Saturday 8th May to Friday 14th May 2021

pjgh said:
Sunday 9th May

ACtC-3dq9DYyd6LKHc1OKXTLyeCOtOI-7ij27BtMiLKnvQopLDr3_1_N_5vhiMmQZKMETvdc4PO0OH-PI9inW0uS2X9i9Sa96PT8pFrN59Ag1hFY9GfFF2t88cvgRBS2WH7GT69ObHf9ifD6MCzn8w31YiZyQg=s800


L'Oreal Men Expert Pure Charcoal Face Wash
RazoRock SMDF Shaving Soap
RazoRock 400 Limited Edition w/Plissoft Noir 24mm
Yaqi AC w/Weber Bulldog Handle
Feather Professional (1)
RazoRock SMDF Aftershave

Well, that was a new experience ...

Much thanks to @mpf9ret who sent me some blades to get started with. As it happens I still have a pack of Feather Professional and I think that's a good place to start given that I have direct experience of those when I used a Feather Artist Club razor some years ago and the likes of Schick ProLines and Kai Captains were not so east to come by. I'll use that as a baseline.

I'll open up a little and tell you that following a nasty head injury the February before last (yes, just before COVID lockdown so I got six weeks on everyone else before it started) I was left with some very specific flashback memories which I was very grateful to recieve some help from a Counsellor through last summer and into the autumn. As part of my wider health, I'm going through a period of challenging memories, assumptions and conclusions, and it is actually very useful to undertake such exercises in the mundane and entirely unconnected or unrelated areas of life - food, films, shaving, just go back to things already concluded upon and revisit them.

... and let the little grey cells heal away in the background.

Man up, dude! How was the shave?

I've always been fairly vocal that the single edge AC format is not for me. I've used and enjoyed the Feather Artist Club format and a few peripheral clones which use the same blades. I concluded that while I could, I simply preferred the Weck/Personna format and much preferred the GEM/Personna format. With my recent purchase of a vintage Durham Enders T-Type razor (a carpet blade razor about the width of these single edge AC razors but double edge), I got to thinking ...

The Yaqi AC comes in at the right price point for me to dip my toe. I am fully aware of which razor this is a copy of and I already had my reservations about the design of that razor - largely, to my mind a solution looking for a problem. I can see that when they figured out how to hold a GEM blade by dropping a threaded tab through the middle of the blade, the lightbulb went off. Still, to me, the razor is too narrow and has all the visual similarities of a long-sighted person pulling their head back to try to focus on something being brought before them. Literally every handle is too big and obscures part of the drainage gap under the comb. That, and the threaded tab. The design doesn't offer anything more functional than, say, the Hawk by doing this and introduces its own design for the sake of design. Form does not follow function.

Sheesh! This guy goes on ... the shave, man! The shave!!!

Good! Very good!! Being a completely new format, I took it very steady and absolutely heeded Mike's advice to keep a feather-light touch, which I translated as aim to shave the lather and let the sharpness of the blade take the stubble. Sage advice and it worked out really well. My usual single pass would have done it, and that's sticking to a very rigid WTG pass where my usual single pass focusses on pure efficiently and deviates from that by quite a margin. These blades are indeed very sharp!

I liked that I could use each side of the handle to shave smaller areas while the whole edge can happily be deployed for the main areas. My technical kinda mirrored straight edge shaving, certainly with a smaller disposable blade like the Weck/Personna format.

Yes, very good indeed!

I'm already part way into a month of enjoying classic Italian soaps - Cella, 3P, TFS, Vitos and SMDF with the addition of a couple of almond scented test candidates that I dug out of the loft from Meissner Tremonia. Given the life of these blades, I intend to use this razor for the remainder of the month (at least), finish out this first Feather blade and try out the ones from Mike.

For a first go, consider this assumption that the single edge AC format is not for me well and truly overturned.

