My 32-Blade March Madness Bracket

I finally have two perfectly matching razors (iKon OSS), so I can do an experiment I've been imagining for a while.

I went through my blade stash and found my top 32 DE blades. Actually I had a few others, even after some recent culling, but I want to keep my bracket neat. And I know some of my real duds just don't need to be in the tourney.

Here's the bracket. I used an online tool to set it up so everyone can see it. Lemme

So the idea is a single-elimination tourney like this:

Identical razors to test two different blades during one shave. Identical prep, of course. One razor will be marked 1 and one will be marked 2. I won't know which blade is in which razor.

If the first shave in a matchup is a blowout, call it and move on. If it's close, best two out of three. (There are a lot of blades and I'm not getting any younger.)

Simple criteria: Which blade would I prefer to shave with? Obviously that will be determined by comfort, closeness, and post-shave feel. Price isn't a factor since I won't know which blade is which.

Before I kick off the tourney, any suggestions on how to do this better? Apologies if I haven't included your personal favorite; 32 is already a lot.

Sounds like fun, I'll be following this thread. Be sure to post a few pictures of the competition along the way.

Have you decided on the soap? Needs to be a good one.

This ought to be fun! Who's got the popcorn?!

riverblue said:

Have you decided on the soap? Needs to be a good one.

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Not planning to use just one soap. But for any given day, both razors are getting the exact same stuff. And I use only good stuff these days.

Awesome idea! Subscribed and looking forward to it.

This looks interesting.


Cksnffr, how often do you shave?

Hey guys--the website with my bracket wasn't kosher, so the link is gone for a moment while I replace it with an image of the bracket instead.

I usually shave about five days a week, give or take.

The tourney kicks off tomorrow. The first round was going to be Kai vs Bic, but I can't find my Bics right now so we'll start with Astra SP vs Gillette Platinum.

Cksnffr said:

Not planning to use just one soap. But for any given day, both razors are getting the exact same stuff. And I use only good stuff these days.

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Sounds good. I don't think i could commit myself to one soap for a whole month

Well, we have a day 1 minor upset.

ASTRA SP VS GILLETTE PLATINUM
iKon OSS x2
Stirling Coconut Lime
Honeyglide preshave
Rudy Vey Shavemac Two Band
Alum
Stirling Black Ice splash
Soap Smooth unscented balm

I did my usual WTG and XTG passes plus a reverse XTG on my cheeks. (This might become my standard for the tourney.)

Immediately razor 1 felt almost perfect. I thought "it can't get much better than this." No tugging, no discomfort. Razor 2 was very close--close enough that I had to add that third pass to give the blades a chance to show their colors.

The alum and splash sealed it, with razor 2's side having a bit of sting while razor 1's side had none.

Now, I would've given 5-1 odds that razor 1 was the Astra SP. But when I opened up the razor, there was a Gillette blade staring at me.

Nooooo!!! My perfect bracket ruined already! [emoji13]

Let's see if this shows up.

I'm going with Gonzaga.

cw62803 said:

I'm going with Gonzaga.

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The Sputnik of the NCAA!

Excelent report!

Love the bracket idea! Quick question just for context: would you mind giving some details on your beard and skin type? It's good to know for those of us new to some of these blades. Thanks!

BF&E said:

Love the bracket idea! Quick question just for context: would you mind giving some details on your beard and skin type? It's good to know for those of us new to some of these blades. Thanks!

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I guess you could say I've got a quick-growing, somewhat heavy (Mediterranean and Eastern European) beard. Skin isn't ultra sensitive but not cowboy tough either. I can shave atg on cheeks but not on neck.

I usually prefer sharp blades in mild razors, and I don't much care for long walks on the beach.

Man, this sucks.

This is the equivalent of Brazil, Italy or Germany being eliminated in the first round of a World Cup.

WOW! I am most impressed that you have your "top 32." For me it is a top 5 or top 10!

Look forward to the tournament!

Elvergun said:

Man, this sucks.

This is the equivalent of Brazil, Italy or Germany being eliminated in the first round of a World Cup.

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If the Kai blade gets ousted by Bic, then we can start freaking out.