SOTD December 28 - January 3

[brothers]

SOTD 122820 Omega and JorisPlisson .jpg (1.02 MiB) Viewed 4249 times

[drmoss_ca]

Hart 6/8, Salter's Wild Rose cream, Simpson B6, Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur:

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[pausted]

MWF soap
Semogue mixed brush
Colonial General razor
Feather Pro blade
Royall Mandarin aftershave

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 28, 2020

This morning’s shave was inspired by several members of the crew shaving with Gillette New Improved model safety razors. Mine doesn’t qualify as a ‘Bostonian’ as I lack the accompanying case, but the shave is what counts for me. This model and the New LC are probably my favorite Gillette dome shavers. After checking the Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 under the USB microscope, I noticed some very slight chipping along the middle of the blade. A touch up with the new Naniwa 12k I received for Christmas put that to hair poppin’ rights. And just for a change of pace, I grabbed my Nancy Boy shaving cream and balm. Since the bride left to babysit our granddaughter, I was also free to use a bit of Alt-Innsbruck as a finish. She’ll be gone for most of the day leaving me to supervise the contractors repairing the roof damage from the last storm.

Nancy Boy is one of the best shave creams I use, and probably the best kept secret in wet shaving. The company, established in 2002 does no advertising, and instead relies completely upon word of mouth for their marketing, plowing the savings into the best ingredients they can source for all their products. The Viking Silvertip Badger generated the two types of lathers I enjoy for my morning shaves. The Dubl Duck cleared away the mug whiskers in three passes (WTG, ATG, XTG). Glen Mercurio, the master restorer and honer, always talks up the Naniwa 12k as the ideal touch up finisher and I see why. The edge I refinished based on the techniques demonstrated in his exemplary video on this stone was sharp and buttery smooth. The New Improved is an incredibly efficient safety razor as well, and cleared the dome stubble right down to the skin line. I feel clean, smoothly velveteen, and smell great.

RAZOR: Dubl Duck Goldedge 11/16 (Mug), Gillette New Improved (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
CREAM: Nancy Boy Signature
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Nancy Boy Signature Cooling After-Shave Gel. Finished with Alt-Innsbruck.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 29, 2020

This morning’s shave featured my English Cast Steel Boker French Point and my Seki AS-D2 safety razor. For a change of pace, I grabbed some Wholly Kaw King of Oud shave soap. This soap lathers nicely, but does dry out my skin post shave. Knowing this, I selected the Krampert’s Frostbite which contains Tea Tree oil which helps post shave. Some Shea butter also helped. The old Boker delivered a total three pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) whisker eradication on the mug, and was followed by an accompanying two pass (ATG, ATG) whisker pogrom on the noggin leaving me refreshed, cool, clean and smoothly velveteen.

RAZOR: Boker English Cast Steel French Point 5/8 (Mug), Seki 316L SS AS-D2 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Handle Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Wholly Kaw King of Oud
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Krampert’s Frostbite AS Splash and Shea Butter.

[drmoss_ca]

The Tuesday Hart 6/8, Salter's Wild Rose, Simpson E3, L'Artisan Parfumeur Al Oudh:

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[brothers]

SOTD 122920 Zenith B15 brush and Erasmic soap.jpg (483.4 KiB) Viewed 4212 times

[drmoss_ca]

Wednesday Hart 6/8, Salter's Indian Sandalwood, Simpson Major, Taylor's Sandalwood cologne:

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[jgreenepa]

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SOTD WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 30, 2020

Another bright sunny day in the Philadelphia suburbs resulted in another brilliant shave! It’s always fun to shave with the first straight razor I ever purchased five years ago, my Dovo Special. After its touch up on the new Naniwa 12k Christmas present, it sailed through its duties in three, slow luxurious passes (WTG, ATG, XTG) leaving my mug smooth and clean!

The dome shave featured the razor I reviewed favorably shortly prior to its release several months ago, Fine Accoutrements’s SS New LC Homage, somewhat hyperbolically named, “World’s Finest Safety Razor”. The shave was every bit as good as my mug shave. The razor is quite efficient. And while not an OC like its namesake, delivered a very acceptable shave, no doubt in part due to the Proraso-produced C.O. Bigelow shave cream, really excellent stuff! I feel cool, clean, refreshed and smoothly velveteen!

RAZOR: Dovo Special 5/8 (Mug), Fine Accoutrements’s SS Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE Monster Tuxedo Synth
CREAM: C.O. Bigelow
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin Soap followed by Humphreys WH and Osage Rub.

