What did you use today? +Rate the shave 1-10 (10 best)

[Russ622]

SOTD: 05/21/2024

Razor: Blackland ERA
Blade: AccuForge , 1st use
Brush: Century #3 w/ Maggards 22mm Boar
Preshave: Hot Water Splash
Soap: Noble Otter Neon Sun Croap
Aftershave: Noble Otter Neon Sun Aftershave

Tried the ERA again today. I do like it with the level 3 plate but would like to find a 4 and 5 plate. The 3 is great on cheeks, jawline and sides of my neck. But the middle grows sideways towards my ears and after 2 passes I needed a third but chose against it because I did not want the irritation and honestly I don’t chase BBS anyway.

Neon Sun is fun to use. Lathers up fast, lots of slickness, and the label and scent make me smile. I went to high school in the late 80’s so this one is right up my alley.

- Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

 

[Lane101]

Today's shave: (Actually Yesterday's)
Razor: Weishi 9306 Long Handle
Blade: Astra SP Shave#15
Brush: Razorock Big Bruce 26mm plissoft
Soap: TFS Ciotola Rosa "Red Bowl"
Result: Excellent 2+ pass 9.5/10 shave. Shave was BBS

Continuing to play around with some of my soft Italian shaving soaps including today's TFS Red Bowl and some recent Razorock purchases from Italian Barber. Overall lesson is that they all offer similar high quality core shaving performance with the main difference being scent. Additionally the key to a luxurious lather is to use plenty of product.

I began with my normal pre-shave of washing my face. Next I scooped a a large dollop of shaving soap with my expresso spoon and pressed it into my 4" steel shaving bowl. Filled up the spoon with about 50% more than my typical almond sized amount to see how extra product effected my lather.

Next I went to town with my synthetic Big Bruce brush adding small amounts of extra hot water whipping up some nice rich lather in the bowl. Next was some face lathering to further build up the lather into a nice rich and creamy texture. I found that the extra product made the lather even slicker than what was created for earlier shaves. Will definitely continue to use the increased quantity of this shaving soap in the future. Will also see how the use of additional soap works with my Razorock Classic Italian and XXX shaving soaps. Still need to break out my recently purchased Mudder Focker for a first use also.

Also want to note what is an unusually long-lived Astra SP blade that is still doing well through shave number 15. My more typical longevity for these blades is in the range of around 6-10 shaves. Will see how long this blade goes. I get one of these outliers every now and then. This Astra SP is St. Petersburg Gillette production purchases around four years ago. Good blades that rank right between my Derby Extras and Dorcos in terms of longevity. Outside of longevity I realize similar shave quality from all three brands.

Otherwise the shave was uneventful with my typical 2+ passes for a BBS result. Continue to be impressed by how this simple shaving soap, with 5 ingredients, not counting water and scent, works just as well as my other Razorock soft Italian shaving soaps with much longer ingredient lists.

9.5/10 score reflects one small weeper that was noticed during the shave. Overall shave was nice and comfortable.

 

[Jim in NZ]

So much for my short-lived policy of only changing one variable each shave.... a brand new head and blade - what could possibly go wrong?

Prep: Shower and face wash with Dove bar.
Razor: Yaqi Top Slant
Handle: Maggard MR11
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum
Cream: Body Shop Maca Root and Aloe
Bowl: none - face lather
Brush: Yaqi 20mm synthetic
Post shave:
Thorough rinse with warm water
Rinse with cold tap water
Proraso alum bar
Rinse with cold tap water again
Natio calming aftershave balm
Brut Aftershave (the clear one in the clear bottle)

Score: an 8/10 SAS
Summary:
I used a completely new head and blade combo today. On the plus side, i didn't bleed to death, as was my fear.
The Body Shop cream quickly creates dense, smooth and persistent lather that softens my whiskers, cushions the razor and lets it glide well. I also gave myself plenty of time.
The Slant's reputation had me somewhat afraid, and a few nicks and one weeper are evidence that it isn't undeserved! There is substantial blade feel and plenty of auditory feedback, but the razor is still smooth for the most part. The Bic blade seems efficient and smooth.
I found myself hesitating at times, and that leads to the blade catching on skin. I was deliberately trying to keep it slow, but slow isn't always smooth! The result was a good, close shave but not BBS by any means. Confidence and familiarity with the new gear will come, and the results will hopefully improve.
Things to really work on are maintaining the right amount of pressure, and keeping the strokes smooth while still maintaining control. I may need to use the KCG tomorrow to give my moderately irritated skin a bit of a break!

 

[Lane101]

Day 21 of all injector month.
Schick Adjustable on 2.5
4th shave Topco platinum chrome injector
Aveeno

7/10. Everything worked as advertised, but after three passes I expected less ATG stubble. Yet, no damage done and face is quite comfortable.

If you left me in an island with nothing but injectors, I could do quite well. However, I do miss my Techs, Shovel Head, and long combs!

If you prefer shaving with your adjustable on a mild setting consider trying a final buffing pass with the riding the cap technique to realize a closer shave. Shave Nation has videos on this and I've found it works well for a BBS shave with my really mild King C. Gillette razor.

