Same here.I’m liking that brush more and more Guido!!
A newbie’s journey into DE shaving
- Thread starter Guido75
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- #1,142
I’m liking that brush more and more Guido!!
We are legion in liking your Zenith, hombré
I've tried a variety of boar brushes at this point. I think most people could easily stop once they've tried a Zenith boar. There are enough great handles from them as well, depending on preference. I've been slowly paring down my boar brushes.... I plan to have just my 4 Zenith brushes remaining in that category. And I wouldn't discount the Zenith Manchurian badgers either.... not the cheapest badger by any stretch.... but mine is excellent, with its 506 solid copper handle.
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- #1,145
Thanks Kim - all those talks you guys are having about brushes is starting to rub off! I am pretty much a synthetic brusher, but I might just turn into a convert. I was just at the dentist and while in the waiting room found myself looking up Zenith brushes at my favourite websites!!I've tried a variety of boar brushes at this point. I think most people could easily stop once they've tried a Zenith boar. There are enough great handles from them as well, depending on preference. I've been slowly paring down my boar brushes.... I plan to have just my 4 Zenith brushes remaining in that category. And I wouldn't discount the Zenith Manchurian badgers either.... not the cheapest badger by any stretch.... but mine is excellent, with its 506 solid copper handle.
Tomorrow I will use my Proraso boar to see if I have learned something while working with this Zenith.
Cheers,
Guido
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- #1,146
| Date | 05.04.2023 |
| 365 daily shaves / GRUYERE | 95/365 (100%) |
| GRUME April / Soap of the Month Club(SOTMC) / Vintage April | 05/30 (100%) |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Gillette Aristocrat | Astra SP (3) | Razorock Plissoft 400 |
| Soap | Passes (patterns 3:here and 2.5: here) | Pre- & Post-shave |
| TGS Inferno | WXTG/XATG/ATG | Cold splash Floïd |
| Efficiency (scoring details here) | Quality |
| 8/10 (~20 minutes) | 8/10 (minor weepers) |
| Effectiveness | Comfort |
| 8/10 (DFS+) | 7/10 (comfortable with harshness) |
| Notes to today’s shave: |
Third shave with the Astra. Yesterday was slightly better than the day before and still not where I normally am with my shaves. I dare say that I find a Tiger Platinum a better blade in comparison. The blade might be a dud of course - cannot rule that out, but so far I was actually expecting a lot more from this blade given its excellent reputation here in various threads. Definitely a showcase for YMMV. Today the blade revived and gave a good performance in terms of end results, but overall I feel razor burn on my skin and even my regular cold splash gave a stingy feeling. That in itself is an achievement for this blade as almost none of my other blades have the same effect - even Tigers are smoother for me. I rule out that it is a pressure issue and more likely the fact that to get to the end result I needed more buffing and therefore more passes of the blade on my skin. Head shave done with my Philishave as the past three shaves with the Astra weren't great on my head. If I combine head shave and face shave by the way this blade this show some longevity - I will give it that.
The razor was pure joy to use and I like it very much. It has a bit of blade feel compared to the Tech (at least in my perception), but is still very comfortable and nimble in operation.
TGS Inferno is not my favorite scent from TGS, but the sample is almost done. In terms of quality this is a great soap that produces a slick and thick lather even when using just a peasize portion. I found a way to avoid the residue in my bowl by using another bowl! I have one of those stainless lather bowls that is part of my chrome razor/brush stand (you know, the classic we all have (had) at some point in time). I never actually used it because I perceived it to be too small, but it is actually a great bowl to use! And it is smooth on the inside and therefore no soap getting stuck behind ridges. Excellent learning! And it also pretty much cushions / quenches my want for another lather bowl. So that's nice too.
Enjoy your shave.
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- #1,147
I wrote earlier that these are Personna Blues because they have a blue wrapper, but the Personna type distinctions are a maze to me. I believe the accurate term should have been Personna Med Blue or Personna Med Prep.
The verdict is still out of I like them or not. Some Personna blades are really great like the Platinum, the Reds and Eddison. And I definitely need to try the vintage pack @lasta send me last year.
Guido
So many wildly different opinions on blades it's crazy. I've read some people absolutely hate the personna platinums and some love them. Just like with the Astra SP.
I just tried the Lab Blues that are supposed to be similar to the Med preps. I had a great first shave with it. Seemed much sharper then the Astra SP and gave a better first shave. For me the Astra SP is good after the first couple shaves and lasts me a long time.
I really have no desire to try a million blades but happy I've played around with some vintage blades and has led me to try out these Personna blades. Maybe I'll use these for the next couple decades if they last me at least a week. I don't ever want to count shaves. I need something simple. Every Sunday would be simple. Or 1st and the 15th like I do with the Astra SPs.
I just tried the Lab Blues that are supposed to be similar to the Med preps. I had a great first shave with it. Seemed much sharper then the Astra SP and gave a better first shave. For me the Astra SP is good after the first couple shaves and lasts me a long time.
I really have no desire to try a million blades but happy I've played around with some vintage blades and has led me to try out these Personna blades. Maybe I'll use these for the next couple decades if they last me at least a week. I don't ever want to count shaves. I need something simple. Every Sunday would be simple. Or 1st and the 15th like I do with the Astra SPs.
