- Thread starter
- #421
You need to tell me your secret! I might actually get some work done while sleeping!I’m still sleeping but typing in my sleep!
Guido
A newbie’s journey into DE shaving
- Thread starter Guido75
- Start date
Guido
lasta
Blade Biter
No, she steers clear off everything shave related! She thinks the world of me when I talk about shaving
It’s actually one of those “o that looks nice in the bathroom” type of platters. There are usually one or two Oral B brushes on there.
But it also makes a good backdrop for pictures - I have been in the picture mood lately.
Cheers,
Guido
No wonder why you are here so often. We shaving Guidos need a safe place to express ourselves!
Keep the pictures coming!
- Thread starter
- #423
LOL you got me! This forum is my soul sanctuary, asylum, hiding place, pub and speakeasy all rolled into one!
Cheers!
Guido
- Thread starter
- #424
| Date: | 05.10.2022 |
| Focused participations: | 05/31 Days in GRUME (out at 13%, but no subsequent purchases) 278/278 in 365 days of shaving (100%) 05/31 OCtober |
| Other participations: | Steep Angle Shaving Alliance Shave of the Week Society (on hold) Tabactober |
| Razor: | Fatip Piccolo Special Edition |
| Blade: | King C Gillette (24) |
| Brush: | Razorock Plissoft 400 |
| Soap: | Tabac (tallow) |
| Bowl: | Kox Enamel |
| Preshave: | Cold splash Proraso Green preshave |
| Postshave: | Cold face wash KCG Face wash |
| Passes: | WTG (Gillette Slant) | XTG (Gillette Slide) | ATG (usual) |
| Efficiency: | 9/10 (~15 minutes) |
| Quality: | 10/10 (Clean as a whistle) |
| Comfort: | 10/10 (GlideFest) |
| Effectiveness: | 10/10 (BBS+) |
Next OC in my rotation is my first OC I bought in the beginning of this year - the Fatip Special Edition. Plating is starting to disappear, but when it comes to shaving this is a remarkable little razor. I am absolutely in love with it. The blade performed as if fresh out of the wrapper on a for me unprecedented 24th run.
Loading my brush took maybe 5 seconds or so to produce a very fine face lather. Thick yet never dry, smooth and the post effect very slicky. And I get what @Jack Goossen mentioned this morning about the scent and it triggering something inside my brain. I cannot put my finger on it, but once lathered it is nothing like straight from the puck - at least not for me.
I even forgot to put on aftershave at all (morning mayhem struck when I left the den), but the scent disappeared quite naturally. I did take a precautionary measure in washing my face afterwards to tone the scent down. LOTH did not make remarks about scent or anything. But that could have been because she was still recouping from these last few days. My sweetheart has periodic migraine attacks (I feel powerless when that happens as I cannot help her in those moments) and scent can trigger it - that's why I use subdued scents or more neutral scents. I have never used Cella for example, because the smell of almond. Tabac has a distinct manly/strong scent as well, but less than I anticipated this first run. Maybe it's a keeper, maybe it is not and at least I have tried.
And combining end result was amazing. I was buttery smooth all over with an excellent post shave feel. And so my maiden shave with Tabac is in the books. And I must say that it was everything others raved about and a big thank you therefore to specifically @JAHE for his persistence in me wanting to try this soap. Was it worth breaking GRUME for? #onnodig I have been told yesterday. Was it fun to do? Yes, it was and I was surprised by the results. Just as surprised as I was when I first used an open comb.
Have a great day everyone!
- Thread starter
- #425
| Date: | 06.10.2022 |
| Focused participations: | 06/31 Days in GRUME (out at 13%, but no subsequent purchases) 279/279 in 365 days of shaving (100%) 06/31 OCtober |
| Other participations: | Steep Angle Shaving Alliance Shave of the Week Society (on hold) Tabactober |
| Razor: | Fatip Piccolo Special Edition |
| Blade: | King C Gillette (25) |
| Brush: | Omega Super Badger |
| Soap: | Tabac (tallow) |
| Bowl: | Kox Enamel |
| Preshave: | Cold splash Proraso Green preshave |
| Postshave: | Cold face wash Chanel Allure (Balm) |
| Passes: | WTG (Gillette Slant) | XTG (Gillette Slide) | ATG (usual) |
| Efficiency: | 9/10 (~15 minutes) |
| Quality: | 10/10 (Clean as a whistle) |
| Comfort: | 10/10 (GlideFest) |
| Effectiveness: | 8.5/10 (BBS-) |
Yesterday's shave was so good, I decided to use the Fatip Special Edition again and just change the brush. And again I was rewarded with a fantastic shave.
Technique wise I am continuing my Slanted stroke and Slide stroke on the first and second pass respectively. I tried a reversed slanted stroke on my neck today and that seemed to get results as well. Tomorrow's shave with one of my Gillette's will see the next phase in this technical development.
