SV longevity test part 1

[dabrock]

Just a note on weighing hard soaps, if you’re lathering on the puck you’ll need to let it dry before doing the ‘after’ weight, the residual water makes a considerable difference - sometimes the soap weighs more right after shaving than before. I always weighed right before I shaved every day when I test soap usage.

Take at least a weeks worth of measurements using the same brush, throw out the high and low measurements and average the rest. More is better.

Only a soap geek would do this, lol.

Yeah, some of us have too much time on our hands!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

In the bigger interest of this community, I have a humble request to the gentlemen below. Please record and share an end-to-end lathering video. Your technique may save many people in this forum (including myself) a small fortune

I can not even think about how it is possible to get 500 shaves out of a MWF puck. Please share your wisdom with us mortals

to hell shaving with Arko to save money. I want have the cake AND eat it, too!

Sorry, I have no intention of ever doing any kind of shaving video. However, if I use any more soap than mentioned above, the lather becomes too rich, and the quality of my shave plummets. Here are a few things which might be leading you to using more soap.

Harder water:
Can be adjusted with citric acid.

Lather hogging brush:
Get a synthetic

Starting with the brush too wet:
The more water you have, the more soap you need to turn that water to lather. With my soap, I can dunk my soap in the sink, pour off any excess, and a three to five second load with a dry synthetic brush (depending on soap hardness) gives me what I need, just from the water that clung to the soap. The rest of the water needed, is then added to the lather gradually. Time can be an often overlooked ingredient for converting soap to good lather. Different soaps tke different times to form a good emulsion.

Bowl lathering:
This always seems to introduce more air to the lather (for me anyway), producing a far less slick lather than face lathering. Maybe my water/soap ratios for the face, don't contain enough soap for good results in the bowl. Note that I do use a bowl for creams and very soft soaps, but to load not lather. I dunk the empty lather bowl in the sink, and pour the water back out, and the water that clings, is enough to get 1ml of cream started. More water is added during face lathering, just as with the soaps.

As confused as you may be about how I use so little, I am equally confused as to how people can use so much, and still get a useable lather. If I used what others use, my lather would be better for filling cracks or fitting windows, than for shaving with.

 

[SHAVEWIZARD420]

It was so good he passed out so she had to write it!

Hahaha