SOTD: Saturday 15th- Friday 21st April 2017

Wednesday AM 2017-04-19

Moss Anniversary Slate scuttle
Rooney 3/1 Finest (22mm/44mm)
Aramis JHL shaving soap (vintage) + shaving cream (vintage)
Delta Echo Black Chrome-Nickel Feather AS-D2/Stork EX3 Titanium
Polsilver Iridium Super (3)
Aramis JHL aftershave (vintage)
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Benz3ne said:
Wednesday Lunch;

Wilkinson Sword DE,
Wilkinson Sword blade (1),
Maseto 30mm 2-band,
Fine Platinum,
Alum/cold/witch hazel.

First try with a DE! After giving my newly-acquired Maseto a good clean out with some Fine Platinum soap I thought I'd try my hand with my, also newly-acquired, DE. Fresh blade straight out of the box and lathered up. I feel I could have done a considerable amount more in terms of preparation but ho-hum, time wasn't of the essence. The brush is a beast. It mops, it scrubs, it paints! Onto the DE; I went far too heavy-handed immediately and could tell something was up. I lightened my touch and took far shorter strokes than I'm used to with an SR and that gave me some decent results. In some places I'm as slick as soap. In others I'm as raw as the resident Masetoshaving badger's arse. I think I'll be taking a bit of time to hone my angle-finding. I find it far easier (currently) to find the angle for an SR than the DE, though that's probably down to practice. All up, not a terrible shave. I'll be having a couple of days off and re-approaching with, probably, a new blade. I've probably not done myself any favours trialling this one so will start entirely anew next time. A couple of weepers, couple of raw patches, couple of stubbly patches but nothing to complain too hard about. I feel at times as though my skin lays too flat to my neck (my main tidy-up area). I stretch my skin, sure, but with the grain seems to miss some entirely (probably user error). I'll have to get used to going across and against the grain before long, I think! I tried some ATG today but that was the sole cause of the aforementioned weepers!

Happy hump-day, folks.
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Great SOTD post, really interesting to read a SOTD post from a straight shaver moving to a DE as opposed to the other way around. Made me think of our forefathers who maybe did the same many years ago.
 
Wednesday 19th April 2017
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Pre Shave: Hot Shower, L'Oreal Hydra Power Face Wash and Proraso white
Razor: iKon 103 + Bulldog Handle
Blade: Silver Star (#2)
Brush: Vie Long Horse Hair
Cream: Geo F Trumper Spanish Leather
Post: Alum Block, Cold water and Thayers unscented
AS: Nivea Originals Replenishing Balm

First shave with my new iKon 103 head, not off to a great start, my shave today was pretty much on par with yesterdays with an iKon 101, it was nice and smooth but still not that close especially around the chin area. I will try the Silver Star blade in my Fatip Piccolo next and if does not give a close shave then these Silver Star blades are not for me even if they are very smooth while shaving.
 
Wednesday's shave.

Was travelling on a work commitment - not my usual routine, lack of hardware and software.

Pre-shave - Warm shower, Wright's Coal Tar Soap.
Razor - Hone 15a.
Blade - Gillette Silver Blue (day 1).
Soap - Wright's Coal Tar.
Brush - None.
Post shave - L'Occtitane Cade Aftershave Balm.

Not a bad shave all considering. Enjoyed shaving with the 15a - a totally different beast compared with the 15.

All the best,

Chris
 
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Colonial General :: Morris and Forndran :: Barrister and Mann LGC
Great shave from the General. It's a bit heavy for me due to some grip issues that I have with my hands, but only noticeable if I spend too much time with touch ups. The result is excellent, very smooth. The M&F/Sears brush is a stunner and LGC may be my favorite scent, along with great B&M performance. What a shave.​
 
semperfi45 said:
Razor: Gillette Executive Gold Adjustable Fat Boy (F 1) 1960
Blade: Personna 74 Tungsten Plus (19)
Brush: El Druida Te Vigilo w/Manchurian
Soap: Jeeves Soap Turkish Bath
Aftershave: Fine Platinum

Fine shave tonight. Three passes with a touch up for a near BBS.
View attachment 24805
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19 and still going strong......outstanding!
 


Another day another new razor to try.

