Running the Blade: The Rough Cut

[JanJosh]

Entry... well, 12, but technically 14 but I'm lazy to seperate

Oh yes, I am back. Since my last post here I had shaved 3 times, each similar but different, but the core is that I have begun to find what actually works! WINS! I will detail my experiences briefly, with today being the pinnacle

My ACTUAL shave on Monday:

So the tools are:
- fresh Face Wash
- Feather Popular Razor
- BiC Chrome Platinum Blade (Initially)
- Personna GEM Platinum (end)
- Stirling Synthetic Shave Brush and Generic Bowl
- Clubman Pinaud Shave Soap
- Omega Alum
- Thayers Witch Hazel
- Brut Classic Aftershave

Alright so, this was a cold shave, washed my face thoroughly, rinsed well and left my facial hair a bit wet after a pat dry. Decided to try bowl lathering with the pinaud by soaking my brush, giving it a flick, and then swirling a few seconds before lathering in the bowl with a pinch of water. Lathered easily but I did notice the soap was a little weaker than I'd done with Stirling. No matter. I lathered up extra thoroughly, made sure it had some peaks, and did an extra slather to get my hairs standing. Then, I loaded the blade and began to- I began to- I BEGAN TO... Attempt shaving, with the BiC Chrome. This was a disaster, and I'm sorry @EMG06 but this blade is extremely mild or was dull. I for the first time noticed that my hairs felt like they were being pulled, by a BRAND NEW blade. It was making loud scrapes like sand paper and was barely cutting my facial hair. I was shaving with the grain, blade buffing, and skin pulling like a pro and it got nowhere. After my first attempt, I switched the blade into my Baili Chrome, and tried again on the other cheek to the SAME RESULT, so, I made the mature decision to throw the blade away. It was pointless. In fact, I even did what you guys reccomended: Rinsed off, and tried again. This time I had washed the soap and bowl, put the bowl away, gave a light squeeze on the knot of the brush, then got a swirl going on the soap and said screw it and face lathered to much success. It blew up on my face with plenty to spare on the brush, and I did an extra, extra thorough face lather and let it sit for about a minute as I went back to my room and dug out the GEM Platinum. I should mention that EMG gave me a small selection of blades to sample, the BiC and GEM being apart of the samples. Loaded it in, and repeated, and... My goodness. My friends, it was like damn butter. I got in a good, mindful, but fulfilling shave in one pass, and to be safe after all the work I rinsed off thoroughly, didn't attempt any touch ups, one small nick under the chin but it was whatever, so I applied extra alum, let it sit for 3 minutes as I cleaned up, rinsed off thoroughly again, applied an extra dose of witch hazel and let air dry, then finished with Brut, which only lasted 10 minutes before I rinsed my face again and applied a high moisture face lotion and settled in for the day.

I didn't quite like the smell of Brut, but I did like the soap. Despite the name, it doesn't smell like Clubman whatsoever, in fact, it's mildly scented or possibly unscented, but it smells like fresh soap. It's also synthetic but it lathers, spreads, and washes quite easily. I enjoy this soap. But also to note is I am not fond of the stirling brush, it's too soft, too smooth for my taste. It feels like a wet artist paintbrush and doesn't feel like I'm really exfoliating mid face lather.
-
Now, tuesdays shave, I got up early, started my day right and decided to shave first thing after starting coffee and decided to experiment a little here.

Here's the gear

Almost identical apart from the aftershave and technique
- fresh Face Wash
- Feather Popular Razor
- Personna GEM Platinum
- Generic Shave Brush
- Clubman Pinaud Shave Soap
- Omega Alum
- Thayers Witch Hazel
- Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum Aftershave

