Flyboy1943
06-22-2011, 04:05 PM
Hello All,
It's been some time since my last post but have been pretty busy. I learned a lot from this site and have been shaving, razor in hand, for several months. I won't ever be a prolific poster but I lurk time permitting.
I wanted to take the time for this post in order to give something back to the forum. I realize this "test" may not work or apply to anyone but me so keep that in mind.
In previous posts I discovered, from other members and some pictures, I had a Cole's of Germany slant that I inherited from my father. With advice from other members I ordered some supplies (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/154999-Shaving-Supplies-Arrived-Today?p=2190237&highlight=#post2190237) from The English Shaving Co. I also bought the DE blade sampler from West Coast Shaving (http://www.westcoastshaving.com/DE-Blade-Sampler-Pack-Choice_p_20.html).
The goal was to find, for me, the best combination of soap/cream and blade. Of course they're endless products and combinations but my test was with the products I had.
To have a constant I used the same preshave routine each day. A shower, using Olive Oil soap, straight to the sink using the EJ467 Med Silver Tip Brush and a cheap plastic bowl to make lather. The remaining lather in the bowl floated in the sink with hot water. The shave was WTG, CTG, & touch up.
Having 5 different type blades in the sampler along with 3 soaps and 1 cream (C.O. Bigelow Premium) I shaved 4 consecutive days and took 1 off.
I took a new blade and shaved with it for 4 days using a different soap with the cream on the last day. So each new blade was used 4 times in a row.
Then in the next cycle I started with a new blade and moved the day 2 soap to day one and so on until each soap/cream was matched to different blade on days 1 through 4.
My thinking was that some blades and soaps would do better or worse depending when used. For example the Feather might be great shave on days 1 & 2 only or the Derby might be pretty good the first time but not perform well on shaves 2 -4. Or the Astra might be good with the Bigelow but not with the EJ.
If you do the math there was a lot of shaving to keep track of.
I kept a simple log in the bathroom drawer and made notes after each shave giving a grade from 1 to 5 and a few comments. At the end of the test I added things up to see which combo scored the highest and reviewed my comments.
So would you like to know the results? Well, first a couple of the comments.
The Feather was really sharp, as often noted. Trust me it was. As much as I tried to use the same stroke and pressure each day I was aware of the Feather.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on soap or cream to get a decent shave. The C.O. Bigelow and Proraso worked well. In fact a tube of Bigelow remains in my travel kit. If I leave it behind at a hotel or have it confiscated by some over zealous TSAer it wouldn't be a big deal.
The Olive Oil (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=pre+provence+olive+soap&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=6756903910341597763&sa=X&ei=T20CTvOFMsj40gHT3sjFDg&ved=0CG4Q8wIwAg) soap was a really nice way to start the morning. That paired with our soft water made a big difference. While traveling and sometimes using hotel soap and normal water none of the shaves were as enjoyable.
The highest score for overall blade was the Red Israeli Personna. Followed by the Feather. Then Crystal, Derby Extra, and Astra Superior Platinum in that order.
The soaps/cream in order of finish: Trumper Violet, Proraso, Bigelow, and EJ Natural.
You have figured out by now the best combination. Personna and Trumper. The Personna was sharp but not scary and gave a very good shave each time. From 2-4 I couldn't tell the difference.
The Feather on the 2nd and 3rd shave matched with the Trumper was a close 2nd overall. However, I'm won't buy any Feathers for now. Perhaps when my technique and confidence increases I'll reconsider. The rest of the combinations were satisfactory although I wouldn't use the Derby or Astra after the first shave if I had some left.
It was fun and even though I stayed with the test till the end before adding up the score I knew fairly soon I liked the Personna.
There are many other soaps, creams and blades I want to try but this test has given me a benchmark from which to evaluate.
I want everyone to understand that my rankings don't necessarily mean anything to anyone but me. It doesn't mean a hoot if I ranked one of your favorites low. It's what you enjoy that's important.
Some of the veterans on the site would also probably tell me and you that if I did the same test 2, 3, or 4 years from now the results could easily turn out differently.
That's it. Hope this helps someone out or at least gives you a laugh at my attempt at a less than "scientific experiment".
