A newbie’s journey into DE shaving

[LJBraaten]

After the shave I turned to the Allegro and Twinplex again, this time using a @LJBraaten algoritm - 40 turns (which is 20 full revolutions) on each side of the Allegro and 40 turns on the Twinplex.

My 430 shave Feather had not been recovering as well recently, so last time I did 300 turns (150 full revolutions of the blade) on my Allegro. 100 each on the Black, Green, and Leather hones, and then my usual on the Twinplex, which is now between 160-220 cranks: 30-40 immediately after shaving, 100+ later, 30-40 immediately before shaving. The improvement in the blade is very noticeable. (I will repeat the Allegro every 4-6 shaves.)

The Allegro is the most time consuming. The Twinplex doesn’t take that much effort. For the 100+ cranks I’m usually doing something else, like sitting around in the bathroom .

A newer blade probably doesn’t need that much attention. I note that both devices recommend very few revolutions. But for my blade, that ship has sailed!

 

[Guido75]

The Allegro is the most time consuming. The Twinplex doesn’t take that much effort.

Thanks LJ!

And if I remember reading correctly you strop with the Twinplex after every shave right?

 

[LJBraaten]

Thanks LJ!

And if I remember reading correctly you strop with the Twinplex after every shave right?

Yes, immediately to avoid any possible moisture reaction with the blade.

 

[Guido75]

05.01.2024

• Guido75
• Jan 4, 2024

Greencult 1.0 • RK Stainless (8) • Simpson T3 • B+M Leviathan

Date	05.01.2024
366 daily shaves	005/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Greencult 1.0	RK Stainless (8)	Simpson T3
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash Mastro Miche preshave	Barrister + Mann Leviathan	Cold splash Aftershave Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Consistency (details here)	Quality / My process
8/10 (Highly consistent)	6/10 (Small cut)
Effectiveness	Comfort / Blade condition
9/10 (BBS)	7/10 (Comfortable)

Notes:

Summary. Splendid Friday shave.

Razor and blade. The Lasta Green Handle has the size of a fountain pen and similar weight as well making the GC1 head heavy and very easy to steer. I don’t use this handle that often, but when I do it’s great. Using higher numbers with the Allegro and Twinplex certainly has an impact for the better on blade performance. My last RK blade latest 7 shaves so this is already better. WTG was very smooth. ATG felt harsher. I now know I need to do more laps.

Brush and lather. Always a joy to use the T3. Just an excellent brush to have at a very economical price point. I transferred the last bit of Proraso Green preshave to a travel tub for future use and opened up a new product I got last November and been wanting to try. It is glycerine based solid soap with coconut oil, linalool, and limonene. Nice scent and easy on the skin. Blooms up really quick and you need very little product. Feels smooth and soft to the skin. I had the impression the hydration of the lather slightly decreased as a result, but I am not sure so need to have more shaves like this.

Technique. I originally opted for Gillette Slides. It helps reduce wear on the blade and helps reduce potential tugging. It is also easy to execute and I am glad I learned this technique very early on. But when I checked the status of the blade with my usual pattern it felt really smooth and so habit took over for a consistently applied pattern. Looking forward to tomorrow’s shave.

Enjoy your shave!

 

[lasta]

I think a blade becomes rough before it becomes dull. Maybe this is going against general consensus, but if I want to push a blade (which i usually don't), I'd rather put it in a milder razor than going up the aggressiveness progression.

 

[Guido75]

Date	06.01.2024
366 daily shaves	006/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Red Tip	RK Stainless (9)	Omega Roma
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash Mastro Miche preshave	Barrister + Mann Leviathan	Cold splash Aftershave Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Consistency (details here)	Quality / My process
8/10 (Highly consistent)	9/10 (Small red spot)
Effectiveness	Comfort / Blade condition
9/10 (BBS)	7/10 (Comfortable)

Notes:

Summary. Good close shave today. Lovely start of the weekend.

