Cal's "I don't do journals" Journal

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: Wolfman WR2-SB 1.25 head on the magical GT aluminum handle
Blade: Personna Red (9)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A good shave.

That was a very enjoyable shave, and as great as the Wolfman is... it's not quite as good as my Gillette Old Type (previous shave) which is not quite as good as my Lupo 95 (shave before that, and current favorite).

I do want to try most of my razors with @Rosseforp Doug's magical GT handle, but I somehow think I'll be back with my beloved Lupo 95 next shave.

The brush, soap, and ASL performed flawlessly (as expected).
I feel blessed to have all this great hardware and software at hand to play with.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (1)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A very nice shave.

It was back to my (current) favorite razor today, superb! As my Lupo 95 has only ever been used with (my benchmark) Personna Reds I thought I'd load up with a different blade to see if it made any difference. After some head-scratching/coin-tossing/etc I came up with BiC Chrome Platinums... excellent. I thought the Reds were the smoothest blades but (in my Lupo 95) the BiC took that crown, which I wasn't expecting (but was obviously very pleased about).

Talking about combinations, I'm getting addicted to the superb TFS Mandarino Tachibana soap followed by my Chocolate Orange ASL. The scents are really satisfying (and strangely enough give me no desire to demolish endless chocolate bars).

Of course it would be rude of me not to mention the whole team... my more than excellent Semogue Mistura is still "the best shaving brush on the planet!"


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (2)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

An excellent shave.
All is well in ZenShaveLand.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Cream: La Toja Classic
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (3)
ASL: Hogwarts Express [home brew]

Another magical shave.
A summer shave at the lake followed by a trip home, starting at Hogsmeade Station.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (4)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A fine shave.

That was the 99th shave with my Semogue Mistura. Thanks again to @Chan Eil Whiskers for pointing me in its direction; it's the best brush on the planet Jim!

TFS soaps are great, and for me their intense line Mandarino Tachibana is the best soap I've used, in every way.

The RazoRock Lupo 95 is superb, and brilliant for getting into all the nooks and crannies on my not-so-shave-friendly face and neck. The Lupo head matched up with Doug @Rosseforp's magical lightweight GT handle (for faultless maneuverability) makes it the best razor.

The BiC Chrome Platinum blade is excellent (I like it nearly as much as my favorite Personna Reds).

And to top it all off my home brewed Chocolate Orange ASL is my new favorite. Two thumbs up to FreshSkin.co.uk for their super fragrance oil, it smells delicious.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Soap: La Toja
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (5)
ASL: Hogwarts Express [home brew]

A good shave.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: on holiday
Cream: Vicco Turmeric
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (6)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A very good shave.

I was purchasing some Ayurvedic toothpaste to try out and saw the shaving cream, so I thought I'd give that a trial too. The minimal instructions on the box (and the tube) led me to think this was a brushless cream. After the shave I did a little research (YouTube) and discovered that everyone used it with a brush. So although it worked fine brushless, I'll definitely use it with brush next shave.

The cream is certainly very nice and I like the turmeric aroma (gingery/orangy). Although the Vicco website says it can be used as a pre-shave, shaving cream, and post-shave... the only directions on the box, and tube, say "Wash thoroughly after use." So the bathroom was ASLless until I'd finished my shave, at which point I rushed out and got my Chocolate Orange splash. Talk about complementary scents, fabulous!


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It's really interesting, Cal, to see how you're ranking the various razors.

• 1. Lupo 95
• 2. Gillette Old Type
• 3. Wolfman WR2 1.25 SB

I'm not entirely sure of the rankings as there have been other contenders - the Yuma, the World's Best Safety Razor (Fine), maybe others - and I'm certainly not trying to hold you to anything.

It's just interesting, that's all.

Most people seem to put their most expensive razors above all the others. I'm not saying they shouldn't do so. It's all subjective and very individual. However, it's also very hard to completely discount the experience and engineering and craftsmanship which went into some of the vintage razors.

When I use my Schaeffer I sometimes think it's even better than the Gillette Old Type. If not for the proprietary blades it requires and the minor hassle it takes to modify "normal" DE blades to fit it I suspect it would be far more widely appreciated. It's a very clever design, etc.

There are many great vintage razors not all of which are DE.

I'm preaching to the choir. You already know all this.

Not sure if you've tried a Blackland Blackbird. I've not always enjoyed it as much as I have recently, but it surely shaves close and feels smooth on the skin. Very close.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Cream: Vicco Turmeric
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (7)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A nice shave.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Cream: Vicco Turmeric
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (8)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A good shave.

As much as I like the Vicco cream, I think it's probably better when hand applied (which I'm not keen on). On yesterday's first brush trial I just swiped some cream onto my face and lathered up, but once the cream got on the brush it wanted to stay in the one location (like having a shave stick fixed to the brush).

