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April Frugal Follies Cheapskate Challenge (AFFCC) - 2022 Edition

10th shave with the KCG, DFS and a light tugging ATG. I will set this blade aside and use it together with a fresh one on my next shave for a final conclusion.

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420 Update:

Kept everything the same from yesterday. The RR Gold label responds better in an easier to load container so that is a plus. When the challenge has been completed I'll move it from the dollar store ramekin into some sealable Anchor Hocking glass bowls I use for soap storage.

I had a few bucks left in the budget so I picked up a spray mister of rose water and aloe from the dollar store. I may use it as a post-shave product tomorrow. Back in the day, I had a bottle of some nice Italian Rose Water I used as a post-shave splash and it was a nice way to end a shave on some days as the rose scent always tended to be fleeting. At this point a little variety is all I'm looking for :)

Another update unrelated to the challenge, but I had mentioned it in an earlier post in here. I received the bottle of Lustray Blue Spice AS I impulsively ordered. My son had his senior college Chamber music concert last night so I didn't get a chance to delve into the scent much until I got home from that. I splashed some on a cotton round and left it near where I was reading last night so I could go back to it from time to time. It strongly reminds me of the scent of a 1970s barbershop if you ever had the pleasure of being in one. Powdery with a hint of peppery maybe. I put a little on my hands just to get a skin test from it and it seemed like it got along with my skin OK. The scent didn't hit hard, and it didn't linger, but I don't look from that in an AS since I have a couple of nice colognes I'd rather use for that purpose. I think the Blue Spice is going to be a solid role player in my AS rotation when I get out of this challenge as long as it doesn't crater on face feel.
 
4/21 Report

Kept everything mostly the same as yesterday. Small note, just as an observation, but I still think triple-milled soaps like the RR Gold Label perform better when they are used more often. Every day it's been getting easier to coax a better lather from it. I suspect as it absorbs water from frequent use it makes loading the brush easier, and on a smaller knot like the one in the inexpensive brush that I'm using in this challenge, it makes a difference.

The Gillette Platinum is delivering the performance I've grown used to from most Gillettes. Sharp and smooth. Got a small weeper on the tip of my chin which is an odd place for me to nick myself, and to make it even more perplexing it was on my WTG pass which is almost always drama free. Oh well, that is the life of a wetshaver. Luckily it was one of those that don't hurt for whatever reason. It does remind me that I notice Gillettes seem to nick me more since they are so smooth for me that I think I tend to get a little cavalier with them and they are sharp enough to punish my laxness.

I did use the Dollar Tree rosewater and aloe face mist as a post-shave, and it felt as nice as I remember my former rose water product feeling. Interestingly enough as I was fumbling around in my medicine cabinet over the sink after the shave I noticed my wife had a small bottle of Mario Badescu Rosewater. I should have just stolen hers but that would not be playing fair in the context of the challenge :)

I have to go do some adult Scout training this weekend and I may just do the cartridge razor and foam thing Saturday morning just for convenience/time. That may be my cheat shave. I'm teaching one of the classes so I do need to look presentable so I can't just scruff it up like I would if I were just camping. I'm still debating.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I still think triple-milled soaps like the RR Gold Label perform better when they are used more often. Every day it's been getting easier to coax a better lather from it

I totally agree. I also think time is an overlooked element too.

If a hard soap hasn't been used for a while, it seems a lot slower to "dissolve" and incorporate properly with the water, even in the small quantities collected on th brush. Rather than bloom the soap, I'll sometimes load the brush first, maybe with a slightly wetter brush than normal, and return it to the stand while I tie back the hair, braid the goatee, rinse the face, etc. That extra dwell time seems to help, and cut down on the amount of face lathering time, trying to get the lather slick enough and thin enough. It's essentially like blooming the soap on the brush.

I found this to be particularly useful with T.F.S Dracaris soap.

img_20211126_044851-jpg.1368383


This has a kind of grainy consistency, as though there's triple milled granules suspended in a softer soap. I mockingly called it scented couscous. That dwell time on the brush is necessary to let the slower parts convert, and not just be a weak lather with tiny beads of soap in. Again, as you observed, frequent use makes this unnecessary, and it melds into a more homogenous soap.

There's a chunk missing, as I serve up sample sized servings (enough for 20-30 shaves normally) of my tub soaps into a small pewter soap dish, rather than load from the tub and get the whole parent soap wet at every shave. I think it helps with longevity.
 
I totally agree. I also think time is an overlooked element too.

If a hard soap hasn't been used for a while, it seems a lot slower to "dissolve" and incorporate properly with the water, even in the small quantities collected on th brush. Rather than bloom the soap, I'll sometimes load the brush first, maybe with a slightly wetter brush than normal, and return it to the stand while I tie back the hair, braid the goatee, rinse the face, etc. That extra dwell time seems to help, and cut down on the amount of face lathering time, trying to get the lather slick enough and thin enough. It's essentially like blooming the soap on the brush.

