Shave of the Day 2014

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Marlow said:
I have been contemplating shaving as we all do and had many thoughts.

I used to be a practitioner of Japanese sword arts for many years in which we would practice Tameshigiri which is test cutting

where we used Tatami (like beach mats) which were rolled and soaked then used as targets (they don't use human bodies any more)

to test our accuracy etc. Well there is heaps of technique which comes with practice and then the freeing of oneself to that Zen thing of

Zanshin , Mushin and all that mind no mind stuff. I like to ponder such things.

Well it really relates to shaving I reckon, but that's enough as I could crap on and on but practice and technique is where it always happens.
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No sensei @Marlow please continue.
I seriously like the sounds of your practice - was it kendo or iaido? As a child I grew up doing judo (with an elective in sword) and then when I was older attended some aikido (but had too many hormones dragging me in another direction….though thoroughly helping my beard growth). I, for one, would love to hear more of the Zen of Shaving. Would you consider kicking off a thread?
 
Pjotr said:
Are you sure it's petering out? I mean turning to slop? What you describe is basically trying to put lather on a surface which is becoming smoother with every pass. Not the fault of the lather, it's just got nothing to hold on to. Personally don't think it makes much difference which brush I use either. I think you're using enough cream. Hell, the Wee Scot used half that and gives three passes worth of lather.
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Mate thank you for this - this makes sense.
I do sense some difference between the badger and boar though - unless I'm subconsciously trying to justify my more expensive purchases. Seems the boar let's the lather go freely, while the badger retains more in the knot. For instance, there seems a difference in what is delivered when you squeeze at the end. I might lather both on the weekend and be a scientist about this hunch.
 
stillshunter said:
No sensei @Marlow please continue.
I seriously like the sounds of your practice - was it kendo or iaido? As a child I grew up doing judo (with an elective in sword) and then when I was older attended some aikido (but had too many hormones dragging me in another direction….though thoroughly helping my beard growth). I, for one, would love to hear more of the Zen of Shaving. Would you consider kicking off a thread?
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@stillshunter It was Nakamura Ryu Battodo, with a couple of medical issues that I developed my body couldn't keep up any more (too dangerous), it is an art utilising Kata and cutting. I am still the Secretary of the Aus. Association though.

As a kid I was also a Judo guy winning the state championships 3 times and the nationals twice. I also dabbled in other arts and ended up going surfing ( those hormones again). I took up the sword later in life. The blade is good for those on the elderly side of life.

Dunno about a thread about it as for /1, I am just beginning and /2, it sounds a bit wankish. sort of YKW...ish.

But thanks for your interest. But I will get back to it as I find it interesting, pure Zen that is.
 
stillshunter said:
Mate thank you for this - this makes sense.
I do sense some difference between the badger and boar though - unless I'm subconsciously trying to justify my more expensive purchases. Seems the boar let's the lather go freely, while the badger retains more in the knot. For instance, there seems a difference in what is delivered when you squeeze at the end. I might lather both on the weekend and be a scientist about this hunch.
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No point in justification; badgers cost more and the results have no correlation to that extra cost. Some prefer the feel, some think they look nicer, some like pricier things to work with.

When you're getting to grips with the various skills required, differences can seem noticeable. About the only difference I deploy with badger is maybe an extra dip in the water after starting to later, to really get it going. It's little things but they make a difference, and over time you don't even realise you're doing them, and everything seems to work the same.
 
I did half a shave with my eyes closed once.

Now THAT is the Zen of shaving!

Seriously - it was very interesting ....
 
I was sitting the other night contemplating this stuff with oil on my face and playing with the razor and attacking my face by feel with no mirror.

I tried all sorts of strokes and had a better shave for it the next day. It was interesting what I could feel so am with you on that Mark 1966.

Today was all Tabac stuff with a boar and the Feather AC.

Really good shave.
 
Today's shave was with a vintage Gillette Ball-End Tech, 2nd day Astra, the ever trusty Duke 3, and a Speick stick.

Only 2nd shave with the Gillette. It's a little ripper. More aggressive than I expected.
 
