Lemon Chill & The German 37:

This morning's shave was great. Today I needed a little menthol fix so I went with Stirling Soaps and their Lemon Chill scent. The scent is basically a lemon meringue pie type of scent that's not too sweet but you still get some sweetness from the lemon. And to finish off this shave, I went with Stirling Soap's Glacial Lemon Chill aftershave balm:

The German 37 was great. I got pretty close in just 2.5 passes but for some reason my neck area didn't get cleaned up enough but it's still socially acceptable. That's what I love about using cartridges instead of DE safety razors. You are pretty much guaranteed a BBS shave with a cartridge razor while you may or may not get one with a DE safety razor. But this shave was much more comfortable than I expected it to be. My next shave will be with a cartridge razor.

American Blend & The 42C:

Today's shave was great. Today I went with Fine Accoutrements and their American Blend scent which is their take on YSL's Rive Gauche Pour Homme (2003). And to finish off today's shave, I went with the matching aftershave splash which adds a touch of menthol to the post shave feel. I got zero burn today from the aftershave:

The Merkur 42C (1904 classic closed comb) was perfect today. I got a really nice and close shave in just 2.5 passes. I could have done another half pass on my neck area but I decided not to in order to keep from getting irritated. My next shave will be interesting because I will be trying my German 37 slant. The main reason is that my neck area gives me some serious issues when shaving. I don't know why either because I do stretch the skin while I shave.

Proraso Green, Osage Rub & The 38C:

Today's shave was amazing. After a nice hot shower, I went with a modern day classic Proraso green which has an epic Menthol & Eucalyptus scent. And to top off today's shave, I went with a nice healthy double dose of Pinaud's Osage Rub which puts the cooling factor over the top:

The Merkur 38C Barber pole handle razor was good. I was pretty clean & squeaky in some spots after just 3 passes. This specific razor is perfect for beginners or people like me who have extremely sensitive skin and need to shave without having to deal with extreme irritation. It's also very good for a quick shave when you need to be somewhere and are in a rush. I could have easily made another pass and gotten away with it but my experience has taught me that less is more.

TTFFC by Maria Arman Is Back!

This is awesome! Maria Arman & her husband done an excellent job at putting together a new website for Through The Fire Fine Craft. Here's the link: https://www.ttffcraft.com/ . Her old website was extremely hard to use and at times it was down and you couldn't even access it. Plus she also had a really hard time at adding products which are phenomenal so it was definitely time for a new website. Maria is also fast to ship. In fact she often beats the tracking number in terms of speed. I've actually had product in my hand that I had ordered from her & the tracker showing it to be delivered the next day. That's how fast she is. She still has the logo seen below but she has changed the formula & the names of the scents:

This looks amazing. Her old website was a Yahoo! website:

She has added sections and is still working on it at the moment but it's still 10 times easier to use which is a really good thing:

Right now all she has listed at the moment is shave soaps:

Here's the new labels for the soaps and she did change the names but she still left the old names below so they can be identified and I love the classic car theme on the labels:

The new base sounds exceptional. They used a coconut, tallow, soy & Abyssinian oil soap base which sounds extremely good:

The Armans have also been very generous in donating to local causes to help their community out. They provide Hospice Care for The Little Traverse Bay Humane Society which is a NO KILL animal rescue shelter in Harbor Springs, MI:

Here's more info on the local animal shelter they're helping out which is listed on their website and has more details:

They did set up to where you can donate in addition to the Limited Edition soap & aftershave set which will ship on November 30, 2017 when they return. The scent on the L.E. soap is a blend of cedar, orange, lemon, lavender, leather, violet, vetiver, bourbon, tobacco & a little hint of creosote which sounds extremely bold:

This scent really caught my eye. My uncle has a 1966 Mustang which he gave to his son, my cousin Paul and it was a really nice ride. But it's one of the most popular antique cars of all time: 

The scent sounds extremely rich which is a blend of hard cider,  cedar, with a hint of black pepper and incense. Basically it's an adult version of the classic candy apple scent which is an all time classic and it's perfect for the Holidays in my opinion:

Her husband makes custom straight razors. At one time he was building them for Hart Steel which tells me he has exceptional quality. By the way I have NOT given up on straight razors just yet but it will be a while before my next purchase though:

I couldn't be more excited to see Maria back online because I'm dangerously low on her soap and I'm itching to try her new formula which sounds like it's a power house.

