six, maybe seven passes. But it was great! I love the smell. The cooling sensation of the menthol was fantastic. The blade just glided over my face, lubricated by this wonderful cream. Yea, this was one of those "better than others" shaves! :bounce015

 

Monday

Fatboy on 5
British Wilkinson NOS
Omega 10029 boar
Dollarama scuttle
Wilkinson Blue Bowl s/s
Draggon Noir a/s
Malizia Vetyver e de c

To quote the late, great Maria Von Trapp; "These are a few of my favourite things"

goshawk

 

Menthol Mondays

Omega Shaving Cream
Omega Wooden Handle Brush
Muhle R41 loaded with LION (day 4. Man, does this thing ever get dull?)
Svoboda Vitamin F AS balm

And I was ready for the exams.

 

Monday

Razor: Merkur HD
Blade: Derby Extra (5)
Brush: Altesse Badger
Soap/Cream: CO Bigelow
A/S: AV Ice Sport

 

Razor: Gem Micromatic OC
Blade: Gem PTFE
Brush: Vulfix Pure Badger
Soap: Proraso
AS: Thayers Witch Hazel

A nice, unhurried 25 minute shave. Fantastic results.

 

Monday, May 31, 2010--Memorial Day

Razor: Merkur 23C
Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
Brush: Vulfix 2234 Super
Cream: Proraso
A/S: Generic Witch Hazel, Proraso Splash

 

Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil Soap
Pacific Shave Oil
L'Occitane
Omega 31064
Schick Injector Type L
Nos Schick Injector Blade (3)
Shavex Alum Block
Pinaud Clubman Musk

 

Hot Shower
Wade and Butcher Wedge
VDH Boar
Palmolive Shavestick
Mentholated Witch Hazel
Brut Splash On

A month ago I considered this razor the dog of the fleet. While it never gave really bad shaves, they were just never all that good. I was always anxious to get this razor's turn over and move back to the hollow grounds. Lately though, I've noticed an up turn in preformance. I've begun just stropping the hell out of all my razors and I suspect this is the result. Today's shave was off the chain though. Without question the finest two pass shave I've had from anything, anywhere, anytime. In retrospect, I think all those "just OK" shaves were the edge just kind of struggling to get where it needed to be. With all the recent stropping it seems to have arrived. I used to wonder what all the fuss about wedges was, now I know. They take a ton of patience to get the edge right but once it's there, it is absolutely ridiculous how good these things shave.

The Palmolive shavestick is also remarkable. It's not a face freezer by any stretch, but seems to leave the skin feeling very clean and very tight. The smell is good and the lather is slick and plentiful. Probably one of those sticks I'll keep around. I'm still waiting for TSD to come out with an Iced Subzero shavestick. Monkey Farts would probably make a good shavestick too. What say you Queen of Blades?

 

Happy Monday From Florida!

From This Navy Vet To All Vet's Out There, Both Foreign And Domestic; Thank You For Your Service.

Hot Shower
Hot Towel
Redneck Scuttle (with boiling water from my $4.00 electric kettle)
TSD Florida Water Soap + KMF = Superlather
Sabi Badger
Ming Shi
Dorco ST-301, Hand Stropped (2)
Cold Water Splash
Witch Hazel
Florida Water

Three Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG = DFS.

I decided to revisit the Ming Shi after seeing some folks were using theirs. I forgot how aggressive this razor is so I stopped at three passes.

Nice long shave today. The boiling water really keeps that lather and brush hot.

 

Monday, May 31, 2010

Razor: D.R. Harris Chatsworth
Blade: Super Iridium
Brush: Simfix Grosvenor
Pre-Shave: Musgo Real Glyce Lime
Soap: D.R. Harris Arlington
A/S: T & H Grafton

This is getting redundant but...another excellent shave.

 

SOTD Monday May 31, 2010 Memorial Day :signs001

Razor: 5/8 Joseph Allen "Our Best Make" NON-XLL Round Point - In Cherry
Shaving Cream: Cyril E. Slater - Wild Rose
Lather Bowl and scuttle: Ceramic
Brush: Custom 28MM Rosewood Silvertip
ASB: Nivea Replenishing
Aftershave/Cologne: British Sterling

Got a nick on my neck this morning as I was having a special Memorial Day shave. I was thinking of something else and wasn't concentrating on shaving. It quit bleeding by the water pass but, some wounds are never healed. Remember our Veterans today and those who have gone before us.

 

C-MON razor
Rooney 1/1 Pure
Trumper's Coconut Oil soap
Musgo Real after shave

 

Monday-Memorial Day/ A sincere thanks to all vets
Arko Shave Stick
Arko Moist SC
Banat Perfect Boar
'65' Slim @ 5/7/9 /Astra SS (Day 1)
Ming-Shi TTO/Astra SS (Day 2)
Arko Nem Lotion
Arko Aqua AS

Nothing important to do today so I thought I'd play with the Slim...After the 5/7/9 passes I had a great shave...but still had a little stubble here and there so I relathered for a clean up pass, but I couldn't bring myself to go ATG with the Slim, as my face was already begining to burn, so I'm asking for trouble, right ?...Looks like a job for the Ming-Shi...) I grab the M-S and she's sliding around ATG, doing razor buffing here and there...I'm hearing whiskers being cut, but I'm feeling nothing...Afterwards a cold rinse, lotion, AS, and I've got a DFBBS...Now its 4 hours later. burning went away, but face feels like pre-puberty...no hair, can't find a whisker. Great feel but I don't think I'll make a habit of using 2 razors to get the same BBS I can get with the M-S anyway, with no burn...)

 

Razor-Merkur vintage Slant Bar
Blade-Feather
Brush-old boar brush from my newly found mirror kit (see haul)
Soap-TSD Iced Pink Grapefruit SS (not much mention of this unappreciated gem of JoAnna's)
Post Shave-RazorRock Alum Stick, TSD ISZ AS Milk

-Every day is Menthol Monday to me! I can't wait until my BOMB arrives.
Iced MWF, Iced TOBS Avocado, wow!