My shaving journal

[strangehat]

The blade on the Super is slightly thicker too, which I think is supposed to make it more durable. Having tried both I can't tell a huge difference. Both have a tendency to be pretty brisk when fresh out of the injector, mellowing out after a couple of shaves. I don't think anyone here in NZ sells Kai blades, so I'll have to cast my search wider online.

 

[strangehat]

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Feather AC SS with Pro blade (8)
Brush: Semogue boar
Soap: MWF, bowl lathered
Passes: 2: WTG, XTG (chin), ATG (everywhere else), one additional XTG on the sides of the chin.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

Results for this shave are much the same as yesterday, except I was a little less fussy on the chin and there's a slightly stubbly patch there. This is becoming my go to routine at the moment before work, as I can knock out quick, high quality shaves quite reliably with the AC SS, and the MWF is getting really rich with repeated use. I miss my proper straights though, so when I have more time in the morning over the next few days I hope to take one of them out for a spin again. Plus, I haven't really put that new strop to much use yet and some honing practice is in order too.

I shaved my head with the Fatip/Feather combo again last night and had much less tidying up to do with the cartridge - although my touch was too aggressive in places around the back of my head and I gave myself a couple of weepers.

Into the 90s now...

 

[strangehat]

Pre wash: Nivea face scrub, washed my face with it in the shower
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: TI Evide Sonnant 6/8, second or third shave on this edge I think, stropped 50/70
Brush: Semogue boar
Soap: MWF, bowl lathered
Passes: 3: WTG, XTG, ATG.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

I made a hash of the lather first time round on this shave by having far too much water in the bowl from the start. Lots of fluffy foam quickly filled the bowl, and I made a go of it for the first pass before deciding that I needed to restart. I made a more acceptable batch for the remaining passes.

Just a so-so shave from the TI today. It's pretty consistent in terms of closeness and I'd put it at DFS all over, but it just wasn't that enjoyable a shave (and some of the blame for that falls on the lather). While I don't expect the same kind of lethal sharpness from my straights as I do from the Feather blades, the difference is significant and a much firmer touch is required to overcome the resistance of the stubble (versus zero pressure, as I've been discovering). In a sense, it's good to be using both as the AC SS gives me a standard to try to come close to with my own honing. I don't feel like I could shave everyday with the TI or any other regular straight at this stage simply because of the time it takes to whittle away stubble with it, for a result that isn't as close as what I get with the shavette.

I decided in the end to put the TI past on one side of my paddle, since I already have it. I ended up using a combination of the side of a glass and my palm to work it in. This morning the surface seems to be smooth and even - I was thinking I could take a hairdryer to it if there was still some waxiness on the surface, but I don't think I'll need to. I'll run the TI over it and see if it makes any difference to the edge.

 

[martym]

In my short shaving life I've had a couple of those shaves when nothing went wrong but it was just a shave; nothing to write home about. Bright spot: you're almost to 100.

 

[McVeyMac]

My take on things are that a traditional straight razor is capable of an edge that will out perform the Feather blade. The key is getting that edge to perform that way.

 

[strangehat]

My take on things are that a traditional straight razor is capable of an edge that will out perform the Feather blade. The key is getting that edge to perform that way.

I believe in the possibility of that. My experience to date is that I haven't used an edge that has the same sharpness as the Feather blades (or close) - at least since my technique became refined enough that I could lay less blame on it. Producing such an edge is definitely outside of my honing capabilities too! I can get comfortable, but not very close shaves from my own edges.

Shave 93

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Feather AC SS with Pro blade (9)
Brush: Vulfix Super Badger
Soap: TOBS Jeremyn cream, bowl lathered
Passes: 2: WTG, XTG (chin), ATG (everywhere else), one additional XTG on the sides of the chin.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

Shave 94

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Feather AC SS with Pro blade (10)
Brush: Vulfix Super Badger
Soap: Tabac, bowl lathered
Passes: 2: WTG, XTG (chin), ATG (everywhere else), one additional XTG on the sides of the chin.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

Both of these were nice, efficient, smooth and comfortable shaves. I've decided to rotate through my creams and soaps more now, which will give me good opportunity to get better at lathering each and experience some variety in the routine. The Pro blade is still going well at 10 shaves.

 

[McVeyMac]

Ten shaves and still going strong. Not bad for a $1.00 (USD of course). Keep at the honing and you will eventually get there. I will say that I can get edges that are more comfortable and give me a better result than the Feather, but only recently have I been able to accomplish this. My honing is still too sporadic to know if I can get it consistently yet or not.

 

[strangehat]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am impressed with that blade - although a slight increase in the resistance today going WTG on my chin has me wondering if it's starting to fade. I'll see how it goes tomorrow with different prep.

Today's shave:

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Feather AC SS with Pro blade (11)
Brush: Vulfix Super Badger
Soap: Proraso sandalwood cream, bowl lathered
Passes: 2: WTG, XTG (chin), ATG (everywhere else), one additional XTG on the sides of the chin.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

BBS- all over, with a little nick on the chin where I started getting too aggressive but no irritation. It was nice to lather up with the Proraso sandalwood today - quite a different scent to my other soaps and good glide.

