Milkcrate's Musings

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 245 SR: 125)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Three Ranners SR
Vulfix Badger
GTB soap (3017 - Day 22)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

Quick update this morning.
Standard routine
BBS
Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 245 SR: 126)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Boker SR
Zenith Boar
GTB soap (3017 - Day 23)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

Had a really mixed bag this morning by changing my razor and brush. In addition to that, I used the stopwatch function on my phone and measured my load time. I discovered that my typical load time was not what I thought it was. So anyway, today I ran with a 20 second load time and cranked our a really nice lather. The Zenith is a really soft brush for a boar. Not as soft as a synth or Badger, but softer than the Omega boar. Nothing wrong with the Omega, I like it as well. The small variety of brushes help keep things interesting.

I called an audible while getting my gear ready for the shave. I grabbed the Three Ranners and hit it with 50 laps on the leather. I then decided to change razors, shelved the Three Ranners and grabbed the Boker and hit it for 50 laps. So the Boker will probably be on deck for a few days. Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. There was no fluid leakage, but I did pick up another racing strip this morning. I then went to reposition the razor and put the edge right back into that same stripe. Funny ... I couldn't do that if I tried. I did miss just a bit on the jawline this morning, but BBS everywhere else. Close enough for me, that's a win!

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and no towel dry again. I'm still testing the air dry theory thing. Followed that up with a glug of the AS and ... and ... you know it ... come on, say it with me ... everything was right as rain! That right! Anyway that's it for today, just cruising along winding the work week down. Tune in next time for another exciting episode. Same bat time, same bat channel. Oh and here's the obligatory ... Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

No shave this morning. You won’t hear me say that often and the stubble is driving me crazy. Even though the racing stripe from yesterday didn’t draw blood, I know it’s there. I scored it at a real shallow angle on my jawline and the skin caught on my clothing most of the day yesterday. I did it on the XTG stroke, so my next shave will probably just be a 2 pass - WTG and ATG. Anyway, that’s it for today. You guys be careful out there.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 246 SR: 126)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Gillette Old Type
Graydog Synth
Voskhod blade
GTB soap (3017 - Day 24)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

Good grief, that stubble was driving me crazy. That razor stripe was all red and angry looking, so I decided to use a DE and go easy. Mixed up all of the kit, except the soap. Grabbed the Old Type and the last Voskhod blade too. Loaded the Graydog for 30 seconds and that was too long. It whipped up a lot of lather. It also started real wet and slung everywhere, but it was great.

I went into the shave thinking two pass and skip the XTG. That way I shouldn’t dig into that stripe. After the first pass, I changed my mind and went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I did snag the stripe, but didn’t dig in. Friends and neighbors that was a BBS for the win! And it was glorious! Think I’ll stay with the DE for a few more days though.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. Followed that up with a glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! You know it! Hobbling around a bit today. I guess I tweaked that ankle I sprained last year. Oh well, I’ve got a wrap for that. So we’ll do that for a day or two and see if that helps. Date night with the missus last night and we saw a movie. It’s called “Upward” and it was pretty good. Having dinner with the youngest stepson and DIL tonight which should be fun too. Oh ... that “Assured” monstrosity shows out for delivery, but I’ll ignore it for another day or two. I think it pushed the Chiseled Face set out of the mail truck. It looks lost in the mail between Dallas and Kaufman. Anyway campers, that’s all I have for now. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 247 SR: 126)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Gillette Old Type
Voskhod blade (2)
DSC Badger
GTB soap (3017 - Day 25)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

So this morning I decided to throw caution to the wind and change everything. Psych ... I didn't change much. In a bit of a hurry this morning so I went with a DE shave. I also discovered a few days ago that I wasn't loading as much as I originally thought. So I have now corrected that and I loaded for 30 seconds today. Whipped up another nice lather and got down to business. Ran out of propane this morning (water heater) so my shave went from lukewarm water to ice cold. I don't care who raves about it ... cold water shaves suck.

Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I did snag a bit along the racing stripe, but not bad. I think I now have all of that dried skin shaved off. And I walked away with a BBS for the win!

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. Followed that up with a splash of the AS and everything was right as rain! Had a great weekend with lots going on, but it's now time to settle into the work week. Luckily it's a short week because I have Friday off. I do have a couple of mail calls to report. First is the un-Assured razor that was delivered on Saturday. I will use that in the next few days. And it looks like the Chiseled Face set has finally made it to Kaufman and is out for delivery today. Woo hoo! I think that's it, be careful out there. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 248 SR: 126)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
$1 Assured DE Razor
Assured blade (1)
Zenith Boar
GTB soap (3017 - Day 26)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

So here we go, first shave with this Dollar Store Assured razor. I've done this challenge before and the razor has some serious QC issues. That was a nice way of saying it sucked. The first time, I had a bad door alignment that I had to tweak with brute force. However, that didn't address the other issues with the razor. The blade alignment was way off and it had serious rust issues in the first week. The TTO would also not stay tight and started opening during the shave. And somehow it managed not to cut hair, but yank it out in gobs. Well, enough of that pleasantness.

