Damn Comfortable Shave

[Johnnynroy]

This morning I shaved again with the SE1. My blade? The same Proline I've used every day but one since Christmas. How many days is that? I'm not counting, but the blade is still going strong enough for me to have flipped it with plans for Monday morning's shave.

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Homemade shaving oil
Dickinson's Witch hazel

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My bottle of Special Reserve is lower than this picture which is a few months old. I'm going to run out in a few more months or a year. I use it a lot, not daily, but it is one of my two most used splashes, the other being Avon Brisk Spice.

My shave was good enough. BBS face. DFS neck. A very good DFS. N-S. S-N. R-L on my jawline. A little more on my lower lip.

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My face feels a bit overdone. My face, not my neck. I have no idea what that means unless it has to do with me leaving off my usual application of shea butter last night before bed. I used Equate Noxzema as usual last night but neglected to add the second layer, the Equate. This morning's prep process was a bit different, too, because SWMBO bumped me from the den between my shower and my shave, but I made up for it by washing my face again before my shave.

I'll add some shea butter to my face in a few minutes. That should fix things, or at least help.

Could be I should change my blade, but I do not think so. Not just yet, unless I change my mind. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to change blades, so I'll think about it.

Nothing is horrible, or even bad. It's just a minor concern.

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The SV soap is amazing. The soap lathers into a very creamy consistency but it also hydrates extremely nicely without running all over the place. Other soaps are close. SV is perfect in its performance, and the Flying Mango has almost enough scent.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I don't have quite as many shaves on my Proline as you do, but I haven't changed it since loading when I got the General. I flip it after every shave. Not sure if this "face stropping" of the opposite side of the blade does anything for longevity, but I am certainly getting more shaves out of one than I was expecting.

I LOVE the Stirling Badger. Since going to 36 hours between shaves, I haven't touched another brush. No scritch from it at all. It seems to be a "pure" badger type bristle, but it feels nothing like a pure. Face feel is much closer to the Captain's Choice Silvertip badger I have, but more backbone and better lathers so far. Shocking how well this setup has been working for me since accidentally stumbling upon it. Glad your shaves are also going well with the SE1! I think your pictures show what I was thinking: the SE1 has a scalloped bar guard, while the SE2 has a true open comb guard. The General is a non-textured straight bar guard. I don't know what the gaps/blade exposures/etc are between the three, but I wonder if the guard plays into that efficiency difference you notice.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I like the beautiful baby playing with razors.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I don't have quite as many shaves on my Proline as you do, but I haven't changed it since loading when I got the General. I flip it after every shave. Not sure if this "face stropping" of the opposite side of the blade does anything for longevity, but I am certainly getting more shaves out of one than I was expecting.

I LOVE the Stirling Badger. Since going to 36 hours between shaves, I haven't touched another brush. No scritch from it at all. It seems to be a "pure" badger type bristle, but it feels nothing like a pure. Face feel is much closer to the Captain's Choice Silvertip badger I have, but more backbone and better lathers so far. Shocking how well this setup has been working for me since accidentally stumbling upon it. Glad your shaves are also going well with the SE1! I think your pictures show what I was thinking: the SE1 has a scalloped bar guard, while the SE2 has a true open comb guard. The General is a non-textured straight bar guard. I don't know what the gaps/blade exposures/etc are between the three, but I wonder if the guard plays into that efficiency difference you notice.

The Stirling brushes look to me like Super Badger or maybe Silvertip, or maybe Two Band, but I'm not even remotely an expert on badgers.

The only 100% badger brushes I have are the Stirlings. I like them very much, but I have no basis for comparison with any others.

Does the scalloped bar guard make the razor more efficient? I do not know, but why not? It would be helpful to know the gaps, and blade exposures, and all that stuff, but I do not, so I'm just guessing about the causes of the differences in performance I experience.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Johnnynroy]

The Stirling brushes look to me like Super Badger or maybe Silvertip, or maybe Two Band, but I'm not even remotely an expert on badgers.

