Shave of the Day 2014

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Gillette Fatboy (6)
Astra Green (6)
Simpson Commodore
TOBS Jermyn

The Astra blades are proving to be good - it was a bit rough in the Fatty at 7 but is very nice at 6.
Starting to get into the swing of DE shaving. Not really much more difficult than using a 19-bladed-supermarket-special. Have yet to do any serious damage which is a bonus.
Might load up the Slim at 6 with a fresh Astra for a bit of variation... as Slims are all the rage on paste-and-cut at the moment.
 
Brush: Vintage butterscotch Simpson
Soap/Cream: P.160 Tipo Morbido Shaving Soap
Razor: Gillette L1 Slim - set on 6
Blade: Vintage Schick Platinum Plus - shave 11
After-shave: AoS Sandalwood Gel

The P.160 was so good at 5:30 this morning I reached for it again - still as good.

The Schick might be getting on its last legs - or it might be me, hard to tell at that time of the morning.

Wanted something different to finish and reached for the AOS Sandalwood Gel. When my wife was in the US earlier this year I arranged to have an order from West Coast Shaving shipped to where she was staying - some nice stuff I wanted. She also wanted to get me something herself and said she had seen a shaving shop and got me something. I immediately though Art of Shaving and my heart sank. After using it though I was pleasantly surprised - this is one of their better items IMHO. Not earth shattering but perfectly acceptable :)
 
Brush: Shavemac Silvertip
Soap/Cream: Mystic Water Lavender Lime
Razor: Muhle R41
Blade: Astra SP - fresh blade
After-shave: Proraso Splash

It was a rough ride. A cut on the corner of my mouth and a weeper on the neck. Sort of surprising because I was expecting something smoother with an Astra. The lather was quite nice but there was some friction with the shave. A nice splash of Proraso to calm the raging bull.

Not to be deterred I'm going to continue with the razor until it has been tamed. It reminds me of when I started shaving with a DE - the first few months were quite tricky but then it fell into place.
 
Wednesday
Proraso pre
Muhle R41 (2011) "the beast"
Gillette yellow blade (#1)
Proraso red cream
Vie-Long 12705 brush
Myrsol Antesol
Weleda ASB
Penhaligon's Opus 1870 EDT

Thursday
Muhle R41 (2011) "the beast"
Gillette yellow blade (#2)
Mike's barber shop
Vie-Long 12705 brush
Myrsol Antesol
Proraso ASB White
Penhaligon's Endymion EDT

I've been itching to get back into using my 2011 R41 for a while now. Been sidetracked with other razors (straights, shavettes, or just my Merkur 34c HD for speed).

This, without doubt, is the razor that gives me the closest shave. Gentle, no pressure technique needed. No major nicks or cuts and a very smooth result. A joy to use. Needs some attention though as it definitely can bite.

Also revisiting some soaps and creams I haven't used for a while. Great scent from both the Proraso red and the Mikes.
 
Does the lIttle VL horse hair brush get any softer?
 
Ahhh yes, the famous Muhle R41 (2011)!!!

It is certainly a beast which can be controlled but never tamed, like a wild stallion ....
 
Brush: Vintage butterscotch Culmak reknotted with a TGN Finest
Soap/Cream: T&H 1805 Shaving Cream
Razor: Gillette L1 Slim - set on 6
Blade: Vintage Schick Platinum Plus - shave 12
After-shave: T&H 1805 Aftershave

Well yesterday must have been an aberration with that Schick - it was fine at 5:21 am today!

The T&H 1805 is a classic package - I love this stuff and a nice way to finish the working week. As for the Culmak - sensational re-knotting job @Pjotr !!!

Off to go flying again - have a great day all
 
PJ does some sterling work with brushes, he really should set up a cottage business, rejoin the YKW brotherhood and fleece consumeristic yanks at sensationally inflated $$, and bask in the internet adoration that comes with it.

In my classics absence, I'm getting into the Klenzo and TGN do make a damn good knot.
 
Drubbing said:
PJ does some sterling work with brushes, he really should set up a cottage business, rejoin the YKW brotherhood and fleece consumeristic yanks at sensationally inflated $$, and bask in the internet adoration that comes with it........
Click to expand...

Oh......the internet adoration....it's heady......like a date with Jugv2's avatar.

Drubbing said:
........In my classics absence, I'm getting into the Klenzo and TGN do make a damn good knot.
Click to expand...

They do make a good knot. It's just different. Sometimes they'll work in a handle and sometimes they don't. Setting them as low as you can without making the brush look daft is the secret. Based on the two high end brushes I've just stripped (a Simpsons milk churn and your old Truefitt and Hill) you can easily spend a lot more and get a doozy.

