What's your test gear?

[kosmin]

If let's say, you're trying a new shaving cream, or a new soap, or a blade - what's your standard kit you'd use? Do you have some benchmarks, so to say? For instance, if I try a new blade, I use the Cade soap and the EJ89, as I used them for a while now and I know what to expect.

 

[Giant Kiwi]

New blade= Wool fat or tabac
New soap= W&B special straight

 

[mikemorton]

At the moment I'm shaving with only one razor, a Slim Adjustable, one blade, Merkur, one setting, five, and one soap, Mitchell's Wool Fat.

So I would keep as many of those variables as possible constant.

I suppose if you wanted to take this to extremes then you'd exactly match your shaving routine as well - shower first or not? WTG/ATG/XTG?

Tonight (I shave at night!) I'll be using a new Dorco blade for the first time as I was given a free pack with my last regular blade order.

Everything else will stay the same, at least to begin with.

 

[ateace]

For new blades, it's the HD or 1904.

For new razors, a common, middle of the road blade (for me), like Personna Red or Lab.

New soaps and creams get what they get

 

[Toothpick]

i made "test gear" when i was testing a bunch of blades. Merkur 34C, C.O. Bigelow cream, and a Semogue Boar, Proraso AS creme. If i was to test anything else i'd keep the same stuff, just substitute in whatever it was i was testing.

 

[Mick]

I only have one thing that is a constant.

When I get a new razor I always use an Astra SP in it so that I can gauge the razor's performance based on a blade I am confident will perform in a consistent and expected manner.

New other things (soaps/creams, brushes, blades, etc) I just use them and don't worry about anything

 

[Samjax]

I only have one thing that is a constant.

When I get a new razor I always use an Astra SP in it so that I can gauge the razor's performance based on a blade I am confident will perform in a consistent and expected manner.

I agree - the Astras are very common AND they are generally recognized as a reliable, high quality blade. They are not necessarily my favorite, but for testing and evaluating purposes, they're hard to beat.

 

[zethreal]

Razor - EJ89
Blade - Astra SP
Brush - Custom Badger Brush
Soap - Mikes Natural

That's my test kit... the 1 item I'm testing is swapped out for what's in that list. Also, I have a few rituals for testing new gear. I hold off shaving for 1 day, shave with the above kit at ~8pm and then the 2 days later, at 8pm, I shave with the item I'm testing swapped in.

Normally, I shave every day, but I find that testing something new on a 1 day old beard doesn't really give me much of a sense of how it does. I have this whole ritual so that I know my beard is as close to the same for every test as I can make it.

 

[Nenugal]

My test set consists of Feather Popular, Astra SP, Omega shaving soap/cream, BodyShop brush. However, I may consider using other blades if trying a particularly mild or aggressive razor...

 

[PFP_Dad]

My test blade is a Personna Lab. For soaps it is usually Tabac or Razorock Don Marco.

 

[gegarrenton]

If we are talking DE, the baseline is SS, Personna Lab, and either GFT Coconut or Cella, depending on cream or soap inclination. Anything new gets plugged in to this combo