GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY

[JoWolf]

Derby Extra, the older pre 2016 version that most dislike despise. They really work great for me in all my razors but my R41. I dont think I've tried one in a Tech though.

A lot of Derby love. I think I’ll be trying the Derby Premium after the Feather. Reading the package I haven’t seen any blade with more coatings on it.

I've not used any preshave products and I havent used any aftershave products since the early 1990's. If I could buy Proraso Red locally, I can only get White and Green, I might though.

Wow I just realized there is only one single tube of Proraso that I bought from Winner’s. The only new shave item not bought on line.

Haslinger is a soap that I havent yet tried but has been on my list for a long time. If I would have thought of it when making my last order I would have added a puck!

Mike when you do try Haslinger this rubber maid storage lid fits the soap perfect and very comfortable in the hand.

 

[Esox]

Mike when you do try Haslinger this rubber maid storage lid fits the soap perfect and very comfortable in the hand.

I didnt know Rubbermaid made tubs that small. I've never seen one before. I have an Old Spice mug from the early or mid 1970's I use for loose pucks.

 

[JoWolf]

Friday July 3
Ten minute hot shower
SHAVE #17
FaTip Gold Grande
Voskhod (3)
Shaving-Brush-Knot Dscosmetics boar 26x64mm Acrylic Handle
Pre-Shave - Wickham Gentle Glycerine Face Soap Cashmere
Haslinger Schafmilch
Osma Alum Block
T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel
Hyaluranoic Acid
Bull Dog Skin Care Moisturizer
Lucky Tiger After Shave & Face Tonic

DsCosmetics Boar is starting to get a nice increase in comfort with every use. A good twenty minute towelling after today’s shave insures that improved softness will arrive sooner then later. The damp knot measures 32mm at the handle lip. Loft measured 42mm from the glue bump. This 26mm knot is a dense knot like my Zenith Chubby, that’s as far as the comparison can go. Comparing the knot density to a Semogue and Omega of similar knot size. The Dscosmetics Boar Knot is considerably denser. The hair is on the coarse side or thicker than the other boars I have. The short loft with coarse hair at present I would rate it as a medium-hard soft, it has a ways to go. Last shave it was a tad wet when I loaded, I squeezed it out till damp. It quickly loaded up the Haslinger Schafmilch with plenty of soap for a one pass face, but than needed a half load for the one pass head shave. There still is that new stiffness about it. The knot stays compact while using. I’m splaying my brushes less and enjoying them more. The hair stiffness and short loft would actually be uncomfortable splaying. A dozen or so more shaves will increase hair softness for a comfortable splay. The ability to splay especially with chubby boars adds considerable comfort when painting. The painting was adequate but will add more comfortable as the hairs soften and become more pliable. The black & white and aqua were the two lowest priced handles, I purchased. The handle and balance of this brush are extremely comfortable. I was paying close attention to knot and lather performance the handle literally disappeared. A very comfortable handle.

The Zenith Chubby Ended up around ............................$85.00 Cnd
The Omega 011842 Premium Pure Bristle (Jade) ............$41.00 Cnd
Black & White Boar with knot .......................................$30.00 Cnd
Aqua Boar with knot....................................................$30.00 Cnd
My two hand set knots are good value. I’ve yet to use the Aqua. One shave away.
I’m still breaking in the Jade. Four shaves away. I will be comparing the bottom three brushes, which I consider comparable. The Zenith while twice the price is easily twice the brush across the board.

Wickham Gentle Glycerine Face Soap Cashmere As a pre shave I applied it considerably lighter than my previous shave and was very pleased with my lather performance. Since it sits in the cabinet uncovered I could not detect the scent as with the first shave. I prefer very light to no scent.

Haslinger Schafmilch I love this soap. It does not require much water. The lather density is a light medium density. A faint neutral soap scent, perfect for me. Lightly dipped brush tips brought the paste to a fluffy shave ready lather quickly. The glide was above average. Providing good protection for the odd wet buffing stroke along the way. Held its moisture well for a lighter lather no drying at all. The Haslinger was easy to dial in, provided good cushion. A very comfortable post shave skin. At under $9.00 Cnd very reasonable, I’ll be trying a few more. Staying away from the heavily fragranced soaps is adding to the comfort and enjoyment of my shaves.

