2021ers?

[spacemonkey42]

@T Bone, if you are at all interested in single edge, I'd recommend the Supply SE and it is on a black Friday sale right now. It is somewhat like the Henson in that it has a rigid blade due to the thick injector blades and it has a set shaving angle that is easy to find due to the top cap and fins. If one is off of that angle, it just doesn't cut, so it is a relatively safe razor in that way too. It is much heavier than the Henson and because of the fins and lather channel it pretty much can't clog. But maybe now is not the right time for an addition to your den.

I've got plenty of brushes and I am hoping not to go down that rabbit hole, since I decided to go down the razor hole in a huge way. Thanks for the recommendations, though.

 

[T Bone]

Thanks @Phoenixkh and @spacemonkey42, I’m not looking to get into SE or AC though, I was just admiring the Vector from afar. I feel like I’ve completed my razor and brush exploration at least for the foreseeable future. I need to work on my technique to get some better consistency with the couple of razors I have.

Now soaps and blades, those are 2 rabbit holes I could explore some more, once I’ve reduced my current supply a bit…

 

[T Bone]

Wanted to share this, but I'm not sure if it deserves its own thread.

I bought this sampler when I finished the tuck of Astras that came with my first DE razor. 8 tucks of 5 blades. I didn't want to just go through each tuck since my technique was terrible at the beginning - even if blade #1 was the best for me, blade #8 would probably seem better just due to improved technique. And I wanted to give each blade a couple of tries for the same reason.

Obviously a double-elimination tournament would be the best way to sort through this.

I spent a week (3-4 shaves) with each blade. My setups changed somewhat as I went on, but I made sure it was consistent for each matchup. This took a year+ since I took breaks for some participation blade PIFs along the way.

ROUND 1
LOI Titanium < Derby Extra: I didn't like either of these, but Derby was slightly less irritating.
Feather << Voskhod: Upset alert! If there was a difference in blades, I expected Feather to roll through the competition since Feather is The Best according to every single YouTube shaver ever. But in my n00bie hands, it cut me the heck up, and Voskhod didn't.
Sharp Hi Platinum > Gillette Platinum: Upset alert! Another brand I'd heard of loses. Neither was great, but GP gave me a few more weepers.
Shark SS >> Astra SP: Upset alert! I thought I was starting to get the hang of things with the Sharks. Then I put an Astra back in, and it was as bad as the 5 weeks with my first tuck.

ROUND 2
LOI (0-1) < Feather (0-1): LOI out! Feather still bites, but I was a little better with it this time around, and I still didn't like LOI.
GP (0-1) > Astra (0-1): Astra out! The Gillette gave me my first ever no-blood DFS-or-better shave. (Finally!) Astra was still terrible. I'm not sure what my problem is with ASP since so many people love them.
Derby (1-0) < Voskhod (1-0): This was a surprisingly close call. Voskhod cut me a bit more, but Derby was really tuggy and uncomfortable.
Sharp (1-0) < Shark (1-0): Sharp with a "P" was ok, but Shark with a "K" continued to impress.

ROUND 3
Feather (1-1) > Sharp (1-1): Sharp out! Feather is still difficult to wield properly, but it beat out the uncomfortable Sharp.
GP (1-1) < Derby (1-1): Upset alert! GP out! I really wanted to prefer GP, as Derby is just not very sharp or comfortable. But my whiskers are fine enough that Derby handled them ok for the most part, and I got too many weepers too easily with GP.
Voskhod (2-0) > Shark (2-0): I'd gotten some of my best shaves to this point with the Shark, but it was very ordinary this time around and my Voskhod shaves were excellent.

ROUND 4
Feather (2-1) > Derby (2-1): Derby out! The sharpest blade vs probably the dullest of the sampler. Feather soundly outperformed Derby here. Maybe my technique is finally coming around?

(I originally planned to get creative with a 3-way final round, since I'd only have 1 blade left for the winner of round 4. But as luck would have it, I have 2 Feathers that I was PIFed awhile ago and haven't used yet, so problem solved!)

LOSER BRACKET FINAL
Shark (2-1) < Feather (3-1): Shark out! Closest matchup yet. When my technique is off, Feather really makes me pay. But when my touch is light and technique is on, Feather beats anything Shark can do.

FINAL
Voskhod (3-0) > Feather (4-1): Feather out! Round 1 rematch was a dead heat until the last shave, but Feather couldn't finish strong. VOSKHOD WINS!!!