This Tabac soap is a real performer. My badger brush had more trouble loading that the Plissoft from yesterday, but in this case Tabac is very forgiving and I still managed to get a good face lather. Smooth and supportive to the razor and blade. Scentwise again more subdued that I imagined. I did not rinse with another soap and had the LOTH judge for herself. She immediately identified the sandelwood, the musky and darker tones (called it an 'older' scent), but was surprised when I disclosed it was Tabac. She then also concluded that I broke GRUME! The aftershave is a no go, because that has a heavier scent than this soap. Using Chanel's Allure completed the excellence of today's shave.
I'm playing around with my technique as well. It is interesting... I haven't settled on anything permanently... but I am seeing better results.
I find every razor needs a slightly different technique, it can be unsettling. Maybe I should settle on one razor.
~doug~
I like the ones that sort of tell you what to do. That's what I mean by "intuitive".... My Claymore Evo was like that... same with the Blutt BR-1 and ATT X1. I'm having to work a bit more with the BFBT and the BRFB. I think I'll do better with them when I get one of your handles. The thinner handles are harder for me to get in touch with, it seems. I'm going to try the feather weight handle of the PAA Filament on my British Gillettes and see if that makes a difference.I find every razor needs a slightly different technique, it can be unsettling. Maybe I should settle on one razor.
~doug~
And I still have several razors I ordered when we were away: the Pearl Flexi, RR Lupo 95OC/72SB and the aforementioned PAA Filament I just got. I have two others on the way. Chris @Back Roads Gold has my replated my Overlander in 24K Gold and it's on the way and my Gillette Rocket HD 500 cleared customs and is working its path here. I wonder how long it will take me to get a handle on the right shave angles and pressures to use with them.
- Thread starter
- #429
You’re building up quite a collection there Kim! And great versions as well! Very interested in the plated Overlander.
Guido
- Thread starter
- #430
All I can say isI find every razor needs a slightly different technique, it can be unsettling. Maybe I should settle on one razor.
~doug~
Guido
- Thread starter
- #431
| Date: | 07.10.2022 |
| Focused participations: | 07/31 Days in GRUME (out at 13%, but no subsequent purchases) 280/280 in 365 days of shaving (100%) 07/31 OCtober |
| Other participations: | Steep Angle Shaving Alliance Shave of the Week Society (on hold) Tabactober |
| Razor: | Gillette NEW Flat Bottom |
| Blade: | Tiger Platinum (2) |
| Brush: | DVH Synthetic |
| Soap: | Tabac (tallow) |
| Bowl: | Kox Enamel |
| Preshave: | Cold splash Proraso Green preshave |
| Postshave: | Cold face wash Chanel Allure (Balm) |
| Passes: | WTG (Gillette Slant) | XTG (Gillette Slide) | ATG (usual) |
| Efficiency: | 8/10 (~20 minutes) |
| Quality: | 9/10 (Almost clean) |
| Comfort: | 7/10 (Smooth but harsh) |
| Effectiveness: | 8.5/10 (DFS) |
The results of the shave were good. The conditions under which can be further improved. The blade felt harsh in the NEW Flat Bottom, but I have not dismissed it yet because although the lather was nice it was not as good as the days before. Which is totally on me and not the soap (even then Tabac performs). I think I just underloaded the brush. So I am using the blade in the NEW LC tomorrow and make sure I have a better lather to assess the actual condition of the blade.
It shows up today.... I'll be shaving with it tonight. I hope I like it as much as so many others do. I think that's it for new razors for a while. I need to start using all of the new ones... I did actually make a list on my iPhone in notes. LOL... so I have it close by in case I need to refer to one of them.
I still think it's a pretty modest "collection": only 10 models... two with additional base plates... and a couple duplicates. But certainly more than enough for some variety and a decent mix of modern and vintage.
- Thread starter
- #433
| Date | 365 days of shaving | GRUME | OCtober | Tabactober |
| 08.10.2022 | 281/281 (100%) | 30/31 (97%, so out) | 8/31 (100%) | 3/31 (13%) |
| Passes | Efficiency | Quality | Comfort | Effectiveness |
| WTG (Gillette Slant) XTG (Gillette Slide) ATG (usual) | 8/10 (~20 minutes) | 10/10 (Clean) | 8/10 (Smoother) | 8/10 (DFS) |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Gillette NEW Long Comb | Tiger Platinum (3) | Omega Proraso Board |
| Preshave | Soap & Bowl | Postshave |
| Cold splash Proraso Green | Tallowbac Kox Enamel & Proraso | Cold splash Proraso Green (balm) |
| Notes: |
Yesterday's lesser experience was because of the dryer lather. Today I paid more attention to my lather and Tabac performed like usual (as if usual is a correct term after only using Tabac for the third time, but ok). Lather was smooth and slick and provided great support to the razor and blade.
