Shave of the Day Thread - 2019

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RazorPlay said:
Shower
Merkur 1904
Personna Lab Blue (4)
Omega 48
GFT Rose Cream
Nivea ASB
CK Obsession



For me and Omega piggies, bigger is better. The Omega banded boars are much more broken in from the get go - the standard ones take ages by comparison (although the firmer feel is not a bad thing). The banding treatment does something to the bristle. If I was going again my choice in big boars would be the 20248 brush. But if you want an economical way to make and apply lather, a synth can't be beaten. But at least boars don't hog it like badgers (see what I did there?!). The boars give you a higher loft with more backbone and when the split tips get "wispy" after properly breaking in (yes it can take a long time), the face feel is very nice. My big boars are also a nice way to chew through the decades of soap I have in stock so I can start buying some more! Some soaps are better suited to boars though - particularly high structure versions.

The tub of dried out cream I used today (loaded like a puck as a result) is a much better fit with synth / badger though - I keep trying with the big boars but it just doesn't work as well. The surface of the tub is actually quite sticky, so I have noticed a few bristles getting pulled out of the boars as well, which is annoying and not something one had to deal with in synths and only rarely in badgers. So I find there are different soaps / creams that best suit different brushes, just like I find some blades that are horrible in my favourite razors, become excellent in razors that never usually work for me (as per today's combo). But if economy of soap is the goal, synths are the only game in town!
Click to expand...

awesome reply mate.. i had never even considered the concept of different types of brushes for different soaps before.

when you say they are better in a high structure soap, do you mean like a soap like tabac?

One more question on breaking in the brush, how many uses do you think it takes? i have an Omega 11137 which does not seem banded (i cant see any banding and its listed as a Pure Bristle). I reckon i have used it around 25-30 times so far..

BTW my goal is not just about economy, that is just something i noted while using. I recently bought a badger (silvertip) and this boar for a different experience while lathering.

The badger gives a very luxurious feel while lathering but hogs quite a lot of lather.

The boar is more scritchy and only produces a decent lather for first pass while leaving substituent passes quite thin causing me to add more soap at this point.

Synthetics have both the soft luxurious feel, produce lots of lather quite easily and dont hog.

I am hoping my boar isnt broken in yet and i have more to look forward to. But will also be trying it with different soaps to see.

48796753236_763326fd74.jpg
 
StratMan said:
The boar is more scritchy and only produces a decent lather for first pass while leaving substituent passes quite thin causing me to add more soap at this point.
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This is the reason is got rid of all my boar hair brushes. Even when i'd squeeze the knot, there'd be stuf all in there!
StratMan said:
Synthetics have both the soft luxurious feel, produce lots of lather quite easily and dont hog.
Click to expand...
Agreed!
 
f9me0RW.jpg

SOTD 26/09/2019

Pre: Hot shower
Cream: Body Shop Macca Root & Aloe
Brush: Stray Whisker 28mm synthetic
Razor: Karve OC "C" Plate
Blade: Feather (3)
Post: Body Shop Post Shave Water Gel
Pre Evening Drinks: Tabac ASL
​
On the road again, FNQ this week. Packed the travel kit with some "old reliables" and took the Karve along for a change. Not used her for a while and she still does not disappoint. Great three pass with pickups in preparation for a long Island Iced Tea (or three)

Be well all and enjoy the run in to the weekend!
​
 
Date:- 26 September 2019

Pre-shave:- Cold Water straight from the tap
Bowl/Scuttle:- Captain's Choice
Brush:- Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo Synth. 24/53mm knot
Soap/Cream:- Ariana & Evans ~ Monte Carlo
Razor/Blade:- EJ3ONE6 / German Wilkinson Sword #1
Post/After-shave: T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel Astringent mixed into the 240ml bottle with Natural Glycerin (20), Tea Tree Antiseptic (10), Lavender (15) & Peppermint (10 drops)
Fragrance:- Hugo Boss (Original)

GOD!! Help me! I can't stop shaving every day :banghead::woot::jawdrop::joyful:
 
Last edited:
StratMan said:
awesome reply mate.. i had never even considered the concept of different types of brushes for different soaps before.

when you say they are better in a high structure soap, do you mean like a soap like tabac?