The Brass General arrived today from @MPF9 AKA Mike, thank you. The razor is on loan from James @Acer89.

So what were my first impressions? Well it's a solid bit of kit and fits together better than the aluminum version. What I mean by that is you always feel the handle could be tighter with the aluminum version. The thread and fit is excellent with this version.
It's also heavy. Would be too heavy though?

Onto the shave. I used the Schick Proline blade for the second time and it worked brilliantly, smooth and without irritation. I did need a fourth pass under the jar line and neck but was left with a comfortable close shave.

I thought it was more efficient than the aluminum one and not by a small margin either. The weight did help in this regard but I also thought the razor was too heavy. I think it could lose 10 or 20 grams.
I also think the handle could do with more work. Although it didn't slip out my hand you are conscious of it's smoothness. I think some knurling or something to add grip is necessary.
I also think the aluminum handle looks better.

Another thing I noticed when taking the razor apart was how tight the blade was held in place. This is not a bad thing by the way.

I feel as if this is still at the prototype stage. Don't get me wrong. If I had bought this version I wouldn't have been dissapointed at all.

The Brush: Worth the wait. That's all I'm saying.

I finally had success with the Wickams soap too. I've struggled with the lather in the pass, but not tonight. Thick and creamy.

Thanks again to James for loaning me the razor and Mike for sending it on.

Cheers
Rob
 
Blackmass said:


Another day another new razor to try.

The Brass General arrived today from @MPF9 AKA Mike, thank you. The razor is on loan from James @Acer89.

So what were my first impressions? Well it's a solid bit of kit and fits together better than the aluminum version. What I mean by that is you always feel the handle could be tighter with the aluminum version. The thread and fit is excellent with this version.
It's also heavy. Would be too heavy though?

Onto the shave. I used the Schick Proline blade for the second time and it worked brilliantly, smooth and without irritation. I did need a fourth pass under the jar line and neck but was left with a comfortable close shave.

I thought it was more efficient than the aluminum one and not by a small margin either. The weight did help in this regard but I also thought the razor was too heavy. I think it could lose 10 or 20 grams.
I also think the handle could do with more work. Although it didn't slip out my hand you are conscious of it's smoothness. I think some knurling or something to add grip is necessary.
I also think the aluminum handle looks better.

Another thing I noticed when taking the razor apart was how tight the blade was held in place. This is not a bad thing by the way.

I feel as if this is still at the prototype stage. Don't get me wrong. If I had bought this version I wouldn't have been dissapointed at all.

The Brush: Worth the wait. That's all I'm saying.

I finally had success with the Wickams soap too. I've struggled with the lather in the pass, but not tonight. Thick and creamy.

Thanks again to James for loaning me the razor and Mike for sending it on.

Cheers
Rob
Click to expand...
It is a great looking brush, That's all I'm saying. :)
 
Sotd - 19/4/17 - with thanks to @1morepasswill and @Number Six for inspiring me to pick up my Cobra again.

Razor - Cobra Classic
Blade - Feather Pro-Super
Brush - Vie Long white horse
Soap - P&B Spitfire
Post - Allum and witch hazel
A/S - Alt Innsbruck
Balm - Lebens Milch - Spanish.

Result - I remember typing last night that I was inspired to revisit the Cobra Classic and saying I would need to get some more Pro-Guard blades as a precaution. Who was I kidding? Straight in tonight with the Feather Pro-Super. The blade exposure? Holy s**t - it resembles someone swinging a samurai sword at you. I got away with it and no claret was spilled. What a shave. Previously, maybe - the razor fell out my rotation because I wasn't ready for it? - I now realise that - no shave is the sum of one part. My prep, understanding of products that suit my face and technique have increased in the interim. The auditory feedback of the Cobra is loud - it helps guide you. Two passes, no touch ups necessary - even in my problem areas. If you get the chance to own one or use one, go for it. If and when you try a P&B soap for the first time - it needs more water than you think - much more. I recommend highly adding a Vie Long Horse to your rotation - ridiculously good value for money - think Semogue 1305 as a comparison. The one I used tonight has a personal connection - my partner gifted it to me unprompted after we had attended a close personal friend's funeral - to cheer me up. I can't tell you the serial number as - it appears - Gifts and Care don't have this model in stock anymore. Enjoy your shaves - I
 
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