Damn Comfortable Shave

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

If the hybrid Sailor ever shows up in a US site, I might be interested. I haven’t had great shaves with either the Progess or Mergress, so I’m a bit gun shy.

Kim, I'm sorry to hear that. I can only report my experiences of course.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[flask28]

Happy New Year Jim!

I should have my Mike's Honey and Grapefruit by friday

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Happy New Year Jim!

I should have my Mike's Honey and Grapefruit by friday

I thought you were getting it at midnight tonight, Adam, but Friday will be a wonderful time to try it.

It is my favorite of Mike's citrus scents, and I like some of the others, but you are much more sophisticated about scents than me, and might not like it. I think you'll love Honey & Grapefruit, of course, and I'm so glad you're finally "eligible."

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Phoenixkh]

Kim, I'm sorry to hear that. I can only report my experiences of course.

Happy shaves,

Jim

No need to apologize... the Progress and its variants are loved by so many people... For some, it's their main razor throughout the year... maybe years...

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It is New Year's Day. Today's shave was good.

Prior to shaving I polished the copper handle with Flitz and a microfiber cloth, just to clean it up. I was not attempting ultimate shininess.

This may be the most perfect of all knots. That doesn't mean you can buy one as good as mine. It has changed - improved - over a great many shaves. I liked it from the beginning, but it is a much different knot now.

Vi-John (3), flipped. The Tube. Flying Mango.

I've not tried every scent in the shaving soap world, but I've tried a few. My two all time favorite soap scents are Dragonsbeard and Flying Mango. It's a tie. You probably know that Flying Mango is a limited edition soap made in Italy by Saponificio Varesino exclusively for BullGoose Shaving. It utilizes SV's latest Beta 4.3 formula and has added mango butter for superior skin conditioning. It lathers easily. The lather feels rich and thick and creamy and has excellent slickness and great ghost lather.

(I probably load too much SV soap.)

Is it better than other SV soaps? I've tried only this one and Felce Aromatica. Both are the 4.3 formula. I don't remember if they're exactly the same, but both are very nice. They're also on the expensive side, but not out of sight expensive.

My Felce Aromatica was used throughout the 2017 Fixed Four. The razor is my original Colonial General. The Stirling brush was, I think, given away way back, and is sometimes missed. I used excellent gear for that Fixed! Lucky me.​

I think I may have a little bit of Felce Aromatica left, but I'm not eager to use it up or buy more. I like the scent very much indeed, but I like Flying Mango even more. As I recall, Rave @Raven Koenes has, or had, a large selection of SV soaps. I like 'em myself, but have only a little bit.

I have more, but not much more, Flying Mango. When Bullgoose had a Black Friday deal on Flying Mango I should probably have taken advantage of it. It certainly seems luxurious to me.

Sailor settings, speaking of luxurious, were #1.5 and Zero Dot (fully closed).

What's not to like?

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday. A good shave.

The main thing this morning was trying a soap I've not used in a long time, and don't have a lot of, but have more of than I thought yesterday, to compare it with Flying Mango. I think I like Flying Mango better, but Dragonsbeard is very very close in both scent and base. This is not the current Dragonsbeard as I understand it, but I could be wrong. This is the very first iteration of Frank's very first soap.

• M3teorite, mild.
• Vi-John (4), flipped.
• Dragonsbeard soap.
• The Tube.
• My Honey Badger Kirin/ebonite brush.

An easy enough and good enough shave.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Friday's shave was too hurried to be as enjoyable as it otherwise would have been. The soap and the brush were enjoyable, yes, but not enjoyable to the degree they deserve to be enjoyed.

I deliberately picked Felce Aromatica having realized recently that I have enough to use it occasionally. I like the scent a lot. The base is great by any standard. However, I probably prefer Flying Mango to Felce. Both are top tier scents. Both are top tier soaps. Both are highly luxurious in all respects.