So, another cold shave, face wash in cold water with a face lather. I decided to reuse the GEM blade as I figured it should still be just sharp enough for a second shave, but made sure to wash and disinfect first. Now this shave, since I didn't have too much growth, I decided to shave a bit sideways. On my face, I shaved inward from my ears towards, my nose, with my chin being shaved outward towards the ears, and my neck I tried shaving downward instead of upward to get a feel for things. I noticed this was quite uncomfortable in this manner and ended with some irritation and weepers along the jawline and neck, but no big nicks. I feel that there was spots of going against the grain, but I felt that the blade may have dulled some as I do have thick hair, so after the shave, which was rough and not as close and precise as I would have liked for a one pass shave, I tossed it out but was quite impressed. Followed with a layer of alum and witch hazel, ended with the aftershave. I must note I actually really enjoyed this version of bayrum, hardly any spices and smelled like bay rum and bay laurel, none of that Nutmeg and Clove bs I dislike, it had a surprisingly smokey-woody ending that was nice as well.

-
And now this leads us to today. I decided to let my face heal after tuesday and skipped a day, let some growth and heal occur before today.

Here's the tools!

- fresh Face Wash
- Feather Popular Razor
- Personna GEM Platinum
- Generic Shave Brush
- Clubman Pinaud Shave Soap
- Thayers Witch Hazel
- Vintage Men's Classic Aftershave

Alright, this was.. Remarkable. I can finally say I have had a "Damn Fine Shave" in my book! A cold shave again, with me washing my face thoroughly and... Well, I'm sure this is not a good thing, but I did scratch my face at the end with my nails to really dig the soap in and exfoliate my beard a bit, before washing off thoroughly, pat dry, and a follow up splash to moisten the face, followed by another face lather, using the pinch method again to drain excess water from the brush, and I went in wild, swirling in, breaking the backbone, and slapping the lather on all over in streaks with plenty to spare. Something to note is that EMG sent me TWO of the GEM blades so I figured, what the heck, load it in. This shave I did the full works and shockingly, I was quick! I felt confident and just got right to it. Pulled my face, and now I incorporated funny faces after studying a few videos over the 2 day break, copying some I saw other wet shavers do and reccomend, and shaved with plenty of blade buffing. I shaved the face downward with the grain, and the neck I shaved upwards towards the chin. As for the chin and jawline, I shaved inward towards the center with pulling the skin in the opposite direction to allow the least amount of resistance. Mustache was easily done with downward stroked with puffing the lips and face pulling. My bottom lip I notice is tricky. I can't shave it sideways and even with skin pulling and shaving upwards it still gets some irritation so neck time I will try downward with some chin tugging. After my remarkable first pass, I rinsed, inspected, and did a few small touch ups with my extra lather, and for my neck I did an extra lather and did a second pass, this time downward instead of upward on the first pass. I did this with some thorough skin tugging, head positioning, and cautious blade buffing strokes... And all this with ZERO NICKS! ZERO WEEPERS! So good I skipped the damn alum and just hand splashed the witch hazel. I did have a small amount of irriation, but that was because my neck is sensitive as is and I did scratch in my face wash, which I won't do next time, but still, this was a perfect shave just about. No injury, no resistance, no real mistakes. I felt incredibly confident and will more than likely seek out more Personna GEM blades after I try and use up my other blades, so thank you @EMG06 for the reccomendation and sample blades. However, to avoid mistake I did dispose after one use (I know I know, boooo, but I rather be safe than sorry) and end with my vintage aftershave, and mmm it is immaculate. It of course smells like it's cologne counterpart but the aftershave is noticeably woodier with an extra dose of earhy oakmoss. It was a little tingly but most vintage aftershaves have some bite. Will use more often!

Today was a damn win. I now know what I like and what works, going into the future, thank you all for the help and advice along the way. Of course, I'm not done, not by a longshot as there are so many other soaps, blades, brushes, razors, etc. to try and also to talk about. But for today I am quite pleased.

 

[EMG06]

I’m glad the Personna Gem Platinum Diamond glide blades are working for you!

Sorry you got a bum Bic blade, I’ve found they never really work for me either, but they come highly recommended across the forums.

Now that you have a razor/blade combo that work I would suggest you lock that combination in, and focus on making a consistent lather to get that part of your routine working for you, and get your muscle memory trained up.

If the synth doesn’t do it for you for face feel, a boar brush might be the next place to look. Also inexpensive (even quality brushes from Omega or Semogue), with lots more of the face scrubbing feeling that you are looking for.

