A newbie’s journey into DE shaving

[Guido75]

I like reading about “amazing shaves”…..That Frankenrazor is one nice looking monster!!!!

View attachment 1611084

Thanks Butch! Looks like a monster, but shaved like a dream!

So I now just need to know what the original will do with this blade, so I have set up the Old Type for tomorrow's shave.

Cheers,

Guido.

 

[Butch Waxx]

Thanks Butch! Looks like a monster, but shaved like a dream!

So I now just need to know what the original will do with this blade, so I have set up the Old Type for tomorrow's shave.

Cheers,

Guido.

Can’t wait!

 

[Guido75]

Date	25.02.2023
365 days of shaving	56/365 (100%)
GRUYERE	56/365 (100%)
GRUME February	25/28 (100%) 02/12 (100%)
Other participations	Shave of the Week Society (SWS) Discovery Blade Adventure One Blade in February (OBiF)

Passes	3
XWTG	Cheeks: N-S Neck: N-S
WXTG	Cheeks L: W-E Cheeks R: E-W Neck: S-N
XATG	Cheeks: S-N Neck: S-N (slanted)

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Old Type (thick cap)	Tiger Platinum (10)	Omega Proraso
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash Proraso Green	Dutchy Bergamot Hybrid lathering	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
8/10 (~20 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS+/BBS-)	8/10 (Smooth)

Notes to today’s shave:

I read in the OBiF thread that when the blade starts to waver you need to it it in a more aggressive razor. So today I loaded the Tiger on its 10(!) run into my WOT (Weatherly’s Old Type - @mgweatherly). W H A T A S H A V E!!! I had the most amazing time using the OT and it meant business. Smooth, comfortable (enough) and like a true circus director made the Tiger perform. Smoother than yesterday even after the Fatip. It must be in the angle and the clamping of the blade.

For me personally the star of the show was the Omega brush. These last uses it was always hogging my lather. So today I soaked it for a couple of minutes and use that time to put on my preshave. And then I did something I usually pay less attention too, but the latest video of @sugardaddy had a new insight as he was using his new Zenith boar: he loaded the brush with only pressure. Now I understand why he says he will load for 30 second or so (which previously sounded like an eternity to me). I then went to my face and painted the soap on. It lathers but very thick and dense. But most of the lather was now on my face rather than my brush! Went back to the bowl and lathered up and went back to the face again. Et voilà: three easy passes with very nice lather and soft tips from the boar. Very happy with that result!

After the shave did a head shave with my electric razor. DFS- in most places. Great feel.

Wonderful start of this weekend!

Enjoy your shave today.

 

[Guido75]

Face shave

Date	26.02.2023
365 days of shaving	57/365 (100%)
GRUYERE	57/365 (100%)
GRUME February	26/28 (100%) 02/12 (100%)
Other participations	Shave of the Week Society (SWS) Discovery Blade Adventure One Blade in February (OBiF)

Passes	3
XWTG	Cheeks: N-S Neck: N-S
WXTG	Cheeks L: W-E Cheeks R: E-W Neck: S-N
XATG	Cheeks: S-N Neck: S-N (slanted)

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Old Type (thick cap)	Tiger Platinum (11)	Razorock Plissoft 400
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash Proraso Green	Dutchy Bergamot Hybrid lathering	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
8/10 (~20 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS+/BBS-)	9/10 (Buttery smooth)

Notes to today’s shave:

Same setup as yesterday because it was that good. Well the brush is different because I rotate on a daily basis. I entered double digits with the Tiger yesterday, but I cannot remember ever taking a blade to 11 shaves. I think the razor has a part in this for sure, but maybe my change blade cleaning routine as well. I now only pad the blade dry where previously I really whiped the blade dry. Like pinching down and whiping.

I also repeated the loading of the brush with a very light touch. This worked magic! Bowl lathered a nice slick and thick lather that painted on exquisitely.

Three passes later and I was done with mostly BBS- results as far as I am concerned. Note to self to do OBiF with my Fatip and Old Type next year, because that will be smooth sailing if you ask me. Very happy with these results and knowing the Tiger can be an excellent blade provided you have the right razor.

