Great shaves and reviews. +1 on the Formula T and Sudsy Soapery. I would have sworn that Sudsy Soapery was a top tier tallow based soap by it's lather, performance and post shave, and was surprised to find that it was actually vegan.
BassPlayerBoz's Shave Journal
- Thread starter BassPlayerBoz
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- #82
Thanks for the suggestions... and both those brands are on my list of soaps to get/try eventually.
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- #83
4th 7AM "in the bank" (went with TOBS Coconut Cream & Maggard V3OC on this one)
Blade performance on this one was pretty consistent with what I experienced w/ the V3 & V3A. After about shave #4, I got noticeable tugging. I seemed to get a little less irritation overall, but that could be because I was being extra careful due to a bump/ingrown hair on my neck I'd cut twice with the previous blade/razor. As a result, I did get less irritation... but also felt like my shaves were not as good/close (perhaps a signal my technique still needs work?) Still am of the opinion that the Rapiras worked best for me so far, but I'll have to revisit those eventually to ensure I'm remembering correctly.
The TOBS Coconut Cream worked as I remembered from last time - very easy to generate really thick lather... much easier than the TOBS Sandalwood soap. Wonder if it has to do with my technique and/or the very hard water here in southern AZ. Whatever the reason, the fact that the cream lathers so much easier/better than the soap is probably why the guys at Crescent Moon Smoke Shop said they sell WAAAYYY more of the TOBS creams than they do the soaps.
Last blade in the pack will be in the EJ DE89 w/ the TOBS Coconut cream. The first blade in this pack was in the DE89 & it didn't seem to perform as well as the next few in the Maggard's razors. I'll keep that in mind over the next week to see if this blade's performance is consistent with that.
Blade performance on this one was pretty consistent with what I experienced w/ the V3 & V3A. After about shave #4, I got noticeable tugging. I seemed to get a little less irritation overall, but that could be because I was being extra careful due to a bump/ingrown hair on my neck I'd cut twice with the previous blade/razor. As a result, I did get less irritation... but also felt like my shaves were not as good/close (perhaps a signal my technique still needs work?) Still am of the opinion that the Rapiras worked best for me so far, but I'll have to revisit those eventually to ensure I'm remembering correctly.
The TOBS Coconut Cream worked as I remembered from last time - very easy to generate really thick lather... much easier than the TOBS Sandalwood soap. Wonder if it has to do with my technique and/or the very hard water here in southern AZ. Whatever the reason, the fact that the cream lathers so much easier/better than the soap is probably why the guys at Crescent Moon Smoke Shop said they sell WAAAYYY more of the TOBS creams than they do the soaps.
Last blade in the pack will be in the EJ DE89 w/ the TOBS Coconut cream. The first blade in this pack was in the DE89 & it didn't seem to perform as well as the next few in the Maggard's razors. I'll keep that in mind over the next week to see if this blade's performance is consistent with that.
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- #84
5th 7AM "in the bank (TOBS Coconut Cream & EJ DE89)
Got 8 shaves, but still experienced more tugging on ~ shave #4. Shaves were decent with less irritation than I got on the first blade of this pack in the same razor. There was still some, but not as much as I remember on the first go around with the 7AM/DE89 combo. Why? Was my technique better? Did I take my time more often? Different cream? Who knows? Regardless... Decent shaves, but still remember the Rapiras as a favorite so far.
Next week.... Same cream, razor, alum, & post-shave balm w/ the Sharp Durablade Hi Chromium blades
Got 8 shaves, but still experienced more tugging on ~ shave #4. Shaves were decent with less irritation than I got on the first blade of this pack in the same razor. There was still some, but not as much as I remember on the first go around with the 7AM/DE89 combo. Why? Was my technique better? Did I take my time more often? Different cream? Who knows? Regardless... Decent shaves, but still remember the Rapiras as a favorite so far.
Next week.... Same cream, razor, alum, & post-shave balm w/ the Sharp Durablade Hi Chromium blades
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- #85
1st Sharp Durablade Hi Chromium "in the bank" (TOBS Coconut Cream/Mike's Natural [Barbershop] & EJ DE89)
Got 8-10 shaves out of this blade. (I think it was 8, but I lost count & couldn't remember the day I changed blades so it might have been 10.) Solid performance overall, but better on the first few & less so towards the latter shaves (as is typical.) I used the TOBS Coconut for the first 3 or 4 shaves & had good results, but changed to the Mike's Barbershop on the 4th-5th shave or so when I got it in my Maggard's order. As much as I try to keep things consistent while trying out blades, I really wanted to try the Mike's soap.
