Forever faithful, my friend.Now we’re talking, I might have been able to get my wife behind that movementGo 9ers!
Quest for 6!
JL 52’s 2025 Shave Log - (Recovering From Severe Case of RAD)
- Thread starter JL 52
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Quest for 6!
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- #62
Entry #10 - 1/20/2025
Had 2.5 days of growth last night and turned to the CR7 Plate 3. This razor is a serious daily driver contender. Effortlessly smooth and comfortable throughout both passes. Even with this much growth, the CR7 did not struggle with the tugginess or drag I’ve encountered with other aluminum razors for the first pass. I’ve been using a Personna Lab Blue for each of my CR7 shaves, and I’m not sure yet how much credit should go to the blade pairing. Ending shave was not as close as the TiBird (surprise, surprise), but still more than good enough for the days I go into the office
Had 2.5 days of growth last night and turned to the CR7 Plate 3. This razor is a serious daily driver contender. Effortlessly smooth and comfortable throughout both passes. Even with this much growth, the CR7 did not struggle with the tugginess or drag I’ve encountered with other aluminum razors for the first pass. I’ve been using a Personna Lab Blue for each of my CR7 shaves, and I’m not sure yet how much credit should go to the blade pairing. Ending shave was not as close as the TiBird (surprise, surprise), but still more than good enough for the days I go into the office
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- #63
Entry #11 - 1/22/2025
Sticking with the aluminum razor theme for a bit and decided to go with the Timeless Aluminum for tonight’s shave. I first purchased this razor back in October 2024 and prematurely posted it to the BST forum after only a couple shaves with it; I liked it well enough but felt it was too similar and redundant to the Lupo Aluminum I already had. I immediately had a bit of seller’s remorse but then found it for sale again in December for only $36 on Amazon and jumped on it.
I love the feel of the Timeless in my hand, it’s grippy and feels more substantial than you’d expect for an aluminum razor.
While not quite as smooth and comfortable as the CR7, I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s shave with the Timeless Al. The sharper Personna Lab Blue blades I’ve been using this week was a solid pairing.
The CR7 with the 3 Plate definitely left me with a closer shave, but I’ll likely do a side-by-side with the Timeless Al and CR7 2 Plate soon.
Sticking with the aluminum razor theme for a bit and decided to go with the Timeless Aluminum for tonight’s shave. I first purchased this razor back in October 2024 and prematurely posted it to the BST forum after only a couple shaves with it; I liked it well enough but felt it was too similar and redundant to the Lupo Aluminum I already had. I immediately had a bit of seller’s remorse but then found it for sale again in December for only $36 on Amazon and jumped on it.
I love the feel of the Timeless in my hand, it’s grippy and feels more substantial than you’d expect for an aluminum razor.
While not quite as smooth and comfortable as the CR7, I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s shave with the Timeless Al. The sharper Personna Lab Blue blades I’ve been using this week was a solid pairing.
The CR7 with the 3 Plate definitely left me with a closer shave, but I’ll likely do a side-by-side with the Timeless Al and CR7 2 Plate soon.
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Timeless sells it for $64 through their website but they also sell it through Amazon for $49 which is weird but a super bargain for what it is. So for the $36 you paid, that was a mega bargain!
I don't know how they manage on selling that razor which is made in the USA for that price.
I've been curious bout the Slant aluminum but have never bought one because it's got negative blade exposure.
Every negative exposure razor I've tried hasn't worked for me!
But the Timeless might be an exception since I keep reading about how smooth & efficient it is.
Maybe at some point I'll cave!
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- #65
I originally bought it for $49 on Amazon, only to sell it for half the price and then repurchased again, $36 is a bargain but I would have been better off just keeping the first one I bought
. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic razor and my scalp has been telling me it like aluminum razors 
I’ve been tempted by that same Slant Aluminum! I’ve haven’t tried any slants yet, I’ve been hesitant thinking it would be a new learning curve for my head shaves but if I do that would be the one I tried.
You're not alone, I've done that more than once!I would have been better off just keeping the first one I bought
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- #67
Entry #12 - 1/24/2025
Returned to an old friend this evening with the Game Changer .76 and the Timeless Ti Crown handle. Been using Personna Lab Blues for a bit and kept that going this evening.
Dollar for dollar is this probably the best razor I’ve ever picked up. I credit the Game Changer for sparking this hobby for me. While I eventually found a few razors that shave better than this one, I easily could have been content with the quality of shave I got tonight.
Returned to an old friend this evening with the Game Changer .76 and the Timeless Ti Crown handle. Been using Personna Lab Blues for a bit and kept that going this evening.