Today I simply squeezed some onto the damp brush with the idea of spreading it around with my finger before starting. It didn't want to move. It was like using a brush shaped shaving stick again. Next shave I intend to go against all my principles and bowl lather it. I could no doubt get it thinner if I was prepared to do the half-hour-lathering YouTube style, which I'm not.

I really do like the stuff, but I want to see if I can get my favored slick 'n' thin lather without modifying it. That said, it's nearly croap consistency in the tube, so I might end up squeezing it into a tub (and loading it my normal way).

I bet you didn't want to know all that (if you read it).


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Rosseforp]

I bet you didn't want to know all that (if you read it).

Actually it was more a feeling of Deja Vu

Then I found this on my doorstep.

And some bronze and aluminum chips later, I found this on my lathe.

It is 75mm long and fits a Fatip.

 

[Cal]

It is 75mm long and fits a Fatip.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Actually it was more a feeling of Deja Vu

Then I found this on my doorstep.
View attachment 1295903
And some bronze and aluminum chips later, I found this on my lathe.
View attachment 1295904
It is 75mm long and fits a Fatip.

In your hands, Doug, that's the best shaving related toy I've ever seen.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Croap: Vicco Turmeric
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (9)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

Another very good shave.

As I couldn't bear the thought of bowl lathering my new Vicco Turmeric cream, I squeezed it all out into an empty tub and left it to set a little overnight.

Brush loading was better and the new croap managed to stick to more brush hairs than previously (vs. just a single clump). This made face lathering much easier but I didn't get the lather as thin as I like. Gotta love a challenge!

I think I'll leave it open in my cream-to-croap cupboard for a while (because I still like it) and revert to my all time favorite TFS Mandarino Tachibana next shave.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

SOTD
View attachment 1296725

Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Croap: Vicco Turmeric
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: BiC Chrome Platinum (9)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

Another very good shave.

As I couldn't bear the thought of bowl lathering my new Vicco Turmeric cream, I squeezed it all out into an empty tub and left it to set a little overnight.

Brush loading was better and the new croap managed to stick to more brush hairs than previously (vs. just a single clump). This made face lathering much easier but I didn't get the lather as thin as I like. Gotta love a challenge!

I think I'll leave it open in my cream-to-croap cupboard for a while (because I still like it) and revert to my all time favorite TFS Mandarino Tachibana next shave.


Happy shaves guys.

I love it! Great idea, Cal.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Shavemac 20/47 Silvertip 2-Band
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: Shark Super Chrome (1)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

An excellent shave.

The new blade felt a bit strange to start with… but then it realized it had joined a superb team and played a blinder just like its new teammates.

With the change of soap, back to my favorite TFS Mandarino Tachibana, I thought I'd give my magical Semogue Mistura a well deserved rest and give my red Shavemac a place on the team. Wow! Fabulous! The red Shavemac's moved into the favorite brush spot again.
I couldn't wish for a better team... shucks, I wonder if @Raven Koenes Rave's been influencing me subliminally again.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

SOTD
View attachment 1297233

Brush: Shavemac 20/47 Silvertip 2-Band
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: Shark Super Chrome (1)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

An excellent shave.

The new blade felt a bit strange to start with… but then it realized it had joined a superb team and played a blinder just like its new teammates.

With the change of soap, back to my favorite TFS Mandarino Tachibana, I thought I'd give my magical Semogue Mistura a well deserved rest and give my red Shavemac a place on the team. Wow! Fabulous! The red Shavemac's moved into the favorite brush spot again.
I couldn't wish for a better team... shucks, I wonder if @Raven Koenes Rave's been influencing me subliminally again.


Happy shaves guys.

Knocked off the Mistura. Musta played a blinder.

Love the English lesson, Cal.

I watch a lot of Acorn TV and never know what they're talking about.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Shavemac 20/47 Silvertip 2-Band
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: Shark Super Chrome (2)
ASL: Clubman

A super shave.
Again, the whole team performed great… which obviously means "watch out" or I'll be caught off guard.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[Cal]

SOTD

Brush: Shavemac 20/47 Silvertip 2-Band
Soap: TFS Mandarino Tachibana
Razor: RazoRock Lupo 95 GT Special
Blade: Shark Super Chrome (3)
ASL: Chocolate Orange [home brew]

A good shave.
All is well in ZenShaveLand. Sending out good vibes obviously keeps the Sharks calm.


Happy shaves guys.

 

[thombrogan]

Sending out good vibes obviously keeps the Sharks calm.

I drink lots of coffee to keep the anger sharks away. You’d need a different blade in your razor if that worked for you.