Author Topic: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)  (Read 742156 times)

Offline warhawk

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1500 on: January 22, 2016, 11:06:54 AM »
Friday, January 22, 2016

It's been awhile since I posted in this thread.  I had an enjoyable head shave today.

Razor:  iKON ShaveCraft #102

Blade:  Treet Platinum

Soap:  Jabonman Citricos

Brush:  Semogue 620

Dessert:  Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated FINE Fresh Vetiver




WARHAWK O0
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Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1501 on: January 22, 2016, 12:13:08 PM »
That's a fine shave, right there, Mel!

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1502 on: January 27, 2016, 04:26:34 PM »
Barrister and Mann - Fireside | Above The Tie S1 w/Triad 316 Stainless Rolling Hex | Astra Superior Platinum (1) | Ever-Ready 100T w/TGN Finest | Fine Accoutrements - Snake Bite

That was a great combo!  When I finally got over the feeling that the Triad could only be paired with the Mongoose, it really opened up the ATT S1 with very nice balance and more weight that suits the slant.  I haven't used the Astras for quite some time.  I'd forgotten how smooth they are.  I could probably shave with a ripped beer can with the protection provided by B&M's Glissant. I didn't feel the alcohol burn from the Snake Bite due to the flawless shave…but the menthol let me know something happened!


Offline slybaldguy

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1503 on: January 27, 2016, 10:30:38 PM »
As a newbie, never having used a safety blade, what would be a good "starter kit" for me to learn to wield one of these bad boys?
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Offline warhawk

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1504 on: January 28, 2016, 07:42:15 AM »
Hi Matt:  That is a great SOTD pic, brother.   I will have to revisit some of my Barrister and Mann's soaps.  I wanted to love my ATT S1 slant but it did not love me.  It gave me some great face shaves but the head shaves were rough.  AS you know as a fellow head shaver, it is all about the head shaves.  The ATT S1 was beautiful and the quality was superior but as far as head shave performance it did not compare to my beloved iKON ShaveCraft #102.  The S1 is more beautiful and the quality kills the #102 but when I compare the performance of the head shave the #102 (for me) gives me the better shaves.  So I had to sell it to a fellow wet shaver. 

So... how 'bout you?  How do you compare the S1 to your #102 and the RRSS?  I look forward to hear your thoughts.  As always keep up the great pics, bro.

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Offline warhawk

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1505 on: January 28, 2016, 07:49:33 AM »
As a newbie, never having used a safety blade, what would be a good "starter kit" for me to learn to wield one of these bad boys?

I would suggest the following.

Razor:  Edwin Jagger 89L

Blade:  Astra SP, Voskhod

Soap:  Mike's Natural Soap, Mystic Water Soap, TIKi Bar Soap, Cella, Barrister & Mann,
Soap Commander,

Cream:  Taylor of Old Bond Street aka TOBS

Brush:  Semogue boar brushes

There are many many more but this list should give you a great start.  I love all these.  You might also want to join www.badgerandblade.com.  It is a community that is all about the wet shaving life style.

WARHAWK O0
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Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1506 on: January 28, 2016, 04:38:27 PM »
...So... how 'bout you?  How do you compare the S1 to your #102 and the RRSS?  I look forward to hear your thoughts.  As always keep up the great pics, bro...
Sorry to hear the ATT didn't work out for you.  They're pretty easy to flip, though.  I would say, for me the 102 and the S1 were pretty neck and neck.  I'd give the S1 the edge due to style, but the 102 wins for practicality & bang for the buck. 

The RRSSV4 was blowing them all out of the water...at least until I put that heavy Triad on the S1.  That was just a remarkable shave.  I'll have to use it a few more times to speak to it's competition with the RRSSV4.

Again, with the the new "Glissant" base in B&M's soaps, everything is a best case scenario.  The new base was introduced with Le Grand Chypre, but due to nut allergy concerns, Will traded the sweet almond oil for safflower oil in a slightly tweaked version of the new soap base which he then introduced with Fireside.  This made a notable difference in slickness when I thought Le Grand Chypre was already perfect.  He plans to keep this base in in subsequent non-Latha releases.  This is the best performing soap I've ever used (including MdC, AdP, SMN, etc.)