Todays Shave Everything leading up to the shave from shower to lather was spot on. Stroking into the shave I had started thinking and reacting to a one pass shave. The way I can explain, my mental note of spots requiring extra strokes from my previous shave, needed a different approach. So my strokes shortened up about twenty to thirty percent and got quicker. I went from a fifty fifty shallow steep to 75% shallow 25% steep that added an improved efficiency to my face shave. This was my first face shave that I used a 75% ATG/25%XTG stroke on my moustache with some added ATG buffing. There was some Haslinger inspired confidence. The Grande Thrills me again. I lightened up my touch as well. My usual sensitive neck spot didn’t even know I removed the whiskers. A very solid negative from the alum confirmed an excellent BBS. The head shave mostly shallow strokes. Head curvature and the angles, I use longer strokes. Extra buffing and little extra lathering the two spots on the back of my head. A solid BBS.

Todays whiskers looked and felt like a three day growth, they were five. Previous shave with the Voskhod led me to change strokes and angles for today’s face shave. Second shave with this kit provided improved comfort and high confidence with the Grande. I want to try new blades. My technique is solid and will continue to improve. This is my ideal time for a blade try. My third shave with this kit will be the Feather. I have only used Voskhod‘s in the Grande. My previous shaves with the Feather were different razors and while efficient not comfortable. Good technique and a light touch the Feather should eliminate extra buffing. Improving the head shave which is not quite as good the face shave. The Feather. What could go wrong?

T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Read the label today it’s 100% Witch Hazel and that’s the smell. I guess you could say it smells woodsy. No Aloe vera in it. It has dryness feel to it when applying. I’m getting used to the change from Thayers which I think is excellent. Looking forward to using T.N. Dickinson’s for awhile.

 

[JoWolf]

Wednesday July 8
Ten minute hot shower
SHAVE #18
Fatip Gold Grande
Feather (1st use in Grande)
Shaving-Brush-Knot Dscosmetics boar 26x64mm Acrylic Handle
Pre-Shave - Wickham Gentle Glycerine Face Soap Cashmere
Haslinger Schafmilch
Osma Alum Block
T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel
Hyaluranoic Acid
Bull Dog Skin Care Moisturizer
Lucky Tiger After Shave & Face Tonic

The boar knot was very comfortable, a medium light scrub was so enjoyable I didn’t want to stop lathering. I really do believe this knot will be more of a favourite than the next two boar knots I have following in rotation. Haslinger Schafmilch is a great working soap for me. The damp boar loaded up in fifteen seconds. The painted on paste willingly fluffs into a nice cushioned slick lather. Respect is required with a Feather. The Haslinger is a strong new favourite and will always be in my rotation.

An old nemesis the Feather. We got along just fine. I will have two more face & head shaves with the blade a total of six passes. My technique has improved enough to go from a harsh feel too, Feather is a smooth sharp feeling blade. The improvement in cutting efficiency reduced my buffing probably 85% which increased the speed of my One Pass ATG Shave noticeably. The ATG passes on the moustache accompanied with ATG buffing around the lips was the closest I’ve had. The Grande had more of a cutting sound to the strokes which I’ve never heard with the Voskhod. Although I had lightened up on my strokes. The shaper
blade provided considerably more edge feedback and I found it easier to stay lighter on the strokes than ever before. The blade works smooth for me and there is no doubt you are using a sharp blade. The two swirls on the back of my head required little buffing. The curvature on my skull was that BBS+ I was after, the Feather did not disappoint. Alum block confirmed solid negative feedback. The Feather‘s reputation for duller second shave will be tested next shave. I could not feel or sense any decrease in sharpness or efficiency right to the last stroke. Much shorter blade on skin time. Fewer strokes and I had a slight feeling that I had removed more skin than usual. The overall skin feel after post shave lubricants, comfortable, and relaxed.
Next shave my aqua handle boar knot. Wickham‘s 1912 cashmere sample.

 

[Esox]

The improvement in cutting efficiency reduced my buffing probably 85%

Yep, I'd agree with that too. Much less buffing is needed with a fresh Feather.