Mike's soap lathered well & gave me a good post-shave feel. IMHO... I think it's the tallow in the formula that does it. (It was the same with the WSP Formula T I got a while back.) The slickness was good as well. Overall, the Mike's Natural soap works well for me & I consider it one of my preferred soaps of those I've tried. But I still think I liked the slickness/ post-shave of the WSP better.
As I wrote, the Mike's worked well ... most of the time. The one crummy experience was my own fault. But the slickness of the soap allowed me to get a decent shave regardless. Here's what happened....
The last shave on this blade (tonight), I had a terrible lather. loaded plenty of soap (2 minutes - like normal), but got distracted/ in a hurry. And instead of just using the bloom water from off the soap & adding a few drops as needed, I used the bloom water plus I squeezed out about 1/2 the water that was in the brush ==> turned out to be way too much. I thought it might be OK as I'd read on B&B that Mike's is a very thirsty soap. But as I attempted to mix/ whip it into a lather, the resulting runny water/soap mix was sloshing out of my mug & all over the counter, sink, & me. After 2 minutes lathering as best I could, I still had a runny mess in my mug with about 1/4 of my starting mixture gone due to the previously mentioned spillage. I had enough to shave, and it was thin, but still thick enough to at least give me some coverage. And I barely had enough to get through my normal routine (2 passes + clean-up w/ some ATG strokes.) And even with it being thin/runny, I was still able to get a pretty good shave because there was enough residual slickness.
Another thing I noticed when I moved from the Coconut cream back to a soap (I'd been using mostly creams the last few weeks), my brush/lather were cold when I finally got it to my face. ==> might be time to try using a scuttle. (Great - more gear.... I don't have R.A.D..... I don't have R.A.D. .... I don't have R.A.D. ....)
Got 8-10 shaves out of this blade. (I think it was 8, but I lost count & couldn't remember the day I changed blades so it might have been 10.) Solid performance overall, but better on the first few & less so towards the latter shaves (as is typical.) I used the TOBS Coconut for the first 3 or 4 shaves & had good results, but changed to the Mike's Barbershop on the 4th-5th shave or so when I got it in my Maggard's order. As much as I try to keep things consistent while trying out blades, I really wanted to try the Mike's soap.
Mike's soap lathered well & gave me a good post-shave feel. IMHO... I think it's the tallow in the formula that does it. (It was the same with the WSP Formula T I got a while back.) The slickness was good as well. Overall, the Mike's Natural soap works well for me & I consider it one of my preferred soaps of those I've tried. But I still think I liked the slickness/ post-shave of the WSP better.
As I wrote, the Mike's worked well ... most of the time. The one crummy experience was my own fault. But the slickness of the soap allowed me to get a decent shave regardless. Here's what happened....
The last shave on this blade (tonight), I had a terrible lather. loaded plenty of soap (2 minutes - like normal), but got distracted/ in a hurry. And instead of just using the bloom water from off the soap & adding a few drops as needed, I used the bloom water plus I squeezed out about 1/2 the water that was in the brush ==> turned out to be way too much. I thought it might be OK as I'd read on B&B that Mike's is a very thirsty soap. But as I attempted to mix/ whip it into a lather, the resulting runny water/soap mix was sloshing out of my mug & all over the counter, sink, & me. After 2 minutes lathering as best I could, I still had a runny mess in my mug with about 1/4 of my starting mixture gone due to the previously mentioned spillage. I had enough to shave, and it was thin, but still thick enough to at least give me some coverage. And I barely had enough to get through my normal routine (2 passes + clean-up w/ some ATG strokes.) And even with it being thin/runny, I was still able to get a pretty good shave because there was enough residual slickness.
Another thing I noticed when I moved from the Coconut cream back to a soap (I'd been using mostly creams the last few weeks), my brush/lather were cold when I finally got it to my face. ==> might be time to try using a scuttle. (Great - more gear.... I don't have R.A.D..... I don't have R.A.D. .... I don't have R.A.D. ....)