Pumpkin 3.14 & The Slim:

Today's shave was outstanding. Since it's officially Black Friday today which is the day after Thanksgiving for us here in the U.S. for my readers that are overseas who don't know and/or celebrate it, I went with Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements and their seasonal classic, Pumpkin 3.14 which is a hearty pumpkin pie scent with notes of pumpkin, cinnamon & clove. And to finish off today's shave I went with Autumn Factory aftershave with is a much sweeter version of the soap listed above & it burns so good. Today it was epic but a smooth consistent burn:

The Gillette Slim is my new favorite DE safety razor because I got as close as a cartridge with it today in just 3 passes. I started with it on the number 4 setting for my with the grain pass which knocked it down pretty good but I could definitely tell that I needed to crank it up on my next pass. For my against the grain pass I cranked it up to number 7 which was perfect for about 80% of what was left of my beard which also cleaned out my trouble spots really good. I still had a tiny bit of stubble left in a few spots here & there so for my 3rd and final pass which was across the grain, I turned it all the way down to setting number 1 which finished off everything. I almost could NOT tell if there was a blade in it on setting number 1. So if you guys are in the market for an adjustable razor, grab a Gillette Slim. They're excellent and very simple to use.

Influence & The DE 89:

Man that shave felt really good. Happy Thanksgiving to all of those who took the time to read this blog post. I had nearly 4 days worth of beard growth & it was starting to itch so it had to go. And since I needed a Soap Commander fix, I went with their soap and their classic "Influence" scent which is a rich sweet cherry, premium pipe tobacco & a full bodied black tea scent. And I finished it off with the matching aftershave balm which adds a touch of menthol to the post shave feel:

The Edwin Jagger DE 89 was excellent. I was squeaky clean after 2.5 passes that and I also used my hot lather shave scuttle tonight. It was like my beard melted off. I have to use the handle off my R41 because something went wrong with the original handle to where it won't tighten up to hold the blade in place. Thankfully it worked or I was going to have to purchase another DE 89.

I'm Good To Go:

Well that takes care of all of the razors I'm planning on using in my rotation. Besides the razors you see below which are my Merkur 38C & Merkur 42C classic closed comb, I will also be using my Edwin Jagger DE 89, Gillette Ball End Tech, Gillette Slim & the Doc razor from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. I have decided NOT to take any chances with my German 37 from RazoRock. My skin is just too sensitive for that razor and it's just best to keep it in cold storage. These razors has also been stropped 2 times on each side of the blade using the smooth leather side on my strop. This takes away the harshness of the 1st shave that you get with just about ANY DE blade and this is the ONLY time that I strop a DE blade. They're much more affordable than my Gillette Fusion & Shield razors are in terms of costs and I can afford to toss these out when they're dull:

The Feather blades are also out. Even though I can strop them to take the harshness away which helps out a lot in terms of comfort, they're still too sharp for my sensitive skin. I'm also considering trying other blades again to see which ones I can use but these Perma-Sharps have clearly won in terms of comfort. And in the Edwin Jagger DE 89 that title goes to the Gillette Platinum Plus blades hands down. It was like there was no blade in the razor and yet my beard disappeared with those blades but that was in my DE 89 only. I didn't get too good of results in the other razors with them like I did in the DE 89. Quite the opposite in fact.

TTFFC Mixed & The Doc:

Today's shave was awesome. If you have not tried Through The Fire Fine Craft by Maria Arman then shame on you. She also makes Maggard Razors brand of soaps as well which are also awesome. This is my mixed soap container which has several scents but the dominating scent is her "Play it again Sam" scent which is a Lime & Ginger ale scent. And to finish off today's shave, I paired it with good old Pinaud's Clubman original which pairs perfectly with this soap:

The doc was great. I did forget to strop it before the 1st use which resulted in a few weepers but other than that I pretty much had a black ice type of post shave feel after 3 passes. Douglas Smythe if you are reading this, you need to keep the original doc razor bro. It's possibly your best razor that you've ever released from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements in my humble opinion. I do know that you have other versions but the original is still the best in my opinion.