 

[JanJosh]

I’m glad the Personna Gem Platinum Diamond glide blades are working for you!

Sorry you got a bum Bic blade, I’ve found they never really work for me either, but they come highly recommended across the forums.

Now that you have a razor/blade combo that work I would suggest you lock that combination in, and focus on making a consistent lather to get that part of your routine working for you, and get your muscle memory trained up.

If the synth doesn’t do it for you for face feel, a boar brush might be the next place to look. Also inexpensive (even quality brushes from Omega or Semogue), with lots more of the face scrubbing feeling that you are looking for.

Not your fault. Shark has the same yet opposite issue. Highly discredited but some sweat by it apart from the odd 1/10 blades being bad. But if it sucks once, I don't trust it.

As for the razor/blade combo I agree. The feather is a unique combination of plastic and I believe stainless steel. The feel i believe is meant to be a mild, light razor with a long handle for control as it is meant to be paired with sharper/ aggressive blades like the Feather Hi-Steel, which of course is in brand. That's why it felt so great with the GEM, but the platinum coating is a nice addition for a solid gliding feel. This is why I plan that if I ever have issues with the Popular or want to upgrade, I'm considering getting the Feather Adjustable, as it appears to be a "Popular 2.0". Or there is their expensive razor, I forgot the name but it's the one with a magnetic stand. I intend to get that with the wooden handle if my finances permit.

As for the soap i do like synthetic but I wish to try other blends. Can you list some to try? I know of synthetic and tallow but I'm certain there's much more. The brush is another thing. I will seek a good badger and boar, if affordable, to test my texture tolerance. I know i want firm but not scrub bristle firm. I like face Lathering but want to get better with bowl Lathering too, but i want to try out shave sticks as well, like arko.

 

[EMG06]

As for the soap i do like synthetic but I wish to try other blends. Can you list some to try? I know of synthetic and tallow but I'm certain there's much more.

I will express my ignorance here, I’m not sure what you mean when you say “synthetic soap”. I would say a good place to start would be a nice solid croap like the Sterling that you already own. But I have other recommendations I’d be happy to share once I understand your terminology.

boar, if affordable, to test my texture tolerance. I know i want firm but not scrub bristle firm.

If you’re willing (and don’t have mental/hygiene issues) with the idea, a used (pre-broken in) boar brush can be a cheap place to get what your looking for.

I like face Lathering but want to get better with bowl Lathering too

When I was starting out, I would scoop an almond size amount of soap into a bowl and start to lather it with a damp brush (dipped in water and then squeezed until no excess water was dripping), the start to swirl. If it got tacky, I would add more water by either dripping in a few drops from a faucet that was barely on (like a leaky faucet) or dipping the tips of the brush in water. Then going back to swirling. Then repeating until I had lather that had a shiny surface with only microscopic bubbles (this is your target if you’re going to shave). Then I would keep adding water in a similar way until the lather “broke” and became thin and unusable. This was a “waste of soap” in that I would then rinse it all down the drain, but it taught me how to get a feel for how the process of making a lather works and how to build a good lather. It often takes more water and time than you might realize to get the most out of a soap. I’ll still do this with brands or formulas that are new to me because 1) I want to be ready when it’s time to use it in the morning when I’m rushed and don’t want to be figuring this out then and 2) I find making a good lather to be a relaxing experience. Rather than buying more soaps now, focus on dialing in what you have.

 

[JanJosh]

I will express my ignorance here, I’m not sure what you mean when you say “synthetic soap”. I would say a good place to start would be a nice solid croap like the Sterling that you already own. But I have other recommendations I’d be happy to share once I understand your terminology.



If you’re willing (and don’t have mental/hygiene issues) with the idea, a used (pre-broken in) boar brush can be a cheap place to get what your looking for.