The only 100% badger brushes I have are the Stirlings. I like them very much, but I have no basis for comparison with any others.

Does the scalloped bar guard make the razor more efficient? I do not know, but why not? It would be helpful to know the gaps, and blade exposures, and all that stuff, but I do not, so I'm just guessing about the causes of the differences in performance I experience.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I was going based on what was listed on the Timeless Razors FAQ (relevant part bolded):

"What is the difference in aggressiveness between the 0.95 and the 0.68 and the difference in the base plates?

ANSWER: The 0.95 is a MEDIUM AGGRESSIVE blade gap. It is very efficient, but not overly aggressive. The 0.68 is a MILD blade gap that takes a couple more passes to get the job done, but has a VERY SMOOTH feel on the face.

The difference in the base plates is that the O.C. is probably the most aggressive but VERY efficient. The solid bar is VERY SMOOTH on the face and the Scalloped Base is somewhere in between the two. The solid bar and scalloped base plate both give excellent audio feedback. The O.C. is a little less noticeable to the ear."

I don't know if this applies to all razors, but Timeless believes that it applies to theirs. The why of it I don't have an answer for, just where I had heard that.

 

[Johnnynroy]

In regards to the Stirling Badger brush: It definitely looks like a two band. Black for most of the brush then white tips. Two bands are supposed to be more rare and expensive than silvertip badger brushes though, which makes me think it more likely to be a Pure or Best badger. It is also possible that Stirling has just found the perfect supplier for them and that these are in fact two bands. Whatever they are, I love this one. If I need another brush than my current stable of four, I will probably be picking up another Stirling. How do you like the marble and other bulb shaped badgers you have from them in comparison to the fan shaped badger?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I was going based on what was listed on the Timeless Razors FAQ (relevant part bolded):

"What is the difference in aggressiveness between the 0.95 and the 0.68 and the difference in the base plates?

ANSWER: The 0.95 is a MEDIUM AGGRESSIVE blade gap. It is very efficient, but not overly aggressive. The 0.68 is a MILD blade gap that takes a couple more passes to get the job done, but has a VERY SMOOTH feel on the face.

The difference in the base plates is that the O.C. is probably the most aggressive but VERY efficient. The solid bar is VERY SMOOTH on the face and the Scalloped Base is somewhere in between the two. The solid bar and scalloped base plate both give excellent audio feedback. The O.C. is a little less noticeable to the ear."

I don't know if this applies to all razors, but Timeless believes that it applies to theirs. The why of it I don't have an answer for, just where I had heard that.

Nice, but are they talking about efficiency or about smoothness? I'm not quite sure.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

In regards to the Stirling Badger brush: It definitely looks like a two band. Black for most of the brush then white tips. Two bands are supposed to be more rare and expensive than silvertip badger brushes though, which makes me think it more likely to be a Pure or Best badger. It is also possible that Stirling has just found the perfect supplier for them and that these are in fact two bands. Whatever they are, I love this one. If I need another brush than my current stable of four, I will probably be picking up another Stirling. How do you like the marble and other bulb shaped badgers you have from them in comparison to the fan shaped badger?

I like the fan the best, followed by the large bulb, followed by the marble handled bulb.

Why? Well, it may be the marble handled bulb needs a bit more use to soften it, not that it is harsh, but it is a tad less soft than the others. The large bulb is a great brush; sometimes I love how large it is, and sometimes I wonder if 26 mm is too large. In all respects the fan is sort of the Goldie Locks brush for me of these three, and maybe of all my brushes.

The fan is the only one of my brushes that I might actually buy another one of. They come in the color I have, butterscotch, and they also are sold with a black handle. Really, I don't need another though.

I am very happy with all of my Stirling badger brushes. Any one of them would suit me any day. I like the boar, too.

Yeah, it would be amazing - or, maybe not; check this link - if Stirling has a supplier of Two Band at the Stirling price point. Whatever the badger, the brushes are fine. Maybe what is really amazing is how much markup there is in the badger brushes offered by some vendors. Maybe other much higher priced brushes are amazingly better than the Stirlings; I don't have any and I don't know.