Buyer's Remorse: Anemometer:

Well I can officially say that this Tacklite anemometer is junk. The reviews on Amazon were mixed so it was a 50/50 chance that it would either work or it wouldn't and for a brief time it did. The problem is that it's not even close to being accurate. I took it outside & the vanes inside the anemometer were spinning like crazy and yet it was not registering the wind speed at all and it's gusting to every bit of 15+ mph. Another problem is the temperature is not accurate either. In fact it's not even close. Today it read 62 degrees F. and it's much warmer than that easy:

The main reason I bought this anemometer is for long range target shooting & hunting but what good is it when it's not even close to being accurate. To make long range shots of 1200 plus yards or meters, you have to extremely accurate. Being slightly off in your calculations in any way can cause you to significantly miss the target which is bad news if you are hunting because it's usually just 1 shot, 1 kill. Very rare that you get make more than that. So I will be saving up my funds to get a Kestrel which is more accurate & has a much better quality. I don't need one with a balistics calculator because I can download an app that does that for me.

Back To DE Safety Razors!

After today's excellent & comfortable shave, I have decided to return to using DE safety Razors but I will be sticking to certain ones and staying away from stupid aggressive safety razors & blades. My vintage ball end tech was a pure joy to use today. Even though I could have gotten my chin and goatee area better, I stopped myself from doing a full 3rd pass and only did a half pass on my neck area which is almost always a problem area for me no matter what I use:

These are the razors I'll be using in addition to the Tech shown above. I do have many more that are not seen such as my Merkur 38C barberpole & the 42C classic closed comb. Those are also going to be used as well since they are mild enough and won't damage or upset my sensitive skin:

My Gillette Slim gets as close as my Gillette Fusion & Shield razors do and is also a pure joy to use. I also will be using Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's original double open comb razor which is mild & a joy to use and also gets as close as my Gillette Fusion & Shield razors. I'm not sure about using the German 37 slant razor at all. It might be too much for my skin to handle at the moment but there's really only one way to find out. My Edwin Jagger DE 89 that you see in the box above is using the handle off of my Muhle R41 since the original handle took a crap after nearly 4 years of use. It will also be used since I've gotten excellent shaves with it. I will also be sticking with Perma-Sharp DE blades and I might try the Gillette blades that are available. The Muhle R41 & straight razors are out. My hands draw up & shake too much to use straight razors & my sensitive skin can't handle the aggressive nature of the R41 even though it is one gorgeous razor with an excellent fit & finish. My Hawk & GEM SE razors will NOT be used either.

Turkish Bath & The Tech:

Today's shave was at least 10,000 times better than the last one. After a nice & relaxing shower, I went with Jeeves of Hudson Street and their fabulous Turkish Bath scented soap which is a 1920's Barbershop style scent. They have since renamed it "barbershop" and now have a matching aftershave. And to finish off today's shave, I went with Stirling Soaps and their classic barbershop aftershave splash which adds a touch of sweetness to the scent:

The Vintage Gillette Tech was nothing short of phenomenal and I know exactly what I did to get these great results with the 1st shave on these blades. I stropped the razor 2 times on each side on the smooth leather side of my strop to take the harshness of the first shave off of the blade. Think of doing a quick palm stropping with a GEM SE razor blade before the 1st use. I was squeaky clean just after 2.5 passes which is just about where I want it in terms of post shave comfort. Too many passes equals severe irritation & razor burn and my limit is 3 passes or less.

C.a.D. & The Tech:

Today's shave didn't go very well at all & was bloody. I can assure you that it was NOT me, my technique or the soap because I've gotten many good shaves out of them. The problem was the Feather blade & razor choice. More on that in a moment. PAA's C.a.D. is a phenomenal scent and is my favorite from PAA hands down. The matching aftershave burned like there was no tomorrow:

This was after the first pass. Did I mention that it was bloody?

