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Jay21's Journey Journal

Jay21

Jay21

I had another DFS this morning after two passes and no touchups. I loaded a fresh GSB into the Merkur 15c and went to work. I think my lather was a bit too thick and there was some extra friction across my face, but luckily there was absolutely no sting of any kind from the Skin Bracer. All I could feel was the menthol doing its mentholy magic.

I'm not a blade whisperer yet as I can't tell any difference between the Gillette Platinum and the Gillette Silver Blue, or even with the Dorco Titan for that matter. They all start off as sharp and smooth blades. They start to separate themselves after a few shaves when the coatings begin to wear off. The Gillette Platinum gets pretty rough during the third shave, but the Titan seems to be more benevolent for an extra shave or two past the the Platinum. We'll see how many shaves the GSB holds up for. I now have a reliable indicator of when I wish to no longer use the blade--sting from the aftershave after a DFS when I know my technique was sound. Even if I average two shaves per blade, I have enough blades for about eight years, but I would like to get at least three or four from each blade for environmental purposes. Part of the reason behind my switch from cartridges to DE was I hated all the single-use plastic waste. My town doesn't recycle steel (so no DE blades), so I'd like to get every drop of life out of them before tossing them.
 
Rosseforp

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
thombrogan said:
Shhh! We’re going to get in troubles again
Click to expand...
I'm thinking it's time to introduce our friend @Jay21 to slants. And what better than an Open Comb Double Slant like the Filament from PAA to get started with?
BOSC2Anything for science.jpg


~doug~
 
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Jay21

Jay21

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I had another drama-free DFS this morning with the Merkur 15c. I used a GSB on its second run and it showed no signs of fatigue. I also think I corrected my lather problem from yesterday and made a less thick, more slick lather that let the razor skate over my face like an Olympic luge course. The only issue was I made enough of it for a 20-pass shave.

Not even the slightest hint of any sting from the Skin Bracer. Wonderful work if I say so myself.

A wise man in this thread said his shaves weren't necessarily about end goals, but more so about avoiding issues. This can be used to describe my shaving philosophy as well. I'm more interested in no drama at the expense of the time it takes for my whiskers to become felt again. A BBS with a wood planer can't hide my whiskers from sight, but buys a few hours before they can be felt at the expense of being mistaken for a pink space invader. A DFS with the Merkur has more stubble feel against the grain, but absolutely no issues.

I'm looking forward to my SLOCs in the future to see how they perform and if they are also drama free.
 
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Jay21

Jay21

Another fabulous two-pass DFS shave with the Merkur 15c this morning. The GSB was on its third use and it held up strong. I think I can push it out to a fourth. No cuts, nicks, weepers, irritation, or any sting from the Skin Bracer to speak of.

One skill I've really developed, that I haven't spoken much of here, is my lather building. I think I really have it down and found a lather that works and that I can repeat every day. Maximizing the lather really has taken my shaves to the next level. In the past, I would load the brush and add a little water to the bowl. Then I'd mix for a bit, add a little more water, mix, add water, repeat until it looked like it was finished. Now, I load the brush, add a larger amount of water to the bowl, and mix until I get the consistency I like. I can eyeball how much soap and water used each time to repeat the results the next time. I think the previous method added too much air. The new method seems to be slicker and runnier. The razor skates over ice.

If everything goes according to plan, my SLOC should arrive today, and that will be tomorrow's shave. My Yaqi stainless steel Mellon head has just clearned Chinese customs and should be here in a couple of weeks.

I'm really digging the open comb designs for many reasons, but one is that the teeth tell you if you're using the right angle. If you see plow lines in the lather, it's not the right angle.
 
Jay21

Jay21

Shaving Claus visited yesterday and dropped off the RR SLOC, 400 brush, and a stand. Of course I had to try them this morning.

IMG_2180.jpeg


I love the long handle on the brush. It makes loading it and bowl mixing easier. Also, I’m definitely in the camp who believes synthetic brushes need to be broken in. I have the same knot, or extremely similar knot, in a short handle, and the brush today behaved differently and consistent with one that needs to loosen up a little.

I loaded a fresh Dorco Titan and went to work.

The shave was DFS- after two passes and no touch ups. I’m sure any differences and fall off from previous shaves are strictly operator issues and will improve with more practice.

The SLOC has more blade feel than the Merkur 15c and is overall more aggressive in that regard, but it didn’t shave me as closely as the Merkur. Like I said, probably user issues. Plus, I nicked myself again on my Adam’s apple. This has happened in weeks. Maybe even months.

I could detect the smallest trace of sting from the Skin Bracer in areas that weren’t connected to where I nicked myself. This makes sense since there there was more blade feel. However, the sting was less than what I experience with the r/EJ 89 and considerably less than the Fatip.

I think this will be a very nice razor in my rotation once I put some more laps down with it. It also makes me feel better about my purchase of the Yaqi stainless Mellon head, which is said to be a little more aggressive.
 
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