A newbie’s journey into DE shaving

[blethenstrom]

Well, to give you guyes some handle on the challenge I am looking at:

Spoiler: Trying not to disturb Boris

At present I have about 50-55 open tucks with one or more blades in them. Let's conservatively say each tuck carries 3 blades I am looking at 150 blades and on average I get 7-10 shaves from a blade. So that's at least 1,050 shaves, divided by 365 days in a year: approximately 2.8 years before I can join Boris' Tuck At A Time club.

I haven't touched my blade stock for the last two years I think. So plenty of blades left when I get these 150 out of the way. To Larry's point - most of them are alright for me, but certainly not all of them. And yes, I have fewer blades I really like than I have blades in my stash. So I will not be restocking until...probably forever. I think I have about 35-40 years worth of shaves in my cabinet!

*Boris hears some mumbling in the distance and wakes from his slumber* What is this I hear regarding open tucks. Hmmm my dear @Guido75 we will not exclude anyone wanting to participate in TaaT. All you have to do is use one tuck at a time, whether it has 1 or 5 blades in it, until used up before moving on to the next one. We do not hang our previously sinful life hanging over each other's heads. We all went through a bit of a cleanup before being pure and clean in spirit and soul.

 

[Guido75]

17.07.2024

• Guido75
• Jul 16, 2024

Blackland Blackbird • Personna Chrome Platinum (10) • Abe’s Brush Works Saturn Synbad • Mike’s...

Date	17.07.2024
366 daily shaves	199/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Blackland Blackbird	Personna Chrome Platinum (9/10)	Abe’s Brush Works Saturn Synbad
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash	Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (124)	Cold splash Proraso Green Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Process Quality	Blade Sharpness
9.75/10 (Minor redness)	6/10 (Razor Sharp)
Effectiveness	Shave Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS+++)	8/10 (Smooth)

Notes:

Back to my Top 3 rotation and today the Blackbird is on bat. Excellent shave! Pairing with the Personna did not result in a match made in heaven. Could be the commotion of the blade of course, but it made the BB feel harsher than necessary.

I love the softness of this Synbad knot. Floppy is more like it, but it can produce great lather and is extremely fun to use when face lathering. Soap continues to perform and perform well. Very glad and grateful this came my way last year!

Paid extra attention to my constancy next to my consistency. Worked out as planned. But I am also BOSC baby! So I adjusted my approach on the jawline slightly. It bears mentioning that my first initial strokes are horizontal and in the side burn area - it’s just a short stroke the size of my side burn in accordance with my growth map. I decided to extend the last stroke (around the ear lobe and jaw bone joint) outwards and shave from joint to chin while tucking in my chin. It was effective, but not necessarily comfortable to the extent I like and that’s because extending that stroke on the jawline goes from WTG at the joint to ATG in the direction of the chin. That goes for both sides of my face. So the idea was logical. Execution was good. Repetition unlikely. Shave and learn. Shave and learn!

Enjoy your shave today!

 

[Guido75]

Date	18.07.2024
366 daily shaves	200/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette NEW SC	Personna Chrome Platinum (10/11)	Abe’s Brush Works Smokey Bandit
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash	Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (125+126)	Cold splash Proraso Green Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Process Quality	Blade Sharpness
9/10 (Minor reddit)	6/10 (Razor Sharp)
Effectiveness	Shave Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS+++)	8/10 (Smooth)

Notes:

After using the LC I just had to follow up with the SC naturally. This is a particularly smooth yet very effective little razor. More blade feel than the LC I would say. I felt the Personna was degrading in performance so I stropped it on the Twinplex for 100 laps.

The Sylk knot is set rather low in the handle and therefore has a lot of backbone to it. It is the closest to my Plissoft as I can get. In my feel anyways.

Technique largely consistent. I was to focus on the condition of the blade to be constant. Some weepers following the aggression of the razor with this stropped blade. They closed with the final rising. Aftershave stung like hell of course. Temporary. The blade is gone no doubt, but I will check tomorrow. Overall a smooth shave so I’m good in my book!

