The Voyage of the Argos

Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Shave 6・111 g left

Thanks to all of you who have stumbled onto this thread. It's great to have you along. I’m a newcomer in this niche of DFS, a little in the dark as to what’s normal here. If I make a few faux pas, my apologies. This thread aspires to be nothing more than a chronicle of the gradual dissolution of a puck of shaving soap. Truly this is a candidate for your list of strange diaries. If it brings a smile from time to time, or if you pick up a useful tip, so much the better.

It looks like we may have turned a corner. Argos is a couple grams lighter today. I’m loading straight from the puck with a very soft synthetic brush. Eighty swirls brings up enough soap for three passes, though I make only two. The remaining lather is so rich I use it as an aftershave. Let’s hope it’s all down hill from now on.

Something about Karve razors really rings a bell with us journalists. I see that quite a few of us have chosen one of Chris’s models for our daily driver. After enjoying the Christopher Bradley and the Overlander for a number of years, I’ve decided to settle on the Bison for a spell. The blade exposure is so very thin, and yet it still chomps down a full day’s growth no problem. Two passes leaves me clean without any irritation. And the Glacial handle looks undeniably cool.
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Brush Vielong American 24mm Fibersoft (20) ・ Razor Karve Glacial Bison (7) ・ Blade Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge [yellow] (3) ・ 619 consecutive shaves

Bouki A Journal here is whatever you want to make of it. Can't make a Faux pas if your the boss Make it whatever you want it to be and let it evolve as needed !

Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Shave 7 ・111 g left ・ $2.86 per shave

Over the past couple of years, I’ve used several aluminum razors. I appreciate how light and nimble most of them feel. However, there’s an problem with some of them that really bothers me – they’re sticky. It feels like the razor has a suction cup that lifts the skin to the blade rather than gliding smoothly over it. I’m not sure if this is due to the material or the design of the razor. As a result, these razors often cause irritation. So after a few shaves, they end up back in their box.

But there’s good news: Karve’s aluminum Bison razor doesn’t stick to my face. While it's not as slick as a chromed or polished razor, it is just as comfortable. Maybe the grooves on the leading edge of the top cap have something to do with this? Who knows? All I know is that the shaving is nearly effortless. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that the Bison reminds me of the disposable razors I used for thirty years. With those plastic Bics, I could scrape my face clean while letting my mind wander over a dozen topics unrelated to shaving and still come away without a scratch. The Bison is just as gentle, but it’s infinitely more attractive.
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Brush Vielong American (21) ・ Razor Karve Bison (8) ・ Blade Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge [yellow] (4) ・ 620 consecutive shaves

Thursday, 23 May 2024
Argos (Eufros) ・ Shave 8 ・ 111 g left ・ $2.50 per shave

Vielong’s American brush is a winner. I love the long handle. It’s great for reaching deep into the tub without banging my knuckles. But what really makes me happy is the Fibersoft knot. It’s as soft as the Plisson knots L’Occitane sold with their Cade hard pucks, but a bit denser. It creates a stunning lather. Most importantly, there are no stiff bristles trying to add backbone – I hate those. Give me a floppy knot any day.

Regarding the soap, Argos has hit a plateau. It hasn’t lost any weight since Tuesday. This is normal and to be expected. (I sound like a pediatrician.) Eventually, the soap will soften, and we’ll see some progress, I hope.

And in a project like this, it’s important to see some progress, which is why I’ve started tracking the cost per shave. At least this way, I know that with each shave, the soap will seem a little cheaper. And after some twenty shaves, we'll enter the promised land of 'pennies per shave'. Oh happy day!
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Brush Vielong American (22) ・ Razor Karve Bison (9) ・ Blade 7 O’Clock Yellow (1) ・ 621 consecutive shaves

Nice looking brush and sounds like it's effective too

Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Shave 7 ・111 g left ・ $2.86 per shave

Over the past couple of years, I’ve used several aluminum razors. I appreciate how light and nimble most of them feel. However, there’s an problem with some of them that really bothers me – they’re sticky. It feels like the razor has a suction cup that lifts the skin to the blade rather than gliding smoothly over it. I’m not sure if this is due to the material or the design of the razor. As a result, these razors often cause irritation. So after a few shaves, they end up back in their box.

But there’s good news: Karve’s aluminum Bison razor doesn’t stick to my face. While it's not as slick as a chromed or polished razor, it is just as comfortable. Maybe the grooves on the leading edge of the top cap have something to do with this? Who knows? All I know is that the shaving is nearly effortless. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that the Bison reminds me of the disposable razors I used for thirty years. With those plastic Bics, I could scrape my face clean while letting my mind wander over a dozen topics unrelated to shaving and still come away without a scratch. The Bison is just as gentle, but it’s infinitely more attractive.
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Brush Vielong American (21) ・ Razor Karve Bison (8) ・ Blade Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge [yellow] (4) ・ 620 consecutive shaves

Great voyage Bouki and am enjoying tagging along on the journey.