[brothers]

SOTD 123020 Omega and Smith lime.jpg (771.58 KiB) Viewed 4194 times

[pausted]

Lea Classic soap
Semogue Caravela Mistura brush
Gem Micromatic Clog Pruf razor
Gem stainless blade
Royall Mandarin aftershave

[drmoss_ca]

No sadness in the last shave of this year! Thursday Hart 6/8, Salter's Essential Lime cream, Omega boar brush, Dominica Bay Rum with Lime:

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[brothers]

SOTD 123120 Zenith and XXX soap.jpg (969.6 KiB) Viewed 4170 times

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 31, 2020

Happy New Year to all on this last morning of this horrible year! Good riddance to 2020! I decided to end this year with two of my favorite razors! The R. Saito SK3 was always a decent shaver, but the touch up on the new Naniwa 12k Super Stone with a final polish on the jasper stone yesterday, has led me to what seems my grail edge! The mug shave was buttery smooth. The dome shave featured my favorite DE razor, hands down, the Colonial Silversmith! The Evans brothers, Kyle and Kirk, broke the mold on this one. I never fail to get a superb shave with this razor! It’s a real shame more folk don’t know about it. I’ve shaved with Timeless, CG, Karve, H&S75, and Tradere, but none have matched the combination of efficiency and smoothness I experience every time I shave with this DE razor. Please don’t get me wrong, all of the latter delivered good solid shaves, but for me the Silversmith just shaves perfectly! Equipped with a Feather blade, it’s amazing and shaves every bit as close as my AC safety razors. I’ve finished 2020 clean, refreshed and velveteen smooth!

RAZOR: R. Saito SK3 7/8 (Mug), Colonial Silversmith Safety Razor (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Sapele/Resin Handled Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime (Indian Version)

[drmoss_ca]

First of the year! Friday Hart 6/8 red oak scales, Trumper Sandalwood cream, Simpson E3, Creed Virgin Island Water:

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[brothers]

SOTD 010121 Zenith and homemade soap.jpg (1 MiB) Viewed 4150 times

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 1, 2021

Apologies for the MWF glare from the overhead chandelier in this very early morning shot! My 2021 kickoff shave featured the Wade & Butcher 7/8 for the mug and the Shake Sharp Model 1.5 with the Bakelite handle for the dome! Software included my regular MWF, the Viking Silvertip Badger and the Spanish version of Aqua Velva. I’ve begun finishing all my straight razors on the new Naniwa 12k super stone Christmas present from SWMBO with a final polish on the incredible jasper stone. The resulting edge on this W&B was buttery smooth leading to glorious red-liquid-free velveteen smooth mug shave. The Shake Sharp smoothed away the dome stubble leaving me smiling with the kind of shave I know I’ll keep feeling over the course of the day! The sting-free Aqua Velva application gave testament to this first great 2021 kickoff shave! I wish all my shave brothers and sisters a happy, healthy and enjoyable year!

RAZOR: Wade & Butcher 7/8 (Mug), Shake Sharp Model 1.5 (Dome)
BLADE: 2 Stacked Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Williams Aqua Velva (Spanish Version)

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SATURDAY MORNING, JANUARY 2, 2021

Went out for my first bike ride after having broken my ribs a month ago. I’m still pretty sore, but at this point in life for me, if I don’t use it, I’ll lose it! It was just a local 10 mile loop, but it felt like 50 after not having ridden since the accident. My shave on the other hand was glorious, and readily lifted me out of cycling exhaustion! The Simmons Hardware 4/8 really holds an edge. Two sessions last night on the pasted strops and one on leather brought it right up to snuff. The mug shave was by the numbers and returned me to that wonderful sense of smooth we all enjoy in this great hobby. The LaResche 51 sealed the deal in its usual exemplary dome-clearing fashion. It’s really a shame LaResche no longer makes safety razors, because my two are easily amongst my best dome shavers. I feel refreshed, clean and smoothly velveteen.

RAZOR: Simmons Hardware 4/8 (Mug), LeResche 51 (Dome)
BLADE: Feather DE
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Omega Pro48 Boar
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys Lilac WH and Osage Rub.

[drmoss_ca]

Hart 6/8 ebony scales - original prototype, Nancy Boy Replenishing Cream, Vulfix 2-band, Trumper Cologne:

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[drmoss_ca]

Hart 6/8 white resin, 2nd gen prototype, Taylor's Lemon & Lime, Simpson X2L, Floris No.89:

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