Swapped the 'half shave' GBE into the Fatboy this morning and lathered up with Speick. Decent shave, but not stellar.
 
stillshunter said:
Seems the boar let's the lather go freely, while the badger retains more in the knot. For instance, there seems a difference in what is delivered when you squeeze at the end.
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The #49 is a big knot, but it's not hugely dense. Because of this, it won't retain lather as well as the denser badger brushes, or even some of the smaller boar/horse/synthetic knots that are more tightly packed. I think it's more a question of mechanics than quality or price. It releases more lather first, because there's less stuff holding the lather in. I used to compensate for this by 'wiping' excess lather off my face and back onto the tip of the brush for later. The other thing you could do is just make a fresh lather for later passes and use less product in the first place. That big scrubby bastard whips up quick, so perhaps that might help keep your lather a bit more consistent across your passes.

I was feeling good this morning, so I went for a suitably classy combo. TOBS Jermyn Street and the Duke, a combo for the ages. GEM MMOC, because my beard was a bit overgrown and I wanted to mow it down smoothly and without resistance.

Fucking terrifying.

So much exposed blade and lack of practice made for a slightly harrowing shave, but the result is exceptional. Two passes, and a silky smooth result except for my moustache area. I value my nose and upper lip, so I didn't try much there. Washed my face and alum'd up, not much in the way of sting which speaks well for my technique. I followed that nice surprise with some Floid, and a little bit of Nivea post-shave balm to keep any redness away. A touch more Floid before I stepped out the door for a bit of extra fragrance, and it lasted pretty well through the day. Starting to love this stuff.
 
Mong. said:
The #49 is a big knot, but it's not hugely dense. Because of this, it won't retain lather as well as the denser badger brushes, or even some of the smaller boar/horse/synthetic knots that are more tightly packed. I think it's more a question of mechanics than quality or price. It releases more lather first, because there's less stuff holding the lather in. I used to compensate for this by 'wiping' excess lather off my face and back onto the tip of the brush for later. The other thing you could do is just make a fresh lather for later passes and use less product in the first place. That big scrubby bastard whips up quick, so perhaps that might help keep your lather a bit more consistent across your passes.

I was feeling good this morning, so I went for a suitably classy combo. TOBS Jermyn Street and the Duke, a combo for the ages. GEM MMOC, because my beard was a bit overgrown and I wanted to mow it down smoothly and without resistance.

Fucking terrifying.

So much exposed blade and lack of practice made for a slightly harrowing shave, but the result is exceptional. Two passes, and a silky smooth result except for my moustache area. I value my nose and upper lip, so I didn't try much there. Washed my face and alum'd up, not much in the way of sting which speaks well for my technique. I followed that nice surprise with some Floid, and a little bit of Nivea post-shave balm to keep any redness away. A touch more Floid before I stepped out the door for a bit of extra fragrance, and it lasted pretty well through the day. Starting to love this stuff.
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Thanks for the insight and advice mate….nice write-up here, a great read!
 
Merkur Progress on 3
Voskhod fresh blade
TOBS Eton
Boeckhs restored brush

I hadn't shaved for two days so this was much needed. Eton is a good winter cream and I had enough on the tips to do five or six passes.

Smooth and clean was the result. I think 3 is the sweet spot with this combo.
 
How does a Voskhod compare to an Astra? Seen plenty of positive reviews for this blade.
 
Gillette Fatboy (6)
Astra Green (5)
TOBS Jermyn
Simpson Commodore X2

I have been turning up the Fatboy since Sunday, going up one click each day while sticking with the same blade. Not too sure how many shaves to expect from the Astra blade, but it is going well so far. I am finding that I need to be quite careful now to not shave atg until I have done a pass wtg first. Can't be sure if this is a function of the aging blade or getting the Fatboy turned up, so I would welcome any advice on the typical life which can be got from the Astra.
 
Astras are cheap so I toss out after 3 shaves. They might go longer but for 15c per blade it's not an issue for me.
 
Lifes a Peach said:
How does a Voskhod compare to an Astra? Seen plenty of positive reviews for this blade.
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I'm a big fan of Voskhods, so much so that I bought up a few hundred of them.
I think they are milder than the Astras so good for beginners or aggressive razors.
 
Astra's for me I can go 21 shaves ++ however i swap my blades out at 7. Feather, astra green and blue, perma sharp and pol silver I can go 7-21 days. Others 3-4 shaves.
 
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