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Doug's Journal of Shaving Happiness v2.0
- Thread starter dkeester
- Start date
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #420
12/27/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Saiver Russian safety razor
Blade: Rapira SS (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Yaqi 24mm R1818 Aqua High Mountain Silvertip Badger
Soap/Cream: PAA Magi CK-6
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: PAA Magi
Fragrance: none
Overview
A great Russian shave.
SOTD Pic
![IMG_20191227_124953967[1].jpg](https://theshavingcadre.com/data/attachments/13/13932-c2944c6cd25fd789af0be405185454fe.jpg?hash=wpRMbNJf14 "IMG_20191227_124953967[1].jpg")
Shave Quality
Two passes for a full-on BBS. The lather was great. The razor gave me an effortless shave.
Gear
The Savier is a very light razor, but works much like a GEM. Just lay the flat plane against your face and go. It can use two blades, but I prefer it with only one.
Other Thoughts
I got one last Christmas present today. I hopped on the scale this morning and got quite a nice shock. It said 224.4. Yay!!!
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
12/27/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Saiver Russian safety razor
Blade: Rapira SS (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Yaqi 24mm R1818 Aqua High Mountain Silvertip Badger
Soap/Cream: PAA Magi CK-6
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: PAA Magi
Fragrance: none
Overview
A great Russian shave.
SOTD Pic
Shave Quality
Two passes for a full-on BBS. The lather was great. The razor gave me an effortless shave.
Gear
The Savier is a very light razor, but works much like a GEM. Just lay the flat plane against your face and go. It can use two blades, but I prefer it with only one.
Other Thoughts
I got one last Christmas present today. I hopped on the scale this morning and got quite a nice shock. It said 224.4. Yay!!!
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #421
12/28/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Saiver Russian safety razor
Blade: Rapira SS (2)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Yaqi 24mm R1818 Aqua High Mountain Silvertip Badger
Soap/Cream: PAA Magi CK-6
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: PAA Magi
Fragrance: none
Overview
A less successful repeat.
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
I got a really close BBS today, but there was residual irritation for a while afterward. The lather was great. I am really liking the Fine lather bowl.
Gear
Good stuff, especially the lather bowl.
Other Thoughts
Finished season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix, then found out that The Witcher trilogy is on sale on Steam for $15. I couldn't resist. Seems like a win, right?
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
12/28/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Saiver Russian safety razor
Blade: Rapira SS (2)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Yaqi 24mm R1818 Aqua High Mountain Silvertip Badger
Soap/Cream: PAA Magi CK-6
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: PAA Magi
Fragrance: none
Overview
A less successful repeat.
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
I got a really close BBS today, but there was residual irritation for a while afterward. The lather was great. I am really liking the Fine lather bowl.
Gear
Good stuff, especially the lather bowl.
Other Thoughts
Finished season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix, then found out that The Witcher trilogy is on sale on Steam for $15. I couldn't resist. Seems like a win, right?
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
I have played some of The Witcher 3 on the PS4, but haven't yet played the first two. The Witcher 3 is good.
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #422
12/29/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Schick N-Type Injector
Blade: Chinese Schick (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Yaqi 26mm Rainbow Handle, Brown Hair Synthetic
Soap/Cream: PAA Magi CK-6
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: PAA Magi
Fragrance: none
Overview
'JECTAH!
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
A great, although quick, shave from the 'JECTAH today. The lather was great. It was two passes of smooth shaving for BBS.
Gear
I love my DEs, but Injectors are so effortless.
Other Thoughts
One week down, one to go of my forced vacation. I am enjoying it.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
12/29/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Schick N-Type Injector
Blade: Chinese Schick (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: Yaqi 26mm Rainbow Handle, Brown Hair Synthetic
Soap/Cream: PAA Magi CK-6
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: PAA Magi
Fragrance: none
Overview
'JECTAH!
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
A great, although quick, shave from the 'JECTAH today. The lather was great. It was two passes of smooth shaving for BBS.
Gear
I love my DEs, but Injectors are so effortless.
Other Thoughts
One week down, one to go of my forced vacation. I am enjoying it.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
No Comment 
Ditto on today. Love the aqua handle on your Yaqi brush from a couple days ago.No Comment
It's also a set of books by a Polish Author that has a HUGE following. The wife just purchased a couple of them. I'll get to read them when she is done...I read significantly slower than she does.
What is this? No shave? No worries...I didn't shave either. That means that tomorrow will be that much better!