Shave two feels just as sharp. For me theres slightly more tugging which is still minimal but the blade feels scratchy. All of that is amplified on successive shaves.

 

[JoWolf]

Yep, I'd agree with that too. Much less buffing is needed with a fresh Feather.

Shave two feels just as sharp. For me theres slightly more tugging which is still minimal but the blade feels scratchy. All of that is amplified on successive shaves.

Mike Are you doing one pass shaves when you refer to second shave being slightly tuggy?
How would you compare the Feather to the Perma-Sharp?

 

[Esox]

Mike Are you doing one pass shaves when you refer to second shave being slightly tuggy?
How would you compare the Feather to the Perma-Sharp?

Feather is one of the blades that didnt work well for me single pass ATG, oddly enough. Perma-Sharp either...

The scratchiness I've felt from Feather on the second shave has been with a typical 3 pass shave. It could be the first shave on a fresh Feather just has me spoiled.

Voskhod, in my experience and I've used a few of them, start ultra smooth. Then are slightly harsh on the second shave, more harsh again on the third but then on the fourth shave they smooth right out again, although, that glass smooth feeling is gone. I remember thinking a Voskhod on shave #4 felt like a fresh Polsilver. I also remember reading somewhere on the net, a few Russian shavers talking about them and they all said pretty much the same thing. Take a fresh Voskhod and slice up a sheet of paper to remove the coating so that harshness never becomes present, then they used them for around 100 shaves per blade.

From what I remember of Perma-Sharp, they have that same glass smooth feel as a Voskhod on its first shave and the same as the Gillette 7 O'Clock series of blades but they lasted far longer.

A Gillette Yellow started to tug at shave #7 but was still smooth. I took it to 9 shaves before the tugging became more than I was willing to bear. Gillette Black started losing that glassy smooth feeling at shave #5 I think but didnt tug like the Yellow.

Perma-Sharp on the other hand, maintained that glass smooth feeling the same as the first shave, well beyond 18 shaves where I lost count. I think it went 24 before I got bored and tossed it to try another. They are also quite sharp. I was using them in my Regent which lacks baseplate support but has as much blade exposure as my Grande and R41. The Perma-Sharp was far nicer than Feather and I called them "Nirvana" in my Regent. Of all the blades I tried in that razor, Perma-Sharp was easily the #1 blade. Of all the razor and blade combos I have tried, my Regent and a Perma-Sharp stands out like a neon sign in a dark room in my memory. I hope I still think the same when they get here haha.

 

[JoWolf]

Feather is one of the blades that didnt work well for me single pass ATG, oddly enough. Perma-Sharp either...

The scratchiness I've felt from Feather on the second shave has been with a typical 3 pass shave. It could be the first shave on a fresh Feather just has me spoiled.

Voskhod, in my experience and I've used a few of them, start ultra smooth. Then are slightly harsh on the second shave, more harsh again on the third but then on the fourth shave they smooth right out again, although, that glass smooth feeling is gone. I remember thinking a Voskhod on shave #4 felt like a fresh Polsilver. I also remember reading somewhere on the net, a few Russian shavers talking about them and they all said pretty much the same thing. Take a fresh Voskhod and slice up a sheet of paper to remove the coating so that harshness never becomes present, then they used them for around 100 shaves per blade.

From what I remember of Perma-Sharp, they have that same glass smooth feel as a Voskhod on its first shave and the same as the Gillette 7 O'Clock series of blades but they lasted far longer.

A Gillette Yellow started to tug at shave #7 but was still smooth. I took it to 9 shaves before the tugging became more than I was willing to bear. Gillette Black started losing that glassy smooth feeling at shave #5 I think but didnt tug like the Yellow.

Perma-Sharp on the other hand, maintained that glass smooth feeling the same as the first shave, well beyond 18 shaves where I lost count. I think it went 24 before I got bored and tossed it to try another. They are also quite sharp. I was using them in my Regent which lacks baseplate support but has as much blade exposure as my Grande and R41. The Perma-Sharp was far nicer than Feather and I called them "Nirvana" in my Regent. Of all the blades I tried in that razor, Perma-Sharp was easily the #1 blade. Of all the razor and blade combos I have tried, my Regent and a Perma-Sharp stands out like a neon sign in a dark room in my memory. I hope I still think the same when they get here haha.

