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Phoenixkh: An Old Man's Continuum....

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Hope you feel better. I struggled to concentrate reading about everything related to shaving in your post. I was mostly thinking about how you felt and why?
Hope you're ok Kim!
Thanks, Larry... both my wife and I have been feeling off kilter, as I mentioned, for a few days now. I'm sure it isn't anything serious.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
A note on my shave yesterday afternoon: it only lasted for 7 hours before I started feeling my whiskers. I'm not sure what to think about that... the Overlander is a pretty highly thought of razor here. I realize, I wasn't feeling all that well, so that can certainly be a factor. Is the Wizamet Super Iridium a good match? They work wonders in my Blutt BR-1 1.20. I've been having 10 to 12 hour shaves with the Blutt.

I was going to shave with the Overlander again next shave.... any blade choices among these: continue with the Wizamet Super Iridium? Or use one of the following: Gillette 7 O'clock black, King C Gillette, Gillette Platinum "Light", Perma-Sharp, Astra Superior Platinum "Green", or Personna Labs Platinum "Blue" that you'd recommend? Some Silvermax blades were included with an order I placed... since they were free, I'm a bit skeptical of them.
 
This is the great quest we are all on Kim. I shave with a Bolzano and my KCG razor this morning - I think the blade makes the razor even milder than it already is. So stubble will definitely be back before 5 o’clock.

My experience is that I tend to shave with a new razor for a week and try different blades. And even then it is difficult because some blades get better over time while others get worse.

Exciting isn’t it?!

Cheers,

Guido
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
This is the great quest we are all on Kim. I shave with a Bolzano and my KCG razor this morning - I think the blade makes the razor even milder than it already is. So stubble will definitely be back before 5 o’clock.

My experience is that I tend to shave with a new razor for a week and try different blades. And even then it is difficult because some blades get better over time while others get worse.

Exciting isn’t it?!

Cheers,

Guido
Yes.... the AC format was so much easier to dial in. LOL.... But the DE razor and blade combination quest will take a while... and will be fun, as you are suggesting.
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
I'm looking forward to it.... I'm starting to settle into the process as opposed to feeling a bit overwhelmed. The journey of 10,000 razors starts under one's feet. <eg>
You're doing pretty good for being on this journey a little over what, 7 months now? One year into my journey I had around 20 razors, mostly vintage with a Vikings Blade Chieftain, RR DE1, and Feather Popular being my first purchases.

My high end SS razors at that time was my trio of Game Changers, a 68-P, 84-P, and 84OC, and my first AC razor was my ATT SE1.

~doug~
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
You're doing pretty good for being on this journey a little over what, 7 months now? One year into my journey I had around 20 razors, mostly vintage with a Vikings Blade Chieftain, RR DE1, and Feather Popular being my first purchases.

My high end SS razors at that time was my trio of Game Changers, a 68-P, 84-P, and 84OC, and my first AC razor was my ATT SE1.

~doug~
Doug, I've benefited greatly from the advice all of you have given me.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I just finished my 5K meter row, shower and an absolutely brilliant second shave with my Rocnel Elite. This was the second use of the flipped Wizamet Super Iridium blade. I didn't notice any improvement or degradation of the blade throughout the shave but it was wonderfully smooth for me.

I have only used a handful of razors since I started traditional wet shaving back in Feb. 2022, as most of you know. This razor has a unique special effect... again, for me. It's the only razor that lets me know, audibly, in a clear and loud voice, when I've finished shaving. It sings. I don't know how else to describe it. There is always audible feedback with the razors I've used, some louder than others but this one seems to "sing"..... and its voice gets softer and softer as I shave until there isn't a whisper left. Again, my other razors get quieter as well, it's just that I can't hear them as loudly at the beginning, so the silence isn't as noticeable, perhaps.

I went back to Canada Shaving soap, lathered in the modest looking Timeless blue bowl with a Rudy Vey Amboyna Burl STF knot brush. The handle Rudy crafted is elegant and the STF knot is hmmmmm... soft with almost no fiber feel at all... it has backbone when it comes to splaying, but I don't get any scrub feeling at all. I paid close attention because the STF knot is one that people rave about here and I decided to try one for myself. Is it "good"? Yes... it is good. I needed to use it a second time so I could get a better idea how it rates among my other synths. I have to say... as good... equal.... but not better than my other very fine synthetic brushes: the ESC Ultimate G4, Omega Evo Original, Alpha Shaving FB group buy G5D.....All of them are great. One of these months, I'll use just synths to get a better day by day comparison.

