Shave of the day?

[Munky88]

Col. Conks bayrum soap with a lilac scented aftershave. Never would have expected it to smell so good together.

 

[Will Power]

Munky, I find the Col.Conk Amber to be very good stuff, not expensive(although shipping costs to Europe can be high) I use it as a travelling soap.

Today
Sauna and that really opens up the pores!
L'Occitane Shaving Soap. this has a good juniper scent,lathers well and allows an excellent close shave. The cream by contrast is poor, it's actually brushless aka useless, too watery and does not adhere well.
Feather, used Bic for a few days and the difference is considerable.
Merkur Traveller
Nivea after balm

Good job all round:thumbup:

 

[average gimp]

FWIW, I finally ran out of generic cartridges for my Atra, so started with my DE today. I used a Feather razor, Dorco blade, and Shave Secret and water (I shave around a beard--need to see the edges).

No irritation to speak of, but not the closest shave I've ever had, either. I must be messing up the angle somehow. Far less irritating than a brand-new cartridge shave regardless. Still have a lot of blades from the sampler to try, so hopefully I'll improve. There's always the Futur or a slant bar if the Feather doesn't pan out.

 

[loonybin]

FWIW, I finally ran out of generic cartridges for my Atra, so started with my DE today. I used a Feather razor, Dorco blade, and Shave Secret and water (I shave around a beard--need to see the edges).

No irritation to speak of, but not the closest shave I've ever had, either. I must be messing up the angle somehow. Far less irritating than a brand-new cartridge shave regardless. Still have a lot of blades from the sampler to try, so hopefully I'll improve. There's always the Futur or a slant bar if the Feather doesn't pan out.

The angle is only part of it. I've used Shave Secret as a pre-shave followed by shaving cream. I have a goatee (or van Dyke, or whichever it's truly called) and have no problem having a fully lathered face. I just take my finger and wipe the lather off of my beard at the edge. It works very well. A good shave soap or cream is quite important, I discovered.

The Feather isn't the best of razors. It's doable, but there are much better out there. Is it a TTO or a 2/3-piece razor? I would opt for a vintage Gillette before a Feather. I have 5 SuperSpeeds and just don't need them all. I've kept one and am unloading the rest. If you want, I will send you one of my Gillette SuperSpeeds. The finish on the doors isn't the best and probably won't sell on eBay because it isn't near-perfect, but it shaves very well.

 

[average gimp]

The angle is only part of it. I've used Shave Secret as a pre-shave followed by shaving cream. I have a goatee (or van Dyke, or whichever it's truly called) and have no problem having a fully lathered face. I just take my finger and wipe the lather off of my beard at the edge. It works very well. A good shave soap or cream is quite important, I discovered.

The Feather isn't the best of razors. It's doable, but there are much better out there. Is it a TTO or a 2/3-piece razor? I would opt for a vintage Gillette before a Feather. I have 5 SuperSpeeds and just don't need them all. I've kept one and am unloading the rest. If you want, I will send you one of my Gillette SuperSpeeds. The finish on the doors isn't the best and probably won't sell on eBay because it isn't near-perfect, but it shaves very well.

Sir, thanks for your generosity. I've sent an e-mail. The Feather's a 1-piece with butterfly doors--not hip to the lingo so I assume it's a TTO. The packaging said Feather but it looks similar to this one except with black safety bars.

FWIW I think the goatee is the chin cover + mustache, and the Van Dyke is the chin cover only. Thanks again!

 

[loonybin]

Sir, thanks for your generosity. I've sent an e-mail. The Feather's a 1-piece with butterfly doors--not hip to the lingo so I assume it's a TTO. The packaging said Feather but it looks similar to this one except with black safety bars.

TTO = Twist To Open (the butterfly doors). The SuperSpeed razor I'll send you is also a TTO, though not as nice as this one.

FWIW I think the goatee is the chin cover + mustache, and the Van Dyke is the chin cover only. Thanks again!

That's what I thought, too, but never really put a lot of thought into it. Well, I got to thinking today (that's a dangerous thing) and searching:
Van Dyke vs. Goatee
beards.org is probably somewhat authoritative, I suppose.
It appears we've had it backwards.

 

[Rick in KY]

Razor: Vintage Gillette Black Beauty long handle
Blade: Feather
Shaving Oil: King of Shaves Kinexium

I usually use Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream along with a synthetic badger bristle brush.

Today I tried the King of Shaves For Men Kinexium Shaving Oil. I was quite happy with the results. It apparently uses silicon rather than actual oils. I applied a couple (tiny) squirts to my palm whilst in the shower and rubbed my hands together. Applying it to my beard I noticed the smell was somewhat disagreeable (medicinal?) but it rapidly faded. Didn't use the brush.

It provided a smooth, effortless shave and left my skin feeling slick and clean.

I'd heartily recommend giving it a try, especially if you are short of time.

 

[darth kcorbe]

COME ON GUYS! Close to 200 replies and only ELEVEN pictures?

 

[Munky88]

I tried a Lord blade today. Terrible.

I got about 3 strokes done before I gave up. it pulled, but did a remarkably terrible job at removing hair.

 

[unky_gumbi]

I haven't tried them yet but maybe that's why they are called Lords, Good Lord that suck as a blade

It would be nice to see everyone's set up though wouldn't it? I think when I get up I will clean it all up and take a couple of nice gleaming chrome pictures, I am changing the blade tomorrow so what better time:thumbup:

 

[butcher_block]

i have soem of KD creations samples to try and i ll try and get a fw pic after the fact

 

[average gimp]

I used my new Superspeed razor (thanks again Loonybin!), a new Dorco blade, and Shave Secret and water.