Of all the blades I tried in that razor, Perma-Sharp was easily the #1 blade. Of all the razor and blade combos I have tried, my Regent and a Perma-Sharp stands out like a neon sign in a dark room

Exactly Mike. I’m going to try the sharper blades. My ATG One Pass shave can only go forward on a sharp blade. I rotate brush, soap, and blade every three face & head shaves. I only require six passes and two blade flips from a blade for my rotation. The two passes on my My Feather was considerably sharper than the Voskhod but while smooth, noticeably less smooth than the Voskhod. Still delivering an above average comfortable shave. I will accept that blade performance if it holds constant for two more shaves. Four more passes. I will than keep the Feather as a considered blade. My number one blade has to be as sharp as the Feather and as smooth as the Voskhod. My hunt has just started the Derby Premium after two more shaves. Now if I can only stay focused. The Twisted is racing towards me in the Canadian Mail system. There is no telling what kind of crazy I might get into.

 

[Esox]

My number one blade has to be as sharp as the Feather and as smooth as the Voskhod.

Add this one to your list.

I remember them having the same kind of smoothness, maybe slightly less smooth than the 7 O'Clock series and very sharp. In my SC, it was a bit too much blade with the blade gap. It also made me itch, the same as Shark Super Chrome, but that was early days in my return to DE shaving and, on a later use, neither blade made me itch.

My tracking number from Maggard for my order three weeks ago isnt even in the Canada Post system yet.

 

[JoWolf]

I remember them having the same kind of smoothness, maybe slightly less smooth than the 7 O'Clock series and very sharp. In my SC, it was a bit too much blade with the blade gap. It also made me itch, the same as Shark Super Chrome, but that was early days in my return to DE shaving and, on a later use, neither blade made me itch.

All the stainless early tests for me were closer to a scratch rather than itch. I do have to go through
them again. I believe they will all be different the same as the Feather was different with better technique. I found a couple of 7 O’Clock stainless and a Bic going through my blade stash. I’ll put them in the queue. Trying blades out now is very enjoyable for me this time around. l’m starting to feel more nuances in a blade.

 

[Esox]

All the stainless early tests for me were closer to a scratch rather than itch. I do have to go through
them again. I believe they will all be different the same as the Feather was different with better technique. I found a couple of 7 O’Clock stainless and a Bic going through my blade stash. I’ll put them in the queue. Trying blades out now is very enjoyable for me this time around. l’m starting to feel more nuances in a blade.

The itch I think was from having a very close shave and not being use to it. I've not had the same thing happen again, with any blade and my shaves are even closer now than they were then.

I find slight differences between blades too. The slight differences now, were large differences three years ago.

 

[JoWolf]

Monday July 13
Ten minute hot shower
SHAVE #19
Fatip Gold Grande
Feather
Shaving-Brush-Oumo Boar knot 26x80mm, Dscosmetics Blue Ocean Acrylic Handle (First use)
Pre-Shave - Wickham Gentle Glycerine Face Soap Cashmere
Wickham’s 1912 Vegetal Shaving Soap Cashmere sample (First use)
Osma Alum Block
T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel
Hyaluranoic Acid
Bull Dog Skin Care Moisturizer
Lucky Tiger After Shave & Face Tonic

Second ATG One Pass face and head shave with the Feather. Previous shave #18 was more efficient and also a bit closer than usual. My five day growth feels and looks like a three day. My improved technique and lighter touch has moved me into the sharper blade corral. Sharper blades provide better blade feel allowing a lighter touch or less razor pressure on the skin. A closer shave providing more skin comfort. The Grande felt and moved decisively with the Feather. The feeling of the blade trying to catch up to the razor is gone. Less buffing and touch ups decreases the shave time.
Todays shave started out with the same blade smoothness. Halfway through the face shave the smoothness dropped off noticeably. I lightened up on my strokes requiring a tad more buffing. The increased buffing was due to me having to lighten up, the resulting BBS was nice. The extra buffing especially on the neck was good but with a little loss of comfort. Negative on the alum but very slight pink skin colour on my buffed areas. My head skin is tougher and the BBS+ head shave was also nice. Using a sharper blade has shortened my shave time. I’ve never tried to shave fast. Improved blade efficiency makes for a quicker shave. The Feather for me like a few other gents is a one shave blade. I binned the Feather. The Grande is loaded with the Derby Premium for the second and third shaves of this rotation.

