SOTD March 30 - April 5, 2020

[Mike R]

Monday

Brush: Made Rite Pure Bristle #5
Cream: Taylor - Sandalwood
Razor: '54 Z2 Super Speed
Blade: Super-Max Platinum
A/S: Gillette Aftershave Gel, Sensitive Skin
Cologne / Fragrance: Aramis Havana

Mike

[Mike R]

Tuesday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Soap: Palmolive Stick
Razor: '54 Z2 Super Speed
Blade: Super-Max Platinum
A/S: Gillette Aftershave Lotion, Sensitive Skin
Cologne / Fragrance: Aramis Havana

Mike

[pausted]

Vulfix Wild Lavender cream
Yaqi White synthetic brush
Colonial General razor
Kai Captain Original blade
Royal Copenhagen aftershave

[TRBeck]

Homemade blue cypress soap
25mm Muhle/Rudy Vey synthetic Persian Emillion
5/8 full-hollow straight
Lucky Tiger aftershave splash
Comme des Garcons Vettiveru EDC spray

[jgreenepa]

50244D4C-9195-40B2-97E7-957C43DE1BD2.jpeg (3.35 MiB) Viewed 4136 times

SOTD 04/01/20

It’s great to be back! This morning I finally had the opportunity to put my new Colonial General V2 to the test. I really enjoy using AC razors. I’ve owned three prior to the arrival of this razor - Classic Shaving’s Oren, a RR Hawk, and a Blackland Vector.

The Oren was just too unacceptably bulky and unwieldy. I sold it. The Hawk delivers an shave, but my Vector with a Schick Proline blade is a great shaver, and, after the arrival of my new General, now have another great SE razor available. After reading some posts on a variety of dedicated shave forums, I loaded it up with a Feather Super and had at it.

I hadn’t shaved for a week, but began with a cold water rinse followed by a good thick application of my favorite soap, MWF. The first WTG pass took things right down to the skin line. So much so that the the second ATG pass consisted of nothing more than some selective buffing resulting in an incredibly close BBS that checked all the boxes. I feel smoooth, clean and refreshed.

RAZOR: Colonial General V2.
BLADE: Feather Super AC
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: MrEE Hybrid Badger Boar 007
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POST-SHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum

[TRBeck]

DR Harris Almond soap
Muhle synthetic 25mm
Rockwell 6S DE Plate 5
Personna Medical Prep
Lucky Tiger a/s splash
Prada Luna Rossa EDT

[Mike R]

Thursday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Cream: Trumper Coconut
Razor: '54 Z2 Super Speed
Blade: Super-Max Platinum
A/S: Family Dollar Spice Scent
Cologne / Fragrance: Aramis Tobacco Reserve

Mike

[jgreenepa]

7551111E-3C7A-48A0-A63F-8FB8F292CF9C.jpeg (2.59 MiB) Viewed 4120 times

SOTD 04/02/20

This morning I swapped out the hybrid Badger/Boar knot I had mounted on my Alpha Shaving Rubberset 400 Tribute brush for an incredibly soft black synthetic knot with great backbone. I’m a committed face latherer and really enjoyed whipping up a thick, protective MWF lather on both face and dome with the swapped out synthetic knot. The beauty of this brush is that it is effectively four brushes in one. I own four different ferrules, each of which accommodates a different knot - a 24mm Badger/Boar Hybrid, a 24mm synthetic, a 26mm Silvertip Badger, and a 26mm Boar - all of which screw onto the same handle.

After my cold water rinse, I worked on generating a thick lather. The Colonial General V2 has some real heft to it at almost 90 grams, and is very nicely balanced. When equipped with a Feather Super AC blade it is a highly efficient shaving tool. Given the beautifully engineered balance and weight of the razor, coupled with the wide sweet spot, maintaining negative pressure was quite easy. The razor is named and dedicated to Revolutionary War General Henry Knox, Chief artillery officer of the Continental Army, and later Secretary of War. And Henry’s spirit blasted through that whisker stubble like he decimated the British at Yorktown.

A healthy spike of 6 drops of M-Bomb to my MWF soap provided a delightfully cooling highly mentholated lather. I could easily have stopped after the first ATG pass with a DFS+, but I really crave that velveteen smooth feel of a good BBS shave. My second ATG pass, or really half pass consisted of nothing more than some selective buffing, and brought the BBS baby home. I feel clean, very smoooth, and refreshed, ready for another boring day of sheltering in place.

RAZOR: Colonial General V2 316L SS
BLADE: Feather Super AC
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving Rubberset T400 Tribute
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with Lisa’s Naturals Tobacco & Bay Post Shave Elixir

[TRBeck]

DR Harris Almond soap
Muhle synthetic 25mm
Rockwell 6S DE Plate 5
Personna Medical Prep
Lucky Tiger a/s splash
CdG Vettiveru EDC

[Mike R]

Friday

Brush: Omega 13522 Pure
Soap: Tabac
Razor: '54 Z2 Super Speed
Blade: Super-Max Platinum
A/S: Aveda
Cologne / Fragrance: Aramis

Mike

[jgreenepa]

7CAE2ECF-84CD-4BD7-A4FB-F939407EA466.jpeg (2.58 MiB) Viewed 4105 times

SOTD 04/03/2020

Welcome to Fatboy Wool Fat Friday as we shelter in place. I’ve never been a fan of Gillette Adjustables, and today’s shave certainly didn’t change my opinion. My Gibbs Adjustables provide a much better vintage shave, and there’s just no competition at all when the ultimate modern artisan adjustable, the Rex Ambassador, comes into the comparison. A good friend who is a serious collector of Gillettes with a focus on British models, has sold all his Gillette Adjustables. Gillette Adjustables are just very mediocre shavers.