Dollar for dollar is this probably the best razor I’ve ever picked up. I credit the Game Changer for sparking this hobby for me. While I eventually found a few razors that shave better than this one, I easily could have been content with the quality of shave I got tonight.
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- #68
Entry #13 - 1/27/2025
Was having a so-so Monday at work and decided to treat myself to an outing with the Bronze Guerrilla .69DC this evening and it did not disappoint! I was immediately reminded of why I felt at peace parting with the Lambda Athena. This razor is right up there with my Ti Blackbird and SS Osprey in my opinion.
I originally tried this razor with the .84SB base plate and thoroughly enjoyed it, however I could tell that it would have been a bit much for me to use daily. The open comb side of the .69 feels just about as efficient as the straight bar .84 but has the added benefit of not clogging; both configurations are close to being one pass shavers. The straight bar side of the .69 is the smooth and easy follow-up for the second pass that I think is helping to cut down on the post-shave irritation compared to what I experienced with .84.
The Ti Blackbird shaves a bit closer for me and magically with zero skin irritation compared to the minimal amount I've been receiving from the Guerrilla .69DC. That said, the Guerrilla has been noticeably more enjoyable razor for me. The balance and feel in the hand seem perfect to me, and it's just a smooth experience start to finish.
Was having a so-so Monday at work and decided to treat myself to an outing with the Bronze Guerrilla .69DC this evening and it did not disappoint! I was immediately reminded of why I felt at peace parting with the Lambda Athena. This razor is right up there with my Ti Blackbird and SS Osprey in my opinion.
I originally tried this razor with the .84SB base plate and thoroughly enjoyed it, however I could tell that it would have been a bit much for me to use daily. The open comb side of the .69 feels just about as efficient as the straight bar .84 but has the added benefit of not clogging; both configurations are close to being one pass shavers. The straight bar side of the .69 is the smooth and easy follow-up for the second pass that I think is helping to cut down on the post-shave irritation compared to what I experienced with .84.
The Ti Blackbird shaves a bit closer for me and magically with zero skin irritation compared to the minimal amount I've been receiving from the Guerrilla .69DC. That said, the Guerrilla has been noticeably more enjoyable razor for me. The balance and feel in the hand seem perfect to me, and it's just a smooth experience start to finish.
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There used to be a lady who worked at my local Publix. One day I came in wearing one of my 49er ball caps. She said "my nephew plays for the 49ers"
I said who's your nephew?
She said "Patrick Willis"
I said who's your nephew?
She said "Patrick Willis"
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- #70
One of the best to ever do it! I still remember losing my you-know-what when the 9er's first drafted him.There used to be a lady who worked at my local Publix. One day I came in wearing one of my 49er ball caps. She said "my nephew plays for the 49ers"
I said who's your nephew?
She said "Patrick Willis"
- Thread starter
- #71
Entry #14 - 1/29/2025
Eat your hearts out fellas, I present the world's first open comb King C Gillette!
I was playing around with my razors a while back and realized the open comb base plate from the RazoRock SLOC fit quite smoothly with the top cap from the KCG. My hopes weren't incredibly high for this combo, but nevertheless I figured it would be fun to play with. I paired this frankenrazor with a fresh Gillette Nacet blade for today's shave.
Aside from looking cooler and helping a bit with lather distribution, swapping out the base plate in this case didn't seem to impact the efficiency of the KCG. Perhaps there's another base plate out there that would fit the KCG and add some much needed efficiency, but that feels like a worthless rabbit hole to pursue. The KCG has a narrow window for functional blade angles; too steep and the top cap harmlessly wipes away your lather, too shallow and the safety bar does instead. What was really frustrating today was that even when I got the angle just hit right it still left a ton of stubble behind.
After the first pass it was clear that this razor just wasn't getting the job done for me; I had a few missed patches and the areas it shaved was still too long for my liking. I decided to call in a designated hitter for my second pass and switched to the Colorial CR7 3 Plate to finish the job and had a significantly better experience from there. The CR7 felt like I remembered it on its first pass, confirming that the KCG didn't pull it's weight today. While not in the same league as my Blackland's or Guerrilla, the CR7 provides an excellent comfort-to-efficiency ratio. I had a user error moment and dragged the CR7 across a dry poorly lathered spot, and it skipped and jumped on the surface of my scalp. From my past experience this is a recipe for a guaranteed weeper, yet I walked away without even a nick. The CR7 just became my designated auto-pilot razor.