I was not particularly deliberate in today's brush choice. Just grabbed a good brush. It didn't even occur to me until this morning (Saturday) when I finally got around to posting my notes from yesterday that I'd used two Saponificio Varesino products. It was not deliberate.

This is a truly fabulous brush. It may be the perfect brush with the perfect knot.

Vi-John (5). Not flipped as I was hurried. Also, it wasn't discarded after the 4th shave, and should have been. It worked well enough, but shaves one through four with this blade are better.

The aggressive baseplate was used. Frankly, I didn't even notice that I was using it instead of the mild baseplate I usually use. However, I was hurried, so I'm not making much of it. No blood. No drama.

(I was not so hurried as to be reckless.)

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Monday's shave removed whiskers which grew since Friday morning.

The aggressive baseplate was used today. I like it.

• The Tube.
• New Vi-John blade.
• Unsullied knot. It's not ready for prime time so it's back to the offline break in process. For painting, it's great though.
• Bay Rum scent.

Good shave.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday. Close shave.

Today's kit

• Vi-John (2), flipped
• Aggressive baseplate
• Honey Badger brush (Kirin 25mm)
• Lemongrass & Eucalyptus

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Shave mail today. Chinese Lacquer Limited Edition. Exceed-2 handle. Kirin 29 mm fan.

Usually I don't show the unpacking pictures but today I will. Most of these are enlargeable thumbnails.





Very nice wooden box from the top.





Box from the end. It slides out.





Brush is still in the red bag and in the box.





Still in the red bag.





Wrapped in paper.






Strings under the paper.





Cellophane or something like it shrink wrapped over the handle.

New brush. Chinese Lacquer Limited Edition. Exceed-2 handle. Kirin 29 mm fan.

I am very pleased. Will probably use the brush tomorrow or the next day.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Phoenixkh]

Shave mail today. Chinese Lacquer Limited Edition. Exceed-2 handle. Kirin 29 mm fan.

Usually I don't show the unpacking pictures but today I will. Most of these are enlargeable thumbnails.


View attachment 1972794


Very nice wooden box from the top.


View attachment 1972801


Box from the end. It slides out.


View attachment 1972793


Brush is still in the red bag and in the box.


View attachment 1972795


Still in the red bag.


View attachment 1972799


Wrapped in paper.



View attachment 1972798


Strings under the paper.


View attachment 1972797


Cellophane or something like it shrink wrapped over the handle.



View attachment 1972792


New brush. Chinese Lacquer Limited Edition. Exceed-2 handle. Kirin 29 mm fan.

I am very pleased. Will probably use the brush tomorrow or the next day.

Happy shaves,

Jim

It looks to me like you'll forget the price when you use that beautiful brush.. The handle is something else.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It looks to me like you'll forget the price when you use that beautiful brush.. The handle is something else.

Thank you, Kim.

I've already forgotten the price, and I've not even used it yet. The hardest part was deciding which of the Chinese Lacquer handles to buy. I wasn't planning to buy more than one. As they're sold, the selection of handle shapes diminishes, too. I'm very pleased with the handle I decided on. It's a little taller than many of my handles, but the same height as some of my favorite handles. It looks exactly like it was pictured on the website; I suspect it is the exact handle pictured there and that they make only one of each handle shape in each of the Chinese Lacquers they use.

Of course, to me it's all about the knot. I already know what the Kirin knot will be like. I already know I will like it very much. (That's making an assumption, but I believe the assumption is warranted as I already had two Kirin knots and they're entirely consistent.)

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wednesday. Tried the new 29mm Kirin, Chinese Lacquer.

Wow. This is a huge knot.

I have plenty of large knots, but this is huge. I like it a lot. As pictured above and below it is brand new, never been washed or used.

• Vi-John (3), flipped.
• Aggressive baseplate.
• Honey and Grapefruit (How 'bout it Adam @flask28?)
• Mysterium Serum and Coconut Bay.

