SOTD 2-8 October 2022

Ckmaui · 10-08-2022, 05:06 PM

no pic today Smile

slept in a hospital chair last night and was horrid uncomfortable everything is OK my daughter had a sleep study for some other issues but yeah came home shaved and done !!!

Timeless Ti .68 scallop bar which I do love BUT I tend to just go for the OC instead so put it in my misfit box as I did some more comparisons with it this last week just to make sure I am OK to sell it with no regrets Smile

SV 70th one of my fav of favs
brush RV Muhle STF and loving it while still learning brushes I love this is my 3rd synthetic the other two fell short and this was going to be my last if it had that bit of pokey the RR Plissoft had or the viking I had that shed horrid !!!!!!
but this has been wonderful so will try to narrow down a fav synthetic soon enough and then do some more badger besides my Semogue OC one I have that is also wonderful !

Pinaud Clubman (decanted in glass) to me the decanting really helped the initial smell just so so so much smoother

instead of my normal Neutrogena Hydro Gel used the SV pro Victis Skin repair balm
its nice stuff for sure close to the Neutrogena but prefer the Neutrogena as its just smoother and disappears quicker into the skin and IMHO just feels better

N6GQ · 10-08-2022, 05:21 PM

Today was a battle between me and 2 new razors, the Pearl Flexi and the Razorock Game Changer .84. The razors won! Put it this way - my styptic pencils got a workout.

Preshave: Shower with Stirling Mountain Man soap. PAA Cube 2.0 wash face and head, Preshave PAA Cube 2.0
Razors: Pearl Flexi and Razorock Game Changer .84
Blades: Astra Green (Pearl on 2nd day, GC on 1st day)
Soap: Stirling Mountain Man
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Alum block, cold water rinse
Aftershave: Stirling D-503
Balm: Stirling unscented
Mustache/beard oil: Grave before Shave Bay Rum on mustache
First Aid: Styptic Pencils

The day started out with a nice shower with Mountain Man by Stirling. Its a subtle soap with a nice scent - not overpowering, just enough to notice. My wife is away this weekend with friends for a birthday party, so it was a casual morning workout, breakfast, followed by this shower and I took my time.

First time using PAA Cube 2.0 - slippery and black! Smells good, lathers up well, and I think it might add a bit although to my untrained self its subtle also.

Stirling soap (Mountain Man) from a sample lathered up extremely well - again subtle scent but nice. Very creamy and comforting.

Now, the shave. I used the Flexi for the first time yesterday on a setting of "1", the most mild setting. Today I started at 2 for my WTG Flexi side of my face. Then I did the other half with the Razorock GC. In comparison the GC took it closer on the first pass although I could tell right of the bat it was definitely more aggressive than Flexi at 2, so I took the Flexi up to 4. My theory being that the Flexi is supposed to start at a blade gap of 0.25, and each number takes it up by 0.15. So at 4 I should have been around the same blade gap as the GC. I know this doesn't take into account potential differences in blade geometry, but its the best I could do with what I had. This got the Flexi side closer to the GC side on the XTG/ATG shaves of my face. So far so good...

Then I started on my head. I knew it wasn't a good sign when I got the first cut on my WTG pass. Anyhow I got 2 good bleeders in the ATG passes, and I ended up being off my game the rest of the shave. A lot of pick up work on both razors, and had a hard time with the GC finding the right razor angle to actually do the pick ups.

Followed the shave with a cold rinse, the alum block (yowza!!!) and another cold rinse, then the D-503 (seemed complimentary to the Mountain Man soap since I don't have any MM AS), and some Stirling unscented balm. I followed up with a good deal of styptic pencil exercises followed by toilet paper on my wounds. No calls to 911 this time thankfully haha.

So, I think what I've determined is that the GC is too aggressive for my daily shaves. I like the lower profile of the head compared to the Flexi, and for this exercise I left my 2 Leafs (Leaf and Thorn) in their stands. At this point I'm thinking I'll let the GC go (anyone need a GC?). Seems that I could just get a mild plate for it, but I think I want to try other razors instead. There just doesn't seem to be enough "wow" to the Razorock GC to make me want to keep it. Seemed like a good choice at the time. The Flexi still seems to be a decent razor though, as do the Leafs, so I'll keep them a bit longer. I have a Vikings adjustable to try next, that'll be tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. As always, I'm wide open to comments and suggestions - this is all new to me and I'm learning, slowly.

ewk · 10-08-2022, 05:52 PM

SOTD - Oct 8, 2022 - Saturday Morning Luxury Shave Edition

Razor: Karve - Christopher Bradley, G plate
Blade: Treet Falcon
Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club - mixed knot
Soap: Barrister & Mann - Waves

I love a blade package where the graphics suggest "this bird means business."

