4 Month May-August Sabbatical (QUADSAB)

[Burundian Hawk]

@RumpleBearskin has awesome straights. I always enjoyed seeing them on the SR threads. Though I have to say I have no clue what that Rolls even is.

Brush is the Oumo badger-boar mix knot on the Charcoal Goods aluminum handle that I've really been enjoying - gives the splay of badger with the backbone of boar, if that makes any sense. Both were purchased on from B&B forum members. That and my horsehair are my two standbys.

Myself i have no clue about straight razors in general. But i do like mixed boar/badgers! I have the Vulfix Grosvenor 404. One of my favourite brushes because of the balance. I prefer it over my 2 Simpson badgers. Imagine that! I am probably the only one in the forum that would write such a thing, but what can you do. My cheek has its own opinions!

I looked up a YouTube video of that Rolls. Crazy. I'm almost tempted to try one out - but QUADSAB rules!

Dear sir, my brief (failing) experience with GRUME, taught me this:
1) Don't open emails from vendors.
2) Don't go to shaving supplies sites for...sightseeing.
3) Don't look at the "what did you purchase today" thread. Danger, danger, danger!
4) The less "SOTD" you look at, the better it is. Because you get strange ideas looking at others' photos. For instance, now that you spoke of boar/badger, in the back of my head, i have this idea...In the next QUADSAB to make an exception for a Semogue mixture... See how one innocent thing brings another and then it all becomes like an avalanche and before you know it you buy more?!


* Today's shave, features "The Cream Killer" horse. That's his new name. It eats the Proraso cream for breakfast. I tried to paint only. It worked, but lather thinner than my usual "swirly" lather. This brush absorbs a ton of water. I gave it a good shake, but it seemed to hold much water too.

In total, i have consumed about 8.5cm of Proraso cream reloading 1cm at a time, trying to make enough lather, while face lathering. Hence why the name "Cream Killer". I BARELY made it for the 3rd pass. The poor Proraso tube doesn't know what hit it. Fortunately, i am glad if i finish it quickly, so that i can open something new... If all my brushes were to eat so much soap at each shave, i wouldn't need to be in Sabbatical! Also, not being accustomed to "painting", i made a whole mess of myself and the bathroom floor. My wife saw me and said "are you only now learning how to shave? You made more mess than a 5 year old".


On the bright side, i feel like the Burundian Leonardo da Vinci! Finally i put the 16GB of RAM to good use! My best creation ever! I am impressed with myself!

Happy shaves, all!

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Let the sabbatical begin!
View attachment 1261488
Wolfman WR2 with King C Gillette blade, CBL Homme soap, Elite Razor Irish Bog Oak Brush with Plissoft Synth knot, and some vintage AVON Tribute A/S

I like plissoft too and i like the razor handle!

 

[RumpleBearskin]

So, the first "official" QUADSAB 2 shave. And it's MicroMaticMonday (MMM) as well.

GEM Bumpless Micromatic OC (BMMOC) / GEM Personna SS PTFE
MdC Fougere
Heritage Collection Merit 99-5
TOBS Eaton College

After the Rolls yesterday I knew there would be more growth than usual and the BMMOC worked like a "GEM". (See what I did there?) Three smooth passes and DFS++.

QUADSAB 2 is of to a great official start!

 

[Burundian Hawk]

So, the first "official" QUADSAB 2 shave. And it's MicroMaticMonday (MMM) as well.
View attachment 1261632
GEM Bumpless Micromatic OC (BMMOC) / GEM Personna SS PTFE
MdC Fougere
Heritage Collection Merit 99-5
TOBS Eaton College

After the Rolls yesterday I knew there would be more growth than usual and the BMMOC worked like a "GEM". (See what I did there?) Three smooth passes and DFS++.

QUADSAB 2 is of to a great official start!

Yes, even i saw the play of words! This is the strangest brush handle i have ever seen! I suppose you bowl lather. Nice silvertip.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

I mostly use my scuttle. Love that warm lather!