 

[Balin]

Awesome write up!! That is a great way to compare and contrast blades. I may have to use my Voskhods next week!! Lately I have just been trying to finish up all of my open tucks. I have 11 open tucks with 48 blades to go through, ugh that will take me 6 months at least, lol.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Terrific experiment, @T-Bone! Good idea to get 3-4 shaves in with each. What an interesting and surprising outcome.

Like you, I also don't like the Astra SP, I wanted to and it seems like everyone else does. Unlike you, the Voskhod don't work for me at all. I thought they were supposed to be medium sharpness and have great coatings, so I really wanted to like them.

Are you planning to try other blades? I've been doing too many razor changes, so have been sticking with one blade to keep that constant instead. I hope to try a few more blades, but have been more curious about razors.

 

[T Bone]

Awesome write up!! That is a great way to compare and contrast blades. I may have to use my Voskhods next week!! Lately I have just been trying to finish up all of my open tucks. I have 11 open tucks with 48 blades to go through, ugh that will take me 6 months at least, lol.

Thanks, I had fun doing it. Though I have to say I'm looking forward to just using whichever blade I want for a little while. Do I go with Voskhods for a few weeks and just work on my technique with a known blade? Try one of many completely new blades I've acquired in the last year? I don't know!

 

[spacemonkey42]

The best part is...

...THERE IS NO WRONG ANSWER!​

Have fun, T-Bone!

 

[T Bone]

Unlike you, the Voskhod don't work for me at all. I thought they were supposed to be medium sharpness and have great coatings, so I really wanted to like them.

According to this, they're in the medium/sharp range, similar to Gillette Platinum, GSB, and 7 O'Clock greens. I haven't tried the latter 2, but for whatever reason, the Voskhods work better for me than the GPs, fewer weepers. It could be the coating, I suppose - Shark Platinum is also my least favorite of the Shark family. As I get better, I think some sharper blades could eventually pass up Voskhod. The final Voskhod vs. Feather matchup was close, whereas the round 1 matchup from probably a year ago was not. My beard isn't particularly thick, but as my salt-and-pepper goatee area is becoming more salt than pepper, it's getting more wiry. Sharper blades definitely work better there, and with better technique, I'm hoping my weeper frequency with the sharper blades continues to decline.

Are you planning to try other blades? I've been doing too many razor changes, so have been sticking with one blade to keep that constant instead. I hope to try a few more blades, but have been more curious about razors.

Definitely! I'm going to take some time working on technique with Voskhods for a little while, throwing in an occasional other blade from my inventory for a little variety.

But I have my eye on this sampler at some point! I just need to work out how to go through it, since double-elimination has been done. I'm thinking World Cup style maybe - draw them into groups of 4, with the group winners going to a knockout round! Anyway, I'm not buying it tomorrow, so I have time to work out the details. I estimate that to be a 5-year project at least though! I haven't bothered to use the journal section yet, but I might have to for that...

 

[Slock]

According to this, they're in the medium/sharp range, similar to Gillette Platinum, GSB, and 7 O'Clock greens. I haven't tried the latter 2, but for whatever reason, the Voskhods work better for me than the GPs, fewer weepers. It could be the coating, I suppose - Shark Platinum is also my least favorite of the Shark family. As I get better, I think some sharper blades could eventually pass up Voskhod. The final Voskhod vs. Feather matchup was close, whereas the round 1 matchup from probably a year ago was not. My beard isn't particularly thick, but as my salt-and-pepper goatee area is becoming more salt than pepper, it's getting more wiry. Sharper blades definitely work better there, and with better technique, I'm hoping my weeper frequency with the sharper blades continues to decline.


Definitely! I'm going to take some time working on technique with Voskhods for a little while, throwing in an occasional other blade from my inventory for a little variety.

But I have my eye on this sampler at some point! I just need to work out how to go through it, since double-elimination has been done. I'm thinking World Cup style maybe - draw them into groups of 4, with the group winners going to a knockout round! Anyway, I'm not buying it tomorrow, so I have time to work out the details. I estimate that to be a 5-year project at least though! I haven't bothered to use the journal section yet, but I might have to for that...

Pease use an elimination tree. Like they do for playoffs.

 

[T Bone]

Pease use an elimination tree. Like they do for playoffs.

LOL, I'll see what I can do!

 

[spacemonkey42]

TWO GO IN! ONE COME OUT!!