Head shave

Passes	2
WTG	N-S
ATG	S-N

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Old Type (thick cap)	Tiger Platinum (12)	Razorock Plissoft 400
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash	Dutchy Bergamot Hybrid lathering	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
9/10 (~15 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
5/10 (SAS)	9/10 (Buttery smooth)

Notes to today’s head shave:

I only did two passes and ended up with a mostly SAS result but that was not the purpose for today. I wanted to experience what it would be like. @Jack Goossen said my skin could take it and a FOCS would make it. I hold Jack’s experience and views in very high esteem and with that I commenced the shave. I do not have a FOCS, so I used my Old Type instead. A sharper blade is needed to get me smoother results for sure, but no nicks, cuts or irritation is very ok in my book. I did follow up with my Philishave to get a better overall result. But I had tons of fun!

Lather was really good and felt excellent on my scalp!

Enjoy your shave!

 

[flask28]

Face shave

Date	26.02.2023
365 days of shaving	57/365 (100%)
GRUYERE	57/365 (100%)
GRUME February	26/28 (100%) 02/12 (100%)
Other participations	Shave of the Week Society (SWS) Discovery Blade Adventure One Blade in February (OBiF)

Passes	3
XWTG	Cheeks: N-S Neck: N-S
WXTG	Cheeks L: W-E Cheeks R: E-W Neck: S-N
XATG	Cheeks: S-N Neck: S-N (slanted)

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Old Type (thick cap)	Tiger Platinum (11)	Razorock Plissoft 400
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash Proraso Green	Dutchy Bergamot Hybrid lathering	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
8/10 (~20 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS+/BBS-)	9/10 (Buttery smooth)

Notes to today’s shave:

Same setup as yesterday because it was that good. Well the brush is different because I rotate on a daily basis. I entered double digits with the Tiger yesterday, but I cannot remember ever taking a blade to 11 shaves. I think the razor has a part in this for sure, but maybe my change blade cleaning routine as well. I now only pad the blade dry where previously I really whiped the blade dry. Like pinching down and whiping.

I also repeated the loading of the brush with a very light touch. This worked magic! Bowl lathered a nice slick and thick lather that painted on exquisitely.

Three passes later and I was done with mostly BBS- results as far as I am concerned. Note to self to do OBiF with my Fatip and Old Type next year, because that will be smooth sailing if you ask me. Very happy with these results and knowing the Tiger can be an excellent blade provided you have the right razor.

Head shave

Passes	2
WTG	N-S
ATG	S-N

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Old Type (thick cap)	Tiger Platinum (12)	Razorock Plissoft 400
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash	Dutchy Bergamot Hybrid lathering	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
9/10 (~15 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
5/10 (SAS)	9/10 (Buttery smooth)

Notes to today’s head shave:

I only did two passes and ended up with a mostly SAS result but that was not the purpose for today. I wanted to experience what it would be like. @Jack Goossen said my skin could take it and a FOCS would make it. I hold Jack’s experience and views in very high esteem and with that I commenced the shave. I do not have a FOCS, so I used my Old Type instead. A sharper blade is needed to get me smoother results for sure, but no nicks, cuts or irritation is very ok in my book. I did follow up with my Philishave to get a better overall result. But I had tons of fun!

Lather was really good and felt excellent on my scalp!

Enjoy your shave!

Congrats on the successful head shave! Wow! Way to just jump in there and do it. No nick or cuts - all skill

 

[Guido75]

Congrats on the successful head shave! Wow! Way to just jump in there and do it. No nick or cuts - all skill

I think I am going with sheer luck - in hindsight: first head shave with a Gillette Old Type and a very used Tiger blade. I must have been high on Dutchy Bergamot or barking mad! BOSC for sure!!

 

[Guido75]

Funny how associative the mind works. I am making dinner and we are eating Indonesian tonight, so busy with my nasi goreng. And who am I thinking of? @Phoenixkh - because he mentioned it earlier this year or last year in one of our mutual threads. So a toast to your honour Kim!

Cheers,

Guido

 

[Phoenixkh]

Nasi Goreng and Soto Ayam are two of my favorite Indonesian dishes.

 

[Guido75]

Date	27.02.2023
365 days of shaving	58/365 (100%)
GRUYERE	58/365 (100%)
GRUME February	27/28 (100%) 02/12 (100%)
Other participations	Shave of the Week Society (SWS) Discovery Blade Adventure One Blade in February (OBiF)

Passes	3
XWTG	Cheeks: N-S Neck: N-S
WXTG	Cheeks L: W-E Cheeks R: E-W Neck: S-N
XATG	Cheeks: S-N Neck: S-N (slanted)

Razor	Blade	Brush
Swedish Swing	Tiger Platinum (10)	Omega Super Badger
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash Proraso Green	Dutchy Bergamot Hybrid lathering	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
8/10 (~20 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
6 (DFS-/CCS+)	6.5/10 (Comfortable)

Notes to today’s shave:

Went back to the Swing but the blade was less effective this time around even though stubble was less than yesterday. Previous shaves had been amazing so I am putting this on the blade’s performance. I have loaded the blade for one final time into the Old Type to close off OBiF for tomorrow.