The Bison is my favorite razor at the moment. It actually secures the blade in four spots vs two on the Overlander. Absolutely no blade chatter whatsoever. Karve razors are so well made.

Chris Kirchen winked when I asked him for a 3’ inch stainless steel Bison. It’s coming although the Aluminum is a winner all around as well.

Friday, 24 May 2024
Argos (Eufros):  Shave 9 ・ 111 g left ・ $2.22 per shave

My first week with Argos is in the books. Overall things are going well. I’ve enjoyed every shave, and for the most part, irritation has been kept at bay. But the road ahead is still very long. I’m tempted to overload my brush to speed things up, but that’s really not my style. I don’t want to power wash the puck each morning. I load just what I need for each day’s scraping. It’s still too early to make an entirely accurate estimate of when this tub will be done, but if I had to guess, I would say there are close to four months of shaves left. Eventually I think I’ll use about one gram of soap for each shave, even though right now the weight of this soap has flatlined.

The scent is changing, or at least my perception of it is. Argos is still quite lemony with a good dose of rosemary, but in the last couple of days, I’ve noticed some cedar, and the patchouli has become much more prominent. Now it reminds me of a cleaner version of Le Père Lucien’s Cèdre-Patchouli – a fragrance I always liked, even though the soap itself was disappointing.

vtmax, glad to hear you’re enjoying the Bison as much as I am. Like you, I prefer a three-inch handle. Short grips make for nimble razors. But I’m good with aluminum. It’s so easy on my hide. For me, steel gets bitey after a few days. Something about the weight, I think.
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Brush Vielong American (23) ・ Razor Karve Bison (10) ・ Blade 7 O’Clock Yellow (2) ・ 622 consecutive shaves

Friday, 24 May 2024
Argos (Eufros):  Shave 9 ・ 111 g left ・ $2.22 per shave

My first week with Argos is in the books. Overall things are going well. I’ve enjoyed every shave, and for the most part, irritation has been kept at bay. But the road ahead is still very long. I’m tempted to overload my brush to speed things up, but that’s really not my style. I don’t want to power wash the puck each morning. I load just what I need for each day’s scraping. It’s still too early to make an entirely accurate estimate of when this tub will be done, but if I had to guess, I would say there are close to four months of shaves left. Eventually I think I’ll use about one gram of soap for each shave, even though right now the weight of this soap has flatlined.

The scent is changing, or at least my perception of it is. Argos is still quite lemony with a good dose of rosemary, but in the last couple of days, I’ve noticed some cedar, and the patchouli has become much more prominent. Now it reminds me of a cleaner version of Le Père Lucien’s Cèdre-Patchouli – a fragrance I always liked, even though the soap itself was disappointing.

vtmax, glad to hear you’re enjoying the Bison as much as I am. Like you, I prefer a three-inch handle. Short grips make for nimble razors. But I’m good with aluminum. It’s so easy on my hide. For me, steel gets bitey after a few days. Something about the weight, I think.
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Brush Vielong American (23) ・ Razor Karve Bison (10) ・ Blade 7 O’Clock Yellow (2) ・ 622 consecutive shaves

Load it like you hate it, Bouki  ! 

I always load heavy, especially when I'm working on killing a puck. You don't have to clean the soap off the next day. After loading the brush, I simply use my finger to scrape up any lather forming on the soap and add it to the rest of the soap on the brush. Easy peasy, and takes about 10 seconds tops. The way I see it, you can never use too much product (especially when you have tons of it at your disposal). If you ever visit the wet shaving section of Reddit, you'll often see guys post "Moar Soap, Moar Water". I have to agree with that process. I always come out with excellent lathers when I load like hell and add tons of water. Sure, it's messy...but sooo worth it.

Saturday, 25 May 2024
Argos (Eufros): Shave 10 ・ 108 g left ・ $2.00 / shave

“The way I see it, you can never use too much product (especially when you have tons of it at your disposal).”

Wise words. Following FaceScraper’s sage advice, I’ve decided to use my entrenching tools to scrape off a portion of the puck for each shave. My brush is too soft to dig a proper divot in this dense soap, but these stainless steel spatulas are sturdy enough to chip away at even the hardest pucks. The tide is turning – we may see this soap finished by the end of September.
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Brush Vielong American (24) ・ Razor Karve Bison (11) ・ Blade 7 O’Clock Yellow (3) ・ 623 consecutive shaves

Nice excavating tools