Single in September - anyone interested?

Same old same old for today:

Schick Krona / Gillette Platinum / Soapy Bathman Just Bananas / Parker Synthetic / HTGAM Tombstone

I got a great lather out of the soap today and a really fine shave. All of it clicked nicely. Unfortunately, I'm going to end up failing out of this month. I just found out that I'm next on the Cobra Classic passaround, and I've really been looking forward to trying that razor out to see if the hype is justified. I'll be sticking with my setup until that point, but that will effectively disqualify me. I would have easily made it otherwise. Oh well.

Well gentleman, I failed. I tried so hard to keep going with TABAC but I just couldn't do it. My work and home life have been so stressful these last two months and the only respite I have sometimes is all the wonderful shaving goodies I have. I just couldn't see adding more stress to my life right now by sticking to something monotonous.

Please forgive me B&B!

shaversnapper said:

My work and home life have been so stressful these last two months and the only respite I have sometimes is all the wonderful shaving goodies I have.

Please forgive me B&B!

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So what's not wonderful about Tabac? Used it this morning again..........WONDERFUL!

Late entry here guys but a qualified player.

Some of you may have read the thread about my recently restored Katrina Razor http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ane-katrina-survivor-rescued-after-nine-years .Well, since I received it in late August it has been in daily use as have the other items I started using with it (It put me in a lost in the 50s mood).



The Katrina Razor is an F 2 Fatboy packing an Astra SP.
The brush is a restored Made Rite 76 in Finest.
Mennen Skin Bracer decanted into a more suitable previous issue glass bottle.
I was unable to find a refill of "REEL MAN" soap for the bowl so I whipped up a concoction of 1/2 puck of Caswell Massey Almond and a puck of VDH deluxe to give the CM a boost. It makes acceptable lather and smells terrific!

I seem to be getting along just fine with this particular rig and see no reason to stop now. With the exception of the experimental soap, to quote Julie Andrews, "These are a few of my favorite things" anyhow.

If nobody objects I'd like to play along for the rest of Sept.

stillshunter said:

So an all German affair for you mate…well excepting the DE of course?
Funny thems two brands I'll be exploring next month. Speick soap for when it warms up and trading in one of my Simpsons for, possibly, an unfloppy Shavemac….or T&H or Thater or Rooney or…..so/too many fine brushes.

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Until you said it I hadn't realized. Even the Excelsior stright is possibly German.
Maybe thinking the Shavemac was American because it came all the way from Plainfield, NJ

Sep-15: Schick Hydro Silk 5-blade thing(15)...Omega 599.............Klar Kabinett...............................Aqua Velva

I'm in for at least another few days on the same cart. Check my straight journal to see why I cannot use my freshly honed straight this morning.

Still in and still enjoying my SiS setup of Speick software and PILS hardware. The little Simpsons Case brush I've had to switch to does a pretty good job for a travel brush. It doesn't whip up anywhere near the amount of lather the SR 3824 did that I used for the first part if the month but it does an admirable job to be so small.

bluesman 7 said:

So what's not wonderful about Tabac? Used it this morning again..........WONDERFUL!

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its not that TABAC isn't wonderful, I guess I just enjoy the spontaneity of a rotation. It is great stuff though. It's been far too hot here this month for it, as I feel like it would shine in the cold winter months.

Still getting good shaves!

k9ted said:

I thought you were suggesting a month away from the wives."Honey, all the guys on B&B are doing it!"

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ackvil said:

If you try that, I hope you can afford the alimony payments.

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My thought exactly!

Keep at it gents-halfway point.


marty

htownmmm said:

Keep at it gents-halfway point.

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Appreciate the sentiments Marty.

Halfway indeed and I reckon I could stick with this line-up for another 3 months no worries. I normally shave every other day, but such a good Monday shave that I went in for a Tuesday follow-up. Had to sub in the Duke 2, as the Classic 2 was still a little moist. All in all, a very nice shave indeed.