And here we are again ... This new razor doesn't look too bad, at a distance with my reading glasses off. No door alignment issues, so we are off to a better start. Let's add a blade. The doors on this one fully open, so there is no issue with installing a blade. The TTO mechanism works without issue and tightens snugly. So far so good. Uhg! I need to take a pic of this blade alignment. I have a mild razor one one side and an aggressive razor on the other side. Huh, let's see what we got. Hit the soap for 30 seconds and cranked out a nice lather, let's kick this pig.

Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. The first pass was with the mild side of the razor and using a light touch. Not too bad! This one actually cuts hair. Switched over to the aggressive side for the XTG pass. Again, not too bad. Ok. let's try the ATG with the aggressive side. What?! I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't shaved with it. This razor actually knocked out a decent shave. I have a BBS/DFS mix this morning and I will take that for the win!

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. Feeling saucy, so I followed that up with a full-on glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! Man oh man, I am truly surprised by that shave. I did not expect that at all. Thankfully this razor swung wildly the other direction from the last Dollar razor that I used. In other news not much going on today, just plugging along with the work week. Oh, I got tagged for the 3 soap shave by someone. I won't mention his name, I'll just give you his initials *. I may combine that with the Dollar razor shaves, just for giggles. Anyway, that's all for now. Be careful out there. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 249 SR: 126)

Pre Shave-
Hot shower and earm water splash to shave.

Shave-
$1 Assured DE Razor
Assured blade (2)
Vulfix Badger
GTB soap (3017 - Day 27)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

So here we go with shave #2 on the Assured razor. Yesterday I missed my morning shave, so I closed out the day with a shower and shave. Was expecting about the same shave, but was surprised. Hit the soap for 30 seconds and cranked out another nice lather.

Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. The first pass was with the aggressive side and was an improvement from the day before. Smooth shave, lots of blade feel and audible feedback. Second and third passes with the mild side. No blade feel and very smooth, much like a vintage Tech. However, this razor feels lighter than a Tech. Overall an outstanding shave and I walked away BBS for the win! Nice ... very nice!

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a towel dry. A splash of the AS and everything was right as rain! I am really surprised by this razor. This one is the polar opposite of the last one I tried. Wrapping up the work week with the symphony tonight and off work tomorrow.Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 250 SR: 126)

Pre Shave-
Hot shower and earm water splash to shave.

Shave-
$1 Assured DE Razor
Assured blade (3)
DSC Silvertip Badger
GTB soap (3017 - Day 28)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
GTB AS

So shave #3 is done and done. Rolled in the 3 soap challenge with this one also. I went with GTB, SC Fougere and SC Patchouli. Loaded the GTB for 10 seconds and then loaded the other 2 into a bowl to lather. It was a disposable plastic bowl, but it worked. I’ll be glad when my Turkish bowl gets here. Anyway, it whipped up a ton of lather after throwing a bit more water at it. The dominant scent at first was the Fougere. Then the other scents kinda ebbed and flowed. It was actually pretty cool.

Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I could tell by the audible feedback that the first pass was the aggresive side. The last 2 passes were the mild side, but I had no blade feel during the whole shave. Overall another outstanding shave, maybe even magical with the performance of the scents. I walked away with another BBS for the win! Oh yeah, it’s gonna be a great day.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! The dry down was pretty cool also with the GTB and Patchouli soap scent. Have the day off and running a few errands. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 250 SR: 127)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Boker SR
Vulfix Badger
Sherlock soap (3017)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Sherlock AS

Ok, got all of the challenges out of the way. Late morning shave today and it was nice. I switched up everything this morning. Staying with the Chiseled Face, I switched over to the Sherlock. This stuff has a great smell from the puck and when lathered. Loaded the brush for 30 seconds and got to it. Cranked out a really nice, great smelling lather.

Went with my standard shave of three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. However, that hateful Boker gave me another racing stripe in the same area. I don’t think this one cut as much as the previous one, so that’s good. No red stuff again this time. Aside from that, it was a great shave and I am BBS for the win!

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! It also came with a matching cologne or ed... something. So I gave that a spray too. Great way to start the day, clean shaven and smelling great! Look out world, here I come. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave mail.