Enjoy your shave.

 

[Ligeti]

Hi @Guido75
You keep mentioning 'hybrid lathering'. Must have missed the text where you explained that. What exactly do you mean by hybrid lathering?

 

[Guido75]

Hi @Guido75
You keep mentioning 'hybrid lathering'. Must have missed the text where you explained that. What exactly do you mean by hybrid lathering?

O yeah, that came about during Shave Yahtzee. There’s bowl lathering and face lathering, but what to do with building a lather in a bowl and finishing it on your face. I learned this month and in January that if I bowl lather I don’t just paint the lather on, but work it in a bit more which is more face lathering.

Philosophically speaking I think all bowl lathering might be hybrid, but ok.

 

[Phoenixkh]

O yeah, that came about during Shave Yahtzee. There’s bowl lathering and face lathering, but what to do with building a lather in a bowl and finishing it on your face. I learned this month and in January that if I bowl lather I don’t just paint the lather on, but work it in a bit more which is more face lathering.

Philosophically speaking I think all bowl lathering might be hybrid, but ok.

That's exactly what I do. That's why I enjoy a brush with a very gentle scrub.

 

[Guido75]

February Evaluation

With one more day to go February is about to be closed and with that the monthly evaluation is due.

• February has 28 shaves with an average effectiveness score of 7.75 (January: 8.3) - which equates results between DFS and DFS+. Slightly less effective than January, mainly because of the usage of the Tiger Platinum for OBiF. The Tiger is probably my mildest blade in the blades stock.
• As I participated in One Blade in February, the Tiger Platinum was used throughout the month with the exception of one cheat day during which I used an Eddison blade in my Green Cult 2.0.
• Lowest score this month was a 4.5 on effectiveness using a Tiger Platinum on its 6th run in a R41. The first blade of the month and based on the shave notes it has troubles from the start.
• Most shaves were efficient as well with an average shaving time of 15-20 minutes from start to finish.
• Razor usage in February:
  • Green Cult 2.0 level II (18%)
  • Timeless Ti95 SCL (25%)
  • Swedish Swing (14%)
  • Matador Deluxe (14%)
  • Mühle R41 (14%)
  • Gillette Old Type (11%)
  • Fatype Frankenrazor (4%)
• Most used soap this month was Dutchy Bergamot as my aim was to bring the soap to 50 shaves which I have accomplished to do. Next to Bergamot I used Tabac once, Mitchell's Wool Fat 4 times and Phantom of Kyiv once. I want to rotate soaps a little more in March, but I might be tempted to bring either Proraso Green or MWF more in the ballpark of 50 shaves as well.

February saw the Green Cult 2.0 level II being added to the collection after an epic journey by @flask28 to find me the perfect gift. And I was shocked, awed, excited, humbled and super grateful for this extraordinary gift! The Green Cult will be making more appearances in March as we can select any blade to test with. And also excited that a fellow Dutch brother has the Green Cult 1.0 NIB waiting for me as well to complete the family.

In the technique department I continued my change from January with strokes that are 'standard' and yet non-standard to my beard growth:N-S = XWTG, W-E = WXTG and S-N = XATG. Due to the mildness of the Tiger Platinum I needed 3 passes rather than the 2 or 2.5 I achieved in January, but I noticed my skill level has increased, because overall shave time appeared to be constant irrespective of 2 or 3 passes.

Am going to finish February GRUME succesfully! Being in the yearly restraint as well has changed my views on my AD's and I feel quite at ease using what I have. Simultenously February was hard on my itches and AD's. Barring coaching and support from my fellow GRUMErs I would have certainly failed.