When I was starting out, I would scoop an almond size amount of soap into a bowl and start to lather it with a damp brush (dipped in water and then squeezed until no excess water was dripping), the start to swirl. If it got tacky, I would add more water by either dripping in a few drops from a faucet that was barely on (like a leaky faucet) or dipping the tips of the brush in water. Then going back to swirling. Then repeating until I had lather that had a shiny surface with only microscopic bubbles (this is your target if you’re going to shave). Then I would keep adding water in a similar way until the lather “broke” and became thin and unusable. This was a “waste of soap” in that I would then rinse it all down the drain, but it taught me how to get a feel for how the process of making a lather works and how to build a good lather. It often takes more water and time than you might realize to get the most out of a soap. I’ll still do this with brands or formulas that are new to me because 1) I want to be ready when it’s time to use it in the morning when I’m rushed and don’t want to be figuring this out then and 2) I find making a good lather to be a relaxing experience. Rather than buying more soaps now, focus on dialing in what you have.

Apologies, what I meant is vegan. Synthetic was in my head because I was thinking about brushes. Anything not animal fat derived. I know there are blends and different kinds of animal fats, as well as plant sources, so i was wanting some recommendations in that regard. Like CBL does tonsorial and PAA has something called "CK-6" or something.

 

[EMG06]

Apologies, what I meant is vegan. Synthetic was in my head because I was thinking about brushes. Anything not animal fat derived. I know there are blends and different kinds of animal fats, as well as plant sources, so i was wanting some recommendations in that regard. Like CBL does tonsorial and PAA has something called "CK-6" or something.

Each brand will have their own bases and names for their versions. I personally don’t have an allegiance to any particular fat, and will happily use soaps that are vegan and ones that are loaded with animal fat. As long as I like the end lather and the face feel, I don’t really care what’s in it.

I spent some time and a bunch of money early on chasing every latest and greatest base, but at this point I have some brands that I enjoy and seem to use more than the others.

For soap:
Ethos
CBL
PAA
Martin de Candre
Barrister and Mann

For creams:
Geo F Trumper
Proraso

 

[JanJosh]

Each brand will have their own bases and names for their versions. I personally don’t have an allegiance to any particular fat, and will happily use soaps that are vegan and ones that are loaded with animal fat. As long as I like the end lather and the face feel, I don’t really care what’s in it.

I spent some time and a bunch of money early on chasing every latest and greatest base, but at this point I have some brands that I enjoy and seem to use more than the others.

For soap:
Ethos
CBL
PAA
Martin de Candre
Barrister and Mann

For creams:
Geo F Trumper
Proraso

I'll give the ones I'm unfamiliar with a better look. Thanks for the info

 

[JanJosh]

Wow, I haven't posted here in a bit over 3 months huh...

Well now is a great day to actually post something! I haven't been posting here because I felt my shaves and day to day was pretty uneventful, in that I haven't really picked up any new, crazy gear and such I felt worth mentioning, I was just getting into the same, repetitive routine and getting my form and blade down right. But anyway, thanks to Sara and her PIF I got something new to talk about!

 

[JanJosh]

Entry Number 15 (I think): The Return to Form

Got some new stuff to talk about. Like my little brush balancing acts? Cool, I know, I know, hold the applause.

The Tools:
- Feather SS Artist Straight Kamisori with Feather ProGuard Blade
- Wet the Face "Dirty Girl" Series Vegan Shave Soap/After Shave Splash: Betty (literal name of the scent)
- Stirling Synthetic Small Brush
- CBL Premium Barber Powder + Cute Make Up Brush

I would like to pause a moment and thank @Sara-s again for her generous PIF for this Razor. Without her I don't think I'd have ever bought it for myself any time soon and she was also very gracious in answering my questions in the DMs. This was a fun, new experience and a wonderful Shave I'll go into later, but still, Su you are awesome.

Also, I'd like to congratulate @CBLindsay for making another excellent product to add to our repertoire with his talc-free alternative Barber Powder. I must say it was fun to use and smells AMAZING, and I beg you make a line of master barber soap (or the apothecary oil blend soap) and after shave tonic with this exact scent if possible. I am obsessed and pleased with how much you made it smell NOT like Clubman or Baby Powder.

Okay, now my experience.

