Quest for a better shave

[GBerry]

I participated in the How About August For Mild/Medium Efficiency Razors thread.
August for Mild/Medium Aggressive Razors
Near post#93 I asked how the efficiency of the Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 compared to Muhle Rocca. @never-stop-learning replied maybe medium plus.

I realized when I did a blade seek on the 3ONE6 that I avoided the less sharp blades in favor of the sharp and smooth blades.

I suggested a mild blade seek might be in order for the 3ONE6. Never-Stop-Learning replied “I would be interested in reading your conclusions”.

For the rest of the month the potential candidates were given 2 shaves per blade. Candidates doing well in phase I will be checked in the finals attempting 4 shaves per blade.

Phase I status:
20210831
Razor: Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Knurled Handle
Blade: Gillette SharpEdge Yellow (1)
Brush: Razorock Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: StIrling Soap Co Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: cold water rinse

No irritation: 5
No nicks or cuts: 5
Closeness: 5
Smoothness: 5

Rating: 10/10

The combo produced a BBS and very close shave.

Shark Super Stainless after 2 shaves, too rough.
Derby Extra after 2 shaves, one and done blade.
Shark Super Chrome after 2 shaves, off to finals.
Shark Platinum after 2 shaves, off to the finals.
Silver Star Super Stainless after 2 shaves, off to the finals.
Derby Premium after 2 shaves, not sharp enough, too rough.
Parker Premium Platinum after 2 shaves, not sharp enough, too rough.
Bolzano Superinox after 2 shaves, sharp enough and smooth as glass. Off to the finals.
Astra SP after 2 shaves, sharp and smooth. Off to the finals.
Rapira Super Stainless after 2 shaves, not sharp enough. Too much buffing to get closeness.

YMMV

 

[never-stop-learning]

Thank you for going through this process. I'm very interested in your findings.

Following.

 

[Ligeti]

Lovely! Wonder where this'll lead you.

 

[GBerry]

20210901
Razor: Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Knurled Handle
Blade: Gillette SharpEdge Yellow (2)
Brush: Razorock Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: StIrling Soap Co Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: cold water rinse

No irritation: 5
No nicks or cuts: 5
Closeness: 5
Smoothness: 5

Rating: 10/10

The combo produced a BBS and very close shave.

Shark Super Stainless after 2 shaves, too rough.
Derby Extra after 2 shaves, one and done blade.
Shark Super Chrome after 2 shaves, off to finals.
Shark Platinum after 2 shaves, off to the finals.
Silver Star Super Stainless after 2 shaves, off to the finals.
Derby Premium after 2 shaves, not sharp enough, too rough.
Parker Premium Platinum after 2 shaves, not sharp enough, too rough.
Bolzano Superinox after 2 shaves, sharp enough and smooth as glass. Off to the finals.
Astra SP after 2 shaves, sharp and smooth. Off to the finals.
Rapira Super Stainless after 2 shaves, not sharp enough. Too much buffing to get closeness.
Gillette SharpEdge Yellow after 2 shaves. Off to the finals.

YMMV

 

[GBerry]

Thank you for going through this process. I'm very interested in your findings.

Following.

Thanks for the support and also for sponsoring the August for Mild/Medium Razors.

 

[GBerry]

Lovely! Wonder where this'll lead you.

I have no idea. This is uncharted space for me.

 

[thombrogan]

@GBerry - how are you performing your shaves in these blade+3ONE6 trials? How many passes? Do you use a steep, neutral, shallow angle? Any Gillette slides, scything motions, buttonhooks? Are most of the strokes short or long?

Asking in case some variables in your stubble obliteration routine might make the successful blade/razor pairings you’ve found work for others and possibly even hint why other people might a blade in their 3ONE6 that was wholly undesirable in yours.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Thanks for the support and also for sponsoring the August for Mild/Medium Razors.

You are most welcome.

 

[GBerry]

@GBerry - how are you performing your shaves in these blade+3ONE6 trials? How many passes? Do you use a steep, neutral, shallow angle? Any Gillette slides, scything motions, buttonhooks? Are most of the strokes short or long?

Asking in case some variables in your stubble obliteration routine might make the successful blade/razor pairings you’ve found work for others and possibly even hint why other people might a blade in their 3ONE6 that was wholly undesirable in yours.

