SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)

[120inna55]

Stirling Soap Co. Stirling Clubman | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN finest) | Merkur Progress | Treet Platinum Super Stainless | Speick After Shave Lotion

Couldn't decide which pic I liked best, so you get two:

[warhawk]

Hi Matt:  I'm loving your SOTD pics, my friend.  Glad that you are enjoying your safety razor shaves.  I recently revisited my Mergress and had a great shave with it.  If you really like your Progress . . . you might want to upgrade it to a Mergress.  As you know . . . there is a member from BadgerandBlade that does great work.  For me . . . the added weight on the plastic knob gives it a better balance.

WARHAWK

[warhawk]

Wednesday Night, June 3, 2015 SOTD

Razor:  Ever Ready Streamline

Blade:  GEM PTFE

Soap:  Sir Hare:  Barber Shop

Brush:  Simpson Duke 3

Dessert:  Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated Osage Rub

It has been awhile since I used the vintage Ever Ready Streamline.  I have been using it for the past 5 shaves and having been getting some incredible shaves with it.  Also. . . I have been using my new shave soap that I won in You Tube.  Sir Hare Shave Soap is a great shave soap.  I won the Barber Shop scent.  The scent is strong and amazing.  It is an easy soap to lather and it provides great cushion. 



WARHAWK

[120inna55]

...If you really like your Progress . . . you might want to upgrade it to a Mergress...

When I first got the Progress, I strongly considered it, but I got tired of the wait list for a Mergress.  In the meanwhile, I grew to appreciate the Progress even more even with it's subtle "imperfections".  Initially the plastic knob was a turn-off, but now I like it.  It adds a vintage quality to it.

[120inna55]

Saponificio Varesino - Manna di Sicilia | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | Merkur Progress | Treet Platinum Superior Stainless | Fine's American Blend

[warhawk]

Saturday, June 6, 2015 SOTD

Mongoose B1 w/ BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe Handle

Feather Professional

Mystic Water Soap:  Bay Rum

Omega S Brush (synthetic)

Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated Osage Rub

Ahh.... just had an incredible smooth face and dome shave to start the weekend.  Enjoy your weekend.  I know I am.



WARHAWK

[120inna55]

Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' Scentsless Preshave Soap & Lather Booster | Los Angeles Shaving Soap Co.'s Myrkviðr | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | Merkur Progress | Treet Platinum Super Stainless | Fine's Snake Bite

Head & face shave: Hot shower. Preshave glycerine ATG on the stubble. Load damp brush 45 seconds on dry puck. Bowl-lather. Head shave: WTG/XTG/ATG. Face: WTG/XTG/ATG. Splash. Burn. Freeze. BBS.

Raven's Brew Deadman's Reach Dark Roast | Baratza Virtuoso Burr Grinder | Bonavita  BV2000SC Electronic Scales | Bodum Chambord French Press | Yama Bamboo Stir Stick | Taylor Electronic Kitchen Timer

Pre-heat vessel. Stovetop kettle 205°F water. Coarse grind 60 gm beans. Tare. Set timer 4:00 min.  Soak & swell 30 seconds. Pour for 30 seconds to 900 gm. Wrap. Break crust at 1:45 min. Press at 0:10.

[120inna55]

Dapper Dragon Soap - Black Dragon | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | iKon #102 Slant | Treet Platinum Super Stainless | Soap Commander - Integrity Aftershave Balm with Menthol | 1740 Peppermint Beard Balm

[warhawk]

Hi Matt:  With your beautiful SOTD pics of your Ever Ready brush . . . I had to revisit my Ever Ready brush, too.  Glad that I did because I forgot how I love using that brush.  I used it today along with my "new" vintage Ever Ready 1924 aka "The Shovel Head".  Today was my very 1st time using it.  It is true from all the reviews that the ER 1924 is an aggressive razor compared to the 1912s.  I actually had a great shave.  I look forward to future uses with it.