[Image: Qjk75yg.jpg]

churchilllafemme · 10-08-2022, 06:28 PM

Saturday AM 2022-10-08
The song 'Imagine' by John Lennon was released on this date in 1971
[Image: wEkGvbp.png]

Rooney 1/3 Ebony Finest (26/52)
Art of Shaving Rose Absolute shaving cream (vintage)
Paradigm Diamondback
Personna 74 Tungsten (9)
Ginger's Garden Rose Petals aftershave
[Image: Iw2CprW.jpg]

fblais · 10-08-2022, 06:34 PM

Saturday 8 AM

Razor: Gillette Tech with Merkur 33C handle
Blade: Perma-sharp (1)
Brush: 2BED knot on APshaveCo handle
Pre-Shave: Proraso White
Lather: TOBS Peppermint
Aftershave: Vielong balm

Whiterook · 10-08-2022, 07:13 PM

Razor: Gillette 1968 N1 The Knack
Blade: The Blade (Personna) Stainless Steel
Brush: Simpson Butterscotch Chubby 2 Synthetic
Pre-Shave: Proraso White
Lather: Noble Otter Lone Star
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue
Additional Care:
Thayers Facial Tonic Witch Hazel Unscented

Time Bandit · 10-08-2022, 10:53 PM

Prep: P.A.A. Cube 2.0 (face wash)

Razor: Alpha Shaving Works Bandit w/ safety bar (has leather drains) base plate (prototype)
Blade: Gillette Minora Platinum

Soap: Barrister & Mann Death
Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze (synthetic)
Bowl: Bluff Cove Pottery

Post 1: P.A.A. Alum No-Slip Grip System w/ Dry Dock System
Post 2: Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Deep Cleansing Astringent w/ Menthol & Eucalyptus
Post 3: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Extra-Dry w/ Hyaluronic Acid

Today's shave was unique. First time using any B&M soap, first time using B&M's Death soap and the first time using a Gillette Minora Platinum blade. Third time using this Bandit prototype. This time I choose the only base plate with lather drains.

I have to say trying Barrister & Mann's Death soap was a nice treat I've been waiting for since receiving all of the Four Horsemen soaps earlier this week.

The scent is different. It's unique in a very familiar B&M way. I like it to say the least.

This Alpha Shaving Works Bandit razor again stood out from the rest of the razors I've tried. It shaves effortlessly and was a joy to use. The handle with its curves just works well. I have no issues with its design or feel.

It's interesting thought that not once did any used lather fall from this razor until today. The other two base plates had no lather drains and the used lather stuck to the bottom of the base plate like a magnet. Now this may be due to the fact that those two previous shaves were with Stirling Soap Company soaps. I don't know, I guess I'll just have to experiment more.

The Gillette Minora blade was interesting. Apparently it was very sharp. I had more weepers from this shave than I've had in a very long time.

I did a three-pass shave with some light cleaning up and ended up with a super smooth bbs shave. I followed this shave up with some standard use Alum and witch hazel. I intentionally didn't use any other scented aftershave. I didn't want anything to interrupt my time with Death's scent.

All in all a great shave today.

Shave on gentlemen.

GoodShave · 10-08-2022, 11:39 PM

Growth: Three day beard.
Prep: Warm shower: Stirling Sheep bar soap
Pre: Washed face with Stirling Glacial unscented pre-shave soap then reapplied before lathering.
Brush: RV 25 mm STF
Lather : Razorock XXX Italian shaving soap
Blade: Gillette Nacet (D1)

Razor: Yates 921
Base Plate: Hybrid OC/SB
Handle: Razorock Haloed UFO

Post: unscented Stirling witch hazel and PAA Mysterium Serum

This was my first shave with the hybrid plate and it has been more than a month and a half since I have shaved with the Yates 921 so the shave was a not the best.
I shaved one side of my face with the OC side of the base plate and used the SB side for the other side of my face.
For the neck, I only did one pass WTG as I wanted the last bump to heal (from back to back shaves with a lot of blade exposure for at least one of them) before going back to two passes on the neck.

For the first pass, both sides were evenly shaved but the SB side of the mustache area had razor burn whereas the OC side did not. My guess is that with the added blade feel of the OC side, it was easier to find the correct angle for the shave. Since it had been so long since I shaved with a SB plate with this razor, I probably did not use the right angle.

I did two passes for my face. Both plates each yielded two nicks (for a total of four nicks) in different areas.
The face was a BBS after two passes. The neck (since I only did one pass WTG) was a SAS.

The Nacet blade worked well with this plate.

I will have to experiment more with this hybrid plate to see how to use it effectively.