Rolling the Bones

[4and20blackbirds]

Saturday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Noble Otter Northern Elixer
Brush: Omega B&B boar
Razor: Gillette 7 O'clock Sterling, #9
Blade: German Personna, #3
Post: NO Northern Elixer aftershave

Back home and back to the Sterling for its last shave. Two days' growth and two passes to mow it down. Result was an all over DFS and a nice way to end with the Sterling.

Managed to drop the brush again and picked up another chip in the handle. Sheesh. Still going to use it.

I'll hold on to the Personna for a last use in the next razor, but these are my favorite of the Personnas. Whether they'll go into a permanent rotation remains to be seen.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Nine shaves on three blades with the Gillette 7 O'clock Sterling and no question this is heading out of the den. Not a comfortable razor for me: most shaves involved irritation and low or random efficiency on my neck. I was tempted to put this at the bottom of the rankings, especially early on; however, the Sterling redeemed itself with a couple of nice shaves and ends up at position 33 with a 4 for comfort and a 3 for efficiency.

	Rank	Razor	Comfort	Efficiency
Tier 1 - Keepers	1	Gillette Slim	10	6
	2	Schick Type L1	10	5
	3	RazoRock German 37	9	7
	4	Fine Marvel	9	6
	5	Parker Semi-slant	9	6
	6	Yaqi Beast	8	7
	7	Gem Junior	8	6
	8	Gillette fat handle Tech	8	5
	9	RazoRock Mamba	8	4
	10	Merkur 34C HD	8	6
Tier 2 - In Consideration
Tier 3 - Not for me	11	Timeless .95	8	6
	12 (tie)	1940s Gillette Super Speed	8	5
		1947 Gillette Aristocrat Junior	8	5
	13	iKon X3	8	6
	14	Mühle R41	6	6
	15	Above The Tie S2	7	5
	16	Gem MMOC	5	6
	17	Timeless .68	7	5
	18	Fine Superlite slant	7	4
	19	Parker 24C	7	6
	20	Karve Christopher Bradley, D Plate	6	5
	21	Karve CB, C Plate	7	5
	22	Karve CB, B Plate	7	4
	23	Above The Tie S1	6	3
	24	Maggard V2	6	4
	25	Yaqi Mellon	5	4
	26	Gillette Ball-End Tech	5	4
	27	RazoRock Mamba 70	5	3
	28	Maggard Slant	4	3
	29	Wilkinson Sword TTO
	30	Schick Injector Type E3	3	6
	31	Fatip Open Comb Slant	3	4
	32	Standard Razors Deep Black	4	3
	33	Gillette 7 O'clock Sterling	4	3
	34	Blackland Dart	3	3
	35	Mühle R89 Grande	3	3

 

[4and20blackbirds]

And then there was one…. No need to roll as this is the last of the DEs to try, a FaTip Testina Gentile.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Sunday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Tallow + Steel Morocco
Brush: Simpson PJ2 in Super
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #1
Blade: Astra SP, #1
Post: alum -> Morocco aftershave

Lousy, thin lather tonight and I was too lazy to fix it, so not the fairest start for a new razor. Still, the two passes resulted DFS on my face, a mix of DFS and CCS on my neck, and relatively mild feedback from the alum. Not too shabby.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Monday shave

Prep: Neutrogena Razor Defense face scrub
Soap: Unknown Crabtree & Evelyn puck
Brush: Omega 10290
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #2
Blade: Astra SP, #2
Post: alum -> Aqua Velva

Great lather tonight. Two passes for DFS on my face and a mix of CCS and SAS on my neck. Significant feedback from the alum, though, and an overall uncomfortable shave. Will try easing up on the pressure for the next shave.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Wednesday shave

Prep: PAA Ice Cube 2.0
Soap: CBL Grape Soda
Brush: Omega Mixed Midget
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #3
Blade: Astra SP, #3
Post: alum -> Stirling Bergamot Lavender

Skipped Tuesday and had a rare morning shave today. Two passes for DFS on my face and mostly CCS on my neck, with a bit of DFS. Only minimal feedback from the alum, so I'll continue to keep a light touch. Actually had someone at work tell me I smelled nice, too.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Friday shave

Prep: Neutrogena Razor Defense face scrub
Soap: Soap Commander Love
Brush: Shavemac badger
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #4
Blade: Astra SP, #4 and banked
Post: alum -> mix of witch hazel and Gillette Cool Wave

Skipped Friday (man, I've been lazy recently) and had a standard two-pass shave. Result after one pass was four very small weepers on my neck—alum closed them up, no problem. Second pass result was DFS face and a mix of CCS and SAS on my neck. Just moderate sting from the alum even with the weepers, but my neck stayed irritated for quite a while.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Whoops, just saw my mistake. Meant to say I skipped Thursday.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Saturday shave