Good save on the shave. I know a lot of people say that Mike's is a thirsty soap...but to be honest...I find that very few soaps are truly as thirsty as people think they are. I always shake or squeeze about 85-90% of the loose water out of my soaked brush and then I will load the brush. This way I can add as much or as little water as I need when lathering. I always add just a little at a time. Of course some soaps I have used so much that I know exactly how much water I need and it's not laborious. Anyway...I hope this helps.
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- #87
Don,
I realize that about the Mike's soap now. My routine with soaps is usually similar to what you wrote above. The only difference is that I lather with a mug & usually pour any bloom water I have into the mug. But that amount is usually no more than a tablespoon or so & I'd usually have to add at least that much when whipping up the lather. Then I add a little at a time as I build the lather (as you wrote.) Lesson learned here - If I ever make the mistake of adding too much water to the bloom water already in the mug again... pour it all out before attempting to build the lather.
- Thread starter
- #88
Alum block accident
Well.... heck.... 1st shave w/ my 2nd Sharp Durablade Hi Chromium blade (this time in the Maggard V3 head)... Mike's natural soap (MUCH better lather than the last outing)... Good shave (WTG/XTG passes + clean-up w/ some ATG strokes ==> DFS w/ BBS in a few places)... Things were going well - much better than the last shave.... until....
I rinsed off, grabbed the OSMA alum block, ran it under some cold water, went to put it on my face, and... lost my grip. It hit the counter, bounced once, and on the second impact, broke into 2 big chunks, 1 smaller chunk, and about 10-15 little pieces that eventually I managed to clean up & get down the drain (they weren't useful for much else.) Dammit!
The larger chunks are still usable. Not so sure about that smaller chunk. One thing's for certain - I'm going to get a lot less life out of this block than I thought I would.
Well.... heck.... 1st shave w/ my 2nd Sharp Durablade Hi Chromium blade (this time in the Maggard V3 head)... Mike's natural soap (MUCH better lather than the last outing)... Good shave (WTG/XTG passes + clean-up w/ some ATG strokes ==> DFS w/ BBS in a few places)... Things were going well - much better than the last shave.... until....
I rinsed off, grabbed the OSMA alum block, ran it under some cold water, went to put it on my face, and... lost my grip. It hit the counter, bounced once, and on the second impact, broke into 2 big chunks, 1 smaller chunk, and about 10-15 little pieces that eventually I managed to clean up & get down the drain (they weren't useful for much else.) Dammit!
The larger chunks are still usable. Not so sure about that smaller chunk. One thing's for certain - I'm going to get a lot less life out of this block than I thought I would.
- Thread starter
- #89
2nd Sharp Durablade "in the bank" (Mike's Natural Soap [Barbershop] & Maggard's V3 razor head)
8 comfortable shaves out of this one; Some periodic irritation, but it seemed to decrease when I took my time & paid attention ==> I'm attributing it to operator error. Still feel like the V3 is more aggressive than the DE89... and that the Rapira SSs were better, however. But still, this blade was fine.
Due to the alum block incident on the first shave on this blade (mentioned in my last post), I've been using the two largest of the leftover chunks. I'm making it work as the cheap-skate in me thinks that to not at least try to do so would be wasteful. Still, the edges of those chunks are a little jagged in places & can cause some irritation themselves when rubbing them against a freshly shaven face. We'll see how long this last before I tell myself "to heck w/ this!", throw them in the trash, & break out the 2nd Osma alum block of the 2-pk.
I also had nearly another disaster lather like I did during one shave on the first blade a couple of weeks ago. I typically empty the bloom water into my mug before loading the brush, then set the mug in the warm water in the sink being careful not to let any water flow into the mug. (I do this to try & help keep the mug warm ==> keep the lather from cooling down as much as I can.) When I picked up the mug from the sink while putting the loaded brush into it, it slipped & I got some of the warm water from the sink in the mug. (DAMMIT!) I thought for a quick second about trying to make it work - like last time. But then I remembered the awful results of that effort, cursed my error for a few seconds, & then emptied all the water/lather into the sink & started all over. I was still irritated all losing the loaded soap & the time spent, but the shave was much better starting over. (And it was worth avoiding the mess I made when this happened last time.)