Please, I am not badmouthing all the vendors. I do not know anything about badgers or brushes (except that I like the Stirlings). It is interesting the low prices on knots you can find using Google for five minutes. However, that does not tell me anything about the quality of the knots, their density, etc.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Johnnynroy]

Nice, but are they talking about efficiency or about smoothness? I'm not quite sure.

I’m also not certain. They mention both. But I was left with some confusion still. I’m guessing both, as I’ve heard others discussing the open comb vs safety bar as a difference in comfort and efficiency between them.

Thank you for the breakdown on the brushes. I understand you aren’t badmouthing other vendors, and I hope that I’m not coming across that way. I like the four brushes I’ve decided to keep. I am just finding I prefer the Stirling at this point in time. I only have experience with my current brushes, but the stirling definitely punches above its price point for me. My father has been using brushes and soap for a year or two with his carts. The brush he uses is from Art of shaving and is a pure badger. He paid over $60 for it. I tried it over thanksgiving. I couldn’t stand it. I would have rather used any of my brushes then (boar or synthetic) over it. My $40 stirling is easily as good or better to me. The AoS brush was floppy and scritchy. It was what he was looking for apparently, but it isn’t quite my ideal brush. YMMV in this hobby, in all things. Some gents like those brushes. I like my Stirling and have also been considering another one or two. As backups. Just in case [emoji6].

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I’m also not certain. They mention both. But I was left with some confusion still. I’m guessing both, as I’ve heard others discussing the open comb vs safety bar as a difference in comfort and efficiency between them.

Thank you for the breakdown on the brushes. I understand you aren’t badmouthing other vendors, and I hope that I’m not coming across that way. I like the four brushes I’ve decided to keep. I am just finding I prefer the Stirling at this point in time. I only have experience with my current brushes, but the stirling definitely punches above its price point for me. My father has been using brushes and soap for a year or two with his carts. The brush he uses is from Art of shaving and is a pure badger. He paid over $60 for it. I tried it over thanksgiving. I couldn’t stand it. I would have rather used any of my brushes then (boar or synthetic) over it. My $40 stirling is easily as good or better to me. The AoS brush was floppy and scritchy. It was what he was looking for apparently, but it isn’t quite my ideal brush. YMMV in this hobby, in all things. Some gents like those brushes. I like my Stirling and have also been considering another one or two. As backups. Just in case [emoji6].

A guys I know has an AoS brush which he hates, but I think it is because he can't get rid of the stink. I don't know if it's badger or boar. He wasn't able to describe it very well except for the smell. I got the idea he keeps it in the garage.

Anybody who thinks we're badmouthing other vendors would be missing the obvious because we are stating that we don't have any of their brushes to badmouth, but I do wonder what makes them "better" than the Stirlings. All badger comes from China. Some knots, apparently, are tied by European vendors. Most, in China. I would expect there are various high end knot makers in China, and low end, too, which is probably what I found, but I could be wrong. Maybe all knots from China are the same. Maybe there are huge differences.

On the Stirling website there are many reviews of their brushes. Most are very good. Some are not. A few compare the Stirling brushes very favorably to the writer's very high end, famous brushes. Are these reviews representative of the experience of Stirling brush users? I would say they are, just based on my experience with the Stirling brushes, but I sure can't compare my brushes with brushes I don't have.

I have an idea. I would be glad to review the Stirlings against some of the super high end brushes so somebody just needs to send me a few samples. I'm thinking Simpson, and Paladin, and Shavemac, and SV, and a few others, but I don't want to limit myself. Any brushes costing over $100 in the general size of the Stirling 24mm or 26 mm badgers would get a fair comparative review. Obviously, I would want this to be fair, so I'm thinking only new brushes, and I should review them for at least a couple of years, maybe more. This seems like a very good idea to me.