Cheers all! Thanks for reading. As a final point while I have your attention, I'd encourage all folks who are experiencing health issues to do with mind, memory and emotion to talk to their GP and ask about IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/iapt/ - I guess NHS Scotland and NHS Wales (and any of your native countries) have similar programmes. Folks like me grit their teeth and push on through. We shouldn't ...
Click to expand...
Like this we all need a little help from time to time and mental health is a very real problem..we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help better we get it sorted than allow it to get worse. Well said talking about it can help others to open up too
 
SoTd
Have to say I enjoyed yesterday’s shave so much we had another run out with the TI AOS this evening.. another wonderful shave completely BBS really pleased with this little razor picked it up at a great price in unused condition and after having the edge beautifully refined by @RussellR5555 it’s certainly a keeper thanks again Russ really enjoying it ! Feeling super smooth and refreshed..
C1D49699-D661-44CC-99F1-41AD98996775.jpeg
 
pjgh said:
Sunday 9th May

ACtC-3dq9DYyd6LKHc1OKXTLyeCOtOI-7ij27BtMiLKnvQopLDr3_1_N_5vhiMmQZKMETvdc4PO0OH-PI9inW0uS2X9i9Sa96PT8pFrN59Ag1hFY9GfFF2t88cvgRBS2WH7GT69ObHf9ifD6MCzn8w31YiZyQg=s800


L'Oreal Men Expert Pure Charcoal Face Wash
RazoRock SMDF Shaving Soap
RazoRock 400 Limited Edition w/Plissoft Noir 24mm
Yaqi AC w/Weber Bulldog Handle
Feather Professional (1)
RazoRock SMDF Aftershave

Well, that was a new experience ...

Much thanks to @mpf9ret who sent me some blades to get started with. As it happens I still have a pack of Feather Professional and I think that's a good place to start given that I have direct experience of those when I used a Feather Artist Club razor some years ago and the likes of Schick ProLines and Kai Captains were not so east to come by. I'll use that as a baseline.

I'll open up a little and tell you that following a nasty head injury the February before last (yes, just before COVID lockdown so I got six weeks on everyone else before it started) I was left with some very specific flashback memories which I was very grateful to recieve some help from a Counsellor through last summer and into the autumn. As part of my wider health, I'm going through a period of challenging memories, assumptions and conclusions, and it is actually very useful to undertake such exercises in the mundane and entirely unconnected or unrelated areas of life - food, films, shaving, just go back to things already concluded upon and revisit them.

... and let the little grey cells heal away in the background.

Man up, dude! How was the shave?

I've always been fairly vocal that the single edge AC format is not for me. I've used and enjoyed the Feather Artist Club format and a few peripheral clones which use the same blades. I concluded that while I could, I simply preferred the Weck/Personna format and much preferred the GEM/Personna format. With my recent purchase of a vintage Durham Enders T-Type razor (a carpet blade razor about the width of these single edge AC razors but double edge), I got to thinking ...

The Yaqi AC comes in at the right price point for me to dip my toe. I am fully aware of which razor this is a copy of and I already had my reservations about the design of that razor - largely, to my mind a solution looking for a problem. I can see that when they figured out how to hold a GEM blade by dropping a threaded tab through the middle of the blade, the lightbulb went off. Still, to me, the razor is too narrow and has all the visual similarities of a long-sighted person pulling their head back to try to focus on something being brought before them. Literally every handle is too big and obscures part of the drainage gap under the comb. That, and the threaded tab. The design doesn't offer anything more functional than, say, the Hawk by doing this and introduces its own design for the sake of design. Form does not follow function.

Sheesh! This guy goes on ... the shave, man! The shave!!!

Good! Very good!! Being a completely new format, I took it very steady and absolutely heeded Mike's advice to keep a feather-light touch, which I translated as aim to shave the lather and let the sharpness of the blade take the stubble. Sage advice and it worked out really well. My usual single pass would have done it, and that's sticking to a very rigid WTG pass where my usual single pass focusses on pure efficiently and deviates from that by quite a margin. These blades are indeed very sharp!

I liked that I could use each side of the handle to shave smaller areas while the whole edge can happily be deployed for the main areas. My technical kinda mirrored straight edge shaving, certainly with a smaller disposable blade like the Weck/Personna format.