On the right, it's been used. It's still damp, but the bloom is even more impressive than the photograph shows.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday I used a much smaller Kirin.

This knot is 27 mm (nominal size), but the 29 mm (nominal size) I used yesterday dwarfs it. I've not played with the calipers nor have I taken comparative photos (yet).

• Vi-John (4), flipped.
• Aggressive baseplate.
• Mike's Coconut which is my favorite of his scents.
• Mysterium Serum post shave.

No complaints. I'm getting used to using the aggressive baseplate of the M3teorite. It might be bit much but it is a surprisingly smooth and easy to use razor for being as efficient and close shaving as it is.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

If the hybrid Sailor ever shows up in a US site, I might be interested. I haven’t had great shaves with either the Progress or Mergress, so I’m a bit gun shy.

Just curious...What angle are you using?





I use a steep angle with everything including the Mergress and Opgress.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Phoenixkh]

Just curious...What angle are you using?


View attachment 1975052


I use a steep angle with everything including the Mergress and Opgress.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I tried several angles.... I think I shouldn't have been on a setting of 3.... Too aggressive for me... I still have both sizes of the Progress, as I mentioned.... I did love the Mergress upgrade.... but it was silly to keep them around, not being used.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

OliBlade adjustable settings vs M4teorite baseplates.

I'm going to use my Oliblade adjustable today. I had to search for this information...

"For those who own our adjustable razor, our mild tray setting was designed to feel like a 2, the medium tray was designed to feel like a 3.5 and the aggressive tray was designed to feel like a 5."

The manufacturer compared the settings of the OliWorks OliBlade adjustable with the baseplates of the OliWorks M3teorite.

I've been using the M3teorite so much. I want to compare it with the adjustable, using what I've learned about the baseplates to inform my use of the adjustable.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[flask28]

Wednesday. Tried the new 29mm Kirin, Chinese Lacquer.

Woah!

That brush looks incredible! Bloomed out, that 29mm looks like a 32mm. It also looks very, very comfy.

• Honey and Grapefruit (How 'bout it Adam @flask28?)

Thanks for the prompt my friend. I have three shaves in with the Honey and Grapefruit now and have gotten my head around the scent some.

TLDR - It's my new favorite Mike's soap scent, easily.

Honey and Grapefruit could probably be renamed to Grapefruit and Honey, as it's all about the grapefruit. Like many of Mike's soaps, it's mild much like his Orange, Cedarwood and Black Pepper is, something I much prefer to the super strong scents common to many shaving soaps.

The wonderfully natural grapefruit scent is what greets you first, stronger out of the jar and on first application but it thins quickly as you lather it. For me, this is what a good shaving soap is supposed to do! I don't want to feel bathed in scent the whole time I'm shaving.

The normal grapefruit super-sweet top end is tempered by the nutty honey scent just enough to knock the edges off the citrus assault you can get with grapefruit. I find myself comparing this to his orange scent a lot - that smells more like the rind of an orange rather than the inner fruit and this grapefruit scent is much the the same. It's not chemical-ish AT ALL, a trait of all Mike's soaps that I've tried.

It borders on zesty but again the honey is playing a tempering role, mellowing the top end enough to keep it out of the zing category you get with soaps like MdC Agrumes or Dr. Jon's Hydra. The grapefruit scent is still "bright" though, more so than Ethos Mélange d'agrumes which is really mellowed out in comparison. Mike's found a great middle ground here that just works.

While Mike's coconut is something special, it's a much stronger scent and not something I can use everyday. Mike's Barbershop, while a personal favorite, falls into a similar category. I like the Orange and Cedarwood a lot but I think I prefer the zest of the grapefruit to the sweetness of the orange.

I like it so much that I'm concerned it's not one of his regulars and now have a small stockpile of these. Maybe I need more.

Thanks for the recommendation Jim, I'm very excited to have a new favorite in the den.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Sunday's shave was good. I had not shaved on Friday or Saturday so there was plenty to remove. We had a winter storm on Friday which closed my office and kept me home.