I found this to be particularly useful with T.F.S Dracaris soap.

img_20211126_044851-jpg.1368383


This has a kind of grainy consistency, as though there's triple milled granules suspended in a softer soap. I mockingly called it scented couscous. That dwell time on the brush is necessary to let the slower parts convert, and not just be a weak lather with tiny beads of soap in. Again, as you observed, frequent use makes this unnecessary, and it melds into a more homogenous soap.

There's a chunk missing, as I serve up sample sized servings (enough for 20-30 shaves normally) of my tub soaps into a small pewter soap dish, rather than load from the tub and get the whole parent soap wet at every shave. I think it helps with longevity.
That soap does look awesome!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Wilkinson Sword Classic black plastic razor
Wilkinson Sword Classic blade (13)
LEA shave stick
(No brush)
Boots Freshwood aftershave Not today

Another nice simple shave. The tache area is going to need a tidy up with an open comb next month, but I intend continuing with the frugal kit till then... and maybe beyond.
 
I'm back to good shaves again. I wasn't rushed and actually halfway paid attention this time. The second DG blade is on it's third use and is properly broken in. The 1953 superspeed delivered a BBS shave everywhere except for the troublesome area from chin to Adam's apple. There's just no way to go ATG in that area.

This is also the last time that I'm be using the experimental aftershave. I've got enough uses to give my feedback. It delivers the performance you'd expect from Captain's Choice. It's an Eucalyptus base with other oils blended in. I had previously suggested he try adding Spearmint to the mix. He did and it's a winner for me. I'll be going back to the Nivea balm.
 
DFS
Today I switched back and forth between a fresh KCG and the one with 10 shaves. Overall it just felt a bit tired but not unusable. Still compared to the fresh one there was definitely a gap in performance and some slight tugging. I'm not an Excalibur guy and normally I change blades after the 6th shaves latest so going for 10 was good fun.

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AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Wilkinson Sword Classic black plastic razor
Wilkinson Sword Classic blade (14)
LEA shave stick
(No brush)
Boots Freshwood aftershave Not today

Lathered as usual, but then let the lather sit on the face while I cleaned and stropped the blade on the leg of my cargo shorts. After 13 shaves, it was definitely due a little TLC. I did lose track of the orientation though, so I'm not sure whether or not it got flipped.

The blade certainly performed better after the clean, but the lather really thickened up somewhat from the dwell time, and needed attention to get it thinned back out, rinsing freely, and performing at its best. The fantastic shave was well worth the effort though.
 

Still in...​

Baili BT171 + Derby Extra (12)
Omega 13564 + Cella (brick)
Witch Hazel + Power Stick ASB

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The last week of the challenge is finally here! I'm looking forward to getting back to my other razors and brushes, but the plan is to complete the month with the current setup. Be well and stay safe...
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Wilkinson Sword Classic black plastic razor
Wilkinson Sword Classic blade (15)
LEA shave stick
(No brush)
Boots Freshwood aftershave

I got the lather all wrong today. I must have used way too much soap, although it didn't look like it to begin with.

Even after thinning the lather out, and getting it shiny, it still wasn't right. Little clumps of lather floated on the surface in my mug that I rinse the razor in - never a good sign - but I foolishly shaved on.

Soon enough, I realised the razor wasn't rinsing properly, and even loosening the head wasn't enough to swish it clear. I had to stop, take the blade out, and clean it again. It was like I had lathered the top of the soap with my fingers, but there was unlathered soap beneath it on the face.

Awesome residual slickness for the subsequent passes, but still a lather "fail" as far as I'm concerned. No harm done. Still a top notch result, but I shouldn't have had the mid-shave faff and frustration.
 
I have to fly tomorrow and the day after so I needed to add some disposables to the kit. Lea 2 Blades 5 for 1.50. Boy they do feel and look flimsy, lets see how this will work it.
That disposable appears identical to the Dorco razors I buy my parents. I've used them a few times when I'm in a hurry and they do a decent enough job. I can use one four times, but don't even thick about a fifth time.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Wilkinson Sword Classic black plastic razor
Wilkinson Sword Classic blade (16)
LEA shave stick
(No brush)
Boots Freshwood aftershave

I applied the soap for maybe half the length of time that I did yesterday. The soap has certainly softened a bit, as today's application time wouldn't have given me barely enough at the start of the month. Today's shave had none of the razor clogging frustrations of yesterday.

That said, I could have probably done with a smidgen more soap today. The lather was wonderful for that first pass, dissolving instantly as I rinsed the razor (no mini-beth's floating), but I didn't have the usual level of residual slickness that this lathering method usually provides.

