Thread: The great experiment

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I'm in a hotel this week on business and while at home I have a telescoping mirror, here they have this luxurious granite sink surround the puts me (given my "keg" abs) about 3 feet from the mirror.

So what I thought. Mindful that I'm using the Mongoose on this trip that always gives me an almost SR shave, I rub my face afterwards and eek! Stubble!

So I relathered and put my glasses on and WOW. I can see better to shave. I will introduce this "wrinkle" at home (I can also see some facial defects -- sags and wrinkles -- that weren't there 5 years ago), and see if I get better at SR shaving!

Gawd! I have been using reading glasses to shave for nigh 9 years. Some issue, I must set the right nose piece upon my nose to see the starting point on the left sideburn! IF the spike gets me, it's always on the left sideburn.
Under the windowsill we go!

Back from traveling and a week of Mongoose shaving and craving the SR experience, I picked a different blade than the Elliott, this one a Geo. Butler "Art", a tad over 6/8, hollow ground, and a great Sheffield steel. It is in amazing condition for its age with no visible hone wear, and a great edge. I've had it for probably almost a year and have only stropped it, so I stropped it again today, face lathered with MDC and a great new Thater brush I got from Obie and went to work. It is a different feel that the heavier Elliott, but still pleasant and the shave went without problem. I think I am finally getting to be decent at this shaving "art" after 2 1/2 years. All those who expect a great shave after 15 shaves are either quicker learners than I am or delusional.

Anyway, I did 2 passes( one WTG and one XTG) and a cleanup here and there and got a great shave -- a DFS in my book! The rest of the week I'm going to use the Butler and see if I can get even better. On we go!

(apologies for the phone picture, the razor is much cleaner & prettier than I've made it look).

Complacence is the enemy of learning and expanding one's borders. I realized I was getting complacent with the day after day quality shave off of the 8/8 filli. In short, I was getting bored. Yes, too much of a good thing is as bad as not enough of the same. Saturday I shook it up a bit. I did the unmentionable. I shaved with a three bladed object, complete with skin stretching to maximize the closeness. Well, it was not as bad as I thought, since I was using straight razor shaving techniques. Close and very close depending on the area shaved. That is, till about three in the afternoon I happened to stroke the face and realized that despite utilizing any advanced techniques I had had a sub par shave. eeks! & egads!! Couldn't wait till Sunday.

Sundays shave was superb. A delight. A huge contrast to Saturdays. Will I ever stray again from the path of the perfect? Heck yeah. I cannot stand constant repetition so I will be mixing it up with different razors over the next few weeks. Available in my arsenal of varied shavers, ranging from the disposable to the two and three blade replaceable's and the vintage DE's and SE's is my delightful anomaly of an electric DE that has shaved well with Astra Platinum's. I will try it this next time with a Feather DE blade. That ought to be a real eye opener.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Complacence is the enemy of learning and expanding one's borders. I realized I was getting complacent with the day after day quality shave off of the 8/8 filli. In short, I was getting bored. Yes, too much of a good thing is as bad as not enough of the same. Saturday I shook it up a bit. I did the unmentionable. I shaved with a three bladed object, complete with skin stretching to maximize the closeness. Well, it was not as bad as I thought, since I was using straight razor shaving techniques. Close and very close depending on the area shaved. That is, till about three in the afternoon I happened to stroke the face and realized that despite utilizing any advanced techniques I had had a sub par shave. eeks! & egads!!

You know, you could have gotten out one of those #%~_+@+@&*@!:!X! 3/8 strop eating SOB's that I'd honed for you INSTEAD!

Geeze, I don't know what I'm going to do with you Ya Old Goat!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

You know, you could have gotten out one of those #%~_+@+@&*@!:!X! 3/8 strop eating SOB's that I'd honed for you INSTEAD!

Geeze, I don't know what I'm going to do with you Ya Old Goat!

HAR! .............

Originally Posted by cudarunner

You know, you could have gotten out one of those #%~_+@+@&*@!:!X! 3/8 strop eating SOB's that I'd honed for you INSTEAD!

Geeze, I don't know what I'm going to do with you Ya Old Goat!

Ah, yeah, but that's pitting a straight against a straight and that's no fun. Using one of the #)&%+_)!@@# with good technique is having fun with myself, deluding myself to think I can get a decent shave with 'em against the monster. At my age I go to do something that excites me.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Ah, yeah, but that's pitting a straight against a straight and that's no fun. Using one of the #)&%+_)!@@# with good technique is having fun with myself, deluding myself to think I can get a decent shave with 'em against the monster. At my age I go to do something that excites me.

Check your email in a few minutes!

OH! Dropping from an 8/8 to a 3/8 would been a challenge in itself. Ya I know you use them around your goatee but shaving the entire face is another matter.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Check your email in a few minutes!

OH! Dropping from an 8/8 to a 3/8 would been a challenge in itself. Ya I know you use them around your goatee but shaving the entire face is another matter.

Check earlier tn the thread. Already did that.

The likes and dislikes of using different size razors. This morning, instead of the 8/8 half hollow filli I grabbed my Gotta 5/8 bellied and decided to shave with it with the technique I developed with the 8/8. Yes and no. Pros and cons. Yin's and Yang's. The 8/6 requires little inward pressure due to its weight. To get the same effect I had to apply a slight inward pressure. The 8/8 requires fewer passes (I like to shave in short, overlapping strokes) while the 5/8 needed a few more to get the closeness I've come to like with the bigger, heavier blade. Also, the 5/8 required additional directions of shaving passes. That means quasi ATG, WTG or XTG. Need to come up for new names for theses composite passes. After treatment of face with witch hazel quickly revealed a higher level of irritation. Not happy about that. Loser: Gotta 5/8 bellied (sorry Tom, but I still love it.) Winner: Filarmonica 8/8 half hollow.

Round two coming up soon.

Razorfeld, that is eerily similar to my experience when I go from the big guys to the lighter weights. A shave takes more passes, which to me is mentally irritating, more passes mean more irritation on my face, which I experienced and didn't mention in my last post shaving with the Butler Art. And it is more challenging, which may be a good thing, because I learn from it, BUT, at my age (let's just say Medicare covered), I like succeeding more than I like learning.

I recognize that as a character flaw which I'm working on, and so succeeding with a shaving implement that isn't my favorite, as I have in my last few shaves, is a reward. I have now talked in a full circle and in fact I do like getting better by learning differences, and I am doing that.

I'm going to finish the week with the Butler, which I believe to be a full hollow, and then move back to a true favorite to reward myself.