 

[strangehat]

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Bengall 5/8, touched up 15 laps on TI pasted homemade paddle strop, 30 linen, 60 on leather side of paddle strop
Brush: Vulfix Super Badger
Soap: Tabac, bowl lathered
Passes: 3: WTG, XTG, ATG.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

I stropped my Bengall razor on my homemade strop last night and was impressed by how much this seemed to bring the edge up, so I shaved with it this morning. I took my time as I was keen to shoot for a BBS result. I came kind of close - I'd put the result more at DFS+. I ended up with a few pinpricks, as a result of getting aggressive in places.

The hollows of my neck become much more of a challenge with the very flat shaving angle of the straight. The Feather's somewhat steeper angle lets me scoop in and do E-W/W-E passes, which is the grain direction, with ease. I had a couple of strokes in the initial pass where the razor didn't adjust in time for the growth direction changes, going abruptly from a skewed WTG/XTG (as good as a WTG pass gets there) to something more like XTG/ATG - it skipped and was uncomfortable for a moment. This sure is a process that keeps you on your toes, and I'm still amazed by how much I learn each shave.

I get a kick out of stropping with the paddle I made, at any rate. It seems to work, and it feels like I can control the pressure and strokes easily. That in itself is enough to make me want to persevere with shaving with straights.

 

[McVeyMac]

Glad you got a good result with your paddle strop. Some of my most significant improvements came after shave 100.

 

[strangehat]

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Feather AC SS with Pro blade (12)
Brush: Vulfix Super Badger
Soap: TI soap, bowl lathered
Passes: 2: WTG, XTG (chin), ATG (everywhere else), one additional XTG on the sides of the chin.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

This was the last shave for the Pro blade currently in the AC. While the overall result I'd still classify as DFS/CCS+, it was struggling around the chin where it would usually glide through whatever amount of growth happened to be there. I'm thinking that around the 10 shave mark might be a good point to retire them so that the performance doesn't drop off too much. I'll see how a Super goes next time around. No nicks or weepers this morning except a tiny speck where I opened up some thing that was still healing from yesterday.

This morning I used the TI soap that I bought when I got my first straight. Its performance was acceptable, but the lather didn't have anywhere near the richness of the other soaps I've been using and stayed quite foamy. Maybe this is because it's been sitting around a while, but I remember it feeling like that and disappearing quickly on my face when I started out.

Closing in on 100...

 

[McVeyMac]

Three more dude. Ten shaves seems to be what most people are getting out of these. I think I only have four on my Pro Super, so no way to tell from experience yet.

 

[strangehat]

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Bengall 5/8, 40 linen, 70 on homemade paddle strop
Brush: Semogue boar
Soap: MWF, bowl lathered
Passes: 3: WTG, XTG, ATG.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

Result: DFS all over. A more enjoyable shave with the Bengall this morning than last time. I was planning to use the AC with a new Super blade, but changed my mind when I got up today. Things clicked better lather wise, just a couple of baby weepers around the jaw where I (once again) got carried away with pressure. No irritation though.

 

[martym]

Glad you had a great shave! I am impressed! Usually when I change my mind, things go all to hell.

 

[Al_S]

Just about there to 100...

 

[strangehat]

Glad you had a great shave! I am impressed! Usually when I change my mind, things go all to hell.

Thanks - I know what you mean!

Number 99:

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Feather AC SS with Pro Super blade (new)
Brush: Vulfix Super Badger
Soap: Proraso 'white' sensitive soap, bowl lathered
Passes: 2: WTG, XTG (chin), ATG (everywhere else).
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, Lush Cosmetic Lad moisturiser

The usual DFS to BBS result, depending on where you happen to be running your fingers. A couple of tiny bites, which I almost expected on this fresh edge.

I got a great lather from the Proraso soap today. Really loading up the brush on the puck helped with this, and I added a few drops of water while I was building it on my face and in between passes to get the balance just right.

I'm considering taking a day off shaving tomorrow morning so that I can enjoy my 100th shave on a Sunday morning without any other commitments. I haven't given my skin a break for a while - not that it seems to be suffering for it, but it couldn't hurt anyway. I guess I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.

 

[McVeyMac]

I'm looking forward to reading about your century shave.

 

[strangehat]

Pre wash: Nivea sensitive face wash
Pre-shave: Proraso green
Razor: Bengall 5/8, 40 linen, 70 on homemade paddle strop
Brush: Semogue boar
Soap: MWF, bowl lathered
Passes: 3: WTG, XTG, ATG.
Post-shave: Floid Suave splash, TOBS Jeremyn PSB

I woke up with plenty of time to have a leisurely shave this morning, so I figured this should be the day that I celebrate my 100th straight shave.

I decided to go with the Bengall as it's the sharpest in my collection at the moment. My objective was to get the closest shave I could with it that was still comfortable, so I took my time. At the end of each pass I relathered the stubborn areas (mainly around the chin) for a quick extra pass before moving on.

I was hoping to get through without any blood, and am happy that I got fairly close to this - there were just a couple of faint weepers that appeared momentarily during the shave but weren't still there by the end. The result was a very satisfactory shave - not proper BBS, but not too far off and very consistent.

I'm glad to have kept up my journal, as there were a couple of moments earlier on where I had considered letting it go. The learning and feedback I've gotten from it has been invaluable, so thanks to everyone here in the community for your help so far. It's been fun. I had thought recently that I might stop journaling after 100 shaves, but now I'm thinking otherwise - as McVeyMac recently pointed out, there's plenty to learn after 100 too!

 

[Al_S]

Congrats on reaching 100!

 

[McVeyMac]

Congratulations on the century shave. There is more to learn, especially about edges. Good luck on your continued journey.