3017 means that you're going to use only one soap until its finished. No exceptions, no detours, no sampling of other soaps if you're truly dedicated.
The concept was born in this thread started by @johnniegold in 2010: My Guess... 3017
GIVEAWAY! Challenge PIF - In The Footsteps Of Legends
- Thread starter Grundi
- Start date
3017 means that you're going to use only one soap until its finished. No exceptions, no detours, no sampling of other soaps if you're truly dedicated.
The concept was born in this thread started by @johnniegold in 2010: My Guess... 3017
In that case, I'm a natural 3017er, as I've only used a single hard soap puck at a time.
- Thread starter
- #543
KAI Blade #2 - Shave #11
Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (11), VdH Deluxe Shave Soap
The Shave Results: KAI Blade #2 gave me an overall OK shave with 2 weepers, so I think this blade is ready for the retirement bin. I can't complain though, it's a rare blade for me to last past 6 shaves.
Legendary Legends: both Legendary Blades have performed up to my expectations. The KAI Blades are just wonderful for 10 shaves, and shave #3 with the Feather Blades were absolutely phenomenal. For me, both have earned their Legendary Status.
Thank you, @Space_Cadet and @AnimalCatcher, for providing us with these excellent Legendary Blades!!
Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (11), VdH Deluxe Shave Soap
The Shave Results: KAI Blade #2 gave me an overall OK shave with 2 weepers, so I think this blade is ready for the retirement bin. I can't complain though, it's a rare blade for me to last past 6 shaves.
Legendary Legends: both Legendary Blades have performed up to my expectations. The KAI Blades are just wonderful for 10 shaves, and shave #3 with the Feather Blades were absolutely phenomenal. For me, both have earned their Legendary Status.
Thank you, @Space_Cadet and @AnimalCatcher, for providing us with these excellent Legendary Blades!!
Nineteenth shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Maggard 18mm Timber Wolf, Travel-Size
Soap: RazoRock Blue Label
Another fine shave from the FOCS/Kai duo.
I did not chase a BBS, today, because my skin was a bit dry from being outside shovelling the snow. So, I decided to settle for my three usual passes with no buffing. In the end, I enjoyed an easy DFS+.
This Kai blade has not slowed down, at all. Shave after shave, it provides one smooth, comfortable result after another with very little effort. Reaching twenty shaves on this blade will be a formality.
In fact, I can easily foresee 30+ uses in this blade's future.
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
Kai shave#27
I'm not going to bother with a picture tonight, you know what my setup looks like.
Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai(27)
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger
This setup is working well for me and tomorrow night's shave will see me equal my record with a single blade (28 with a BIC during the one blade February challenge).
The shave was not quite as good as it should be, the first WTG pass was noticeably rougher than usual. The second XTG pass did not leave my jawline as clean as previously and the third ATG pass actually left me with some slight irritation although a spray of Witch hazel took care of it.
It is still worth trying again tomorrow to see if it can pull off another shave.
I'm not going to bother with a picture tonight, you know what my setup looks like.
Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai(27)
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger
This setup is working well for me and tomorrow night's shave will see me equal my record with a single blade (28 with a BIC during the one blade February challenge).
The shave was not quite as good as it should be, the first WTG pass was noticeably rougher than usual. The second XTG pass did not leave my jawline as clean as previously and the third ATG pass actually left me with some slight irritation although a spray of Witch hazel took care of it.
It is still worth trying again tomorrow to see if it can pull off another shave.
I love that brush. I got one for $8 during their black friday sale and damn that was well-spent $8, lol.
I love this little brush, too!
I bought mine three years ago for my travel kit. But when the pandemic hit, I put it in my regular rotation because it really is a great brush.
Who would have guessed such a tiny brush would turn out to be such a lather monster?
Twentieth shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Black Marble 24mm Silvertip Badger
Soap: Pré de Provence No. 63
No change from the previous shave with this blade.
For the twentieth shave with this blade, I received much the same performance as the nineteenth. That is, the WTG and ATG passes were pretty good, but the XTG pass was only average. Perhaps even a bit below average.
There was no irritation during the shave, but my face was left slightly sensitive afterwards. The overall comfort level has slightly declined, as well.
If I was smart, I'd bin this blade right now, but I'll try to eke out one more use, just in case it miraculously rehabilitates itself. (Unlikely? Probably!)
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
Kai shave#28
I'm not going to bother with a picture tonight either, you know what my setup looks like.
Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai(28)
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger
Tonight this set up gave me another great shave all three passes were much improved from last night. There was no irritation and although it left me more stubble on the jawline and neck. I will still give it a record breaking chance tomorrow to give me the most shaves from a single blade
Twentieth shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Simpson Special S1 18mm Best Badger
Soap: RazoRock Gold Label
An absolutely amazing shave, today!
