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blethenstrom

blethenstrom

Morning shave - 3/29/24
Razor: Parker SoloEdge
Blade: Treet Platinum (half) (2)
Soap: BSS #1
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: Lustray Blue Spice
Rating: 9.5/10, BBS
Another fantastic shave by the SoloEdge. However, I was getting a bit exuberant and caused myself a bit of skin tightness and a few weepers. Still a very comfortable shave with a great shave outcome.

I obviously got a bit carried away during my shave this morning. I was using way too much pressure even though I knew from last shave to be careful. I guess it takes me longer these days to learn from my own experiences. I sure enough ended up with like three weepers, which is very unusual for me. Lighter hand is what I need, lighter hand...... I guess I was just excited to use this razor again and it sure did not let me down either. I guess my BBS this morning is the reward for the three weepers, but that is not the kind of payment that I like to make. I do not care for payment in blood for my nice quality shaves. I did end up with a bit tightness of skin as well, which is another sign that it was a bit too much for me. Anyways my next shave is 36 hours away so I have some extra time for my skin to recover.

Not a fun day today. We have the funeral for my neighbor, that I spoke of a handful of days ago, that passed suddenly in his sleep. I have been encouraged at the same time though because I have heard stories regarding his life turnaround in the last year or so coming out of his drug addiction. Just goes to show that no matter what goes on in life we can make changes and turn it around for the better.

Happy shaves everyone!
 
Eric_75

Eric_75

Not made for these times.
blethenstrom said:
Not a fun day today. We have the funeral for my neighbor, that I spoke of a handful of days ago, that passed suddenly in his sleep. I have been encouraged at the same time though because I have heard stories regarding his life turnaround in the last year or so coming out of his drug addiction. Just goes to show that no matter what goes on in life we can make changes and turn it around for the better.
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My sincere condolences, my friend.
 
ShavingPrimate

ShavingPrimate

blethenstrom said:
Talk about surprise! I had all intentions to PIF away my KCG razor, which was my first razor entering into this journey, but I decided that I need to make sure that that is what I want to do. I have not shaved with this razor since Jul 10th, 2023, even before I started my official shave log. My shave back then was lackluster and I was considering PIF it away. Well fast forward to last night I pulled it out and had a go with it with a new Personna blade and I have to say that it was heavenly.

It did not feel like the same razor I remember. It felt quite efficient even. It is strange. Before I really had to work with this razor to get a good shave with it, but now it was almost effortless. I am wondering if ~8 months of more experience DE shaving has anything to do with it. Actually I think that it has everything to do with it. I can probably "read" the razors far better now than back then and adjust accordingly.
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Interesting observation. I tended to put the KCG on the back burner as I acquired other razors, but returned to it as you have. The razor is right in the comfort zone. Close enough without being overly agressive.

When you think about it, it isn't really that surprising. Before the KCG, came the GiIIette Heritage.

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As I understand it, the head was made in Germany and the handle in the United States.

It's basically an R89 in design. I think that Gillette was just testing the waters. Then the Heritage went away, being replaced by a Chinese made KCG. In adopting the '89 type of design, Gillette was keeping the field wide open as possible to accommodate the largest number of potential customers.

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I don't for a moment think that the KCG razor is a move to return to traditional shaving, but a move to get in on the lucrative market for selling shaving products, which is essentially what The KCG product line is intended for.
 
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huck1680

huck1680

thombrogan said:
The extra time building a lather that is a joy to me is extra expenses, extra time, and more things to clean with no improvement to others
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True. BUT...shaving is a ceremony which a lot of us gladly indulge by using very specific articles. This is what makes it so enjoyable...it's OUR time to pamper ourselves. I love my routine and it's a different combo every time I shave which is also part of the fun. What to pair with what. So those who prefer to "streamline" their process is fine as well because it's better for them as far as their shaving process is concerned. Babyfaces for everyone!

babyface-face.gif
 
blethenstrom

blethenstrom

Evening shave - 3/30/24
Razor: Parker SoloEdge
Blade: Treet Platinum (half) (3)
Soap: BSS #1
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: Osage Rub
Rating: 9.75/10, DFS++
This shave was a great shave for the books. Very close indeed and even after 12 hours it was not much growth. Smooth and pleasant. Cannot ask for more.

Evening shave - 3/31/24
Razor: Parker SoloEdge
Blade: Treet Platinum (half) (4)
Soap: BSS #1 (single lye)
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: Afta Original After Shave Gel
Rating: 9.25/10, DFS++
Did not have much stubble growth from last shave since it was so close so I somewhat expected a bit of irritation and sure enough I did have some skin tightness and a weeper. However, the shave was as close as the previous one. This is one fantastic razor. It is just a razor that needs a bit more growth on my face to not cause irritation or I need to get better with it.

I hope everyone had a great Easter! I certainly did, but it was also a very intense and busy weekend. We did all our sound system installation at church on Saturday. It was a very long day 9 am to about 4:30 pm for me, but everything went really well, none sustained any injuries, and everything worked as it was supposed to. We were hanging speakers, projector and wifi APs so all high flying things. At least we rented a scissor lift and did not try to do it on ladders. Systems were tuned and checked that they worked. Easter service went without a hitch with the new equipment so I am really happy about that.

The weekend ended up being a Parker SoloEdge one and I just left the Treet Platinum that I had in it and I am still impressed with this razor and the blade has held up really well as well. I might stay with the Parker SoloEdge razor this week and explore the Parker half blades that it came with. I know that I have heard some critical reviews regarding this blade but we will see. Next weekend I will go to my travel setup and get that squared away.

