Damn Comfortable Shave

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Sunday's shave was very good.

I began by cutting my hair. I'm a little better at that job than some guys.​

I shaved the back of my neck first (after the haircut). Then my face and the rest of my neck.

Wizamet SI (flipped) Vitos Red Zenith Manchurian FOCS​
	⬅ A group of the usual suspects.​

Happy New Year,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Monday my shave was again very good.

Wizamet SI (flipped)​

FOCS was great, as usual.

Whole kit was great today.​

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday's shave was very good.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Rosseforp]

Very mild, irritation and blood free shave, but not the most efficient razor in the world.

I find my English Tech is much more efficient with a shim under the blade

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Rudy Vey Keyhole​ Shavemac 26mm Pure (my 1st and only pure knot)​

The color is dark amber butterscotch with a swirl. The swirl is more visible from certain angles.

It feels good in my hand. I'll put it to the shave test ASAP (tomorrow).

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wednesday's shave was good.

Rudy Vey (dark amber butterscotch swirl) Shavemac 26 mm Pure Wizamet SI (flipped) FOCS Vitos Red​

Interesting new brush and knot. Pure is new to me (other than in the Mixed Midget).

It's going to require climbing a little learning curve as it's a bit dissimilar to other knots I use and like.

Unlike the Mixed Midget this knot isn't really scritchy. Yes, it does have some pokiness, but as I use it, not any actual bad scritch. It's not very dense and it doesn't have a lot of backbone, but it is sufficiently scrubby for my taste.

In the photo above the knot's been washed (last night) and dried overnight. In the photos in my previous post the knot's brand new and unwashed.

I like this Rudy Vey brush (based on one shave). The handle, my first keyhole, is great. The color is even better than the photos show.

Some of the Usual Suspects ➡ Brickell's Face Moisturizer Rocks!​

Good kit. Good shave.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday's shave was good.

Same Kit As Yesterday Wizamet SI (flipped)​

I'm trying to use my new Rudy Vey Shavemac Pure to get to know it. It's an interesting knot.

Good Stuff ➡​

Very good shave. I think my shaves are improving; largely I judge that by how my neck is post shave (smooth, comfortable) and how my soul patch area is mostly in terms of the closeness on my lower lip.

The various PAA bay rums I've used - Crown King Atomic Age, Clásico, coconut, pineapple, pumpkin - are all impressively good, and each are distinct from the others. I had only a small sample of the pumpkin but I have bottles of all the others. I like 'em all.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Rosseforp]

I'm trying to use my new Rudy Vey Shavemac Pure to get to know it. It's an interesting knot.

How do your Shavemac's compare to your Simpson's, Jim? Not that I need/want another brush. I'm still waiting for my Christmas present.

The LOTH got furniture and a new car. Sounds fair to me

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

How do your Shavemac's compare to your Simpson's, Jim? Not that I need/want another brush. I'm still waiting for my Christmas present.

The LOTH got furniture and a new car. Sounds fair to me

More than fair, I'd say.

Probably I'd need more brushes to compare Simpson and Shavemac brushes very well.

• For one thing, all my Shavemacs are in Rudy Vey Handles.
• For another, I don't have the range of knots either in Simpson or Shavemac.
• For another, I'm new to one of my Shavemacs, the Pure.

I'll do the best I can, and hope it's taken with a grain of salt.

To the degree I'm familiar with them the Shavemac knots are pretty well described on the Shavemac website.

People compare the Shavemac D01 with the Simpson Manchurian (which I don't have).

Both of my Simpsons are the Chubby 2, which is, by definition very dense. Both the Shavemac 2 band (not DO1) and the Shavemac D01 2 band are dense. Both have great backbone and scrub. The D01 is "more so" by any standard, across the board. I like both very much.

I don't have a Simpson Pure, but my Shavemac Pure is a nice brush. However, it's not dense, and has not much backbone. It does have decent scrub. I don't find it scritchy, but others might.

The Simpson CH2 in Best is a bit scritchy but within my comfort zone. It has enormous scrub. It's super dense (like the D01). I like it very very much. The CH2 in Silvertip Badger is also very dense. It has adequate backbone (more than the Shavemac Pure by a long shot), but it has marginally good scrub. I'd say it's way softer than a 2 band has any right to be; that's a negative comment from me, but would be a positive comment from someone who loves softness over everything else.

I like softness just fine but not at the expense of scrub. To me, a good brush has to be very scrubby. The CH2 in Silvertip Badger is barely scrubby enough for me to keep it around (and I'm considering selling it).

I love the CH2 in Best (but it has some bad scritch). I love the Shavemac 2 bands. These three brushes all feel like the best brush ever when I use them. I can recommend any of these brushes without any reservation, but I know not everyone would like any of them.