One more question on breaking in the brush, how many uses do you think it takes? i have an Omega 11137 which does not seem banded (i cant see any banding and its listed as a Pure Bristle). I reckon i have used it around 25-30 times so far..

BTW my goal is not just about economy, that is just something i noted while using. I recently bought a badger (silvertip) and this boar for a different experience while lathering.

The badger gives a very luxurious feel while lathering but hogs quite a lot of lather.

The boar is more scritchy and only produces a decent lather for first pass while leaving substituent passes quite thin causing me to add more soap at this point.

Synthetics have both the soft luxurious feel, produce lots of lather quite easily and dont hog.

I am hoping my boar isnt broken in yet and i have more to look forward to. But will also be trying it with different soaps to see.
Click to expand...

Tabac is a great example of a high structure soap - with not much left in the brush it will still re-generate a heap of lather. It does seem the harder the puck (eg triple milled or sticks), the more "guts" it has available to do this, hence its suitability for boars. Whereas for a lot of creams you only get one go at it - if you try and add water and go again for subsequent passes, the lather just breaks down instead. Badgers (or big synths) are best for these because they can just hold onto so much lather in the first place there is no need to go again - there is so much abundant lather.

On breaking in boars, I find it's a continuum - they keep getting softer and better the more you use them. It's just that most of that happens earlier. And the banded versions are just better - they start off much softer and get even softer again later IME. The 11137 is not banded - I also have the same knot with a different handle in banded form (80266) and it's just softer all around - no scritch and slightly better lather holding. The extra flexibility of the bristle also means less work is required. But the 11137 will keep getting better - just slowly!

And yes, you can't beat a synth on objective criteria. It's just the face feel that some find rather bland and "artificial". I like them all for different applications but a big boar with a strong soap holds a special place!
 
RazorPlay said:
Shower
Merkur 1904
Personna Lab Blue (4)
Omega 48
GFT Rose Cream
Nivea ASB
CK Obsession



For me and Omega piggies, bigger is better. The Omega banded boars are much more broken in from the get go - the standard ones take ages by comparison (although the firmer feel is not a bad thing). The banding treatment does something to the bristle. If I was going again my choice in big boars would be the 20248 brush. But if you want an economical way to make and apply lather, a synth can't be beaten. But at least boars don't hog it like badgers (see what I did there?!). The boars give you a higher loft with more backbone and when the split tips get "wispy" after properly breaking in (yes it can take a long time), the face feel is very nice. My big boars are also a nice way to chew through the decades of soap I have in stock so I can start buying some more! Some soaps are better suited to boars though - particularly high structure versions.

The tub of dried out cream I used today (loaded like a puck as a result) is a much better fit with synth / badger though - I keep trying with the big boars but it just doesn't work as well. The surface of the tub is actually quite sticky, so I have noticed a few bristles getting pulled out of the boars as well, which is annoying and not something one had to deal with in synths and only rarely in badgers. So I find there are different soaps / creams that best suit different brushes, just like I find some blades that are horrible in my favourite razors, become excellent in razors that never usually work for me (as per today's combo). But if economy of soap is the goal, synths are the only game in town!
Click to expand...
G'day @RazorPlay - I remember our conversation on this topic at the last Perth meetup, and I ended up picking up a 48. Thanks for the recommendation.
Took me a few lathers to get the hang of the brush, due to its loft, but now I love it. It is broken in and splays beautifully when I face lather.
And you are spot on - it destroys soap! The only brush in my den that can go toe to toe with it for soap destruction is a Rudy Vey badger with a 30mm knot.
 
CtluJbg.jpg


Prep: Valobra Glycerlanolina soap, Myrsol Emulsion
Brush: DR Harris H3 Best Badger
Soap: Vintage Creed Epicea
Razor: Blackland Blackbird
Blade: NOS Super Iridium BN-84 (3)
Post: Thursday Plantation Tea Tree & Witch Hazel, Musgo Real Aftershave Balm
Scent: Dior Eau Sauvage

Great lather from this 50+ year old soap. Three passes and a couple of clean-up strokes for a BBS result.
 
TomG said:
Great lather from this 50+ year old soap. Three passes and a couple of clean-up strokes for a BBS result.
Click to expand...