The shave on Saturday evening was very good. I kept everything the same as the previous one and I had no issues at all. What I have noticed with this razor is that is shaves me incredible close. It takes a really long time for the stubble to reemerge. This also means that on Sunday evening, I did not have that much to shave off. I was even hesitant before the shave because not having a lot of grows may spell irritation and I did get some irritation but nothing to get too upset about though. This morning I do have still a very smooth face. Easy DFS still 12 hours past shave. Four full three pass shaves on a single edge of a Treet Platinum is not bad either. I could probably go for a few more. It does not seem to have started to slow down yet. Stellar performer.

Happy shaves everyone!
 
blethenstrom

blethenstrom

Well it is that time of the month........

Time for my monthly summary and statistics. Lots of things has been going on in my world of shaving in March. I pulled out my old razor the KCG thinking that it was going to be one last dance for it and I would write it off and have it PIF'd away. Well fate has other plans. The KCG gave me some very nice shaves and it seemed to just continue to deliver. I actually came to like it quite a bit. Even to the point where I consider it now to go with me on my cruise here in April.

I received a surprise gift from all our @Guido75. He so graciously sent me a Swing SB razor and some other goodies that I will reveal as time goes. This is a razor that I have looked for and tried to find for a bit, but it is not an easy razor to find on this side of the Atlantic since it is a Swedish razor. Of course being Swedish razor it does have a bit of nostalgia for me. Anyways this razor is a step up in aggressiveness from it's cousin the Matador and it does require you to be attentive to it. I have not yet mastered the Swing razor, but it will be one that I need to return to to get the hand of. It shaves you really close and you have to use a very light hand.

I verified that the Leaf Twig is not a razor that I will be keeping in my razor stable. It just does not work for me. It is way too mild for me and I usually like mild razors. It is really strange to me. Once I have this razor cleaned up in the ultrasonic cleaner I will setup a PIF for it here on B&B.

The last in my razor journey last month was the PIF that I entered on a whim. I saw that @shave/brush had a PIF going for a Parker SoloEdge razor, which has intrigued me for some time. For the first time I won a PIF and I was very excited about this one and @shave/brush sent it out really quickly and I received it super fast. Of course I had to try it and from the first stoke I could tell that this was going to be good. While I have only been using it for the last four shaves it has really been good. It is quite the efficient and aggressive razor so attentiveness is a must. Also learning to shave with a half blade razor it certainly changes the balance of the razor. We will see where this will take me, but it is looking really good.

Blades for the month was tail end of BIC CP, Derby Premium, Personna Platinum (Germany), Tiger Platinum, Treet Platinum (half). All the blades except for the Tiger Platinum has performed to expectations. The Tiger started out on the dull side and it really never got any better. I gave up on it after three shaves which is very unusual for me. I do have a full tuck to go through in my long stent of blades during the coming year. Hopefully they will be better. Otherwise two/three shaves per blade is all it will be.

Blade statistics. New risers on the blade front is the Derby Premium. this does not come as a big surprise to me since it was a very good blade for me when I tested it long time ago. I only had one blade though so it is a bit limiting. However, @Guido75 included four tucks of them among the gift of goodies he sent me. this will probably be the blade that I will bring along on my cruise. It is comfortable and plenty sharp for me. The Treet Platinum (half) blade picked up a bit of steam because of the razor. The Leaf Twig really hampered it, whereas the Parker SoloEdge is helping it to rise in the rankings. the BIC ended up on the lower side in the rankings, because while very sharp I do find it on the rougher side as well. I do have a full tuck of these coming up as well though so we will see if it will rise to the occasion.
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Razor statistics. The Greencult GC 1.1 has certainly made it's mark here and risen quite a bit. It is a very good razor that is more on the blade forward efficient side of things. It does require attention to it. The Parker SoloEdge has come out of nowhere and also there is an excellent razor. Not much blade feel, but very efficient indeed. Of course we cannot forget the KCG. Up to the second place! It is a super comfortable shave, but a mild razor. However, it is almost like a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde razor. Prior to using it this time it was way too mild for me, but no it does not feel that way. Maybe because I have improved on my skills and can handle differing razors much better. I am not sure. solid performance nonetheless. The Swing is lagging behind, but it only has a couple of shaves on it. I am sure once I put some time into it it will rise.
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Blade performance vs the shave number:
No real surprises here. The Treet Platinum (half) again is suffering from the poor showing of the Leaf Twig. It is a much better blade than it shows here.
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Number of blades used: I decided to drop the razor vs blade sheet. It start to get unyielding with the number of razors and blades I have. I still have it, but I decided not to post it. If you are interested I can certainly post it. I decided instead just to post a simple table of the number of blades that is part of this statistic. I have used 32 blades since I started to keep records and I started to keep record on 8/21/23.

1711975475768.png
 
cranewarrior

cranewarrior

blethenstrom said:
The weekend ended up being a Parker SoloEdge one and I just left the Treet Platinum that I had in it and I am still impressed with this razor and the blade has held up really well as well. I might stay with the Parker SoloEdge razor this week and explore the Parker half blades that it came with. I know that I have heard some critical reviews regarding this blade but we will see. Next weekend I will go to my travel setup and get that squared away.
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No idea about the half-blades, but I understand the Parker DE blades as of 2 years ago (the date of the review I saw) were Derby blades just made to "Parker specifications and standards".
 
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