Thread: Righty Tighty; Lefty Loosey

Shave #79 - Renewal

Pulled out my 0.5 micron diamond sprayed pad and gave my J. A. Henkels six laps on it, plus one lap on just the toe area. As I was stropping it I certainly felt that there was no way I was accomplishing anything. The desire to overdo it was almost overwhelming, but I stuck to doing a small number of laps, followed by lots of laps on the scrub leather and then smooth leather. Then it was time for a test shave.

T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
J. A. Henkels 64 - 9/16" (13/1)
Alum
Nivea AS Balm

I was planning to just make a stroke from sideburn-to-jaw, pack the razor away in frustration, and begin planning my next move. But, quelle surprise, it cut like a charm along the entire edge, so I went ahead and did a quick 2-pass shave (N-S and S-N). I didn't want to go too crazy with the shaving after yesterday's shave-a-pallooza.

I'm about DFS right now and thrilled that this quick fix renewal worked. I even liked the feel the diamond spray gave the edge.

Shave #80 - Still My Favorite

I thought for sure after renewing the edge on my J. A. Henkels, when I shaved with the DOVO, I'd be dissatisfied. Nope! The edge is still ticking along just fine.

T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
DOVO Palisander 6/8" (33)
Alum
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

A 3-passer on the face (N-S, nose-to-ears, S-N) and 4 passes on the neck (approx. WTG, XTG, XTG the other way, and ATG - using lots of fancy razor handling, skin pulling and facial gymnastics to achieve the correct blade directions) finds me with an all over BBS.

I've been using the Truefitt & Hill shave cream everyday in an effort to use up the tube, which is getting close to empty. But, I might need to give it a rest. I find that if I continually use the same heavily perfumed (which T&H 1805 is) soap or cream day in and day out it tends to start to irritate and dry out my skin. Interestingly if I change soaps/creams every day or two, even if they're all perfumed, my skin doesn't seem to react to them.

Shave #80.5 - Straight to the Head of the Class

Castle Forbes Pre-Shave Lotion
Klar Heidelberg Classic Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (1)
Alum
Captain's Choice Bay Rum
Aloe Vera & Seaweed Hydrating Gel

WOW! What a shave! The Feather blade cut through my whiskers so smoothly that I thought I had the angle wrong and wasn't cutting at all. Nope - it was just cutting that cleanly. Love it! Three quick passes, with no extra diddling around, and I'm BBS everywhere, including my troublesome neck. Not a peep out of the alum. Nice!

Shave #81 - It's Gettin' Routine

Castle Forbes Pre-Shave Lotion
Klar Heidelberg Classic Shave Soap + T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
J. A. Henckels* 64 - 9/16" (13/2)
Alum
Captain's Choice Bay Rum
Aveda AS Balm

My shave was still in good shape from yesterday's wonderful shave, so today I did a quick 3-passer for maintenance. I'm about DFS+.

* Just realized I've been spelling Henckels wrong all this time.

Shave #81.3 - Setting a New Standard

I needed a quick shave this evening, and am probably going to need another quick one in the morning, so...

Klar Heidelberg Classic Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (2)
Captain's Choice Bay Rum

I'm very impressed with how the Edwin Jagger/Feather blade combo works on my face. It is setting a new standard for smoothness and comfort. Today I did 3 passes on the face and 4 on the neck (no touch ups) and got a giant thumbs up from the wife.

Currently it would take me 4 passes with a straight razor plus a bit of touch up to get comparable results on most days (occasionally I could get such results quicker). But, I usually would get a smidge of feedback from the alum after so many passes with a straight. So, my straight razor shaves have a ways to go.

Shave #81.6 - Shoulda Left Well Enough Alone

Quick morning shave...

Castle Forbes Pre-Shave Lotion
Klar Heidelberg Classic Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (3)
Alum/Styptic
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

Three passes to BBS, but I gave myself a few weepers and one nick on the neck. (Rushing, maybe).

Shave #81.7 - A Morning Quickie

Castle Forbes Pre-Shave Lotion
T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (4)
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

BBS! The Feather blades give me consistently excellent results in the Edwin Jagger. And, after 4 shaves this blade seems like it should be good for at least a couple more shaves. So the results of my blade experiments are in. For my skin type and beard, with the blade mounted in the Edwin Jagger, I prefer:

1). Feather Blades - Super sharp, smooth cutting, long lasting and give me superior results. Sometimes I read people recommending beginners to avoid the aggressive Feather Blades. Personally I've found myself less likely to do damage with the Feathers. A sharp knife is a safe knife. And, at least in the Edwin Jagger, they do not feel overly aggressive.

2). Astra Blue (Stainless Steel) Blades - all around consistent results. I can get a BBS without taxing myself too much. The blades don't last me so long, 3-4 shaves, but at a bit less that $8US/100 blades online, their economy and performance is hard to beat.

3). Personna Precision Blades - Excellent performers that gave the razor a totally different feel, almost like using a heavier ground straight razor. I need to experiment with them a bit more, as I used them on vacation, and had to throw the blade away prematurely so I could fly. But, I'm pretty confident that they would be my third choice.

4). Astra Green (Platinum) Blades - Good performers, but no WOW factor.

5). Gilette Super Blue Blades - OK. BBS was not easy with these. I can't remember if I ever managed that close a shave with these. I don't think so. Not very long lasting. Since these are the only DE blades widely available in Taiwan, I can imagine finding myself using them occasionally, but they are below standard.

6). Derby Blades - They came free with my Edwin Jagger, and I paid too much for them. It actually felt like the edge of the blade could not reach my skin past the razor's guard bar. Plus, they were the shortest lived blades of the lot.

Shave #81.8 - May the Sunflowers Bloom

We've been busy here, in Taiwan, trying to preserve democracy.



But, there's time for a shave as well.

Klar Heidelburg Classic Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (5)
Alum
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

Three passes and I'm BBS. I did nick my upper lip during the upward pass, but nothing the alum couldn't handle. I have to apologize for the lack of straight razor content, but I've really been feeling the DE lately.

Shave #81.9 - Internet Probs.

There was a massive anti-government protest today. Unfortunately it seems like either the Taiwanese government or possibly China has been screwing with Internet access. So, I shaved much earlier, but this has been my first chance to post.

T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (6)
Alum
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

DFS++/BBS

Shave #81.95 - The Final DE Shave (For Awhile)

T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (7)
Alum
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

DFS+

So, it seems that I can get about 7 shaves out of a feather blade, though the quality of the shaves began to drop off over the course of the last 2 shaves. Nonetheless, both shave 6 and 7 were still high quality shaves. I pitched the blade after today's shave, and it will be back to the straights for my next shave.