Quest for less technology

[blethenstrom]

Evening Shave - 03/01/25
Shave Number: 475
Passes: 3
Razor: Yaqi Tile 316
Blade: Personna Viking's Sword (7)
Soap: BSS #1 (Single Lye)
Brush: Omega 50014 Travel Brush
Aftershave: Clubman Whiskey Woods
Shave Comfort: 10/10 (Smooth)
Shave Quality: 10/10 (BBS)
Shave Rating: 10/10
Well it happened! A mighty fine BBS with the Yaqi Tile. What a great way to end the shaving week on. It was a weeks best shave in several aspects. It just clicked. Uber smooth and pleasant. I wish all my shaves could be this way.

Evening Shave - 03/02/25
Shave Number: 476
Passes: 3
Razor: Fatip Grande OC
Blade: Personna Viking's Sword (1)
Soap: BSS #1 (Single Lye)
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: AV Classic
Shave Comfort: 9/10 (Tightness)
Shave Quality: 9/10 (DFS+)
Shave Rating: 9/10
I have not used the Fatip in a long time and it kind of showed too. Slight skin tenderness post shave and not quite the closeness that I have come to expect. Still it is a respectable shave. I hope that I can adjust my technique to the Fatip as the week progresses.

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. This Saturday's shave was one for the books. It was probably the most pleasant one I have had in a long time and that does not say little since I have had fantastic shaves lately. For some reason I decided to shave without having taken a shower before and I am not sure if this is the reason why the great shave, but it is something that I will have to explore. Maybe I should not soften my whiskers too much before the shave. This almost goes against all that I have come to know. What is your take and experience on this?

All I can say is that it was a great way to finish up last shave week and the blade and start a new one. For Sunday's shave I decided to pull out the Fatip Grande OC that I have. This is the razor that gave me probably my worst shave ever the first time I used it. It caused me to put it away for quite some time before I picked it up again. The Fatip does demand a bit of respect while using, but it can also be a great razor. However, in my rankings it has been towards the lower end of it and it suffers a bit in the comfort arena. I put a fresh Personna Viking Sword in it and I went at it. I did remember that I needed to use this razor shallow so I rode the cap throughout the shave. It was a respectable shave, but t certainly felt rougher than with the Tile. The end result was a bit of skin tenderness, but nothing to get too excited about. I found a few areas especially along my jawline that had some stubble and that was probably my fault. I think that the shaves probably will at least get a bit closer as the week will progress, but we will see on the irritation front. Hopefully it will not get worse.

You all have a wonderful Monday!

 

[blethenstrom]

You will be sainted and remembered as others shout your name as a battle cry.

 

[Eric_75]

More like this, my friend.

 

[ShavedPeeps]

Maybe I should not soften my whiskers too much before the shave. This almost goes against all that I have come to know. What is your take and experience on this?

I find a stouter whisker removes easier and it is easier to find the spots that need a touch up. I'm also a very messy shaver and find less shaving soap in my nostrils and ears when I shave pre-shower. YMMV.

 

[blethenstrom]

Well would you look at that! It is March already! Spring is around the corner and things are starting to wake up from the winter sleep. This means only one thing. It is time for the monthly statistical update. I know I know it is a bit nerdy, but that is what I am so it fits the bill.

Let me start out on blades. In February I finished up my tuck of Treet TJAX at the very beginning of the month and I have to say that this blade was a decent blade. It was certainly a smooth blade, but I could tell that it was lacking a bit at times in sharpness. I think it rose in the rankings a bit since the blade bonanza to quite respectable position of 11. We can see that the statistical numbers follow my opinion on its sharpness. It did not give me on average the closeness of shaves that the upper tier blades do. Still it is very much a decent blade.

Most of February I worked through three blades of Dorco Titan. This blade was already among the top rated blades that I have used and during the month it proved that it belonged among the top tier of my blades. It is very sharp and comfortable to use. It seems to strike a nice balance. It has very good longevity and did not falter at all. It stayed as my number two blade in my rankings and we will see if it stays once I use number 1 and 3 blades since those have so few shaves on them. Both the BIC Astor and the Bolzano was part of the blade bonanza and I have blades left of them to use so they will be coming up in the following months.

For the last week of February I switched to the Personna Viking's Sword and this was a blade that during the blade bonanza was toward the bottom in my rankings. However, as I mentioned then that once I start using it in more razors and for more shaves it would most likely change and that was the case. The blade did very well in the Yaqi Tile and I had some spectacular shaves with it and it did rise in the rankings. Right now it is at position six, but we will see what happens to it in the upcoming weeks since I am currently working on it. It is a sharp blade, but it seems to be a bit razor dependent.

Razor Blade Statistics

For razors it seems to have gotten quite crowed towards the top of the list. It almost seems inevitable that new razors end up there. I think that it has to do with that my technique is better and I can adjust better now than I used to be able to. I started out with a favorite of mine in the form of the Greencult GC 1.1 and it performed just like I expected. This is quite an efficient razor for me, but one that can also bite me if I am not careful. If I do my part with it it will deliver mighty fine shaves. You can even see this reflected in the statistical numbers, due to that the Comfort rating is a bit on the low side, but the Quality is very high.