Without even having one I believe the Paladin brushes are the best. That's just faith, not experience.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My neck was a bit itchy yesterday, and it still is. Why? I don't know. The itching has not been terrible, but it has been annoying.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

New Proline blade. Good shave.



That is the brand new brush, before it bloomed. I need a new picture of it.

Homemade shave oil.
Dickinson's Witch Hazel.

Okay, you may not know this, but UGA is playing for the National Championship tonight. That's football. Real football for real football players.

Our opponent is Alabama.

Go, Dawgs!



Who cares about the shave? Let's talk football. My Dawgs have had a great season. Win or lose, I am always a Dawg fan. Tonight I will be cheering my head off. Even SWMBO is into football this season for the first time in decades. She is football crazy - not to the level of the Logic Professor - like nobody's business. We are having so much fun.

I know we are going to win because we have a great team, a great coach, great fans, and I'm wearing Lilac Vegetal.

Go, Dawgs!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

My neck was a bit itchy yesterday, and it still is. Why? I don't know. The itching has not been terrible, but it has been annoying.

Jim,

For a while I had issues with close shaves causing itching, but it wasn't due to me causing any skin irritation, as I had no redness or yelp from the alum. I believe that it was just from the sharp edges of the hairs retreating below skin level as the beard dried out, and their reappearance from the folicle as the stubble came back.

Over time this eased, but for a while I did get frustrated with my close shaven stubble causing more irritation than the blade did. As I say, my skin acclimatised to this over time, but a good post shave balm, or even a beard oil, might help too. Maybe play around with only going for the super close shaves once or twice a week, settling for a CCS for the reat of the week, and experiment with post shave applications which might sooth it.

It certainly doesn't sound like it's the shave itself that's causing the issues, so I'm leaning more towards the stubble itself, having suffered the annoyance of that myself. As you find the right post-shave application/s, and your skin acclimatises, the itching should ease off.

Sorry I can't offer a quicker fix, but if your skin is simply unused to your improved shaving skills, there's likely to be a settling in period.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Jim,

For a while I had issues with close shaves causing itching, but it wasn't due to me causing any skin irritation, as I had no redness or yelp from the alum. I believe that it was just from the sharp edges of the hairs retreating below skin level as the beard dried out, and their reappearance from the folicle as the stubble came back.

Over time this eased, but for a while I did get frustrated with my close shaven stubble causing more irritation than the blade did. As I say, my skin acclimatised to this over time, but a good post shave balm, or even a beard oil, might help too. Maybe play around with only going for the super close shaves once or twice a week, settling for a CCS for the reat of the week, and experiment with post shave applications which might sooth it.

It certainly doesn't sound like it's the shave itself that's causing the issues, so I'm leaning more towards the stubble itself, having suffered the annoyance of that myself. As you find the right post-shave application/s, and your skin acclimatises, the itching should ease off.

Sorry I can't offer a quicker fix, but if your skin is simply unused to your improved shaving skills, there's likely to be a settling in period.

Since my shave today was at least as aggressive as my shave yesterday, and I have no itching at all today (after my shave; I had itching this morning before my shave), I have to conclude that the issue was that I needed a new blade.

I will try to determine the ideal point where I should change blades. Since I have over 380 of these Prolines I can change them at the ideal point, and I do not have to worry about them running out soon.

One a week for 380 weeks is how many years? One every other week, how many? Since this blade was used 13.5 times, perhaps the ideal time to change blades is around 10 shaves.

I don't want to be OCD about counting the number of times I use a blade. Let me ponder the issue.

At my age, I might be good, but, hopefully, I'll have to restock a few more times.

I agree with you on the pointers you mentioned, too. There are a number of possibilities when it comes to itching and irritation. I've had, a few weeks ago, itching much worse than yesterday's.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Who cares about the shave? Let's talk football.

Oh football, sorry

For a while I had issues with close shaves causing itching, but it wasn't due to me causing any skin irritation, as I had no redness or yelp from the alum. I believe that it was just from the sharp edges of the hairs retreating below skin level as the beard dried out, and their reappearance from the folicle as the stubble came back.