Next blade will go into the V3A head & I'll continue to use the Mike's soap. I may throw in some of the TOBS Coconut cream or another of my soaps on a shave or two, but I'll be mostly sticking with the Mike's for a while.
8 comfortable shaves out of this one; Some periodic irritation, but it seemed to decrease when I took my time & paid attention ==> I'm attributing it to operator error. Still feel like the V3 is more aggressive than the DE89... and that the Rapira SSs were better, however. But still, this blade was fine.
Due to the alum block incident on the first shave on this blade (mentioned in my last post), I've been using the two largest of the leftover chunks. I'm making it work as the cheap-skate in me thinks that to not at least try to do so would be wasteful. Still, the edges of those chunks are a little jagged in places & can cause some irritation themselves when rubbing them against a freshly shaven face. We'll see how long this last before I tell myself "to heck w/ this!", throw them in the trash, & break out the 2nd Osma alum block of the 2-pk.
I also had nearly another disaster lather like I did during one shave on the first blade a couple of weeks ago. I typically empty the bloom water into my mug before loading the brush, then set the mug in the warm water in the sink being careful not to let any water flow into the mug. (I do this to try & help keep the mug warm ==> keep the lather from cooling down as much as I can.) When I picked up the mug from the sink while putting the loaded brush into it, it slipped & I got some of the warm water from the sink in the mug. (DAMMIT!) I thought for a quick second about trying to make it work - like last time. But then I remembered the awful results of that effort, cursed my error for a few seconds, & then emptied all the water/lather into the sink & started all over. I was still irritated all losing the loaded soap & the time spent, but the shave was much better starting over. (And it was worth avoiding the mess I made when this happened last time.)
Next blade will go into the V3A head & I'll continue to use the Mike's soap. I may throw in some of the TOBS Coconut cream or another of my soaps on a shave or two, but I'll be mostly sticking with the Mike's for a while.
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- #90
3rd Sharp Durablade "in the bank" (Maggard V3A, Mike's Natural Soap [Barbershop], Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip w/ std loft, & a change in Alum application routine)
8 good shaves out of this one as well. Mild irritation on both the left & right sides of my lower neck I just can't seem to avoid (unless I don't make extra passes there... and don't get as close.) I'd like to avoid the irritation, but I don't want to leave stubble there either. Perhaps for one or two days I'll just make two passes there & see what the resulting stubble is like the next day. We'll see.... but overall, not too bad performance with this blade, razor, & soap.
One alteration in my routine that seemed to quell the irritation on my neck a little bit was to add a warm water rinse after the alum. Normally, after I'm done shaving I'll rinse my face w/ hot water, then run the alum block under cold water & apply to my face. Next, I'll loosen the razor head, rinse the razor/blade in alcohol, set it aside to dry, & put away the alcohol. Then apply a soaking wet wash cloth with cool/cold water to my face to tighten pores & wash the alum away. This week... for the past few shaves... I've added another warm water rinse to wash the alum away before my final cold water rinse to tighten the facial pores. My impression is that the warm water rinse gets the alum off my skin and out of any cuts/abrasions/irritations before the cold water closes up the pores. It seems like perhaps the cold water rinse while the alum was on my face might have been causing some alum to get trapped in some places on my face & contributing to some irritation. I have no scientific proof of this, but that's my impression - the extra warm water rinse after the alum seems to reduce irritation.
Also, the last 2 shaves I used my new WD 24mm Silvertip brush. It loads great & makes lather like crazy. ( I had to adjust my mixture as I'm used to the Maggard's synthetic that holds very little water. Whereas the badger hair holds quite a bit.) I got it with the standard loft and it works great, but I understand now why folks get these knots set a little deeper to keep the knot from hogging lather. (The knot really bloomed out HUGE after soaking in warm water! I'd anticipated a little blooming, but didn't know it would be that much.) I haven't had a problem so far, though, as I've loaded enough soap to make plenty of lather - even with a lot ending up deep in the brush. But on my 3rd pass (ATG/Clean-up), I usually pull the lather from the brush anyway & apply it by hand where i need it ==> don't use the brush to apply it then. And I was able to squeeze tons of lather out of the brush. So it works for my routine/style. However.... if I make another order from Larry @ WD... I'll probably get the next Silvertip knot set 5mm - 10mm deeper into the handle than normal. Will prob. try to use the brush for the next couple of weeks with some different soaps/creams & then compile my experiences into a proper review in the "Shaving Brush" forum.
