Shave of the Day 2015

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and how many straights do you own ?
 
The last love from Dr Jons Big Green Monster

R41 - Vokshod (2)
Simmo Case
1805

Great shave, those were very well enjoyed samples! The Vokshod doesn't seem as smooth as the Personna I had in last week, but still does a great job. The little Simmo is a beauty. I didn't realise Pure brushes are trimmed, leaving many hairs blunt ended - so the result is a scratchy feel. A bit different but kind of refreshing. Works up lather easy as and retains it. Great face lathering.
 
Pre-shave: Proraso Pre-Shave cream
Brush: Semogue 620
Soap/Cream: Mitchell's Wool Fat
Razor: Fatip Piccolo (on loan from Stillsy)
Blade: Feather (2)
After-shave: Thayers Rose Witch Hazel / Myrsol Agua Balsamica

Semogue 620 in honour of Stillsy and the conversion of his faith. It's with much joy that we welcome him to the Smoggy fraternity (y)

My last shave with the Piccolo. My thanks to you @stillshunter . I really enjoyed the test drive. An excellent bang-for-buck razor with some aggro that I was warming to. A second shave Feather blade and all was good. No droplets of the red stuff or irritation this time around. Lots of burn from the AS so it must have been super close.

Love The Wool Fat!
 
Nonick said:
........... I didn't realise Pure brushes are trimmed, leaving many hairs blunt ended - so the result is a scratchy feel............
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That's highly unlikely. The way brushes, particularly at a manufacturer like Simpsons, are made does not involve trimming. The bristles, be it badger or boar, are cut and simultaneously collected as they come off the hide. They're delivered to the brush manufacturer in bundles aligned with the natural end on one side and the cut end at the other. They are then constructed by shoving a set amount (weighed, depending on the required density and size of the brush) in to a mould with the natural end at the tip of the knot in the bottom of the mould. After shaking it down, tapping it and making sure all the bristles are in the correct alignment, it's then tied off and trimmed at the bottom end of the knot and glued in to the handle. No trimming of the working end of a brush is done. Not only would that be incredibly time consuming but would also lead to highly irregular shapes. The only way you'd get cut ends in a knot is with really cheap brushes that, I'm assuming, are manufactured with all the cheap bristles that end up on the cutting room floor and are hence not aligned as they came off the hide. Even then no manufacturer would trim the working end of a brush as it just takes too much time. If there is any trimming it might be the odd hair that's out of shape but I'd say that they'd pull those out rather than try and cut them to shape. There is a video of this process around somewhere.

Pure badger is just a very coarse hair grade that naturally has tough ends which leads to the all too familiar scritchyness.
 
Brush: Omega 31025
Soap/Cream: Mikes Barbershop
Razor: NEW SC (a la @Lifes a Peach )
Blade: Feather (1)
After-shave: Floid

Just three letters - D. F and S.
Happy man I was this morning - the NEW SC and Feather is a nice combo - smooth and close. ...and that Mikes. Bugger me!!!!
 
Brush: Duke 2
Razor: Fatip Grande
Blade: Polsilver
Soap: Mike's Barbershop
A/S: Captain's Choice Cat O'Nine Tails

Not a bad shave today but the Mike's was not what I was expecting at all. It is a nice smelling soap and the lather is decent enough, it just didn't impress me all that much.
 
Nonick said:
.... I didn't realise Pure brushes are trimmed, leaving many hairs blunt ended - so the result is a scratchy feel. A bit different but kind of refreshing. Works up lather easy as and retains it. Great face lathering.
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See @Pjotr's comments on the trimming but trust me - after about a year the Pure soften up considerably. Still got the scritch but not harsh.
 
Nightguard said:
Not a bad shave today but the Mike's was not what I was expecting at all. It is a nice smelling soap and the lather is decent enough, it just didn't impress me all that much.
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stillshunter said:
Happy man I was this morning - the NEW SC and Feather is a nice combo - smooth and close. ...and that Mikes. Bugger me!!!!
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Something doesn't add up... Hmmm...
 
stillshunter said:
Brush: Omega 31025
Soap/Cream: Mikes Barbershop
Razor: NEW SC (a la @Lifes a Peach )
Blade: Feather (1)
After-shave: Floid

Just three letters - D. F and S.
Happy man I was this morning - the NEW SC and Feather is a nice combo - smooth and close. ...and that Mikes. Bugger me!!!!
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Umm, no.
Nothing personal mate...
 