 

[Lane101]

DE SOTD, Tuesday, May 21st 2024

Razor : Yaqi 2nd Generation Mellon 3166 SSP head with a Yaqi Chippendale 316 SSP handle. Mfg 2023>, mid range. Excellent razor for my shaving needs. Had a close comfortable stellar shave this morning.
Blade : GSB(3) sharp and smoooth with reasonable longevity.
Soap : Razorock XXX, unique clean scent with excellent lather qualities. Brand new 4th tub used this morning. Top tier soap for myself.
Brush :Yaqi "Red Zebra" 26mm snow leopard synthetic. Excellent lather generator, luxury heavenly cloud like soft tips, nice splay scrubber + excellent lather painter. 26mm synthetic brushes are the best for wanting to indulge yourself in a Zen moment or two.
Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.
Post shave : Razorock XXX splash (3rd bottle) with witch hazel + a dollop of CeraVe moisturizing lotion(scentless).
Results : or CCS,DFS,BBS + no irritation + 1 small blemish weeper = Had a close comfortable shave this morning with my Yaqi Mellon 2nd Gen razor with a GSB blade. (it does not get much better shaving for myself!)

Have some great shaves!

Agree this is great soap. I've also recently started using a new tub and really like the scent. How much of this soap do you typically load for your ideal shave? I've found that the RR soft Italian soaps work best if you load plenty of product.

 

[Lane101]

So much for my short-lived policy of only changing one variable each shave.... a brand new head and blade - what could possibly go wrong?

Prep: Shower and face wash with Dove bar.
Razor: Yaqi Top Slant
Handle: Maggard MR11
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum
Cream: Body Shop Maca Root and Aloe
Bowl: none - face lather
Brush: Yaqi 20mm synthetic
Post shave:
Thorough rinse with warm water
Rinse with cold tap water
Proraso alum bar
Rinse with cold tap water again
Natio calming aftershave balm
Brut Aftershave (the clear one in the clear bottle)
View attachment 1850012
Score: an 8/10 SAS
Summary:
I used a completely new head and blade combo today. On the plus side, i didn't bleed to death, as was my fear.
The Body Shop cream quickly creates dense, smooth and persistent lather that softens my whiskers, cushions the razor and lets it glide well. I also gave myself plenty of time.
The Slant's reputation had me somewhat afraid, and a few nicks and one weeper are evidence that it isn't undeserved! There is substantial blade feel and plenty of auditory feedback, but the razor is still smooth for the most part. The Bic blade seems efficient and smooth.
I found myself hesitating at times, and that leads to the blade catching on skin. I was deliberately trying to keep it slow, but slow isn't always smooth! The result was a good, close shave but not BBS by any means. Confidence and familiarity with the new gear will come, and the results will hopefully improve.
Things to really work on are maintaining the right amount of pressure, and keeping the strokes smooth while still maintaining control. I may need to use the KCG tomorrow to give my moderately irritated skin a bit of a break!

Suspect that the head change was the variable with the most impact on your shave. Unclear if this is just the angle of the photo but it looks like there is a lot of blade exposure in your new Yaqi Top Slant.

I've found that each of my three razors requires some modifications to technique to realize a great shave without any issues. Have to be especially careful when moving from a mild to more aggressive razor as the muscle memory from the former can result in too many nicks (any quantity above zero ). Like you my King C. Gillette (KCG) is my mildest razor. While I can easily switch around now I recall a rough shave or two when I switched from it to my more aggressive (moderate level) Weishi 9306 Long Handle.

 

[CDinVT]

Razor: 1941 Gillette Ranger Tech
Blade: Feather first use
Brush: DS Cosmetics Barber Pole Synthetic
Soap: Vintage Colgate Shave Stick 50's or 60's
Post: Dickinson's Witch Hazel
After: Aqua Velva Musk
Rating: 10/10
Notes: My first shave with this 41 Ranger Tech. It was two days late getting here in the mail, I finally had enough and drove to the post office a couple Towns over to pick it up. This was also my first shave with this vintage of Colgate shave stick. I had 6 days of growth and the shave was Smooth! Four pass BBS shave, I had one weeper from a blemish. I find this 41 more efficient than my later 1940 super speeds, I get why there is a following with this razor . The Colgate shave stick's performance was excellent, easy to lather with great residual slickness. Hope you all have a great rest of your week and happy shaves!

 

[GNR]

I love the Omega 10290, its a great brush

Yup, it sure is. It took a little while for me to experiment with smaller Omega brushes. I had two smaller Boar brushes from a well known company and I didn’t like them compared to my Omega Pros with big lofts.

I moved those on and then found that The like Big, small, skinny, and fat Omega Boars.

 

[Jim in NZ]

Suspect that the head change was the variable with the most impact on your shave. Unclear if this is just the angle of the photo but it looks like there is a lot of blade exposure in your new Yaqi Top Slant.

I've found that each of my three razors requires some modifications to technique to realize a great shave without any issues. Have to be especially careful when moving from a mild to more aggressive razor as the muscle memory from the former can result in too many nicks (any quantity above zero ). Like you my King C. Gillette (KCG) is my mildest razor. While I can easily switch around now I recall a rough shave or two when I switched from it to my more aggressive (moderate level) Weishi 9306 Long Handle.