Prep: Cleansing Story White Clay foam
Soap: Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars
Brush: Simpson PJ2 Super Badger
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #5
Blade: German Personna, #4 and banked
Post: alum -> mix of witch hazel and Clubman Reserve Brandy Spice

Two passes this afternoon led to a mix of DFS and CCS on my face and a mix of CCS and SAS on my neck. Some irritation from the soap after I lathered up for the second pass, which I attribute to the effects of the razor's first pass because I have never had any irritation from this soap before. Minimal feedback from the alum, but my neck is still irritated from the shave.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Monday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Col. Conk Lime
Brush: Omega 10290 boar
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #6
Blade: Merkur Super Platinum, #1
Post: alum -> Suavecito Bay Rum

First use of a Merkur Super Platinum in a long time (I think this was from my original blade sampler pack lo these many years ago) and it was okay--it struggled a bit with the first pass of two days' growth, but got the job done with some tugging. Much improved on the second pass and was left with a close to all over DFS with only mild feedback from the alum. Yet: here I am a half-hour later with neck irritation once again.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Wednesday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars
Brush: Stirling Kong
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #7
Blade: Merkur Super Platinum, #2
Post: alum -> Clubman Reserve Brandy Spice

Two passes for DFS face and CCS/SAS neck, only a bit of alum feedback. No irritation from the soap this time, but I am still left with neck irritation after the shave. Pulled out the Kong and still think it's too big, but I'm going to put it back into rotation for a little bit. Also going to do the same with the La Maison du Barbier since it didn't sell in the recent den clearing.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Thursday shave

Prep: Cleansing Story White Clay foam
Soap: Unknown Crabtree & Evelyn puck
Brush: Simpson Astor A1 in best
Razor: FaTip Testina Gentile, #8
Blade: Merkur Super Platinum, #3 and binned
Post: alum -> mix of Thayer's and Florida Water

Same as yesterday: two passes for DFS face and CCS/SAS neck. One small weeper today, but it was easily stopped by the alum, although it had more pronounced feedback today. As I'm writing this, I'm about 8 hours post-shave and my neck is still irritated. If I hadn't already decided earlier that I was done with the FaTip, I would be now. To be fair, some of the irritation is undoubtedly from the blade, which performed as well as I remembered it from years ago, which is to say: poorly. That was my last one and I won't be ordering more. However, it is most definitely not all the blade's fault as this razor has caused neck irritation after almost every shave. And that is a wrap for this razor.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Eight shaves on three blades with the FaTip Testina Gentile. While I had a couple of decent shaves with this razor, most left something to be desired in the efficiency department and almost all left me with residual neck irritation--more than any other razor on a consistent basis. This is clearly not the razor for me and will be heading out of the den. It's a nice looking razor, but I grew to dislike the handle, finding it too slippery on the vertical ridges, though you can hold the very bottom portion without any slips. The Testina Gentile takes over position 33 from the Gillette 7 O'Clock Sterling with a 4 for comfort and a 3 for efficiency. Same scores as the Sterling, but, push come to shove, I'd rather use the Testina Gentile with it's metal construction vs. the plastic Sterling.

	Rank	Razor	Comfort	Efficiency
Tier 1 - Keepers	1	Gillette Slim	10	6
	2	Schick Type L1	10	5
	3	RazoRock German 37	9	7
	4	Fine Marvel	9	6
	5	Parker Semi-slant	9	6
	6	Yaqi Beast	8	7
	7	Gem Junior	8	6
	8	Gillette fat handle Tech	8	5
	9	RazoRock Mamba	8	4
	10	Merkur 34C HD	8	6
Tier 2 - In Consideration
Tier 3 - Not for me	11	Timeless .95	8	6
	12 (tie)	1940s Gillette Super Speed	8	5
		1947 Gillette Aristocrat Junior	8	5
	13	iKon X3	8	6
	14	Mühle R41	6	6
	15	Above The Tie S2	7	5
	16	Gem MMOC	5	6
	17	Timeless .68	7	5
	18	Fine Superlite slant	7	4
	19	Parker 24C	7	6
	20	Karve Christopher Bradley, D Plate	6	5
	21	Karve CB, C Plate	7	5
	22	Karve CB, B Plate	7	4
	23	Above The Tie S1	6	3
	24	Maggard V2	6	4
	25	Yaqi Mellon	5	4
	26	Gillette Ball-End Tech	5	4
	27	RazoRock Mamba 70	5	3
	28	Maggard Slant	4	3
	29	Wilkinson Sword TTO
	30	Schick Injector Type E3	3	6
	31	Fatip Open Comb Slant	3	4
	32	Standard Razors Deep Black	4	3
	33	FaTip Testina Gentile	4	3
	34	Gillette 7 O'clock Sterling	4	3
	35	Blackland Dart	3	3
	36	Mühle R89 Grande	3	3

