The Intercontinental All Italian Shave-Off

the best match with the Soldatino is a sharp blade as wrote before. And yes it has a thread that can be used in the ball tech for sure.
I did a test and it works.

SOTD 19 January 2017
Year 1 Week 25 Day 4


The fresh and classic white Proraso for a feel good shave. Lathered with this nice S-Brush is perfect so also the Gillette smoothness.
Rudy I know that Proraso White is your favorite, still I dont know why I cant use it more...
The iconic SuperSpeed well I always say thank you [MENTION=50233]SteveWY[/MENTION] the matching with Gillette blades is near perfect.



Pre: hot shower
Brush: Omega S10108
Razor: Gillette Super Speed 72
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow (4)
Soap: Proraso White
Aftershave: Proraso Splash / Saponificio Varesino Mango Butter



Have a wonderful shave and a fresh day to all gents!

SteveWY said:

I have not tried that but am certain it would. Same 10-32 threads on the post and handle also. A nice mild razor.

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Sorry, my post might not have been clear. What I meant to say is the top cap of Il Soldatino fites perfectly on the oval-slot Tech baseplate and vice versa - totally interchangeable.

Sadly, mine is missing the original ball-end handle; mine came with an aluminum English Tech handle - same 10-32 threads as most other vintage razors.

Mostho said:

Rudy I know that Proraso White is your favorite, still I dont know why I cant use it more...

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The scent of the white is pure magic to me. Classy and dignified, without smelling too much like cologne. I also have the liquid balm in the square bottle - almost time to stock up actually.

1Cal said:

Since discovering boar, I'm not interested in badger any more (too floppy for me).

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rudyt said:

The Wee Scot, because of it's very low loft, is nowhere near floppy. It's actually got more backbone than the Bambino.

The Mixed Midget is a mix of pure badger and boar. The feeling is different than either a boar or a badger. It's not floppy, but it's not a backbone monster either. I bought it as a travel brush originally, but it quickly earned a spot in my regular rotation as the size is perfect for me.

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I slept on your post (so to speak) Rudy. And I'll be damned if I didn't wake up this morning thinking about it!
(Boy, does B&B have a lot to answer for? )

Also, thinking about my friend [MENTION=111161]ShavingByTheNumbers[/MENTION] Grant's blade survey threads, I wondered if you'd complete a small brush survey for me (for all three brushes)?

HERE'S THE BIT FOR COPYING AND PASTING:

Brush:
Ease/speed of lathering (0-10):
Volume of lather held (0-10):
Painting accuracy (0-10):
Handle comfort/grip/control (0-10):

(Where 0 = worst, and 10 = best.)

1Cal said:

I wondered if you'd complete a small brush survey for me (for all three brushes)?

(Where 0 = worst, and 10 = best.)

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Omega Bambino:
Ease/speed of lathering (0-10): 8
Volume of lather held (0-10): 8 (3-4 passes)
Painting accuracy (0-10): 8
Handle comfort/grip/control (0-10): 6

Simpson Wee Scot:
Ease/speed of lathering (0-10): 7
Volume of lather held (0-10): 7 (3 passes)
Painting accuracy (0-10): 9
Handle comfort/grip/control (0-10): 5

Omega Mixed Midget:
Ease/speed of lathering (0-10): 9
Volume of lather held (0-10): 9 (4-5 passes)
Painting accuracy (0-10): 7
Handle comfort/grip/control (0-10): 7

For reference, one of my favorite boars is the B&B Essential Boar. It scores:
Ease/speed of lathering (0-10): 9
Volume of lather held (0-10): 9 (4-5 passes)
Painting accuracy (0-10): 6
Handle comfort/grip/control (0-10): 9

Note: take the numbers in a relative sense in comparing the brushes against each other. My 7 may be someone else's 9. I rarely give 10s.

^ That's great Rudy. Thank you very much for taking the time, and for the additional explanation(s), appreciated.

SOTD

Yet another fine (60% ) All Italian Shave.

Prep: Splash of warm water on face
Brush: Omega 10086
Soap: Proraso Red Tube
Razor: Phoenix Bakelite
Blade: Silver Star (26)
Post: Proraso Red (Sandalwood) ASL



My new (bigger) bambino brush is a star, it's giving me consistently fabulous performances, I love it.