The NEW LC is a great razor and super easy to use. I still think it is ever so slightly smoother than my NEW Flat Bottom, but the difference is very marginal. The blade is not the top performer in my book, but it was much more comfortable in usage today. I needed three full passes and some touch ups to get a satisfying result. Using my current stroke types matches my beard map quite accurately. I am still working on the best way to approach my neck. Mostly similar strokes to my cheeks do a good job, but I need to figure out what the best slanted / oblique angle is for the first two passes.
Overall a nice shave, topped of by the nice relaxing scent of Proraso Green balm.
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New table format looks great!
- Thread starter
- #435
- Thread starter
- #436
| Date | 09.10.2022 |
| 365 days of shaving | 282/282 (100%) |
| GRUME | 30/31 (97% out) |
| OCtober | 9/31 (100) |
| Tabactober | 4/31 (87%) |
| Passes | 2 |
| WTG | Gillette Slant (NE-SW) |
| ATG | Straight (S-N) |
| Efficiency & Effectiveness | Quality & Comfort |
| 9/10 (~15 minutes) 9/10 (BBS) | 9/10 (Minor weepers) 10/10 (Glidefest) |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Mühle R41 | Feather (1) | Omega Super Badger |
| Preshave | Soap & Bowl | Postshave |
| Cold splash Proraso Green | Tallowbac Kox Enamel & Proraso | Cold splash KCG face wash Proraso Green (balm) |
| Notes: |
I had planned to use my Tech today as I tried a new blade suggested and provided to me by @Jack Goossen . I have never considered Feather, simply because of the stories and it being the sharpest blade. So I always told myself, “Guido stretch yourself first with technique and only then with blades.”
In my book Jack is an aggressive shaver. He’s a very kind gentleman by the way so maybe I should say he likes aggressive shaves instead. Anyway, I thought to tame it down somewhat and use the Tech when this morning my inner warrior woke up and said - no this is OCtober so we will use that. And in preparation of tomorrow I took the daunting decision of taking this blade to my R41.
Tabac lather extremely well this morning providing an excellent cushion. The razor and blade were awesome! Two pass shave and I was baby smooth!! I could have taken it further but stopped while I was ahead. I also did nothing fancy like Gillette Slides. I will use the same combo tomorrow.
@Jack Goossen - thank you for this wonderful suggestion and opportunity to try a Feather for the very first time. I had an excellent shave.
Let’s see where this blade can take me. @LJBraaten - LJ keep an eye in the rear view mirror, I am gaining on you. First shave in!
| Journal link: |
Link to today's ponderings: A newbies journey into DE shaving - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/a-newbies-journey-into-de-shaving.622889/post-11960425
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- Thread starter
- #437
| Date | 10.10.2022 |
| 365 days of shaving | 283/283 (100%) |
| GRUME | 30/31 (97% out) |
| OCtober | 10/31 (100%) |
| Tabactober | 5/31 (99%) |
| Passes | 2 |
| WTG | Gillette Slant (NE-SW) |
| ATG | Straight (S-N) |
| Efficiency & Effectiveness | Quality & Comfort |
| 9/10 (~15 minutes) 9/10 (BBS) | 7/10 (Nicked under my nose) 9/10 (Buttery smooth) |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Mühle R41 | Feather (2) | Razorock Plissoft 400 |
| Preshave | Soap & Bowl | Postshave |
| Cold splash Proraso Green | Tallowbac Kox Enamel & Proraso | Cold splash Proraso Green (balm) |
| Notes: |
Second run with the Feather blade. Supposedly Feather are sharper the second run. Which maybe was the case as I nicked myself, but simultaneously I found the blade to be significantly less smooth on the first few strokes than yesterday.
But man! After only one pass I was already pretty smooth - CCS level. Second pass was the money pass and BBS the reward. Extremely good combination so far with the R41. And after two runs I think the Feather outperforms my other blades in results - wondering what the longevity will be for me. And it may be time to finally try that BIC blade as well.
| Journal link: |
Link to today's ponderings: A newbies journey into DE shaving - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/a-newbies-journey-into-de-shaving.622889/post-11961548
I admire the detail you put into your journal Guido. One question though: the efficiency rating, is it like 'the faster the better' (which sounds like efficiency to me) or 'the slower, the better', or 'the closer to 17 minutes, the better', or something different alltogether?
- Thread starter
- #439
Thanks! And yes, it is about time and is my personal challenge not to spend ages in the bathroom shaving. I used to do a four pass shave and took 30 minutes or so. So in this personal case the faster the better - however not at the expense of the other factors. So done in 5 minutes is very efficient, but if my whole face is covered in weepers - I would still consider it a bad shave in my books.
I just was looking for more than just 9/10 or 8/10 while there are different aspects at play. Somewhere on page 15 I explain the basics behind my ratings (I have made some changes but the idea is the same).
Cheers,
Guido
You mean there is a method to your madness?
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