The Ultimate Shave Off

[DunEdinRanger]

This was the antithesis of Shave 2. Don't get me wrong, I am still very smooth, more than 12 hours after the shave. BUT - I was attacked by the OC, with several nicks and cuts, thankfully all of the self healing variety

I did my normal prep and got a good shave, but at the loss of some blood.

Tomorrow, instead of Prorasso, I may go with TOBS St. James, or Lider.

 

[SRock]

So, uh, um...

I didn't wait. I've now used the Gem Jr. on two occasions between testing days of Krissy's soaps. Both shaves were fantastic. The head profile of the Gem is enormous but it is absolutely worth it. I only have two blades (at this point) so I may not actually make it to/through the week long affair.

Thanks again brother what a great little shaver!

 

[DunEdinRanger]

So, uh, um...

I didn't wait. I've now used the Gem Jr. on two occasions between testing days of Krissy's soaps. Both shaves were fantastic. The head profile of the Gem is enormous but it is absolutely worth it. I only have two blades (at this point) so I may not actually make it to/through the week long affair.

Thanks again brother what a great little shaver!

Ah, the blades are good for at least 6 shaves. I think you'll make it.

The only problem with having one SE, is that soon you want more...

But now on to the last two Open Comb shaves this week.

Thursday's was better than Wednesday's, and this morning I felt like I could have gone into work without shaving. But I did, in the name of science.

Unlike Thursday when I used Lider as the Shave Cream, today I used the Provence Sante, just like last Friday.

More than 12 hours later, still smooth and clean shaven. There were a few nicks.

I am still sporting the Vegetal and boy did it sting this morning. Teach me to use something that is more than 50% Alcohol.

 

[SRock]

Ah, the blades are good for at least 6 shaves. I think you'll make it.

The only problem with having one SE, is that soon you want more...

But now on to the last two Open Comb shaves this week.

Thursday's was better than Wednesday's, and this morning I felt like I could have gone into work without shaving. But I did, in the name of science.

Unlike Thursday when I used Lider as the Shave Cream, today I used the Provence Sante, just like last Friday.

More than 12 hours later, still smooth and clean shaven. There were a few nicks.

I am still sporting the Vegetal and boy did it sting this morning. Teach me to use something that is more than 50% Alcohol.

Nice, so by that measure I should have 10 or so shaves left! Nice!

 

[DunEdinRanger]

I had a solid two day growth this morning, and a fresh Ted Pella Blade in the Damaskeene.

So, up early, and after starting the coffee, started the shaving process. I did the usual prep, and because it is a Sunday, took my time.

I whipped a rich luxuriant lather with TOBS St. James and began to shave. Almost immediately I heard the reassuring sound of the razor at work, cutting and slicing whiskers. One of the great things about Single Edge razors is the audible feedback. Even when you look and feel there is no stubble, you can hear it removing recalcitrant whiskers.

I finished 30 minutes later to an incredibly smooth, incredibly close, BBS shave.

Tomorrow and for a few days it will be quite warm, so I will be using MB's Awakenings and Osage Rub

 

[DunEdinRanger]

A quick follow up.

I'm still clean shaven. This was an amazing shave. AMAZING.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

This was not as amazing as yesterday's shave. It was still a great shave though.

I used MB's Awakenings and got a very thick rich lather out of the shower. The first two passes were nirvana, and the last pass was touch up as the blade kept hacking at invisistubble - the stubble you can not see, but can feel and hear.

Again the audble feedback was great.

The shave was very, very good, yielding BBS for the duration of the work day. Even now, there is just a slight patch of roughness along the jawline.

Shave time: 18 Minutes.
After Shave: Osage Rub

 

[razor_n_blade]

recalcitrant whiskers

You DO have a tough beard!

 

[DunEdinRanger]

I was a bit rushed this morning. Still had time to shower and shave, though breakfast was a casualty.

Shave was very smooth, very close, and very comfortable. Even now, I am still clean shaven with only some slight roughness on the jawline.

No nicks or cuts. An all around great BBS shave.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Today's shave was done courtesy of Mosswood SC and AS.

I took about 20 minutes to shave this morning and once again, a very smooth, close, comfortable shave with zero irritation. How smooth? BBS and still clean shaven now.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Nearing the end of the penultimate week.

I woke up late this morning, saved by the annoying sound of my cell phone alarm. Showered quickly and went to work on a two day growth with the Damaskeene GEM and as usual on Fridays the Provence Sante cream squeezed directly on the brush.

Three passes later, I was extremely smooth, clean and no irritation. The application of Clubman AS confirmed this as the dreaded Clubman burn became a slight sting, if that.

I think I like the longer handled GEM's better, but the closeness and smoothness of the shave can not be denied.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

So, how do the Futur and Slim compare?

FUTUR
Closeness = 10
Smoothness = 9
Durability = 9
Time = 10
Audible Feedback = 9

Total = 47/50

SLIM
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 9.5
Durability = 8
Time = 9
Audible Feedback = 6

Total = 42/50

What about the Open Comb you ask?

Open Comb
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 9.0
Durability = 8.5
Time = 9
Audible Feedback = 5

Total = 41/50

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Today the rules got bent slightly. I needed to shave this afternoon. It was about 34 hours since my last shave. I decided to treat myself.

After a long shower, it was time for MB's Dublin Tweed Shave Soap and time for the last shave with the GEM, since next week, we go with the Barber Pole Slant Bar and the Astra Blade.

It took about 30 minutes with quite a bit of touchup because I didn't just want BBS, but Ultra BBS. Without doubt, this was one of the closest shaves I have ever had.