 

[spacemonkey42]

I sent off some blades to the Great Blade Exchange, so I'll get to try a few more. Maybe others in this group might want to try that as well. Such a kind service from dmshaver. I'm not looking for 100 different types, I've found I need a sharper blade for my conditions. I too used the Refined Shave site to decide on blades to try. While I think there is good information there and the author did a great job, it isn't necessarily consistent with what I experience. For instance the Voskhod is listed as medium sharpness and consistent. It also known for its coatings making for a smoother shave. So I bought a 100-pack thinking it could be a reference blade for me. But I found it to be too dull to even use. I gave some blades to a friend and he couldn't even do a pass with them. Perhaps I got a very bad batch (ordered recently), but they don't work for me. Likewise he said the Perma-Sharp is very sharp, but not consistent. I agree with the very sharp, but I find it to be consistent. I can't tell the difference between it and the Nacet. Regardless, I am grateful for him trying to measure this.

I am still trying all kinds of razors. For the past couple of weeks and the next few, I am using my Supply SE. The rigid injector blade provides a smooth shave, much better than I was getting from the aluminum Lupo I used before that.

I know I said I didn't want to go down the rabbit hole of soaps, but I have been getting a couple tiny weepers/nicks lately. They are so small they close up by the time I rinse or shower. But perhaps I have become too lax with my lather. So I think I am going to spend more time whipping it up. One of my confusions is that even with only a small amount of loading the soap onto my brush, I get a bowl full of lather that is way more than I need for a 3-pass shave. So I am not sure if I need to adjust anything, but might as well experiment with that while I use a single razor for about a month.

 

[T Bone]

I sent off some blades to the Great Blade Exchange, so I'll get to try a few more. Maybe others in this group might want to try that as well. Such a kind service from dmshaver.

I'm sure I'll hit that at some point as well.

I too used the Refined Shave site to decide on blades to try. While I think there is good information there and the author did a great job, it isn't necessarily consistent with what I experience.

The thing I like about it is that it's actual measured data. So much about shaving is YMMV and personal preference, but sharpness of a blade is actually quantifiable. I'm sure it's not perfect, I don't know how accurate the method is or how reproducible the data is, especially the sharpness after x shaves. But if you sort by new blade or average sharpness, it seems to put the blades in a reasonable order. It may not be perfect, but it seems like a pretty good guide.

Obviously there's more to a blade than sharpness. Feather may or may not give a person a better shave than a Derby Extra. But at least one can factually say that Feather is sharper than Derby Extra.

I know I said I didn't want to go down the rabbit hole of soaps, but I have been getting a couple tiny weepers/nicks lately. They are so small they close up by the time I rinse or shower. But perhaps I have become too lax with my lather. So I think I am going to spend more time whipping it up. One of my confusions is that even with only a small amount of loading the soap onto my brush, I get a bowl full of lather that is way more than I need for a 3-pass shave. So I am not sure if I need to adjust anything, but might as well experiment with that while I use a single razor for about a month.

I was thinking about this recently. I haven't tried a lot, maybe 5 different soaps and 3 creams that I can think of. But based on that limited sample size, my hot take is: Soap doesn't matter. Seriously. Not for shave quality, anyway. It can affect your enjoyment of a shave, if you like or dislike the scent for example. And obviously if your skin is sensitive to an ingredient, that's no good. But everyone talks about slickness. As long as I make a good lather, all the ones I've tried are plenty slick as far as I'm concerned. I can't differentiate one soap's slickness from another. (And don't even get me started on "cushion"!) Maybe someone can convince me otherwise, or maybe this is just another YMMV thing.

 

[Guido75]

Morning gentlemen! I just came across this thread for the first time and had a blast reading your experiences and stories. As usual I am fairly late to the party, but I started wet shaving in December 2021 so technically that does make me part of the freshman year.

I enjoyed my KCG for a couple of months and then wanted to see if I could increase my effectiveness. Searched online and came across B&B. Found excellent advice and improve my shaves. Joined B&B in March of this year to thank some of the folks that helped me improve my shave. Got into the threads and really bought into the hobby and since joining every aspect of the shave exploded: multiple razors, blades until I’m 80, soaps for at least a year, brushes - gotta have brushes, and two holy grail razors (a birth quarter razor very generously and kindly donated by none other than @Curly Straight and a Timeless which was a huge surprise gift from Butch Waxx).

Long story short - would you mind accepting my application to join my freshman year?

