SOTD May 11 - May 17, 2020

[Mike R]

Monday

Brush: Made Rite Pure Bristle #5
Cream: Green Pond Sandalwood
Razor: '54 Z2 Super Speed
Blade: Super-Max Platinum
A/S: Old Spice Leather
Cologne / Fragrance: Aramis Havana

Mike

[TRBeck]

Shavemac 23/48 Finest
DR Harris Almond soap
Rockwell 6S on plate 5
Personna Medical Prep
Lucky Tiger aftershave

The soap is classic. The brush, from a traditional maker, is stellar. The razor is stout and built to last. The shave was outstanding.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD MONDAY, MAY 11, 2020

I’ve really enjoyed shaving with the Ronson, and would probably continue, except I’d like to do my best to work through the rest of my rotation. I haven’t shaved for quite some time with my 2011 R41 mounted on a RazoRock SS Barber Pole handle. It was time for a shave with a contemporary safety razor, albeit one that demands total attention to shave technique. This is one razor that is truly unforgiving, and will happily bite if one’s focus wanders during the shave. Stirling Glacial Obsidian Soap and AS Splash salted with 6 drops of M-Bomb along with A&E Post-Shave Serum represented my software selection with the MrEE Hybrid Badger/Boar knotted Knurled Aluminum brush and TSB shave bowl my selected hardware.

This razor always provides a highly efficient, although not necessarily irritation-free shave. And that was definitely the case with this first shave. Fortunately, the shave was bloodless. The MrEE Brush - one of my favorites - whipped up a delightfully heady, rich, thick and shiny lather following my shower and ice water rinse. The smell of Anise permeated the bathroom and the lather felt wonderfully cooling on both mug and noggin. Riding the cap is the technique that always gets me through my R41 shaves, but not always unscathed. The software enhanced the shave experience greatly, but I can never relax when using this razor. The two pass (WTG, ATG) took some time given the short careful strokes I use with this particular shave tool, but the result was worth it.

I've never achieved a pure BBS with this razor, and did not this morning. That’s because I’ve learned that the only way to do so is to over shave around my problem areas. The result is typically a fair bit of irritation given the high efficiency of this razor. Rather than live with the burn around my Adam’s Apple and back of my head, I’ve learned to settle for an extremely close DFS+++. A BBS shave needs to pass the cotton ball test, and the very slight residual roughness doesn’t quite make it. But I’m still very happy with the shave which left me feeling very cool, clean and, while not quite as smooth as I like, refreshed! I do, however, feel the Ronson calling to me. For tomorrow’s shave it’ll be back to the Ronson, but with two stacked DE blades instead of the injector blade which has already delivered stellar shaves.

RAZOR: 2011 Muhle R41 head on RazoRock Barber Pole Handle
BLADE: Suneko
PREP: Iced cold water rinse
BRUSH: MrEE Hybrid Badger/Boar Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Stirling Glacial Obsidian
POSTSHAVE: Iced cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Stirling Glacial Obsidian AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

Welcome to M-Bombed (6 drops) Tabac Tuesday. As promised, I returned to my recently acquired Ronson, but did not use the stacked DE blades. The nipper I use for my Gibbs razors doesn’t provide a square nip, but rather a circular one which isn’t wide enough for the Ronson. I have a new nipper arriving Saturday that should solve the problem. But today’s shave was with a fresh Proline Injector.

I’m really growing to like this little razor. It provides beautiful BBS dome shaves. That is my threshold for any razor I shave with. It needs to perform for both mug and noggin. And this little beauty does in spades! I have, after a recent den reduction 59 razors with one (Blackland Tradere) on order. Every one of these meets my shaving criteria. If not, they’re gone!

The Ronson is right up there with my Shake Sharps as one of my favorite vintage SEs. I really don’t need to use DE blades in this razor, as the Injector performs excellently. I’m just curious to compare the Ronson to the Shake Sharp with stacked DE blades. That shave won’t take place until the weekend when the proper nipper arrives.