Yes, very good indeed!

I'm already part way into a month of enjoying classic Italian soaps - Cella, 3P, TFS, Vitos and SMDF with the addition of a couple of almond scented test candidates that I dug out of the loft from Meissner Tremonia. Given the life of these blades, I intend to use this razor for the remainder of the month (at least), finish out this first Feather blade and try out the ones from Mike.

For a first go, consider this assumption that the single edge AC format is not for me well and truly overturned.

Cheers all! Thanks for reading. As a final point while I have your attention, I'd encourage all folks who are experiencing health issues to do with mind, memory and emotion to talk to their GP and ask about IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/iapt/ - I guess NHS Scotland and NHS Wales (and any of your native countries) have similar programmes. Folks like me grit their teeth and push on through. We shouldn't ...
Click to expand...
You're absolutely right, "We shouldn't"
It does no good to push it to the back, to bottle it up, one day that bottle is going to blow!
Talk to your GP get it sorted or if it can't be "sorted" it can at least be treated and managed.
Looking after your mental health is as important as looking after your physical health.

I hope you are getting better day by day, a well written post.

Thanks.

Paul.
 
Olie29 said:
SoTd
Have to say I enjoyed yesterday’s shave so much we had another run out with the TI AOS this evening.. another wonderful shave completely BBS really pleased with this little razor picked it up at a great price in unused condition and after having the edge beautifully refined by @RussellR5555 it’s certainly a keeper thanks again Russ really enjoying it ! Feeling super smooth and refreshed..
View attachment 69623
Click to expand...
You are very welcome Jay.
 
Blademonkey said:
You're absolutely right, "We shouldn't"
It does no good to push it to the back, to bottle it up, one day that bottle is going to blow!
Talk to your GP get it sorted or if it can't be "sorted" it can at least be treated and managed.
Looking after your mental health is as important as looking after your physical health.

I hope you are getting better day by day, a well written post.

Thanks.

Paul.
Click to expand...
I am, thank you Paul. It came to a head as part of a traumatic physical injury. It's a near life-long thing I'm dealing with at almost 50. It's taking some time. The Counselling was really excellent and absolutely stood me in step to continue to tackle and resolve this without continued support.

One thing he left me with was the concept of Kintsugi, practiced by the Japanese whereby they will take a cherished but broken pottery bowl and mend it with cement mixed with precious metal. The scars are themselves inherently precious and purposefully visible.
 
pjgh said:
Sunday 9th May

ACtC-3dq9DYyd6LKHc1OKXTLyeCOtOI-7ij27BtMiLKnvQopLDr3_1_N_5vhiMmQZKMETvdc4PO0OH-PI9inW0uS2X9i9Sa96PT8pFrN59Ag1hFY9GfFF2t88cvgRBS2WH7GT69ObHf9ifD6MCzn8w31YiZyQg=s800


L'Oreal Men Expert Pure Charcoal Face Wash
RazoRock SMDF Shaving Soap
RazoRock 400 Limited Edition w/Plissoft Noir 24mm
Yaqi AC w/Weber Bulldog Handle
Feather Professional (1)
RazoRock SMDF Aftershave

Well, that was a new experience ...

Much thanks to @mpf9ret who sent me some blades to get started with. As it happens I still have a pack of Feather Professional and I think that's a good place to start given that I have direct experience of those when I used a Feather Artist Club razor some years ago and the likes of Schick ProLines and Kai Captains were not so east to come by. I'll use that as a baseline.

I'll open up a little and tell you that following a nasty head injury the February before last (yes, just before COVID lockdown so I got six weeks on everyone else before it started) I was left with some very specific flashback memories which I was very grateful to recieve some help from a Counsellor through last summer and into the autumn. As part of my wider health, I'm going through a period of challenging memories, assumptions and conclusions, and it is actually very useful to undertake such exercises in the mundane and entirely unconnected or unrelated areas of life - food, films, shaving, just go back to things already concluded upon and revisit them.

... and let the little grey cells heal away in the background.

Man up, dude! How was the shave?

