SMF

I could have sworn I replied to this post last year... at any rate,
my pass count is now at around 1.5. WTG all over followed by
XTG sideburns, moustache, and chin. Diminishing returns on the
rest of the face, and my neck is another story altogether.

- Scott

About a year and a half ago I took a trip to Asheville for the third
(and final) annual SRP meetup. Had an absolutely wonderful time,
and everyone was welcoming of the crazy Canuck.

- Scott

P.S. the beer is sold from the grocery stores!

Thursday

J.M. Fraser's Classic
Simpson's T2
Maestro Livi 7/8" ATS-34
Thayer's w/ Aloe

Excellent one-pass shave again. Used my Tony Miller
horse-hide strop instead of the SRD English Bridle. Am
tempted to give the DE a run tomorrow morning...

- Scott

Wednesday

JM Fraser's Classic
Simpson's Chubby 1 Super
Maestro Livi 7/8" ATS-34
Thayer's w/ Aloe

- Scott

Thanks for sharing Rufus, glad to hear it. I'm sure
it will feel very nice indeed to get back to those
great shaves.

Regards,

- Scott

I have a couple of (non-handmade) Kents that I am
happy with so far. The price was right, and Kent ships
quicker than most North American shops. Their combs
are very nice as well.

I think I would be looking for an exotic handle material
at that price, not faux-tortoise.

- Scott

I've only tried lavender and sandalwood soaps from
Taylor's, but I'm not inclined to try more since the
lather I got was nothing close to my more favoured
soaps. Still love their cremes, though.

- Scott

I did some experimentation with a one-pass WTG
straight shave last year, but I didn't get around to
doing a single XTG pass. Perhaps it is time!

- Scott

If I use anything it's Thayer's Non-Alcohol Toner
(Witch Hazel based, with Aloe). I've gone through
a bottle of Lavender, Rose, and I'm on Regular at
the moment.

I've tried just about everything out there, but for
price and performance I like Thayer's.

- Scott

Derbys have been fairly good to me, although
there are other blades that I prefer. I might
say that they are in the IP range of blades:
smooth, but not terribly sharp.

- Scott

Witch Hazel makes a very cheap aftershave. The regular one in the drugstore works fine. Thayers makes a variety of scented witch hazels when you get tired of the plain one. Thayers have scented and unscented in their aloe, non-alcoholic, witch hazel. They also have a line with alcohol as well. The ...

Now, I think there's an important missing piece here: Bic Sensitives are not for close shaving, period. That's the point, and why they're called `sensitive'. I would only use them for travel situations where I just couldn't bring something else, and two quick passes are the best that I can get out o...

Very cool! That particular Dovo blade is an great
shaver indeed.

- Scott

I don't have any experience with Simpson's pure
badger, but I did purchase a Major in Super a few
years ago for travel. It's not a low-end brush, but
it's not a Plisson, either. It does work great and
packs wonderfully.

- Scott

Here are a few things to try that don't involve switching blades: - Avoid conditioner, just wash your face. - Build the lather on your face slowly, starting with a fairly dry brush and adding dribbles of water as you go (saves the soaking). Do this until you reach the right consistency, it may take ...

Hey Glenn,

I haven't had a DE shave in a long time, but I do
remember the Astra Platinums as a great blade.
They're still available a good price, so I ordered
a few hundred this morning. Looking forward to
seeing how these sampler blades compare!

- Scott

I sometimes have `off' shaving days too, Bruno. I'm not exactly sure what is going on when that happens, but I've found that it's important to just accept it and not push to hard to get that close shave. In fact, the shaves I was getting 2-3 years ago were better than what I'm getting today. I've ye...

Prep does play a large part in the sensation of the
blade through the hairs. What are you doing before
face lathering? How long do you face lather for?

- Scott

One of the things I like about the horn handles is that they all come from nature and no two are exactly alike. When you buy a Plisson with a horn handle, you will be the only person in the world who owns one exactly like it. For some reason, that appeals to me and adds value to the brush and to th...

Hey Ethan,

Just remember to keep light pressure when
stropping, flip the razor on the spine with
your fingers, not your wrist, and you should
be fine! Good luck, and enjoy the shave

- Scott