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Yeah, Yaqi makes some good looking handles.
I need to pick up the books.
The knot in the Yaqi R1818 is very soft out of the box and I think will soften up even more as the tips gel.
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #424
New Year 2020 TSC Appreciation Shave #1 of 2
12/31/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Fine Marvel razor
Blade: Shark SS (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: The Tech Hive Synthetic Tuxedo Beehive 26mm
Soap/Cream: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard
Fragrance: none
Overview
While I appreciate, and value all of the Cadre, I can't include you all in my appreciation shaves. I would if it were at all possible. Thank you all for being here.
So, here are TSC Members represented in today's shave (in alphabetical order by forum handle):
@BarberDave - Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream - I first heard about the Disappearing Cream and the Vanishing Cream from reading one of Dave's posts. I decided to give them a try based on that. Dave also put some amazing edges on a few of my straights. I am very glad that he, Chad, and Chris L. made the decision to start this forum.
@Cvargo - Shark SS DE blade - Chad reviewed this in one of the early Bad Blade reviews which caused me to go out and buy a few. I agree with his "100 Pack" rating for this blade. It surprised me by being as good as it is even after seeing Chad's review. I love watching the Bad Blade series and am glad that I helped make it what it is.
@Dragonsbeard - Ethos Grooming Essentials soap & AS - Trying this new product as part of a pass-around. I love it that new artisans are springing up on TSC. It makes this place even more special. I am glad to help get this brand off the ground.
@NurseDave - Stirling pre-shave oil - I was Dave's Reindeer Buddy for 2018. He sent me a cool TSC Christmas ornament, a San Francisco mug full of Ghirardelli chocolate and other goodies, and 3 pre-shave oils. Stirling makes really good pre-shave oil. I wouldn't have tried them if not for this gift.
@Spider - Fine Marvel razor - I am glad that I purchased this from KJ. It is a fine shaver, even if it is 100% pot metal. KJ is the reason that I know about TSC. When the Cadre was just getting started he sent out an email to a bunch of people that had participated in Bingo on that other forum talking to tell them about TSC. Five minutes after reading that email I was registering my account here. At that point I had stopped going to that other forum because of multiple run-ins with the moderation staff for basically fan-boying too hard. I was even accused of shilling for Colonial Razors at one point. The mods at that place soured me on the whole experience but I always missed the people like the various Daves, KJ, Chad, and Chris L. So, KJ is the reason that I was able to reconnect with all of you.
@Techichi - Tech Hive Synthetic brush - Another new artisan that has sprung up on TSC. After Chad and a few others mentioned how good these brushes are, and how reasonably priced they are, I just had to get one.
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
There was lots of good in today's shave and some bad, which I will talk about in the Gear section. Because I was testing a new product I went for three passes. After the final pass of any shave I like to lather up one last time to get some extra skin conditioning before rinsing my face off and applying alum. So, I used four passes worth of lather today. It was good lather at that, rich and creamy. I got myself to a glassy smooth BBS with only very minor amounts of residual irritation.
Gear
The Tech Hive brush is large. I am not a large person. I am somewhat short and I have kinda small hands. The beehive handle of this brush feels really big to me. There is plenty of textured surface area to get a good grip, but if it were any larger it would be uncomfortable for me to hold. The handle also has a really good weight. It feels substantial in my hand. The knot is mounted such that there is plenty of loft to the bristles, so this thing splays out really wide. It can also hold onto plenty of lather. It worked very well in whipping up a really nice lather from the soap. The Tuxedo knot was a good choice. It is soft enough on the face to be pleasant while applying the lather in nice, even, thick coats. I am very pleased with this brush. I foresee that I will be reaching for it quite often.
The Fine Accoutrements Marvel DE razors is a smooth and mild shaver. It holds the blade such that the edges curve downward. The safety bar is large and the cap is shaped to make it easy to find the right angle. This all makes for a mild and efficient shaver. I had no problems finding and maintaining a good angle. The curvature of the blade helped increase the efficiency of the razor. There is only one downfall to this razor and that is the fact that it is all pot metal, even the handle. The plating on the razor is good, so this may never be an issue, but at $40 it is priced to compete with the Merkur HD 34c, which has a brass handle and pot metal head. They are both good razors, but the Merkur will probably last a little longer than the Marvel. Although, with the Marvel it is easier to find and maintain an proper shaving angle. I am glad that I purchased it from KJ, but if the plating fails and the razor melts, I may not feel it necessary to acquire a replacement.