Thursday, June 11, 2015 SOTD

Razor:  Ever Ready 1924 aka "The Shovel Head"

Blade:  GEM PTFE

Soap:  Jabonman Citricos

Brush:  Ever Ready 150 w/ TGN Finest

Dessert:  Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements AL FIN



WARHAWK

[120inna55]

Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements' CaD | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | '59 Fatboy | Treet Platinum Super Stainless (1) | Speick Aftershave Lotion| 1740 Beard Balm Deathwish Coffee Infused

[120inna55]

Head & face shave in the shower.     

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.

Prep: Shower.     

Soap: Chiseled Face - "Ghost Town Barber"

Brush: Ever-Ready 100T restored by Thomas Burgess with TGN Finest Badger knot

Razor: '76 Gillette Black Handle Super-Speed

Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless(2)

Post: Cold tap water rinse. Chiseled Face "Ghost Town Barber" Aftershave Splash

This was my first outing with "Ghost Town Barber" by Chiseled Face Groomatorium.  The other Chiseled Face scents with which I have experience are "Summer Storm" and "Sherlock." I waver on which of the two is my favorite, but both are complex and very nice scents.  "Ghost Town Barber" has taken the lead.  The dry puck emits a simple nondescript floral tone which was initially disappointing given its namesake.  However, when the damp badger made its first 2 swirls, the shower exploded with a bold, warm scent of gardenia and magnolia. If it had stopped there, I'd have been satisfied, but with each pass, more green notes unfolded along with spice and cedar.  This is an absolutely outstanding soap!  Since the formula is the same as Chiseled Face's other offerings, it performed just as remarkably.  I hope they never change their formula because this is one of the easiest bowl lathers and the protection is spot on.  I can truly find no fault with this soap.

The sentimental '76 Super-Speed really surprised me.  It's a very mild shaver, but my past experience is that it's not as efficient as most of my other razors.  This is the first time I've paired it with a Treet Platinum SS, so perhaps that was what made the difference.  The result was 3 very comfortable, effortless passes and BBS head and face.  Even my neck was BBS with just 3 passes, whereas I typically have to perform some j-hook trickery to achieve that.

Finally, I topped it off with a splash of the perfectly paired Ghost Town Barber Aftershave Splash.  The initial splash was quite floral--more of the gardenia, but sweeter.  In fact, just when I was about to call it feminine, it setteled down to a warmer, spicier scent with faint hints of musk.  Now, about 30 minutes later, I'm clearly picking up on a very pleasant new leather aroma for an overall classy masculine scent.  I would love to have this as an EDT if Chiseled Face ever decides to get into that market.

This luxurious shave exhibited how performance, comfort, and aroma culminate in what can be anyone's idea of a perfect shave.

I couldn't decide which pic I liked best, so here's a bonus pic:

[120inna55]

RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore Firenze | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | 1976 Gillette Super-Speed Black Handle | Treet Platinum Super Stainless

That's it, gents.  That's all you need!  No post product needed.  RazoRock has created a true luxury croap.  Beautiful packaging with nods to classics.  Classy Italian scent.  Unbelievable glide but can still hold onto your razor while shower shaving.  Muted cooling by way of subtle camphor and menthol.  Lanolin post-shave feel precludes the need for any post products.

[120inna55]

Head & face shave in the shower.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG
 
Prep: Shower. RazoRock Artisan Bar Soap "XXX" in Soap Commander's Soap Net

Soap: Soap Commander "Courage"

Brush: Ever-Ready 100T restored by Thomas Burgess with TGN Finest Badger knot

Razor: RazoRock Stealth Slant v4

Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless(1)

Post: Cold tap water rinse. Fine's "Snake Bite".  1740 Beard Balm "Death Wish Coffee Infused"

Pay-off:  LaCOLOMBE Bleu Coffee prepared in Bodum Chambord French Press

Ever since I picked up the Merkur 37C, I've had an affinity for slants.  The 37C isn't the most comfortable shaver for me, but I definitely appreciate its efficiency. The iKon #102 has quickly become one of my favorites because, in addition to its efficiency, it is an incredibly comfortable razor. 