After so many great shaves from the FOCS/Kai pairing, I thought that today's shave would just be more of the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much smoother and more efficient the blade felt during this outing compared to its last few uses.
In a nutshell, I received an easy BBS with only a handful of buffing strokes needed. Very little effort was required for a solid "autopilot" shave. Also, the comfort level is still extremely high, despite the number of uses on this blade. In the end, there was no post-shave irritation or lingering sensitivity.
Overall, this may have been the finest shave that I've enjoyed during the 40 shaves I've performed for this Challenge. I'm hoping that there are many more such shaves among the next 40!
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
Kai shave#29
Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai(29)
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger
Tonight was shave 29 with the Kai. This broke my previous record of 28 with a BIC Platinum I used for the one blade February challenge.
Tonight the first WTG pass did not feel as comfortable or close as usual. The second XTG pass gave me a little irritation both on the neck and particularly in the mustache area. The third ATG pass gave me more irritation on the neck and the mustache area was quite irritated. In the end I needed to apply aftershave balm to calm it down. The finish too was rough on the neck and jawline so I'm afraid that is my last shave with this blade.
All in all I am more impressed with this blade than the first time I used it. My previous record with a Kai was 13 shaves, but I have now more than doubled that.
I would like to thank @Demolition and @hairless wonder as following their experiences on the Polsilver Unobtainium challenge has helped me with extending the life of my blades.
Finally I would of course like to thank @Grundi @AnimalCatcher and @Space_Cadet for making this challenge possible, I always enjoy them and it has been great to take another look at the Feather blade.
Nineteenth shave, fifth Feather (2)
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Maggard's Timberwolf Travel brush, Tabac
Round two with a Feather-equipped Game Changer and I am no less impressed this time than I was last time! I think I could almost auto-pilot this razor with a Feather in it, which is a sobering notion when thinking of how Feathers behave in most of my other razors, lol.
I don't even really have much to say about this one, other than the shave was excellent. No notes, just more of the same next time please!
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Maggard's Timberwolf Travel brush, Tabac
Round two with a Feather-equipped Game Changer and I am no less impressed this time than I was last time! I think I could almost auto-pilot this razor with a Feather in it, which is a sobering notion when thinking of how Feathers behave in most of my other razors, lol.
I don't even really have much to say about this one, other than the shave was excellent. No notes, just more of the same next time please!
Twenty-first shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Moka Express 26mm Two-Band Badger
Soap: Pré de Provence Bergamot and Thyme
Hmm, not bad!
Against my better judgement, I decided to give this old Feather one more try. Surprisingly, it delivered a reasonably smooth, close shave with minimal roughness and no post-shave irritation. Overall, I'd rate it as a solid CCS. This is perfectly fine for a lazy Sunday.
Meanwhile, the brush/soap duo produced an extremely good result. The Yaqi Moka Express Two-Band paired well with the PdP Bergamot and Thyme to generate a very rich lather with excellent slickness. I suspect that some (all?) of the credit for today's shave might actually belong to the lather.
Anyway, due to its improved decent performance, this old blade has earned a reprieve from the garbage bin (for now).
Twenty-first shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Omega 10005 24mm Boar
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore
Another great shave from the FOCS/Kai duo.
My three usual passes were as quick and comfortable as any that I've had since the Challenge began. The Kai is aging very well compared to the Feather. Its overall performance has been remarkably consistent with no significant ups or downs in shave quality or comfort level.
Meanwhile, the Omega 10005/RR SMdF pairing was only so-so, today. A reasonably heavy load of soap generated only two passes worth of lather. I had to dip into my lather remnant mug for the third pass. This happens fairly often with this brush, but I continue to use it for sentimental reasons. As long as it doesn't actively hamper my shave, then I don't mind.
Twentieth shave, fifth Kai (1)
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Maggard's Timberwolf Travel brush, Tabac
Well, I'm at the end of my razor collection and on the last blade for this comparison. After I run this blade out (going to give it a full longevity test for this one), I get to spend some time testing all my favorite blades in this razor! I'm also going to stick to this puck of Tabac until it finally dies.. probably in June at this rate, lol.
The Kai definitely gives the Game Changer more blade feel, but unlike the rest of my razors, this does not also result in a closer shave. There was no part of the shave that wasn't great, but it simply left a few more whiskers behind than the Feather did. Hopefully it comes around and shaves a bit better next time!