The significant disadvantage for me with this method of lathering, is not having the clarity/stability of vision to be able to see how much soap I have applied. Even after lathering up. Yesterday's overly loaded lather, and today's slightly lean lather, both looked as good as the superb lathers from the last few weeks. It is only in the rinse (does the lather dissolve instantly?), and second pass (is there still superb slickness?), that I can really judge if I got the lather just right.

Somehow, a brush seems to give a less ambiguous appearance to the lather. If it looks right, it probably is. Without the brush, it's a little more hazy. Not so much a problem on an easier to rinse razor, but this one can be prone to clogging, as described before.

A more open (blade gap, other channels) razor, or even open comb, would be much more tolerant of such lather fluctuations. The lack of slickness for the second pass was easily fixed though, by just redistributing some of the lather that had collected in the tache.

I must be doing something right though, as 16 shaves in, the blade is still performing admirably. For context, these blades normally give me around 20 shaves in the Jagger DE3D14.
 
Yesterday's shave went very well. BBS excepting the problem area. This challenge was actually my first time using the 53 superspeed. After I received it I put it aside for a few months. I finally gave it a good cleaning and joined in with you guys. I did try out one of the DG blades for a shave last month just to see if it was decent enough. The Bay Laurel soap was also brand new, but I knew what to expect from Stirling. I've had the brush for a few months and the balm for well over a year. The month is coming to a close and I've still got plenty of soap and balm for months. The blades, though, will only be good for about little over a month. The brush will probably last for a few years and the razor for decades!

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I received a new short comb today. When this month ends I think I'll keep the ball rolling and see how many sub $30 combinations I can come up with. This will be the first set: The new short comb for 16.66 off the BST, Barbasol 1919 for $5 at the local grocery store, and the same Nivea Balm for $5 from Wally world. $3 for blades will be hard to do, so I guess I'll go with the same local DG blades.
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<SNIP>

I received a new short comb today. When this month ends I think I'll keep the ball rolling and see how many sub $30 combinations I can come up with. This will be the first set: The new short comb for 16.66 off the BST, Barbasol 1919 for $5 at the local grocery store, and the same Nivea Balm for $5 from Wally world. $3 for blades will be hard to do, so I guess I'll go with the same local DG blades.
View attachment 1445597
Do you have any Astra SP or Derby Extra blades in your stash? Both are available on eBay with free shipping...

5 Astra Double Edge Razor Blades. Premium Blades, Russian Made... $2.39

5 DERBY EXTRA Razor Blades Swedish Steel Chromium-Ceramic Coated Polymer Edges... $1.89


You don't need to actually buy the blades; they just need to be available for purchase :cool:
 
Do you have any Astra SP or Derby Extra blades in your stash? Both are available on eBay with free shipping...

5 Astra Double Edge Razor Blades. Premium Blades, Russian Made... $2.39

5 DERBY EXTRA Razor Blades Swedish Steel Chromium-Ceramic Coated Polymer Edges... $1.89


You don't need to actually buy the blades; they just need to be available for purchase :cool:
That's a great idea. I do actually have both. 2 or 3 tucks of the Derby and 8 or 9 of the Astras.
 
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No pic today but had an ok-ish CCS/DFS with the LEA disposable and the rest of the kit in the morning. The handle is short, thin and flexes. The angle on the head is weird. I do shave at a steep angle but here it is really extreme. To make it cut properly I basically had to not only point the handle straight down to the ground on the WTG but to even move it a bit inwards! :confused1

Going by my taste for a) non pivoting head b) 2 blades max. and c) no Lubra strip I would give my preferences for air-travel razors as:

1.) Bic Metal disposable
2.) GII (= Indian PII) with Polish cartridges
3.) Blue II disposable
4.) Bic2 disposable
5.) Bic1 disposable
 
I haven't joined the Frugal follies as I participated in the Adjustable April , which seemed like a good idea after Feb and March lock in for hardware.

This week I am out on a 4x4 drive through the country side called "escape to the country", so didn't carry my shave gear to travel light.

Today during a halt in an offbeat small sleepy town grocery store to get some supplies picked up some shave gear which truly qualifies for April Frugal Follies. I had walked in to check what kind of shave gear would be available in this offbeat place, however Gillette seemed to have me well covered here !

All within 5 dollars worth

An excellent three pass shave with real hard ground water with cold water coming from squeaky calcified taps. However in 104 degrees outside temperature, the water through the pipes was really qualified to be called "cold"

The water was hard but the Gillette Guard shave cream made some wonderful lather with the floppy Nylon brush. It was impossible to move the razor over skin without lather.

Residual slickness was zero thanks to the hard water, however there was plenty of lather and it had to be applied for three full passes to get a bbs shave.

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