What did we learn from our last shaves?

I learned that the ZIRH EdC I got for $2 was most likely a fake as the scent lingers for..uh...15 seconds. Good thing I got a full refund and got to keep the bottle.

 

I don't even have to shave today. 24 hours later and I'm still smooth as if I just had a DFS+ shave.

I learned that the Wilky is amazing.

 

Oh and I also remembered how great a soap Arko is.

 

Arko! Arko! Arko!

(I like Arko a lot)

 

Arkolyte

 

Arko! Arko! Arko!

(No kidding. I love it)

 

I learned that the Van Der Hagen deluxe or luxury (the pinkish one) is a nice soap that makes a good slick lather for a really low price.

 

Since my last shave (chronicled here), I have learned:
1. The FaTip Grande may not be as aggressive as it reputation warns
2. Removing the FaTip aggressiveness absolutely requires "riding the cap!"
3. I MUCH prefer the term "ride the cap" for the technique than any other I've used! Thanks @Bama Samurai
4. I may have an obsession toward shaving that borders on unhealthy. My bearded sons talked me into joining no shave November a week late and I can't stop rubbing the whiskers! <sigh>

Future applications of lessons learned:
1. Dig out the old Parker 71R and try riding the cap. It may deserve a place in rotation after all.
2. Use the FaTip Grande at the end of November to return to normal. If I don't drop the ball when I return to the Grande, I betcha it delivers a two pass BBS! I hope I didn't jinx it!

 

I am a big hair tonic advocate. I keep my head clipped at 1/16th inch in summer, 1/8inch in winter. I use Jeris, Vitalis, or Pinaud Clubman Hair tonic daily. I feel it helps keep my scalp mousturized and feeling nice.

 

In December I am gonna tame an OC Cadet three piece by riding the cap more. It tore me up last time, but I now realize my blade angle was waaaaaaaaay too steep. It scraped me up badly. Seems similar to what people talk about with the Fattip.

 

That Gillette did not err when they renamed their original coated stainless blade "The Spoiler."

 

Oh and I forget - I reenforced how much I really do like Lilac Vegetal. Wearing and smelling it right now.
It has quite the staying power. Been close to 5 hours now and it's still lingering. Lucky for me I like it a lot.

 

Do others around you appreciate it though?

 

Hmm..now there was this slight mixup today....

 

This is NOT true advertising!

 

It has staying power alright. I put some on in 1997 and I still get a whiff of it every now and then.

 

I learned that Sharp (brand)blades are not for me. 5 nicks total in a 3 shave trial of the blade has turned me off. Changes to a second just to make sure it was not a dud, it wasn't. Worst experience with any blades I have tried except. At least the dorco just pulled t lot. I hate bleeding and had gone well over a 2 months even trying new blades in a sampler without so much s a nick. I also am a head shaver as you can see.

 

Thanks Bama, your comment interested me. I will have to give that method a try and hope for the best.

 

This really does prove the conventional dogma wrong. Within the SE circle, this dogma prevails too (though SEs do have an inherently small cutting angle to begin with). I use the Micromatic flat as per original instructions while most use it slightly off flat because they claim "it doesn't work." The difference is I use some pressure so that the "Skin Bevel" (the bump or ridge on the MM head), as called in GEM literature, smoothens out the skin and the blade cuts it at the correct angle. I have always been confused about people calling the OCMM one of the most aggressive razors out there and this could be one of the reasons. It could be you just found part of the reason for the Fatip's reputation.

And @Bama Samurai you're the first DE shaver I see that actually admits that DEs can scrape-- at least using conventional dogmatic techniques. I brought this up in another thread posting hard proofs such as measuring, in some cases 40 degree) cutting angles on DEs--Only to find massive resistance, they probably just haven't seen the difference a good cutting angle can make. I didn't notice a problem at all with DEs until I used SEs. One should try using a straight or SE at such an angle and see what happens... (incidentally I used one of my best shaving SEs, the Ever Ready 1924 at this angle and experienced one of the worst shaves of my life) But somehow using a DE that uses this angle is correct... You could be a pioneer in really turning things around, you already have a catchy name to start---"riding the cap."

I have some blades from Try a Blade tomorrow and will be trying "riding the cap" to lessen the cutting angle on some DEs shortly.

 

cool! Thanks for your kind words. I saw the thread you referenc above. OC cadet badly scraped up my face on Halloween, which after made me look to lower the angle of attack on the blade. I tried it on my Utopia (R89 kind of geometry). It made the utopia seem smoother, yet more aggressive at the same time. If that even makes sense. I will try riding the cap of the cadet around Dec 1.

Be sure to post what happens on your first time riding the cap. I wanna see if you have similar impressions.