- Thread starter
- #101
Mike, you are a brave man! Though I can't say I have the total concept of slickness vs cushioning(since I have really only shaved with one cream, no comparison and no data), the thought of zero cushioning sounds pretty scary.
Once Upon A Stubble
- Thread starter comis
- Start date
Slickness, as far as I'm concerned, lets the blades edge glide over the skin smoothly and safely. Cushion helps mask blade feel. A proper balance of both is the ideal.
- Thread starter
- #103
Re-cap Page 5
Esox: A quick comparison of Gillette Tech, Slim, Regent, R41 and Grande for his use
How to do a test for gear methodically
The idea of "moving" best baseline
Even dish soap work as shaving soap, if you know what you are doing
TinyT: Tips to use Olay moisturiser
Sometimes the challenge moving from soap to cream is just as much vice versa
AimlessWanderer: The importance of getting the basic technique down to limit variables
By my own: Trouble continues for the under nose area, question about what is a good 'baseline' razor
Dry run with Michel Wool Fat shaving soap, it's easier than I thought
Quest for baseline razor, have 6 good shaves before moving onto the next razor
Esox: A quick comparison of Gillette Tech, Slim, Regent, R41 and Grande for his use
How to do a test for gear methodically
The idea of "moving" best baseline
Even dish soap work as shaving soap, if you know what you are doing
TinyT: Tips to use Olay moisturiser
Sometimes the challenge moving from soap to cream is just as much vice versa
AimlessWanderer: The importance of getting the basic technique down to limit variables
By my own: Trouble continues for the under nose area, question about what is a good 'baseline' razor
Dry run with Michel Wool Fat shaving soap, it's easier than I thought
Quest for baseline razor, have 6 good shaves before moving onto the next razor
- Thread starter
- #104
Date: Mar 21, 2020 (Day 18)
Gear: Futur, Astra SP(3), TOBS St. James, CIC boar #9
Cond: 2-3mm whiskers
Prep: Shower, only shampoo on beard, lather pre-shave rub-in, Taconic Pre-shave oil
Shave:
1st pass Futur@1, 98% finished
2nd pass Futur @1 very light XTG under nose, some buffing, underchin ATG
3rd pass underchin ATG
Post Shave: Alum block, Lucky tiger and Nivea sensitive
Conclusion: Good enjoyable shave, DFS/CCS, much closer shave than last time. I don't know it was skipping the conditioning on beard or using hotter than usual water in shower, but I felt the shave is significantly 'smoother'. The razor is actually cutting, instead of tugging, and the difference was obvious under nose.
I guess one big possibilities is my pseudo Kyle prep has not been working, and finally the hotter than usual water in shower is really helping to soften the beard. Or skipping the conditioning allows for a more crisp cut.
Either way, it's really productive, and I was able to really shave the under nose area without worrying too much about the sharp tug/pain.
You know how everyone talks about how not to shave if there is no lather, I notice I 'buff' a little bit to get one or few stubborn leftoever whiskers after the initial lather is gone. And I notice that happens a lot on practically every shaving channel I see on youtube. Is that the norm? I wonder is there anyone who strictly shave/buff only when there is lather?
No weepers, alum stings a little as usual, lucky tiger smells great and I am applying more than usual amount of Nivea sensitive post shave balm--it actually stings a little too, and come to think about it, it did sting in the past a little as well.
Face feel totally normal in 10-15min after shave.
Last weeper/irritation: 5 shaves ago
Gear: Futur, Astra SP(3), TOBS St. James, CIC boar #9
Cond: 2-3mm whiskers
Prep: Shower, only shampoo on beard, lather pre-shave rub-in, Taconic Pre-shave oil
Shave:
1st pass Futur@1, 98% finished
2nd pass Futur @1 very light XTG under nose, some buffing, underchin ATG
3rd pass underchin ATG
Post Shave: Alum block, Lucky tiger and Nivea sensitive
Conclusion: Good enjoyable shave, DFS/CCS, much closer shave than last time. I don't know it was skipping the conditioning on beard or using hotter than usual water in shower, but I felt the shave is significantly 'smoother'. The razor is actually cutting, instead of tugging, and the difference was obvious under nose.
