Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 700 Futur Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Satin
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Wars Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: Floris London Elite Conditioning Shave Cream (Woody Scent) Gone
Technique: (Feather WTG/ATG)/(DE XTG/Cleanup)
Post Shave
Styptic: Tulumba Alum Block
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Result: 4.5/5.0 Wasn't going to take chances with this one and used an alum block. Putting together the Feather ACD-N with the Merkur Futur would either kill me or plane my face to the smoothness of glass. I had the Futur dialed to 4. Not too aggressive. After I used the ACD-N though it was kind of anti-climatic. The Futur didn't have much to cut. I thought I heard a tiny little voice whining in frustration. "Where's the whiskers!" So, by using light glides, I was able to dispense with any stubborn stubble post haste. Cleanup was a breeze and learning how to do no pressure with the ACD-N has helped with the no pressure that the Futur requires.
Posted to The Shave Den
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
My Top 5 Shave Creams
As of 11/30/2007:
I'm going to list the company and not the individual scent since I seem to like all the scents offered by them.
#1 Crabtree & Evelyn
#2 Floris London
#3 Truefitt & Hill or Taylor of Old Bond Street (Made by same company. Geo F. Trumper is the other one of the three "T" shaving soap/cream companies)
#4 Tabac
#5 Musgo Real
Creams are generally easier to lather and more geared to shaving with DE razors. That's not to say that any of these creams would not do well with a straight razor. I'm used them quite often with a straight razor or the Feather ACD-N razor with excellent results. There is one cream I left out that should have a special note. Kiss My Face unscented shave cream should be a household item. It can be paired up with anything and has saved many a shave due to a poor performing cream or soap. Any of the above matched up with a soap for a "super lather" is just plain decadent. I'm sure this list will change since there are many more creams that I haven't tried.
(Revised 2007.11.14)
I'm going to list the company and not the individual scent since I seem to like all the scents offered by them.
#1 Crabtree & Evelyn
#2 Floris London
#3 Truefitt & Hill or Taylor of Old Bond Street (Made by same company. Geo F. Trumper is the other one of the three "T" shaving soap/cream companies)
#4 Tabac
#5 Musgo Real
Creams are generally easier to lather and more geared to shaving with DE razors. That's not to say that any of these creams would not do well with a straight razor. I'm used them quite often with a straight razor or the Feather ACD-N razor with excellent results. There is one cream I left out that should have a special note. Kiss My Face unscented shave cream should be a household item. It can be paired up with anything and has saved many a shave due to a poor performing cream or soap. Any of the above matched up with a soap for a "super lather" is just plain decadent. I'm sure this list will change since there are many more creams that I haven't tried.
(Revised 2007.11.14)
2007.11.14 Shave of the Day
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Gillette TTO 1970 Gold Plated, Long Black Handled Super Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: Floris London J.F. Conditioning Shave Cream (Citrus Scent)
Technique: (Feather WTG/ATG)/(DE XTG/Cleanup)
Post Shave
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave w/2 drops Pen Herb Olbas Oil
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Result: 4.5/4.6 The Floris J.F. cream is a sample I got from Vintage Blades LLC when I bought something else. I opened up the container and the cream had dried out. No worries mate. Dug some out, put it into the bowl, add water and good as new. Maybe even better. Almost like it had been cured. I put a couple of drops of water into the container to soften it up a bit for next time. There is a reason why I like the Floris creams almost as much as the C&E creams and have them on my wish list. I put a couple of drops of Olbas Oil with the Thayers WH aftershave in my hand before splashing on. Froze my face is what it did. A little goes a long way. I'm thinking of buying a bottle of Thayers WH aftershave and adding some Olbas Oil right to the bottle to make a minty version for myself.
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Gillette TTO 1970 Gold Plated, Long Black Handled Super Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: Floris London J.F. Conditioning Shave Cream (Citrus Scent)
Technique: (Feather WTG/ATG)/(DE XTG/Cleanup)
Post Shave
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave w/2 drops Pen Herb Olbas Oil
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Result: 4.5/4.6 The Floris J.F. cream is a sample I got from Vintage Blades LLC when I bought something else. I opened up the container and the cream had dried out. No worries mate. Dug some out, put it into the bowl, add water and good as new. Maybe even better. Almost like it had been cured. I put a couple of drops of water into the container to soften it up a bit for next time. There is a reason why I like the Floris creams almost as much as the C&E creams and have them on my wish list. I put a couple of drops of Olbas Oil with the Thayers WH aftershave in my hand before splashing on. Froze my face is what it did. A little goes a long way. I'm thinking of buying a bottle of Thayers WH aftershave and adding some Olbas Oil right to the bottle to make a minty version for myself.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
2007.11.13 Shave of the Day
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Gillette TTO 1970 Gold Plated, Long Black Handled Super Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Mäurer & Wirtz Tabac Original Shave Cream
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Cologne: Mäurer & Wirtz Tabac Original Men's Cologne
Result: 4.6/5.0 Went ATG with the Feather ACD-N under the chin line. Risky because it's a good way to get an ingrown it shaves so close. So far, so good. BBS all the way. The Tabac cream as you know is strong smelling but very good performer. I like the smell so it's not an issue. I changed the pre shave prep a little by doing a full lather on my face with a brush. Before, I was just putting it on with my wetted hands. It seemed to work better that way. I made the mistake of putting a little oil on my face in the shower yesterday and it clogged a pore badly. Now I remember why I don't put oil on my face.