This is what I was dealing with. 2.5 days growth. Thick, short, and stubborn. Washed my face with hot water to get my pores open and used an oat face wash paired with a rubber face scrubber to really cleanse my pores and loosen the hairs. Face was really smooth after honestly, very well hydrated.

Next was the lather with warm water. Honestly, I don't know much about Wet the Face and if his products are well regarded or garner any infamy in the community, but his stuff is not bad! Very affordable and offers most his stuff in vegan and tallow blends. I went there because I was forming a beginner kit for a friend and found out he made a soap scent that was duping CK Eternity, my friends signature scent. Emailed him about this and he was quick to respond and super friendly, even called me up after I ordered to make sure my address was correct. I'll be sure to peep him again soon. @Spider an Honorary mention to keep this gag running but, he does have a Brut inspired series of products called "Brutis" so maybe give that a look! As we know I dislike Brut and Spider has said he likes it often.

Anyway back to the topic at hand

This stuff didn't need too much water. Soaked my brush with warm water, pinched the base, and swirled in the tub itself. Admittedly, this soap is very, very soft and malleable, so I used my soft brush to get it done. The formula was simple and only had 10 ingredients, with your usual lanolin, coconut oil, castor, glycerin, and Shea butter in the mix, and led to a very stable, thick lather that didn't blow up and explode, but did rather feel endless in production as after I applied to my face the brush still had plenty. Also, the smell is pleasant. His fragrance was pretty light and not too overbearing, smelled pretty natural and essential oil based. He does have more complex blends but I opted for what I wanted in this. Mechanic Betty (the literal name of the scent) is a very, very simple Suede Leather, Cedar, Saffron, and Musk. This smells like expensive car leather with a pretty flattering cologne underneath. I enjoy it and with the scent feel "sexy".


Now the shave itself. The razor is remarkable. It's comfortable and very easy to use, but I myself am inexperienced and a little clumsy so I had to coordinate myself better and even tried using my left hand to decent result. I like this style of razor as unlike a folding razor I had a better line of sight and the feel in hand was great. I could use my palm as a counter balance and a way to steady the handle if needed. The weight is balanced and light, my preferred way to operate. Never liked heavy tools I have no sense of control over. Also the ergonomic grip was superb. Comfortable to hold and not at all slippery. But to those who don't like this, I did the research and the DX version of this razor, which is almost exactly the same in every way, has a professional level non-slip grip with small perforations.

The blade was interesting, to say the least! This razor has 4 blades capable of being used and the other 3 are regular blades with varying degrees of sharpness, but this one was the odd one of the group, as ProGuard has small little wire guards against the blade to reduce exposure and enhance glide. Here's what that looks like:

So essentially this was the self-grooming blade from the bunch. It's actually pretty mild and would need a 2 pass shave to get it good but for me I opted for one pass with small touch ups as I didn't want to risk fate chasing the BBS. However, this blade is awesome, it was super forgiving and there were times I felt like I had nicked myself and to my surprise, I didn't! In fact, in the entire shave I only had 2 tiny nicks at the end and both were at the neck. The only thing I did get was some minor irritation but better that than a face cut up. Here's how that first pass looked:

One thing I didn't like is that due to the blades construction, the little gaps were getting gunked up easily with dryer soap and hair. I was using the rubber blade wipe I received from CBL and it did work, but I couldn't get the stuff out so I resorted to rinsing it between passes towards the middle end of the shave. Initially this blade was tricky but let me tell you now, this thing FLIES when wet, and I'm certain this is a beast on the second or third shave. Towards the end this thing was dancing around the more stubborn stubble and was silky smooth. Something to note for all interested!