Talking of brushes and to take this thread way off topic, I've just re-knotted an old beat up Ever Ready handle that @Mark1966 gave me with a 22mm boar knot from TGN. They source them from Omega I believe. Haven't shaved with it yet but it looks fantastic. I think I've finally cracked the "nice knot lousy handle or nice handle lousy knot" conundrum that dogs the boar brush world. Damn cheap too (if you can source a cheap handle of course) at $9 for your standard 22mm boar knot. Not stained either. Big bonus. More on that later in a different thread.
 
Don't tease us...
I've considered going Boar and if the pricing is cheap enough, you may just convince me after the disaster that is the smog...
 
Brush: Vintage butterscotch Simpson
Soap/Cream: TOBS Eton College
Razor: Gillette L1 Slim - set on 6
Blade: Vintage Schick Platinum Plus - shave 13
After-shave: SIM balm

I will push the blade to a full two weeks and change after that. It is still going strong.

Nice shave - nothing more to report!
 
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borked said:
Don't tease us...
I've considered going Boar and if the pricing is cheap enough, you may just convince me after the disaster that is the smog...
Click to expand...

Yeah, you've ended up in the "nice handle lousy knot" camp with that one.
 
In honour of @Monsta_AU request for not too much silliness in his absence.

Cream: Simpsons Sandalwood - This is a truly good cream - requires very little for a great deal of lather -I estimate I will get 4 to 500 shaves from this tub. The lather created is also excellent.
Brush - not much information other than I think it is a boar of some description, I suspect you could use a toothbrush with this cream and achieve a great result.
Razor - Gillette Slim on 7 - Nothing more need be said.
Blade - Gillette Spoiler about 4th shave.
First pass was more to remove the long growth, a bit like using a whipper snipper on your overly long lawn before mowing.
Second pass was the charm - plenty of lather left plenty plenty plenty. A lovely smooth result.

The cream left my face feeling soft and smooth - no need for any balms etc. As a rule I don't use any of that stuff anyhow - I have an olive complexion and a skin that doesn't seem to dry out much I tried some Nivea After Shave Balm once and it felt like I was rubbing Brylcream on my face .

So there it is a dead straight SOTD review (and you thought I couldn't do it) :)
 
Oh well, back on topic and adopting the new reporting format:

Brush: Ever Ready boar
Soap/Cream: Frankensoap-my patented mixture of left over sticks
Razor: Need I say more...The Best Razor The World Has Ever Known....The Slimmer Than Slim.....The Bakelite Kid.......Theeeeee 7O'Clock....Spud to his mates.
Blade: Vintage Schick Platinum Plus -No1

Ditched the Vintage Wilkie after 6. Could have gone more but with my excess of vintage blades and my desire not to have to leave most of them in my will (I'm trying to hide this ridiculous shaving thing, not publicly declare it post mortem) I'm becoming a bit laissez fair about pushing them to the limit, in addition to using stupid French phrases to let you poor, ignorant vintage blade-less proles know what you're missing out on.
 
Mayhap I should send the handle to you for a reknot with an Omega and see it returned with a generous inclusion of vintage blades as a thank you for doing the world a favour of ridding the world of another smog knot and reducing your stash ;)
 
Razor: Gillette NEW (UK) Long Comb
Blade: Indian Wilks
Brush: Simpsons Duke 2 in Best
Soap/Cream: TOBS Shaving Shop Cream
After-shave: Proraso Splash (5 mins) then Razorock AS Wax (Original)

My first shave with anything but the Edwin Jagger DE89. Trepidation is a good word for it….my hands where shaking before the open comb settled on my face. I set it a formidable challenge - six days growth…and mine's thick even after day two. But my worries dissipated after the first stroke. Cut through the growth like butter - hats off to that little piece of nickel and brass goodness for both sharpness and coverage. I'm used to more strays post-blade but it was the slimmest of pickings in the wake of the NEW. Pretty impressive for an oldie and especially for a unit half the weight of the DE89. But that little handle is so agile. I really liked it. I might even stop browsing for heavier handles...

Beyond that I kept it an all British affair. Armed with the usual Duke 2 (Best) I took to my first ever English cream - TOBS Shaving Shop. Oh that smell!!!! It was in the top three of the favourites to my nose of my recent acquisitions. Not bad on the face either, lather was excellent, I mean nice cushion and glide. ..and that smell!!! My first TOBS and I am very, very impressed.

20 minutes since I rinsed off and all up a nice shave. A few nicks by the last pass (2nd XTG) in the usual places. But less than a quarter drop of blood total that was all gone after the clean up and cold splash.

Happy with the NEW and the TOBS. Oh yes and the Duke is really starting to settle in quite nicely.
 
I picked up the TOBS sampler and I'm working my way through it. I'll put the shaving shop cream next in line...
 
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