A close-up pic from the side. It is difficult to get a decent pic as the head isn't symmetrical. Further investigation will follow when I get a bit more time.

 

[GNR]

Razor: GENCO Henry’s XX
Hone: Black Shadow
Brush: Omega 10081 Boar
Soap: Haslinger Ringelblumen V2
Aftershave: Stirling Bergamot Lavender w/menthol

Nice easy shave as I try to adjust my biological clock to my work schedule.

The Henry’s XX was keen and smooth.

I agree with other posters the newest version of Haslinger soaps are excellent, actually my favorite version of all Haslinger revisions.

A nice splash of Bergamot Lavender to carry me to slumber.

Excellent results and scents. 9.7/10

 

[DHowz]

Pre: Stirling Unscented Pre-Shave Soap Bar
Razor: Timeless Ti SlimSB w/Crown Handle
Blade: Perma-Sharp (1)
Soap: B&M Spice
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24mm Mokasoft Synth
Bowl: Timeless
Post-Shave: Shannon's Barbershop AS

So I couldn't resist. I ordered the Ti Slim plate for my Timeless and gave it a spin tonight. Such an incredible 2-pass shave, easy 10/10. It's my first run with this plate, but I suspect that it will be my favorite by far. Incredibly efficient and comfortable with no post-shave irritation. I did have one small patch of stubble left on my neck, so I will need to work on the angle a bit in that area next time. I'm also loving the Shannon's splash, which I added to my order at the last minute. Really fresh scent and face feel that follows the Spice soap nicely.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Monday & Tuesday 20240520 & 20240521

Razor: Blackland Razors Ti Vector SB (Rosseforp GTC 25g Handle)
Blade: Schick Proline P (3 shaves, 6 passes)
Brush: Wolf Whiskers Tyrion (Maggard 24mm SHD Fan)
Bowl: Schöne
Lather: Mitchell's Wool Fat (Tallow)
Aftershave: Old Spice Original

Superb shaves!

Additional notes are in My Journal.

 

[helicopter]

Rex Konsul XL razor level 3.
Astra SP India (8) blade still measures as quite sharp. It didn't really feel sharp.
Cella green soap is a bit airy for me. I had to cheat the last pass with some Cremo.
DS Cosmetics T4 brush. Better than most synthetics, but not as good as G7 or cat whisker. It has some.backbone and is about as soft as badger. Holds water well and lathers quickly.
Liveben bowl
Proraso alum
Proraso balm

3/10. I have had worse shaves. Lots of irritation, uncomfortable process, but mostly BBS.

 

[Mthammer11]

Felt like a cologne-type scent this morning and went back to HC&C’s Rise of a New Era. Great scent and performance. Good shave!

Pre: Shower
Brush: Brush Craft
Razor: G. Wostenholm & Son Straight
Soap: HC&C Rise
Toner: Thayer‘s - Unscented
Splash: HC&C Rise
Serum: Jack Black Protein Serum
Balm: Zingari Man Aftershave Balm - Unscented
EDT: None needed!

3 Passes
No Knicks, Cuts, Irritation

Shave Rating: 9

 

[Chard52142]

Wed 22
Cream SuperMax Menthol
Aftershave MacaRoot & Aloe
Brush Spiffo Manchurian
Razor Gillette Fatboy F4
Blade Super-Max SS
Super nice soft brush whip-up a beautiful lather. The razor & blade combo shave was very good too...Rating 9.5

 

[dorse23]

Preshave: Glycerine Facewash with warm water splashes
Razor : Feather Artist Club SR Non-
Blade : Feather Super Professional (D14)
Brush : Custom Shavemac 2-Band Silvertip Badger
Soap : D R Harris Arlington
Aftershave : Alum Block + Cold water splashes + D R Harris Arlington AS Lotion


Close and comfortable BBS in 3 passes !!

Rating : 9.81/10

 

[Guido75]

Date	22.05.2024
366 daily shaves	143/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Timeless Ti95 SCL	Gillette Nacet (3)	Razorock 400 Butterscotch
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash	Hampshire Wool Fat (9)	Cold splash Proraso Green Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Process Quality	Blade Sharpness
10/10 (Clean)	4/10 (Sharp Edge)
Effectiveness	Shave Comfort
9/10 (BBS)	9/10 (Buttery Smooth)

Notes:

Absolutely amazing shave with my top razor and ditto brush.

Extended shave notes can be found here.

Enjoy your shave today!

 

[Marco63]

Thank you folks for yesterday's greetings

 

[MrSpeedy]

Razor: Schick Krona
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (7)
Brush: EverReady 100T handle with synthetic knot
Soap: Mike's Peppermint & Rosemary
Aftershave: Speick
Rating: 10/10 - Great one-pass, mid-week shave.

 

[awk_m4]

Wednesday May 22, 2024
Semogue SOC Cherry
MdC Rose
Henson +++
Crystal Israeli
Tabac

Rating: 10/10