SOTD "FREE WEEK" September 24th - September 30th, 2018

[andromeda673]

Today’s shave

Preshave: proraso red
Blade: Gillette blue
Razor: Gillette super speed
Brush: Simpson special
Alum block: gentleman Jon
Aftershave: proraso red

 

[Mataddor]

What is the beautiful trinket on top of the soap?

Patti

That’s my Tobacco pipe tamper


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[razorhead63]

Saturday

‘64 Tech
Personna Lab (3)
Omega Boar
Proraso Red Soap
Proraso Red AS lotion.

Very comfortable BBS shave achieved today. Good soap and AS lotion. Can’t go wrong with Proraso!!

 

[cmh737]

awesome!

Thanks, Murray!

Perfect — and congrats on today’s 63-17 win!
(Now I gotta find a setup for Notre Dame.)

Many thanks. Today's win might just be the last win of the season.

 

[azwetshaver]

9/29/2018
RazoRock Napoleon's Violet
Proraso Pro
J.A. Henckels Friodur 17 7/8
Tony Miller Notovan
Fine Lavender

​

 

[Smooth Steve]

09/30/18 Shave of the Day
Face Wash with The Sudsy Soapery Sandalwood and Citrus with Charcoal and Cocoa Soap
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Dapper Doc Conditioning Shampoo Puck
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements CUBE Mentholated Preshave Soap
Shannons Soaps LTD Forest City Fern Rust Belt Reserve Shaving Soap
Wolf Whiskers Blue Train Custom Fluted Bishop TGN 24mm Silvertip Grade A Badger Brush
Creative Flame Pottery Stoneware Shaving Scuttle
RazoRock Black Hawk Single Edge Razor
Feather Artist Club Professional Blade - 11th Shave
RazoRock Alum Block
Homemade Lime Infused Witch Hazel
NIVEA Men Maximum Hydration Moisturizing Post Shave Balm
Stetson Original Cologne
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Dapper Doc Natural Deodorant - Extra Sport Strength​

 

[ram57]

Sunday SOTD

Razor: Merkur Futur
Blade: Gillette Spoiler (D3)
Brush: WildWestBrushworks 22mm Faux Horsehair
Bowl: Yuzu Tenmoku 4-3/4"
Pre-Shave Scrub: MRGO Lime
Pre-Shave Balm: Grooming Dept Unscented
Shave Soap: Mickey Lee Drunken Goat
Post: Monster Block Alum
Aftershave: Small Batch Shave Tonic
​

 

[shm]

2018-09-30

Ikea bowl ¤ Semogue 2009 LE ¤ 7/8" Korff & Honsberg "Dos Angelitos"
OCSC Cahaba Breeze ¤ Myrsol Agua Balsamica ¤ Pen's Blenheim Bouquet EDT

 

[no47]

Proraso Green Pre
Vulfix 404 Grosvenor
Valobra Fougère
Merkur 37C
Feather
Thayers
GFT Skinfood​

 

[bazza1]

SOTD : 30th September 2018.

​

Shaving recipe for today.


Prep: Warm shower:/ L'OREAL~ Hydra Sensitive Birch Sap Shower Gel.


Pre:

warm wet flannel to my face.

Pears ~ Transparent Lemon Flower Glycerin Soap.

Brush: Unbranded Chinese Synthetic.

Bowl Lather.

Cream : Palmolive Classic.

Blade: Bic ~ Chrome Platinum. (2)

Razor: Gillette Slimtwist.

Warm wet flannel/ cold wet flannel to rinse my face.

Post:

Cold Water Face Rinse./Homemade Lemon Lime,+Peppermint Oil & Menthol Crystals Witch Hazel Mixture./ Gillette ~ Blue A/S.

Asda ~ Kind & Gentle Light Moisturiser.


Greetings,

A relaxing 3 pass + pick ups comfortable sunday shave with no errors to report.

The Gillette slimtwist is such a wonderful vintage razor, i've mentioned before everytime i shave with this vintage lady it amazes me that a 40+ years razor can give such a smooth enjoyable DFS.

Finishing the shave off with a generous dollop of Asda ~ Kind & Gentle Light Moisturiser.

Enjoy your sunday, ladies & gentlemen.

​

 

[PJO]

That’s my Tobacco pipe tamper

Cool tool. Thanks!

Patti

 

[PJO]

Patti

 

[Str8_Shaver]

Shaves of the Week.