Then I pulled out the Yaqi single edge razor that I bought right before New Years and I had great hopes for this razor. It was a very inexpensive razor and was pretty much a throw in one. It is a half De razor. I just bought the head so I paired it with my RR vintage slim handle which worked well with it. This razor is quite aggressive and I was able to get some close shaves with it. However, I only used it for 4 shaves and I then called it quits. It is a dangerous razor in my mind. The blade holding is very sketchy. There does not seem to be anything preventing the blade from sliding forward towards the skin. There is only stops to prevent it from going too far in. If you do not crank down this head good you could have a blade moving on you. I deemed it unsafe and called it quits and I actually threw the head away. I did not even want to give this one away due to this. Oh well.

I switched to the Yintal Liveben V7 316L razor and I have to say for as little as this stainless steel razor is it is a great find. Is it the prettiest, shiniest or most polished razor? Absolutely not! It has a few rough edged and such, but even given that, for the price it is a great value. It is upper-mild range maybe low-mid in aggressiveness. Not a lot of blade feel, but still fairly efficient for me. I have 19 shaves on it right now and it is a solid razor. It has broken into the top ten in rankings and it is a great balance between comfort and close shaving. Would actually be a solid travel razor since it is so affordable.

Towards the end of February I introduced the Yaqi Tile razor and let me tell you I was a bit skeptical to this one. I just got a head of this one so I paired it with the RR HD handle, which made for a heavy razor, but I really have no issues with a heavy razor. The near "fixed angle" that this razor needs to be used at really messed with me at first. The handle is almost in a cartridge shaving angle. I found that there was not much blade feel at all from this razor so it much be very little blade exposure, but talk about efficient! It is one shaving machine. Two passes and I am there. It kind of puzzled me how a low exposure razor like that could be that efficient for me. Also it is almost hard to cut yourself with it. this razor has skyrocketed up to first place in my razor rankings. Now I am just 7 shaves into it with it so we will see where this goes. Right now I think it is a fantastic razor and for a very attractive price.

Razor Statistics

In conclusion I just wanted to include a short opinion on the blades that I have used this past month. I like to keep these short notes about each of my blades. Maybe it is helpful to someone.

Treet TJAX

• Medium sharpness blade
• Seems to be a bit razor dependant. It does better in medium to aggressive razors. Not quite sharp enough in mild razors.
• Good for full week (6 shaves) worth of shaves. It does loose some of it's sharpness, but not enough to not make it through a week.
• Smoooth shaving blade

Dorco Titan

• Sharp blade with good longevity
• Smooth shaving blade
• Very consistent blade across the shaves. Seems to be very good steel/grind/heat treat.
• Good longevity. Can certainly be used well past a week's worth of shaves.
• Tier one blade in my book

Personna Viking Sword

• Very sharp blade
• Can feel a bit rough at times and smooth at other.
• No issues lasting a full weeks (6 shaves) worth of shaves.
• Seems a bit razor dependant, but not majorly so

Well now we return to the normal shenanigans for this thread!

 

[blethenstrom]

I find a stouter whisker removes easier and it is easier to find the spots that need a touch up. I'm also a very messy shaver and find less shaving soap in my nostrils and ears when I shave pre-shower. YMMV.

I think that this is my theory for now as well. Maybe a firmer whisker is easier to shave. I need to try this more to see if I can build a consensus.

LOL! I am a messy lathered no matter what. I seem to get it everywhere. At least it is mostly on me and not elsewhere.

Thank you for your input.

 

[Osyri]

Your Friendly Neighborhood Derailer is at it again!

The story continues........ Boris goes to the backroom, where none can see him, removes the blade from the razor just to reveal that he had planted a false label on the blade. The true blade was a Dorco Prime blade and he smiles and looks at the label and the blade and says: "I hope that this will be enough for me to convince those sinners that I am part of them". Boris was trying to infiltrate the cult and expose it for what it truly is and the heinous acts that happens within it's walls. Boris does have a secret indeed, but it is not what Darth Osyris had planned. Boris is trying to take down this abomination from the inside. Boris wakes up from his dream, smiles and realize that this is in actuality not a dream, but a perfect way of exposing the cult and break it down. Boris also understands that this might not end well for him, but he is willing to sacrifice everything to eradicate this stain on the world.

You must have missed the part of Uncle Thom making a cameo when you try to spin this movie in extended version or GSB-ception 3. As a Gillette kingpin mastermind, renown Ambassador, and man of one liners. With his distinct and keen eyesight, that was clearly GSB. Uncle Thom with his cameo 1 liner, "Why is he acting out a commercial with his joy of using a GSB, ewww"

Randomness : I figured you would try to spin the movie, Uncle Thom was the one who witness you savoring and enjoying the holy blade, I happened to be the one you spotted and tried to murder.

 

[Letsgoalready]

@blethenstrom I saw you had the RazoRock GC 0.68 around the middle of the pack, what worked well and not well about it?