As planned, I used the OliBlade adjustable. My settings were #5 for everything other than ATG on my upper lip, soul patch, and chin where the razor was fully closed. I got a plenty close shave.

Vi-John, new blade.

I enjoyed my huge Kirin knot and its fancy handle.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Woah!

That brush looks incredible! Bloomed out, that 29mm looks like a 32mm. It also looks very, very comfy.

Adam, I don't believe I measured the knot with my calipers at the office when it was brand new, and I really should have.

I've also not measured it dry at home. Again, an error.

I measured it just now, but it is a bit damp having been used about two hours ago and towel dried after that.

By my measurement the knot at exit is about 33 mm.

I compared this 29mm Kirin knot with another knot, my 29mm Maseto, which I've previously regarded as my most huge knot.

When I measure with the calipers across the top of the knot, the Kirin is about 10mm larger in diameter than the MS.

The difference is quite impressive in person and should be visually significant in these photos.

The 29mm Kirin is huge by any reasonable standard.

Thanks for the prompt my friend. I have three shaves in with the Honey and Grapefruit now and have gotten my head around the scent some.

TLDR - It's my new favorite Mike's soap scent, easily.

I'm not too surprised, Adam.

Honey and Grapefruit could probably be renamed to Grapefruit and Honey, as it's all about the grapefruit. Like many of Mike's soaps, it's mild much like his Orange, Cedarwood and Black Pepper is, something I much prefer to the super strong scents common to many shaving soaps.

I agree, but I like the name Honey & Grapefruit better for no good reason.

Like you, I don't like the scents to be too strong.

The wonderfully natural grapefruit scent is what greets you first, stronger out of the jar and on first application but it thins quickly as you lather it. For me, this is what a good shaving soap is supposed to do! I don't want to feel bathed in scent the whole time I'm shaving.

I like them a bit on the subtle side, too.

The normal grapefruit super-sweet top end is tempered by the nutty honey scent just enough to knock the edges off the citrus assault you can get with grapefruit. I find myself comparing this to his orange scent a lot - that smells more like the rind of an orange rather than the inner fruit and this grapefruit scent is much the the same. It's not chemical-ish AT ALL, a trait of all Mike's soaps that I've tried.

Indeed.

It borders on zesty but again the honey is playing a tempering role, mellowing the top end enough to keep it out of the zing category you get with soaps like MdC Agrumes or Dr. Jon's Hydra. The grapefruit scent is still "bright" though, more so than Ethos Mélange d'agrumes which is really mellowed out in comparison. Mike's found a great middle ground here that just works.

Indeed.

While Mike's coconut is something special, it's a much stronger scent and not something I can use everyday.

Interesting. I do not find Mike's Coconut to be stronger than the Honey & Grapefruit. I'd probably say Honey & Grapefruit is a tad stronger than Coconut. I can certainly use the Coconut every day.

Wonder why, I do.

Mike's Barbershop, while a personal favorite, falls into a similar category. I like the Orange and Cedarwood a lot but I think I prefer the zest of the grapefruit to the sweetness of the orange.

I'm not a huge fan of Mike's Barbershop, but I like it on occasion. It seems perfectly named.

Honey & Grapefruit is my favorite of Mike's citrus soaps. By a good little bit, I'd say.

I like it so much that I'm concerned it's not one of his regulars and now have a small stockpile of these. Maybe I need more.

I think Mike said it would be one of the regulars. I certainly hope so. I'd say it's my second or third favorite of his scented soaps. (Coconut, Bay Rum, Unscented...I'm not sure if BR trumps H&G.)

Thanks for the recommendation Jim, I'm very excited to have a new favorite in the den.

Adam, I'm very happy you like it so much. I'm also so glad you're shared with us what your nose and brain tell you about the scent. You have a gift for putting scents into words.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim