I did a long time ago and still have both the diamond and the standard set plus all the extra stones and strops. I also have a KME setup which if you get one is the bees knees for a guided system. Mostly now i just freehand everything.
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An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving
- Thread starter Blade-meister
- Start date
I did a long time ago and still have both the diamond and the standard set plus all the extra stones and strops. I also have a KME setup which if you get one is the bees knees for a guided system. Mostly now i just freehand everything.
Today's shave just didn't feel right for some reason. I'm sure all of you have had one of those days were the shave wasn't terrible, but it just didn't seem like anything remarkable. That was my shave today.
Today's Shave: Shave #28
Razor: Gillette Super Speed (1956) DE
Blade: Poly Silver
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Razorock XXX
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand), Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only.
This shave was a carbon copy of shave #27. I decided to continue shaving in the shower for this week just to see if the goodness continued and was sustainable there. Starting out, I think I loaded my brush too much and got a nice thick but DRY lather. It didn't look that way in the lathering bowl and was about the yogurt consistency I'm used to whipping up every morning, but it seemed off. My t
houghts are that I'm getting better at lathering and counting to 40 while loading might be overkill now. I'll try reducing that to 30 tomorrow.
WTG pass was comfortable but yeah, I could tell the lather was a little dry. I thought it wouldn't be a problem being in the shower, but I think it made for a less enjoyable shave and I had to wet the razor. Hind sight is screaming "Hey, dude, why didn't you just add some water to the lather!" Yeah, that would have made just too much sense. My thinking was not to mess with it and get it too thin as it will disappear quickly in the hot shower so that's probably why I didn't try to change the lather wetness. XTG pass was less comfortable with the ATG about the same. I decided to listen to that little voice that said "Dude, don't even think about buffing or cleaning up with the DE." I used the cart to clean-up and probably saved a great deal of redness. Overall the face and neck were BBS with some DFS+ spots on the neck where I didn't want to continue chasing BBS. Though I had some redness, nothing like what I was getting cold shaving outside of the shower. I could still feel that the shave didn't feel as nice as Monday - almost like the last shave on a blade before you have to toss it.
So what happened? Well, the lather for one, but I think I just wasn't getting the angle correctly. The dry lather wanted to pull the razor foward giving me too steep of an angle which I think accounted for the feel afterwards being less comfortable. Lesson learned, get the lather right! I'm sure face lathering helps with this.
On the personal side, I've scheduled my hip replacement surgery for March. I watched the procedure being done online and in something like 8 minutes they have the incision done, spreaders in, and femoral head cut out. It's only a 30 minute surgery if you can believe it. I'm glad I will be out for it (not recommended to watch after eating lunch). I'm looking forward to having the daily pain gone (of course after the surgical stuff heals) and being able to get back to doing more. I'll be limited with what I can lift and won't be able to run for hobby or sports, no tackling, and no jumping. As part of a team, I'll have to move into a permanent training position and out of the stack of guys doing the work. I'd be a liability not being able to run, tackle, or jump. I stepped down as team leader last year anticipating this in part and in part because of needing to be home to take care of my family. I guess I'm just heading into a new season of life
Today's Shave: Shave #28
Razor: Gillette Super Speed (1956) DE
Blade: Poly Silver
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Razorock XXX
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand), Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only.
This shave was a carbon copy of shave #27. I decided to continue shaving in the shower for this week just to see if the goodness continued and was sustainable there. Starting out, I think I loaded my brush too much and got a nice thick but DRY lather. It didn't look that way in the lathering bowl and was about the yogurt consistency I'm used to whipping up every morning, but it seemed off. My t
houghts are that I'm getting better at lathering and counting to 40 while loading might be overkill now. I'll try reducing that to 30 tomorrow.
WTG pass was comfortable but yeah, I could tell the lather was a little dry. I thought it wouldn't be a problem being in the shower, but I think it made for a less enjoyable shave and I had to wet the razor. Hind sight is screaming "Hey, dude, why didn't you just add some water to the lather!" Yeah, that would have made just too much sense. My thinking was not to mess with it and get it too thin as it will disappear quickly in the hot shower so that's probably why I didn't try to change the lather wetness. XTG pass was less comfortable with the ATG about the same. I decided to listen to that little voice that said "Dude, don't even think about buffing or cleaning up with the DE." I used the cart to clean-up and probably saved a great deal of redness. Overall the face and neck were BBS with some DFS+ spots on the neck where I didn't want to continue chasing BBS. Though I had some redness, nothing like what I was getting cold shaving outside of the shower. I could still feel that the shave didn't feel as nice as Monday - almost like the last shave on a blade before you have to toss it.
So what happened? Well, the lather for one, but I think I just wasn't getting the angle correctly. The dry lather wanted to pull the razor foward giving me too steep of an angle which I think accounted for the feel afterwards being less comfortable. Lesson learned, get the lather right! I'm sure face lathering helps with this.
