ELEVENTH ANNUAL "One Blade in February" Challenge - 2020 Edition

[Roedeer]

Saturday 29th Feb, Astra SP (9), Rockwell 6S on R5 again, DFS.

Managed on 2 Astra SP blades. No cuts or nicks all month; not sure whether the Astras or Rockwell get the credit for that.

This second blade should still be good for [at least] 5 more shaves.

I've got an old Gillette open comb that I want to test out, though, so I'll probably set it to one side and load a fresh blade.

 

[Ryanshh]

Well I finished the month. Used the same set up all month and really like the choices. I was successful*. The rapira felt nice for the most part, wasn't able to stretch the longevity and had to use two blades (thus the asterisk.) Fun times. Moving in to fffmm.

 

[NPK]

1 month (13) shaves with BiC chrome, used a Tech the whole time while alternating Arko and various Proraso's

The shave today was better than last surprisingly, I modified my tech-nique (pun intended) a little and used even less pressure and rode the cap a bit higher. Wasn't near as tuggy as shave (12). I know now what it takes to go the distance. Interesting and fun challenge. Thanks.

 

[MuhleShaver]

Didn't sign up for it but I've got 26 shaves on a Sharp Durablade - pretty typical. I can probably get another 15 shaves or so - the nice buttery smooth edge is definitely in effect.

 

[Demolition]

Day 29, Shave 29. Same setup for all 29 days:

Razor: RR Game Changer .84-P
Blade: Astra SP (now up to 136 shaves!)
Brush: Yaqi Red Marble 26mm Tuxedo
Soap/Cream: Nivea Sensitive (cream in a tube)
Post-Shave: Nivea Sensitive ASB

I woke up late (8:30 am) and decided not to shave. I lollygagged around, watched some TV, ate lunch, then went grocery shopping. Williams Mug Soap was on sale for $1.00, so I bought a couple of pucks.

After returning home, I did a bit of gardening, pruned the fig and persimmon trees, then went inside for a shower. That's when the urge to shave hit me. Since my skin was already well-hydrated, I just whipped up some lather and got busy.

So, my final shave of the month was a relaxing mid-afternoon affair.

March will be a month of change for me. I promised to test more than two dozen blade brands for various folks, so I'm pretty excited. However, I'm going to miss the consistency of my fixed February setup. I had a couple of bad shaves, but they were attributable to either poor pre-shave prep (read: laziness) or lack of focus (i.e. failure to implement proper technique).

Anyway, congratulations to everybody who completed the challenge! See you all next February!

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

• Adams Open Comb razor (a Merkur imprint)
• NOS Schick Super Chromium blade (29)
• Art of Shaving Peppermint Shaving Cream w/ an Omega boar brush, face lathered
• Witch Hazel

Used the same blade to make up for the shave I missed last month. It's leaving a little more stubble, requiring extra clean up. This is usually where I bin it, but I want to see how it does in the Merkur Progress with this many shaves on it.

 

[Esetter]

#17 on the books yesterday morning, one more than I got out of the Nacet last year. I could probably go a few more, but I've decided to switch things up for March Madness this year. Congratulations to all who made it through!

 

[psfred]

Just for fun I flipped the razor today and tried the unused edge to see how it compared with the one I've been using. Less drag, but wow is it sharp! Weepers everwhere, switched back to the used edge. More "sparking" sensation than I like, but I'm still getting nice shaves and the used side at 28 shaves is much nicer than the new edge. Might move the blade to another razor to start that new edge, super sharp in a slant isn't always comfortable. Should get at least 60 shaves out of it, maybe more.

 

[abj]

Day 31, 29 shaves and still going