The only temptation away from sticking to this line-up for another quarter is the Slim that arrived last week. Always wanted to try one but always been a little out of my reach…and I happened on a bargain on 1 September!!! But I am in denial and only ever feel the pangs when I need open the vanity drawer to fish out another blade….and there she is staring up at me longingly. So, thankfully, only another few teasing glimpses of the Slim before I can take to my face with it.

P.S., loved the IP Reds that much that I just ordered 100. Should arrive in couple of days. Meanwhile, another go with the Black Ninjas - a.k.a., Gillette Super Platinums.

Still content with the Katrina Fatboy, TGN restored Made Rite, Skin Bracer, and Van Der Massey blend, all of which I have been faithful to since about mid August. I'll probably continue with it till I run out of soap. Then it's back Tabac.

So fellas, we're halfway through - and it looks like more than half go of us will make it.
Be keen to know what each guy's biggest lesson learned as been so far.

Beyond the obvious, that sticking with something really gets you knowing it, my main takeaway has been on the importance of a good lather and that a choice lather needs work - and the right amounts of water and air! Not being afraid to work that brush, pump it, getting the air working into and through the knot and no being scared about using water - esp. not with Tabac. When you think it might be over a god badger, water, air and work can materialise another healthy pass-worth. A lesson I would not have learned with SiS, as I would have kept switching soaps before realising technique, technique, technique, not buying another better soap, is the ticket.

Next challenge, photographing the month's line-up.

Lesson - Speick stick gets used faster if you slice it and bowl lather. But...the stick becomes softer with repeated face lathering. Either way allows use of more product.

Haggises said:

Lesson - Speick stick gets used faster if you slice it and bowl lather. But...the stick becomes softer with repeated face lathering. Either way allows use of more product.

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No more stock of Speick stick in Australia. Will buy when it hits the shelves again.
P.S. just came back in stock. Hmmm…. Speictober?

Sep-16: Schick Hydro Silk 5-blade thing(16)...Omega 599.............Klar Kabinett...............................Aqua Velva

With the slice I put into my finger over the weekend, I'm staying with the Schick zipper razor for now... well, it now sounds like a zipper when I'm using it. A CCS this morning with just 3 weepers.

stillshunter said:

So fellas, we're halfway through - and it looks like more than half go of us will make it.
Be keen to know what each guy's biggest lesson learned as been so far.

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By the way, I haven't been keeping up with the thread very well for the last week, but I'm still going and I'm on shave #9 with my setup:
Razor: EJ DE89L
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Soap: Cella Crema da Barba All'Olio di Mandorla
Brush: Whipped Dog 22/50 Silvertip
A/S: Thayer's Alcohol-free Witch Hazel w/ Aloe


I've modified my routine to three shaves a week rather than daily because the small spot of "irritation" I had on my neck from the start was really just acne (skipped a few days and it became obvious the red spots were zits rather than razor bumps). I've settled in on two-pass for now, and I've also added alum to my postshave routine before the witch hazel in the hopes that between that and shaving less frequently the spot of acne goes away.

In terms of what I've learned so far, the two big things are that I've really dialed in the sweet spot for face lathering Cella with my silvertip brush, and that I've mapped the grain of my beard better (it was a lot easier to do when I took a few consecutive days off) and found that my WTG pass was actually about 45 degrees away from being truly WTG on my sideburns and thus changed my stroke, eliminating the slight tugging I used to get there.

Before I switched to DE razors I shaved very infrequently because I hated the push-and-plow process and associated razorburn - I pretty much always had a fair bit of beard, and my skin underneath was pretty lousy. Marriage has necessitated much more frequent shaving (the little lady loves when my face is smooth), and using a DE has made the process much more enjoyable and eliminated the irritation everywhere besides this one trouble spot on my neck.

Still in. About to do another shave with the Krona/Gillette Platinum/Just Bananas/Parker Synthetic/Tombstone combo. The Cobra Classic is on its way to me and I know my time is short.