SOTD : Saturday 4th June - Friday 10th June 2022.

[BrianH]

You would need to defraud the tax man the same as costa

With my millions of £ turnover!!

 

[isaiah53]

Gillette Tech
Gillette Super Silver
Proraso pre
Simpson Trafalgar T3
Proraso green shaving cream
Brut AS

 

[pjgh]

Wednesday 8th June

Ganders Goat Soap w/Hop, Sage & Birch
Old Spice (Vintage) Shaving Mug
Vie Long American Style w/Haryali Synthetic 22mm
Gillette Labs Exfoliating Razor & Gillette Labs Cartridge (3)
Old Spice (Vintage) Aftershave Lotion

 

[ATG]

Wednesday 8th June

Ganders Goat Soap w/Hop, Sage & Birch
Old Spice (Vintage) Shaving Mug
Vie Long American Style w/Haryali Synthetic 22mm
Gillette Labs Exfoliating Razor & Gillette Labs Cartridge (3)
Old Spice (Vintage) Aftershave Lotion

How do you find the longevity of these labs blades?

 

[culcreuch]

I could charge an outrageous price for it and call it Costa

Would have to be Costalotus

 

[LeeMaz]

SOTD: 08/06/2022

Razor: Razorock Hawk V3A
Blade: Feather Pro, 4th use
Brush: Shedeleven Spalted Scottish Hawthorn AP Shave Co G5C 26mm Fan
Bowl: Captains Choice Copper Lather Bowl Standard Bowl
Preshave: Bart’s Balm Preshave Sample Oil
Soap: A&E Monte Carlo Croap
Aftershave: A&E Monte Carlo Aftershave
Balm: Bart’s Balm Sample Balm
Additional Care: Osma Laboratoires Alum Block

 

[pjgh]

How do you find the longevity of these labs blades?

I've only used one before, but it went to 18 that felt practically the same as the first two or three shaves ... and I turned it in at 20. It would have done more, but my preference with all shaving formats be it DE, SE, AC or cartridge is to ditch it once it starts to wane rather than stretch it out to the bitter end. By comparison, the basic Fusion5 gets me 7 or 8, the ProGlide 10 to 12.

20 shaves on a £5 cartidge is 25p per shave. Costly, yes ... especially when compared to the DE format. Here's a fun thought, though ... let's consider the cost of a DE blade to be literally nothing (in fact, let's not consider that in the sums), but a £100 razor at the same cost per shave ratio would require 400 shaves to match.

I'm not into this for the cost savings ... clearly not with the kind of collections that we build up. I am in it for a quality of shave and I have to say, the Fusion format and these slightly tweaked Labs format cartridges give me really excellent shaves at the moment. The ProGlide gives me 9.9/10 shaves consistently for 10-12 shaves and my first use with a Labs cartridge impressed me moreso ... giving me a straight-up 10/10 shave and I know it will continue to do so for 15-18 shaves, dipping to 9.9 or at worst 9.5 by 20. Pushed on, I'd guess 30 shaves until the quality drop dipped below good.

... at the moment. I've been shaving with cartridges most of this year. Next year will no doubt be different.

What I am enjoying about the cartridge format (and it's the same thing that I enjoyed when I routinely shaved with the same 1912 design razor and same GEM Personna blade daily) is that I can focus my enjoyment into my brushes and soaps.

 

[ATG]

I am in it for a quality of shave

Same purpose here and I haven't banished cartridge at all. Thank you very much for your in depth analysis. I am very much intrigued now. Never tried Fusion I stopped at Mach 3 which for me required too much pressure to apply and even so didn't get a close enough shave.
I like the visual design on the labs and I think it looks rather good on that magnetic base.

 

[Satanfriendly]

The shave with the theme, 'Three passes to heaven'



Step one - Tatara Nodachi
Step two - Polsilver Lodz
Step three - Yaqi Dandelion
Step four - Extro Arancia
Step five - Botanics moisturiser

Now there are three passes to shaving heaven (three passes to shaving, three passes to shaving)
Just try and you will plainly see (three passes to shaving, three passes to shaving)
And as your razor travels on
And things can go wrong
Just follow passes one, two and three (three three passes to shaving, three passes to shaving)

Pass one, you are shaving with the grain
Pass two, take the blade across your mane
Pass three, you shave against, but don't be frightened
Yeah, that sure is shaving heaven to me (three passes to shaving, three passes to shaving)
The formula for shaving's very simple (three passes to shaving, three passes to shaving)
Just follow the rules and you will see
And as your razor travels on and things can go wrong
Just follow steps one, two and three (three steps to heaven, three passes to shaving)

Pass one, you are shaving with the grain
Pass two, take the blade across your mane
Pass three, you shave against, but don't be frightened
Yeah, that sure is shaving heaven to me (three passes to shaving, three passes to shaving)

Pass one, you are shaving with the grain
Pass two, take the blade across your mane
Pass three, you shave against, but don't be frightened
Yeah, that sure is shaving heaven to me (to avoid a bloodbath, to avoid a bloodbath)

Just follow passes one, two and three


I was rather surprised how much lyrical content that song actually contained. And how much intelligence I don't.

But, that was truly three passes to shaving heaven with the Tatara and its shaving friends, the Extro and the Dandelion. I remain utterly impressed with the Nodachi in every aspect.

On the matter of 'three' I may as well end with those utterly brilliant Trident girls and their last release. Slightly more civilised than last night's offering.

 

[pjgh]

Same purpose here and I haven't banished cartridge at all. Thank you very much for your in depth analysis. I am very much intrigued now. Never tried Fusion I stopped at Mach 3 which for me required too much pressure to apply and even so didn't get a close enough shave.
I like the visual design on the labs and I think it looks rather good on that magnetic base.