I've always been fairly vocal that the single edge AC format is not for me. I've used and enjoyed the Feather Artist Club format and a few peripheral clones which use the same blades. I concluded that while I could, I simply preferred the Weck/Personna format and much preferred the GEM/Personna format. With my recent purchase of a vintage Durham Enders T-Type razor (a carpet blade razor about the width of these single edge AC razors but double edge), I got to thinking ...

The Yaqi AC comes in at the right price point for me to dip my toe. I am fully aware of which razor this is a copy of and I already had my reservations about the design of that razor - largely, to my mind a solution looking for a problem. I can see that when they figured out how to hold a GEM blade by dropping a threaded tab through the middle of the blade, the lightbulb went off. Still, to me, the razor is too narrow and has all the visual similarities of a long-sighted person pulling their head back to try to focus on something being brought before them. Literally every handle is too big and obscures part of the drainage gap under the comb. That, and the threaded tab. The design doesn't offer anything more functional than, say, the Hawk by doing this and introduces its own design for the sake of design. Form does not follow function.

Sheesh! This guy goes on ... the shave, man! The shave!!!

Good! Very good!! Being a completely new format, I took it very steady and absolutely heeded Mike's advice to keep a feather-light touch, which I translated as aim to shave the lather and let the sharpness of the blade take the stubble. Sage advice and it worked out really well. My usual single pass would have done it, and that's sticking to a very rigid WTG pass where my usual single pass focusses on pure efficiently and deviates from that by quite a margin. These blades are indeed very sharp!

I liked that I could use each side of the handle to shave smaller areas while the whole edge can happily be deployed for the main areas. My technical kinda mirrored straight edge shaving, certainly with a smaller disposable blade like the Weck/Personna format.

Yes, very good indeed!

I'm already part way into a month of enjoying classic Italian soaps - Cella, 3P, TFS, Vitos and SMDF with the addition of a couple of almond scented test candidates that I dug out of the loft from Meissner Tremonia. Given the life of these blades, I intend to use this razor for the remainder of the month (at least), finish out this first Feather blade and try out the ones from Mike.

For a first go, consider this assumption that the single edge AC format is not for me well and truly overturned.

Cheers all! Thanks for reading. As a final point while I have your attention, I'd encourage all folks who are experiencing health issues to do with mind, memory and emotion to talk to their GP and ask about IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/iapt/ - I guess NHS Scotland and NHS Wales (and any of your native countries) have similar programmes. Folks like me grit their teeth and push on through. We shouldn't ...
Click to expand...

Great post. I too suffered from mental health problems. I was 25 at the time (25 years ago) and I was in a very well paid job in the Merchant Navy, house paid for, new car every year etc.
I remember the day really well, I was on a ship enroute to Australia and I went and seen the ships doctor and talked to him about the blackness in my mind. He was excellent and on arrival in Australia I was flown home and had sick leave. I saw my GP and was diagnosed with clinical depression. I was so low at the time it was horrible. I was prescribed anti depressants and they worked but I found the best medicine was talking about it to people that I knew and just doing things outside. After a years sick leave I went back to sea and I’m happy to report that I've been well since.
Guys it’s good to talk about your mental health, I see a private counsellor for another reason every week and she is absolutely amazing. She sees things in me that I don’t, she recognised that I had suffered from depression (I didn’t tell her) and now we talk about it at every chance. I’ve never known what triggered the depression in the first place but with the help of my counsellor I’m starting to realise that it could be something that happened when I was a youngster (parents divorcing or the like).
Anyway I feel good now talking about it you lovely people. Stay safe out there everyone and keep talking.
 
pjgh said:
Sunday 9th May

ACtC-3dq9DYyd6LKHc1OKXTLyeCOtOI-7ij27BtMiLKnvQopLDr3_1_N_5vhiMmQZKMETvdc4PO0OH-PI9inW0uS2X9i9Sa96PT8pFrN59Ag1hFY9GfFF2t88cvgRBS2WH7GT69ObHf9ifD6MCzn8w31YiZyQg=s800


L'Oreal Men Expert Pure Charcoal Face Wash
RazoRock SMDF Shaving Soap
RazoRock 400 Limited Edition w/Plissoft Noir 24mm
Yaqi AC w/Weber Bulldog Handle
Feather Professional (1)
RazoRock SMDF Aftershave

Well, that was a new experience ...

