I'm thinking of getting a bottle of KCG Face Wash, can you recommend it @Guido75 . As a small gillette collector, i discovered the gillette slide at your journal and it is a nice technique, i searched it on YT an came across a video of Mantic59 he explained these kind of special techniques like the gillette slide and the J Hook, do you use this technique also?
A newbie’s journey into DE shaving
- Thread starter Guido75
- Start date
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- #3,122
Hi Manuel,
Yes the KCG Face Wash is excellent in my view. It is glycerine based and has a nice manly coconut scent to it. And a small dollup goes a long way. The Gillette Slide is mentioned in a lot of Gillette ads or manuals (mr.razor's website is an excellent source) together with the Gillette Slant (as I call it that is) which is a slanted hold of the razor while performing a regular stroke. I found the Gillette Slide easier to perform than Mantic portraits it to be. I use the J-Hook somewhat during my touch up on my jaw line. I say somewhat, because I still have reservations about my quality level to do it exactly as Mantic does it.
Cheers,
Guido.
I hope it lasts the year
.
It's a fine product, imho.I hope it lasts the year
- Thread starter
- #3,125
No worries I have spare preshave just not KCG. Mastro Miche soaps bars.I hope it lasts the year
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- #3,126
Definitely! I think my current level should still see me through to at least April-May. I use tiny amounts to prepare my beard for the lather and shave.It's a fine product, imho.
Same here, my friend.
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- #3,128
| Date | 14.03.2024 |
| 366 daily shaves | 074/366 |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Razorock Game Changer .84OC | Racer (4) | Razorock 400 |
| Preshave | Soap | Postshave |
| Cold splash KCG Face Wash | Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (55) | Cold splash Proraso Green Balm |
| Passes | WTG XTG ATG and touch up |
| Process Quality (details here) | Blade Sharpness |
| 10/10 (Clean) | 5.5/10 (Sharp) |
| Effectiveness | Shave Comfort |
| 8.50/10 (DFS+++) | 9/10 (Butterysmooth) |
| Notes: |
Summary. A Razorock type of shave with magnificent gear. Great shave!
Razor and blade. Back to the Game Changer again for a fantastic shave. Easy to use, nimble and comfortable. The blade gave a nice performance yet again. Contrary to its name it doesn’t rush or race to results at all. Instead it performs steadily as a middle of the road blade delivering smooth shaves.
Brush and lather. My Lather King. I will leave it at that.
Technique. This revisiting is fun. Very good first pass or very effective I should say. I did WXTG for my second pass as well instead of XTG with a slightly slanted hold like I usually do. Less effective I would say so a small notch off the effectiveness score - but in reality I feel very smooth nonetheless.
Enjoy your shave!
That's what I sort of did with my straight razors, it worked well enough to not need many clean-up passes.
- Thread starter
- #3,130
| Date | 15.03.2024 |
| 366 daily shaves | 075/366 |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Lambda Athena | Racer (5) | Yaqi Lucky Dice |
| Preshave | Soap | Postshave |
| Cold splash KCG Face Wash | Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (56) | Cold splash Proraso Green Balm |
| Passes | WTG XTG ATG and touch up |
| Process Quality (details here) | Blade Sharpness |
| 9/10 (One weeper) | 4/10 (Sharp Edge) |
| Effectiveness | Shave Comfort |
| 7/10 (DFS) | 7/10 (comfortable) |
| Notes: |
Summary. Hadn’t used this gear in a while and both were utterly amazing today.
Razor and blade. The razor is in my top three. I used my Lasta Blue handle today to make it slightly more head heavy. I think the Athena shines more when balanced in hindsight. Otherwise fantastic razor with usually superb results. Smooth and comfortable with low risk of things you don’t want. The blade on 5 performs steadily in similar fashion to earlier shaves. I stropped the blade on my Twinplex yesterday (which didn’t aid the blade and actually perhaps hindered it somewhat). One weeper but no feedback from the alum block at all. I think that’s actually a first. Combination of blade and razor could have been better so I need to revisit this combo with a fresh(er) blade in the future.
Brush and lather. This is an absolute favourite of mine. I hadn’t used it in a while only because the other brushes might collect a little more dust if I were honest. You can’t go wrong with this brush. Wonderfully fluff lather today.
Technique. Sliding my way through my shave. I used the Slide and Slant on my neck too yesterday. Good results and less aftershave feedback. Funny right, using a consult different technique setup and getting great results too compared to the regular setup - or was the Gillette Slide my regular setup to begin with?! Anyway glad to have it on board again. I love the effectiveness of it all.
Enjoy your shave!
- Thread starter
- #3,131
| Date | 16.03.2024 |
| 366 daily shaves | 076/366 |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Timeless Ti95 SCL | Racer (6) | Semogue Cherry Finest |
| Preshave | Soap | Postshave |
| Cold splash KCG Face Wash | Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (57) | Cold splash Proraso Green Balm |
| Passes | WTG XTG ATG and touch up |
| Process Quality (details here) | Blade Sharpness |
| 9/10 (One weeper) | 3.5/10 (Working Edge) |
| Effectiveness | Shave Comfort |
| 6/10 (CCS+) | 7/10 (comfortable) |
| Notes: |
Summary. Superb way to kickstart Saturday. The shave itself was rather quick as I had to chauffeur one of the offspring early morning.
Razor and blade. The blade is nearing its end. I might do one more to have a fresh blade starting Monday. Nice blade all things considering. Sufficiently sharp and comfortable. The last GSB was smoother and it’s definitely smoother than the Sputnik. It lacks somewhat in sharpness although it’s not dull either. Much better than Astra’s to me for example. I wouldn’t say better than a Tiger Platinum - more on par with. The razor is my top one. Predictable, smooth, comfortable, very nimble. Just sheer excellence from top to toe.
Brush and lather. The Semogue is one of my more luxurious brushes. I love the handle design. The brush requires a bit more soaking time to soften up. It’s the most firm badger of the three I have.
Technique. Enjoying this return or revisiting of the Gillette Slide very much. It must mean my technique increased again, because I turned to the CB curve because it followed my beard map better and I got better results. This week I am not too sure about the difference.
Enjoy your shave!
Omg, is this to get me back for yesterday's post?
- Thread starter
- #3,133
Beard Map Revisited (2)
I have been working on my beard mapping this morning. The older one is still in the same ballpark, but minor changes give way to a better shave. As much as I like the Gillette Slide - in fact I love it - it is not necessarily the most effective technique for my beard. And more importantly, because of the slanted slicing I have scalped one of my bumps twice now. I didn’t have that happen that much using my other patterns.
(c) RealMenRealStyle template
There are about 16/17 segments to my face. Some with similar growth directions. These 16 areas are handled with 9 strokes per pass (well I do more (shorter) strokes, but the 9 represent the major strokes).
I will give the updated pattern a run tomorrow. In addition I will be revisiting my lathering and focus on more hydration (aka Al’s Lather Method) or a wetter lather.
I have been working on my beard mapping this morning. The older one is still in the same ballpark, but minor changes give way to a better shave. As much as I like the Gillette Slide - in fact I love it - it is not necessarily the most effective technique for my beard. And more importantly, because of the slanted slicing I have scalped one of my bumps twice now. I didn’t have that happen that much using my other patterns.
(c) RealMenRealStyle template
There are about 16/17 segments to my face. Some with similar growth directions. These 16 areas are handled with 9 strokes per pass (well I do more (shorter) strokes, but the 9 represent the major strokes).
| Area | Direction | Sequence |
| 1 | W-E | 4 |
| 2 | NW-SE-SW | 5 |
| 3 | NE-SW-SE | 7 |
| 4 | E-W | 6 |
| 5 | N-S | 1 |
| 6 | NE-SW | 2 |
| 7 | NW-SE | 3 |
| 8 | NE-SW | 2 |
| 9 | NW-SE | 3 |
| 10 | E-W (W-E) | 2/3 |
| 11 | NE-SW | 5 |
| 12 | NW-SE | 7 |
| 13 | NE-SW | 5 |
| 14 | NW-SE | 7 |
| 15 | NE-SW | 8 |
| 16 | NE-SE | 9 |
I will give the updated pattern a run tomorrow. In addition I will be revisiting my lathering and focus on more hydration (aka Al’s Lather Method) or a wetter lather.
