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The Dollar Store Razor Challenge

Okie dokie! Just finished my first shave. Did a video and am waiting for the clips to back up and then on to editing and uploading. I have to run to my Physical Therapy in a few so the video will likely be up later this morning or early afternoon.
Oh, look at Mr Fancy Pants with the clips and the editing. Whenever you get to it Mr Spielberg.
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Yup...picked mine up locally.

Believe me Dave...these will not win any awards! I just had the video done in clips so I need to splice them together...maybe add music...explosions...sound effects...some cgi...you know...simple stuff!
 
I've survived a Feather in a Futur with poor beginner technique, shaving with a Bolsano blade, using Proraso red soap, and shaving with my own first attempt at honing a straight razor to a super keen 800 grit finish. (yes you read that right.....)
How hard can it be!?!?


Good lord man. 800 grit! Did you have any face left?
 
Good lord man. 800 grit! Did you have any face left?

I did that before I knew anything about them. I saw a Henkles at an antique shop that was pretty much NOS with coffin for $15. I knew the name as a great knife steel and for that price I jumped on it. Wasn't anywhere near shave ready but I could sharpen a knife to "razor" sharp so how hard could it be right? My finishing stone at the time was only around 800 or so grit so I gently worked it up to that, stropped it, and......
It felt like I was using a cheese grater on my face.... Add to it a bull-headed attitude thinking it was just me not knowing how to use it I did my whole face....

A week later I was able to shave again. About 7 years later when my 5 year old VDH brush died and I couldn't find the soap anymore, I went on a web search. Found Mystic waters and B&B. Also found out I didn't know how to make a lather with the soap I had been using, got my first DE, learned how to PROPERLY hone a straight, and been hooked for the last 5 years.
 
ouch. Hopefully this shave won't give any flashbacks. I started out with an Amazon Gold Dollar. It actually had a passable edge but after a few months it needed some attention and as i didn't have anyone local that offered honing i decided to do it myself. That is when i found out shaving forums were a thing and got into vintage straights and restoring. that's been about 6 and a half years back now.
 
Not sure what the deal is...but my video has been uploading to YouTube for a while now. I checked and it says it is still going to be well over an hour...what's the deal You Tube! It sucks when I pay for good internet speeds and the host sight is having issues.
 
Not sure what the deal is...but my video has been uploading to YouTube for a while now. I checked and it says it is still going to be well over an hour...what's the deal You Tube! It sucks when I pay for good internet speeds and the host sight is having issues.
Hmmmmm, mine loaded quick this morning
 
Hmmmmm, mine loaded quick this morning

Just checked again...and I am below an hour...but just barely. I am wondering if I recorded the video at a higher resolution today than I usually do. But still...It would have to be something like 1080 or higher for it to be this slow!
 
Well, without further ado, got the Assured razor and installed a minty new Assured blade. As has always been the case in my experience with these Dollar Tree razors, alignment is a bit of an issue and a bit of fiddling is required to get it close to being properly aligned and even blade exposure on both sides. Got that resolved and proceeded with the shave.

As you can see there are no markings on the blade itself. Almost looks like a Kai SS blade but, without the small wax dots. There is a decent amount of blade exposure and gap so, it does provide a bit of blade feel, nothing fierce though. Tightened down the tto doors just enough to hold the blade snuggly and got it on.

And to be quite honest, it was a nice and comfy shave. I performed a 2.5 pass shave (2 full passes WTG/ATG and a touch up pass) that left me without a nic, weeper or irritation to speak of. I did feel that one side of the razor was a bit more aggressive and more blade feel but, nothing that made me fear or stop the shave to readjust the blade position. Besides, screwing around with the doors is a potential breakage waiting to happen. Finished it off with the normal stuff
and post shave was very acceptable. Definitely a DFS finish all around with just a couple of spots around Sir Adam that were reluctant to go. With this razor I won’t push for the baby, though I have achieved it a couple of times before.

A solid shave in the end.
DFS 1, bad shave 0.......

Good luck to the rest of the boys.
 
Nice start gentlemen. No one was seriously injured.

I do rememebrr blade alignment being a complaint before with these razors. Also something about the doors not lining up correctly on some razors. I think that was pretty easily tweeked to fix though.
 
Second shave with the Dollar Tree razor in the books. You can read more about it in my journal...but here is the nuts and bolts of it!

Is it possible to have a worse shave than the annual voyage? Well, I did. No blood to speak of...but man does my face feel pretty raw. To be honest...I think it is more the blade than the razor. Seriously...I haven't shaved with the Graham Field blade...yet...but this IS the worst blade I have shaved with so far. It is not good at all. Only a two passer (north-south-north) today and absolutely hell no there was not going to be a clean-up! I came out with a serviceable shave...but that is about it. I paid attention to alignment...but I don't think that was the issue.

So...how many times are we supposed to shave with this blade? Because number two was bad and I don't see number three being any better.
 
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