The Oumo Boar is the last brush in my six brush rotation. The 26mm knot is a dense knot. I will measure and report dimensions after the second shave. This is a good brush to finish my first brush rotation on. The next brush following (and not in rotation is the Omega Jade). Three consecutive shaves with each brush will provide a good evaluation of DIY Knot vs Premium Omega Jade. I have been recommending the Jade based on glowing reviews. I’m looking forward to a personal review. I will also be trying a new razor with it, which just arrived in the mail. Lo Storto.
I very much prefer denser knots. The Oumo boar first use still has that new stiffness. A little ways to go before a more pliable softness. The longer loft provides a light medium scrub. My preference leans towards chubbies. The longer loft also splays very easily. I prefer a tighter knot as with my chubbies and more resistance to splaying. The handle is very comfortable. The brush loaded plenty of lather for a one pass shave. Loading will improve considerably as the hair softens up a little more. I gave it a good twenty minute towelling to bring it closer to that sweet spot. Yes I towel my boar brushes a fair amount until I get them into a preferred soft zone.
The Wickham’s 1912 loaded and lathered quickly. The lather is a medium density with a slight slick undercoat. My first use with any new lather I use a little thicker spread of the pre shave soap. I need to test with a finger swipe and verify that slick undercoat of protection. It was there and ready for the Feather. I had been airing out the soap. The very mild scent did not catch up to me until I started the head shave. The Wickham felt similar to Haslinger. I’ll get a better read on it second use.

I am very pleased checking off my first sharp blade. As with each new or improved efficiency introduced to my shave, the comfort level also increases. Although my buffing was on the edge today it still leaned harder towards comfort. Verifying light touch and correct technique Will keep me in the comfort zone. I am very confident going forward with the sharp blades. Lo Storto vs Grande will be very interesting. That will be July 28th. Exciting shaves ahead.

 

[JoWolf]

Saturday July 18
Ten minute hot shower
SHAVE #20
Fatip Gold Grande
Derby Premium (First use) (Blade Trials)
Shaving-Brush-Oumo Boar knot 26x65mm, Dscosmetics Blue Ocean Acrylic Handle
Pre-Shave - Wickham Gentle Glycerine Face Soap Cashmere
Wickham’s 1912 Vegetal Shaving Soap Cashmere sample
Osma Alum Block
T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel
Hyaluranoic Acid
Bull Dog Skin Care Moisturizer
Lucky Tiger After Shave & Face Tonic

The Blade
My second shave in this rotation has a new blade. The Turkish made Derby Premium with Swedish steel and five coatings. Sounds like a cat. The previous shave with the Feather blade gave me one excellent shave. The second shave with the Feather required more buffing and a few touch up‘s. The Feather’s a one shave blade for me. Feather’s efficiency reduced shave strokes in my ATG One Pass shave. The smoothness was less than the Voskhod. Improved efficiency delivered best skin comfort. Only one face & head shave, with best efficiency.
ATG One Pass, three face & head shaves. Sharp as the Feather and as smooth or smoother than the Voskhod. Two blade flips, six passes. I’m hoping the Derby with the five lives will get me the six passes I’m looking for. Two shaves or four passes would also be very good.

The Razor
My two Fatip Gold Grande’s were joined By a Piccolo Special Edition with a bent gentile plate obtained in a trade. How in hell would you bend a gentile plate? The trader did not know. I wouldn’t use an SB plate anyway. The fourth Fatip is none other than Lo Storto. Grande owners report Lo Storto to be a better shave than the Grande. I’m going biblical right now, you can call me Thomas. July 28th will be first shave with Lo Storto. August will begin my second year DE shaving. Can a Chrome Lo Storto best a Gold Grande? Accelerating me into my second year of DE comfort.