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Maggard's Timberwolf Travel brush, Tabac
Well, I'm at the end of my razor collection and on the last blade for this comparison. After I run this blade out (going to give it a full longevity test for this one), I get to spend some time testing all my favorite blades in this razor! I'm also going to stick to this puck of Tabac until it finally dies.. probably in June at this rate, lol.
The Kai definitely gives the Game Changer more blade feel, but unlike the rest of my razors, this does not also result in a closer shave. There was no part of the shave that wasn't great, but it simply left a few more whiskers behind than the Feather did. Hopefully it comes around and shaves a bit better next time!
Twenty-second shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Aqua 24mm Tuxedo
Soap: Vitos Classic Eucalyptus and Lanolin
Not dead, yet!
Somehow, this blade has resurrected itself over the last few shaves. Since that one revelatory shave on New Year's Day in which this blade provided its best performance to date, I've received two below average shaves, one fair-to-middling shave, and one pretty good shave. I had been on the brink of binning this blade, but decided to give it another go... and I'm glad that I did because today's shave was quite good.
As noted before, I stopped chasing a BBS and began to settle for a DFS. As a result, my shaves with this blade have been more relaxing and my face and skin have been much happier and less irritated. Today, I pushed the envelope a bit and buffed lightly in my usual trouble spot (below my left cheek down to the jawline and under my chin) and I was left with a fairly easy DFS+. I'm more than satisfied with this result.
Meanwhile, the Yaqi Aqua Tuxedo/Vitos Classic pairing was excellent, as usual. Vitos Classic is my choice when I need to make a denser, more protective lather. This was a major factor in today's positive outcome.
Twenty-first shave, fifth Kai (2)
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Maggard's Timberwolf Travel brush, Tabac
Kai put in a noticeably better performance for shave 2. The feel during the shave was about the same as the first outing, but it resulted in a closer and cleaner shave. Still not quite as good as Feather, but I'm happy with the improvement!
Since starting this challenge/comparison, I've started keeping detailed notes of how each blade performs in my razors and which pairings I consider to be top quality. I've also extended that to include brush & soap combinations. Prior to this I'd just been keeping it minimal and in my head, only considering which blade(s) I liked best, not necessarily which razor & blade combo I liked best. With these notes I've already changed the way I think about that, heh. It's been quite interesting, and I think it will only get moreso when I start throwing in the rest of my blade collection!
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Maggard's Timberwolf Travel brush, Tabac
Kai put in a noticeably better performance for shave 2. The feel during the shave was about the same as the first outing, but it resulted in a closer and cleaner shave. Still not quite as good as Feather, but I'm happy with the improvement!
Since starting this challenge/comparison, I've started keeping detailed notes of how each blade performs in my razors and which pairings I consider to be top quality. I've also extended that to include brush & soap combinations. Prior to this I'd just been keeping it minimal and in my head, only considering which blade(s) I liked best, not necessarily which razor & blade combo I liked best. With these notes I've already changed the way I think about that, heh. It's been quite interesting, and I think it will only get moreso when I start throwing in the rest of my blade collection!
Twenty-second shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Accoutrements Classic 20mm Angel Hair
Soap: RazoRock Black Label
Another fine shave from the FOCS/Kai duo, but the first signs of decline have appeared.
Although, my three customary passes were all smooth and comfortable, I noticed that the time and effort needed to perform the ATG and XTG passes had both gone up somewhat. One affected the other, of course; it took longer to complete those passes because I needed more strokes to get to the closeness that I prefer. I also spent more time buffing, particularly in my usual trouble spot.
In the end, I still received a BBS with no post-shave irritation.
However, this seems to be the first sign that the Kai is wearing down. It's not a significant issue, yet, so I foresee myself using this blade for many more shaves.
Twenty-third shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia 24mm Fan-shaped Tuxedo
Soap: Tabac Shaving Soap (Non-Tallow)
Just okay.
The comfort level was down, overall, so I didn't push it quite as hard as the last shave with this blade. So, there was no touchups or buffing.
As a result, I ended up with a SAS (Socially Acceptable Shave). That's fine because I'm just putzing around the house, today. However, if I had to go out on business, I probably would have switched to another blade (the Kai) and done a better job.
Maybe that's the sign that this blade has finally reached the end of the line. But, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll give it another try on Saturday.
Twenty-third shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1
Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Blue Marble 26mm Timber Wolf
Soap: RazoRock Green Label
Another fine outing with no further decline in shave quality noted.
I didn't detect much of a difference between this shave and the previous one with this blade. It was still smooth and comfortable and, perhaps most importantly, efficiency has stabilized. I had to buff slightly more than usual, again, but it didn't result in any irritation.
So, we're at a state of equilibrium now. As long as shave quality remains the same, I can continue to use this blade indefinitely.
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