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1507 on: January 31, 2016, 06:11:50 AM »
The Los Angeles Shaving Soap Company - Myrkvior | Above The Tie S1 w/Triad 316 Stainless Rolling Hex | Astra Superior Platinum (2) | Ever-Ready 100T w/TGN Finest | Fine Accoutrements - Snake Bite


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1508 on: February 08, 2016, 04:02:46 PM »
Head & face shower shave. 3 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Beaver WoodWright - Queen Anne's Revenge LE
Brush: Ever-Ready 100T w/TGN Finest
Razor: Above The Tie - S1 w/Triad Rolling Hex 316 Brushed Stainless handle
Blade: Astra Superior Platunum(4)
Post: Beaver WoodWright - Queen Anne's Revenge

       

This was another outstanding shave courtesy of some quality products.

I was fortunate enough to snag BWW's LE, Queen Anne's Revenge.  The performance is right in line with what one can expect from BWW.  It provides excellent cushion and density and superior slickness.  Of my prior experience with BWW (Ghost Ship, Jolly Roger, and Captain's Pipe), QAR is probably the mildest of the four.  That's not to say it's short-lived or weak, by any means.  It's just not as stark, and it blends more readily with other aromatic notes in nature.  While it's replete with tropical, Caribbean fruit notes, I wouldn't call it fruity because it's slightly darkened with oak moss, vanilla, and musk.  Surprisingly, off the puck, it smells like a non-descript cologne, but as soon as a warm soaked brush hits it, the aforementioned notes immediately spring to life.  There's very little unfolding involved.  What you smell is what you get, and it maintains throughout the shave.  It's so pleasant, however, that ends up being a good thing.

The paired QAR splash is more of the same, and despite its gentle notes, I was still aware of it 6 hours later.  I delighted in the scent so much, I splashed on a little the following non-shave day.


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1509 on: February 12, 2016, 06:33:03 AM »
Head & face shower shave. 4 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Barrister and Mann - Night Music
Brush: Ever-Ready 100T w/TGN Finest
Razor: Above The Tie - S1 w/Triad Rolling Hex 316 Brushed Stainless handle
Blade: Astra Superior Platunum(2)
Post: Barrister and Mann - Night Music
Pay-off:  Movie Night - Deadpool in IMAX

I'll make this one quick and dirty since I need to be off to the movies!

In the interest of time, instead of just repeating myself with regard to B&M's Glissant base's performance, I will just stipulate that it is unsurpassed in all aspects of soap performance.  Any of B&M's soaps utilizing this base is flawless. If you're looking to experience a high-end performing soap à la the likes of Martin de Candre, Acqua di Parma, and so on, save your money and look no further.

Now to the scent: I used to say I wasn't a vanilla fan.  Since delving into the artisan side of wetshaving products, however, I've changed my mind.  Previously, I'd associated vanilla scents with the artificial, nauseatingly sweet scent in air fresheners, flavored coffees, and even cheap women's perfumes.  I know what real vanilla beans smell like because I use them periodically, and the aforementioned facimiles don't even come close.  Since I'm not a perfumer or a chemist, I don't claim to know what the artisans use to achieve the vanilla scent, but I do know that many of them yield accurate reproductions of what I smell when I handle vanilla beans.  So, now that I'm kind of a vanilla fan, it doesn't mean I want to smell like vanilla myself.  Until now, I've considered it to be somewhat feminine.

When I lathered up Night Music, "feminine" was not my impression.  The vanilla is certainly up front, but it's a spicy, almost smokey vanilla that reminds me of aged Madagascar whole bean pods.  I emphasize the inclusion of pods because they add a slight woodiness to the profile.

Into my second pass, the woody, spicy vanilla sweetened up a bit.  I suppose that's from the hint of strawberry, but I really can't identify the strawberry per se.  It just sweetens it a bit, keeping it elegant, without making it smell like candy.  Just as the sweetness hightens, it is soon mitigated by an aggressive but pleasant muskiness.  At this point, you really don't want the shave to end.  This truly is a sexy scent.