 

[blethenstrom]

@blethenstrom I saw you had the RazoRock GC 0.68 around the middle of the pack, what worked well and not well about it?

Very good question! I love my RR GC .68P and I like the .84P even more. So why is the .68P in the middle of the pack. Well if you look at the individual values for shave comfort(lack of irritation) and shave quality(closeness of shave) you can see what is going on. The RR GC.68P is very very comfortable and rarely gives me any discomfort and it is one of the most comfortable razors that I have. However, I find that I have a harder time to get a really close shave with it than other razors. I can get close shaves with it, but it demands that I am on top of my technique due to this mildness.

Now you could argue with merit that shave comfort should be weighted as more important than shave quality, but this is what I have chosen to do and I weigh them as equally important. I still love to use my RR GC .68P, because of it's easy of use. I would also recommend the RR GC .68P to everyone even beginners. Actually I have other razors that are the opposite like my Greencult GC 1.1. It is a pretty blade forward razor that will shave you very close, but you have to stay on your toes instead to not incur irritation. Where I would recommend the RR GC .68P to beginners I would not recommend the Greencult GC 1.1.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[blethenstrom]

Your Friendly Neighborhood Derailer is at it again!



You must have missed the part of Uncle Thom making a cameo when you try to spin this movie in extended version or GSB-ception 3. As a Gillette kingpin mastermind, renown Ambassador, and man of one liners. With his distinct and keen eyesight, that was clearly GSB. Uncle Thom with his cameo 1 liner, "Why is he acting out a commercial with his joy of using a GSB, ewww"

Randomness : I figured you would try to spin the movie, Uncle Thom was the one who witness you savoring and enjoying the holy blade, I happened to be the one you spotted and tried to murder.

The problem with @thombrogan's cameo role in your setting is that a cameo role indicates that he was the author of the script and I know that for a fact that not to be true. I know this is a brew that came from the depths of the dungeons of the GSB temple. @thombrogan would never stoop to those levels to try to write a heinous and wicked script like that.

 

[Letsgoalready]

Hope that answers your question.

A perfect response! I find it is very comfy but for me it is very efficient for me.

 

[blethenstrom]

A perfect response! I find it is very comfy but for me it is very efficient for me.

There you go a perfect combination. It is funny because in the beginning of my journey I thought that the .68P was all I would ever need and then I got the .84P plate and I though that it was way too aggressive, but I think over time things have changed.

 

[Eric_75]

the dungeons of the GSB temple

More heretical malarkey.

 

[Guido75]

Love the stats Boris! And I see your more aggressive razors are creeping to the top. Who knew a year ago right? I remember you liking the milder ones more back then.

 

[blethenstrom]

Love the stats Boris! And I see your more aggressive razors are creeping to the top. Who knew a year ago right? I remember you liking the milder ones more back then.

Absolutely correct observation! Yeah the more aggressive was a bit harsh for me in the beginning, but once I learned how to handle them they work well for me. You do have to be more observant with them, but I guess with technique improvements they have become easier and easier for me to use well.

 

[Letsgoalready]

And I see your more aggressive razors are creeping to the top. Who knew a year ago right? I remember you liking the milder ones more back then

So you’re saying in a year I’ll have to go buy aggressive razors

 

[blethenstrom]

So you’re saying in a year I’ll have to go buy aggressive razors

Maybe, maybe not. I think that depends on how you are progressing. You might find that the less aggressive ones are perfectly fine for you. Time will tell.

 

[thombrogan]

A common progression is mild to aggressive back to mild. Others go more aggressive with every upgrade. Others go wherever their whim leads.

 

[cranewarrior]

So in general the last thing I could ever be accused of is being a Luddite. That said I am extremely resistant to any of the uses I have seen of AI so far. My brother uses it for coding in college, and, another in making an os. He also wants to build a buddy I think in making a “sentient“ bot. Bot is my word not his, because regardless of the months of work he has put into it, it has never resembled anything more than a bot to me. I am probably being contrary, but, I just don’t like the idea of AI in any example I have seen to date.

I am training my own model. There's a lot of martial skills that are developed sequentially in levels and scopes. The usages of X skill won't be feasible against Y target or z desired outcome until X reaches a certain minimum achievement.

Not bragging, but I am one of maybe 20-30 people in the USA and Canada with traceable lineage to Asian sensei that can guide students in these esoteric fine points using spoken English and a westerner's mindset. And... I'm probably the only one that will show what I know to people who aren't my students. As I consider my aging and the relative dearth of students who desire the information I want to pass on, an AI intermediary that can widen my audience becomes very appealing.

It's a slog. I'm a software engineer by career but AI development isn't my forte at all.

 

[cranewarrior]

Maybe, maybe not. I think that depends on how you are progressing. You might find that the less aggressive ones are perfectly fine for you. Time will tell.

I saw aggressive razors as a cheat code towards getting a BBS and sure it is much easier using one. But those razors do take away skin and forces me on an every other day schedule. If I can achieve the same results with a mild razor, maybe that's the path to take.