Today's Shave (yesterday)
A while back I picked up a 100 pack of Derby Premiums because they were so cheap. I originally liked the sample Derby Extras when I started shaving over a decade ago but the next pack I got were horrible. I waited a few years and got some more and those Extras were bad too. I'm not sure how one can enjoy a blade and then despise them. Anyway...

Finally a try w/ the Derby Premium and my trusty Edwin Jagger and Tabac shave stick. I had a little bit of tugging while shaving my head, two passes.
Then things improved a little bit on my face and neck (3 passes) so I'm looking forward to my next shave w/ this blade as I prefer to judge blades by their 2nd and 3rd sessions. I find they are smoother then.
I finished up w/ Geo. F. Trumper West Indian Extract of Limes Skin Food.

An OK shave overall.

quote:

Originally posted by mbliss57:
I am still fairly new to this forum but this is a thread I can at least hold my own with.

You've been here for a year, but welcome to the forum and the thread, all the same.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:
I finished up w/ Geo. F. Trumper West Indian Extract of Limes Skin Food.

I had only recently learnt of this old brand. Going to have to check it out. Apparently the lime shave cream is really nice. Lime anything, I really enjoy.

In fact, I really want to get a sampler of Royall Lyme aftershave in a selection. I don't know if I'll love it or hate it, and the same with Bay Rum, but they've got a few choices and I think I might just snag one off Amazon with one of the gift cards I got for Christmas. They also have a Tangerine that has my interest piqued. After I bought a bottle of Pinaud Clubman and almost gagged when I opened it, I think spending a little more up-front on tiny samples is maybe not a bad idea. I still need to try "decanting" it as someone suggested.

Got a few shaves in with the Georgetown Pottery 20oz scuttle.

First attempt was with a soft badger brush I hadn't used yet with Airmid "Green Man" that my mother-in-law brought back for me from her trip to Ireland. I like the way it smells, and it's pretty slick, but it doesn't lather for shit. Dissipates immediately. The brush also was pretty soft and it just wasn't a good combo. I did one pass and rinsed it all out.

The next day (yesterday), I used Stirling's Orange Chill with the fine hair badger brush that seems to have more spine to it, but concluded that a stiff boar or synthetic would probably work better. Still, I was able to work a hot, whipped foam up in no time. Used the red tip Superspeed and a Feather blade on it's fourth or fifth shave and it was just starting to tug, so I binned it after. Did two passes, one with and one against the grain. Alum bar and since the Feather was tugging, used the Nivea aftershave balm just in case. Feels fine today.

I'm still trying to dial in how much soap to load on the brush, and as I've got three now, it's getting more complicated. The black badger brush, I think would be perfect for a traditional shaving cream like Taylor's of Old Bond Street, etc. It's not meant for aggressive splaying type lathering. I think a good synthetic is something I need to get because while the scuttles are really enjoyable to use and can be done in a reasonable amount of time, sometimes I just want to load a brush with soap and aggressively face lather and get a quick pass and be on my way.

One tip I picked up from GeoFatBoy on YouTube was that when loading a badger brush with soap, don't hold the brush by the handle,palm the handle and choke up to nearly the end of the knot with your fingertips so the hairs don't splay out as much. Also, carefully squeeze from the base of the knot and roll your grip outwards a bit to expel some of the lather you've built after you've gotten some worked up. Should help add to the lifetime of a brush.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Got a few shaves in with the Georgetown Pottery 20oz scuttle.

First attempt was with a soft badger brush I hadn't used yet with Airmid "Green Man" that my mother-in-law brought back for me from her trip to Ireland. I like the way it smells, and it's pretty slick, but it doesn't lather for shit. Dissipates immediately. The brush also was pretty soft and it just wasn't a good combo. I did one pass and rinsed it all out...

Couple of things I have found out...

I’ve found that a dollop of “regular” (red cap) Cremo will help soaps whip up at richer lather if they don’t on their own.

While I have a real nice pure silvertip badger brush and it feels quite luxurious, my regular brush is a boar. The boar gives a better “scrub”

Thanks, I'll try that. And yeah, a boar or good synthetic are next on my hit list.

A follow up w/ the Derby Premium blade at the top of the page:

Derby Premium, first blade of 100, second use. Had an excellent shave on my head and face changing only the soap. I normally don't use the mentholated soaps in the winter but the Stirling Shave co. 'Margaritas in the Arctic' called to me from the drawer and the results were great.
Shower and Shave while listening to Yes- Tormato.

A few weeks before Christmas, in addition to the Gillette open comb DE, I also found a 1912 gold plated Ever-Ready SE, in the travel case with a blade bank and four vintage blades. I was so enamored with the Gillette that it's all I used for a few weeks. Then I got sick, and didn't feel like shaving.

Well, after a few weeks of not shaving and then developing pneumonia, I decided it was time to clean up anyway.

