2020 Shave Purchase Sabbatical - Those Daring Men with their Jaunty Razors & Jalopies

[JAHE]

SOTD (# 16/2020)
25-01-2020



Preshave: Proraso White pre-shave cream
Brush: Thäter 2-Band Silvertip Badger Imperial Red 26 (Fan Rounded)
Soap: Speick Men ~ Active
Razor: Mühle R89 Twist
Blade: Wilkinson Sword Germany (12)
Postshave: ice cold german tap water, Majestät AS, Nivea After Shave Balm Sensitive.

JAHE - still in

 

[Heron]

#60 still in, and taking a detour. See you at the quarterly check-in.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

Traded some wizamet blades for an Starling V2 , had a fabulous first shave. My favorite was a 1912 er, my mmoc has given me.issues as well as my featherweight. This was very good the first time out. Going.to run this the most of February. Didn't use the scuttle but had to throw it in lol.

 

[tsimmns]

SOTD (# 7/2020)
12-01-2020

View attachment 1052079

Preshave: Proraso White preshave cream
Brush: Shavemac Synthetic 24/52
Soap: Stirling Soap "Executive Man"
Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable
Blade: Wilkonson Sword /Germany (5)
Postshave: ice cold german tap water, Stirling Soap "Executive Man" AS...

... I truly enjoyed my Sunday shave.
EM, being a dupe of Creed's Aventus, is one of my favourite scent profiles - this is why I have bought not only EM but also some more takes on this scent profile from other artisans as well. I haven't used them all as of yet, but I will take the sabbatical time to review them accordingly and to find out which I like best. That will be fun - since this scent is plain and simple awesome!

JAHE - still in

I really hope a Shavemac synthetic comes up in the Sue auction. It’s really about the only item I’d like to add to my collection at some point down the road.

Also, one month almost down and still in.

 

[GaryTha]

 

[_Stormin_]

Car number 64 checking in. Just got back from the first of many trips this year, this one to an island where you pretty much need to bring everything with you, so there was no risk of going out!

Month one is pretty much in the bag, rate of blade use is right in line with what I expected and I should be able to make the next 11 months without running out. I still can't believe that some folks can manage 20-30-50+ shaves on a single blade. I start to feel the tug at 3 or 4. I must be doing something wrong, but I can't think of what that might be. Or I just have some tough facial hair (probably the more likely case)...

 

[Atlantic59]

I still can't believe that some folks can manage 20-30-50+ shaves on a single blade. I start to feel the tug at 3 or 4.

They have peach fuzz or close to it.

 

[JAHE]

They have peach fuzz or close to it.

Or they simply don't do 3 passes per shave...

I most recently pushed a german Wilki to 12 shaves (3 passes). But I assume the smooth time is over (since shave no.11). I will give it another try nevertheless...

Maybe the razor has an impact on the longevity of the blade, too.

 

[ruckin]

I can get several weeks sometimes a couple months out of a blade. I don't do three passes. When a blade is new if I am careful of stroke direction I can get away with a single pass. After a week or so I need a few touch up strokes here and there. The next phase is needing two passes and I normally toss the blade when I need enough touch up after the second pass that I am considering a third. I would have to check but I am 4 +/- weeks with a Dorco at the moment and I just started feeling the need for a second pass this week.

Still in. I am confident that 2020 will be the year that I am able to finish my 400ml bottle of RR baby blue.

Ruckin.

 

[GaryTha]

I don't have peach fuzz. I don't need more than one pass with soap. I do touch up with residual slickness. (This is the place where I'd normally say Williams is slicker than snail snot.) What I do have is great technique that is getting better.

I suggest reading about the first 1,000 posts in the Excalibur Club for more information. Then spend about a year working up to your personal maximum for a blade.

 

[_Stormin_]

Maybe the razor has an impact on the longevity of the blade, too.

Now this is could see. A razor that's really steadying and supporting the blade may be able to stretch out a lot more shaves than one leaving a big old bit of steel hanging out there with movement on passes. But I'm not a materials engineer...

Still, the 40-50 shave crew... They simply have to possess a finer hair than someone miserable at 4-5 shaves on the same blade brand. Not a bad thing. Heck, I wish that I could stretch my blade inventory out further. It would be cool if a tuck of blades was a 4-5 month supply.

 

[GaryTha]

Now this is could see. A razor that's really steadying and supporting the blade may be able to stretch out a lot more shaves than one leaving a big old bit of steel hanging out there with movement on passes. But I'm not a materials engineer...

Still, the 40-50 shave crew... They simply have to possess a finer hair than someone miserable at 4-5 shaves on the same blade brand. Not a bad thing. Heck, I wish that I could stretch my blade inventory out further. It would be cool if a tuck of blades was a 4-5 month supply.

Well, we simply do not have to possess thinner hair. All we need to possess is better technique. We also need to know not to toss a blade when there is still a lot of potential left in it.

For most people, the key is riding the top cap and slicing instead of scraping the beard. For some reason, some are successful doing the opposite.

A small percentage of those who used to hang out in the Excalibur Club were unable to get more than 10 or twenty shaves. Some seemed unable, and then after a couple years were able to cross the 100-shave threshold.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

 

[GaryTha]

View attachment 1056626

 

[ShavingPanda]

View attachment 1056626

Waaaaa! What got ya?

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

Waaaaa! What got ya?

MdC and a SOC Badger. The stock market has been gangbusters for 2 months straight so I said WTH, only live once!

 

[ShavingPanda]

MdC and a SOC Badger. The stock market has been gangbusters for 2 months straight so I said WTH, only live once!

If you're gonna go, might as well make it some top shelf products

 

[JAHE]

SOTD (# 17/2020)
27-01-2020



Preshave: Proraso White pre-shave cream
Brush: Semogue 1800 (Boar)
Soap: Calani ~ Malabar
Razor: Gillette Pre War Tech (Canada)
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (4)
Postshave: ice cold german tap water, Nivea After Shave Balm Sensitive.

JAHE - still in

 

[Ryanshh]

The daily motivation for the sabbatical today. On the left is a tub of Stirling Sharp Dressed Man with 30 shaves from it. It was the first soap I bought when I started using a brush just over two years ago. At the time I used it a few times (to be on the safe side I am going to say 5, but I think it may have been more.) I started 3017ing it on January 2nd of this year and have shaved daily. Most shaves have been 2 or 3 passes with a touchup pass and I have washed at least 2 more passes of lather down the drain.

The right is a mostly unused tub of Stirling Weekend. While the picture looks like it was taken with a potato and it is hard to see the difference, in real life it is kind of hard to see the difference in level between the two soaps. The SDM is getting certainly flatter and has started getting a slight divot in the center, however, considering that I have at least 8 other soaps waiting to be used, I have way more soap on hand than I can get through in a reasonable time.

If the slow use of products (not news to anyone here I am sure) isn't enough motivation for me to stay the course, tonight I had one of the best shaves I've had in a while. I am getting the lather dialed in, I got my GC .84 OC singing, and the Dorco Prime Blade (I know surprising right?) made the shave great. I think it is the time spent enjoying what I have that helped make the shave so effortless and pleasant.

Thank you for your time and patience. Enjoy your journeys.

 

[GaryTha]