This morning’s shave couldn’t have gone better. I just love shaving with vintage razors. And the Ronson is a pip! It’s truly a joy to shave with. The Jayaruh Custom Boar #372 whipped up a prodigious cooling lather which the little Ronson swept away, taking with it most of the accumulated whiskers in that first WTG pass. The second ATG pass left me with that velveteen feeling only a stellar BBS provides. And best of all, the alum check revealed no heat which the Cryogen AS splash confirmed. I feel cool, smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: Ronson Safety Razor
BLADE: Schick Proline B-20 Injector
PREP: Iced cold water rinse
SOAP: Tabac salted with 6 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[TRBeck]

Shavemac Finest 23/48
DR Harris Almond soap
Rockwell 6S on plate 5
Personna Medical Prep
Thayer's Original W/H
Swiss Army Classic edt

Another great lather with the Finest.

[TRBeck]

Shavemac Finest 23/48 faux ivory
Homemade sandalwood soap (EO)
Rockwell 6S double-edge plate #5
US Personna Medical Prep shave 3
Lucky Tiger Aftershave Face Tonic
Guerlain Vetiver Eau de Toilette

Tooting my own horn a bit: this is the best soap I've ever made and the best I've ever used. The formulation just works.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

Well it had been too long without a shave from my favorite vintage SE, the GE Jones Shake Sharp Model 1.5. This remarkable little shaver never lets me down, and up until the arrival of my Ronson safety razor, seemed the only Vintage SE I owned that used standard DE blades. The jury is still out as to the practicality of using DE blades in the Ronson. I’m awaiting arrival of a tool On Saturday which I hope will allow such use. But back to the Shake Sharp. Most people are familiar with the metal handled versions, but the first, and what I feel the best is the original Bakelite handled version. The razor was designed in the late 30s during the carbon steel razor blade era with its own built-in hone to self sharpen these thicker blades. For whatever reason, but probably WWII, the razor wasn’t produced until the mid to late 40s. Unfortunately, this was during the advent of SS blades which didn’t sharpen well. But what I have learned is that stacked DE blades make this razor a winner. The thicker stacked blades do make it more difficult to cut oneself. I like to think of this razor as my birth year razor (1947).

Software for today’s shave consisted of Chiseled Face Cryogen soap and AS Splash. I used the Jayaruh Silvertip Badger Rosewood #378 for lather generation, and it delivered a very thick, cooling lather. My only gripe with this soap are the associated menthol fumes. Fine Snake Bite soap seems as cooling, but doesn’t overpower with menthol fumes like the Cryogen soap. After applying the Cryogen lather I needed to close my eyes for a minute or two because of the fumes. I needed to do this for each of the two passes (WTG, ATG). I really like menthol, but this particular soap and I just don’t get along. In any case, after the short waiting period with eyes closed preceding stubble removal for each pass, the Shake Sharp delivered it’s usual exemplary whisker reduction and delivered me again to BBS land. I feel clean, Smooth, cool and refreshed.

RAZOR: G.E. Jones Shake Sharp (Model 1.5)
BLADES: 2 Stacked Suneko
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Custom Rosewood Silvertip Badger #378
SOAP: Chiseled Face Cryogen
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020

This morning I decided to shave with my Schick “Paul Revere” Injector produced in the mid 1970s as a collaboration between International Silver Co. and Schick. It is a Type L Injector and was an homage to the Revolutionary War Silversmith and featured a ‘cutlery’ inspired oversized handle.

Since I have large hands, the razor feels great, and delivers a first rate shave typical of the L Type Injectors. For my software I selected PannaCrema Nuavia Blu, Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS Splash and A&E Post-Shave Serum. I decided to lay off the menthol for this shave after my Cryogen experience yesterday. The Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute was my brush of choice for which I selected the 26mm Two Band Badger ferrule.

After my shower and cold water rinse I went to work on the PannaCrema which smells so good! Being a nasal barbarian, that’s about as far as I get with scent descriptions. It’s a very rich, luxurious soap with great post shave skin feel. The “Paul Revere” Injector, while not as efficient as some of my other razors, reduced my whiskers in three successive bloodless passes (WTG, ATG, ATG) to just shy of the BBS level. The razor felt great in hand and left me feeling clean, smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: “Paul Revere” International Silver Type L Schick Injector.
BLADE: Schick B-20 Proline Injector
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute w/ 26mm Two Band Badger Ferrule
SOAP: PannaCrema Nuavia Blu
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[TRBeck]