- Thread starter
- #3,134
I was mulling over my collection yesterday and even the word “selling” came to mind. I have marked a couple that could be sold off as my usage of them is lower. That was actually a helpful exercise in dealing with RAD (virtually gone by the way) as well as RRA (surfaces now and again but feels much better than last year) as I really stopped and think about my different razors. And I concluded that it is exactly where I want it to be. That was an awesome sensation.
- Thread starter
- #3,135
| Date | 17.03.2024 |
| 366 daily shaves | 077/366 |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
| Blackbird SS | Tiger Platinum (1) | Razorock Big Bruce |
| Preshave | Soap | Postshave |
| Cold splash KCG Face Wash | Mike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (58) | Cold splash Proraso Green Balm |
| Passes | WTG XTG ATG and touch up |
| Process Quality (details here) | Blade Sharpness |
| 8/10 (Opened the nick from yesterday) | 4/10 (Sharp) |
| Effectiveness | Shave Comfort |
| 7/10 (DFS) | 6/10 (Rough) |
| Notes: |
Summary. Good shave that could have been better in the comfort department. All in all a nice end result ready for today.
No, that’s todayOmg, is this to get me back for yesterday's post?
Razor and blade. Following talk about Tigers compared to Racers I was just plain curious and I hadn’t used a Tiger in quite a while. I researched these together with many other blades to find an alternative to the very expensive KCG blade. Obviously it’s no KCG but I did find that it gives me a couple of good shaves. I have never taken one to 10 I believe - usually plateaus around 3-5 shaves. However the purpose for today is to compare it to the Racer. The razor is sheer excellence. I like it very much. And other threads have been discussing which metal would be best with Shane chipping in as well. Well Blackland designed the stainless version to perfection already and it just feels feathery even though the scale says otherwise. I had to pay for my insolence towards Andrew of course. The shave was rough! I don't think the Tiger and Blackbird are the greatest match and I attribute that to the fact that Tigers generally perform better with razors that clamp the blade like crazy - which the Blackbird is not doing. Compared to the Racer the Tiger was less comfortable today. Shave results are more or less on par. I may need to do an actual side by side shave to verify. I am still working out what to think of the Blackbird. It shaves nice and all, but I am not blown away like many others are. So I must be either missing the point (angle) or the Blackbird is just another razor like others are to me.
Brush and lather. This is one of my top 3 brushes at the moment. Great grip, excellent knot. I keep lathering just to continue using it! I dunked the brush twice in water and continued lahering. Nice, slick and hydrated lather. Very nice!
Technique. As mentioned in the previous post I have revisited my beard map and so I used my regular pattern again with slightly less speed or by being a little more deliberate about which stroke and the length and direction of the stroke. While rough the Blackbird and Tiger did get the job done and better than yesterday's Ti95/Racer combo - in terms of end results that is.A thought I had was also that the shave was rougher because I have been using different patterns the last couple of shaves. Would direction of cutting (in this case slicing) have any influence over the way the hair grows back.
Enjoy your shave!
No, that’s today
Its all good. If I dish it out, I should be able to take it
.I found the Tiger really tuggy in all 3 of my Wolfmen and I agree, that the Tiger gets the job done but not in the most comfortable way. Thanks for doing back to back shaves. I finished my tuck of Tigers and have no intention of ever buying them again!!
- Thread starter
- #3,137
No worries, I have 300 in stock. I can send you some
(kidding).- Thread starter
- #3,138
It’s a picky blade. Put it in a Fatip and it is really smooth and comfortable (not GlideFest levels, but smoother than today).
Glad you and your son are sharing this hobby.