Also in the WD pkg I got this week were 2 x Poor man's strops and 2 x flawed, S.U.S. - but shave-ready - straight razors. No reviews on those yet. Still planning out how to get quiet time at the bathroom sink to try those out. (With 4 grand-kids in the house - 3 of them under 6 yrs old, that might be a challenge.) Straight razor shaves might be going into their own journal. But I haven't decided that yet.
8 good shaves out of this one as well. Mild irritation on both the left & right sides of my lower neck I just can't seem to avoid (unless I don't make extra passes there... and don't get as close.) I'd like to avoid the irritation, but I don't want to leave stubble there either. Perhaps for one or two days I'll just make two passes there & see what the resulting stubble is like the next day. We'll see.... but overall, not too bad performance with this blade, razor, & soap.
One alteration in my routine that seemed to quell the irritation on my neck a little bit was to add a warm water rinse after the alum. Normally, after I'm done shaving I'll rinse my face w/ hot water, then run the alum block under cold water & apply to my face. Next, I'll loosen the razor head, rinse the razor/blade in alcohol, set it aside to dry, & put away the alcohol. Then apply a soaking wet wash cloth with cool/cold water to my face to tighten pores & wash the alum away. This week... for the past few shaves... I've added another warm water rinse to wash the alum away before my final cold water rinse to tighten the facial pores. My impression is that the warm water rinse gets the alum off my skin and out of any cuts/abrasions/irritations before the cold water closes up the pores. It seems like perhaps the cold water rinse while the alum was on my face might have been causing some alum to get trapped in some places on my face & contributing to some irritation. I have no scientific proof of this, but that's my impression - the extra warm water rinse after the alum seems to reduce irritation.
Also, the last 2 shaves I used my new WD 24mm Silvertip brush. It loads great & makes lather like crazy. ( I had to adjust my mixture as I'm used to the Maggard's synthetic that holds very little water. Whereas the badger hair holds quite a bit.) I got it with the standard loft and it works great, but I understand now why folks get these knots set a little deeper to keep the knot from hogging lather. (The knot really bloomed out HUGE after soaking in warm water! I'd anticipated a little blooming, but didn't know it would be that much.) I haven't had a problem so far, though, as I've loaded enough soap to make plenty of lather - even with a lot ending up deep in the brush. But on my 3rd pass (ATG/Clean-up), I usually pull the lather from the brush anyway & apply it by hand where i need it ==> don't use the brush to apply it then. And I was able to squeeze tons of lather out of the brush. So it works for my routine/style. However.... if I make another order from Larry @ WD... I'll probably get the next Silvertip knot set 5mm - 10mm deeper into the handle than normal. Will prob. try to use the brush for the next couple of weeks with some different soaps/creams & then compile my experiences into a proper review in the "Shaving Brush" forum.
Also in the WD pkg I got this week were 2 x Poor man's strops and 2 x flawed, S.U.S. - but shave-ready - straight razors. No reviews on those yet. Still planning out how to get quiet time at the bathroom sink to try those out. (With 4 grand-kids in the house - 3 of them under 6 yrs old, that might be a challenge.) Straight razor shaves might be going into their own journal. But I haven't decided that yet.
Catching up. Great reading and looks like a great recent mail call. Good luck on your start at straight shaving!
- Thread starter
- #92
4th Sharp Durablade "in the bank" (Maggard V3OC, Mike's Natural Soap [Barbershop], Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip w/ std loft, & a few 1st passes w/ a straight razor)
Got 8 shaves out of the blade w/ the V3OC. The OC seemed a little more aggressive with more irritation on my neck than w/ the previous razor (V3A). Not a whole lot, but noticeable. I was trying to make the Mike's soap lather slicker by adding more water this week. But most times I did that I felt that all my effort did was make the lather thin/ runny & it actually dissipated faster and wasn't as slick. I thought it was slicker... at first. But in retrospect, I think I was mistaken about that impression.