Shavemac Finest 23/48
Homemade vetiver soap
Rockwell 6S on plate #5
Personna Prep shave #4
Lucky Tiger aftershave
TdH Eau Intense Vetiver

[Actor07]

Razor: Eclipse Red Ring

Blade: Personna 74 (40)

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[TRBeck]

Shavemac 23/48 Finest brush
Homemade blue cypress soap
Rockwell 6S DE razor plate 5
US Personna Medical Prep #5
Lucky Tiger Aftershave Tonic
Eau de Rochas Homme spray

[TRBeck]

Shavemac Finest badger 23/48 in faux ivory
Homemade orange blossom grapefruit soap
Rockwell 6S DE plate #5 w/Med Prep blade
Lucky Tiger Aftershave & Face Tonic splash
Prada Luna Rossa Eau de Toilette - 3 sprays

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SATURDAY, May 16, 2020

Last night after a Zoom meeting with some TSD friends, I spent some time trying to organize my razors. In the process I rediscovered one of the two Cooper razors I own, a Cooper Monobilt and a Cooper Kant Rust. Both razors are great shavers, but I haven’t shaved with the Kant Rust in several months. The Kant Rust is a nickel plated moderately aggressive razor that sports a really cool Art Deco inspired handle design. It was manufactured in the very early thirties (1930-32 according to Worthpoint) in Brooklyn, NY and is a relatively rare razor. What I like about it is that it not only looks good, but it shaves great!

SWMBO left for the morning, so I grabbed my Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS and the Gillette Pure shave cream along with my MrEE Knurled Aluminum handled hybrid knot brush and proceeded to knock out a very pleasant shave. Since the razor is light, I loaded a Feather blade, rinsed my face with iced water, and had at it. The Gillette Pure generated a lovely, thick, yogurty lather that when enhanced with 6 drops of M-Bomb felt great on both mug and noggin. Three very slow comfortable passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) put the baby to bed leaving me with that delightful velveteen BBS scalp and mug. I feel clean, cool, smooth and refreshed!

RAZOR: Cooper Kant Rust
BLADE: Feather
PREP: Iced water rinse
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Hybrid Knot #007
CREAM: Gillette Pure
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Platinum. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[jgreenepa]

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SOTD SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2020

Welcome to Single Edge Sunday! I was fortunate to acquire this Eveready Stropping Outfit about 9 months ago. The kit dates to the early 50s. It contains both a leather strop, a stropping tool, and a ‘Jewel’ Streamline razor. The Eveready ‘Jewel’ Razor is in like new condition. It’s not a particularly rare razor, but is an exemplary shaver. The shave is comparable to a Gem ClogPruf. I like the shorter handle on the ‘Jewel’. This is a great head shaver. For today’s shave I selected my MrEE Knurled Aluminum Handled Brush, rapidly becoming one of my favorites, a prodigious lather maker with great backbone. Proraso Green enhanced with 3 drops of M-Bomb lathered up beautifully with it.

I enjoy shaving with Gem blades, but really like the PTFE coated Pella Gem blades. I have more than enough to last until they throw dirt on my coffin. Don of Technichi Shave introduced me to them. They tend to last for 4-6 shaves For me, keeping in mind that I face and head shave daily. Today’s shave went well. I began with an iced water rinse prior to lathering up both mug and noggin. Pass #1(WTG) went well, although not as close as I get with a Feather Super in my AC razors. Whisker reduction continued with pass #2 (XTG), leaving me with only some selective buffing around my usual problem areas for pass #3 (ATG). The Alum check left me with some residual heat around my Adam’s Apple, but otherwise, another delightful BBS. I feel clean, velveteen smooth, cool and refreshed.

RAZOR: Eveready Jewel Streamline
BLADE: Pella PTFE Gem
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Handle w/ Hybrid Knot
PREP: Iced water rinse
CREAM: Proraso Green enhanced w/ 3 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.

[TRBeck]

Shavemac Finest 23/48 badger brush
Homemade lavender-lemongrass soap
Rockwell 6S double-edge on plate #5
Personna Medical Prep blade shave 7
Lucky Tiger Aftershave & Face Tonic
Eau de Rochas Homme EDT (vintage)