Journey of the 1767 blade newbie.

[CuppaJoe__]

Hi all, I'm the newbie that bought 1767 blades.

I'm going to start a journal to map my progress.
While I'm not (that) much of a newbie, I still have only been shaving with a DE razor since May 12th if this year. Started with the VDH. (2024)
I'm not new to wet shaving as a whole either.
I used to shave in the shower with cartridge razors and shave gels like Edge, but I am new to using a brush, bowl, and quality soaps.
Like most of my endeavors, I tend to do a lot of research both before and during, so I have some idea of what to do.

__My Gear__07/28/2024__
Razors:
> VDH Super Speed Clone
> Gillette Super Speed Regular
> Henson ++
Bowl:
> Very basic 3D printed
Brush:
> Gillette Synthetic
Blades:
> More than 1767 of them, all different brands

Of course this list will change as time goes on, so I'll keep it updated.

Enough chatter, time for the shaves!

 

[CuppaJoe__]

07/28/2024 SOTD
Evening Shave

Prep:
> Shower and Charcoal Face Wash
Razor:
> Gillette Super Speed Regular
Blade:
> Voskhod (0 New / +2 Passes)
Soap:
> Master Soap Creations- Peppermint Lime, Mentholated
Aftershave:
> My own formulation of Witch Hazel, Aloe, & Water.

TLDR:
New razor, new blade, new soap. No nicks or cuts, nearly BBS in some spots. Rough initial start, then very comfy.

I will be moving my shaving schedule to nights, as I want to be allowed more time to properly enjoy and assess my shaves.
I'm also deciding on how to count the shaves. While shaving with multi-day stubble will affect the blades more than doing a second or third pass after the initial shave, those extra passes can still cause degradation.
Let's start with 0 New, with +# of passes each shave. For example, the next shave It will be
2 (Total passes) / +# of new passes from that shave. I usually will only do one pass with minor touch-up as my skin can be very sensitive at times. I may do a second pass if I am really enjoying the shave, soap, or am unhappy with the first pass.

The shave:
This Gillette razor is practically the same as the VDH I have. It is of slightly better quality seeing as the entire head of the razor doesn't flex or rattle like the VDH. This is the second time I am using the Gillette, & it seems to be more mild than the VDH with a smaller effective shave angle.

At first, the Voskhod blade looked like it would be an instant throw away. It was having some trouble with my 1.5 day old stubble for the first couple of strokes & on my chin, but it did eventually catch on. This could also be due to my lack of experience with this specific razor. I'll have to try it in my Henson ++ tomorrow.
Very comfortable shave once the blade caught on & I figured out the angle with the razor.

This Peppermint Lime soap is very nice. I wasn't sure about the smell when I first got it, but now that I'm using it I quite enjoy it. It is very mentholated, maybe more than the Catie's Bubbles- Mile High Menthol I tried before this journal. Kept me quite cool feeling during & after the shave. I'm still figuring out my lather, but this soap was pretty easy to get started.

My stubble grows to be quite stiff in my opinion, & my GF always says it's too sharp for her. I will likely never actively chase BBS, as I can't stand the inevitable irritation that would come with that.
I guess that would mean I prefer DFS based on the wiki, but I see some users that will add "+" to DFS. I could use some extra input for the shave ratings please.

The result:
DFS with some spots that were BBS. Aftershave did not cause any burns, but that's likely due to the 14% alcohol content and the Aloe. No battle wounds.

Looking forward to the next shave.

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you for sharing your journal with us. Can’t wait to read where your path leads.

 

[lasta]

Thank you for sharing your journal with us. Can’t wait to read where your path leads.

All paths lead to GSB!

@CuppaJoe__ , welcome to the journals section, where all the magic happens!

 

[Eric_75]

@CuppaJoe__

Welcome from Nashville, TN, sir.

 

[BradWorld]

Congrats on starting a journal! I’ve been reading your other thread with interest.

 

[gpjoe]

Every time I see "the guy with 1767 blades" I get the urge to send you nine more...





...to make it 1776...

 

[BradWorld]

Every time I see "the guy with 1767 blades" I get the urge to send you nine more...





...to make it 1776...

Or 33 more.

 

[gpjoe]

Or 33 more.

Please excuse my lack of historical knowledge...1800?

 

[CuppaJoe__]

Every time I see "the guy with 1767 blades" I get the urge to send you nine more...





...to make it 1776...

I must confess.
It's probably more like 1767 plus 50 from AD, plus 25 or so from my beginner set from Razor Emporium, but who's really counting...maybe I should.
I've also been eyeing the 7 O'Clock blades, and the 7am blades from that Lucky 7's PIF, then the Shark Platinum from shark week event.

 

[cajunrph]

Welcome from the Texas Gulf Coast.

 

[Flanders]

Whoops, apparently I forgot to type a welcome yesterday! I moved back to night shaving myself in the last month after trying to make mornings work for a year. I even tried 2 shaves a day, but the single pass wasn't up to standards. Welcome to B&B.

 

[BradWorld]

Please excuse my lack of historical knowledge...1800?

It’s just a nice round number

 

[JustJames]

Welcome from western North Carolina. Looking forward to your journey

 

[Guido75]

Welcome on board! Enjoy your time here!

Cheers,

Guido

 

[CuppaJoe__]

07/30/2024 SOTD
Evening Shave

Prep:
> Shower and Charcoal Face Wash
Razor:
> Gillette Super Speed Regular
Blade:
> Voskhod (2 / +2 Passes)
Soap:
> Master Soap Creations- Peppermint Lime, Mentholated
Aftershave:
> My own formulation of Witch Hazel, Aloe, & Water.