I couldn't tell you how long the soap scent lasts by itself because I was compelled to use the splash in order to sustain that goodness throughout the evening.

Have a great evening, gentlemen!


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1510 on: February 14, 2016, 08:55:41 PM »


Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber | Kent V8 | Above The Tie S1 on Triad Rolling Hex Stainless | Astra Superior Platinum (3)

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1511 on: February 17, 2016, 05:01:04 AM »


Beaver WoodWright - The Black Rose | Semogue 1250 | Above The Tie S1 on Triad Rolling Hex Stainless | Astra Superior Platinum (4)

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1512 on: February 19, 2016, 03:35:23 PM »
Barrister & Mann - Lavanille | Ever-Ready 100T w/TGN Finest | Above The Tie S1 on Triad Rolling Hex Stainless | Astra Superior Platinum (1)


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1513 on: February 23, 2016, 06:07:06 PM »
Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Jabonman - Tierra Húmeda
Brush: Omega PRO48
Razor: Above The Tie - S1 w/Triad Rolling Hex 316 Brushed Stainless handle
Blade: Astra Superior Platunum(1)
Post: Barrister & Mann - Barrister's Reserve (beta)

I'm making myself delve into some neglected soaps.  As a result, I'm seeing them in a new light.

From Jabonman (renamed "Eufros") we have Tierra Húmeda. Off the dry puck, this smells just like its namesake, wet earth.  Lathered up, it gets much more complex.  The earthiness sustains throughout, but a slightly sharp, spicy vetiver quickly comes through with wet oak smokiness.  Then, a surprise---half-way through the second pass, a very clear note of saltiness and warm roasted-in-the-shell peanuts become dominant.  On the third pass, the nuttiness leaves the stage, and smoky vetiver and moist hay became the prevailing notes.  While Tierra Húmeda is unique, I place it in the same scent category as Los Angeles Shaving Soap Company's "Myrkvior", and to a lesser extent, Chiseled Face's "Sherlock".

This is an outstanding soap.  It's thirsty, but building a lather is effortless. I've had a lot of experience with this particular soap, and I've discovered it performs best if you add all the water up front.  Not quite the "Marco Method", but close.  The lather is dense, and very, very creamy with a consistency somewhere between mousse and pudding.  I'm a huge fan of lanolin in shaving soaps because my scalp responds quite well to it.  Jabonman is no exception.  It's no secret that B&M's Glissant-based soaps have ruined me, and remain my benchmark with regard to performance.  Alas, while Jabonman is an outstanding soap, it is slightly lower on the slickness scale when compared to Glissant.

Speaking of Barrister & Mann, I'm working on my last sample of their beta aftershave splash, "Barrister's Reserve", and I'm cherishing every drop.  The scent is reminiscent of a slightly more aquatic Floid Blue with just enough soapiness to keep it clean without tipping over into powdery.  There is some slight woodiness, but on the sharper end of the spectrum (think closer to cedar than oak), but it really doesn't replicate any of those things.  It just shares some of their qualities.  If I had to pick two commonly available scents in the wet shaving realm that this resembles, I would say Floid Blue and Fine's Clean Vetiver.  This scent is more complex than either of those, however.  The longevity is about 6-8 hours for me (full disclosure that I use more product that just a face shaver because I also head shave.)  The dry down resulting scent is what you have for several hours.  There is very little transformation which is good for this type of product.

As far as performance, despite Will indicating it's not yet ready for prime time, I wouldn't change a thing about it (but I have no doubts he'll find a way to improve it.)  There's the expected surge as with most all alcohol based splashes, but afterwards, my scalp and face feel like I applied a light moisturizer.  There is zero residual tackiness, heaviness, or false sheen.  Not wanting to waste a drop of this coveted splash, I drew it up into a syringe (I was fresh out of apothecary bottles.)


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1514 on: February 27, 2016, 04:02:57 PM »
Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary SE | Omega PRO48 | Above The Tie S1 on Triad Rolling Hex Stainless | Astra Superior Platinum (2)