I think the KCG is an excellent starter razor for someone looking to test the waters with DE razors, however it's just too mild to be useful in my opinion. That said, it was the first DE razor I decided to try and I still enjoyed it much more than the Mach 3 cartridges I had been using until that point. I have to credit this razor for starting this journey for me; it was my only DE razor for my first month or so of wetshaving before I moved onto the Rockwell 6C and eventually to the RazoRock Game Changer.
Eat your hearts out fellas, I present the world's first open comb King C Gillette!
I was playing around with my razors a while back and realized the open comb base plate from the RazoRock SLOC fit quite smoothly with the top cap from the KCG. My hopes weren't incredibly high for this combo, but nevertheless I figured it would be fun to play with. I paired this frankenrazor with a fresh Gillette Nacet blade for today's shave.
Aside from looking cooler and helping a bit with lather distribution, swapping out the base plate in this case didn't seem to impact the efficiency of the KCG. Perhaps there's another base plate out there that would fit the KCG and add some much needed efficiency, but that feels like a worthless rabbit hole to pursue. The KCG has a narrow window for functional blade angles; too steep and the top cap harmlessly wipes away your lather, too shallow and the safety bar does instead. What was really frustrating today was that even when I got the angle just hit right it still left a ton of stubble behind.
After the first pass it was clear that this razor just wasn't getting the job done for me; I had a few missed patches and the areas it shaved was still too long for my liking. I decided to call in a designated hitter for my second pass and switched to the Colorial CR7 3 Plate to finish the job and had a significantly better experience from there. The CR7 felt like I remembered it on its first pass, confirming that the KCG didn't pull it's weight today. While not in the same league as my Blackland's or Guerrilla, the CR7 provides an excellent comfort-to-efficiency ratio. I had a user error moment and dragged the CR7 across a dry poorly lathered spot, and it skipped and jumped on the surface of my scalp. From my past experience this is a recipe for a guaranteed weeper, yet I walked away without even a nick. The CR7 just became my designated auto-pilot razor.
I think the KCG is an excellent starter razor for someone looking to test the waters with DE razors, however it's just too mild to be useful in my opinion. That said, it was the first DE razor I decided to try and I still enjoyed it much more than the Mach 3 cartridges I had been using until that point. I have to credit this razor for starting this journey for me; it was my only DE razor for my first month or so of wetshaving before I moved onto the Rockwell 6C and eventually to the RazoRock Game Changer.
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I started with the KCG as well. I still remember my very first DE shave with it.
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- #73
Funny enough, using the KCG reminded me of the first few nicks I got while learning. Fast forward to today and I can't imagine how anyone managed to cut themselves with such a mild razor
My first was a Merkur 34C and wonder the same thing!Funny enough, using the KCG reminded me of the first few nicks I got while learning. Fast forward to today and I can't imagine how anyone managed to cut themselves with such a mild razor
This is a cool thread. Ever thought of doing some YouTube vids? A black man head shaving with high end razors would be pretty sweet.
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- #76
I hadn't ever considered that before but you make a great point. Most of the videos I've watched on YouTube are of guys comparing razors for face shaving, and the few head shavers out there don't seem to have the same hair or skin type as me, so I've always been forced to take the advice and recommendations with a grain of salt.
I'm going to seriously think about this. Less so for myself, but more so for the other out there not sure where to start.
Love the signature BTW!
- Thread starter
- #77
Entry #15 - 1/30/2025
Only had one day's growth and didn't really need to shave, but wanted to anyway. I figured it would be a fun time to stack the Timeless Aluminum and Colonial CR7 2 Plate against each other. I've mentioned before that I mainly turn to my lighter aluminum razors for the days I have less growth. I've generally noticed that they struggle on the first pass if I have heavy growth but this is just fine with me, I've got heavier razors that I just turn to instead on those days.
Despite being very light, both razors feel solid and well made. The Timeless is a tiny bit heavier than the CR7 and feels bulkier and more substantial with its thick and grippy handle. The balance is also just right for both razors.
I loaded 3x used Astra Superior Stainless blades in each razor and gave the right side of my head to the Timeless Al and the left side to the CR7.
The Timeless Al has solid efficiency and was more than up to the task of a quick one-day shave. Blade feel was noticeable and consistent throughout the shave.
This was my first time trying the 2 Plate for the CR7 and it was in line with what I was expecting given that it's a step down from the already quite comfortable 3 Plate. I'm still in awe of how smooth and easygoing this razor is. If I didn't hear and see it cutting, I would have thought I forgot to load the blade in it.