I guess one big possibilities is my pseudo Kyle prep has not been working, and finally the hotter than usual water in shower is really helping to soften the beard. Or skipping the conditioning allows for a more crisp cut.
Either way, it's really productive, and I was able to really shave the under nose area without worrying too much about the sharp tug/pain.
You know how everyone talks about how not to shave if there is no lather, I notice I 'buff' a little bit to get one or few stubborn leftoever whiskers after the initial lather is gone. And I notice that happens a lot on practically every shaving channel I see on youtube. Is that the norm? I wonder is there anyone who strictly shave/buff only when there is lather?
No weepers, alum stings a little as usual, lucky tiger smells great and I am applying more than usual amount of Nivea sensitive post shave balm--it actually stings a little too, and come to think about it, it did sting in the past a little as well.
Face feel totally normal in 10-15min after shave.
Last weeper/irritation: 5 shaves ago
- Thread starter
- #105
Date: Mar 24, 2020 (Day 19)
Gear: Futur, Astra SP(4), TOBS St. James, CIC boar #9
Cond: 2-3mm whiskers
Prep: Shower, only shampoo on beard, lather pre-shave rub-in, Taconic Pre-shave oil; I am skipping the conditioner and using hot water to shower again, and want to see the result from last shave is repeatable.
Shave:
1st pass Futur@1, 98% finished, felt like a clean shave even under nose
2nd pass Futur @1 XTG under nose with some buffing, underchin ATG
3rd pass underchin ATG
Post Shave: Alum block, Lucky tiger and Nivea sensitive
Conclusion: Good shave, DFS/CCS, Alum stings a little longer and it felt slight even closer than last time. However, I do feel a little more blade/scrapping, than last shave. This is the first time I use the same blade for the 4th time, but overall I gonna say I am quite satisfy with the consistency of Astra SP. It may not be as sharp as Feather, but it sure felt reliable and consistent from shave to shave.
This concludes 6 good shaves with Futur @ setting 1, much to my surprise, it's slightly easier than I thought. The 'efficiency' is great, and I was thinking to myself I could get used to this, and probably can keep going and get even better result as I practice more on it.
However, my heart was set to try out few other razors in my repertoire, and while I am waiting for the Gillette post war ball end Tech to arrive, I am wondering whether I should try the Rockwell 6S or EJ89. I am really rather curious if the 6S on plate 5-6 will have the same aggressiveness as Futur @ setting 1, since it was known to be a mild 'adjustable' razor.
Face feel totally normal in 10-15min after shave.
Last weeper/irritation: 6 shaves ago
Gear: Futur, Astra SP(4), TOBS St. James, CIC boar #9
Cond: 2-3mm whiskers
Prep: Shower, only shampoo on beard, lather pre-shave rub-in, Taconic Pre-shave oil; I am skipping the conditioner and using hot water to shower again, and want to see the result from last shave is repeatable.
Shave:
1st pass Futur@1, 98% finished, felt like a clean shave even under nose
2nd pass Futur @1 XTG under nose with some buffing, underchin ATG
3rd pass underchin ATG
Post Shave: Alum block, Lucky tiger and Nivea sensitive
Conclusion: Good shave, DFS/CCS, Alum stings a little longer and it felt slight even closer than last time. However, I do feel a little more blade/scrapping, than last shave. This is the first time I use the same blade for the 4th time, but overall I gonna say I am quite satisfy with the consistency of Astra SP. It may not be as sharp as Feather, but it sure felt reliable and consistent from shave to shave.
This concludes 6 good shaves with Futur @ setting 1, much to my surprise, it's slightly easier than I thought. The 'efficiency' is great, and I was thinking to myself I could get used to this, and probably can keep going and get even better result as I practice more on it.
However, my heart was set to try out few other razors in my repertoire, and while I am waiting for the Gillette post war ball end Tech to arrive, I am wondering whether I should try the Rockwell 6S or EJ89. I am really rather curious if the 6S on plate 5-6 will have the same aggressiveness as Futur @ setting 1, since it was known to be a mild 'adjustable' razor.
Face feel totally normal in 10-15min after shave.
Last weeper/irritation: 6 shaves ago
- Thread starter
- #107
Gonna thank you, Al and TinyT for helping me in this thread, I surely did learn a lot!