 

[Guido75]

Date	27.02.2023
365 days of shaving	59/365 (100%)
GRUYERE	59/365 (100%)
GRUME February	28/28 (100%) 02/12 (100%)
Other participations	Shave of the Week Society (SWS) Discovery Blade Adventure One Blade in February (OBiF)

Passes	3
XWTG	Cheeks: N-S Neck: N-S
WXTG	Cheeks L: W-E (slanted) Cheeks R: E-W (slanted) Neck: S-N
XATG	Cheeks: S-N Neck: S-N (slanted)

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Old Type /w thick cap	Tiger Platinum (11)	DVH Synthetic
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash	Tabac Proraso Green	Cold splash KCG Face Wash

Efficiency	Quality
8/10 (~20 minutes)	10/10 (clean)
Effectiveness	Comfort
7/10 (DFS-)	7/10 (Comfortable)

Notes to today’s shave:

For the final shave in February and for OBiF I am using the trusted Old Type. I have the hallucination that this razor can give any blade a run for its money and deliver a stellar shave. More stubble to take care of given yesterday’s results, but I have had worse to deal with. With an 11th run on this blade stellar may have been out of the question from the start, but the pair delivered a very fine shave nonetheless. The blade was sufficiently comfortable.

Tabac's scent filled the bathroom as I lathered in my current way: light touch when loading and then bringing the lather to life in my bowl. I finally bring the lather to my face and complete the process there with a light scrub. Tabac was slick and lucious and provided great support to razor and blade.

Great end to OBiF with a renewed appreciation for the Tiger Platinum. Given the right razor it can perform splendidly. And throughout the month I have had zero irritation or redness with only one or two weepers if I remember correctly (which most likely isn't so). In all I used 3 blades where I was counting on 5 given previous experiences. Just a fine mild blade that gets the job done and if you bin it after 3-4 shaves this could very well be your go-to blade if you want sharpness without harshness.

Enjoy your shave today!

 

[jason2]

Old Types FTW! That's awesome we both ended with one. What a great razor !

 

[Guido75]

Old Types FTW! That's awesome we both ended with one. What a great razor !

She certainly is and in excellent condition too. Even more considering her age. Keeps on rocking in the free world!

Old Type with case

• Guido75
• Jan 21, 2023

Cheers,

Guido

 

[jason2]

My Canadian bulldog I reeled in yesterday

Gillette Canada serial numbers

Adam... exactly. Dating Canadian razors is hard...

www.badgerandblade.com

And my shave this morning

 

[Guido75]

That is a stunning razor @jason2 ! Nice nice catch indeed! Looks now like rhodium than nickel if you ask me.

Enjoy!

Guido

 

[jason2]

That is a stunning razor @jason2 ! Nice nice catch indeed! Looks now like rhodium than nickel if you ask me.

Enjoy!

Guido

Yep, it is rhodium. I bought it from Razor Emporium. They did a rhodium revamp on it and listed it on their site for like $10 more then what their revamp service costs and I snagged it. It was newly listed.

 

[Guido75]

Date	01.03.2023
365 days of shaving	60/365 (100%)
GRUYERE	60/365 (100%)
GRUME March	01/31 (100%) 03/12 (100%)
Other participations	Shave of the Week Society (SWS) Discovery Blade Adventure Soap of the Month Club (SOTMC)

Passes	3
XWTG	Cheeks: N-S Neck: N-S
WXTG	Cheeks L: W-E (slanted) Cheeks R: E-W (slanted) Neck: S-N
XATG	Cheeks: S-N Neck: S-N (slanted)

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Super Speed V2 black handle	Eddison (9)	Omega Roma Capitolina
Pre-shave	Soap & Bowl	Post-shave
Cold splash	Mike’s Barbershop Proraso Green	Cold splash

Efficiency	Quality
8/10 (~20 minutes)	6/10 (nick)
Effectiveness	Comfort
8.5/10 (DFS++)	9/10 (Buttery smooth)

Notes to today’s shave:

After OBiF it is a blessing to finally pick up the Blade Adventure again and work with all my other blades in new and familiar razors.

I have decided to be more deliberate in my soap rotation so I am going for a monthly rotation and bring more ease into my shaves. And a good thing I have because I need to dial in on this soap again! It was more of a film than a lather this morning no matter what I did (went back to the tub twice!). Still an amazing soap. Lucky @flask28 and @desertcat to have this available in your hometown. I feel fortunate a friend brought these along, because these are unavailable here without US help!

This Gillette is an amazing shaver (a birth year early birthday gift from @mgweatherly). Being a TTO loading and unloading is super easy and don’t be fooled by its niceties, because it has some bite to it. The blade going on 9 shaves now felt as new and to exhiberende in point I nicked myself over a blemish (as far as I can tell the razor wasn’t even around when it happened! - I thought it was divine intervention when I saw the blood appear).

This was a very welcome shave after OBiF and I feel super smooth. Missed two spots on the neck for a full BBS, but today was really close even though I did not chase the baby at all. Just the happenstance of a superb razor meeting a superb blade.

Edit: o look! My 1000th journal entry

Enjoy your shave!