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Shave of the day

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Tried a randomly chosen Mama Bears hard soap sample today. Lilac and Lavender is what i think I read on the packet.

Maybe I wasn't as scared of wasting a hard soap as I am the soft, but I got a better lather with this than I have managed with the Nanny's soft soaps so far - I admit it is likely user error.

Not much aroma on the face, but it helped me get a decent shave.

While I am here can I ask a couple of silly questions?
1) How much welly do you give your brush when preparing lather? Do you mash it down fairly hard and try to get the soap as deep into the brush as possible, is it a tickle on the tips, or something in between?
2) Does having a fairly wet face before adding lather to it help with glide? I am finding that sometimes my first pass is sticking a little, and wonder if it is because my lather or my face isn't wet enough.
3) I can't believe I am even asking this one, but... I noticed one of the blades I used was numbered 1-4 like so
DerbyBladesDE.JPG


Surely they aren't suggesting that you should flip the blade in your razor to get the 3rd and 4th shave out of it?
 
That numbering is to do with manufacturing QA/QC. Apparently different machines sharpen each edge and if one isn't working they can work out which one is at fault. No need to flip your blade over although early advertisements for blades did suggest doing this. I've got no idea how I know all this shit!
 
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eggbert said:
1) How much welly do you give your brush when preparing lather? Do you mash it down fairly hard and try to get the soap as deep into the brush as possible, is it a tickle on the tips, or something in between?
2) Does having a fairly wet face before adding lather to it help with glide? I am finding that sometimes my first pass is sticking a little, and wonder if it is because my lather or my face isn't wet enough.
3) I can't believe I am even asking this one, but... I noticed one of the blades I used was numbered 1-4 like so
Click to expand...

I don't mash much, because the Omegas I use don't need me to. I end up loading up the top 1/3rd of the brush with about 10-15 secs work. There's plenty for 3 passes, plus wastage in there.

I always apply to a wet face, it adds water before I need to bother adding more, which I always do. Not messy either. More water is better - so long as there's enough soap on the brush. Sticky, rubbery feeling lather suggests it's too dry, add more and it should slick up.

Whole thread have been devoted to the blade numbers. Pj knows all this shit. It's good to know the time he's wasted on it isn't wasted.
 
I was 99% certain the last question was silly, as I just couldn't see what benefit that would give, but as i was asking newbie questions I thought I might as well make sure.
 
3-day growth, so I reached for:
  • FATBOY! on 6
  • Fresh Bolzano DE Blade
  • TOBS Jermyn St Cream
  • Smoggie 730HD + Muhle Bowl

Well the Bolz behaved funny today. Seemed to tug a bit on the first pass, and felt a bit rough.

Lathered up the second time and it was 'like buttah'. :omg:

Damn I love these blades. Red IP smoothness yet much sharper. Still have the issue I have with IP's where I don't get anywhere near as close a shave, but it is very comfortable.
 
Vulfix no name boar. I've decided to give this one a really long run in order to see if it softens up a bit more. Not that I'm unhappy with it as it is, I'd be just interested to see if this happens noticeably in a realtively short time frame.

Valobra. Yeah I know, camping ground ablution block scent notwithstanding I'm on a mission to get this one out of my life. I've splodged a significant part of what I had left and sent it to Mark so I'm on the home straight. Still a great lather.

Streamline with GEM for No 4. This set up has resulted in a once every second day shave pattern. There's just not really enough stubble to justify a shave a day.

I'm ditching the GEM blade, not because I have to but I'm embarking on a big Cella evaluation run with my NEW. If nothing else it'll get the few Cella tragics we have here riled up a bit. Or maybe not.
 
Pjotr said:
...

Valobra. Yeah I know, camping ground ablution block scent notwithstanding I'm on a mission to get this one out of my life. I've splodged a significant part of what I had left and sent it to Mark so I'm on the home straight. Still a great lather.

...
Click to expand...

AHHHHH - does this explain the mysterious foul smelling packet I got in the mail today. I admit that when i opened the envelope with NO RETURN ADDRESS and proceeded to unveil this -



I was rather concerned! :amazed: :amazed: :amazed: :amazed:

Is the choice of transport material significant

... I'm embarking on a big Cella evaluation run with my NEW. If nothing else it'll get the few Cella tragics we have here riled up a bit. Or maybe not.
Click to expand...

Be careful - be very careful. Remember, I know where you live....
 
Yep, I thought the doggy bag was a nice touch! Plus I was clean out of zip locks.
 
I'm in Sydney for a couple days so had to pack light.
I used a 74 Gillette ss with euro palmolive stick and Gillette black plat blade.
The water is a bit harder here it too a bit more work to lather well but got there in the end.

I must admit after using a Progress for so long its rather pedestrian going back to a winged razor with no dialing ability.
 
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Cella Challenge

The first in my evaluation of Cella. Everything hardware will be kept the same namely the Vulfix no name boar brush, the fat handled NEW alternating with the 7 O'Clock bakelite, which is for me the perfect DE, to eliminate any user problems I might have with the OC. All this with a Shark blade which will be replaced after two shaves.