Saturday.
Prep: Hot towel
Pre shave: Prep
Razor: ‘The Rock’ (Rockwell 6S – #3)
Blade: Permasharp
Brush: 'Jade' (Rooney Heritage 2XL Jade)
Soap: Chiseled Face Pine Tar
Post: Cold water rinse / Witch Hazel / Chatillon Lux: Santal Auster Post-Shave Salve
Fragrance: Amouage Opus IV

a thoroughly enjoyable shave, even though I clumsily nicked my top lip.. D'oh!


Tuesday.
Prep: Hot towel
Pre shave: Prep
Razor: Weber ARC
Blade: Wizamet Polsilver
Brush: 'The Archduke' (Brad Sears Archduke 26/50 2-Band Manchurian)
Soap: London Oatcake 'Driftwood'
Post: Cold water rinse / Witch Hazel / L'Occitane Cade After Shave Balm

a good solid, protective shave today, with a new soap from London Oatcake.. my only (constructive) criticism is that I found it to be a bit lacking in the residual slickness dept.. not a biggie really, considering how well the shave went, but an improvement would be a step in the right direction.. all in all, a really good shave..



Thursday.
Prep: Hot towel
Pre shave: Prep
Razor: Merkur 34C HD
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium
Brush: ‘Il Cinghiale’ (Zenith EURO/RX)
Soap: Swedish Witch 'Rosemary Spice'
Post: Cold water rinse / Witch Hazel / Chatillon Lux: Bon Vivant Post Shave Toner

a rather underwhelming shave, that... time for a fresh blade, methinks..

 

[macintoshBR]

Pre: Myrsol Emulsion
Soap: Cella (brick)
Brush: Chubby 2 Super
Razor: Pils
Blade: Polsilver SI
After: Proraso blue balm

 

[120inna55]

Phoenix Shaving | Doppelgänger
Leo Frilot Tru-Stone Copper Matrix | AP Shave Co. SynBad 30mm
The New Improved Schick Injector Razor | Personna 74

It has been an absolute joy using Phoenix Shaving's Doppelgänger for the past 2 months, but it's been driving me crazy because I haven't been able to talk about it. While I was not in the extensive test group from it's inception, I was afforded the opportunity to test and provide feedback for a couple of the late iterations of this "CK-6" base. In fact, the version prior to this final recipe had already surpassed my personal benchmark soap, such that I'd assumed it was the final version. Ultimately, this release version performed essentially the same except the post-shave was extended considerably.

CK-6 offers no-nonsense loading. Over the weeks of testing, I've used synthetics, boar, and badger knots, and the results are the same: a damp knot easily picks up enough product in just a few seconds. In this respect, it's quite similar to the standard Crown King base, as well as several other artisan offerings for that matter.

I typically face and scalp lather, but for testing purposes, I did bowl lather a few times. Trying to find CK-6's limits proved to challenging. I have extremely hard water which can diminish even the best of lathers. Over the years, I've tried using distilled water or adding a little citric acid to my reserve bowl, but ultimately I've learned to just load more and scrub and agitate more. Certainly, the higher performing artisanal soaps have overcome this hurdle. One of my favorites, the Barrister's Reserve base, has essentially made a mockery of hard water, such that I have to take care to avoid overloading the knot else I'll be met with an uncontrollable amount of lather. CK-6 is somewhere in between. I can load a typical amount of soap in a 26-30 mm knot that will ultimately yield enough lather for a leisurely 2+ pass head and face shave with plenty more to spare. When I use CK-6, that "more to spare" is has now become an essential element to my routine, but more on that later.

CK-6 thrives even on an unreasonable amount of water. With just a little agitation, the lather quickly expands and then stalls right at that optimal density thereby yielding a thick creamy lather that can be painted to a glassy sheen devoid of brush marks. The more water I introduce, the slicker it gets. The resulting slickness is matched by very few of the artisanal soaps I've used. I did try neglecting the hydration to evaluate the rookie factor, and I found it still performed on a spectacular level. In fact, if you like a stiffer stucco-like substrate, you can achieve this by skimping on the water, and you'll still get a very slick shave. If you do this, I recommend letting the lather rest on your skin for a bit before taking a blade to it. It won't break down, but the prolonged exposure seems to allow the buttery lather to impart its slickness. Whereas a well hydrated lather is ready to go right away. In practice, personally, I prefer a wetter lather, but CK-6 simply has a wide water range accommodating individual preferences (or even errors) without sacrificing glide. That said, this is one of the more intuitive soaps I've ever used.

If you're into doing 45 minute single-pass shave videos, then feel free to keep working the lather, but you can't over-work it and you'll be hard pressed to drown it. There are very few soaps in my den that allow me to lather my entire face and head all at one time without risking breakdown of the final areas. Being a shower shaver, even the most robust lathers are at risk of falling apart under these humid circumstances. Despite these conditions, CK-6 remains quite stable, allowing me to take my time on a leisurely face shave while the lather waits on my scalp. By the time I transition the shave to focus on my head, the lather is just as dense and slick as if I'd just painted it on.