On shaves 4-7, I did the first pass with a WD S.U.S. flawed, shave-ready straight razor (my first attempts, detailed in the SR shave journal thread. Some of those passes were better than others, but all required going over w/ the safety razor - 3 passes. So.... a 4 pass shave? And some of those resulted in not only pretty close shaves, but less irritation overall. Hmmmm....
Using the SR for the first pass significantly increased the time it took to shave, though. And I'm really starting to dislike the resulting cold lather. And when the lather gets really cold, I feel like my shave really suffers (lots of pulling/ an increase in irritation.) Tonight, I tried leaving my mug about 1/2-way immersed in a sink full of hot/ warm water - and that seemed to help. But I've had issues where my mug got up-ended or my brush fell in the sink ruining my lather & shave. So I feel like this approach - while it keeps the lather warm if all goes well - is really tempting fate. Bottom line: I think I want to try lathering in a scuttle - sooner rather than later. We'll see....
Next week will be the 5th Sharp Durablade in the Maggard Slant head (and some more practice with the straight razor.)
Got 8 shaves out of the blade w/ the V3OC. The OC seemed a little more aggressive with more irritation on my neck than w/ the previous razor (V3A). Not a whole lot, but noticeable. I was trying to make the Mike's soap lather slicker by adding more water this week. But most times I did that I felt that all my effort did was make the lather thin/ runny & it actually dissipated faster and wasn't as slick. I thought it was slicker... at first. But in retrospect, I think I was mistaken about that impression.
On shaves 4-7, I did the first pass with a WD S.U.S. flawed, shave-ready straight razor (my first attempts, detailed in the SR shave journal thread. Some of those passes were better than others, but all required going over w/ the safety razor - 3 passes. So.... a 4 pass shave? And some of those resulted in not only pretty close shaves, but less irritation overall. Hmmmm....
Using the SR for the first pass significantly increased the time it took to shave, though. And I'm really starting to dislike the resulting cold lather. And when the lather gets really cold, I feel like my shave really suffers (lots of pulling/ an increase in irritation.) Tonight, I tried leaving my mug about 1/2-way immersed in a sink full of hot/ warm water - and that seemed to help. But I've had issues where my mug got up-ended or my brush fell in the sink ruining my lather & shave. So I feel like this approach - while it keeps the lather warm if all goes well - is really tempting fate. Bottom line: I think I want to try lathering in a scuttle - sooner rather than later. We'll see....
Next week will be the 5th Sharp Durablade in the Maggard Slant head (and some more practice with the straight razor.)
- Thread starter
- #93
5th Sharp Durablade "in the bank" (Maggard Slant, Mike's Natural Soap [Barbershop] or Haslinger Schafmilk, Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip w/ std loft, & a few 1st passes w/ a straight razor)
Got 8 shaves out of the blade. Some irritation on a few shaves ==> I feel the slant is at least as aggressive as the V3, V3A, & V3OC, but smoother for some reason. I thought my shaves - in general - were better as well. I did get some irritation, but not a lot more than any other razor. And given that i was mixing in passes with a SR during most of these shaves, it's sometimes tough to blame it all on the Slant head. (Though the reverse is also true - I did get some irritation using just the Slant ==> hard to blame it all on the SR.) And the 8th shave didn't feel as rough as they have with previous blades in other razors. (Is is something about the Slant? The twisting of the blade making it stiffer/ more resilient? Angle really does make it cut more efficiently? Some combination of these or other factors? Who knows?) As during the previous blades' usage, I did a 1st pass w/ the SR on a few of these shaves. But I still ended up repeating that pass with a DE razor ==> don't think that SR saved me any DE blade usage ==> I think my blade performance estimates are still valid. Overall, I liked the Maggard Slant head & look forward to using it in the rotation. (But it'll be 1.5 - 2 months until I use it again. I use blades for 8 shaves in the same razor. Next blade starts a new pack w/ the DE 89, then the V3, V3A, V3OC, then back to the Slant)
For shaves 7-8, I used the Haslinger Schafmilk. Easy to load brush. 60 seconds loading gave me enough lather for 1 SR pass & 3 x DE passes w/ plenty of lather leftover. Loaded for 30 seconds on shave 8 w/ just the DE & still had plenty of lather left after my 3rd pass (ATG/Clean-up). My perception was the Haslinger was a little slicker than the Mike's, but that could be just some "new soap bias" on my part. (I still think the Mike Natural was good, but perceived the Haslinger to be better.) Still... one thing I definitely thought was the post shave on the Haslinger was better than with the Mike's (at least, for me.... and to me.) I seem to remember the WSP Formula T being better than the Haslinger, but it's been a while since I used the WSP & would need to A-B them to be certain. (Again, it's possible there's some recall bias going on there.)
