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The Quest: DFS + 0 Irritation or Ingrown Hairs

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Good to see you, Joel!

Starting a fresh blade in the Bullet Tip makes for a more relaxed first few shaves but the MMOC is still King.

Stay safe.
 
Good to see you, Joel!

Starting a fresh blade in the Bullet Tip makes for a more relaxed first few shaves but the MMOC is still King.

Stay safe.

Thank you sir. I tried out a fresh blade in the shovel head which was a bit too relaxed. I have some blades coming from [mention]Cal [/mention]’s neck of the woods (Connaught was still the cheapest with airmail shipping somehow). Hopefully having a big stock will allow me to get more used to how the blades progress and I can get a rotation down. The blade that I tried last night felt sharp on the skin but was quite tuggy. I was in a rush and so got a few more weepers than I was expecting. Got a decent DFS most everywhere except just under my jawline where it was a SAS. Skin is still happy with me, no irritation today or after the shave despite those few weepers. It used to be that I’d have to wait days (or at least an extra day) after using a GEM razor before my skin would be ready to have another shave but I’m fairly certain it would be fine to shave daily with them now. Not sure if it’s a technique difference or the software I have been using that is helping that out.

Last time I was posting more about a year ago, a newbie was using a MMOC and I thought that was a little more BOSC than I could be. But here we are, living in weird world, where I’m using a GEM happily. Hoping with some even better technique the weepers will resolve like the irritation somehow did. I did notice that ATG with the MMOC, I was using the razor with the cap flush against my face and a decent amount of pressure and this worked quite excellently, on my cheeks at least. It’ll be exciting to see how things profess.

Enjoy the shaves all!


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Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Last time I was posting more about a year ago, a newbie was using a MMOC and I thought that was a little more BOSC than I could be. But here we are, living in weird world, where I’m using a GEM happily.


Dont forget, it took me seven months to learn it. ;)
 
Dont forget, it took me seven months to learn it. ;)

I will keep that in mind lol. I have 200 blades on their way so that should get me quite awhile. Apparently I used a carbon steel blade in the shovel head so that could explain my thoughts on it. Now that I know those are carbon steel I’ll be treating them a bit differently haha. Next shave tonight and haven’t decided whether to do the carbon steel in the bullet tip or the broken in stainless steel in the MMOC. I’m leaning towards the latter but we shall see.


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thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
The suspense!

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Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
200 blades would last a long time, especially in a rotation. I bought 50 two years ago and I think I still have 25 new and 2 left in the current dispenser.

Because if my self imposed isolation, I dont shave every 48 hours anymore. I might go 4 or 5 days between shaves but the MMOC can handle that with ease.
 
Sorry for the continued suspense. I had an excellent shave last night. Used a fresh stainless steel ptfe coated gem with the bullet tip. Had several days of scruff (hadn’t shaved since last report). 0 irritation. Slight weepers on my chin and neck in three spots but I was being very aggressive with the razor. It was an excellent shave. Lather was Barrister and Mann reserve fern with TurnNShave synthetic brush and matching aftershave. Lower neck this morning has a few whiskers that I didn’t get totally smoothed but considering how much I was cutting through, I’ll let it slide. I’ll use something similar tonight I think, see if I can take the gem blades in consecutive days which I think I can based on how my skin is reacting to them (very favorable). I can’t wait for my blades to arrive from Britain.

[mention]Esox [/mention]I know the 200 blades is probably overkill for awhile, but figured might as well get a solid number while I’m at it. Should give me a solid several years of shaves, and if this becomes my daily blade (which I expect it to) I’ll be happy with about $0.17 per blade which would end up almost $0.02 per shave which would be excellent for me. I have some SV soaps coming too. So quite excited to get that shipment in.


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thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Other than the weepers,

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Properly used, GEM Micromatic razors are like purring kittens: gentle, effective, and never informing when they’re fixing to claim a tribute in flesh.
 
Shave tonight was a bit… odd. Used barrister and Mann reserve fern soap and aftershave, my TurnNShave quartermoon synthetic brush, and did my passes with two different GEMs: pass 1 with the 1924 shovel head using the once used stainless steel blade, pass 2 with the MMOC and the well broken in stainless steel blade. The shovel head is much more efficient with the stainless blades and much less rough feeling. The MMOC felt a bit more rough tonight but I had some difficulty finding the right angle which was likely due to having to do everything going up and using the short handle shovel head for the first pass. Two or three very small weepers. Slight irritation on my neck near the weepers but very little. My skin is somewhat tingling all over my face right now. It’s a very odd sensation. Not sure if it’s from overdoing the shave or from not cutting the whiskers too short. I think the GEM blades are doing a better job leaving the whiskers a bit longer than my DE blades. This is counterintuitive to the BBS shave that most on these forums are seeking, but I’m not seeking a BBS. Just a good DFS. The dfs shave gets me much fewer ingrown hairs from what I’ve found. I think I’m really going to like these GEMs. The bullet tip is perfect for daily use. Shovel head has a bit too much blade jostle for daily use. MMOC might be a tad too much blade for daily use but it is close. And I think with better technique honed over the next few months I might be able to shave daily with it. I have another razor heading my way, but it is the single most expensive razor I’ve yet purchased. Figure I can try to resell it if I don’t find it is giving me truly excellent shaves, but the GEM platform seems to be agreeing with my skin immensely. This is still the same or less irritation that I get with DEs and this was an aberrant shave with the GEMs from my recent experience. If I’d used the SV 70th anniversary instead, I likely wouldn’t be noticing much or any irritation. Overall, solid but not great shave. No nicks, minimal weepers, some irritation. I’ll take tomorrow off and then probably go back to the MMOC or bullet tip for that next shave. Enjoy the shaves all!