TLDR: Same setup as previous. Comfortable shave, no nicks or cuts. Not as close as a shave as last time. DFS. —P.S. The soap rocks.

I had my day off early this week since a coworker has Jury Duty, so I didn't shave last night as I had initially planned. I also decided to stick with the exact same setup as last, this way I can evaluate both the razor and blade.

It seems that the blade is not getting as close of a shave as the first, and this razor does get clogged with 2 day old stubble. I'll keep going with this blade as I have not experienced any sort of pulling yet.

Both passes are WTG, except my chin and my neck directly below as I find it easier and more comfortable to shave XTG in that spot.
No nicks, cuts, or irritation. No burn from the aftershave.

I do really enjoy this soap, and will for sure add this to my larger batch purchase when that comes.

The result: DFS all around.

Until next time.
If you're in the northern hemisphere, get out there and watch the metor shower!

 

[CuppaJoe__]

08/01/2024 SOTD
Morning Shave

Prep:
> Shower and Charcoal Face Wash
Razor:
> Gillette Super Speed Regular
Blade:
> Voskhod (4 / +2 Passes)
Soap:
> Crowne & Crane- Bergamote
Aftershave:
> My own formulation of Witch Hazel, Aloe, & Water.
Pass type:
> WTG | XTG on jawline, chin, & neck below.

TLDR: Same setup aside from different soap. No tugging. Two nicks, one that stayed after shave. Some irritation in the mustache area. Acceptable++

Long day yesterday & I knocked out pretty early, so I shaved this morning.
I swapped the soap this time as I have quite a few samplers. Okay smell, but not potent & it lathered up nicely.

I think I'm used to this razor now, although I'm not sure where the two nicks came from since there was no pulling from the blade & I was not pushing too hard. I was rushing a bit, so that could be it. One nick closed up before applying aftershave, and the other stayed for a few mins even after.

I feel that overall the blade isn't getting as close of a shave even though when feeling WTG there is no stubble. ATG there is lots of stubble feel especially compared to the first shave with this blade. XTG is both smooth and not in some areas. A small amount of irritation in the mustache area.

I'll give this blade one more day, as I have some 7 O'Clock Blacks arriving today courtesy of @JCinPA . I also received a 1964 Gillette Slim from @Tanuki that I'll have to give a try very soon.

The Result: In my book without the nicks, I'd consider this a DFS–, but with the two nicks & stache irritation that knocks it down to just below. So I'd call this Acceptable++.
Maybe this makes sense to you, maybe not. I'll have to spend some more time evaluating the way people rate their shaves.

Thanks for tagging along.

 

[CuppaJoe__]

08/03/2024 SOTD
Evening Shave

Prep:
> Shower and Charcoal Face Wash
Razor:
> Henson ++
Blade:
> Voskhod (6 / +3 Passes) 9 Total- Toss
Soap:
> Catie's Bubbles- Mile High Menthol
Aftershave:
> Afta by Mennen- Fresh Scent
Pass type:
> WTG | XTG on jawline, chin, & neck below.

TLDR:
Tugging first pass, but eased up on next two. Very nice shave no irritation or blood. DFS-

The Shave:
I had to try this blade in my Henson, and man did I miss it. For me, the Henson is by far my favorite razor of the three I've tried so far. Even with the 2.5 day stubble it was no slouch.

The blade did okay, aside from the extra stubble. First pass had a good amount of tugging, and required some cleanup. The two subsequent passes went without a hitch and were comfortable. This blade probably could go another few shaves, but I need to try out the 7 O'Clock Super Platinums that were sent to me. In the bin it goes.

I was correct in my previous assessment of the Catie's Bubbles Mile High Menthol soap. It is lacking on menthol compared to the MSC soap. It lathers up very easily compared to the other two soaps previously used.

The Result:
Overall, I'm happy with this shave and blade. I'm interested to see how the Voskhod holds up after more uses. Regular amount of stubble feel ATG, but for me that's just how the Henson is. DFS- due to tugging.

See ya next time.

 

[CuppaJoe__]

08/04/2024 SOTD
Evening Shave

Prep:
> Shower and Charcoal Face Wash
Razor:
> Henson ++
Blade:
> Gillette 7 O'Clock SP (0 / +2 Passes) Blade 1
Soap:
> Catie's Bubbles- Mile High Menthol
Aftershave:
> Baylis & Harding- Citrus Lime Mint Balm
Pass type:
> WTG | XTG on chin, & neck below.

TLDR: Super smooth, glidy shave. 1 weeper on chin. No tugging. Stubble feel ATG. Acceptable+++

The Shave:
This is the first 7 O'Clock SP blade, I've used. It was a very smooth and fast shave.

I should have stopped at 1 pass, but I enjoyed the experience & wanted to see how close of a shave I could get. It definitely wasn't as close as the previous Voskhod on it's first shave with the Super Speed Reg, though that could also just be the Henson. 1 small quick closing chin weeper on the first pass.

A good bit of ATG stubble feel all around. Small amount of irritation post shave, probably due to the 2nd pass, or from shaving two nights in a row.

All around a nice feeling blade, but the irritation is a bit worrying. I'll likely push the next shave to Tuesday night to see if it prevents the irritation.

Thank you once again @JCinPA for the blades!

 

[JCinPA]

You are welcome. The blacks are good on shave #1 but better on 2-4 I think you’ll find. Go slow. Watch the pressure.