 

[4and20blackbirds]

I'm almost through trying almost all of my items, but not quite. Three blades to go. First up tonight will be the Shark Super Stainless and in reserve is a Treet Platinum. As for the third blade, I realized recently that I'd never tried the Gillette Silver Blues. I ordered a few off eBay to correct that oversight and they should be here in the next couple of days. My plan is to roll a different razor for each day of use of the blades just to see how razors might affect each.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Friday shave

Prep: Cleansing Story White Clay foam
Soap: Tallow + Steel Morocco
Brush: Shavemac badger
Razor: Merkur 34C HD
Blade: Shark Super Stainless, #1
Post: alum -> mix of Thayer's and TS Morocco

Not a great shave tonight, but hard to say if that's the new blade or the really poor lather I was working with--thin and disappearing by the second pass. Probably should have loaded more soap in the middle, but, eh, too impatient. And boy did that lather make me glad I'm into my permanent rotation razors now. In spite of a new blade and sub-par lather there was zero feedback from the alum and, in a nice change from the FaTip, no residual irritation on my neck. Two passes resulted in a DFS on my face and CCS on my neck.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Saturday shave

Prep: PAA Ice Cube 2.0
Soap: ToBS Grapefruit
Brush: Vie-Long Silvertip
Razor: Fine Marvel
Blade: Shark Super Stainless, #2
Post: alum -> Pinaud Citrus Musk

Usual two-passes resulted in DFS on my face and a mix of DFS and CCS on my neck. No feedback to speak of. Blade is okay so far, but not a standout.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Sunday shave

Prep: PAA Ice Cube 2.0
Soap: Dr. Jon's Runaway
Brush: Omega Mixed Midget
Razor: RazoRock German 37
Blade: Shark Super Stainless, #3
Post: alum -> DJ's Runaway mixed with Thayer's

No feedback again and the two passes resulted in an all-over DFS. Nice shave!

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Monday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Mickey Lee Grand Havana
Brush: Omega 10290
Razor: Gillette fat handle Tech
Blade: Shark Super Stainless, #4 and binned
Post: alum -> Clubman Reserve Brandy Spice mixed with Thayer's

Last shave with the Shark Super Stainless. No feedback, but only managed a mix of CCS and SAS on my neck, though still DFS on my face. The blade is not a standout for me and seemed to drop off on this fourth shave. Still, might be fun to have a Battle of the Sharks at some point with the few blades I have left. From what I recall of the others, I think the Super Stainless is the one to beat but I probably won't be buying 100 of any of them. Maybe I’ll run that experiment during the next Shark Week…

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Tuesday shave

Prep: Noxzema
Soap: Stirling Satsuma
Brush: Omega 10290
Razor: Merkur 34c HD
Blade: Treet Platinum, #1
Post: alum -> Lucky Tiger

First shave with a Treet Platinum. Two passes leading to DFS on my face, a patch of CCS on my chin, and a mix of DFS and CCS on my neck. First impression is that it isn't especially sharp nor especially smooth, but it got the job done with a hint of tugging, a hint of feedback, and some slight residual irritation on my neck.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Wednesday shave

Prep: PAA Ice Cube 2.0
Soap: Phoenix & Beau Spitfire
Brush: Shavemac Two-Band badger
Razor: Gillette 1968 N2 Slim on 3
Blade: Treet Platinum, #2
Post: alum -> Clubman Reserve Gents Gin and witch hazel mix

Two passes plus touch ups leading to a mix of DFS and CCS on my face, CCS on my chin, and a mix of SAS and CCS on my neck. Second impression of the blade remains that it isn't especially sharp nor especially smooth, and it barely got the job done tonight. Some mild feedback from the alum and the slightest irritation on my neck. I doubt this one will make it to four shaves, but we'll see. My wife was not a fan of the Gent's Gin tonight. You'd think I'd have learned by now not to sit right next to her immediately after applying aftershave.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Thursday shave

Prep: Neutrogena Razor Defense face scrub
Soap: Tallow + Steel Morocco
Brush: Omega B&B boar
Razor: Gillette Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Treet Platinum, #3 and binned
Post: alum -> TS Morocco and witch hazel mix

Two passes for a DFS and CCS mix on my face and CCS on my neck. A little bit of feedback from the alum, but no residual irritation. I decided to bin the blade there--not worth pushing it.

 

[4and20blackbirds]

Friday shave

Prep: Cleansing Story White Clay foam
Soap: Deluxe Rockers
Brush: Sanax badger-cased boar
Razor: Gillette Fat Handle Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue, #1
Post: alum -> Pinaud Clubman Classic Vanilla

Two passes for DFS on my face and a mix of DFS and CCS on my neck with just a little bit of feedback from the alum. First use of a GSB was very nice--sharp and smooth. And with that use of the GSB, I am now officially on the last item that I have to try.