Share your shave of the day!
- Brush: Maggard - 24mm Purple Swirl Synthetic
- Razor: Razorock Game Changer 84
- Blade: Gillette Nacet
- Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather
- Post: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather Splash
I hadn’t shaved for maybe 2 or 3 weeks. The scruff under my chin was actually starting to irritate me to the point I was having a hard time falling asleep. So I put a fresh blade in the Game Changer and in two passes feel like a new man. This is my first shave using something other than my Stainless Blackland Blackbird in a hell of a long time. The GC really does punch well above it’s weight.
I bought a Game Changer on r/shave_bazaar last week and will hopefully have it in hand sometime this week.
I got the .68 and .76 plates, really looking forward to giving it a spin!
I blind purchased mine at SMS’s suggestion, and don’t regret it at all. I borrowed a Blackland Blackbird after AA 2023 and knew I had to have one. I’ve shaved with virtually nothing else since. The GC is different, and I’m glad I used it again.
The Blackbird also looks like a great razor. Maybe one day.
The scruff under my chin was actually starting to irritate me to the point I was having a hard time falling asleep.
I remember that feeling from when Djunior was two weeks old and I hadn’t shaved in that long
Also Almond Leather ++;
November 9, 2024
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Brush: Wald Nimbus Chryselephantine 29mm A1 Fan
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Blade Holder: Edwin Jagger 3One6 Grooved Blue
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Blade: Personna Lab Blue (5)
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Lather: Zingari Man - The Master - Soap
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Aftershave: Zingari Man - The Master - Aftershave
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Great scent by Shawn Maher. This made for an enjoyable second luxury shave. These Recovery Splashes are perfect for BBS November.
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09.11.2024 - Face Shave test
- Brush: vintage yellow bakelite handle w/ 22 mm SynBad knot
- Razor: RazoRock Hawk V2
- Blade: KAI Protouch MG
- Lather: Abbate Y La Mantia - Blu Tobacco
- Post-Shave: Osma alum block; Moon Soaps Old School “balm”; Natura Siberica ASB gel
Just a two pass face shave around the 'stache and patch. Rather rough shave, a good amount of weepers and some red areas on the neck. Guess that blade’s over its limits.
Was kinda refreshing to shave my face again after such a long time, but it shows that I am not used to this anymore. My face also seems to prefer mild and smooth razors, which the Hawk V2 is definitely not. Blu Tobacco was not to blame, it’s a very good hard soap that makes me miss menthol cigarettes.
The good thing is, in contrast to head shaving, shaving my face is not a “must do” but rather “can do” for me. Due to the moustache style and my very visible beard shadow, it actually still looks well groomed even with a few days of stubble - I only need to trim the neck and it even looks intentional. Judging by today’s IKEA visit and most guys I saw there, I’m definitely not looking like a bum with stubble. But I enjoy shaving around the moustache the most, as it works even better than a zero gap trimmer for getting crisp contours - an oddly satisfying thing to me. I like to spice things up from time to time, so I’m grateful for having that variability/versatility now again.
I’ve been considering picking up a SE razor. Do you prefer them to DE?
There are too many categories of SE razors to make a blanket statement IMO.
Many SE designs have blade stops which makes their design fundamentally superior to DE designs for reasons I wrote up a few years ago here
So if you have a vintage GEM or an Injector razor with blade stops, those have an absolutely consistent geometry and exposure regardless of the blade you use. This doesn’t mean that you’ll like the geometry, but if you do, it’ll be super consistent.
Modern GEM designs are all trash IMO. They follow DE designs and misuse them with the wonderful GEM blade meant to be pressed against blade stops. The problem is not that they are produced shoddily (The ones I’ve tried are very well made) but the blade exposure depends on the manufacturing tolerances of the blade when it doesn’t need to.
With AC razors, if you scour the forums, you’ll find people recommending to avoid certain brands of blades for certain razors because “they don’t fit well” like you can’t get them in because the little holes don’t have just quite the right size. To me that is an obvious red flag for their design. They could be designed like Injectors where the clamp presses the blade against the blade stop and they’d be great.
All that being said, manufacturing tolerances for AC and GEM blades seem quite good, so in practice even those lazy designs can shave well, even if the former mechanical engineering lecturer in me would have failed them in a design exam.
Vintage GEM razors and Injectors are a fantastic and very affordable entry point into the SE rabbit hole. I’d be happy to give recommendations, and I can also lend you some of the highlights.
Maybe start with the Clog-Pruf, because @[email protected]’s wisdom:
This is super helpful, thank you.
@[email protected] , I definitely second the recommendation of a vintage Schick injector razor - they are the most similar to a cartridge razor and you should be able to find them in pretty good condition on the used market. Schick injector blades should be available at Maggards or eBay. Just a heads up, their chrome plating is very prone to flaking if you use aggressive cleaners - mine now look vintage AF™
I think I like the idea of starting with a Clog Pruf, but I’ll keep my eyes open for a deal on either.
Have fun diving into vintage razor hunting and get both. That’s the spirit 😉
I adore SE razors, but the downside to them is very little variation in blade types they offer. For example, vintage GEM razors are really great IMHO - but the only great GEM blade for actual shaving are Personna GEM PTFE blades. When it comes to AC blades, I prefer the guarded ones by KAI and Feather - but then again, those two japanese manufacturers are the only two I know of who produce AC blades at all. The Leaf Thorn I own uses half DE blades and it’s a good razor, but a bit expensive for the quality of its material (zinc alloy, so don’t drop it too often).