Had a couple of mail calls today. One was my Turkish shave bowl. The other was a tub of Venture and some samples from Captain’s Choice. That was a trade that I made with Scott. Good stuff.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 127)

Pre Shave-
Hot shower and a warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Gillette Old Type
DSC Silvertip Badger
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 29)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS

I'm a bit late for my entry for yesterday. It was an evening shave and I'll get to that in just a minute. I need to make a journal correction. I found that the Boker SR did deliver a cut on Saturday, not a racing strip as I had previously thought. Red stuff didn't come out during the shave or post-shave, but it is a cut. I guess I didn't see it (or the first cut from the Boker) due to my eyesight. Once I put my glasses on, it's there. Anyway, not sure what's going on with that hateful Boker, but I think it bit me in the exact same place as the first time. It was on the XTG stroke, so a nice vertical cut, just like last time. Ok, so enough of that. I wound down the day yesterday with a shower and a shave. The 3 soap 1 bowl challenge was not good, in that it makes me want to use another scent. So I then tried to pacify that urge by using Sherlock on Saturday. And here we are back again with GTB. There is a dent in the puck, but I don't see the bottom yet, so hm. Loaded the DSC for 30 seconds and cranked out a ton of lather. This DSC is actually performing better than the Vulfix, in that the Vulfix sheds with every shave.

Went with a modified shave yesterday, to avoid plowing a razor blade directly into that cut on my jawline. So I went with WTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I walked away from that with a nice and easy BBS for the win! Now what I find interesting is that I completely eliminated the XTG stroke and was still BBS. I may have to explore that further.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. A simple splash of the AS and everything was right as rain! Nice shave to wind down the weekend and the day. Life is good!

 

[Clay S]

Now what I find interesting is that I completely eliminated the XTG stroke and was still BBS.

If your face can handle it, you might find that just an ATG will do it. WIth my GEM I can do just that, with a bit of "Cross-hatching" in areas where the growth direction changes or is in confusion (spiral).

The assured razors definitely have a lot of audible feedback, too bad they aren't slightly more rigid/sturdy.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 128)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Dovo SR
Zenith Boar
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 30)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS

I woke up with plenty of time this morning for a shave ... IKR? So, I changed up my gear and grabbed the Dovo. Yeah ... I'll circle back to that hateful Boker a bit later. And you will never guess what soap/AS combo I chose today. Give up? It was Ghost Town Barber. Ok, grabbed a boar brush today and hit the soap for 30 seconds. I loaded with the brush heavy with water and I had a nice mess going on. It still smelled great and I had enough for the 2 passes and then some.

Went with 50 laps on the leather strop and it was go time. I went with my new and improved pass method of WTG and ATG and have no drama to report. Today was a mixed bag and I was BBS on the cheeks and DFS+ on the neck. So, there is some room for improvement on my two pass system. Oh well, I'll call that a win anyway.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! Nothing out of the ordinary to report so far, just a typical work week, with no fun planned. Have a great day and you guys be careful out there! Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

If your face can handle it, you might find that just an ATG will do it. WIth my GEM I can do just that, with a bit of "Cross-hatching" in areas where the growth direction changes or is in confusion (spiral).

The assured razors definitely have a lot of audible feedback, too bad they aren't slightly more rigid/sturdy.

I'll have to give that a go at some point. I was to nail down the two pass shave with a straight first.

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 129)
Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.
Shave-
Dovo SR
Omega Pro 48 Boar
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 31)
Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS
Woke up this morning and was on schedule, so I had time for a shave. I think I read somewhere that we could have a cheat day on the 3017, so why not today? With that in mind, I changed a few things up and reached for a soap/AS set that I haven't used in some time. That's right folks, today I am breaking out the GTB. It was above 70 degrees yesterday and in the 30's today. Such a temp change demanded a change in my shaving routine. Although I haven't used this one much lately, it definitely has a place in my den. Upon opening the tub, I knew I was long overdue in using this one. So I grabbed the Omega boar and got down to business. Loaded the brush for 30 seconds and whipped up a really nice lather. It really doesn't need 30 seconds, but it's been a while, so I splurged. I had almost forgotten how easily the lather builds and how intoxicating the scent can be.
Went with 50 laps on the leather strop and it was go time. I went back to my three pass method of WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. It was a great shave and I didn't find the cut that the Boker had delivered a few days ago. That may have been due to the protection and glide that this soap delivers. Or it could have been because I slowed back down and was paying attention to my angles. Looking back, I had been speeding up my shaves and my angle was off on that stroke with the Boker. Anyway, I walked away with a BBS for the win!
Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a drip dry. Given the current weather, the house was a little cooler. That made for a brisk drying time. Just to preserve that icy cold goodness a bit longer, I went with a glug of the AS. And oh yeah, you can guess it ... everything was right as rain! Great way to start the day before heading out in the rain. Overcast, scattered showers, cold with a windchill ... Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 130)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Dovo SR
Omega Pro 48 Boar
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 32)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS

The second day in a row that I have woken up with plenty of time to get ready for work. Can you believe it ... IKR? Kept the same hardware to wind down the work week, but I took a page from Dave's playbook to mix it up a bit. So today I grabbed the GTB. I've used this soap before, but it doesn't appear that I have made much of a dent in it. I'm curious to know if I 3017 it, how long would it last? I've heard that a 4oz, triple milled soap will list about 4 months. So I wonder if this one will last about 2?