The razor cleaned up very nicely and has been waiting for me. I loaded a new Gem SE blade into it, checked the alignment and went for it. Just in case it didn't go well, I prepped the '55 red tip Superspeed with a fresh Feather.

- Georgetown Pottery 20oz scuttle set to heat before the long shower (steam the lungs out).
- Inferior synthetic brush.
- Bloomed Stirling Spearmint.
- A small dallop of Cremo Cooling Mint (great combo with the soap).
- 1912 Ever-Ready with new Gem blade.
- Cold-wetted alum bar.
- Florida Water.
- Nivea soothing aftershave balm.

I went slow and gentle. The design tends to trap hair underneath the blade in such a way that it doesn't rinse out easily if you produce a lot of growth. Seems like I was only able to go a few strokes or so before I need to open the razor up and rinse out solid clumps of hair. This is definitely a razor designed in a time when men shaved very regularly, and is a bit tedious for knocking down heavy growth, even compared to Gillette TTO types, which really only require you to back off a few turns and run it under the faucet a few seconds.

I only did one pass. It was sufficient. Shaved down on my face and upwards on my neck, called it good. I didn't want to go for the gold with one of the most aggressive razors shy of a straight after a few weeks of not shaving. I'll use it again soon, depending on how my face fares. I was deliberate with the aftercare and should be fine, but we'll see in a few days.

I will say this: It's easier to get a perfect lineup on sideburns and a goatee with a single edge razor than the DE's I've owned so far. The only way it seems to get more precise with the goatee is with an actual straight razor.

If you're getting into the vintage wet-shaving thing and like the DE's, do yourself a favor and look at a Gem or Ever-Ready single edge razor. They're like a straight razor on a stick, being developmentally between straight razors and double-edge safety razors, and they're all an entirely different experience worth having. They're also generally a lot cheaper. I've paid between $8-12 for the three examples I own (1912 and 1922 Ever-Ready and a 50's Gem Featherweight). Oh, and make sure to only buy blades designed for shaving. Buy Gem or Treet blades at any drugstore. Don't buy paint scraper blades from Home Depot and then come complaining that you cut your face off.

Not my pics:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P220 Smudge,

I don't "need it," but I'm going to order some Margaritas in the Arctic from Stirling. I love the other stuff I've gotten from them and lime, citrus and menthol for a shave soap sounds awesome. I keep forgetting the small shave sample they sent me of "Electric Sheep." Guess I oughta try that out tomorrow and see what I think and make it happen.

Fwiw, Stirling is running a winter sale. No, I am not affiliated, I'm just a big fan.
https://www.stirlingsoap.com/collections/sale-items

My best shave recently has been my Game Changer .84-P SB. Used an Astra SS (seventh use) and got a great shave this morning. Proraso tube green for the face, and red tube for the head shave (Bic ST2 disposable (maybe 25th use?)). For head shaving, the Bics last at least a month easy.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I don't "need it," but I'm going to order some Margaritas in the Arctic from Stirling...

I’ve got a tub of this and love it. Tempted to get some more of their stuff but I already have way too many different creams/soaps

I had gone just over 2 weeks w/o shaving so pulled out my beard trimmer and head trimmer to buzz things down before finishing w/ the the DE.

Third and maybe final use of the Derby Premium in my EJ. I noticed a little bit of tugging in two areas, nothing major.
Whipped up some Razo Rock Captain's Choice Bay Rum shave soap w/ my Finest Badger and had more than enough lather for 2 passes on my head and 3 on my face.
Finished things off w/ Floid's Vigoroso After Shave Splash.

quote:

Originally posted by f2:
My best shave recently has been my Game Changer .84-P SB. Used an Astra SS (seventh use) and got a great shave this morning. Proraso tube green for the face, and red tube for the head shave (Bic ST2 disposable (maybe 25th use?)). For head shaving, the Bics last at least a month easy.

It's amazing you get that much use out of blades. What's your hair and beard growth like? How many passes do you do?

I've got a moderately heavy, coarse, wiry beard and the whites that are growing in are even tougher and seem to pull, and they're definitely taking over. I'd say I'm 60/40 now on natural to white beard hairs. Haven't shaved my head in a long time, but it's thinning and receding on front and top, but seems to have hit a stall point for now, so I'll keep going with it for a bit.

I was never able to get more than a few shaves out of either the blue or green pack of Astra's. But then, looking at the Razorock .84-P, it seems like a more aggressive type, which I didn't own at the time I was trying them. Maybe I'll try some of the milder blades I have left with the Gillette old type open-comb I picked up. I've been liking it with Feathers, but still can only go four, or maybe pushing it at five shaves with that setup and then the blade is tugging.