1. I use as many passes as needed to approach BBS. But, with a very light touch. North to South, East to West, West to East, South to North and finally South-East to North-West.
2. I use shave neutral angle.
3. No Gillette slides, scything motions or J-hooks.
4. Strokes are generally short.
5. If a blade is not sharp enough, I will stop before irritation sets in. (hopefully)
6. Some blades are simply rough. In this case I try to stop before irritation sets in. Sometimes I don't realize it until the damage is already done.
7. I make the lather as wet as I can get it.
8. Technique is a big part of this and is probably why YMMV sets in. I think other people have a better technique than I do. For example I have not explored shallow angle and steep angle. I would expect others might be able to use blades that I have already rejected.
9. I did forget to mention my skin is fickle and easily offended.

All fantastic questions. The best answers I can give at the moment.

 

[thombrogan]

< stealing priceless grooming info… />

Thank you, @GBerry ! Your combination of a light touch and not rushing to be done before an arbitrary number of passes sounds like a very prudent strategy.

Please don’t try steep or shallow if neutral’s doing for you. Shallow seems to work best for me, but probably because steep if my favorite way to drag about a blade.

Again, thank you for sharing the tips and tricks used as your auditioned blades make it through their trials.

 

[Roedeer]

Interesting stuff, GBerry, so I am along for the ride.

Astra SP after 2 shaves, sharp and smooth. Off to the finals.

I was relieved to see you giving the Astra SP a thumbs up, as I've got 735 of them in my stash.

I'd like to see what you make of the Astra SS, if you get round to it. I will withhold my verdict, so as not to tilt your scales.

 

[GBerry]

Interesting stuff, GBerry, so I am along for the ride.


I was relieved to see you giving the Astra SP a thumbs up, as I've got 735 of them in my stash.

I'd like to see what you make of the Astra SS, if you get round to it. I will withhold my verdict, so as not to tilt your scales.

I plan to add a few more blades. I think the Astra SS might be good one to add. The Astra SP was a pleasant surprise, I always thought they were on the harsh side. But the result was smooth and irritation free. Enjoy the ride.

 

[GBerry]

20210902
Razor: Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Knurled Handle
Blade: Gillette SharpEdge Yellow (3)
Brush: Razorock Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: StIrling Soap Co Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: cold water rinse

No irritation: 5
No nicks or cuts: 5
Closeness: 5
Smoothness: 5

Rating: 10/10

For phase 2 of the tests, 4 shaves per blade will be attempted. Since the 3ONE6 already had a SharpEdge Yellow loaded, I decided to move ahead.

The combo produced a near BBS and very close shave. A pleasant shave without incident.

YMMV

 

[GBerry]

20210903
Razor: Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Knurled Handle
Blade: Gillette SharpEdge Yellow (4)
Brush: Razorock Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: StIrling Soap Co Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Classic

No irritation: 5
No nicks or cuts: 5
Closeness: 5
Smoothness: 5

Rating: 10/10

The combo produced a near BBS and very close shave. A pleasant shave without incident.

YMMV
Quest for a better shave

 

[GBerry]

20210904
Razor: Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Knurled Handle
Blade: Shark Super Chrome (1)
Brush: Razorock Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: StIrling Soap Co Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: Cold water rinse

No irritation: 5
No nicks or cuts: 4.5
Closeness: 4.5
Smoothness: 5

Rating: 9.5/10

The combo produced a DFS+ shave. A couple of leakers were created. Then, no fault of the blade, I missed a spot on my left jaw bone. The blade is not as sharp nor as smooth as the Gillette SharpEdge Yellow.

I’m looking forward to more shaves with the Shark Super Chrome.

More info on the tests can be found at the link below:

Quest for a better shave

YMMV

 

[never-stop-learning]

Good information!

 

[GBerry]

20210905
Razor: Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Knurled Handle
Blade: Shark Super Chrome (2)
Brush: Razorock Monster Synthetic Shaving Brush - 26mm
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Lather: StIrling Soap Co Naked & Smooth
Aftershave: Cold water rinse

No irritation: 5
No nicks or cuts: 5
Closeness: 4.5
Smoothness: 5

Rating: 9.75/10

The combo produced a near BBS shave result. The blade was feeling a bit rough. 2 weepers were created but stopped before the end of the shave. The blade is not as sharp nor as smooth as the Gillette SharpEdge Yellow.

More info on the tests can be found at the link below:

Quest for a better shave

YMMV

 

[GBerry]

Good information!

The Shark Super Chrome is not doing as well as I had hoped. I think it might be more of a 2 and done blade for me.

 

[never-stop-learning]

The Shark Super Chrome is not doing as well as I had hoped. I think it might be more of a 2 and done blade for me.

I bin Feather blades after 3 shaves. They are not as good after shave #3.

 

[GBerry]

I bin Feather blades after 3 shaves. They are not as good after shave #3.

I have binned Feathers after 2 shaves.

When I first bought samples, they did not have many Egyptian blades. So, I ordered samples to fix that.

Could be fun.