What's new

First SR shave

Shave #241 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: RR GC .68, Astra SP blade, Yaqi SF synth brush, CBL 50 SOV soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Pinaud Citrus Musk to finish!


Another nice, quiet morning!


Well, after a decent hiatus, the .68 GC made an appearance today...just to prove once again why it holds the title for best DE in the den. Effortless BBS with 0 irritation, even though it was following up yesterday’s rough shave. I was craving the citrus/lime today and Citrus Musk is hitting the spot perfectly!


Fairly quiet day at work today, only a few things going on. May be able to break out the power washer for a bit and purdy up some more sidewalk.


Kids had a great first day of school yesterday. Everyone seems to like their teachers and classmates. Of course it was only the first day, but hopefully it’s a sign for a good year for them!


Have a great Friday all!
 
Shave #242 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: RR GC .68, Astra SP blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, LNHC Coconut Oud soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and RR The Stallion AS to finish!


Finally! My Friday!


Off to work in a minute, so just a quick entry.


Great shower n shave this morning. Felt extra nice since I did do a ton more power washing yesterday (gotta watch your spray on those sidewalk cracks!). Feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the shift!


I get off early and it’s a 3 day weekend! Except for services tomorrow and some overdue yardwork, I’m looking forward to a lot of nothing!


Happy Saturday all!
 
Shave #243 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: RR GC .68, Astra SP blade, Sorrentino TSC 1st Anniversary badger brush, Clown Puke soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, Fine American Blend AS, and Fine AB EdT to finish!


About to head off to services for the morning...smelling like a million bucks!


Early up this morning to do some volunteer stuffs. Showered n shaved. The .68 GC is unstoppable! Shave excellence each time I use it!


Some yardwork later today, maybe a BBQ to go to. I’m going to try to take it as easy as possible still...tweaked something in my neck last night and it’s still hurting some today...yeowch! Looking forward to my long weekend otherwise!


Have a blessed Sunday all!
 
Shave #244 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, Cella soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Pinaud SR AS to finish!


Just a quick entry. Sorry, video tomorrow, not today!


Nice relaxing morning, though I did wake up in a panic as I heard the garbage truck pass by and realized in my sleepy stupor that I forgot to put the can put last night...darn it! “OK family, this week we’ll be having an experiment in reducing our refuse waste!”


Nice shave with the Schick, fresh blade will need a couple uses to calm a bit, but no damage done. Didn’t shoot for total BBS, but did 3 passes, no cleanup. So I got mostly BBS with some DFS. Splashed on the post shave and Pinaud SR, and that was that!


No real plans today. I’m doing a couple more chores and we’re making a lazy day of things so far.


Happy Monday all! Happy lack of Labor Day!
 
Shave #245 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, Proraso Green soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Proraso Green balm to finish!


Shave is up on the Tube- GearNoir’s Shave Log!
 
Shave #246 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, Yaqi SF synth brush, CBL 50 SoV soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Fine Clean Vetiver AS to finish!


Soaking up my last hours of freedom...back to work this afternoon!


Back to early wake up Wednesday mornings, my day to take the kids off to school. Record time kept of course! Nice shower n shave when I returned. That fresh, crisp vetiver...mmmmmm-mm!


Only 4 work days to endure thankfully. Some pretty big events toward the ends of this week and those upcoming though!


Your calls are out there for the day!
upload_2019-9-4_10-29-25.gif



Have a great Wednesday all!
 
Shave #248 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: RR GC .84 OC, Astra SP blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, Cella soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Barbasol PR AS to finish!


Nice shower n shave this morning! Come on Barby PR let’s go party....awwwww yeaaaaah!




Go get that one out of your head!


No early close tonight, but tomorrow we get to! Tonight is a couple medium sized events and busy work.


There I wrote more than @NurseDave that was my goal!


Have a great Friday all!
 
Shave #249 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, SS Citrus & Bay soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Bootlegger’s Bay Rum AS to finish!


NurseMan may beat me on post length today!


Nice shave and I’m out the door to work. Early day, easy day! Pleasant surprise, the parents decided to have the kids overnight until afternoon tomorrow!


Have a great Saturday all!
 
Shave #250 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: RR GC .68, Astra SP blade, Sorrentino TSC 1st Anniversary badger brush, CBL Oud Minerale soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, Lucky Tiger AS, and Mr Burberry frag to finish!


Quick post as I head out the door for services.


Nice shower n shave this morning. Was long overdue for an Oud Minerale Shave, so I dug it out of the soap drawer...so good!


Services this morning, then off to pick up the kids from the grandparents, a bible study later, and hopefully nothing in between!


Have a blessed Sunday all!
 
Shave #252 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: RR GC .68, Astra SP blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, CB La Rose Du Mechant soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and SCS Savory Rose AS to finish!


Video is up on the Tube - GearNoir’s Shave Log!
 