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thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Sorry to read the shave was irritating.

Having enjoyed using the MMOC at a sort of steep angle and hearing the loudness, I thought the Shovelhead would be the razor, but I can’t seat the blade rigidly no matter how hard I try. Using the MMOC so it’s much quieter and the comb is rarely felt is much gentler on my skin.
 
I dont know which will last longer, the blades or the SV lol.

I suppose we shall find out! I can say that the bottles of SV aftershave don’t last as long as the pucks of soap. I am not even close to halfway through the SV 70th puck that I have, but am almost through my first bottle of aftershave. Luckily, the gent I bought from was wise to this and sold me two bottles of aftershave with one puck of soap. Hopefully I don’t run out of the second bottle until the end of the puck.


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I’ve had three shaves since my last report but since they were with a new razor, I wanted to give it time to prove what it could do. Boy did it tonight.

I purchased a Blackland Sabre with both base plates from the BST recently. It uses GEM blades which I’ve become fond of. I also got my package from Connaught shaving in today. I don’t know what Mr. Mayhew does to get the packages here and through customs so quickly, but I appreciate it. I think it’s almost quicker than buying stateside a lot of the time. I used the SV desert vetiver purchased from Connaught (thanks for the review there Mike [mention]Esox [/mention]) with my TurnNShave quartermoon brush, the Sabre with the level 2 plate and a GEM blade with 4 shaves on it. Shaves 3 and 4 were with the level 1 plate. I varied my shaving angle with this plate more than I did with the level 1. I used it steep and shallow with the cap flush to my skin. I found it comfortable either way. It seemed like a more efficient bullet tip with nearly the MMOC efficiency, but nowhere near the blade feel or aggression. Part of that is likely the blade was broken in some. Shave 4 and 5 are excellent GEM blade shaves in my experience. I got three tiny weepers which had disappeared after using RudyTs soap after the shave method. I touched them up anyway with the nick stick from clubman just in case, and applied my home brew 50/50 bay rum mix (50% masters, 50% gabel’s), after I’ve used witch hazel on the whole face. Excellent skin feel after the shave. No irritation. Probably one of, if not the best shave I’ve ever had. Ended up with a mostly bbs, was only going for dfs. Going to try a new blade next shave to see how that does (got 200 of them now) but this seems to have been a good purchase (it will end up being my Christmas gift from the wife lol). Amazing shave.

Enjoy the shaves all!


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How do you find the scent? To my nose its strong. Very strong.

It is a fairly strong scent but I find it very pleasant. My nose is not very good as a caveat. Not quite as strong as many of the others I’ve tried. Stirling is about that strong for most of their scents but they’re covering up tallow. Wholly kaw is generally stronger. Barrister and Mann reserve fern is stronger. I found it a good balance in the deep vetiver notes with the more fern like notes. I also think the CRS Indian sandalwood was a more potent scent. That said, the SV desert vetiver did seem to blossom more as I lathered it and really filled up the bathroom. It seemed to pair well with the bay rum which is perfect. I think the tundra artica is a bit less strong but haven’t yet lathered it so I could be wrong. I think the desert vetiver is the strongest SV I’ve tried yet. But that wasn’t a bad aspect in my estimation. I found myself thinking about buying the aftershave at the end of the shave, as I really like the SV 70th that I have. Just hard to justify the price of it and if the SV 70th is any indication I’ll need two bottles lol.

Not sure if that helps mike.


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Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Opuntia smells much the same as Desert Vetiver. Slightly milder, slightly sweeter but the difference is small.

I havent tried 70th yet but that will, most like, be next.
 
That is really good to know Mike. I love the SV soaps so I’ve been having trouble deciding which ones to try out. The opuntia doesn’t have as many useful reviews. That short sentence is extremely helpful for me, however. I like the balance of the desert vetiver in the sweet/opening notes and the heart notes. And while it might be a bit strong, I like it so far. Likely one I’ll skip if I continue to enjoy the desert vetiver.


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