Went with 50 laps on the leather strop and it was time for business. I went with my standard three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. Another very nice shave this morning, just taking my time. I slowed down and really watched my angles again today. Once again that paid off and I walked away with a BBS for the win!

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a light towel dry. I went with a glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! That was until I left the house. It's a blistering 26 degrees @ 54% humidity and 12mph winds... OMG! I'm in Texas and that is cold. Two days ago we almost hit 80 degrees. Grrrrrr ... cold sucks. It's my short day at work today, so I get off an hour early ... I'll take it. No hard plans for the weekend, so we'll just play it by ear. You guys be careful out there. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 131)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Dovo SR
DSC Badger
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 33)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS

Several people have recommended that I give the GTB a try ... so why not? I picked it up before the VADER and caught it on sale, so I only paid full price for it. Smelling it off the tub, it has a nice Barbershop scent. But I don’t smell the gunpowder and other unique things that are in it. So, let’s give it a try. Grabbed the DSC Badger and got to work. I loaded for 30 seconds. It whipped up quickly and maintained the same pleasant scent. It produced a really nice lather that was slick.

Went with 50 laps on the leather strop and it was time to put this soap to the test. I went with my standard three passes: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. I have been slowing my strokes and watching my angles lately. This also gives me the opportunity to really evaluate the soaps performance. When I put the razor down, I had a very nice BBS shave.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a light towel dry. I went with a glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! The AS has the same scent, but has a touch of menthol to it. That was a pleasant surprise. There is also good longevity to the scent. An all around great shave. This is a good soap/AS combo and will have a place in my rotation. Well that’s my .02 cents, spend it wisely. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 132)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Boker SR
Omega 48 Boar
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 34)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS

It was suggested that I might try a 3017 of the GTB. Huh... why not? Before I do that, I wanted to give another soap a try that I haven’t used in awhile. It was kinda pushed to the back of the rotation shelf, but I’m breaking it out today. So I grabbed the GTB and all new kit. Went back to the Boker for a grudge match.

Went with 50 laps on the leather strop and I got READY TO RUMBLE!. Today I was interrupted after the first pass with the missus calling me for breakfast. I went with a quick two passes: WTG and XTG/ATG, with no drama to report. Had a first pass of full WTG. Second pass was XTG on the cheeks and ATG om my neck. I had to do the XTG to see if the Boker would bite again. No bite today and a mixed bag of BBS/DFS. That’s on me because I rushed. I’ll take it though.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a light towel dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! Followed that up with a post shave bonus of black coffee and homemade Taquitos. Life is good!

 

[MilkCrate]

Shave Count (DE: 251 SR: 133)

Pre Shave-
Warm water splash to shave.

Shave-
Henckel SR
Vulfix Badger
Ghost Town Barber soap (3017 - Day 35)

Post Shave-
Warm water splash
Ghost Town Barber AS

So here we are starting out the new work week. I went with a morning shave and changed out all the gear, just because. So this week I will be using the above mentioned items. I brought the Henckel back into rotation after a bit of therapy on it this past weekend. I'm not sure what I did or how I did it, but I had something wrong with the edge. I couldn't detect a problem while shaving, but the shaves started causing irritation. But I didn't notice the irritation until after the shave. Also when stropped on leather, both sides made a distinctly different sound. So I took it back to the stones and found the same issue, with different sounds on either side. Most odd. Anyway, got it straightened out and honed up to 12k. On other razors I have run them all the way past 12k up to .01 on the balsa strops and they are crazy sharp. But I wanted to try a 12k edge, so we'll stop there for now. Grabbed the Vulfix and the GTB and got to work. Loaded the brush for 30 seconds and cranked out a lot of lather.

Went with 50 laps on the leather strop and the razor had the same sound on both sides of the edge. Nice! Went with my standard three pass shave of: WTG, XTG and ATG and have no drama to report. Very relaxing and smooth shave. I had no problem getting a BBS with this setup and that is a win! It was interesting that you can tell the difference in the blade while shaving. Both this one, and the sharper razors, deliver a BBS shave with no irritation. But this edge feels slightly different. I'm curious to see how long this edge will carry with just leather stropping. Hm ... I may have to play around with that.

Wrapped it up with a splash of water and a light towel dry. A glug of the AS and everything was right as rain! It should be a crazy busy week, getting ready for a building power outage next weekend. Also have a business day trip in there somewhere ... oh fun times. Anyway, that's where we are today. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode. Same bat time, same bat channel. Life is good!