Enjoy your shave today!

 

[Guido75]

Date	19.07.2024
366 daily shaves	201/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Super Speed V2	Personna Chrome Platinum (11/12)	Razorock 400 Butterscotch
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash	Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (127)	Cold splash Proraso Green Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Process Quality	Blade Sharpness
8/10 (Weepers)	5/10 (Sharp Edge)
Effectiveness	Shave Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS+++)	7/10 (Comfortable)

Notes:

This shave is all about our brother and my friend Mitch @mgweatherly who is celebrating his birthday today!

So I decided to take out my Mitch razor although honestly I could choose and pick as Mitch provided more than one! But one that is very special to me is this black handled Super Speed. Why? Well back in 2022 Mitch reached out to supply my son with a Gillette Slim to kickstart his DE shaving career. The razor landed on our doorstep the day of his birthday so timing was absolutely perfect and he has been shaving with that Slim ever since. A fine razor in excellent condition - a gift for life and I was touched, like so many times before, by the nature of this forum. Mitch went beyond however and slipped in this birth year super speed for me. I was over the moon!! And on top of that it is an excellent razor!

The blade is decreasing in comfort and effectiveness, but I want to BOSC it one more shave and see what happens if I hone it with my Allegro. Otherwise it is gone!

I wanted to match Mitch in his brushes so I went for the black knotted RR400 - which is an absolute pleasure to use and a treasured gift from Boris @blethenstrom in itself. Lather was perfect of course and face lathering a huge joy. I will repeat my mantra that everybody needs a 400 brush!

Technique was largely on par with my ideal patterns. Had multiple weepers because of the condition of the blade, but aftershave fixed that afterwards and I feel very smooth at the moment. Very nice and a great start of the day in my book!

Mitch, enjoy your day today and I wish you health and prosperity for years and years to come!

Enjoy your shave today!

 

[mgweatherly]

Mitch, enjoy your day today and I wish you health and prosperity for years and years to come!

Thank you so much my friend. I'm thrilled that you enjoy the SuperSpeed and that your son is enjoying the Slim. That is all the gift I need. What an amazing community we share.

 

[Teutonblade]

Thank you so much my friend. I'm thrilled that you enjoy the SuperSpeed and that your son is enjoying the Slim. That is all the gift I need. What an amazing community we share.

Happy birthday @mgweatherly !

 

[Guido75]

Date	20.07.2024
366 daily shaves	202/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Lambda Athena	Personna Chrome Platinum (13)	Omega 10098 Pro
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash	Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (128)	Cold splash Proraso Green Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Process Quality	Blade Sharpness
7/10 (Multiple Weepers)	4/10 (Sharpish)
Effectiveness	Shave Comfort
7/10 (DFS)	6/10 (Harsh)

Notes:

There’s tomorrow’s shave! All on the blade which was past its life span 2 shaves ago. I tried to follow up ATG with my Schick G1, but SE razors are great for my scalp not my face. I still have a little bit of a burning sensation. Ah well, it doesn’t always go my way. Maybe it’s also because I have been a bit under the weather this week.

All other actors including the marvellous Athena were performing to their abilities and were a joy to use.

I sense mild defeat! My son confessed over dinner he’d been using his disposable since coming back from vacation! . I put a mild blade in his Slim and will had a chat later today and turn my little Sith back into a Skywalker again - I see this in a BOSC way: he is experimenting to conclude DE is indeed the best way to go.

Enjoy your shave today!

 

[lasta]

 

[WhiskerLess]

 

[Guido75]

Is this a new Italian razor? It has been around for some time now, but I see very little mentionings in the threads. @Mr Konrad Dundee - any thoughts?

Sbarba Mjolnir:

https://www.sbarba.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Photoroom_001_20240511_174220.webp

Read it resembles Karve B or C plates, but I cannot find any specs. Full stainless steel.