That was my initial thought too. Glad it seems to have gone away at any rate.

One a week for 380 weeks is how many years?

7.3 years at one blade a week. Pick a day to change blades and clean the razor.

If all I used was Polsilvers, we'd be in a dead heat to see who got through their stash first lol.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

These really nice stainless steel combs are still available on ebay. Link. When you go to the link you will be shocked at the price including shipping. I just ordered another one, another small sized comb, which is much larger than a pocket comb, and plenty big enough for any use I can think of for it other than maybe combing a horse, because this morning I gave the comb I bought a few weeks ago to my grandson right before he left to return to his home in California.

He'd been trying to get it from me for a couple of days, and I understood why. He needs his own ebay account. These suckers are a whole 'nother price on Amazon.

He loved using my comb so much that I just had to give it away. His use of it was to comb his handsome beard. Mine is to comb my shaving brushes. Not that they need any combing, or get much combing at all. I'm not much into making my brushes look any particular way. However, this comb is perfect for when a shaving brush needs a beauty shop appointment.

I expect shipping will take exactly two weeks just as it did the first time I ordered the comb. I'll manage without it until then. I'll miss my grandson more than I miss the comb, and he'll think of me sometimes when he uses it.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

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These really nice stainless steel combs are still available on ebay. Link. When you go to the link you will be shocked at the price including shipping. I just ordered another one, another small sized comb, which is much larger than a pocket comb, and plenty big enough for any use I can think of for it other than maybe combing a horse, because this morning I gave the comb I bought a few weeks ago to my grandson right before he left to return to his home in California.

He'd been trying to get it from me for a couple of days, and I understood why. He needs his own ebay account. These suckers are a whole 'nother price on Amazon.

He loved using my comb so much that I just had to give it away. His use of it was to comb his handsome beard. Mine is to comb my shaving brushes. Not that they need any combing, or get much combing at all. I'm not much into making my brushes look any particular way. However, this comb is perfect for when a shaving brush needs a beauty shop appointment.

I expect shipping will take exactly two weeks just as it did the first time I ordered the comb. I'll manage without it until then. I'll miss my grandson more than I miss the comb, and he'll think of me sometimes when he uses it.

Happy shaves,

Jim

That's a nice gift, but then Grandsons hold a special place.

 

[Esox]

Not that they need any combing, or get much combing at all. I'm not much into making my brushes look any particular way. However, this comb is perfect for when a shaving brush needs a beauty shop appointment.

If we start seeing pictures of your badger brushes with hairstyles, we may need to hold a special meeting lol.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

If we start seeing pictures of your badger brushes with hairstyles, we may need to hold a special meeting lol.

Say it's not true.

Cancel the appointment for Wednesday?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Say it's not true.

View attachment 851064

Cancel the appointment for Wednesday?

Happy shaves,

Jim

Hahaha. We need to invent miniature ones to dry shaving brushes!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This morning I got a pretty good shave. Going into it I had the slightest amount of itching in one small area of my lower middle neck (my most sensitive area).

Homemade shaving oil
SE1
Proline
Wickham 1912 Cashmere
Stirling Marble
Witch hazel
Avon Brisk Spice
Cremo



Wickham 1912 is a very, very good shaving soap. It is close to SV in performance.

My usual two and three pass shave, face, neck. Simple.

Effective enough. Good DFS on neck. BBS on face. Close.

Comfortable so far.



Brisk Spice is one of my favorite scents. It is not made any more, but is available for a reasonable price on ebay. I decided to spring for a second bottle so another one is in transit.

I want my shaves to be smoother on my neck. Hey, bet you've never heard that before! However, that may be a hopeless quest until I'm comfortable with discomfort, or more skilled with the tools.

I'm thinking of switching baseplates and trying the SE2 again. It is every bit as smooth on most of my face and neck with the exception of my upper and lower lips and my chin. I'm not saying it is more efficient, but some people say it is, and I might want to find out for myself.

The SE1 is an easier tool to use though.

Happy shaves,

Jim