Sadly, the base is the let-down as the upright razor does not sit quite as securely as it could. Certainly that circular design is the answer to the question that the Flexball was posing - how to do that cleanly, as the rubber cover on the Flexball does wear with use.

In terms of cartridge technology, the Fusion format does work best with just the right pressure - certainly not too much as to be forcing the mechanism but certainly more than just dragging it like a scarifier over your face. Furthermore, despite the pivot, adjusting angle to follow curves so as the pivot merely takes up the any minor adjustment rather than compensating to the extreme for not following curves.

Given you've five blades in there, my map is to do a north/south shave on my face in overlapping long strokes and then relathering for any touch-ups, but really a single pass is doing fine for me. If you want baby smooth then do a second pass, say east/west or ATG. What I don't find is the often cited criticism that the shave can be too close, with the hair being pulled up and then retracts back under the skin. Being prone to ingrowers, erm, I think I would have fallen foul of that quite badly if it was the case - I don't shave ATG generally, but have done so without issue using the ProGlide.

The technology advances with each format, so the basic Fusion cartridge does not have blade stabilisers and so can give the occasional nip with too much pressure. The Fusion Power does have the blade stabiliser, which keeps the blades spaced evenly despite the contours. Up to the Fusion ProGlide, microfins are introduced ... which is a rubber fin in front of the first blade to align the hair perpendicular to the blade. It's all pretty close in my books, with the basic cartridge hitting a median 9.5, the ProGlide a 9.9 routinely.

I don't buy into the exfoliating bar on the Labs format, but the cartridge does (for me) simply deliver a 10/10 shave ... and I think the razor and its mechanism is the best looking of the bunch. But, costly per shave ... and I can get a guaranteed 10/10 shave from my Gillette Hybrid Tech and a Personna Platinum Chrome blade.

Horses for courses ... we're into this for the enjoyment of the whole spectrum of shaving gear, and the razor is a key part of that.

 

[hotmetal]

Today's shave was not really on any theme apart from things I hadn't used much lately, although I did get onto a bit of a colour theme.

Pre: Barts preshave "oap" (is it oil, is it soap?)

Soap: Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti

Brush: Semogue 820

Razor: Pearl Flexi (#4)

Blade: Personna super blue (#2)

Post: Bio oil mixed with Gothic Revival splash (not the balm I left in the pic by accident)

I was mentioning the Pearl Flexi to someone recently and it struck me I hadn't used it since getting the Slim, so I thought today would be the day. The Semogue 820 is coming along nicely, surely cannot be broken in yet by a long chalk yet is enjoyable, plenty of backbone, not scritchy, bit of a hog maybe, but I like it. The SV is a refreshing scent for this season and performs excellently. I was a bit ambitious with the setting of 4 on the Pearl, did a bit of accidental microtomy but nothing that required intervention with alum or anything. Just closer than I needed! The mix of Bio oil and GR splash is great. A brief burn from the alcohol (rather abundant in this splash) but instantly soothed by the calming and rapidly absorbed skin care oil.

7/10 I give it. Mind you I was on the phone and shaving at the same time, not ideal...

 

[jphelan81]

Blackbird Ti
Kai Blade
Lothur Nude
Simpson T3

 

[chard52142]

Thu 8 SOTD
Soap RazoRock XXX
Brush Yaqi 26mm Rainbow
Razor Gillette Red Tip A3
Blade Personna X Series 24th Use
Aftershaves + Stirling Witchhazel MitA + RazoRock XXX Splash
Good soap! Pleasant scent, easily & beautifully lathered into a cone of rich creamy slickness by the excellent brush!
Today's razor paired with this well-used blade + a shim gives an even better shave than yesterday's. The blade is still going strong....amazing!! 3passes for a bbs finish. The matching aftershave with some frost drops was great!!

 

[Palmolive fox]

SOTD : 9th June 2022.



​

Shaving recipe for today.

Prep: Warm shower:/Lynx Africa Body Wash.

Pre:
Cold wet flannel to my face.
Chantry Lavender Goat's Milk Bar Soap.
Brush: Chinese Unbranded Silvertip Fibre.
Bowl Lather.
Home Bargains Stainless Steel Side Bowl.
Lather: Proraso Sandalwood Shaving Soap.
Blade: Schick Japanese Twin. (D5.)
Razor: Schick I1 Injector. 1955-58

Post:
Cold water face wash with brush squeezing's, Cold Water Face Rinse./ Homemade (~Spring/Summer mix~) Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Essential Oils.3 Menthol Crystals Mixed Together With 200ml of Care+Witch Hazel./ Pashana ASL./L'0REAL Barber Club Reinforcing ASB.

Greetings,

Early Morning Shave,

A wonderful shave to finish my shaving week off in style.

The Schick I1 Injector, like the rest of my injector razors is such a great user friendly shaving tool which is a pleasure to shave with.

An enjoyable 2 pass + pick ups shave with no errors to report...Finishing the shave off with a few small dollops of L'0REAL Barber Club Reinforcing ASB.

My face is feeling smooth cool, & smelling divine.

Keep safe, and enjoy your day ladies & gentlemen.

​

 

[Crossan]

SOTD 09-June

Brush: C&H 'Finned' V14
Soap: Cerberus Fougere
Razor: WR2 1.25
Blade: Feather HS (2)
Post: Cerberus Fougere AS & EDP

Excellent shave this morning, quick WTG/ATG for a very smooth finish. This darwin is definitely my preferred handle for this head, think this is contrary to a fair few opinions but definitely works for me.

Feeling smooth and refreshed, hope everyone has a cracking day!

Cheers

Marc

 

[Jester]

There was always the Roman emperor 'Nero'. So named after a coffee shop chain. And wasn't there an emperor Starbuckus?

Nah, he was only a lieutenant