You could stick with the Futur for a bit, the more you shave with it the better you'll get. But I'd try the Rockwell and EJ89 before the Tech. Once you use the Tech, you might end up on the road to rigidity and never look back.
- Thread starter
- #109
I did think about that while I was shaving. But I think I am still more likely to keep moving forward to find my 'baseline' first. Though Futur @1 does offer me a pretty comfortable close shave, it might be slightly too early to settle on this razor and call it my baseline when I have so little data to rely on.
Good thinking. You'll know it when you find it. The shave I get from my Tech is the least I expect from a shave. If I can't get the same or better from a different razor, I'm not interested.
Gonna thank you, Al and TinyT for helping me in this thread, I surely did learn a lot!
I'm still learning. Al I think, has moments of unlearning things haha.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Never stop learning. If you think you know all there is to know, you're missing something
- Thread starter
- #113
Very true. Wait...where did I hear this last? Karate kid?Never stop learning. If you think you know all there is to know, you're missing something
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
- Thread starter
- #115
Date: Mar 27, 2020 (Day 20)
Gear: Rockwell 6s(new gear), Astra SP(1), TOBS St. James, Simpsons Trafalgar T2 (new gear)
Cond: 2-3mm whiskers
Prep: Hot Shower, only shampoo on beard, lather pre-shave rub-in, Taconic Pre-shave oil
Shave:
1st pass Rockwell 6S@6, 96% finished
2nd pass same, very light XTG under nose, buffing, underchin ATG
3rd pass didn't do it
Post Shave: Alum block, Thayers and Nivea sensitive
Conclusion: First time using Rockwell 6S and a new brush, Simpsons Trafalgar T2
I got a whole bunch of shaving supplies came in over the week, so some new toys will be introduced into the shaving routine over time, so as long I think it wouldn't affect my quest to find baseline razor.
First about the Simpsons Trafalgar T2, I got this while also getting the M7 Super Badger and few other synthetics from other vendor. It's not the 'softest' in a sense that it does seem to have decent 'support' or backbone, but the white tip is really really soft. Probably softer, if not comparable, to the Yaqi Mew Brown Purple Haze and WCS two-tone synthetic, which I also got. Totally a game changer when compared to my Col Ichabod Conk boar brush #9, which now felt like a wire brush for cleaning metal files.
In terms of lathering, I use the exact same glassware and TOBS cream, and I think Simpsons synthetics does lather slightly easier than the boar brush, there certainly is less friction and less effort needed. Being a 24mm brush, even with much softer bristles, does have good advantage over an overly stiff 19mm boar brush.
Back to the shave, it's decent, felt quite close and slightly raw at the end, CCS, Rockwell 6S felt "smooth", hardly audible unlike Futur, and it felt more "solid".
I also noticed both ends of the blade are sticking out quite a bit past the cap. Though it might not be sharp enough to cut you, it's still slightly annoying to see and handle.
When shaving, Futur used to give me a sense of skipping over the beard(maybe that's blade chatter) and will cause little bit of tugging because of that, but I hardly felt that with the 6S. I think subconsciously, because it's smooth and less audible, I might apply slightly more force and that could be why the shave felt much closer (but it could also because of the new blade as well). I didn't chase it since I don't want any irritation and it's just the first try with a new razor, no point of pushing it any further just to get irritation or nicks.
Next time I will remind myself about the zero pressure, so face would feel less "raw" and I could do a proper 2-3 passes to get closer shave if I need to.
The feel of blade is much less compared to Futur, so it does feel less aggressive than a Futur @1, but efficiency is there for sure. In terms of "effectiveness", given its my first time using it and I still get a CCS no less, I'd say it is decent and comparable to Futur @ setting 1.
No weepers, alum stings a little bit more than last time, not sure it was the new blade or new razor, Thayers was ok and I am applying more than usual amount of Nivea sensitive post shave balm and it does stings a little.
Face feel totally normal in 45-60min.