Date 10.03.2024 366 daily shaves
070/366
Razor Blade Brush Gillette SA 109 Sputnik (3) Omega 33167 Preshave Soap Postshave Cold splash
KCG Face WashMike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (51)
Cold splash
Proraso Green
Balm
Passes WTG XTG ATG and touch up Consistency
(details here)Quality / My process 9.75/10 (Significantly Consistent) 10/10
(Clean)Effectiveness Comfort / Blade condition 6.5/10
(DFS-)7/10 (Comfortable)
Notes:
Summary. Super Adjustable Sunday. A nice and comfortable shave with acceptable results celebrating my second B&B anniversary. Thank you everyone for making this the best community in the planet!
Razor and blade. The razor is my @Curly Straight birth quarter razor. It’s in amazing condition (I might even be tempted to say in a better condition than I am!). And super remarkable to have it. I may have needed to up the anti a little more. The SA at level 4 was comfortable and smooth, but could have been more effective. It only comes out for special occasion and today is such an occasion as I celebrate my second year of joining B&B. I have to thank Kim @Phoenixkh for pointing that out last month, because otherwise I might as well have forgotten it altogether. I will say that it has been two amazing years - life changing for me personally. Every day has been a blast and I get to shave with amazing gear that I would never ever have found without this place. The comraderie is second to none as I have felt these last months in times of challenge. That is most special. So thank you all for making this happen and continuing to happen
. The blade is gone after this shave. Three feels like the max for me. I have stropped it on my Twinplex after yesterday’s shave.
Brush and lather. Of course I had to use my first ever brush. Still with me after all these years - 30 years easily and don’t shed at all. Lather was wonderful this Sunday.
Technique. Nice and consistent. Quite a journey compared to two years ago when I was just discovering beard mapping. Got shaving advice from my son (17): skip the XTG - bad for the skin. I even went for a two pass on the left side which is not what this blade was made for…back to my usual routine and all was fine again. I love it he continues his interest in our mutual hobby (well, chore for him, obsession for me).
Enjoy your shave!
Guido, Love your reviews! Very helpful
Date 11.03.2024 366 daily shaves
071/366
Razor Blade Brush Mühle Rocca R94 Racer (1) Mühle Rocca Silver Tip Preshave Soap Postshave Cold splash
KCG Face WashMike’s Natural Soaps Barbershop (52)
Cold splash
Proraso Green
Balm
Passes WTG XTG ATG and touch up Consistency
(details here)Quality / My process 9.75/10 (Significantly Consistent) 10/10
(Clean)Effectiveness Comfort / Blade condition 8.5/10
(DFS++)9/10 (Butterysmooth)
Notes:
Summary. Kickstarting the week with one of my favourite combos. My Rocca’s never disappoint and always deliver.
Razor and blade. The Rocca came later last year and has been a go to razor from the beginning. It is simply phenomenal. It shaves with the mildness of the R89 and delivers the results of the R41. I tried on different handles just to check, but the total design including the OEM handle is simply spot on. The Blackbird has the same vibe. First shave with the Racer blade and I was very curious in trying this one. So far Lord blades have been good to my face. This blade is no different. Good blade. Smooth and very comfortable. Less sharp than the GSB, but almost as comfortable. Not sure about longevity. I had the idea the blade was already decreasing in sharpness during this first shave.
Brush and lather. Excellent lather today as the soft tips have my skin a gentle scrub. I am increasingly liking face lathering compared to bowl lathering. 15 counts of loading, two water dips and magnificent lather in a relatively short period of time.
Technique. My neck is my sensitive area and also the most challenging in mapping the direction of growth. I am almost certain I can be more effective even though I pay extra attention to lathering up for example to prepare the hairs. I am also looking into the fact is WTG can benefit from some Gillette Slide or Slant action. Life of a BOSC - variety for science.
Other news.
That is the next of the week! fantastic to hear!! I am super happy for the two of you. And that you found what was temporarily lost. No wonder we have been seeing that Slim more and more!
And thank you @JKaboom for your nice words - always nice to have a fellow head shaver join the party!
Enjoy your shave!
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