Am still having trouble above the top of the beard. I was able to shave effectively along the line with the Atra but neither the Feather nor the Superspeed will do it. I guess with only 1 blade I need to stick to N-S lines. The neck was more effectively shaved but less comfortable. I think I was muscling the Superspeed; the Feather was roughly the same length and weight of the Atra, so 25+ years of reflex kicked in. Either that or I need to start moving through the other blades in the sampler.

From what I'm reading here lately, I'm beginning to think the Shark and Lord blades I got should go in the trash without investigation, and I should focus on Dorco, Merkur, Feather, and Bic.

 

[loonybin]

I used my new Superspeed razor (thanks again Loonybin!), a new Dorco blade, and Shave Secret and water.
<snip>

I think I was muscling the Superspeed; the Feather was roughly the same length and weight of the Atra, so 25+ years of reflex kicked in. Either that or I need to start moving through the other blades in the sampler.

I noticed that my SuperSpeed needs more than just Shave Secret to glide smoothly. If it doesn't glide smoothly, the shaving will be rough. Definitely use shaving soap or cream with the SS. As for blades, I found that Bic blades worked well in that one (I sent you the W-1 date code, right?)

Also, with the vintage Gillettes use only the weight of the razor. The later SuperSpeeds had heads that weren't as tall, so you can use a shallower angle than with an older razor such as a Fat Boy. I'll try to get a pic tomorrow night and post what I'm talking about. Not all TTO razor heads are the same.

 

[average gimp]

I noticed that my SuperSpeed needs more than just Shave Secret to glide smoothly. If it doesn't glide smoothly, the shaving will be rough. Definitely use shaving soap or cream with the SS. As for blades, I found that Bic blades worked well in that one (I sent you the W-1 date code, right?)

You did send the W1 Superspeed. I'm getting some King of Shaves Kinexium as a next step (thanks for the hint, Rick in KY) because morning prep time is at a premium. Even with glasses on my vision's poor enough that if I use soap or cream, the beard edge will look as though I used an electric carving knife (I don't want to lop the whole thing off and look like a four-eyed beluga whale).

I'll try out a Bic blade tomorrow and see how it goes. I'll check back for the pic!

 

[Will Power]

COME ON GUYS! Close to 200 replies and only ELEVEN pictures?

No pix from me as I don't own a camera

The Old Spice Shaving mug looks tidy and useful. What's the nearly finished cream in the green tube though?

Today, a rushed job:
Vulfix Lime shaving cream. Wonderful citrus smell but disappointingly drying in effect.
Merkur Travel Razor. Wonderful small razor, could use it every day:thumbup:
Feather. Close but one slip caused a nasty gash.Could be the shaving cream, drying as I say

 

[Munky88]

I used my new Superspeed razor (thanks again Loonybin!), a new Dorco blade, and Shave Secret and water.

Am still having trouble above the top of the beard. I was able to shave effectively along the line with the Atra but neither the Feather nor the Superspeed will do it. I guess with only 1 blade I need to stick to N-S lines. The neck was more effectively shaved but less comfortable. I think I was muscling the Superspeed; the Feather was roughly the same length and weight of the Atra, so 25+ years of reflex kicked in. Either that or I need to start moving through the other blades in the sampler.

From what I'm reading here lately, I'm beginning to think the Shark and Lord blades I got should go in the trash without investigation, and I should focus on Dorco, Merkur, Feather, and Bic.

Some people like shark, Lords I'm not sure about. Perhaps if you have a thin beard they may be OK, or i may have gotten a dud. Hold off on the Merkurs for awhile though. They can be inconsistent, but if your new you may not notice its a bad blade.

Sounds like your angle is off. Hold the razor against your cheek with the handle out paralell to the floor. Slowly angle it down until you can just start to feel the blade on your face. Might be easier to feel without shaving cream, so get a feel before you lather up. It helped me to shave a little bit of arm hair, its just easier to see whats going on up close.

as for presure, litteraly you want none. JUST enough to keep it on your face. The blades do the cutting regardless of pressure. If you push down, you just change the angle that your skin is at and get more irritation and pull.

 

[darth kcorbe]

No pix from me as I don't own a camera

The Old Spice Shaving mug looks tidy and useful. What's the nearly finished cream in the green tube though?

very useful; i can fit my entire SOTD in the mug between shaves(for now anyway; when i open a new tube of cream i'll have to keep it in THE CABINET.).
the cream is CO Bigelow aka Proraso by any other name, and the tube key is from Crabtree & Evelyn if you want to know. there's still enough in there' for at least a week of shaves.

 

[Will Power]

Thanks for the info:thumbup:

That tube-key is a really useful item, let's jut hope they don't start putting shaving cream in plastic tubes like toothpaste

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Last night it was my usual home-made cedar scented shaving soap, my Omega boar bristle brush (the only brush I have that I don't mind leaving in the bathroom), and my Segal safety razor. As the Segal requires proprietary blades I cut the center out of them with some curved scissors. An alarmingly close shave!

 

[Will Power]

New Feather today from an entirely new packet.

Magnificent! There are variations between Feather blades, very slight mind, this one is ultra. I cannot feel any stubble at all- I have a very wiry mixed colours beard-and no soreness either. In my book, there is no better blade.Or if there is, I'd like to try it!