Back to the Elite. It's a razor I thoroughly enjoy using. I'm happy to say, I'll have trouble "not" using it as I use the other new razors I've recently acquired. I can say the same for both the ATT X1 AC Slant and the Blutt BR-1 1.20. This is a nice feeling... I now have 3 razors I miss, if I don't use them.... that's pretty cool for me.

What razor is at the top of the queue? It was going to be the Lambda Athena but it doesn't look like that will be here by Friday, my next scheduled shave... so perhaps I'll try the RR Lupo 95OC... or the Merkur 37C Slant... or hmmm the PAA Filament? I'll probably be thinking it over until then and make up my mind as I pick up the razor. <eg>
 
I just finished my 5K meter row, shower and an absolutely brilliant second shave with my Rocnel Elite. This was the second use of the flipped Wizamet Super Iridium blade. I didn't notice any improvement or degradation of the blade throughout the shave but it was wonderfully smooth for me.

I have only used a handful of razors since I started traditional wet shaving back in Feb. 2022, as most of you know. This razor has a unique special effect... again, for me. It's the only razor that lets me know, audibly, in a clear and loud voice, when I've finished shaving. It sings. I don't know how else to describe it. There is always audible feedback with the razors I've used, some louder than others but this one seems to "sing"..... and its voice gets softer and softer as I shave until there isn't a whisper left. Again, my other razors get quieter as well, it's just that I can't hear them as loudly at the beginning, so the silence isn't as noticeable, perhaps.

I went back to Canada Shaving soap, lathered in the modest looking Timeless blue bowl with a Rudy Vey Amboyna Burl STF knot brush. The handle Rudy crafted is elegant and the STF knot is hmmmmm... soft with almost no fiber feel at all... it has backbone when it comes to splaying, but I don't get any scrub feeling at all. I paid close attention because the STF knot is one that people rave about here and I decided to try one for myself. Is it "good"? Yes... it is good. I needed to use it a second time so I could get a better idea how it rates among my other synths. I have to say... as good... equal.... but not better than my other very fine synthetic brushes: the ESC Ultimate G4, Omega Evo Original, Alpha Shaving FB group buy G5D.....All of them are great. One of these months, I'll use just synths to get a better day by day comparison.

Back to the Elite. It's a razor I thoroughly enjoy using. I'm happy to say, I'll have trouble "not" using it as I use the other new razors I've recently acquired. I can say the same for both the ATT X1 AC Slant and the Blutt BR-1 1.20. This is a nice feeling... I now have 3 razors I miss, if I don't use them.... that's pretty cool for me.

What razor is at the top of the queue? It was going to be the Lambda Athena but it doesn't look like that will be here by Friday, my next scheduled shave... so perhaps I'll try the RR Lupo 95OC... or the Merkur 37C Slant... or hmmm the PAA Filament? I'll probably be thinking it over until then and make up my mind as I pick up the razor. <eg>
I'm so happy that you're thrilled with the Elite. You're review has me super excited to receive mine. Seems like a work of art that actually achieves more than just looks. I was really afraid to spend that kind of money and not see a stellar result. I feel very optimistic now after reading this. Can't wait to try it out!
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I promised when I started this journal that I'd eventually provide some of it in photo form. I could have started with the soaps I've accumulated but, and this could just be me,..... do you really want to see a few photos of a bunch of soap tubs? I know I didn't want to try to come up with even an adequate photograph of a dozen soaps and/or breaking them down into "lightly scented" and "unscented", well, you get the idea. There are enough soap threads here to satisfy anyone's curiosity, I think. I even linked a few of them early on.

So today, I took some photos of my brush collection. I'll try to revisit the history briefly for each grouping.

These are my synthetic brushes.

The one on the far right is my first synth brush: the ESC Ultimate G4. The two tone Aluminum handle is among my very favorites and the knot itself, even with the newer G5 variants, holds up very well by comparison.

The two Omega Evo Originals were my first attempt to match or exceed the Ultimate... @Chan Eil Whiskers recommended I try one while I was in that panic I described early on.... The Evo is a great brush.