When I was done and splashed on the Jickey, I was prepared for a lot of razor burn. There was almost no stinging, though some redness.

No Nicks. No Cuts. No Weepers. Just and incredibly close, smooth shave.

How did it do this week? Here are the scores:

1912 Damaskeene Razor

Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 10
Durability = 9.0
Time = 9.0
Audible Feedback = 10

Total = 48.5/50

I believe that is the high score.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

So, how do the Futur and Slim compare?

FUTUR
Closeness = 10
Smoothness = 9
Durability = 9
Time = 10
Audible Feedback = 9

Total = 47/50

SLIM
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 9.5
Durability = 8
Time = 9
Audible Feedback = 6

Total = 42/50

What about the Open Comb you ask?

Open Comb
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 9.0
Durability = 8.5
Time = 9
Audible Feedback = 5

Total = 41/50

1912 Damaskeene Razor

Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 10
Durability = 9.0
Time = 9.0
Audible Feedback = 10

Total = 48.5/50

I believe that is the high score.

The Slant is loaded and ready to shave. Can it beat 48.5?

 

[DunEdinRanger]

The last week of this shave off, and the first shave with the Slant and a fresh Astra blade.

I did my usual prep, with the only change being starting the week with MB's Awakenings with a little Prorasso mixed in since it was so warm this morning.

How was the shave? Well, first we need to go back to Saturday. That was the Ultra Smooth BBS shave. That was the shave that nearly 40 hours later had me thinking maybe I didn't need to shave today. If only I had known about this in college I would have been the sharpest looking kid at interviews.

So the Slant had a challenge today. It had to cut some thick barely visible stubble, and leave me BBS. Maybe I should just mention that now, much more than 12 hours later, I am still clean shaven and nearly BBS, and this after an 18 minute shave.

Today the Slant rose to the challenge, although I did get one nick. There was almost no after shave burn.

Can the razor repeat this consistently for the rest of the week? Time will tell.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

A shave out of the shower on a hot steamy morning. It was a good shave, and a 15 minute shave too.

But what about the details? I used Prorasso and Fraser's Polar Ice today. It generated a thick rich slick lather. There was one incident, where I foolishly thought I could do some blade buffing without lather. An application of the styptic pencil and all was good.

It has been more than 12 hours since the shave. I am still smooth with a few slightly rough patches. All told a fantastic shave.

There are no more than four shaves to go in the shave off. Who will be the Champion?

 

[DunEdinRanger]

It was a bit cooler today and I decided it would be a Jickey Day. This meant using MB's British Leather Shaving Soap and Booster's Jickey A/S which I find to be remarkably similar in scent.

I did my normal prep and got a nice thick rich lather from the soap. Then went to work. I could hear the Slant swiftly slicing stubble. Is it my technique that improved? It must be because in two passes I was virtually BBS and a touch up after that yielded a very close, smooth, comfortable shave. The passes were WTG, and AGT. Even now, it is still very smooth., not BBS, but certainly DFS.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

This was another great shave. I used the Real Shaving Co. cream, from the tube with the green stripe, and made a nice thick rich lather.

The shave was 15 minutes, three passes with a wee bit of touch up. I am still clean shaven and smooth as I type this.

Tomorrow, it will be Provence Sante Shaving Cream.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

This morning I went for the 2 day shave. I don't know how successful I will be, but after the usual hot shower, I lathered up with Provence Sante and that Slant started slicing whiskers where I thought there weren't any.

I did the usual three passes with some slight touch up and 20 minutes later, I had a BBS shave. I enjoyed it all day long and even now, there is only some slight feeling of stubble along the jawline and lower neck.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

In the end, it did turn out pretty much the way I anticipated it. I figured the big three would be, in the order in which they were sampled, The Futur, The Damaskeene, and the Barber Pole Slant Bar.

Let's review the Barber Pole's week: There were some incredibly good shaves. I definitely enjoyed the smooth feeling until late in the day and the shaves did not take long.

You're wondering who won? The Gemocrats are wondering if there will be much rejoicing in the Gemocracy. The Slantheads are wondering if the Barber Pole will retain its title and once again prove victorious.

The Slant does a lot of things very well. It removes a lot of whiskers quickly and effortlessly. It goes against the grain well, especially on the upper lip and neck.

The Damaskeene delivers very close shaves and the audible feedback is unbelievable. It is a very forgiving razor, that also does an excellent job at removing stubble.

Well then what was the verdict?

The best Double Edge Razor, without peer in the Kingdom of Wet Shaving is still the Merkur Barber Pole Slant Bar Razor.

An astute reader will have noticed the words "Double Edge" in the above paragraph. That's right.

The best Single Edge Razor, without peer in the Kingdom of Wet Shaving is the Gem Damaskeene Razor (or an equivalent 1912 patent model).

Below are the scores. It's been fun.

BARBER POLE SLANT BAR
Closeness = 10
Smoothness = 9.5
Durability = 9.5
Time = 10
Audible Feedback = 8.5

Total = 47.5/50

This is the same total as the Damaskeene, once I corrected the Math - what was that other thread all about?

1912 Damaskeene Razor
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 10
Durability = 9.0
Time = 9.0
Audible Feedback = 10

Total = 47.5/50

FUTUR
Closeness = 10
Smoothness = 9
Durability = 9
Time = 10
Audible Feedback = 9

Total = 47/50

SLIM
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 9.5
Durability = 8
Time = 9
Audible Feedback = 6

Total = 42/50

Open Comb
Closeness = 9.5
Smoothness No Irritation = 9.0
Durability = 8.5
Time = 9
Audible Feedback = 5

Total = 41/50