My recommendation for a beginner SE razor would be a vintage GEM Star, Flying Wing or Ever-Ready 1912. Note that GEM razors are notoriously difficult for shaving your upper lip though - as I wear a stache I won’t be able to help there, but @[email protected] should have some tips.
Thanks for the ping!
Saturday, November 9, 2024
- Preshave: Proraso Green Preshave
- Brush: Chisel & Hound Blaireau de la République with 24mm G5 Synthetic
- Razor: Star 1912 Type Razor
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (11)
- Lather: Zingari Man The Watchman
- Postshave: Naissance 702 Witch Hazel
- Postshave: Epsilon Blue Mediterranean
- Postshave: Nivea After Shave Balm
The stank of Blue Mediterranean does not pair well with the dark, but decidedly unstanky Watchman. And very nice shave with the Star, always a win.
Have a good evening!
November 9, 2024
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Brush: Wald Stratos Haunter 29mm A1
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Blade Holder: Rex Supply Co. Envoy
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Blade: Personna Lab Blue (4)
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Lather: Zingari Man - The Nomad - Soap
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Aftershave: Zingari Man - The Nomad - Aftershave
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
The Bay Rum scent of The Nomad was a great way to start my morning. I like Bay Rum scents. The touch of lime in this one is a great addition.
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Nov 9, 2024 - Travel Shave Day 1
- Brush: Stirling Soap Co. Green & Ivory 24mm Synthetic 2-Band Synthentic Knot
- Razor: Karve Shaving Co. Overlander
- Blade: Gillette 7 O’Clock Super Stainless (Green) [5]
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Autumn Glory - Soap
- Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Incorporeal - Aftershave (Alcohol Free)
- Fragrance: Gentleman’s Nod - Cosecha Catalana - Extrait de Parfum
Autumn Glory is a good one, did you buy a full tub?
I agree 💯
I did, and the matching aftershave.
Nice. I don’t feel like I can justify another full set from Stirling right now, but this is toward the top of my list for sure.
November 9, 2024
- Brush: Stirling 24mm Synthetic
- Razor: Gillette Tech (Z-4)
- Blade: Wilkinson Sword Classic (3)
- Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Caoba - Soap
- Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Goodfellow & Co. - Face Lotion - Kelp & Sea Mineral
I’m using the same soap while traveling, which lends itself to little mini experiments.
Today was “would it work to load a bit of soap for each pass instead of doing one big load”?
The answer is yes. I’m of the opinion that’s how people did it in the old days, and that’s based solely on my experience using modern Williams Mug Soap… Hardly a good reason to come to this conclusion, but Williams works well with this technique.
That’s my technique with boars. I load a little for every pass.
Part of the reason I tried it was for speed. It seemed to go faster than dialing in a proper load.
This makes a lot of sense, I’m going to try it out tonight.
Saturday, November 09, 2024: FLS Sample Saturday
- Brush: Zenith - B21 boar
- Razor: Gillette - Super Speed Black Tip
- Blade: Gillette - Perma-Sharp (4)
- Lather: Stirling - Bonafide
- Post: Mennen - Skin Bracer Aftershave splash
- Post: Nivea - Sensitive Post Shave Balm
- Frag: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Aromatique
A couple weepers on my jawline this morning. I think I flew a bit too close to the sun.
Bonafide is a pleasant scent, but not quite as strong as I tend to prefer. At this point in my journey, I want my soap to punch me in the damn face with fragrance. This, though very nice, was not that.
I enjoyed the combo of Skin Bracer and Fougère Angelique. It’s a pity Mennen won’t be making Skin Bracer anymore, I quite like it for a cheap aftershave.
Off to do all of the laundry. Have a great Saturday y’all.
Sat 09 Nov 2024
- Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving exclusive MOAR BADGER (Silvertip)
- Razor: Eversharp-Schick G1 Twin-Jector
- Blade: Personna Injector Blade
- Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company Seaforth! Spiced
- Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company Seaforth! Spiced
- Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company Seaforth! Spiced
Santa Claus vibes in casa djundjila this Saturday morning with
ginger bread and mandarine orangesSeaforth! Spiced. So nice.The ginormeous soft pillow that is the Moar Badger is wonderful to use. Warm, soft, a splay that covers half my face, what’s not to love? Der Schick ist auch sehr schick.
Sat 09 Nov 2024
- Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving exclusive MOAR BADGER (Silvertip)
- Razor: Eversharp-Schick G1 Twin-Jector
- Blade: Personna Injector Blade
- Lather: Barrister and Mann Cheshire
- Post Shave: Barrister and Mann Cheshire
I recently saw Cheshire be called a variant of Seville or something to that effect. I was a bit taken aback reading it, but now I can’t unsmell the similarities.
Saturday, November 09, 2024: SLS - Sample Saturday
- Brush: Yaqi - Sagrada Familia 24mm Synthetic
- Razor: Rockwell - 6C
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (6)
- Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Carpathia
- Post: Old Spice Aftershave splash
- Post: Stirling - Glacial Unscented Aftershave balm
- Frag: Stirling - Stirling Gentleman EdT
I can’t tell if it’s this brush or the SW base, but I definitely felt some burn while lathering this evening.
I hope it’s not the base. I really love many of SW’s scents.