It's been some time since my last post but have been pretty busy. I learned a lot from this site and have been shaving, razor in hand, for several months. I won't ever be a prolific poster but I lurk time permitting.
I wanted to take the time for this post in order to give something back to the forum. I realize this "test" may not work or apply to anyone but me so keep that in mind.
In previous posts I discovered, from other members and some pictures, I had a Cole's of Germany slant that I inherited from my father. With advice from other members I ordered some supplies (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/154999-Shaving-Supplies-Arrived-Today?p=2190237&highlight=#post2190237) from The English Shaving Co. I also bought the DE blade sampler from West Coast Shaving (http://www.westcoastshaving.com/DE-Blade-Sampler-Pack-Choice_p_20.html).
The goal was to find, for me, the best combination of soap/cream and blade. Of course they're endless products and combinations but my test was with the products I had.
To have a constant I used the same preshave routine each day. A shower, using Olive Oil soap, straight to the sink using the EJ467 Med Silver Tip Brush and a cheap plastic bowl to make lather. The remaining lather in the bowl floated in the sink with hot water. The shave was WTG, CTG, & touch up.
Having 5 different type blades in the sampler along with 3 soaps and 1 cream (C.O. Bigelow Premium) I shaved 4 consecutive days and took 1 off.
I took a new blade and shaved with it for 4 days using a different soap with the cream on the last day. So each new blade was used 4 times in a row.
Then in the next cycle I started with a new blade and moved the day 2 soap to day one and so on until each soap/cream was matched to different blade on days 1 through 4.
My thinking was that some blades and soaps would do better or worse depending when used. For example the Feather might be great shave on days 1 & 2 only or the Derby might be pretty good the first time but not perform well on shaves 2 -4. Or the Astra might be good with the Bigelow but not with the EJ.
If you do the math there was a lot of shaving to keep track of.
I kept a simple log in the bathroom drawer and made notes after each shave giving a grade from 1 to 5 and a few comments. At the end of the test I added things up to see which combo scored the highest and reviewed my comments.
So would you like to know the results? Well, first a couple of the comments.
The Feather was really sharp, as often noted. Trust me it was. As much as I tried to use the same stroke and pressure each day I was aware of the Feather.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on soap or cream to get a decent shave. The C.O. Bigelow and Proraso worked well. In fact a tube of Bigelow remains in my travel kit. If I leave it behind at a hotel or have it confiscated by some over zealous TSAer it wouldn't be a big deal.
The Olive Oil (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=pre+provence+olive+soap&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=6756903910341597763&sa=X&ei=T20CTvOFMsj40gHT3sjFDg&ved=0CG4Q8wIwAg) soap was a really nice way to start the morning. That paired with our soft water made a big difference. While traveling and sometimes using hotel soap and normal water none of the shaves were as enjoyable.
The highest score for overall blade was the Red Israeli Personna. Followed by the Feather. Then Crystal, Derby Extra, and Astra Superior Platinum in that order.
The soaps/cream in order of finish: Trumper Violet, Proraso, Bigelow, and EJ Natural.
You have figured out by now the best combination. Personna and Trumper. The Personna was sharp but not scary and gave a very good shave each time. From 2-4 I couldn't tell the difference.
The Feather on the 2nd and 3rd shave matched with the Trumper was a close 2nd overall. However, I'm won't buy any Feathers for now. Perhaps when my technique and confidence increases I'll reconsider. The rest of the combinations were satisfactory although I wouldn't use the Derby or Astra after the first shave if I had some left.
It was fun and even though I stayed with the test till the end before adding up the score I knew fairly soon I liked the Personna.
There are many other soaps, creams and blades I want to try but this test has given me a benchmark from which to evaluate.
I want everyone to understand that my rankings don't necessarily mean anything to anyone but me. It doesn't mean a hoot if I ranked one of your favorites low. It's what you enjoy that's important.
Some of the veterans on the site would also probably tell me and you that if I did the same test 2, 3, or 4 years from now the results could easily turn out differently.
That's it. Hope this helps someone out or at least gives you a laugh at my attempt at a less than "scientific experiment".