Razor and blade. Gave the blade additional stropping post shave to verify if that makes a difference for WTG. The razor is a beauty and shaved very comfortable and easy. I like these TTO Gillette for their ease of loading, although cleaning is more of a hassle. I have a suspicion that the head is basically the same as the Rocket HD500 or the Aristocrat I have. I see less need to get other models at least. I am primarily a shaver and only then a collector. I do like the fact that I have something from all the Gillette eras. And having this Red Tip is a check on the razor bucket list. It’s certainly more assertive than my other TTO Gillette’s which automatically shows that looks can appear similar, but performance is definitely not the same. The HD500 is very mild - especially when compared to the Red Tip.

Brush and lather. To me this is the smaller brother of the T3 and it is equally equipped to build great lather. Nice! The preshave gave a tingling sensation this morning as you sometimes get when applying alum. Not necessarily enjoyable so need to figure out what that is about. Did not experience it yesterday.

Technique. Definitely less stubble today than the day before. Also one or two areas where I need to be careful not to open up old red spots. I went as consistent as I could. Very close result. I went less ATG on the upper lip, but other than that wonderful BBS allround. I am wondering if the preshave contributes to an extra soft skin at this point. Very nice - need to sort out the tingling.

Enjoy your shave!

 

[Guido75]

07.07.2024

• Guido75
• Jan 6, 2024

Gillette NEW RFB • RK Stainless (10) • Omega 81052 • B+M Leviathan

Date	07.01.2024
366 daily shaves	007/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Gillette Red Tip	RK Stainless (10)	Omega 81052
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash Mastro Miche preshave	Barrister + Mann Leviathan	Cold splash Aftershave Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Consistency (details here)	Quality / My process
6/10 (Consistent)	9/10 (Small red spot)
Effectiveness	Comfort / Blade condition
6/10 (CCS+)	10/10 (GlideFest)

Notes:

Summary. Mild and comfortable shave today as an easy breeze into Sunday morning. Lovely.

Razor and blade. Gave the blade a run around the honing and stropping track again and it made the blade soar back into performance again. Contrary to what I read in other posting I find this razor to be (extremely) mild. Even my Techs provide more effective shaves. I am guessing I need to find a better angle with this razor. Steep not shallow seem to work out much. I usually start neutral and it does do the job. Just not as close as other razors I have. Based on todays results I would place this on par with the KCG razor.

Brush and lather. Although Decemboar has just turned the corner I wanted to do some further breaking in of my new additions. Besides shaving I did two latherings and two water dunking cycles and going to the towel in between. The brush is wonderful. So is this soap s as I am really starting to like it. I remember myself from time to time why SOTM it’s a good thing for me. No tingling from the preshave - I used less product.

Technique. I had developed this routine somewhere mid 2023 where I would shave my middle section first rather than last and it provided done really good results. I used that pattern today again to mix this up a little and also see if pattern affects razor effectiveness. The answer is no or it’s totally yes depending on how I look at it.

Enjoy your shave!

 

[huck1680]

My boars have been relegated to mug lathering only...they're ok at bowl lathering with soft soaps but not as good as my synths.

 

[Guido75]

My boars have been relegated to mug lathering only...they're ok at bowl lathering with soft soaps but not as good as my synths.

Mug as in cup or mug as in face??

I find my synths to be (much) better at lathering up than my natural hair brushes - definitely. And they dry easier too.

Guido.

 

[huck1680]

BadaBOOM! As in cup...good one. Yep the synths rule for me.

 

[Guido75]

Date	08.01.2024
366 daily shaves	008/366

Razor	Blade	Brush
Swing SB	RK Stainless (11)	Mühle Rocca ST
Preshave	Soap	Postshave
Cold splash KCG Face Wash Mastro Miche preshave	Barrister + Mann Leviathan	Cold splash Aftershave Balm

Passes	WTG XTG ATG and touch up
Consistency (details here)	Quality / My process
8/10 (Highly Consistent)	9/10 (Old red spot)
Effectiveness	Comfort / Blade condition
8.75/10 (BBS-)	9/10 (Butterysmooth)

Notes:

Summary. The Swing never disappoints. Superb shave to kickstart the week.