Shave #253 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, Cella soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Pitralon Classic AS to finish!


Solid shave today with the Schick. Felt like going woody-fresh, so the fairly neutral scent of Cella set the perfect canvas for a hearty splash of Pitralon to sit on!


The work week begins...here we go! Let’s do it!


Have a kick butt Tuesday all!
 
Shave #254 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, CBL Roasted Oatmeal Stout soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Old Spice AS to finish!


Early wake up today...normal Wednesday grind!


Nice homemade breakfast and coffee with the missus after getting back, before she was out the door to start her day.


Good shave this morning, just slight irritation. Not sure why. Did get one little slice trying a different stroke with the Schick, went a little to fast and used a little too much pressure rounding an angle.


Tonight is normal Wednesday night dinner and study shenanigans for families. New Jr High director has her meet n greet with the kids and their parents. After that, it’s the big push to get things ready for Friday...the event ladies come to do decorations tomorrow afternoon, so most of the set up has to be done before. AKA quick turn arounds, short time table. Le sigh.


Have a great Thursday all!
 
Shave #255 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Gillette NEW RFB OC, Astra SP blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, JoHS Turkish Bath soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Fine Platinum AS to finish!


A bit groggy and sore this morning, but none the worse for the wear after my morning freshen up!


First shave with the NEW RFB today. It’s nice to be able to give a rarer piece of shave history a whirl!


Initial thoughts/observations: I happen to have a NEW LC. I guess the RFB would count as a SC? The OC guard on the RFB definitely does not extend out as far and the teeth are a tad shorter. Comparing to a NEW SC might provide a better assessment. The LC with its solid handle does feel a tad more heavy than the hollow handled RFB. The RFB also seems (to my eye) to have a slightly increased blade gap from the LC, though I can’t comment on the actual bend of the blade, that looked too similar.


Anyway, very similar shave to the regular NEW as others have identified. There were moments it felt just like the LC shave to me (though I haven’t shaved with that in a little over a week). Surprisingly though, the RFB felt a little more finicky on the angle, there were a few strokes that felt sort of tight/scrape-y when I stopped riding the cap. That doesn’t happen with the LC. This first shave, the ATG with the RFB did not feel as smooth as the LC. So far, the LC is in the favored position.


More shave science required!


Ended up staying a little over 30 minutes late last night, doing some extra manual labor things for the major event prep happening today. I think that’s why I was dragging a little and a bit sore. More of the same today though.


Some good news on the horizon - I have an initial phone interview with a church in Mississippi! It’s for a director of youth position. Small church, small city...significantly reduced housing costs (and far more house) from CA, that’s for sure! It’s my first bite so far, but it’s something positive. We’ll see what happens!


Happy Thursday all!
 
Shave #256 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Gillette NEW RFB OC, Astra SP blade, Yaqi SF synth brush, CBL 50 SoV soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Pinaud Vanilla & Myrsol K AS mix to finish!


Up early today to get the kids out the door while the missus is off to tend to the big Life Way event at the church.


Had my second shave with the RFB today. The shave was a bit better than yesterday’s first go around. WTG and XTG were a hair smoother, but the edgy-ness was still there. The ATG was a tad better too, but ended up decapitating a number of bumps and things still felt a bit rough. I have the LC up tomorrow to refresh my thoughts on that. As far as efficiency over the LC, I don’t feel it’s more efficient.


Last night’s shift was putting out fires that no one else knew were even burning and making final touches no one else thought of...the hell of being a conscientious perfectionist...


Work today is catching the tail end of the big event and taking care of the resulting cleanup. We’ll have half today’s shift and all tomorrow’s to get things back in order for services Sunday.


I’m so ready for my days off!


Have a great Friday all!
 
Shave #257 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Gillette NEW LC OC, Astra SP blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, SS Citrus & Bay soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Bootlegger’s Bay Rum AS to finish!


Man...I am beat!


Counterbalance shave with the NEW LC today...uh oh.


Let me just say, things aren’t looking good for the RFB. The shave with the LC was noticeably superior (noticeable, but not a huge difference) in feel and I did not have that edgy blade feel I get from the RFB. The LC was more consistently smooth, even ATG. As for results? Same as RFB post shave with less follicle decapitation (none in fact). Long term, we’ll see.


The day yesterday was a whirlwind. My team got a lot accomplished, almost erasing completely that the event ever happened (the event was quite a hit with the event’s leadership and attendees). Physically it was a hit as well...the negative kind lol. Did not sleep well and the body is feeling it.


One shift to get through and then two days off!


Have a great Saturday all!
 
Shave #259 (338 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Gillette RFB, Astra SP blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, FFSC Mr Beardsley’s Shaving soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Old Spice AS to finish!


Final thoughts on the Gillette RFB and a new shave soap’s first use. It’s all up on the Tube - GearNoir’s Shave Log!
 