On the personal side, I've scheduled my hip replacement surgery for March. I watched the procedure being done online and in something like 8 minutes they have the incision done, spreaders in, and femoral head cut out. It's only a 30 minute surgery if you can believe it. I'm glad I will be out for it (not recommended to watch after eating lunch). I'm looking forward to having the daily pain gone (of course after the surgical stuff heals) and being able to get back to doing more. I'll be limited with what I can lift and won't be able to run for hobby or sports, no tackling, and no jumping. As part of a team, I'll have to move into a permanent training position and out of the stack of guys doing the work. I'd be a liability not being able to run, tackle, or jump. I stepped down as team leader last year anticipating this in part and in part because of needing to be home to take care of my family. I guess I'm just heading into a new season of life
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Hang in there man! Future good thoughts toward the surgery and role change for sure!
As to loading the soap, 30 seconds is pushing it for me on any soap, even triple milled or if the puck started dry. Most of my loads these days, with a little blooming, are 10 maybe.
As to loading the soap, 30 seconds is pushing it for me on any soap, even triple milled or if the puck started dry. Most of my loads these days, with a little blooming, are 10 maybe.
That's good to know Chris, thanks.
Hip Replacements have become do efficient now! It is almost witchcraft with how they do it. But that's a good thing. Remind us as it gets closer and my wife and I will include you in our prayers...this is a good thing!
So you'd think Doc's package would have seen me getting up an hour early and diving in. Well, 2 sick kids and staying up late saw me without time this morning to properly set-up things so I had to use the cart this morning. I was disappointed, but better to not haphazardly throw something together. I want to do this right and put some thought into it so I'll do that tonight so that tomorrow I can dive in. Most likely going to be a What The Puck morning with some PSO or possibly PS slick-up with the Williams. I want to try the Q-Shave, but don't want to change too many things up. Can't decide but have the day to think about it.
A great shave though this morning with the cart. BBS everywhere. I found some Old Spice AS in the back of my cabinet that I've never used so I threw some on. Seems kinda clovey to me, not really liking it and wishing I'd used some restraint when splashing it on.
A great shave though this morning with the cart. BBS everywhere. I found some Old Spice AS in the back of my cabinet that I've never used so I threw some on. Seems kinda clovey to me, not really liking it and wishing I'd used some restraint when splashing it on.
No way dude! Old Spice is a classic! Believe it or not I get compliments every time I wear it and people are always amazed when I tell them Old Spice.
My grandma who lives in Montana did hip replacement at the beginning of the year. She stuck with the physical therapy and now claims it made her a new woman! Which I am very happy about because she feels good enough to drive down for Christmas this year! Haven't told the kids yet, but I have a feeling my son is going to be ecstatic to know she is coming to visit.
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Yikes! Sorry you didn’t get off to a good start today. Hope the kids’ sickness passes quickly!
Those joint replacements are crazy! More like carpentry than surgery and so routine now. Early recovery from surgery is one of the projects I'm on, and when I first hear they do hip and knee replacements as outpatient procedures I thought it was nuts! Admit me and keep me drugged up for 3 days is what I'd want. But nope, in and out and on to recovery!
Hope your kids are doing better. Enjoy your shaves!
I know Don, it's totally crazy because I used to like Old Spice but now that I've had some other AS's that have sandalwood and bay rum I just don't like the OS as much. Do I dare say I may PIF it?
Chad, that's a great encouragement to me. I'm the type of guy that you pull my rip cord and I just go until I run out of gas (I know, mentioning rip and gas might cause a few snickers
No kidding Dave! I watched the orthopedist cutting, slamming, grinding and pounding things into place. The cool thing is that I get to be part terminator now
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Nice shave entries but we need more stories based on the obvious court appearancesNo kidding Dave! I watched the orthopedist cutting, slamming, grinding and pounding things into place. The cool thing is that I get to be part terminator nowI also will get a card for the magnometer which will surly require more scrutiny at the airport and at the courts.
How can you not when you stroll around in a loin cloth carrying a spear???
Who, this guy?
I'm usually in court for the right reasons I have a fisher cat paw as my key chain and one female officer asked about it. I told her my favorite pet cat Tiger just recently got hit by a car and I couldn't bear parting with him sooooo. Her face turned green and she dropped my keys. I let it float for a bit and then told her I was just kidding. I have a lot of funny magnometer stories, probably none beneficial for me to put on a public forum
I'm usually in court for the right reasons
I have a fisher cat paw as my key chain and one female officer asked about it. I told her my favorite pet cat Tiger just recently got hit by a car and I couldn't bear parting with him sooooo. Her face turned green and she dropped my keys. I let it float for a bit and then told her I was just kidding. I have a lot of funny magnometer stories, probably none beneficial for me to put on a public forum 
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
No kidding Dave! I watched the orthopedist cutting, slamming, grinding and pounding things into place. The cool thing is that I get to be part terminator nowI also will get a card for the magnometer which will surly require more scrutiny at the airport and at the courts.