Lately, I've been backing even further off on the pressure I apply to the point where I think I'm in the sweet-spot. It's taken a whole year to unlearn most of the poor habits in my technique, and produce a close three-pass shave that leaves me baby smooth with zero irritation and feeling like a million bucks every time.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I don't "need it," but I'm going to order some Margaritas in the Arctic from Stirling...

I’ve got a tub of this and love it. Tempted to get some more of their stuff but I already have way too many different creams/soaps

You know, I said I was gonna do it, and then I went and looked in my bathroom cabinet and thought "nah, you're more than well-stocked." So I didn't. Then yesterday, my wife asked me about the $1,400 worth of fraudulent charges to my secondary credit card I don't use. Home Depot, Autozone, Sketchers.com, and a $200 charge to a massage parlor while I was home with, and then running errands with my son on Friday because of the school's in-service teacher's workshop. We spent the day cruising Goodwill and the antique store. So we handled that, and got the charges reversed. I think I can treat myself for $15 worth of soap.

Do you guys like scuttles? I’ve always been intrigued but never tried one.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Do you guys like scuttles? I’ve always been intrigued but never tried one.

Short answer: YES!

Long answer: I picked up the Georgetown Pottery 20oz scuttle when it was on sale. It mixes and lathers shaving cream up nicely and keeps shaving lather nice and warm, very good in the winter.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
What's your hair and beard growth like? How many passes do you do?

I'm a daily shaver. I would say light growth. I do a couple on the chin and sometimes the upper lip. One pass everywhere else comes out bbs with the GC .84 and ATT H1.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Do you guys like scuttles? I’ve always been intrigued but never tried one.

Yes! My posts on this page and my final post on the second page talk about my experiences so far.

jbscody: I hear they work equally well with ice water for the summer months. Should pair well with a nice, cooling, mentholated soap. I look forward to trying it out once it starts warming up. The hot foam is amazing in the winter, but after sweating myself silly a few times this last summer, I took some advice to try cold water shaving (which is the preferred method throughout a lot of tropical/subtropical/desert countries for obvious reasons), and it made all the difference.

quote:

Originally posted by f2:

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
What's your hair and beard growth like? How many passes do you do?

I'm a daily shaver. I would say light growth. I do a couple on the chin and sometimes the upper lip. One pass everywhere else comes out bbs with the GC .84 and ATT H1.

Man, I wish I could get that kind lifespan out of blades.

10th shave with a Personna red in the Timeless SS with Ti .95MM SB and Charcoal goods handle. I like mixing handles - light, long, heavy.

L to R

61g ATT Atlas
50g Charcoal Goods
30g Gillette Heritage
73g Game Changer HD
88g Timeless H7 Barber pole
20g ATT bamboo
79g iKon OSS

Today’s shave:

Georgetown Pottery 20oz scuttle
Margarita’s in the Arctic soap
Maggards synthetic brush
Israeli Personna blade
Merkur 20C long handled razor
RazoRock Alum block
Thayers witch hazel with aloe
Clubman Lime Sec aftershave

Did a thorough four pass shave this morning, it will be me through my 3-day weekend easy. Used the last of my Lime Sec, it pairs well with the Margaritas in the Arctic soap. Not too heavy and lasts longer than my Captains Choice Lime aftershave. Will definitely be ordering more.

The synthetic brush is pretty new and I am undecided. I like my boar brush, hoping the synthetic will break in and spread out like a natural brush. After about 5-6 shaves with it, it still seems to beholding it’s shape pretty tight.

Merkur handle is a solid performer, but I think I am going to go to one of my vintage Gillette fat handled Tech (circa 1940ish) ones for a little while just for a change.

My third made in the U.S.A. stainless steel razor: Blackland Blackbird (other two: Above the Tie and Timeless). 5 star first shave! Feather (3rd use).

Yesterday's shave:

Georgetown Pottery 20oz scuttle
Stirling Lime soap
West Coast shaving Extra fine badger brush
Feather blade with four or five shaves on it
Gillette 1903 open comb head on a Gillette Tech fat handle
Alum block
Thayer's lemon witch hazel with aloe and added tea tree oil
Florida water aftershave.

Did three passes, down, across and up. Very light touch. Baby smooth when I was finished, zero problems. I did probably 8-10 seconds of soap load on a bloomed puck that I used the watery stuff from as a pre-shave, and it was already starting to lather with just that little bit of work. In the scuttle, I had more lather than I could have used with even four passes. It was like hot whipped cream, perfect. I find that a super light touch and the buffing technique are producing an amazing, irritation-free shave for me.

With that 1903 head, there's not yet anything built into it to help center the blade, so you have to do that yourself, and it's a bit finicky, but it's worth it.

After reading 911Boss' last post, I ordered a bottle of Clubman Lime Sec on Amazon. Should be here Saturday. Can't wait to try it in combination with the lime Stirling soap, which, btw, has a bit of a key lime note to it if that matters to anyone. I happen to like it a lot.