Shave #260 (339 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Feather AC SS folding clone, Feather Pro blade, Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, FFSC Mr Beardsley’s Shaving soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and Pinaud Citrus Musk to finish!


Lemme just preface this conversation by saying...

E55153AC-18DF-4E57-8FFA-C53359F4463D.gif

CBCA9F1E-D415-4A4C-983D-9A7EBD865528.gif


Ok, so it wasn’t that bad...but it wasn’t the best either.


Gave Mr Beardsley’s Shaving Soap another go...just smells soooo good! Just might not be the best shaving soap though, more of a country store novelty hand soap repackaged. I bloomed longer and loaded super long today...then worked it way more than anything else I’ve used...and still just got airy, bubbly, disappearing lather. One good thing about it is that it leaves plenty of slickness on the skin. Still no reaction to the cinnamon oils, that’s another positive!


Now the Feather SS clone...oh boy. Visual comparison, side by side with the real thing, you can definitely tell which is the fake. Luckily, about the only QC areas they probably bothered to check were where it counts...the blade clip (firm enough hold) and the area where the blade edge extends out of the clip for cutting (pretty darn straight guard area). I think they also got the weight pretty similar, hard to tell with the wood scales on. Overall, it looks like the real thing, just sloppy and a little bit less grippy (seemed like a smoother mould/metal was used). The most questionable parts had to do with the inside of the razor. The sliding “door” is a bit too easy to open, and the tension spring is not firmly seated.


Now, the most important difference over everything else...the clone has less blade reveal. It’s a minute difference, but noticeable enough to the naked eye, in turn meaning that the shave could be drastically affected. I knew, as I was setting up the razor for use, this might cause trouble.


So the shave today? I had to abort after pushing through the first pass and switch to the Schick backup. Once I found the angle the clone was actually going to cut at, the angle felt way too steep and tuggy. I was using and am used to using a Feather Pro blade mind you. I don’t think the Pro is meant to cut at this angle. If you could find a way to uniformly extend the blade a little more, I think the shave would be better. The slicker material of the clone, while not nice for holding, did feel smoother/slicker against the skin to be shaved, which is nice.


I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try again tomorrow with a different soap, and we’ll see how it goes.


In other things - back to work today. Not quite the heavy week as last week, but still many things going on. On major thing is a thank you get together for all the ministry volunteers that my wife is doing. Volunteer appreciation is sadly something that gets overlooked a lot or that is not done often enough in some settings. Part of my wife’s job is to help correct that! We’re expecting a couple hundred people for that event.


The interview yesterday afternoon went really good I thought. I spoke to the head pastor and one of the church elders for over an hour, as we made acquaintance, tried to get a good feel for each other, and figure out what we’re each about. Overall I feel positive about it. Proceeding would be a pretty big step and a pretty big change for us, but it is exciting in many ways. I should hear results from the interview soon hopefully!


Have a great Tuesday all!
 
Shave #261 (340 Open Blade Shaves) of 2019:


Gear: Feather AC SS folding clone, Feather Pro blade, Schick M Adjustable, Supply blade, RR Big Bruce synth brush, Cella soap, generic witch hazel, Thayer’s Medicated, and BB Brut Fresh AS to finish!


Unexpectedly short on time this morning. After I took one child to school, came back to the house to get the missus and the other two to a check up and flu shot appointment for the boys...where we waited for a total of almost 2 hours after our appointment window before all was said and done! They didn’t even get seen until the last 30 minutes! Ugh.


Anyway, got them off to school, what’s left of it, then went out for a quick breakfast with the missus.


Finally got back home with a little less than 44 minutes to freshen up and get ready for work. Almost skipped the follow up shave for the SS clone, but I had just enough time, so I did it anyway.


Chose to use Cella this morning, a little bit more of an average shave soap. Things were a little bit better from yesterday’s shave, but not by much. There was less tugging, so there’s that. It feels like there’s two settings for this clone...comfortable but inefficient and rough but more efficient. The forced shave angle for the efficiency needed to come close to matching the real SS is just plainly too steep. I figured most folks would opt to have the smoother shave, so I kept it there for the most part. It did cut, but not well and not close; there was a lot left behind. I did get through two passes this time, without incident. Decided not to press my luck and swapped out for the Schick, which took on its monumental cleanup job with ease. In all, it’s looking like the SS clone is not a worthwhile investment.


I want to go ahead switch to the Kai clone for a bit next and see how that does for a couple shaves. I have the feeling it will be better...I hope anyway.


In other news, besides work stuff, fairly big update: the missus and I are being flown out to Mississippi to visit the church I interviewed with for a couple of days! A bit shocking and a bit surreal...things just took a big step! We’re looking at dates toward the beginning of October, so fairly soon. We’re excited to go see what things are like over there and meet some folks face to face!


Have a great Wednesday all!
 
Top Bottom