If you don’t herd where the TSA wants you, they will not be amused. Don’t ask me how I know this ?
Last night I was looking at all the awesome PIF stuff wondering what shave I wanted this morning. Should I do a full on change from the razor down? Naw, if I get a bad shave I won't know why so that's out. Should I try a new soap? Hmmm, want to but I can do that anytime. Yup, I really wanted to try that QShave razor so I settled on that being the only change this morning. I slapped in a new Gillette SB blade because I know I can get a great shave with this blade and it's all about seeing if the razor performs.
Today's Shave: Shave #29
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Gillette SB
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Razorock XXX
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand), Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth painting and I followed up with a splash of CC Sandalwood AS.
Today I decided to take the good advice of the TSC and prep my lather before my shower so that I could get out, dry off and step right up to the sink with a wet & prepped face. I made the lather a little wetter this morning and didn't load the brush as much (20 second count to load it). I got a good thick lather.
Let me first talk about the QShave. When I first opened DocHoliday's PIF box I though he'd thrown a Merkur in there. This razor has good weight and looked to me to be of good quality. When I researched the razor, I found mostly positive reviews with some believing it shaves almost as good as the real Merkur. Loading the blade is easy and I checked the blade alignment before starting and it looked spot on. Immediately on the WTG first pass I notice a difference. I could hold the correct angle with ease and the handle indentation up near the head allowed me to put no pressure and allow the weight to easily do the work. That first pass I set the adjuster to 2 after hearing that most experienced guys were setting at 3 to start. That first pass was pure shave heaven. The audio feedback was excellent and it was by far the close
st first pass I've ever had. My XTG pass was equally as heavenly and I had to stop and wonder if I was riding the cap because it felt so smooth. The ATG pass was pure heaven too. I did a ton of clean-up and I can report no irritation and very little redness. BBS on the face and neck that is comparable to my cart but maybe even a tad better. Hands down, this is the best shave with a DE that I've ever had. I did some cart clean-up on my neck but none needed on my face. It's love at first sight with this razor
It felt a tad more agressive than the Gillette SS I've been using for a while, but the extra aggressiveness felt great while shaving.
I think working up safely to a #3 setting will see an even closer shave, but I want to be careful with that. My only criticism of this razor would be that it lacks knurling on the handle. But.....the indentation allowed me to have no
problems holding this razor. If this is a taste of what a fine razor is like, I may have to purchase one some day.
What I Changed: Obviously, the razor, but building a good lather up in the bowl before my shower is a really positive change as well.
Today's Shave: Shave #29
Razor: QShave (Merkur Futur Clone) DE
Blade: Gillette SB
Brush: Maggard Razors Synthetic
Soap: Razorock XXX
Bowl: Walmart Salsa Bowl (plastic)
Pre Shave: Shower / wash with soap
Post Shave: Cold water rinse, Witch Hazel (Walmart Brand), Cold rinse, Dry face, then immediately applied Nivea AS Balm to the face only. Mammoth painting and I followed up with a splash of CC Sandalwood AS.
Today I decided to take the good advice of the TSC and prep my lather before my shower so that I could get out, dry off and step right up to the sink with a wet & prepped face. I made the lather a little wetter this morning and didn't load the brush as much (20 second count to load it). I got a good thick lather.
Let me first talk about the QShave. When I first opened DocHoliday's PIF box I though he'd thrown a Merkur in there. This razor has good weight and looked to me to be of good quality. When I researched the razor, I found mostly positive reviews with some believing it shaves almost as good as the real Merkur. Loading the blade is easy and I checked the blade alignment before starting and it looked spot on. Immediately on the WTG first pass I notice a difference. I could hold the correct angle with ease and the handle indentation up near the head allowed me to put no pressure and allow the weight to easily do the work. That first pass I set the adjuster to 2 after hearing that most experienced guys were setting at 3 to start. That first pass was pure shave heaven. The audio feedback was excellent and it was by far the close
st first pass I've ever had. My XTG pass was equally as heavenly and I had to stop and wonder if I was riding the cap because it felt so smooth. The ATG pass was pure heaven too. I did a ton of clean-up and I can report no irritation and very little redness. BBS on the face and neck that is comparable to my cart but maybe even a tad better. Hands down, this is the best shave with a DE that I've ever had. I did some cart clean-up on my neck but none needed on my face. It's love at first sight with this razor
I think working up safely to a #3 setting will see an even closer shave, but I want to be careful with that. My only criticism of this razor would be that it lacks knurling on the handle. But.....the indentation allowed me to have no
problems holding this razor. If this is a taste of what a fine razor is like, I may have to purchase one some day.
What I Changed: Obviously, the razor, but building a good lather up in the bowl before my shower is a really positive change as well.
