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TWELFTH ANNUAL "One Blade in February" Challenge - 2021 Edition

Eben Stone

Staff member
OBIF Shave #17

Preshave: Proraso red
Soap: RR what the puck lime
Brush: Mühle Vivo black fiber v2
Razor: RazoRock Hawk V3-OC
Blade: Feather AC professional #18
Aftershave: B&M reserve

Still cuts; no problems going first pass ATG (except for goatee area), close shave and zero alum burn. I wonder how long this blade would last if I showered before I shaved.
 

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
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Shave#19

For tonight's shave I decided on using the Fatip piccolo as it is more aggressive than the Parker 26C I have used for my previous 2 shaves. My soap was Edwin Jagger lime and pomegranate, not my favourite soap and also on my 3017 list. It does smell slightly citrusy , but of the 3 I have it is my least favourite scent. Brush wise I used a cheap Chinese badger that arrived this week, a little scritchy and with more backbone than I was expecting, I'll have to see what it is like when it is broken in. The shave overall was still good but noticed a little roughness when I was applying moisturizer.
The blade has held up well but I think I will try the 26C tomorrow to see if it performs better or if it was blade deterioration
 
Imagine my luck! I found this thread just now and learned I am already qualified.

I started February with my favorite blade BiC Chrome Platinum and I am still using it in my back up Gillette Tech (in my avatar). It will easily last the entire month.
 
shave no. 19 and 20

Prep
Homemade menthol soap
Gillette Wilkinson India (19 & 20)
King C. Gillette
Yaqi Familia Sagrada synth.
Old Spice Whitewater

Well...yesterday evening and today morning shave was ok. No irritation, smooth and DFS in two passes. That tells me that blade is not sharp enough anymore for FaTip Piccolo, it's dull and leaves irritation in more aggressive razor...Shaving with King C. Gillette razor was little too mild. Yes, blade is now dull, kinda cuts hair but not enough for 2 pass...and I'm afraid that third pass will just leave my face irritated.
I will continue to use it because it's suprisingly smooth...but now this is in the range of Derby Extra. Really smooth but not sharp enough.
So...this blade works perfectly for 15-16 shaves then starts to noticeably loose sharpness....and that's much more then expected from it :)


Sent from my Y7 using Tapatalk
 
ASCO Super Stainless (Red/Blue) #19 (switched the blade on shave 18)
Tried a new shaving cream today. It is the cheapest locally available one in my country at 65ct per 100ml, and honestly, it performs well and does not have much of a scent as it is sensitive. The AS balm was also new for me and it also does work ok and smells pleasant.
Razor: King C. Gillette
Soap: Balea Men Sensitive cream
Aftershave: Balea Men AS Balm energy Q10
 
The only way I can pull a whole month with only one blade is if i'm not shaving at all :D. I really envy people that can shave more than 4 times with a blade.
 
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Shave #20.

Great shave today, smooth and close (almost bbs), very similar to yesterday's shave. The loss of sharpness isn't debatable anymore, however, the blade still gets the job done in a very nice way, there is neither tugging nor uncomfortable roughness... there still is no reason to quit this challenge.
 
Bic #50.

I used SV Stella Alpina today, and that was nice. Fragrance-heavy for my taste, but otherwise perfect.

My target for this blade is 73 shaves (5 blades per year) and if I make it that far I'll see how much further I can go from there. I have achieved those kinds of numbers before with Bic, which really is a great blade.

At 50 shaves it is still going strong. It goes rougher if I skimp on prep or somehow don't get a good lather, but that's as expected and those occasions are few.
 
SOTD
Shark Super Stainless(20)
Rockwell 6c Plate 4
Vitos Green
Lonestar Aftershave

This blade is dull but still cuts, no pulling yet. It is very smooth and has been throughout it's life. I will make it the final week of this challenge.

I achieved BBS today because I had time. It took 4 passes and a good bit of buffing. I had some very minor irritation on my neck, pretty normal for me.
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Pre-War Tech
Gillette Nacet Stainless (20)
Vie Long horse
Palmolive shave stick, face lathered
Institut Karite Shea after-shave balm

Nice, leisurely, mid-day shave. Two passes for DFS.

Tomorrow will be interesting. If past experience is any indicator, if a blade makes it to the 3 week/21 shave milestone, it will make to the end of the month.
 
Not really in, but sort of interested and playing along on the side. Lots to learn here about exposing bad shaving techniques and habits for lathering and face prep especially. I really like the PermaSharp that I started the second week of February and decided to not switch it out until I had a demonstrable reason to necessarily do so. It's been smooth sailing for maybe 10 shaves. Today left some irritation, so I'll switch razors tomorrow and see what difference it makes.
 

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
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Shave#20

Tonight I decided to go with my new La Toja stick as it is the only soap I haven't used yet this month and I must say it was a really pleasent surprise. For the price it is a great performer. i have had trouble with sticks previously but this lathered well and the scent was better on my face than from the stick. Lathered with the Yaqi Timberwolf it produced copious amounts of lather. The razor was the Parker 26C which did an excellent job as usual.
The blade is still capable of giving more and I am fairly confident of reaching the end of the month with it
 
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