Shave of the Day - 2024

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Pre-shave: Hot flannel, Pears soap
Brush: TroyCraft "Polar Nocturne" 28mm AP Titanium
Soap: Valobra + a drop of lavender EO (Jurlique, SA)
Razor: Blackland Sabre
Blade: Personna GEM Stainless
Post-shave: TND witch hazel, homebrew moisturiser, La Roche-Posay SPF50+ Invisible Fluid, Oxford & Cambridge cologne
COTD: Shakisso Estate, Ethiopia
 
Pre-shave:- Cold Shower
Bowl/Scuttle:- Captain's Choice
Brush:- Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo Synth. 24/53mm knot
Soap/Cream:- Essence of Scotland ~ Berry Fields O' Blair Special Edition
Razor/Blade:- Blackbird Lite SS Polished / NOS English Wilky #1
Post/After-shave:- T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel Astringent mixed into the 240ml bottle with Invite E High Potency Pure Oil (10 drops), Natural Plant Glycerine (20) & Tea Tree Oil Antiseptic (5)
Fragrance:- Tommy Hilfiger for Men
 
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Pre-shave: Hot flannel, Pears soap
Brush: TroyCraft "Polar Nocturne" 28mm AP Titanium
Soap: Valobra + a drop of lavender EO (Lyndoch, SA)
Razor: Blackland Sabre
Blade: Personna GEM Stainless
Post-shave: TND witch hazel, homebrew moisturiser, La Roche-Posay SPF50+ Invisible Fluid, Oxford & Cambridge cologne
COTD: Shakisso Estate, Ethiopia
 
30 January
A Soviet Union ⅝ "UTRO 7" made in Moscow at the STIZ factory. This razor is always a pleasure to shave with having the perfect smile on both edge and spine, making it very easy to hone and maintain. The razor was finished and has been maintained on diamond pasted balsa.

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31 January
They say you never forget your first. I haven't and it is still with me from over 4 years ago, a ⅞ Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60 dressed in Madagascan mahogany timber scales. It just shaves better with each use (or is it my technique improving?).

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01 February
This razor has never been honed since leaving the factory in Taiwan. I bought this razor new directly from the manufacturer, Titan Industries, a while ago. It is a ⅞ half-hollow Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60 dressed in African black wood timber scales and comes with a 62mm wide denim (only) strop and some cerium oxide stropping paste. Titan believe that this is all you need to get it shave-ready and maintain it that way. I wanted to see if they were correct.

After properly pasting the denim strop with the CeOx paste, I set to work trying to get it to shave-ready. After well over 2,000 (that is no typo and I may have received one with a good factory edge) laps on the pasted strop, I achieved a reasonable shave-ready edge. Since then, I have shaved with this razor once every few months with another 200 to 500 laps on its CeOx pasted denim stop after each shave.

The razor is now shaving like an identical one that had been normally hone up to about a 25k grit (1μm). It is still improving with every shave. I am tempted to put this razor to my diamond pasted balsa strops but the razor is still improving with every shave. I will continue with the CeOx pasted stropping until I notice no further improvement.

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SOTD – Fri 2 Feb 2024​

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Shave Report: The lather has excellent slickness/cushion and good residual, with great after shave feel. From the lather my nose detects a fresh minty, light floral with some background green/earthy aroma, with medium scent strength 5/10. The Shield DE5 with the Dorco Prime blade gave a very nice smooth close shave with just a few weepers but no skin irritation.

The Gear:​

  • Pre Shave: Natio for Men - Smooth Shave Gel [A]
  • Brush: Billy Goat “Valencia” with 26/55 Motherlode Knot [A]
  • Soap: Whispers From The Woods - Araminta [A]
  • Bowl: Whispers From The Woods [A]
  • Razor: Shield Aluminium DE5 0.95/0.05 (44gm)
  • Blade: Dorco Prime HQ (1)
  • Splash: Imperial Bergamot AS Tonic with added Menthol
  • Balm: Natio for Men - Calming AS Balm [A]
  • After Shave: Blue Devil Peppermint Patch AS Lotion [A]
  • Moisturiser (Later): Swisse Daily Face Moisturiser [A]
[A] = Australian Product
 
Gargravarr said:
Easy to guess, given how often it comes up in @klinker's SOTD posts. That knot just seems to spread more and more, and I can only imagine how that might feel. Isn't that a challenge when loading from these small pucks of hard soaps?
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Loading can be a bit of a challenge, especially with the original Fine triple milled soaps in those small containers. But once the brush is wet, loading is not that hard, just takes a little longer.
 
klinker said:
Loading can be a bit of a challenge, especially with the original Fine triple milled soaps in those small containers. But once the brush is wet, loading is not that hard, just takes a little longer.
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Aha, thanks for that. If it's possible, that's good enough for me. I have a 30mm silvertip on order, and had wondered if I was biting off more than I can chew.
 
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