Ha ha ha ha, I walked into that one @borked mate.

filobiblic said:
Something doesn't add up... Hmmm...
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This is the ultimate YMMV. I notice @Nightguard and I diverge on a few things - and that's why I respect his opinions as they are honest and experiential. But, for example, I enjoy the R41, Captains Choice and the MWF, he not so much. He likes the Gillette Rocket and Duke 2, and I can leave them gladly.
Having said that he is spot-on with Tabac and arko (well c'mon it's not been bashed for a bit!)....but he is wrong about the Mikes.
 
stillshunter said:
Ha ha ha ha, I walked into that one @borked mate.


This is the ultimate YMMV. I notice @Nightguard and I diverge on a few things - and that's why I respect his opinions as they are honest and experiential. But, for example, I enjoy the R41, Captains Choice and the MWF, he not so much. He likes the Gillette Rocket and Duke 2, and I can leave them gladly.
Having said that he is spot-on with Tabac and arko (well c'mon it's not been bashed for a bit!)....but he is wrong about the Mikes.
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Spot on @stillshunter. But just to clarify, MWF is my favourite soap. There's nothing wrong with Mike's as such, its performance just didn't live up to the hype it receives. It's a bit too finicky for me and the lather isn't very protective and feels a bit drying to me.
 
Nightguard said:
Spot on @stillshunter. But just to clarify, MWF is my favourite soap. There's nothing wrong with Mike's as such, its performance just didn't live up to the hype it receives. It's a bit too finicky for me and the lather isn't very protective and feels a bit drying to me.
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Whoops, yep, put us in the same Tabac/MWF column then.
Maybe I've just been lucky with the Mikes but it offered me an impeccable stress-free lather. Built it very dry and added water slowly in a bowl. Left it thick and it stayed moist throughout the passes. Keen to hear how subsequent lathers go....ohh just noticed you used that rubbish Duke to lather, maybe opt instead for the Plisson quality L'Occy synth mate.
 
stillshunter said:
Whoops, yep, put us in the same Tabac/MWF column then.
Maybe I've just been lucky with the Mikes but it offered me an impeccable stress-free lather. Built it very dry and added water slowly in a bowl. Left it thick and it stayed moist throughout the passes. Keen to hear how subsequent lathers go....ohh just noticed you used that rubbish Duke to lather, maybe opt instead for the Plisson quality L'Occy synth mate.
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Rubbish Duke?!?!? What the? Much better than that rotten Thater of yours. :p I'll give it a try with the Plisson today, hopefully it'll be better than yesterdays.
 
Brush: Semogue 1305
Soap/Cream: Barrister & Mann Fougere Aromatique
Razor: Gillette NEW SC
Blade: Feather (2)
After-shave: Myrsol Antesol

On the tail end of my shaves with @Lifes a Peach 's NEW SC. Gotta say it's been a nice experience - esp. with a Feather loaded and today was no exception....well it was a bit of an exception actually. I was checking the cabinet for the box so I can ship the razor back to LaP on Monday. Heart stopped a couple of times as I couldn't find the bloody thing anywhere - anyway found it finally...exactly here I looked the first time....but something was rattling in it. Huh? On closer inspection were two sample pots of soap. Plum forgot about them. So tried the darker specimen based on scent alone. Got to say the lather produced was incredible. A veritable yoghurt explosion in the bowl. The lather did tend to dissipate on the face a little and the post-shave feel a tad dry but it can all be forgiven as the slickness was phenomenal - made up for a third of the shortcomings and the scent the other two thirds. Oh boy, absolutely love it!!! Scent is about as subtle as a Southern European tuning a beautiful woman, and that suits me fine, but sooo good it made me pop the top off my vintage Paco Rabbane and splash a little liberally for a normal work day. This is no small feat as this stuff is reserved for special occasions as it's getting very hard to source indeed. I feel pretty damned good about now I must say...

Hats off to @Barrister & Mann - great soap mate!
Heads up to @Lifes a Peach - hand up high here if you need to relieve yourself of that pot!
 
B&M puts out some good soap no doubt. How'd you go with the Kyovu A/S Phil?
 
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