Razor and blade. A late find in 2022, but what a find. Excellent razor that can rival with any modern you throw at it. Large gap and positive exposure make it super effective. It is a smooth shaver though if you pay attention to what you are doing. Or else the Swing will take a swing at you! The blade was stropped for about 60 turns on the Twinplex before and after the shave. Good performance today with sufficient comfort.

Brush and lather. I nuked my preshave soap bar (glycerin based) yesterday evening and the softer soap allowed me to install it in my white Kox lathering mug I got for Christmas. At first I was just experimenting, but ended up doing another bar. I got that tingling sensation again today and noticed it happens when I message the preshave in, so either it is supposed to tingle like menthol does, or I need to stop rubbing. Which is in part why I chose to melt it into my enamel shaving cup.

So now I get to lather twice every morning! First preshave and then lather. Yay! The Silvertip is a magnificent brush and absolutely gorgeous to look at! I am getting better and better at lathering up Leviathan and @APBinNCA suggestion of blooming the soap has worked miracles. Actually enjoying it now.

Technique. Back to CB Curves and strict beard map passes. I seemed to have moved away from the staring at the chin routine, because it wasn’t as effective as it was in June to be honest.

Enjoy your shave!

 

[c__port]

I know someone will have an official ruling on this lol .

This is unofficial, but the catcher is obstructing the plate without possession of the ball. This makes the runner "safe" without needing to touch the plate.

"We’re too civilized for that kind of silliness."

Oh, are we....?

 

[Guido75]

This is unofficial, but the catcher is obstructing the plate without possession of the ball. This makes the runner "safe" without needing to touch the plate.

"We’re too civilized for that kind of silliness."

Oh, are we....?

 

[Balin]

Hey Guido, how are you holding up? I heard the first week is the hardest of the sabbatical! Try not to think about it too much.

51 Weeks, or 358 days to go!!

 

[huck1680]

Yeah, that's right! You're in the no-go zone for any sort of "acquisitional" processes aren't you? Does that include everything? What if...you break something? Or lose something? Or run out of something? Are there circumstances in which you're allowed to forego your vow of abstinence? Curious I am.

 

[LRod]

Yeah, that's right! You're in the no-go zone for any sort of "acquisitional" processes aren't you? Does that include everything? What if...you break something? Or lose something? Or run out of something? Are there circumstances in which you're allowed to forego your vow of abstinence? Curious I am.
View attachment 1776737

I tried that last year and lasted about 2 weeks.
I even deleted the thread from my
"watched threads"

 

[Guido75]

Hey Guido, how are you holding up?

Yeah, that's right! You're in the no-go zone for any sort of "acquisitional" processes

Gentlemen…

Completely Zen about the situation.

 

[Guido75]

Yeah, that's right! You're in the no-go zone for any sort of "acquisitional" processes aren't you? Does that include everything? What if...you break something? Or lose something? Or run out of something? Are there circumstances in which you're allowed to forego your vow of abstinence? Curious I am.
View attachment 1776737

There are exceptions indeed, but few and only in specific circumstances. Best way to think about it is to think nothing is allowed.

 

[Balin]

Gentlemen…

View attachment 1776834

Completely Zen about the situation.

That's really good man! Sometimes, focusing on not buying reminds you of the things you cannot have, like brushes, soaps, blades and razors!!

Glad you are in the zone !!

I'm here if you need a shoulder to lean on, man!

 

[Guido75]

I'm here if you need a shoulder to lean on, man!

This is what we in the Netherlands call "the crippled or lame leading the blind" - I think in English you call is "the blind leading the blind"?

But anyway, it is much appreciated my friend. I can use all the help I can get, so you guys keeping me on my toes is very helpful indeed. I know that once I have made up my mind about something, I can be quite determined and not budge. For some reason, however, this great personality trait has less merit when it comes to shaving!