Opinions wanted: Testing Protocol for Dorko 7 Day Set.
[ This thread will reference the Dorko Seven Day Set written about here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...7-day-set.html ]
Glen has beautifully restored and honed this set with seven different honing techniques, listed in detail in the thread referenced above. This post is to get my thoughts out loud about how I intend to shave with them, what I'll look for and most importantly to get the opinions of those of you who have LOTS more experience with this than I do.
As fun as this should be, I must admit to a bit of trepidation; I feel like the guy who's deaf in one ear being asked to give feedback on 7 different high-end audio systems. Nevertheless, it is what it is, and with some guidance for you folks, we shoud have some fun, and get some results that might approach "meaningful".
Intent
It's my intention to limit every variable possible in order to focus on the honing alone. The prep and the shaves will be the same every day.
The Shaving Procedure:
I'll be doing cold-water shaves, with face-lathered MWF right after a shower. Even though each individual shave might be better if I take more time with prep, and steam my face with a hot towel, etc., I'm concerned that inconsistencies in repeating elaborate prep procedures will introduce more variable into the test than I'm comfortable with. Besides, since it's already high summer here in Fort Worth, it's not going to be anything but a pleasure to do some cold-water shaving. :)
The shaves will be two-pass shaves; one pass with the grain, the final pass XTG/ATG as my face dictates. Reasoning: It's what I usually do. :D
The Protocol
At this point I'm thinking I need to do three weeks of testing. Each razor, in order, three times total.
Reasoning: The first 7 days I'm going to be making very general observations, since I've never shaved with any razors finished as Glen has finished these. That sadist intentionally didn't hone any of them according to my normal honing routine. :) So, the first week it's going to be all I can do to babble anything more than "ooohh, that's smoooth".
The idea is that as I get more familiar with each of them (and all of them as a set), by the end of 21 days I'll be able to make better informed judgments about the merits of each.
Strop or No-Strop
Although I always strop between shaves, I'm thinking these should NOT be stropped during this test period. I understand that there is the risk that each succesive shave on each razor may be "less good" than the previous with that razor, but to my mind, stropping these introduces another variable into the mix. It seems to me that regardless of the merits of each razor from one shave to the next, all that matters it the merits of each in it's relationship to all the others. Comments on this, please.
So, exactly what should I be looking for?
So far I have:
1) Sharp
2) Smooth
3) [Your
4) input
5) here.]
That's it, folks. Please comment early and often, let me know what you think. Let's have some fun.[1]
[1] And if you could figure out how to help me "like best" the razor honed with the least expensive stones, that'd be a huge plus... :roflmao