SteveWY said:

The Co.Ci.Na "Little Soldier" is a near identical plica of the 1960's Gillette ball-end Tech

View attachment 717629

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Thanks! Cool razor! I have a ball-end Tech; it's a nice shaver.

rudyt said:

Omega Bambino:
Ease/speed of lathering (0-10): 8
Volume of lather held (0-10): 8 (3-4 passes)
Painting accuracy (0-10): 8
Handle comfort/grip/control (0-10): 6

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I'm betting you'd give the Omega Bigger Bambino (with the longer handle) an 8 at least Rudy.

I don't love the bambino I feel so alone!


SOTD 23 January 2017
Year 1 Week 26 Day 1


Starting well my Monday with luxury Vetiver shave. Strong pure Vetiver with a strong pure performance. Needless to say this is the best Vetiver around I tried until now.


Pre: hot shower
Brush: Omega 46126
Razor: Gillette Super Speed 72
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow (1)
Soap: Nannys Silly Soap Vetiver
Aftershave: Denim River / Saponificio Varesino Mango Butter



Have a wonderful shave and a fresh day to all gents!

1Cal said:

I'm betting you'd give the Omega Bigger Bambino (with the longer handle) an 8 at least

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The handle on the Bambino and Wee Scot are their biggest drawbacks. The Bigger Bambino would score at least a point, maybe 2 better than the Bambino.

No worries though, I'm going to re-handle it at some point. I'm also going to try setting it a few mm deeper too.

Mostho said:

Soap: Nannys Silly Soap Vetiver

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Its always interesting to see you use soaps that I've never heard of. Silly name for a soap ;-)

Jan 23: B&B Soap Theme - Soap Sticks

Lather: Valobra stick
Brush: Omega 11047 "Mixed Midget"
Razor: Ever-Ready Streamline (1950s model)
Blade: GEM Stainless [15]
Post: Thayers Witch Hazel Toner (Bay Rum/Menthol)
Splash: RazoRock XXX

First run with the Valobra soap stick. Why is it you can never nicely unwrap the wax paper - it always tears. Before I go on, can anyone who has both the Valobra Fougere and the stick confirm if the scents are the same. I've read conflicting reports; some people say the stick is the fougere scent and some say it's unscented.

I did my standard stick rubbing routine and got a really thin and unusable lather. That's not right, so I rinsed off and repeated the procedure again, this time for longer. Much better - I now got the thick Valobra lather I was used to. This soap is harder than my other sticks, so it's logical that I need to apply for longer to abrade as much product as a softer stick.

One more stick tomorrow and I'm done with the January theme. I don't have either of the two soaps (MWF and Haslinger) to participate in the last leg.

Mostho said:

I don't love the bambino I feel so alone!

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Never fear Stefano! We're with you, just not our Bambinos.

rudyt said:

The handle on the Bambino and Wee Scot are their biggest drawbacks. The Bigger Bambino would score at least a point, maybe 2 better than the Bambino.

No worries though, I'm going to re-handle it at some point. I'm also going to try setting it a few mm deeper too.

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And pics when you've done it please Rudy.

Mostho said:

I don't love the bambino I feel so alone!


SOTD 23 January 2017
Year 1 Week 26 Day 1


Starting well my Monday with luxury Vetiver shave. Strong pure Vetiver with a strong pure performance. Needless to say this is the best Vetiver around I tried until now.


Pre: hot shower
Brush: Omega 46126
Razor: Gillette Super Speed 72
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow (1)
Soap: Nannys Silly Soap Vetiver
Aftershave: Denim River / Saponificio Varesino Mango Butter

Have a wonderful shave and a fresh day to all gents!

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Stefano, we all know when it comes to brushes size does matter!

rudyt said:

Its always interesting to see you use soaps that I've never heard of. Silly name for a soap ;-)

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And I can tell you that this soap deserves the higher ranks of my shave den and to be known more since is a small bdrand.

It's really well made, scents are not complicated (as we are expecting from a UK based soap) but really nice essntial oil powered.
But something that leaves astonished is the lather and the unbelievable post shave. Probably the best ever tried.
A soft thick shiny lather and a greasy (not in the oily meaning, I cant explain better) post shave.
And there something strong in Vetiver that I love.

1Cal said:

Never fear Stefano! We're with you, just not our Bambinos.

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Oh well...

SOTD 24 January 2017
Year 1 Week 26 Day 2

Another great tobacco scent thanks to the stunning Blackbeard from the lovely WSP. This brand is a safe harbor for an elite shave!



Pre: hot shower
Brush: Omega 102
Razor: Gillette Super Speed 72
Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow (2)
Soap: WSP Blackbeard
Aftershave: Floid Blue / Saponificio Varesino Mango Butter



Have a wonderful shave and a fresh day to all gents!