Cleaning and maintenance is easy but I feel that if it somehow breaks, it's gone for good. Simply press the blade cap and slide off like a pen, take out the blade, rinse everything and gently wipe with soft cloth, then air dry. To load the blade simply pinch the back of the head and slide in, then adjust. The blade box is cool too as it has an injection style mechanism with a s sliding loading trigger and a spring that raises the blades. Neat to also have a built in disposal tray too. Here's how the razor looks when open:


And here's the result:

Nothing spectacular, but not bad! Still learning and getting confidence with the thing. Used a simple application of thayers witch hazel and the Wet the Face after shave, which was really nice! Again, another simple blend of ingredients with there being a bigger backbone of aloe, so this needs to be shook because you can see the allow settle. It absorbed fast and left no greasy feel to my skin and I barely felt my irritation, though I did know it was there. And the smell is impressive. Not too overwhelming or potent but I get wafts of it now despite also using the CBL Barber Powder. That was something I wasn't used to and accidently put too much on the brush and made a powdery cloud but once it settled and I cleaned up the remainder, it felt and looked great. Also, again, LINDSAY! MAKE THIS A SCENT LINE! This Powder, I cannot express enough, smells incredible! Funny enough though after the application I could see my leftover micro hairs get coated in starch:


Overall, this shave was a 7/10. All the tools and materials were excellent, it was just me and my inexperience that needs improvement. Thank you again Su for a wonderful new tool that will surely get used and appreciated. I feel a new interest has awakened in me from this experience and the simple razor and mild blade is very encouraging. And thanks CBL for being a good friend and better artisan. Looking forward to much more from yall!

As for WTF grooming, I have no real complaints apart from minor nitpicking. I'm not a fan of using AI art for anything but it's understandable from a cost standpoint. Also, the aftershave bottle does need a little rubber stopper put under the cap because this stuff is leak prone if not careful. The soap is fine but a wider, lower container would be better for further soap swirling because the rim is a little high and could be cramping unless you scoop and use in a lather bowl. I think he'd be great, nonetheless, to have around here if anyone could approach that. He's similar to Stirling but much, much simpler and affordable. This is definitely super entry level and can still be appreciated by anyone.

 

[CBLindsay]

I have not explored the full breadth of AC style blades offered by all the different makers but I have played with what Feather offers. It is amazing how different the Feather Pro Super is from the Pro/Pro guard. I feel like I can shave in my sleep with the Pro-guard, the Pro (no guard) requires me to be awake but not fully. The Super requires my full attention lest I get a surprise bite. The super is more aggresvie for sure, funny how big a differnce in feel a simple a 0.25mm difference in blade exposure makes.

 

[JanJosh]

I have not explored the full breadth of AC style blades offered by all the different makers but I have played with what Feather offers. It is amazing how different the Feather Pro Super is from the Pro/Pro guard. I feel like I can shave in my sleep with the Pro-guard, the Pro (no guard) requires me to be awake but not fully. The Super requires my full attention lest I get a surprise bite. The super is more aggresvie for sure, funny how big a differnce in feel a simple a 0.25mm difference in blade exposure makes.

Yeah no joke! My intent and goal is to get comfortable and go up in sharpness over time. With this current blade I can get used to the hand placement and overall form. Once this pack is gone I'll be looking into the Feather Soft which is meant for thinner, softer hair but has no guard, then go up to the sharper one and then the pro. By then I'll be getting used to more of the technique and pressure, blade angle, etc.

 

[CBLindsay]

Yeah no joke! My intent and goal is to get comfortable and go up in sharpness over time. With this current blade I can get used to the hand placement and overall form. Once this pack is gone I'll be looking into the Feather Soft which is meant for thinner, softer hair but has no guard, then go up to the sharper one and then the pro. By then I'll be getting used to more of the technique and pressure, blade angle, etc.

The feather pro (no guard) is a solid mid ground. But any more I just go for the proguard. Another razor you NEED to put on your purchase list is the vintage Weck Sextoblade WITH the flat bar guard. They can be found on ebay usually at a reasonable price. I like the Weck "orderly" aka Army Med Prep. Its a very sturdy and attractive folding Steel razor that use a personna or fromme blade. You can certainly shave without the guard but with the guard its like shaving with a cadillac ...total cruise control. There are also smaller hair shaper version that work just as well but are smaller in size. There are also open comb style guards but i think those are meant to be used on the hair shaper's, they work but aren't as smooth feeling as the flat bar.

I love my straight razors but I enjoy a good quality shavette too.