I was expecting the two razors to feel different during the shave, but I wasn't expecting such a drastic contrast in blade feel, it was so night-and-day that I was chuckling each time I switched razors. After my two passes the Timeless Al side was a bit closer but only by a tiny margin; how close the two razors finished was surprising given how more blade I felt with the Timeless Al. Both sides left me with no post-shave alum sting. I'm calling this match-up a draw; ending results were very close and I really enjoyed using both razors. The obvious and drastic difference between the two razors is the blade feel, and I think that's a time and a place for both.
Only had one day's growth and didn't really need to shave, but wanted to anyway. I figured it would be a fun time to stack the Timeless Aluminum and Colonial CR7 2 Plate against each other. I've mentioned before that I mainly turn to my lighter aluminum razors for the days I have less growth. I've generally noticed that they struggle on the first pass if I have heavy growth but this is just fine with me, I've got heavier razors that I just turn to instead on those days.
Despite being very light, both razors feel solid and well made. The Timeless is a tiny bit heavier than the CR7 and feels bulkier and more substantial with its thick and grippy handle. The balance is also just right for both razors.
I loaded 3x used Astra Superior Stainless blades in each razor and gave the right side of my head to the Timeless Al and the left side to the CR7.
The Timeless Al has solid efficiency and was more than up to the task of a quick one-day shave. Blade feel was noticeable and consistent throughout the shave.
This was my first time trying the 2 Plate for the CR7 and it was in line with what I was expecting given that it's a step down from the already quite comfortable 3 Plate. I'm still in awe of how smooth and easygoing this razor is. If I didn't hear and see it cutting, I would have thought I forgot to load the blade in it.
I was expecting the two razors to feel different during the shave, but I wasn't expecting such a drastic contrast in blade feel, it was so night-and-day that I was chuckling each time I switched razors. After my two passes the Timeless Al side was a bit closer but only by a tiny margin; how close the two razors finished was surprising given how more blade I felt with the Timeless Al. Both sides left me with no post-shave alum sting. I'm calling this match-up a draw; ending results were very close and I really enjoyed using both razors. The obvious and drastic difference between the two razors is the blade feel, and I think that's a time and a place for both.
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You have most certainly put in the dinero and sweat equity to be an expert on the subject!I hadn't ever considered that before but you make a great point. Most of the videos I've watched on YouTube are of guys comparing razors for face shaving, and the few head shavers out there don't seem to have the same hair or skin type as me, so I've always been forced to take the advice and recommendations with a grain of salt.
I'm going to seriously think about this. Less so for myself, but more so for the other out there not sure where to start.
Love the signature BTW!
- Thread starter
- #79
Entry #16 - 2/1/2025
Skipped the head shave last night but still treated myself to a patient shavette shave for my lower neck area.
I went with my vintage Schick Proline BBR-1J and a Kai Captain Mild blade.
I also skipped the bowl and brush and tried out the Proraso Red shaving foam, which was pretty legit. I’m considering making it part of my travel kit, only complaint is that the canister is a bit on the bulky side.
Despite taking longer, I still prefer using a shavette for my sensitive areas, and the AC format is generally much smoother and more forgiving than half DE blades.
Skipped the head shave last night but still treated myself to a patient shavette shave for my lower neck area.
I went with my vintage Schick Proline BBR-1J and a Kai Captain Mild blade.
I also skipped the bowl and brush and tried out the Proraso Red shaving foam, which was pretty legit. I’m considering making it part of my travel kit, only complaint is that the canister is a bit on the bulky side.
Despite taking longer, I still prefer using a shavette for my sensitive areas, and the AC format is generally much smoother and more forgiving than half DE blades.
Attachments
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- #80
Entry #17 - 2/2/2025
Decided that I’d break the SS Osprey out and stick to it for this week (maybe two).
I started with it opened up to level 7 and to my surprise
experienced a bit of tugging and resistance. Having used the Osprey many times before, I know this was either due to the blade pairing (Gillette Nacet) or something else was off with my prep. I finished my first pass on level 7 but didn’t pressure myself to pick up each and every spot perfectly.
I switched the level 5 for my second pass and the Osprey went back to being just as smooth/efficient as I remembered.
Decided that I’d break the SS Osprey out and stick to it for this week (maybe two).
I started with it opened up to level 7 and to my surprise
experienced a bit of tugging and resistance. Having used the Osprey many times before, I know this was either due to the blade pairing (Gillette Nacet) or something else was off with my prep. I finished my first pass on level 7 but didn’t pressure myself to pick up each and every spot perfectly.
I switched the level 5 for my second pass and the Osprey went back to being just as smooth/efficient as I remembered.
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