Cheers,

Guido

 

[T Bone]

Hey @Guido75, I’m in awe of your Holy Grail stories, and have enjoyed your participation PIF posts. Welcome to the class of ‘21! Sounds like you’ve been down every rabbit hole - have any favorites emerged?

 

[Guido75]

I know these might be already been addressed as they have been posted quite some time ago, but wanted to chip in nonetheless.

“Have you experimented with different blades in the same razor which yield significantly different results?”

Definitely! My first razor, a KCG, does an excellent job with a KCG blade, but becomes too mild with a Tiger Platinum. Blade and razor combination are the way to shaving nirvana in my view. If you can get that combination right, you can have an excellent shave with just about any razor.

“Though many advise against ‘shaving against the grain’, have any of you tried it and gotten a closer shave?”

I have shaved ATG from the start as I also did this back in my Sensor days. More out of automation than deliberation - haven't given it a lot of thought. I do need an ATG to have a really BBS close shave. Again, depends on the razor. My Flatboy (not a typo) does go to DFS+/BBS levels with only WTG.

“Do you use a shave bowl, a scuttle, or face-lather?”

I have a Proraso shave bowl and some shaving mugs. No scuttle (yet!) and I occasionally face-lather.

“Soap or cream?”

Both. Currently two creams, some croaps and some hard soaps.

Guido.

 

[Guido75]

Hey @Guido75, I’m in awe of your Holy Grail stories, and have enjoyed your participation PIF posts. Welcome to the class of ‘21! Sounds like you’ve been down every rabbit hole - have any favorites emerged?

Thanks for the welcome and feedback T-Bone!

I have indeed seen a number of rabbit holes already. And have identified a number of favorites along the way too:

Razors: Timeless Ti95, R41, Fatip Piccolo, NEW Improved, Matador Deluxe and Tech (but I must admit, every razor in my collection is a favorite!)
Blades: KCG, Dorco Titan, Feather, Gillette 365
Brushes: Razorock 400 Plissoft and Kox Blue Synthetic (from a local shaving shop)
Soap: Proraso Green and Dutchy Bergamot. Tabac is great in lathering, but I still am coming to grips with the scent.

And the journey continues fortunately!!

Cheers,

Guido.

 

[Tillerman]

I am also in the class of 2021. I started on late February and don't know how I missed this thread. Will try to catch up on the posts.
Quick history. I started with Cremo and RR GC .68. Finally bought a Semogue boar brush and a shaving soap I bought at a local farmers market. Since then I added a Gillette Aristocrat and was gifted a Gillette new type, and also purchased a RR Lupo.72 and added a open comb .84 plate to the GC. I don't use the Gillette razors preferring the newer ones. I was also gifted some soaps and bought some RR What the Puck soaps to
put in a couple if old spice shaving mugs. I just ordered a Semogue owners club boar and some more RR soaps. I have a variety if blades, but prefer Nacets and bics in the Lupo, and a variety if milder blades in the GC oc.(Treet ).
That is about it. I have come a long way since I started. Going to try follow gentlemanly restraint until the end of next year. Will see how that goes.

 

[Tillerman]

OK Gents, along the line of bad shaves we’ve all experienced I’d like to flip the coin over. I’ve read several posts here on blades that actually get better over time. So without showing my ignorance to the entire B&B brotherhood first, I’ll post it here, since it seems we three are the only posters!

Have any of you gotten better shaves on a used blade? I generally toss my blade after each shave, no more than two shaves per blade. Now y’all know how ignorant I am. Anyone else want to add to the experience?

Curly

Yes I feel blades do get better. Bic and nacet really come to mind. Treet pretty smooth right out of the package.

 

[Tillerman]

I am also in the class of 2021. I started on late February and don't know how I missed this thread. Will try to catch up on the posts.
Quick history. I started with Cremo and RR GC .68. Finally bought a Semogue boar brush and a shaving soap I bought at a local farmers market. Since then I added a Gillette Aristocrat and was gifted a Gillette new type, and also purchased a RR Lupo.72 and added a open comb .84 plate to the GC. I don't use the Gillette razors preferring the newer ones. I was also gifted some soaps and bought some RR What the Puck soaps to
put in a couple if old spice shaving mugs. I just ordered a Semogue owners club boar and some more RR soaps. I have a variety if blades, but prefer Nacets and bics in the Lupo, and a variety if milder blades in the GC oc.(Treet ).
That is about it. I have come a long way since I started. Going to try follow gentlemanly restraint until the end of next year. Will see how that goes.

Got my years wrong. 2022 my bad