I face lather my Arko and Valobra sticks, and my Mogno "bar" soap. I occasionally face lather other soaps when the mood strikes.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

I mostly use my scuttle. Love that warm lather!

I face lather my Arko and Valobra sticks, and my Mogno "bar" soap. I occasionally face lather other soaps when the mood strikes.

It makes sense. I suppose you use the Duke or other, shorter handle brushes to face lather. Because i was looking at that handle and i couldn't figure how i should hold it to face lather. It looks like 100% handle for bowl latherers.

 

[JWCowboy]

So, the first "official" QUADSAB 2 shave. And it's MicroMaticMonday (MMM) as well.
View attachment 1261632
GEM Bumpless Micromatic OC (BMMOC) / GEM Personna SS PTFE
MdC Fougere
Heritage Collection Merit 99-5
TOBS Eaton College

After the Rolls yesterday I knew there would be more growth than usual and the BMMOC worked like a "GEM". (See what I did there?) Three smooth passes and DFS++.

QUADSAB 2 is of to a great official start!

That is a gorgeous brush.....

 

[JWCowboy]

I really like this image @Burundian Hawk choose. It just seems like the perfect metaphor for this journey.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Todays' shave with my favorite badger! Unfortunately lack of concentration and a new Dorco ST301, which traditionally i don't like in the 1st shave, resulted in 1 weeper at the moustache area. Well, what can do... Otherwise a good shave. Compare the Proraso tube with the previous photo. The amount missing is what the horse ate!

At any case, the synthetics beat any animal brush, hands down and with lesser product. I think the only other brush that i may buy in the future, will be a synthetic. Maybe a Trafalgar. Not that i need it. Or a Yaqi Everest... I will probably put an exception for "a brush" in the next QUADSAB and it will be a synthetic. Just for variety's sake, although i love my Yaqis and have all kinds of backbone with them.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

Maybe a Trafalgar.

Oh! Oh! Maybe a trade? I have a almost new Trafalgar T3 synthetic that I'm not that fond of and gets no love in my house. Watcha got? Whatcha got?

 

[RumpleBearskin]

QUADSAB 2, Shave #2 (no, I won't post them all)

Rigarazor, 7/8”, French Point
WK Fougere Bouquet
CRV
Pinaud Clubman

A wicked close shave from a wicked French Point today. Care must be taken! But the result was pure BBS with no alum feedback and almost no AS burn. Glorious!

 

[JWCowboy]

QUADSAB 2, Shave #2 (no, I won't post them all)
View attachment 1262035
Rigarazor, 7/8”, French Point
WK Fougere Bouquet
CRV
Pinaud Clubman

A wicked close shave from a wicked French Point today. Care must be taken! But the result was pure BBS with no alum feedback and almost no AS burn. Glorious!

That is a gorgeous brush.....feel like I said that before......

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Oh! Oh! Maybe a trade? I have a almost new Trafalgar T3 synthetic that I'm not that fond of and gets no love in my house. Watcha got? Whatcha got?

Why, thank you for the offer! However, i am not entirely sold on the Trafalgar yet. I have only Yaqi synthetics (well, some older fibers too, but they are worse than any Yaqi, so...), but i am not parting with any of my Yaqis, that is for sure! Yesterday i was thinking about a mixture, today of synthetic, who knows. I also have an idea that Yaqi might be out with an Everest with better handle for 11/11, so in that case, i would never get the Trafalgar... I also have an alternative theory about an Omega Evo. I like the handles more than the Simpson. And yet another of what if Simpson comes out with a Ruby handle Trafalgar for Christmas, like they did for synthetic Colonel and Chubby... In that case i should get that.

By November that 11/11 comes and also Black Friday comes, i will probably have a more clear idea of what brush i would like. Well, there is also a very nice Zenith handle i like, but the knots are 30mm. I can't stand such big brushes.

I thank you very much, all the same, though sir!