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Gillette TTO 1970 Gold Plated, Long Black Handled Super Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Mäurer & Wirtz Tabac Original Shave Cream
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Cologne: Mäurer & Wirtz Tabac Original Men's Cologne
Result: 4.6/5.0 Went ATG with the Feather ACD-N under the chin line. Risky because it's a good way to get an ingrown it shaves so close. So far, so good. BBS all the way. The Tabac cream as you know is strong smelling but very good performer. I like the smell so it's not an issue. I changed the pre shave prep a little by doing a full lather on my face with a brush. Before, I was just putting it on with my wetted hands. It seemed to work better that way. I made the mistake of putting a little oil on my face in the shower yesterday and it clogged a pore badly. Now I remember why I don't put oil on my face.
Monday, November 12, 2007
2007.11.12 Shave of the Day
Friday - No Shave
Saturday - 4.5/5.0
Razor: Merkur 37C Slant Bar HD Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Shavemac 23mm Handmade Nickel Ivory Pure Badger Shave Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 5" Blue swirl hand thrown Japanese Rice Bowl
Shave Cream/Soap: QED QEDman Sandalwood Glycerin Shave Soap
Sunday - No Shave
Monday
Toothpaste: Rembrandt Complete Mint Toothepaste
Mouthwash: Scope Orginal Mint Mouthwash
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N Razor
Razor: Gillette TTO 1970 Gold Plated, Long Black Handled Super Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor
Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Tom's of Maine Natural Conditioning Shave Cream, Mint
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave Balm: Nivea Extra Soothing Sensitve Skin Balm
Aftershave: Em's Place Minty Menthol Aftershave and Body Splash
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Result: 4.2/5.0 One weeper. BBS. It was a minty day. The Tom's of Maine works very well. I did find however that it is hardening up in the tube which I didn't expect. I'll have to use it more before it gets too hard. The cream gave nice lather, glide and cushion and has decent moisturizing. The one weeper was on a neck hollow. Always a tough place to shave. The super adjustable was on 4 and gave a mild shave. I could probably dial it up to 7-9 without too much trouble. With the long handle, it has a pretty good balance.
Saturday - 4.5/5.0
Razor: Merkur 37C Slant Bar HD Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Shavemac 23mm Handmade Nickel Ivory Pure Badger Shave Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 5" Blue swirl hand thrown Japanese Rice Bowl
Shave Cream/Soap: QED QEDman Sandalwood Glycerin Shave Soap
Sunday - No Shave
Monday
Toothpaste: Rembrandt Complete Mint Toothepaste
Mouthwash: Scope Orginal Mint Mouthwash
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N Razor
Razor: Gillette TTO 1970 Gold Plated, Long Black Handled Super Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor
Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Tom's of Maine Natural Conditioning Shave Cream, Mint
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave Balm: Nivea Extra Soothing Sensitve Skin Balm
Aftershave: Em's Place Minty Menthol Aftershave and Body Splash
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Result: 4.2/5.0 One weeper. BBS. It was a minty day. The Tom's of Maine works very well. I did find however that it is hardening up in the tube which I didn't expect. I'll have to use it more before it gets too hard. The cream gave nice lather, glide and cushion and has decent moisturizing. The one weeper was on a neck hollow. Always a tough place to shave. The super adjustable was on 4 and gave a mild shave. I could probably dial it up to 7-9 without too much trouble. With the long handle, it has a pretty good balance.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
2007.11.08 Shave of the Day
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 37C Slant Bar HD Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Soap Shave Cream/Soap: Wars Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: The Gentlemen's Quarter Gentleman's Oak & Moss Glycerin
Technique:WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Result: 4.5/5.0 Had to work around a slight razor bump from the other day. Switched to the Merkur Slant Bar as the cleanup razor. I'm going to start using a different DE per week in combination with a str8 or the Feather ACD-N or just by itself. I'll also start using up the blade samples and write my opinions on each. So far, the Pandas have worked well with the Progress and the Slant Bar Razors. You'll notice I didn't use talc today or a cologne. I might use some later in the day.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
2007.11.07 Shave of the Day
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: Ogallala Bay Rum Glycerin Shave Soap - New Formula
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave: Ogallala Bay Rum Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Cologne: Ogallala Bay Rum Cologne
Result: 4.6/5.0 Lovely shave with some great products. It was an Ogallala Bay Rum Day. I experimented with my new AT&T 8525 Cell Phone/PDA's camera and took a picture. Not the best in the word but not too shabby either. The Ogallala products are some of my favorite when it comes to Bay Rum. You can't beat the scent. The cologne and aftershave will last me a long time during the day. The new formula soap has improved dramatically. Lot's of lather and fade time is much much better. If you want even better results, squirt some of the Kiss My Face Unscented cream into the bowl and watch the explosion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)