Last weeper/irritation: 7 shaves ago
Gear: Rockwell 6s(new gear), Astra SP(1), TOBS St. James, Simpsons Trafalgar T2 (new gear)
Cond: 2-3mm whiskers
Prep: Hot Shower, only shampoo on beard, lather pre-shave rub-in, Taconic Pre-shave oil
Shave:
1st pass Rockwell 6S@6, 96% finished
2nd pass same, very light XTG under nose, buffing, underchin ATG
3rd pass didn't do it
Post Shave: Alum block, Thayers and Nivea sensitive
Conclusion: First time using Rockwell 6S and a new brush, Simpsons Trafalgar T2
I got a whole bunch of shaving supplies came in over the week, so some new toys will be introduced into the shaving routine over time, so as long I think it wouldn't affect my quest to find baseline razor.
First about the Simpsons Trafalgar T2, I got this while also getting the M7 Super Badger and few other synthetics from other vendor. It's not the 'softest' in a sense that it does seem to have decent 'support' or backbone, but the white tip is really really soft. Probably softer, if not comparable, to the Yaqi Mew Brown Purple Haze and WCS two-tone synthetic, which I also got. Totally a game changer when compared to my Col Ichabod Conk boar brush #9, which now felt like a wire brush for cleaning metal files.
In terms of lathering, I use the exact same glassware and TOBS cream, and I think Simpsons synthetics does lather slightly easier than the boar brush, there certainly is less friction and less effort needed. Being a 24mm brush, even with much softer bristles, does have good advantage over an overly stiff 19mm boar brush.
Back to the shave, it's decent, felt quite close and slightly raw at the end, CCS, Rockwell 6S felt "smooth", hardly audible unlike Futur, and it felt more "solid".
I also noticed both ends of the blade are sticking out quite a bit past the cap. Though it might not be sharp enough to cut you, it's still slightly annoying to see and handle.
When shaving, Futur used to give me a sense of skipping over the beard(maybe that's blade chatter) and will cause little bit of tugging because of that, but I hardly felt that with the 6S. I think subconsciously, because it's smooth and less audible, I might apply slightly more force and that could be why the shave felt much closer (but it could also because of the new blade as well). I didn't chase it since I don't want any irritation and it's just the first try with a new razor, no point of pushing it any further just to get irritation or nicks.
Next time I will remind myself about the zero pressure, so face would feel less "raw" and I could do a proper 2-3 passes to get closer shave if I need to.
The feel of blade is much less compared to Futur, so it does feel less aggressive than a Futur @1, but efficiency is there for sure. In terms of "effectiveness", given its my first time using it and I still get a CCS no less, I'd say it is decent and comparable to Futur @ setting 1.
No weepers, alum stings a little bit more than last time, not sure it was the new blade or new razor, Thayers was ok and I am applying more than usual amount of Nivea sensitive post shave balm and it does stings a little.
Face feel totally normal in 45-60min.
Last weeper/irritation: 7 shaves ago
- Thread starter
- #116
I assume you mean the blade tabs on either end. Those are there by design and meant to be used to adjust the blades in Gillette Old Types and, naturally, Fatips.
If you ever catch your earlobe with a blade tab you'll know it, sharpened or not lol.
- Thread starter
- #118
I have no experience with any of those, does it adjust the angle by the blade by how much it arch? Or it's more for blade alignment so it's parallel to the cap/plate?
Even though 6S may not be considered a rigid design, I can still feel the better rigidity is a desirable improvement over the Futur.
This is my Grande with the blade as far out of alignment as I could get it.
The only way to adjust that so that the blade is properly aligned is by using the tabs on each end on the blade.
That takes all of 5 seconds but the only way you can do that is by using the tabs. Thats why DE blades have tabs.
Some razors cover those tabs, which would make it very difficult to adjust the blade if it was out of alignment lol.
The only way to adjust that so that the blade is properly aligned is by using the tabs on each end on the blade.
That takes all of 5 seconds but the only way you can do that is by using the tabs. Thats why DE blades have tabs.
Some razors cover those tabs, which would make it very difficult to adjust the blade if it was out of alignment lol.
- Thread starter
- #120
Wow, that's a significant amount of displacement and I can now see the point of having those 'tabs' now. Do you think it's necessary to have the tabs exposed or very close to the edge of the cap, so it is somewhat adjustable?
Ideally, I would love to find a 'suitable' razor that has good rigidity and with features to align the blade, so the exposed tab is not necessary. But I don't know whether different brands of blades would have large enough of size difference/variance that this feature is actually necessary to ensure a good shave.