 

[Burundian Hawk]

@RumpleBearskin Since we are here, how would you describe the Trafalgar? Here it is still a new brush and i am more interested on a comparison with a Plissoft, but i have yet to find one, unfortunaly. I hope that as time passes by, i will find some. One thing that made me worried of the Trafalgar, aside the Simpson reputation for high backbone, is that i did find a video yesterday, where a youtube "celebrity", made a paragon of the Trafalgar being "like a tuxedo". This is my worst Yaqi knot. I don't want more tuxedo-like brushes. However, he didn't show any comparison with tuxedo.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

@Burundian Hawk - I don't have a lot of synthetics do may not be the best source for a review... My world of experience consists of:

• A 5 or 6 year old WCS synthetic I picked up for travel. Fine, but a bit 'pokey' for face lathering.
• A Maggard's 26mm Black and White that I love for both face and bowl.
• The Trafalgar

I find the softness of the Trafalgar to be exquisite, but it tends to not hold water/lather for me. As a result I end up with a mess all over the handle and my hand. And, to me, there's too much backbone to have the tips flex like my Badgers do. Too much scritch. I WANT to like it, but don't really enjoy it.

All in all it's a very nice brush, but I have better badgers and even one synthetic I like more then the Trafalgar, so it's not getting much love here.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

@Burundian Hawk - I don't have a lot of synthetics do may not be the best source for a review... My world of experience consists of:

• A 5 or 6 year old WCS synthetic I picked up for travel. Fine, but a bit 'pokey' for face lathering.
• A Maggard's 26mm Black and White that I love for both face and bowl.
• The Trafalgar

I find the softness of the Trafalgar to be exquisite, but it tends to not hold water/lather for me. As a result I end up with a mess all over the handle and my hand. And, to me, there's too much backbone to have the tips flex like my Badgers do. Too much scritch. I WANT to like it, but don't really enjoy it.

All in all it's a very nice brush, but I have better badgers and even one synthetic I like more then the Trafalgar, so it's not getting much love here.

Thank you very much! This is what i was afraid. Your "black and white", is probably a tuxedo. Black bottom with white upper part. This is my worst type of Yaqi. The backbone is higher than i like. But i like it well enough to use it. And like you say, i like brushes that splay and flex... Which is why i prefer the Timberwolf and the Plissofts. And why i haven't rushed to grab a Trafalgar too, because being a Simpson i was always worried that it would be like you describe, per Simpson tradition.

Thank you very much, sir. You are making my decision easier. No Trafalgar for me. In the next QUADSAB i will go for something else. Maybe a mixture from Semogue or Omega... Or another Yaqi...We will see...

 

[Burundian Hawk]

As usual, shave #2 with the Dorco ST301 was a smooth one. An easy shave.

 

[Jmp63]

Speaking of trades already I see! oh boyo! Hang on y’all! Lol I do have a trade up on the BST currently. Take a look, not much left.

Trading been a great way for me to stay sane and keep the ADs at bay during the sabbatical.

I’m still in!
SOTD
Razor: Karve SS SB-B
Blade: PolSilver (5)
Brush: 26mm Timberwolf
Bowl: Timeless
Soap: Cella XX
A/S: Old Spice Pure Sport
Have a great day y’all!

 

[Burundian Hawk]

@Jmp63 Thank you for the information sir, but personally, i am full and i have made enough new purchases in April to keep me happy for long time. It will be next year and i will still be opening new soaps i haven't used before. Better not think of anything else. In the next QUADSAB, i will probably put an exception as precaution. This should be enough to keep me "safe".

This is officially now my best pure badger. It dethroned the Simpson pure in scratchiness.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

Joseph Smith, "Universally Approved Concave Razor Set Ready For Use"
Murphy & McNeil Nantahala (Sample)
Heritage Collection Ever-Ready 200
Hazlett's Apothecary 1888

Found some M&M samples my daughter gave me. Fun stuff!