SOTD 22-28 July 2018

By Luna Foroafeitado 2018 - Semogue TSN 2018 - Edwin Jagger Kelvin - Perma Sharp - Speick - Bulldog

I have tried hard with other vegetal based soaps, including Martin de Candre, Saponificio Varesino, Wickham... I prefer none of them over this one, and had I have to choose a substitute, that would be a Catie's Bubbles.

Pre-shave: Black Walnut Oil
Razor: Gillette Fat Boy (G-2)
Blade: Zorrik Super Platinum
Brush: Rubberset 400 with PAA Switchback Aluminum Top Cap loaded with AP Shave Co. "Cashmere" 24mm Synthetic
Soap: Mama Bear's "Aged Spice"
Aftershave: T.N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel followed by Avon "Brisk Spice"

-- Sammy

Cool photo effect

Valobra Pre Shave
Paladin PK-47
Timeless
Feather
B&M Beaudelaire

Blackland Dart
Gillette 7 o'clock yellow
Maseto Finest
Barrister and Mann reserve cool
Epsilon Blue Mediterranean Aftershave

The shave: Hard to put into any meaningful words...

The Soap: The lather was usable but I didn't really know whether I needed to add more soap or more water? A right head scratcher. Back to the drawing board.

The Razor: Second use of the Dart. Trying a new soap wasn't ideal but I really wanted to use the soap. 
I think the 'lather' or lack of one didn't help matters. 
It felt pretty aggressive today. I needed the lightest of light touches. 
So much so I needed a number of touch ups. The finished results were good but not as good as the first shave.

The Aftershave: To end on a positive note. I really rated it.

Cheers 
Rob

It sounds like you are at the stage where you need to stick with the same rig, make changes infrequently, and when you do make changes, then change only one thing at a time.  That stage can last a long time, and that 's okay.  If you have not already read The Wanderers Guide To DE Shaving, take some time to do so.  (And after enough time passes that you have digested the Guide, then read episode 2.)

About the lather ... Do test lathers.  Paint a portion of your face and part of an arm with some lather you think is good, set your brush down on the counter (handle down, loft up), and see what things look like after  five minutes.  Has the lather dried out?  (If so, too dry.)   Is the lather running down the side of the brush?  (If so too wet.)  I picked up the habit from a Michael Freedberg video of slapping the loft against my face (if I face lather) or the bowl (bowl lather), and looking, feeling, and listening to what happens when I lift the brush off of my face or the bowl.  It took me quite a while, and I don't know how common this is, but this eventually helped me to judge if the lather was in the sweet zone.   Some other things to look for are:  
- At most a few small bubbles
- Shiny is good
- Slick is very good
- Thicker than heavy cream and thinner than yogurt
- A bloom (does not have to be huge)

But most of all, slow down and keep your rig stable.  Everything in your photo is more than fine enough.  Anyone can get a bad shave in a hurry.  Better to slow down and enjoy the journey.

Good luck Blackmass.

SOTD 28JUL18
Razor: Gibbs #17 Adjustable (5)
Blade: Modified Wizamet Super Iridium (7)
Brush: Epsilon 'Krion'
Soap: Grooming Dept. 'Coattails'

After having fallen in love with my REX Ambassador I had to seek out its inspiration. I found this one on eBay in great shape besides some brassing on the edges. I watched some videos and did some light reading to figure out how to modify a blade to fit due to the tabs at the end of the baseplate.

I went with a magnificent soap in GD's Coattails (known good) to make sure there were no variables to ruin my razor test run. I dialed it up to setting 5 because that is where I have been using my Ambassador.

I found the shave to be fantastic, I found it to glide a little better than the Ambassador probably due to the polished head but I did notice where the REX Supply Co. made major design improvements. The black handle of the Gibbs is hard plastic and so this razor (73g) is super top heavy. The REX is much more balanced, it has more heft (107g), and easier to hold on to due to the awesome knurling.

I prefer my Ambassador because of the better balance, heavier weight, and not having to modify DE blades to fit and also that it is a two piece design vice the three-piece design of the Gibbs. I did really love the way this razor shaved and will definitely continue to use it in the future.

Blackland Dart
Gillette 7 o'clock yellow
Maseto Finest
Barrister and Mann reserve cool
Epsilon Blue Mediterranean Aftershave

The shave: Hard to put into any meaningful words...

The Soap: The lather was usable but I didn't really know whether I needed to add more soap or more water? A right head scratcher. Back to the drawing board.

The Razor: Second use of the Dart. Trying a new soap wasn't ideal but I really wanted to use the soap. 
I think the 'lather' or lack of one didn't help matters. 
It felt pretty aggressive today. I needed the lightest of light touches. 
So much so I needed a number of touch ups. The finished results were good but not as good as the first shave.

The Aftershave: To end on a positive note. I really rated it.

Cheers 
Rob

It sounds like you are at the stage where you need to stick with the same rig, make changes infrequently, and when you do make changes, then change only one thing at a time.  That stage can last a long time, and that 's okay.  If you have not already read The Wanderers Guide To DE Shaving, take some time to do so.  (And after enough time passes that you have digested the Guide, then read episode 2.)

About the lather ... Do test lathers.  Paint a portion of your face and part of an arm with some lather you think is good, set your brush down on the counter (handle down, loft up), and see what things look like after  five minutes.  Has the lather dried out?  (If so, too dry.)   Is the lather running down the side of the brush?  (If so too wet.)  I picked up the habit from a Michael Freedberg video of slapping the loft against my face (if I face lather) or the bowl (bowl lather), and looking, feeling, and listening to what happens when I lift the brush off of my face or the bowl.  It took me quite a while, and I don't know how common this is, but this eventually helped me to judge if the lather was in the sweet zone.   Some other things to look for are:  
- At most a few small bubbles
- Shiny is good
- Slick is very good
- Thicker than heavy cream and thinner than yogurt
- A bloom (does not have to be huge)

But most of all, slow down and keep your rig stable.  Everything in your photo is more than fine enough.  Anyone can get a bad shave in a hurry.  Better to slow down and enjoy the journey.

Good luck Blackmass.

Thanks Mike. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and I'll take your advice on board.

I've been DE shaving for two years. I started off with all the best intentions. Sticking to the same set-up for every shave but it didn't take long before I fell down the 'acquisitions' rabbit hole. You know how it goes.

Funnily enough I've just started the Michael Freedberg lather method. I'll be doing a few test lathers tomorrow.

Thanks again.
Cheers
Rob

... I've been DE shaving for two years. I started off with all the best intentions. Sticking to the same set-up for every shave but it didn't take long before I fell down 'acquisitions' rabbit hole. You know how it goes. ...

Sorry I misjudged your experience level.

Anyway ... Been there; done that - and after more than two years!  Good luck my friend.