It must be quite an experience using such an old soap being such a young man yourself Tom :cool:

The old creed soap is fantastic, I had the displeasure of using the currently available creed soap and its absolute rubbish.
 
todras said:
It must be quite an experience using such an old soap being such a young man yourself Tom :cool:

The old creed soap is fantastic, I had the displeasure of using the currently available creed soap and its absolute rubbish.
Click to expand...
Indeed - I was fortunate to pick up this soap from France, still sealed in original packaging. The scent is very faint now, but still very enjoyable to shave with.
 
https://imgur.com/a/63Uij8T

Prep: Hot shower
Brush: The Stray Whisker Silvertip Badger
Soap: Wilkinson Sword 🗡 Shave Stick
Razor: Rockwell 6S (R6)
Blade: Vintage NOS Gillette Spoiler (14)
Post: Proraso Post Shave Stone, Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera

Tons of beautiful slick lather from the Wilkinson Sword Shave Stick this morning. Pity it doesn’t really have a discernible scent.
 
IMG-20190926-191438.jpg

Brush: Yaqi 30mm
Razor: Karve Brass SB (D plate) + WCS Brass handle
Blade: Polsilver SI (5)
Bowl: Pereira Undestructable Lather Bowl
Pre: Warm Water
Soap: APR Lixiviant
Post: Alum // APR Lixiviant splash // Redwin Vitamin E Cream With Evening Primrose Oil Cream

A very satisfying BBS tonight. Very smooth and efficient so much so that I'm nursing a few minor nicks under the chin. Well worth it as the soap delivered plenty of slickness. The blade matches well with the more aggressive D plate but still super smooth with no irritation - lots of burning from the Alum block though :eek: Finished off with the matching splash... Have a great evening!
 
I just had a great phone chat with @Pbgoose about his new Jnat so although I wasn't in the mood for a shave I just had to rekindle the face caressing beauty of a Jnat produced edge.
A full hollow 6/8".
A soap I made but cannot remember the recipe. Quite passable.
And a 830 Boar.
Great rainwater lather.
Single pass DFS

Happy chappy :)
 
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Brush: @Tony Forsyth 2019 P&C Auction Custom Gold/Pearl Manchurian 2 Band Finest 24mm Shaving Brush
Soap/Cream: Squadron Soap 2018 Tim Keech Memorial Auction shaving soap
Razor: Gillette L1 Slim Adjustable (5)
Blade: Personna 'Lab Blue' (3)
Post-shave: Squadron Soap 2018 Tim Keech Memorial Auction splash
Fragrance: N/A

Same kit, same photo, same great shave. Off to Brisvegas for the morning. Happy Friday guys!

YK8tOuXl.jpg
 
Pre: Hot Shower
Razor: JAWS
Blade: Rapira (2)
Brush: Yaqi Silvertip Badger
Soap: Mikes Natural Soap - Lavender
Post: APR Florian Splash

Really nice comfortable shave with the Rapira and Jaws this morning. Enjoyed a very nice lather with the badger and mikes soaps, finished off with a fantastic spring scent with APR Florian splash.

48801033792_a7108ae8e4_c.jpg
 
Date:- 27 September 2019

Pre-shave:- Cold Water straight from the tap
Bowl/Scuttle:- Captain's Choice
Brush:- Yaqi Moka Express Synth. 24/53mm knot
Soap/Cream:- Ariana & Evans ~ Monte Carlo
Razor/Blade:- RazoRock MJ-90A / Voskhod #2
Post/After-shave:- T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel Astringent mixed into the 240ml bottle with Natural Glycerin (20), Tea Tree Antiseptic (10), Lavender (15) & Peppermint (10 drops)
Fragrance:- Hugo Boss (Original)
 
Pre: Hot towel, Pre shave oil (Nico's home brew)
Razor: Wolfman WR1,SB Standard Gap, WR2 Handle
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless Double Edge Blades
Bowl: Handmade bowl, Mk3
Brush: RazoRock Silvertip Synthetic
Soap: Squadron, The Warden
Post: Squadron, The Warden Aftershave
WTG, ATG, touch up with adjusted angles for my beard.

IMG-4842.jpg
 
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