The Dragonsbeard soap and AS splash are both definitely high quality products. First off, the packaging is really good down to the packing materials in the shipping box. The labels on the tub and bottle are both professional and attractive. The product definitely has a high quality look to it. The first thing that any of us does when getting a new piece of software is to open the tub and stick our noses into it. I did just that after it had come back to room temperature. The scent is really good. It is woody and masculine. It is also quite strong. It doesn't necessarily slap you in the face, but it is a potent scent. Due to altitude differences, the bottle of AS was under a bit of pressure when it got to me. I opened it in my bathroom to give it a smell right before bed last night. The pressure release caused a couple of drops to escape the bottle, landing on my countertop. I wiped them off and went to bed. This morning when I entered the bathroom the first thing that I noticed was the scent of Dragonsbeard in the air. Like I said, the scent is strong. It also, apparently lasts quite a long time. After my shower I got to the shave. As I said above, I went for the third pass to give the soap a proper test. I scooped a bit into my Fine Lather Bowl, spread it out on the bottom of the bowl, and proceeded to whip up a lather. I see why @The Monkey called it "chunky" since the unlathered soap does have a bit of a guacamole-like texture. The soap did take a bit more water than I am used to, but it was not excessive. The lather was creamy and thick enough to cover my face well. During the shave it provided really good cushion and slickness. I did not have a problem running a razor through the lather. The residual slickness, however, reminded me of Williams or CBL Tonsorial in that there really wasn't any. After removing the lather with the razor, rather than feeling residual slickness I was left with a clean and slightly dry but conditioned feeling on my face, so repeat strokes with the blade were kept to a minimum. I am left wondering how much superfatting was done with the soap since there was very little residual slickness. After the shave my skin was left feeling conditioned and clean. The AS splash definitely contributed to that feeling. The skin food does absorb into the skin and did contribute to my skin feeling soft and smooth. Overall, this was a really good shave, but it was not all good. During the second pass I started to feel that slowly developing tingle and burn that indicates a reaction to a scent component. I am not certain which component it is, but after reacting to certain other products I believe it to be the vanilla oil. Due to this I will not be using this product a second time. If other scents become available in the future, I will definitely consider a purchase.
Other Thoughts
Happy New Year, Cadre! I am looking forward to 2020.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
New Year 2020 TSC Appreciation Shave #1 of 2
12/31/2019
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Fine Marvel razor
Blade: Shark SS (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: The Tech Hive Synthetic Tuxedo Beehive 26mm
Soap/Cream: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard
Fragrance: none
Overview
While I appreciate, and value all of the Cadre, I can't include you all in my appreciation shaves. I would if it were at all possible. Thank you all for being here.
So, here are TSC Members represented in today's shave (in alphabetical order by forum handle):
@BarberDave - Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream - I first heard about the Disappearing Cream and the Vanishing Cream from reading one of Dave's posts. I decided to give them a try based on that. Dave also put some amazing edges on a few of my straights. I am very glad that he, Chad, and Chris L. made the decision to start this forum.
@Cvargo - Shark SS DE blade - Chad reviewed this in one of the early Bad Blade reviews which caused me to go out and buy a few. I agree with his "100 Pack" rating for this blade. It surprised me by being as good as it is even after seeing Chad's review. I love watching the Bad Blade series and am glad that I helped make it what it is.
@Dragonsbeard - Ethos Grooming Essentials soap & AS - Trying this new product as part of a pass-around. I love it that new artisans are springing up on TSC. It makes this place even more special. I am glad to help get this brand off the ground.
@NurseDave - Stirling pre-shave oil - I was Dave's Reindeer Buddy for 2018. He sent me a cool TSC Christmas ornament, a San Francisco mug full of Ghirardelli chocolate and other goodies, and 3 pre-shave oils. Stirling makes really good pre-shave oil. I wouldn't have tried them if not for this gift.
@Spider - Fine Marvel razor - I am glad that I purchased this from KJ. It is a fine shaver, even if it is 100% pot metal. KJ is the reason that I know about TSC. When the Cadre was just getting started he sent out an email to a bunch of people that had participated in Bingo on that other forum talking to tell them about TSC. Five minutes after reading that email I was registering my account here. At that point I had stopped going to that other forum because of multiple run-ins with the moderation staff for basically fan-boying too hard. I was even accused of shilling for Colonial Razors at one point. The mods at that place soured me on the whole experience but I always missed the people like the various Daves, KJ, Chad, and Chris L. So, KJ is the reason that I was able to reconnect with all of you.