I've enjoyed reading your journal. I'm learning some things that may help my morning shaves.
Interesting observation. I really have found only one or two blades I hate (Gillette Blacks which I tried years ago and comes to mind.) I am not a fan of the Astras because, for me, they are not as sharp and smooth as other blades I have tried. At first, I did not like Feather blades because I could not get more than one or two shaves with them. Then I tried the Feather in a mild razor such as the Feather AS-D2 and they worked great. For example, today I got my 7th shave in a row with that combo.
| Pre-Shave | Face wash with Neutrogena Liquid Face Soap |
| Soap/Cream | Martin de Candre |
| Brush | C.O. Bigelow Super |
| Bowl | Captain’s Choice Copper |
| Razor | Feather AS-D2 |
| Blade | Feather |
| Aftershave | Thayers WH & Duke Cannon ASB |
| Fragrance | Versace, The Dreamer |
| Rating | 10/10 |
| Comments | Today’s brush was a gift from my oldest son. He lives in NYC and was in the C.O. Bigelow Apothecary in Manhattan. The brush says it is made in England and is one of my favorite brushes. Some think it was made by Rooney. This is the 65th shave with this wonderful soap. The Feather/Feather combo is on its 7th use. A perfect shave. Have a great day folks. |
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- #1,152
Yes, blades are even more in the eye of the beholder as aggressiveness scales of razors are. I agree though that the Astra felt smoother today compared to the first two shaves. I might revisit the tuck in the near future.
+1 and again one of those blades that gets good press, but I tried them and they were meh to me bordering on harsh and creating razor burn.
Cheers,
Guido
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- #1,153
Most welcome Jay. Glad my musings and ramblings can at least be someone of help!
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- #1,154
| Date | 06.04.2023 |
| 365 daily shaves / GRUYERE | 96/365 (100%) |
| GRUME April / Soap of the Month Club(SOTMC) / Vintage April | 06/30 (100%) |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Matador Deluxe | Dorco ST300HQ (1) | Omega Roma Capitolina |
| Soap | Passes (patterns 3:hereand 2.5: here) | Pre- & Post-shave |
| TGS Inferno | WXTG/XATG/ATG | Cold splash Floïd |
| Efficiency (scoring details here) | Quality |
| 8/10 (~20 minutes) | 8/10 (minor weepers) |
| Effectiveness | Comfort |
| 8/10 (DFS+) | 9/10 (buttery smooth) |
| Notes to today’s shave: |
After the adventures with the Personna Med and Astra blades I decided to go with familiarity for this shave. It felt like home-coming. Buttery smooth bordering on GlideFest and maybe it even was. My neck still felt sensitive from previous shaves so less comfortable there, but all in all the blade’s performance was excellent and the pairing with the Matador is a wonderful one.
TGS Inferno will be done after tomorrow and today was again a great three/four pass lather with just a tiny about of product. A full tub of this soap will go a long way. I wrote in my paper journal that I liked the smoked-scent and overall post-shave feel. The second time using it now I still like the post-shave feel, but the smoked-scent less so. I have developed a liking to lighter and fresher scents. Fortunately there is a lot to choose frome. The brush did very well and using my chrome bowl I whipped up a very nice lather. This bowl also goes to show that you first need to test and use a product or gear before moving on to the next latest and greatest. I really never used it before yesterday. First used a mug and then got my Proraso bowl (which I still like very much) - and then spending hours of research to see if there is a better bowl out there when all this time there was a nice little bowl standing right in front of me.
A very nice shave today. Enjoy yours!
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- #1,156
Thanks Butch - apart from the scent this soap is slicker than a saddle during a rodeo!I like the “Buttery smooth bordering on GlideFest” experience!!
I see that the Astra SP didn't make the cut. Too bad, I was pulling for them, or perhaps they were pulling you? 
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- #1,159
Not ruling them out completely yet Rave. I might have had a dud. So for science I will let the Astra make a second appearance later this month. Perhaps I get better results with a better clamped blade, so I was thinking about loading one in my Old Type.I see that the Astra SP didn't make the cut. Too bad, I was pulling for them, or perhaps they were pulling you?
Must say that they were not tuggy or pulling by any means and I get good end result with them as well. Just the road between start to finish is harsh on my skin. Maybe this blade asks for preshave stuff. I haven’t been using that lately.
Cheers,
Guido
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- #1,160
Did an evening headshave. Still learning, but very pleased with the DFS result.
I am not as effective yet with the ATG. Or I need to figure out my growth pattern better.
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Fatip Piccolo SE OC | Shark Chrome (2) | Omega Proraso |
| Soap | Passes | Pre- & Post-shave |
| MWF | WTG/XTG/ATG | Cold splash Meraki Aloe Vera |
| Efficiency (scoring details here) | Quality |
| 8/10 (~20 minutes) | 10/10 (clean) |
| Effectiveness | Comfort |
| 7.5/10 (DFS) | 9/10 (buttery smooth) |
I am not as effective yet with the ATG. Or I need to figure out my growth pattern better.
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