Next blade will likely be a Treet Platinum (just because I have a couple of tucks from my sampler package that haven't been opened/tried & I happened to see them first when making the selection.) Will likely go back to the DE89 as well.
I'll also be trying to work in some shaves using the SR & not the DE ==> though my arbitrary standard is 8 shaves out of a DE blade for comparison purposes, it might take a little longer to get those 8 shaves if I'm able to work in 2-3 SR shaves each week.
We shall see...
Got 8 shaves out of the blade. Some irritation on a few shaves ==> I feel the slant is at least as aggressive as the V3, V3A, & V3OC, but smoother for some reason. I thought my shaves - in general - were better as well. I did get some irritation, but not a lot more than any other razor. And given that i was mixing in passes with a SR during most of these shaves, it's sometimes tough to blame it all on the Slant head. (Though the reverse is also true - I did get some irritation using just the Slant ==> hard to blame it all on the SR.) And the 8th shave didn't feel as rough as they have with previous blades in other razors. (Is is something about the Slant? The twisting of the blade making it stiffer/ more resilient? Angle really does make it cut more efficiently? Some combination of these or other factors? Who knows?) As during the previous blades' usage, I did a 1st pass w/ the SR on a few of these shaves. But I still ended up repeating that pass with a DE razor ==> don't think that SR saved me any DE blade usage ==> I think my blade performance estimates are still valid. Overall, I liked the Maggard Slant head & look forward to using it in the rotation. (But it'll be 1.5 - 2 months until I use it again. I use blades for 8 shaves in the same razor. Next blade starts a new pack w/ the DE 89, then the V3, V3A, V3OC, then back to the Slant)
For shaves 7-8, I used the Haslinger Schafmilk. Easy to load brush. 60 seconds loading gave me enough lather for 1 SR pass & 3 x DE passes w/ plenty of lather leftover. Loaded for 30 seconds on shave 8 w/ just the DE & still had plenty of lather left after my 3rd pass (ATG/Clean-up). My perception was the Haslinger was a little slicker than the Mike's, but that could be just some "new soap bias" on my part. (I still think the Mike Natural was good, but perceived the Haslinger to be better.) Still... one thing I definitely thought was the post shave on the Haslinger was better than with the Mike's (at least, for me.... and to me.) I seem to remember the WSP Formula T being better than the Haslinger, but it's been a while since I used the WSP & would need to A-B them to be certain. (Again, it's possible there's some recall bias going on there.)
Next blade will likely be a Treet Platinum (just because I have a couple of tucks from my sampler package that haven't been opened/tried & I happened to see them first when making the selection.) Will likely go back to the DE89 as well.
I'll also be trying to work in some shaves using the SR & not the DE ==> though my arbitrary standard is 8 shaves out of a DE blade for comparison purposes, it might take a little longer to get those 8 shaves if I'm able to work in 2-3 SR shaves each week.
We shall see...
- Thread starter
- #95
Good read Boz. Doing a great job Chronicling this. So I have never tried Haslinger Schafmilk but I have tried Mike's. I wasn't a huge fan. It wasn't bad or anything...just that what I have been using is better. The Formula T is a VERY good soap.
- Thread starter
- #97
1st Treet Platinum "in the bank" (EJ DE89, Haslinger Schafmilk, & Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip w/ std loft)
Got 8 pretty comfortable shaves out of this. Thought the blade performed well in the DE89. I seemed to have less irritation overall. There was a little, but it seemed that for the most part my shaves were DFS w/ less irritation than I usually have. (is my technique improving? Does the Haslinger soap make the difference? Or is it the blade/ razor combo?) Regardless, it seemed like I got good shaves out of it but the combo didn't feel as aggressive as the Maggard Slant/ Sharp Durablade. I'll have to re-visit that review when I get around to the Slant with this blade.