@Techichi - Tech Hive Synthetic brush - Another new artisan that has sprung up on TSC. After Chad and a few others mentioned how good these brushes are, and how reasonably priced they are, I just had to get one.
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
There was lots of good in today's shave and some bad, which I will talk about in the Gear section. Because I was testing a new product I went for three passes. After the final pass of any shave I like to lather up one last time to get some extra skin conditioning before rinsing my face off and applying alum. So, I used four passes worth of lather today. It was good lather at that, rich and creamy. I got myself to a glassy smooth BBS with only very minor amounts of residual irritation.
Gear
The Tech Hive brush is large. I am not a large person. I am somewhat short and I have kinda small hands. The beehive handle of this brush feels really big to me. There is plenty of textured surface area to get a good grip, but if it were any larger it would be uncomfortable for me to hold. The handle also has a really good weight. It feels substantial in my hand. The knot is mounted such that there is plenty of loft to the bristles, so this thing splays out really wide. It can also hold onto plenty of lather. It worked very well in whipping up a really nice lather from the soap. The Tuxedo knot was a good choice. It is soft enough on the face to be pleasant while applying the lather in nice, even, thick coats. I am very pleased with this brush. I foresee that I will be reaching for it quite often.
The Fine Accoutrements Marvel DE razors is a smooth and mild shaver. It holds the blade such that the edges curve downward. The safety bar is large and the cap is shaped to make it easy to find the right angle. This all makes for a mild and efficient shaver. I had no problems finding and maintaining a good angle. The curvature of the blade helped increase the efficiency of the razor. There is only one downfall to this razor and that is the fact that it is all pot metal, even the handle. The plating on the razor is good, so this may never be an issue, but at $40 it is priced to compete with the Merkur HD 34c, which has a brass handle and pot metal head. They are both good razors, but the Merkur will probably last a little longer than the Marvel. Although, with the Marvel it is easier to find and maintain an proper shaving angle. I am glad that I purchased it from KJ, but if the plating fails and the razor melts, I may not feel it necessary to acquire a replacement.
The Dragonsbeard soap and AS splash are both definitely high quality products. First off, the packaging is really good down to the packing materials in the shipping box. The labels on the tub and bottle are both professional and attractive. The product definitely has a high quality look to it. The first thing that any of us does when getting a new piece of software is to open the tub and stick our noses into it. I did just that after it had come back to room temperature. The scent is really good. It is woody and masculine. It is also quite strong. It doesn't necessarily slap you in the face, but it is a potent scent. Due to altitude differences, the bottle of AS was under a bit of pressure when it got to me. I opened it in my bathroom to give it a smell right before bed last night. The pressure release caused a couple of drops to escape the bottle, landing on my countertop. I wiped them off and went to bed. This morning when I entered the bathroom the first thing that I noticed was the scent of Dragonsbeard in the air. Like I said, the scent is strong. It also, apparently lasts quite a long time. After my shower I got to the shave. As I said above, I went for the third pass to give the soap a proper test. I scooped a bit into my Fine Lather Bowl, spread it out on the bottom of the bowl, and proceeded to whip up a lather. I see why @The Monkey called it "chunky" since the unlathered soap does have a bit of a guacamole-like texture. The soap did take a bit more water than I am used to, but it was not excessive. The lather was creamy and thick enough to cover my face well. During the shave it provided really good cushion and slickness. I did not have a problem running a razor through the lather. The residual slickness, however, reminded me of Williams or CBL Tonsorial in that there really wasn't any. After removing the lather with the razor, rather than feeling residual slickness I was left with a clean and slightly dry but conditioned feeling on my face, so repeat strokes with the blade were kept to a minimum. I am left wondering how much superfatting was done with the soap since there was very little residual slickness. After the shave my skin was left feeling conditioned and clean. The AS splash definitely contributed to that feeling. The skin food does absorb into the skin and did contribute to my skin feeling soft and smooth. Overall, this was a really good shave, but it was not all good. During the second pass I started to feel that slowly developing tingle and burn that indicates a reaction to a scent component. I am not certain which component it is, but after reacting to certain other products I believe it to be the vanilla oil. Due to this I will not be using this product a second time. If other scents become available in the future, I will definitely consider a purchase.
Other Thoughts
Happy New Year, Cadre! I am looking forward to 2020.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