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

Is this a new Italian razor? It has been around for some time now, but I see very little mentionings in the threads. @Mr Konrad Dundee - any thoughts?

Sbarba Mjolnir:

https://www.sbarba.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Photoroom_001_20240511_174220.webp

Read it resembles Karve B or C plates, but I cannot find any specs. Full stainless steel.

Yes, the razor is produced by the owner of the "Sbarba" site
I've never had the curiosity to take it, but from the reviews the normal version is very delicate "like an ASD-2" while the "strong" version is slightly more effective, but given the manufacturer's preferences...I don't think you'll be interested
I would say no

 

[Guido75]

Yes, the razor is produced by the owner of the "Sbarba" site
I've never had the curiosity to take it, but from the reviews the normal version is very delicate "like an ASD-2" while the "strong" version is slightly more effective, but given the manufacturer's preferences...I don't think you'll be interested
I would say no

Thanks! Helpful!!

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

Thanks! Helpful!!

A pleasure to be able to help

 

[LRod]

Is this a new Italian razor? It has been around for some time now, but I see very little mentionings in the threads. @Mr Konrad Dundee - any thoughts?

Sbarba Mjolnir:

https://www.sbarba.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Photoroom_001_20240511_174220.webp

Read it resembles Karve B or C plates, but I cannot find any specs. Full stainless steel.

No specs in terms of gap/exposure and looks like they only ship inside of Italy. Don't see it sold anywhere else!
Looks to be expensive considering that Italian razors are usually relatively inexpensive (with the exception of the Focus stainless razor).
Goodfellas' Syntesi is less money than that Sbarba and is already a proven design!
Pass for me!

 

[Guido75]

No specs in terms of gap/exposure and looks like they only ship inside of Italy. Don't see it sold anywhere else!
Looks to be expensive considering that Italian razors are usually relatively inexpensive (with the exception of the Focus stainless razor).
Goodfellas' Syntesi is less money than that Sbarba and is already a proven design!
Pass for me!

That’s why I was wondering Larry. I can select my country, but it does say contact for further information. I was curious about the specs and so on, but as you mentioned nothing. But it’s ok to pass I think so too. I like the design though. Handle looks solid!

As of I need another razor! Haha! I am so hoping Theo is too busy with other metals he postpones the Area v1 until next year!

Guido

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

No specs in terms of gap/exposure and looks like they only ship inside of Italy. Don't see it sold anywhere else!
Looks to be expensive considering that Italian razors are usually relatively inexpensive (with the exception of the Focus stainless razor).
Goodfellas' Syntesi is less money than that Sbarba and is already a proven design!
Pass for me!

It's a small online store, it doesn't have many pretensions
The razor was made for their little community

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

That’s why I was wondering Larry. I can select my country, but it does say contact for further information. I was curious about the specs and so on, but as you mentioned nothing. But it’s ok to pass I think so too. I like the design though. Handle looks solid!

As of I need another razor! Haha! I am so hoping Theo is too busy with other metals he postpones the Area v1 until next year!

Guido

Who knows why you were interested in the V1

 

[Guido75]

Who knows why you were interested in the V1

I know the answer to that one!

A pleasure to be able to help

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

I know the answer to that one!

 

[LRod]

That’s why I was wondering Larry. I can select my country, but it does say contact for further information. I was curious about the specs and so on, but as you mentioned nothing. But it’s ok to pass I think so too. I like the design though. Handle looks solid!

As of I need another razor! Haha! I am so hoping Theo is too busy with other metals he postpones the Area v1 until next year!

Guido

Don't get me wrong, it looks pretty and I'm sure it's good but I'd like to see some specs. Or at least some reviews indicating what it's like! But I still think that the price is a little steep for an Italy built razor. Currency exchanged to USD + shipping (which is usually really high from Italy) would make it a no go as compared to other razors that are more accessible.
Thanks for showing it though, I like to see everything that's out there!
Maybe later on it'll be available from other vendors!