Took a little longer to get through 8 shaves as I've been working in shaves with the SR on Wed & Sat. And since I usually take Fri night off, it took 2 weeks to get to my 8-shaves target on the blade.
Next up - the Maggard V3 head. Will still keep using the Haslinger for a while as I think it works well as I'm learning the SR & mixing those sessions into my routine
Got 8 pretty comfortable shaves out of this. Thought the blade performed well in the DE89. I seemed to have less irritation overall. There was a little, but it seemed that for the most part my shaves were DFS w/ less irritation than I usually have. (is my technique improving? Does the Haslinger soap make the difference? Or is it the blade/ razor combo?) Regardless, it seemed like I got good shaves out of it but the combo didn't feel as aggressive as the Maggard Slant/ Sharp Durablade. I'll have to re-visit that review when I get around to the Slant with this blade.
Took a little longer to get through 8 shaves as I've been working in shaves with the SR on Wed & Sat. And since I usually take Fri night off, it took 2 weeks to get to my 8-shaves target on the blade.
Next up - the Maggard V3 head. Will still keep using the Haslinger for a while as I think it works well as I'm learning the SR & mixing those sessions into my routine
- Thread starter
- #99
2nd Treet Platinum "in the bank" (Maggard's V3 head, Haslinger Schafmilk, & Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip w/ std loft)
Got 8 fairly comfortable shaves out of this. Thought the blade performed OK in this razor head. I seemed to have a little more irritation overall. My shaves were DFS for the most part, but I felt like I was getting more irritation in general no matter how much time I took concentrating on technique - especially on shaves 4-8. I got 8 shaves out of it, and though there was a little more irritation, it was still a tolerable amount. ==> So even though there was some irritation, I wouldn't consider it a "show-stopper" for using this blade again. It did feel noticeably more aggressive than the same blade in the DE89 - which is consistent with my experience comparing those 2 razors using other blades as well. (Does the razor head being more aggressive lead to faster perceived blade performance degradation? As I think I've read has been the experience of other BB members? Hmmm....)
I'm still working in shaves with the SR on Wed & Sat and taking Fri night off, so it took 2 weeks to get to my 8-shaves target on the blade.
Next up - the Maggard V3A head. Will keep using the Haslinger (I'm 3017ing it & still have 2-4 weeks left in it, I think. After that, I planned to use the Stirling soap/ balm I got at the same time as the Haslinger. But I might have to re-think that after getting a puck of MWF in a ceramic bowl for my birthday a couple of days ago. Also might have to work in the Merkur 37C Slant I got in the same gift bag. Maybe on a 6th Treet Platinum blade after the 5th one in the Maggard's Slant. That would also allow me to A-B those two slant razors as well.)
Got 8 fairly comfortable shaves out of this. Thought the blade performed OK in this razor head. I seemed to have a little more irritation overall. My shaves were DFS for the most part, but I felt like I was getting more irritation in general no matter how much time I took concentrating on technique - especially on shaves 4-8. I got 8 shaves out of it, and though there was a little more irritation, it was still a tolerable amount. ==> So even though there was some irritation, I wouldn't consider it a "show-stopper" for using this blade again. It did feel noticeably more aggressive than the same blade in the DE89 - which is consistent with my experience comparing those 2 razors using other blades as well. (Does the razor head being more aggressive lead to faster perceived blade performance degradation? As I think I've read has been the experience of other BB members? Hmmm....)
I'm still working in shaves with the SR on Wed & Sat and taking Fri night off, so it took 2 weeks to get to my 8-shaves target on the blade.
Next up - the Maggard V3A head. Will keep using the Haslinger (I'm 3017ing it & still have 2-4 weeks left in it, I think. After that, I planned to use the Stirling soap/ balm I got at the same time as the Haslinger. But I might have to re-think that after getting a puck of MWF in a ceramic bowl for my birthday a couple of days ago. Also might have to work in the Merkur 37C Slant I got in the same gift bag. Maybe on a 6th Treet Platinum blade after the 5th one in the Maggard's Slant. That would also allow me to A-B those two slant razors as well.)
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