The others, well, the jury is still out on them.

Largely it depends on what you like and value.

I tried a Vulfix brush for a while. It's made by Simpson (sorta) and was in the Vulfix version of Super Badger (three band). It was as scritchy as my CH2 in best and was a shedder and was floppy; still, I liked it okay (but not enough to buy one).

I doubt that helps much, so I'll just say this:

Sell the ones you don't like.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My Friday shave was very Simpson...

This discontinued Simpson Shaving Cream is not a shaving cream. It's a not terribly soft soap. I like it a lot. The container says nothing about its scent, but it has a pleasant and not too strong scent. Wizamet SI (flipped)​

The FOCS continues to impress me.

Great Stuff ➡​

I'm pretty pleased and a bit impressed with my recent shaves.

Happy shaves to you, sir,

Jim

 

[Esox]

My Friday shave was very Simpson...

The FOCS continues to impress me.

I wish mine did. I tried it again the other day. For me its half the razor my Grande is.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

View attachment 1205795



I wish mine did. I tried it again the other day. For me its half the razor my Grande is.

That's 'cause it's not gold.

Spoiler: The gold...

The gold FOCS can be ordered...I have the gold in transit from Connaught (slow transit).

I was never interested in gold until I shaved with my Gillette Executive (which was given to me by a friend; I think it was her grandfather's or her dad's). I tried to not accept it and to get her to sell it on eBay, but she refused, and insisted I take it. I'm very glad I did. Very nice shave with it. It's not mint, but it's a lot better than many I see on eBay for over $100 (USD).​

Happy shaves, Mike,

Jim

 

[TinyT]

I'm pretty pleased and a bit impressed with my recent shaves.

Very good to read. It's a special feeling isn't it?

 

[Esox]

The gold FOCS can be ordered...I have the gold in transit from Connaught (slow transit).

Thank you, Jim, once again, for your personal sacrifices to help guide and better us all lol.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Sunday my shave was very good indeed. I'd skipped shaving on Saturday.

Wizamet SI (flipped) Gillette Executive (adjustment #5) Rudy Vey Keyhole (dark amber butterscotch with a swirl) Shavemac 26 mm Pure​

This was a stunningly good shave considering how quickly it was accomplished. The Executive is a great razor by any standard. You should have an Executive!

I'm going to try out my Fatboy before too very long to see if it's just as good.

I'm astonished at how much better my shaves are now as compared with shaves many decades ago with Gillette adjustables. I don't know for sure which Gillette adjustables I used back then, but certainly not an Executive; the idea of spending $5 on a razor was unheard of in my circles. Plus, it was a huge amount of money for me when there was beer to buy. I could buy a case of top quality domestic beer (sometimes) for under $5.

Here is the same Rudy Vey Pure brush when it was brand new and had not been wet. A big shout out to Cal @Cal for enabling me to pull the trigger on a good pure. Another big shout out to Rudy @Rudy Vey for making the handle and brush, and advising me on the knot and the shape of the knot. The more I use this brush the better I like it. Today I realized what a stellar knot this is! It's not a knot which should be compared with others. It should be evaluated on its own merits.​

The handle is truly beautiful but also ergonomically great. Several gentlemen steered me right here, and I appreciate their help. The keyhole is indeed a great shape for face-lathering.

⬅ Hard to beat gear like this.​

Really nice shave today. Quick but not hurried. I'd almost forgotten how good SV is - it might be even slicker and have even better ghost lather than Vitos Red - plus it smells wonderful. Even with a good rinse and an application of bay rum I can smell Flying Mango around the edges. Nice.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Monday's shave was good, but not great (perhaps).

Wizamet SI (flipped) Wickham's 1912 Magnum (a great scent) FOCS Rudy Vey Shavemac Pure​

I'd not used Wickham's soap in a long time. It's a good soap. In many ways I like 1912 a lot. However, I'm not sure it's as protective (during the shave) as either my usual soap, Vitos Red, or as the SV I used yesterday. It's slick and has good ghost lather.

I like the Shavemac Pure knot!

Good post-shave products ➡​

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday my shave was very good.

Brand New Gold FOCS Wizamet SI (new) Vitos Red SOC Mistura​

Nice new gold razor.

⬅ Good post shave products​

Good kit. Good shave. Good skin. Good scent.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wednesday my shave was very good.

Wearing this splash actually improved the weather here.​

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday I tried a razor I've not used before...

Gillette FatBoy (adjustment #5)​

Three itsy bitsy weepers on my chin, but I felt all three when they happened.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Friday's shave was very good.

Wizamet SI (flipped)​

Good shave with the gold FOCS.

Hard to beat these post shave products.​

Happy shave to you,

Jim