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Rapt_up DE shaving journal - The journey begins

Todays shave, completed an hour ago, getting ready for a night out with my wife, dinner and the ballet.

So used the shimmed Al Lupo, Proraso/CK-6 wet wet lather, shaved at the sink but shaved like I was in the shower, smooth, easy good feel of the blade doing its thing, but no sense of pulling of risk of cuts, a very easy shave.

In honour of the evening I re-lathered and did a second pass, so two and half passes instead of my usual one and half. Very happy with this shave. Nice smooth DFS+ No irritation ... Saving the Era for tomorrow. :)
 
Thank you @thombrogan, was an excellent meal and show by the National Ballet of Canada. 😁

Today's shave was the Blackland Era with the #2 OC plate. Wet lather, (more about this below) this is very very mild in my opinion. I tried a couple strokes with a new Nacet and switched it for Bic Chrome Platinum blade.

I found the razor so mild that I couldn't tell that it was doing anything, so I made the lather thinner and got a tiny bit of feedback. The feedback is so mild, I have to make the lather much thinner, to feel the feedback which is still very mild.

I also find that I need the feedback to make sure I'm using the right angle. The Lupo the angle seems right automatically, the Era not so much at this time. The rigid clamping close to the blade edge makes it very smooth, so much so I switched approach and went straight to ATG pass first.

This gave me a little bit more feedback, but was still super smooth. So much so I managed dry shave touch ups under my jaw line ATG. I think I would actually have to try to cut myself with it. One and half passes got me to almost DFS, most places except under the jawline.

I really want to try and track down some of the higher plates... Or buy a couple of the #1,#2, and cut them back myself to increase the gap/exposure.
 
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LOL... :) I am very aware of the feel change when the blade is more rigid. I'm sure thats why the SE razors get such good reviews.
 
Thanks for the humor. :D

Todays shave was with the RR SLOC and a new Nacet, smoother than the Lupo, but not as smooth as the Era. Significantly more efficient than the Era #2 oc , but not as efficient as the shimmed Lupo. And a little bit of irritation in a couple of spots around my jawline/neck transition. DFS-

Think the SLOC will go in a PIF offering. was super cheap, and has served to help educate me along the way.
 
I received some new soaps yesterday. Samples of Death and War by Barrister and Mann, Southern Witchcraft's Carpathia, and Gentleman's Nod Musashi. I found War and Death, not particularly appealing scent wise just in the package and so have not opened them. The Carpathia I was excited to smell, but the wet stone aspect comes across as musty basement to me. A consequence of working in a great many of them as a structural engineer. And I just can't excited about the smell.

I did use it today just to check out the performance of the base, and I found it completely suitable, in my wet lather, good feel and yet slick enough for my Shimmed Aluminum Lupo shave. Good DFS, no weepers or irritation, but I just can't get past the scent.

This soap will go on the BST when I pass the requirements to list and I will get a different Southern Witchcraft scent to use.
 
Well.... :) I shaved with both new razors today each with a new Nacet blade... LOL Not in the shower because I didn't have them in hand yet first thing this morning. I know I tend to have more issues because I get watching things if I shave at the sink rather than keeping it strictly by feel like in the shower.

On the GC 84P side I got a small nick by my nose when I got watching and tried to make it work by sight rather than feel. cleared up with cold rinse after the shave. Nice close easy shave, smooth, if not quite as smooth as the shimmed Aluminum Lupo. Definitely close, DFS+ shave. No irritation.

On the DC Lupo side used the 72 OC side for most of it, a hair smoother than the GC84, but still not quite to the shimmed Aluminum Lupo level. Shaves noticeably closer than the 84P. Managed a weeper on my jawline scar. Did a couple strokes with the 95 SB side to see how "scary" it was... And it wasn't... so used it for touchups on a couple troublesome spots. Smooth with small amounts of stubble, pretty rough with longer stubble. Shave on this side is close, DFS++, or BBS-, and probably in my top couple of shaves, and with just one and half passes. Expect the shower shave tomorrow to be better still. :D

Also tracked down Era 5sb and 5oc plates which should be on their way soon!
 
Todays shave inthe shower, with the Lupo 72 OC side on the Ti Crown handle and the same Nacet I've used a couple times at this point, wet Proraso lather. Proraso is satisfactory, but I'm not sure its quite up to the same level as the PAA CK-6 or Gentleman's Nod for slickness when made super wet.
Since I was on a time constraint this morning , it was one XTG/ATG combined pass. Very little irritation on my neck where I usually get it, no weepers, a satisfactory DFS- shave. Lupo gets in the nooks and crannies well, and the Timeless crown handle seems to fit my hand well.
 
Todays shave inthe shower, with the Lupo 72 OC side on the Ti Crown handle and the same Nacet I've used a couple times at this point, wet Proraso lather. Proraso is satisfactory, but I'm not sure its quite up to the same level as the PAA CK-6 or Gentleman's Nod for slickness when made super wet.
Since I was on a time constraint this morning , it was one XTG/ATG combined pass. Very little irritation on my neck where I usually get it, no weepers, a satisfactory DFS- shave. Lupo gets in the nooks and crannies well, and the Timeless crown handle seems to fit my hand well.

That sounds like a smooth and comfortable kit my man. I bet that razor/handle combo looks nice!
 
I like it, same shave today other than the Gentlemans Nod, again in a rush. Stuff keeps coming up. 🙄 Looking forward to having some time on the weekend.

Decent Dfs- shave, a little Neck/ jaw irritation. But good for a rush job.
 
I like it, same shave today other than the Gentlemans Nod, again in a rush. Stuff keeps coming up. 🙄 Looking forward to having some time on the weekend.

Decent Dfs- shave, a little Neck/ jaw irritation. But good for a rush job.

Same - I'm looking forward to a full blown hour shave tomorrow :)
 
Had a great one today. Gentleman's Nod Musashi, Lupo DC 95SB side today. Nice smooth shave, the lather was just about perfect consistency. Decent sickness, 1 and half passes, good DFS shave, no irritation. Happy shave... With care I don't find this significantly more scary/ aggressive than the 72OC. If anything I think it's a hair smoother while shaving.
 
Sitting down now that my skin has had some time to relax and even a few hours later I think I actually still have a DFS+ shave. :)

I would not have thought a month ago that I would be using "aggressive" razors so blithely. :D And getting great shaves with little to no irritation or nicks etc...

Looking forward to the Era #5 plates that are on their way. I think they will give me more efficiency, hopefully closer to the Lupo 95 , but with the more rigid blade increasing the smoothness
 
Another nice relaxed shave, in the shower, with the Lupo 95. DFS to DFS+, no irritation. Gentleman's Nod Musashi, and new synthetic Razorock brush, worked in wet lather with it. Much different feel than the boar.

Time for a new blade I think, new Nacet, or Bic, or....
 
New Bic blade to today in the Lupo DC, used the 95 SB side. PAA Ck-6 soap, wet lather, but this is slicker than my other soaps. Very smooth shave. :) DFS+ to almost BBS in spots with one and half passes ATG. One small nick where I took the top off a small bump on my chin, and a tiny bit of irritation on my jaw scar.

The slicker soap/lather and sharper blade made feedback much less. Need to be conscious of that with this combo.
 
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