The brush on the far left is a FB group buy manufactured by Steve Tinter of Alpha Shaving, who also designed and manufactured the ESC Ultimate G4. This has his G5"D" knot and it is a slight improvement to be over his G4 but not by much

The middle brush is my latest. I had Rudy Vey turn me a Amboyna Burl handle to house a STF 25mm Muhle knot. A note about the handle: I asked Rudy to turn the waist down a bit so it would mimic the Zenith 506 handles, though those are quite a bit shorter. As a result, the feel is absolutely wonderful, for me, that is.... YMMV and all that.

All the synth brush threads here, or at least most of them, claim this knot is significantly ahead of the competition. I've used it twice so far. I've already posted reviews in various threads. As most of us know, brushes, along with every other piece of gear we use, are subjective: everyone experiences them according to their personal likes and dislikes. This brush is very soft... not floppy, mind you. It holds its shape perfectly.. and has resistance to splaying that is excellent. Now, this is a huge positive for some people and for me, as I prefer this to the less-than-natural feel of some of the popular synthetics which shall remain nameless at this point. It's more like the Evo brushes. I doubt I could tell them apart if I did a double blind test... so almost excellent. There is a "however", however. However, there is zero, as far as my face can tell, zero bristle feel. This is where the definition of "backbone" comes into play. Are backbone and scrub the same thing? Some people say they are.. or is backbone how much pressure it takes to cause the fibers to splay? That's the odd thing with the STF knot... it does have that resistance to splay but at the same time, when you so splay it, you don't feel anything other than the additional pressure you are exerting. As I said, it's nice that it doesn't poke you. For me, that disqualifies a synth... an unnatural pokiness, if that's a word.

The thing is... both the Ultimate G4 and the Alpha Shaving G5D have just a hint of scrub... the very good kind.. the kind you get with a great Manchurian Badger.... a brush like the SV 2.0 High Mountain Manchurian or my now nicely broken-in Zenith Manchurian with the 506 copper handle. As a result, I'd have to say.... they are both just slightly ahead of the Evo (2) and the RV STF.

But I am picking hairs here... or fibers as the case may be. <eg> They are all close enough that I'm keeping them around. I am trying to communicate my own experiences here, not be dogmatic about which synthetic brush others should purchase or enjoy. All of these synths lather like nobody's business... and have the added benefit (I guess) of drying quickly. I rotate my badger brushes and only shave every other day so drying has never been an issue for me. But if you only have one brush, unless you live in the rain forest with no AC, these synths are dry in 24 hours or less.


RE_Synths.jpg
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
This brings us up to May of 2022. I made the mistake, as I've mentioned, of reading the May Mistura Madness thread.


That started my whole brush buying frenzy that lasted a few months. I thought I'd stay with synthetics. But then I started reading the nice things people were posting about the feel of natural fiber brushes and wanted to know for myself what they were all about.

That lead me to my first 4 brushes: Semogue Owner's Club Misturas (2). I also read @Chan Eil Whiskers ' thread about the SOC Misturas as well.


I ended up ordering two SCO boar brushes as well because they came up in that thread.

RE_SOC Brushes.jpg
 
This brings us up to May of 2022. I made the mistake, as I've mentioned, of reading the May Mistura Madness thread.


That started my whole brush buying frenzy that lasted a few months. I thought I'd stay with synthetics. But then I started reading the nice things people were posting about the feel of natural fiber brushes and wanted to know for myself what they were all about.

That lead me to my first 4 brushes: Semogue Owner's Club Misturas (2). I also read @Chan Eil Whiskers ' thread about the SOC Misturas as well.


I ended up ordering two SCO boar brushes as well because they came up in that thread.

View attachment 1554592
You've built up a nice collection Kim. I've only used and have synthetic brushes (Razorock Plissoft's, Simpsons & Yaqi). And I have one Vie Long horse hair brush. Brushes have not been part of my focus since I've been mostly happy with what I use. But maybe I'm missing out on something!
All the nice "other" synthetic brushes do interest me though!
I've avoided Badger & Boar for reasons that have been discussed here on B&B!
And since I will stick with synthetics, I have a question for you since you've become seasoned on the topic:
Out of all your brushes, which synthetic have you found to be best (most like natural fiber)?
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
As you know, threads lead to rabbit holes and rabbit holes lead to more threads and deeper rabbit holes.