Much thanks to @mpf9ret who sent me some blades to get started with. As it happens I still have a pack of Feather Professional and I think that's a good place to start given that I have direct experience of those when I used a Feather Artist Club razor some years ago and the likes of Schick ProLines and Kai Captains were not so east to come by. I'll use that as a baseline.

I'll open up a little and tell you that following a nasty head injury the February before last (yes, just before COVID lockdown so I got six weeks on everyone else before it started) I was left with some very specific flashback memories which I was very grateful to recieve some help from a Counsellor through last summer and into the autumn. As part of my wider health, I'm going through a period of challenging memories, assumptions and conclusions, and it is actually very useful to undertake such exercises in the mundane and entirely unconnected or unrelated areas of life - food, films, shaving, just go back to things already concluded upon and revisit them.

... and let the little grey cells heal away in the background.

Man up, dude! How was the shave?

I've always been fairly vocal that the single edge AC format is not for me. I've used and enjoyed the Feather Artist Club format and a few peripheral clones which use the same blades. I concluded that while I could, I simply preferred the Weck/Personna format and much preferred the GEM/Personna format. With my recent purchase of a vintage Durham Enders T-Type razor (a carpet blade razor about the width of these single edge AC razors but double edge), I got to thinking ...

The Yaqi AC comes in at the right price point for me to dip my toe. I am fully aware of which razor this is a copy of and I already had my reservations about the design of that razor - largely, to my mind a solution looking for a problem. I can see that when they figured out how to hold a GEM blade by dropping a threaded tab through the middle of the blade, the lightbulb went off. Still, to me, the razor is too narrow and has all the visual similarities of a long-sighted person pulling their head back to try to focus on something being brought before them. Literally every handle is too big and obscures part of the drainage gap under the comb. That, and the threaded tab. The design doesn't offer anything more functional than, say, the Hawk by doing this and introduces its own design for the sake of design. Form does not follow function.

Sheesh! This guy goes on ... the shave, man! The shave!!!

Good! Very good!! Being a completely new format, I took it very steady and absolutely heeded Mike's advice to keep a feather-light touch, which I translated as aim to shave the lather and let the sharpness of the blade take the stubble. Sage advice and it worked out really well. My usual single pass would have done it, and that's sticking to a very rigid WTG pass where my usual single pass focusses on pure efficiently and deviates from that by quite a margin. These blades are indeed very sharp!

I liked that I could use each side of the handle to shave smaller areas while the whole edge can happily be deployed for the main areas. My technical kinda mirrored straight edge shaving, certainly with a smaller disposable blade like the Weck/Personna format.

Yes, very good indeed!

I'm already part way into a month of enjoying classic Italian soaps - Cella, 3P, TFS, Vitos and SMDF with the addition of a couple of almond scented test candidates that I dug out of the loft from Meissner Tremonia. Given the life of these blades, I intend to use this razor for the remainder of the month (at least), finish out this first Feather blade and try out the ones from Mike.

For a first go, consider this assumption that the single edge AC format is not for me well and truly overturned.

Cheers all! Thanks for reading. As a final point while I have your attention, I'd encourage all folks who are experiencing health issues to do with mind, memory and emotion to talk to their GP and ask about IAPT: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/iapt/ - I guess NHS Scotland and NHS Wales (and any of your native countries) have similar programmes. Folks like me grit their teeth and push on through. We shouldn't ...
Click to expand...

Very well said Paul. I doff my cap to you.
I’ve seen several colleagues be diagnosed with PTSD and none of us had a clue what they were going through.
The more we speak about Mental Health, the more it becomes normal to do so. And the more support will be available. And less people shall suffer in silence.
Well done Paul.
 