First and second pass pass was fine. The third pass consisting of scrubbing ATG in cheek areas was a bit grippy which led to my questioning of the glide of Cella in the first place. So, still not convinced Cella is as god given as some would say. Tomorrow the same with the 7O'Clock.
 
To be honest, I think cella can be tricky like MWF, I've had really really good shaves, and the odd bad shave with either.
Also, I never go for third pass without a quick rub on the puck for more soap.
Of course if you make perfect lather you wouldn't need to do that, but I'm impatient to get started, and top up on soap if need be.

edit: Also I've been using a 1912 for the last week or so. Not because I get better shaves out of it than my MM clog pruf or LC, but because the 1912 seems to let me get a couple more uses out of my blades even if the shave isn't as close/good.
So I've just been using a few recent 4 shave old GEM blades (which is the max I can get out of them in the clog pruf or LC), and recycling them by putting them in a british made ever ready 1912 for 2 more shaves each.
Still using the semogue SOC with MWF or the simmo commodore with Cella though.
Want to talk soaps and be controversial, I don't like proraso soap... There, I said it!
 
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pablo_h said:
............I don't like proraso soap... There, I said it!
Click to expand...

But....but...but....that's an Italian soap isn't it? They invented traditional shaving. And fine cuisine. And the art of making everything stink of almonds. And gondeliers. And the mafia. Drubbing's got a guitar case which ain't got a guitar in it and I'm sure he knows where you live. If not, just follow the scent of freshly ground chillies and sort this heathen out, Drubbing.

Actually I haven't used Proraso for a while. I might just stop off at Stirling IGA, pay my respect to the local Don (lots of Italian market gardeners around there) and buy some.
 
This talk of Cella and Proraso sucking, is a concern.

Everybody should like what I like and I have to tools to make it happen. At least here.

PJ, you've every right to an opinion... and for it to be wrong.


Carry on.

I've actually been using Proraso a lot, I just love it in this weather and for me it works as well as any fancy stuff from merrie olde englande. Like my favourite pizza, I don't want it everyday though. Come winter it'll probably go into hibernation til it warms up again and I'll get 18 moths or so out of a tube. That's a lot of banging buck bang for 8 bucks.

Carry on. Again.
 
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I think Proraso will always be in my top few.

Today though I went with another sampler - Nanny's soft soap in Lavender.
Additionally used were:
PIF'd Super Iridium (TY Pjotr)
And the boringly familiar
EJ DE89
FS Finest
and Speick AS

Made sure to add more that I thought I would need, and got a much better lather, but either the lather or my face was still a little too dry so it didnt feel quite right on the first pass. 2nd pass felt much better.

Strange that lavender is such a pungent flower, yet i have struggled to smell it in either of the two soaps containing it that I have tried.
 
Drubbing said:
This talk of Cella and Proraso sucking, is a concern.

Everybody should like what I like and I have to tools to make it happen. At least here.

PJ, you've every right to an opinion... and for it to be wrong.


Carry on.

I've actually been using Proraso a lot, I just love it in this weather and for me it works as well as any fancy stuff from merrie olde englande. Like my favourite pizza, I don't want it everyday though. Come winter it'll probably go into hibernation til it warms up again and I'll get 18 moths or so out of a tube. That's a lot of banging buck bang for 8 bucks.

Carry on. Again.
Click to expand...

Ummm, I agree with Drubs - entirely, completely.

Might be time for that frontal lobotomy....
 
Drubbing said:
This talk of Cella and Proraso sucking, is a concern.

Everybody should like what I like and I have to tools to make it happen. At least here.

PJ, you've every right to an opinion... and for it to be wrong.


Carry on.

I've actually been using Proraso a lot, I just love it in this weather and for me it works as well as any fancy stuff from merrie olde englande. Like my favourite pizza, I don't want it everyday though. Come winter it'll probably go into hibernation til it warms up again and I'll get 18 moths or so out of a tube. That's a lot of banging buck bang for 8 bucks.

Carry on. Again.
Click to expand...

You have a tube, I'm using the soap, different things.
Meh, you don't like SE, vintage gillette either. Horses for courses.
All these products including semogue made it to market because someone liked them, but there's always some that won't. That's why there's so many brands out there.
 
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Cella Challenge

Episode 2.

Vulfix boar
Cella
7O'Clock bakelite with fresh Shark

Absolutely perfect shave. Based on this it's not Cella but the NEW or my handling of it that's the culprit. Tomorrow I'll do the same rotation with Tabac. It's riveting I know.
 
Pjotr said:
Episode 2.

Absolutely perfect shave. Based on this it's not Cella but the NEW or my handling of it that's the culprit. Tomorrow I'll do the same rotation with Tabac. It's riveting I know.
Click to expand...


Si, Cella magnifico
 
  • FATBOY! on 6
  • Fresh Bolzano DE Blade, second shave
  • Proraso Cream
  • Smoggie 730HD + Muhle Bowl

I always seem to nick myself on Proraso. A couple of light stings as I washed off. Quality shave though.
 
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