I'll give the Vintage Gillette Tech another chance but with a different blade. The ironic thing is about a year ago, I thought Feather blades was it for me and kept recommending them. Now here I am about to toss them out. I'll just use the plastic cases they come in for disposing blades:

^ I put a Perma-Sharp in the tech and I will try it again in about 3 to 4 days but it's definitely not looking good in terms of me returning to DE safety razors. The Tech also left a lot behind. I'm just glad I didn't use my Muhle R41 which would have been past being ugly.

American Blend & The Shield:

This morning's shave was great. After a nice hot shower, I went with Fine Accoutrements and their modern day classic American Blend. And to finish off today's shave, I went with the matching aftershave splash which had a really good burn this morning:

The Gillette Shield was great. I just switched out the blade for a fresh one before shaving mainly because something just didn't look right with the other blade. I was squeaky clean after just 2 passes. Now I do have a surprise for you guys. I'm going to try DE safety razors for a bit to see what happens. I'm hoping it will work out for me but if it doesn't, please don't be alarmed. My hands just shake too much for me to try straight razors again.

Honor & The Quattro:

This morning's shave was great. Today is Sunday so that means Soap Commander Sunday is in full effect. I went with their "Honor" scent which is their barbershop scent. The scent is some where between Phoenix Shaving's C.a.D. & Fine's American Blend. And I finished it off with the matching aftershave balm which adds a touch of menthol to the post shave feel:

The Schick Quattro did good but it's on thin ice in terms of staying in my rotation. I got a few little weepers on my neck area this morning and this was fresh blade I installed onto the razor. It wasn't very comfortable but I've had worse. So I'm considering tossing it out. My Gillette Fusion has been my most consistent razor in my entire collection.

Renewal, Brut & The Fusion:

Man oh man that shave felt great. After a nice hot shower, I went with my "go to" brand Soap Commander and their classic "Renewal" scented soap. The scent is a stout Floral Fougere' which pairs extremely well with Brut aftershave splash. After that I topped it off with the matching aftershave balm which adds a touch of menthol to the post shave feel:

The Gillette Fusion was perfect. I was squeaky clean after just 2 passes. The surprise is that I have more shaves on the Gillette Fusion blade than I do with my other razors. I've already switched out the blade on my Schick Quattro & my Gillette Shield isn't far from being switched again either. So it seems like my Gillette Fusion lasts a shave or 2 more than the other razors I have.

Pumpkin 3.14, Autumn Factory & The Shield:

Man that was one sweet shave. I wasn't planning on shaving today but my beard started itching, so I grabbed Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements and their fabulous Pumpkin 3.14 scented soap which has a very stout savory pumpkin pie scent. And to finish it off I went their Autumn Factory aftershave which has an epic but good burn to it. The Autumn Factory aftershave has a sweeter pumpkin custard pie scent to it which more than compliments the shave soap:

The Gillette Shield was extremely good. I was squeaky clean in just 2 passes which is always a good thing. That was probably one of my best shaves of all time which says a lot.

Mountain Man & The Quattro:

Tonight's shave was fantastic. Good old Stirling Soaps and their fabulous Mountain Man scented soap which is their take on Creed's Silver Mountain Water cologne which is stupid expensive at $400+ per ounce. Thankfully Stirling's is much more affordable and in my opinion, twice as rich and strong. And to finish off tonight's shave, I paired it with good old Clubman aftershave:

The Schick Quattro was great but it was definitely the last shave on this specific blade. I had to go back and do another half pass to get a squeaky clean shave. Speaking of finishing things off, I also managed to empty the last of my Clubman aftershave. But as you can see below, I've got another bottle to take its place. It took over 2 years to finish off this bottle of aftershave:

So I am good to go. This specific blade didn't last as long as I thought it would. So we will see what happens with the next shave.

Proraso Green, Osage Rub & The Fusion:

Man that shave was very refreshing. I was craving Proraso green, so I grabbed it. The scent is a menthol & eucalyptus scent which is very nice. And to finish off this evening's shave, I went with the very refreshing Osage Rub by Pinaud:

The Gillette Fusion was great but I do believe that I'm not far from switching out the blade though. I was squeaky clean after just 2 passes. I'll probably end up getting maybe 1 or 2 more shaves before switching out the blade again.