Prep: Shower
Pre: Pears Soap
Soap: Stirling Shadow Orchid
Brush: Yaqi 24mm Sagrada Familia Tuxedo
Razor: Merkur Futur clone
Blade: Personna - Viking's Sword
Post: Alum, Baxter of California Balm

My first SOD post, and first time trying out both the blade and soap. The futur clone was a present from the wife but despite buying a number of higher quality razors since, including a Merkur Progress I just get on better with this and it always gives me a great shave and today with the Viking was no different. I wanted to try the new blade with a razor I’m comfortable with and I can see why these are being raved about. I got a very smooth shave clearing my days growth smoothly and without irritation. I’m still unsure about the Baxter’s balm it doesn’t feel massively soothing or like it’s doing a great job but I got two in a cheap Amazon deal the other day so I’ve been giving it a try. The Sagrada Familia has become one of my favourite brushes and it always creates a great lather without any issue, it’s an absolute bargain of a brush. 641B432D-8EB7-4857-B516-946756B51214.jpeg
 
Ladies, gentlemen and fellow shavateers I present you gracious folk with the shave carrying the theme 'Eat my Cobras'

IMG_20210508_134954.jpg

Eat the rich - Ikon B1
Eat your greens - Polsilver Lodz
Eat my shorts - Wee whisky barrel
Eat your heart out - Extro Arancia

This shave is brought to you free of any abbohrent language.

After a few shaves with the Cobra and being highly impressed with the results, this was a chance for one of my favourites to prove its worth. And it doesn't wear an AC blade. Criminal.

The everlasting jar of Extro continues to be....... Everlasting. I would also like to point out to @Boycie83 the Arancia contains coconut butter oil and I have not developed any spots or rashes due to its use. Hence I can presume you are either very sensitive to certain products or you are a pubescent 13 year old who has just discovered the virtues of self gratification.

As for the razor it just cut its way through 2 days growth with utmost ease and delivered close perfection. It is every bit the equal to the Cobra for ultimate finish. In fact I have haven't really met any razor to match it. Or at least that is my experience.

So overall one of those God Bless shaving shaves which leaves one fornicatingly happy.

Boycie and his young friend joined the bedroom telescope society in the hope of seeing the one eyed snake dancer.


And saved their instructor getting 5 years by pushing him out of the window

After the very complimentary remarks from @Digimonkey for my last choice of Japanese girly music I leave this SOTD with the very remarkable Wagakki Band




Have a smashing week ahead you wonderful forum folk.
 
Last edited:
Satanfriendly said:
Ladies, gentlemen and fellow shavateers I present you gracious folk with the shave carrying the theme 'Eat my Cobras'

View attachment 69627

Eat the rich - Ikon B1
Eat your greens - Polsilver Lodz
Eat my shorts - Wee whisky barrel
Eat your heart out - Extro Arancia

This shave is brought to you free of any abbohrent language.

After a few shaves with the Cobra and being highly impressed with the results, this was a chance for one of my favourites to prove its worth. And it doesn't wear an AC blades. Criminal.

The everlasting jar of Extro continues to be....... Everlasting. I would also like to point out to @Boycie83 the Arancia contains coconut butter oil and I have not developed any spots or rashes due to its use. Hence I can presume you are either very sensitive to certain products or you are a pubescent 13 year old who has just discovered the virtues of self gratification.

As for the razor it just cut its way through 2 days growth with utmost ease and delivered close perfection. It is every bit the equal to the Cobra for ultimate finish. In fact I have haven't really met any razor to match it. Or at least that is my experience.

So overall one of those God Bless shaving shaves which leaves one fornicatingly happy.

Boycie and his young friend joined the bedroom telescope society in the hope of seeing the one eyed snake dancer.


And saved their instructor getting 5 years by pushing him out of the window

After the very complimentary remarks from @Digimonkey for my last choice of Japanese girly music I leave this SOTD with the very remarkable Wagakki Band




Have a smashing week ahead you wonderful forum folk.
Click to expand...
I am an angel - crafted in the pure form of perfection. Alas, yes, pubescent 13 year old skin is the unfortunate byproduct. That and a chronic look of dazzlement from the vast number of mirrors I've erected in my house.
 
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