Jim / @Chan Eil Whiskers mentioned the boar brushes he had and in passing DecemBOAR month came up. I decided, hmmm boar brushes are fairly inexpensive. I think I'll buy a few of those and get them ready for December. Here is the result of that little venture:

From left to right:
1. Zenith Dark Wood B24 Wenghe 24x52
2. Zenith Malachite
3. SOC Butterscotch
4. Omega Jade from Connaught in the UK
5. Zenith B33 with 506 copper handle
6. SOC Taj
7. Omega 10108
8. Zenith unbleached boar 506N XSE, Black Resin Handle

RE_Boars.jpg
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
You've built up a nice collection Kim. I've only used and have synthetic brushes (Razorock Plissoft's, Simpsons & Yaqi). And I have one Vie Long horse hair brush. Brushes have not been part of my focus since I've been mostly happy with what I use. But maybe I'm missing out on something!
All the nice "other" synthetic brushes do interest me though!
I've avoided Badger & Boar for reasons that have been discussed here on B&B!
And since I will stick with synthetics, I have a question for you since you've become seasoned on the topic:
Out of all your brushes, which synthetic have you found to be best (most like natural fiber)?
Larry,

I have to agree with a few other people here: synthetics should be evaluated on their own performance and not compared to boar and badger brushes. So, handles first, because that factors into my enjoyment of a brush quite a bit. The wrong handle and the brush is no longer around. The Rudy Vey handle is my favorite shape and material of all my synths with the ESC Ultimate coming in a very, very close second. Given the prices at ESC at the moment, I'd be hard pressed not to recommend one to you but I just checked... they are out of stock at the moment. That's a boo hiss. I'll bet they are going to get some new ones in with the G5D knot soon. You might consider going to their chat feature and ask if that is the case.

All of the brushes I have listed are so close, it would be hard to tell them apart in actual use in a double blind test, as noted. So, I think it comes down to what you think looks the best. None of them are on the lower end of synthetic brush pricing. I've never used the RR or Yaqi offerings so others would have to offer feedback for them. For a point of reference, I had a Simpsons Trafalgar T3. It is designed to mimic a natural fiber badger.... but falls short for me. I felt like dozens of pieces of nylon were poking into my face, which, of course, is exactly what it is... a nylon bristle brush. Think of a fine monofilament fishing line poking into your skin.... that's how it was for me. But others just rave about that brush. So, I either like the slight hint of fiber feel I get from the ESC Ultimate or the Alpha Shaving G5D and have to say... the G5D is just slightly better or I like the smooth feel of the Evo and STF fiber knots. If ESC is going to offer the 5GD knot in the Ultimate handle, I'd buy that immediately and I mean... even now.. In fact, I think I'll ask them tomorrow when they are around. LOL Their other brushes might have the G5D knots in them by now. I know Steve is posting them on his site now (Alpha Shaving and the manufacturer of the ESC brush line as well).... and closing out his other brushes in some cases.

The Evo Originals are exceptional brushes as well. I know I'm not giving you a definitive answer but it isn't easy for me to come up with one.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Finally... an end to the brush buying frenzy: badgers.

I started out with the very fine Zenith M23 Manchurian with the 506 copper handle. I got the idea for this brush from? You guessed it: Jim / @Chan Eil Whiskers . It turns out, I value and enjoy the same things he does when it comes to brushes so I've been following his lead.

Some time later, Jim got a hold of an SV 2.0 High Mountain Badger brush... and ended up with 3 of them. Doug @SgtCrppls had one for sale on BST (Contributor's edition) and I bought it from him. It has a Bog Oak handle with a "silver" pewter crown. I ended up buying three more of them with Cocobolo handles (gold and silver pewter crowns) and a Faux Turtle shell handle. I just love them.

My last badge was an impulse buy. Bob from Elite Razor had this amazing Bloody Basin Jasper handle with a tiny silver ring inlay in a shape very close to the Zenith 506. I had him install one of his Premium Manchurian High Mountain knots in it (26mm). It's a lovely brush and truth be told, is the best feeling handle of any of my brushes, period. The STF brush Rudy Vey made for me has a similar small waist. They are both exceptional.

RE_badgers.jpg
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Kim, your brush collection is becoming right impressive.


1668136712757.png



I'm trying to order these brushes from Your Shaving, getting ready for December, but their server or system or something isn't letting me checkout. I'm a registered person on their system. Everything works until time to pay.

Your green handle sucked me in, my friend.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
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