In my experience, my hard water certainly impacts residual slickness. I discovered this in the past when I experimented with distilled water or by introducing a pinch of citric acid to my reserve bowl. It was only then that I could fully appreciate residual slickness. Times have changed, and now several current artisanal soaps offer good to outstanding residual slickness without having to jump through hoops. The residual slickness I've been experiencing with CK-6 is unmatched by any soap I've ever used. In some soaps with exceptional residual slickness, I find holding onto my brush to be somewhat precarious. Being a shower shaver, I tend to let the lather fly, so this is a real concern with lather dripping down the brush handle. CK-6 actually doesn't mess with my grip, though. It seems the residual slickness is directly related to the prolonged exposure to my skin and not passive exposure to the handle materials.

Other than perhaps the durability and residual slickness aspects, the qualities I've mentioned thus far can also be boasted by a select few other bases currently on the market. Where CK-6 leaves the pack for me is the post-shave. Just how soft can one's skin be, you ask? Consistently, after shaving with Doppelgänger (CK-6), my skin feels as if it's never sprouted a hair, nor ever had a blade dragged across it. So, Icarus does that. Catie's Bubbles' jojoba magic does it as well. As does Ariana & Evans, Nuàvia, and so on. The real leap with CK-6 is that this feeling literally lasts all day with no additional products. In fact, while my stubble is yet reemerging, my skin still feels as if I've just applied moisturizer. When using my highest performers, I smear whatever pulled lather remains on my scalp where it stays while I clean up my gear. In the case CK-6, the post-shave benefits are so luxurious that I actually account for that extra lather when loading so I can ensure there's enough pulled lather to completely cover my scalp, face, and neck. The results are an unmatched flawless and protracted post-shave feel.

There will be plenty of documentation out there by way of the artisans as well as more professional reviewers explaining the details as to why this base performs the way it does, so I won't even attempt it. In the midst of testing, there were some comments from the artisan that suggested CK-6 may never come to fruition due to cost. As of this writing, I believe this is still a concern. I doubt the artisans will switch over their entire line to this base, but I can certainly see it maintaining a place in their catalog as a premium line much like Declaration Grooming's Icarus and Barrister and Mann's Reserve.

Again, as of this writing, I don't know what the final cost of CK-6 will be, but I do remember in the not-too-remote past paying hefty prices for the likes of Martin de Candre and Nuàvia, while current artisans churn out products that meet or exceed the performance of those at a fraction of the price. Given the current volume of talented artisans in the community, certainly from a pragmatist's perspective, a luxury-level wet shave can be achieved on the cheap. However, when I consider performance benchmarks for a soap, I do not incorporate cost into the equation. Nor do I consider packaging, marketing, fragrance, or customer service. With that in mind, here are my benchmark ratings of CK-6:

• Ease of loading: Unsurpassed
• Ease of lathering: Unsurpassed
• Water range: Unsurpassed
• Density: Unsurpassed
• Primary slickness: Unsurpassed
• Residual slickness: Unequaled
• Durability: Unequaled
• Post-shave feel: Unsurpassed
• Post-shave feel duration: Unequaled

Given these results, after several weeks of using this base under various conditions with various hardware, CK-6 is the current pre-eminent benchmark soap base title holder in my den. This is the best all-around performing soap base I've ever used...for now.

More pics:

 

[ChrisVanMeer]

Nice pictures Matt!

 

[ChrisVanMeer]

SOTD - Sunday 30 September 2018

• Safety Razor: Yaqi - RAG1804 Gunmetal
• Blade: Polsilver - Super Iridium
• Shaving Brush: Yaqi - Tuxedo - 24mm Bulb (Synthetic)
• Shaving Bowl: Saponificio Varesino - Faux Horn Bowl
• Shaving Soap: Tcheon Fung Sing - Vecchia Torino
• After-Shave: Tcheon Fung Sing - Vecchia Torino

 

[Dave in KY]

Sunday September 30, 2018

Razor: Rockwell 6c Plate #5
Blade: PolSilver SI (4)
Brush: Eric Sorrentino Custom with 24mm 1/4 Moon Synthetic
Soap: CRSW Glide - Fragile Confusion
Aftershave 1: Thayers Lavender
Aftershave 2: Avon Tai Winds

 

[120inna55]

Nice pictures Matt!

Thank you.

 

[Mataddor]

AAT-S2/ feather blade
3XL M&F blonde badger
MdC


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