2 week beard - help me pick my gear!

[rmac]

Hi all,

It's coming to the end of my annual leave and have to shave off the facial fungus for work. I've grown quite attached (pun intended) to the beard, and my work has no 'anti-beard policy' but wearing a mask with more than a days worth of growth is just irritating.

So with that in mind, can you all help me decide on my hardware/software for the butchering:

Razor - either the Muhle R41 (I have both the 2011 and 2013 versions) or Fatip Piccolo (V2). It has to be an open comb due to the length of beard (my clippers have gone missing). Was thinking more the R41 because I've used it before to knock down big growths, but my scientific mind wants to experiment and use the Piccolo.

Brush - only one in use at the moment which is the Alpha Rubberset. I have badgers and boars but don't really use them these days because they can't dry out fully where I'm living unfortunately.

Blades - I have 100 packs of Voskhods, Rapiras (all types), Astra (SP and SS), Gillette yellows, Sputniks or Feathers. Have used all up to now with a range of results, but stand out choices would be the Voskhod (for the smoothness) or Feather for the sharpness. But haven't tried the Feathers in the Fatip yet so not sure how they would perform.

Soap / cream - I have a lot but the only ones in regular rotation are Palmolive stick (grated down into a scuttle), a small amount of Proraso red soap remaining, or Trumpers rose cream. Am leaning more to Trumpers due to the calming effect rose has on my skin (especially post-shave), but then again the Proraso red always does a great job of softening the hair prior to cutting. And Palmolive is just a great all-rounder. Or I could go brushless with a little Cremo I have left over but not sure how good this will be on longer hair.

Aftershave - Only really 2 choices here. Nivea sensitive balm or Trumpers coral skin food. The skin food is good and smells great but the alcohol content can cause irritation so am probably going with the Nivea. Whatever one I pick will be preceded by some supermarket witch hazel.

Any thoughts guys? What would you pick out of the above choices?


Thanks in advance,

R

 

[Atlantic59]

Ok, I'll give it a shot.

Razor: R41 2013+ is made for this kind of work, as long as you have used it a few times and are comfortable with the correct angle, etc. Piccolo v2 would also be quite good, but only if you are real familiar with it.

Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow.

Brush: Alpha Rubberset.

Soap: Use Cremo as a preshave with warm water. Leave on for a couple of minutes, then lather over it with Palmolive.

Aftershave: Witch hazel followed by Nivea balm.

 

[rmac]

Ok, I'll give it a shot.

Razor: R41 2013+ is made for this kind of work, as long as you have used it a few times and are comfortable with the correct angle, etc. Piccolo v2 would also be quite good, but only if you are real familiar with it.

Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow.

Brush: Alpha Rubberset.

Soap: Use Cremo as a preshave with warm water. Leave on for a couple of minutes, then lather over it with Palmolive.

Aftershave: Witch hazel followed by Nivea balm.

Thanks for the selections!

Interesting choice with the Cremo as a pre-shave, I've never heard of anyone using it in this way, I'm guessing it would just make the soap that little bit slicker?


Thanks,

R

 

[sarimento1]

 

[nicked78]

my scientific mind wants to experiment and use the Piccolo.

Yes, try something different than what you used before, and see how it compares! Or, put the same blade in both razors and use one on each side of your face. I took down a two week beard that way last month, and thought it was an interesting experiment. I think I used a Gillette New SC and a Fatip Open Comb Slant. The New proved a little more comfortable, so I finished the goatee area with it, and then changed again to a Tech for a mild finish. (I found the initial take-down of the beard a bit harsh.)

Have some fun with it, and let us know how it goes. I'm too new at this to recommend soap/cream/blade. I think with those things, it makes sense to choose what you know you'll like/enjoy.

 

[BigJ]

Time to get back to work! Here are my selections:

Razor - Muhle R41 (2011 version)

Brush - Alpha Rubberset

Blade - Feather

Soap / cream - Palmolive stick

Aftershave - Nivea sensitive balm

I would stick with your proven set-up to cut through the ‘fungus.’ You can experiment another time.

 

[Lefonque]

“ stick with your proven set-up ” sound advice.

 

[rmac]

Hi guys,

Just as an update, I finally got round to the shave this morning!

My prep was a super hot shower with Nivea deep cleansing face wash, followed by the advised Cremo pre-shave with plenty of water to aid the slickness. Then I lathered what little was left of an old tub of Proraso red soap with the Alpha rubberset, which made a great lather. Blade of choice was the feather and battle axe was the Muhle R41 2011 version.

Despite extensive prep work and aggressive combination of feather and R41, the beard still put up quite a quite a bit of resistance, especially on the chin. But I struggled on and after the first pass I was mostly a SAS but with the odd bit of stubble left, and no irritation. So seeing as I didn't have any weepers I decided to re-lather and repeat the first pass to knock down any remaining stubble. I finished up with the Nivea sensitive balm for an amazing BBS result!

Now I guess I'll have to grow another 2 week beard to see if I get a similar result with the Fatip!


Thanks all for your advice!

R.

 

[Lefonque]

Ha, I have spent my adult life growing beards shaving again then growing another beard. It is a good way of testing razors and blades.

 

[engblom]

I am too late, but for further readers I suggest Merkur 15C, and I say this owning R41. 15C beats any razor I own when it comes to mowing down long beard. It is not my daily driver, but the razor I would without hesitation use for this kind of shave. With it you never need to trim the beard before shaving.

 

[rmac]

I am too late, but for further readers I suggest Merkur 15C, and I say this owning R41. 15C beats any razor I own when it comes to mowing down long beard. It is not my daily driver, but the razor I would without hesitation use for this kind of shave. With it you never need to trim the beard before shaving.

The only thing I have comparable is a Merkur 1904 open comb which I understand is mild like the 15C. Only issue was the mildness itself; mild means I need more passes to get a close shave, therefore on my sensitive skin I would increase the chances of irritation.

When I'm shaving daily this isn't a problem, but my face hasn't seen a sharp blade for over 2 weeks so I thought it best to use an aggressive razor that requires less passes, hence why the R41 got the nod.

Thanks for chiming in though!


Thanks,

R

 

[McBlade]

Shaving a beard off with a straight razor can be very satisfying Like a hot knife through butter.

 

[wazabees]

Bit of an old thread, but congrats on the March BBS. I just wanted to comment because I haven't listened to In Silico for ages and your profile pic, @rmac, obviously reminded me.

 

[rmac]

Shaving a beard off with a straight razor can be very satisfying Like a hot knife through butter.

I have only had the pleasure of doing this once, and it was immensely satisfying. unfortunately the only 2 straight razors I have were put in to storage some years ago and one is badly rusted. Would have liked to try tackling it with a Feather AC but these are prohibitively expensive

 

[rmac]

Bit of an old thread, but congrats on the March BBS. I just wanted to comment because I haven't listened to In Silico for ages and your profile pic, @rmac, obviously reminded me.

It’s a great album indeed! Not usually my ‘go to’ tunage but good for things like exercising etc

 

[Lefonque]

Hah!