The Brush
Second use on the Oumo knot has softened it up a little more. The brush continues to have some splits and the bloom is starting to look a lot nicer.The brush is at that break in point where the next half dozen uses will be noticeable improvements. This knot is little denser than the Omega Jade. I would call this a medium brush. The 26mm knot measures 29mm at the handle lip. The loft is 48mm from the glue bump. The brush easily pick ups lather from the sample. It is a very comfortable lathering brush. The scrub is a nice solid medium. It splays and paints nicely but will improve with softness. The handle is one of my favourites for comfort. The Oumo knot will get one more use. Edit: Shave#19 I have the knot 26x80. Correct is 26x65.

The Soap
Second shave with Wickham’s 1912. This is a nice soap. Providing a good cushion and a light slick undercoat. The medium density lather is my preference. The scent is all but gone. The sample produces abundant lather quickly. At this point I would rate the 1912 as a little lighter in density and slickness than the Haslinger. The Wickham’s will get one more use and an updated opinion.

The Shave
The Derby Blade falls between Feather 2nd use and the Voskhod for me. A bit sharper than the Voskhod with same smoothness as the Voskhod. If the second use of the Derby does not improve in efficiency or pickup sharpness. I won’t be interested in the Blade as a go to. I wouldn’t be interested in a third shave with it either. A Bic Chrome Stainless is waiting to jump in.
Todays shave was smooth and comfortable. As I adjust to my One Pass shave. I know the extra buffing areas. I’m not going to over buff to make up for less efficiency or sharpness in a blade, during blade trials. All the blades I’m trying are more than capable of DFS. Today’s shave was DFS+. My face shave I used both steep and shallow angles to get a good feel for the blade. My head shave is predominately shallow angle but I used a little more steep angle than usual. Next shave I’ll go back to my regular routine for shave angles and make a judgment on the blade.

 

[thombrogan]

I want to join your new club, but I’m not talented enough. Maybe if I wait more than 24 hours between shaves my whiskers will let me.

 

[JoWolf]

I want to join your new club, but I’m not talented enough. Maybe if I wait more than 24 hours between shaves my whiskers will let me.

I’m not talented or experienced enough to have a club, brotherhood or alliance. I would be pleased with your entries and views. I view your shaves with enthusiasm. We are all on the path to more comfortable and efficient shaves. Our exchanges of information and experiences will improve our journeys.

I started the thread to see if I could shake any single pass shavers out of the trees. All shavers are welcome. Nobody has used all the razors, soaps, blades etc. We have much to learn. Thank You for your reply. John

 

[thombrogan]

I’m not talented or experienced enough to have a club, brotherhood or alliance.

You know increasingly better ways of banishing stubble from dome and mug with less irritation than before and experience making and using brushes is damned impressive, too. Now just because Mr. Koenes has all those cool pictures with gnomes doesn’t mean you should feel temptation to sell yourself short.

I’ve been watching the evolution of your technique grow over the past few months and it seems the sizable healing periods and the golden Fatip Grande (the success stories always feature a golden Fatip) have made a great difference.

Thank you for your kind words. Aside from a few one-pass shaves spaced days apart (there’s a lesson to be learned there), most of my journal is what not to do and all the enthusiasm I use in trying to get away with it. The self destruction with the Gillette Tech, GEM MMOC, and Yaqi Mellon razors have been the least damaging…

Looking forward to your next report. Is that today or tomorrow?

 

[TinyT]

the success stories always feature a golden Fatip

Well spotted. This will be going through my head for tomorrows shave, lol.

 

[JoWolf]

Thursday July 23
Ten minute hot shower
SHAVE #21
Fatip Gold Grande
Derby Premium (3) (Blade Trials)
Shaving-Brush-Oumo Boar knot 26x65mm, Dscosmetics Blue Ocean Acrylic Handle
Pre-Shave - Wickham Gentle Glycerine Face Soap Cashmere
Wickham’s 1912 Vegetal Shaving Soap Cashmere sample
Osma Alum Block
T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel
Hyaluranoic Acid
Bull Dog Skin Care Moisturizer
Lucky Tiger After Shave & Face Tonic

Third and fourth passes on the Derby did not improve, they were actually slightly less efficient than the first two. A decent blade. It does not fit my requirements. To days shave again a DFS. I replicated my 1st use Feather blade shave. Minimum clean up passes. Very limited buffing passes. No BBS, it ain’t me, and it most certainly isn’t the Grande. I binned the blade. The Grande got cleaned, buffed up and a Bic Chrome Platinum loaded. It will be tested in twenty days.