The shave began with a cold water rinse. The Jayaruh Custom #343 generated a nice thick paste that was then applied to all shave surfaces and face and dome lathered into a thick, yogurty, protective lather using plenty of water. The first WTG pass didn’t compare to yesterday’s ATG first pass, even with the razor wide open. I dialed down to 7 for my second XTG and ended up with a nick on the left side along the jawline and a few weepers on the left side of the dome which required styptic intervention.

The head on the Fatboy is bulky and nowhere near as maneuverable as the slimmer heads on the Gibbs or the Rex. I just don’t like this razor. Although I needed a third pass, I quit and settled for a very unsatisfactory CCS. The only bright spot is that tomorrow I’ll be shaving with my Gibbs Adjustable.

RAZOR: Gillette Fatboy
BLADE: Feather
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Custom Boar #343
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum

[TRBeck]

Harris Sandalwood soap
Muehle synthetic brush
Rockwell 6S w/plate #5
US Personna Med Prep
Thayer's Original splash
Prada Luna Rossa Carbon

[jgreenepa]

D22BACF2-FFAF-4215-83B6-1167CAFCA32E.jpeg (1.93 MiB) Viewed 4090 times

SOTD 04/04/2020

Shaving with an original Gibbs Adjustable is always a treat for me. I own two - a #15 and a #17. Both are in great shape given their age and a joy to use. The only wrinkle is adjusting a modern blade for their use which requires a metal punch. The Gibbs has two metal columnar tabs that sit in the middle of each end of the baseplate. Adapting a blade involves punching out a half circle in the middle of each blade tab, a zen-like activity that I find helps me to begin sinking into that shave fu technique focus that I so enjoy.

For this morning’s shave, I adapted one of my dwindling supply of original Polish Wizamet Super Iridium blades by punching out the necessary slots into each blade tab. After showering, I began the shave with a good cold water rinse. I then added 6 drops of M-Bomb to the MWF. The Jayaruh #378 Rosewood Badger brush had been soaking in warm water during the shower. It generated that lovely MWF cooling paste that was then applied to the shave surfaces and face and dome lathered with plenty of warm water into that thick MWF lather that always softens and prepares the whiskers beautifully.

Setting the Gibbs at 6, I began a slow leisurely WTG first pass. Madame Gibbs delivered the goods, shearing those whiskers right down to the skin line on both face and noggin. After lathering up again and adjusting the razor to 4, I finished up the second ATG pass, and that was all Madame Gibbs wrote, a velveteen smooth BBS. I finished up with Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash followed by Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm. The result was one of those shaves that you always remember, leaving me feeling extremely cool, smoooth, clean and refreshed. Tomorrow I’ll be shaving with a modern artisan razor inspired by the Gibbs, the Rex Ambassador.

RAZOR: Gibbs Adjustable #17
BLADE: Adapted Polish Wizamet Super Iridium
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Custom Rosewood Silvertip Badger #378
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash and finished with Cremo Cooling Post Shave Balm

[TRBeck]

Harris Sandalwood soap
Shavemac 24mm 2-band
Rockwell 6S w/plate #5
Med Prep blade shave 4
Thayer's original splash
CdG Vettiveru EdC spray

Superb. These Harris soaps have been hitting the spot for me this week.

[Actor07]

Vintage Tungsteel Razor Blade, Twinplex stropper, Darwin Deluxe razor. After stropping the Tungsteel roughly 200 times, I loaded the blade. Initially, the blade pulled but soon settled into a semi smooth shave. It wasn't Feather smooth but relatively so. I'll try again tomorrow. I don't know if Tungsteel is a tungsten blade like the Personna 74. Hopefully, it is.

IMG_1236.jpg (2.45 MiB) Viewed 4074 times

[jgreenepa]

7A4F2523-D9F1-419D-BCCA-3A29CA6C4BBF.jpeg (2.73 MiB) Viewed 4066 times

SOTD 04/05/2020

Learned a new shaving lesson today about my Rex Ambassador, at least for me! It’s definitely blade dependent, YMMV. I’ve been shaving very successfully with the Rex since it’s repair at Razor Emporium. My usual settings are 5 and then 3 with a Voskhod blade, not with a Nacet blade. It appears that I need to adjust the settings that worked so well with the coated Voskhod blade. Nacets are really sharp, second after Feather, according to tests conducted at Refined Shave. A setting of 5 which worked so beautifully for me with the Voskhod was just too much blade exposure with the Nacet. After nicking myself three times within the first two strokes, I stopped, applied styptic, and swapped out the blade. I put the Nacet into my Feather SS, and loaded the Rex with a fresh Voskhod. It was like night and day. After the swap, I had the razor I remembered so fondly.

The Viking Silvertip Badger brush did an excellent job generating a nice thick pre-mentholated MWF paste which I then face and head lathered into that nice yogurty coating that works so well for me. After the initial blade faux pas, I proceeded to complete the first WTG pass, albeit gingerly on my injured right cheek. The rest of the pass was business as usual. After relathering, the second ATG pass was completed leaving me with a more than acceptable DFS++. Witch hazel followed by Fine Snake Bite AS Splash and Pre de Provence Bergamot and Thyme AS Balm completed a great shave leaving me feeling cool, smooth and clean.

RAZOR: Rex Ambassador
BLADE: Voskhod
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Snake Bite AS Splash. Finished with Pre de Provence Bergamot and Thyme Aftershave Balm

[TRBeck]

Cyril Salter Edwardian Barbershop
Muehle-Rudy Vey 25mm synthetic
Rockwell 6S double-edge plate #5
Personna Med Prep blade shave 5
Lucky Tiger aftershave face tonic

Palm Sunday shave done properly