I was recently fortunate enough to snag possibly one of the last batch of the Stealth Slants from RazoRock.  It's not much of a gamble, because should it not be a good fit for me, it would likely be quite easy to recoup my funds in a BST.  After my first spin with this razor, I never want to be without it. This shaver lives up to the hype.  I typically gravitate more to heavier razors, so my expectations weren't very high, but I just had to try it.  This razor is very similar to RazoRock's Baby Smooth both in appearance and weight, but that's where the similarities cease.  The Baby Smooth is a good shaver, but due to it's  weight, it's not going to be my daily driver.

The slant head of the Stealth v4 is perfect. The top cap is symmetrical, so you can't put it on  backwards.  It incorporates a twisting, torquing slant of the blade like the Merkur. (iKon angles the orientation of the blade without twisting it.) The only documented difference between the v3 and v4 is that the v4 touts a thinner base plate. The Stealth has an even, subdued black anodized finish.  In the right light, I can see evenly spaced ~5mm machined facets on the top cap.  I can not detect them by feel, however.  The Stealth is a slightly lighter shade of black than that of my Baby Smooth.  It almost has a very dark gun metal blue hue.  The handle is identical to that of the Baby Smooth, but the Stealth's edges feel sharper.  I doubt the difference in shade or the sharpness of the handle grooves are anything more than production batch variances.  My calibrated scale showed the Stealth handle to be 29.0 grams (exactly the same as the Baby Smooth's handle). The Stealth's head weighed in at 15.2 grams for an overall weight of 44.2 grams without a blade loaded.  It can easily be balanced and stored vertically due to the perfectly flat planar base surface.  However, it came with a hefty lathe-turned 304 polished stainless steel stand that weighs in at 121.1 grams.  Some will no doubt lament that the polished stand doesn't match the matte black razor, but that's irrelevant to me. 

With the first pass, the Stealth's uncanny efficiency was apparent.  In fact, a single with-the-grain pass on my head yielded a passable shave.  I could feel no stubble when I swiped my hand with the grain.  That's never happened before with a single pass.  Of course, I wet shave not only for the results, but also the process.  So with that, 2 more passes would ensue.  I easily achieved BBS head and face in even the most notoriously difficult places.  A clean-up pass was not needed. 

This was one of the most comfortable shaves I've ever had.  There was no grippiness of the head to my skin (a critique I have with the Baby Smooth).  There was no tugging or harshness whatsoever. 

I've never used the previous versions of the Stealth, so I can't make a comparison.  I can say that the head is small enough as to promote ease in reaching those tight spots just above the ears.  Despite it's light weight, it is well-balanced.  I could easily change between choking up on the handle on my temples and holding the very end of the handle for the base of my neck.  The angle is quite intuitive. The audible feedback is mild, but due to the aluminum resonance, the tactile feedback in the handle is generous.  This lends well to blind shaving which is a great benefit to head-shavers.

As usual, Soap Commander provided an essential layer of protection.  I find I go to Soap Commander often when I'm trying out new hardware.  It's very consistent, and it holds up while I take my time experimenting with new razors.

I can't shut up about Treet Platinum Super Stainless blades.  They are, by far the smoothest blades I've ever used.

I finished with Fine's Snake Bite because I wanted some extra cooling so I could endure the East Texas hot and humid climate while I shot the SOTD pics on my porch.  Snake Bite also helps keep the mosquitoes at bay---at least for a short while.  It was such a low-key shave, that there was no burn from the alcohol, but oh, that menthol!

The Van Dyke got the 1740 Beard Balm treatment.  This stuff is really marketed to those with more epic beards. However, I find it not only tames my coarse and wiry hair, but it also nourishes my problematic dry patches around my mouth and nose.

Tonight's topper was "Bleu" courtesy of LaCOLOMBE Coffee Roasters.  It's a seasonal offering that I've really been enjoying recently.

Happy shaving, gents!

[warhawk]

Tuesday, June 23, 2015 SOTD

Razor:  iKON Shave Craft #102 w/ Weber Bulldog Handle

Blade:  TREET Super Platinum

Soap:  Mike's Natural Soap:  Lemongrass & Eucalyptus

Brush:  Simpson P8

Dessert:  Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated Osage Rub



WARHAWK

[120inna55]

Mel,  why do our Treet Platinum SS's look different?