Lo Storto up next in five days for three shaves. My most familiar blade the Voskhod for three shaves. There is a nice wave on each blade edge. The twist with it’s advantage of a more rigid gripped wavy blade. It should deliver a better shave than Grande/Voskhod, which I’m very familiar with. Can it deliver a better shave than Grande/Feather? I plan on rotating the razors after three shaves. The only way that doesn’t happen is for Lo Storto to be that good. Maybe if it was Gold. Just so that there aren’t any excuses the Omega Jade will work over Vitos Extra Super Coco. With all due respect this should please Lo Storto.

The Oumo knot has very much improved with each use and almost feels different third shave. The same as the black & white. Their next half dozen shaves will all be noticeably softer and more comfortable with each shave. They are very nice now. The Jade is comparable to the aqua Oumo knot. The Jade earned a lot of respect with my last hand lathering. I look forward to bringing it into that desirable boar comfort zone.

The Wickham's 1912 is a very good soap. It is easy to use and dial in, has a slick undercoat, nice cushion. The Cashmere scent isn’t noticeable after letting the sample air out. There are probably nine to ten shaves left in the sample. Samples are working out better than I ever thought they might. Would I buy this soap? No. It is a good soap but it is not outstanding.

 

[thombrogan]

Will look forward to the Bic report!

 

[JoWolf]

You know increasingly better ways of banishing stubble from dome and mug with less irritation than before and experience making and using brushes is damned impressive, too. Now just because Mr. Koenes has all those cool pictures with gnomes doesn’t mean you should feel temptation to sell yourself short.

I’ve been watching the evolution of your technique grow over the past few months and it seems the sizable healing periods and the golden Fatip Grande (the success stories always feature a golden Fatip) have made a great difference.

Thank you for your kind words. Aside from a few one-pass shaves spaced days apart (there’s a lesson to be learned there), most of my journal is what not to do and all the enthusiasm I use in trying to get away with it. The self destruction with the Gillette Tech, GEM MMOC, and Yaqi Mellon razors have been the least damaging…

Looking forward to your next report. Is that today or tomorrow?

The ink is drying.

Mr. Koenes has all those cool pictures with gnomes doesn’t mean you should feel temptation to sell yourself short.

Them gnomes, in subdued lighting there is a malevolence about them. I’ve never seen them smile and they probably have sharp little teeth.

golden Fatip Grande (the success stories always feature a golden Fatip)

Trying a dozen razors to get the One. I just got real lucky. The luck and the pot of gold originated here in the B&B community. To me it was a walk in the forest following the bread crumbs. So much experience and knowledge available here.

Thank you for your kind words. Aside from a few one-pass shaves spaced days apart (there’s a lesson to be learned there), most of my journal is what not to do and all the enthusiasm I use in trying to get away with it. The self destruction with the Gillette Tech, GEM MMOC, and Yaqi Mellon razors have been the least damaging…

You are most welcome. The extra time allows full skin recovery which I did not do in the early going. I have never been a daily shaver. A BBS will give me a second day SAS. It is easy and quite comfortable on my present five day schedule. I am pure candy *** and my improved shave and technique has made me more conservative in pushing a blade too hard. I admire your efforts in dialling in the different razors and blades. There is always a measured chaos when using multiple razors, throwing in SE must really elevate the excitement. Even before purchasing the Grande, because of the buzz. I had it penciled in as the loser. My recent experience taught me that the razor will pick you. Or as Mike Esox has said; “I like a razor that suits me and my technique. I want the razor to match me and how I want to shave. I dont want to match the razor, although I can if need be.” If one of your group shines hard it won’t be hard to move the others to the back of the shelf.