Cleaning & Lapping Completed:

That was much easier than I thought it would be. Today I went and grabbed some 3M Wet/Dry sandpaper (black, 320 grit) which made quick work on both cleaning and lapping ALL of my stones. The Suehiro stones took the longest because I had to soak them for an hour before I could lap them. I also went around every corner and smoothed out every side of my stones. The corners came out especially good and smooth and so did the tops of the stones. This was extremely easy to do with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper and now they're flat:

After lapping and cleaning them with the sandpaper, I noticed that there was no scratches left behind like there normally would be if I used a slurry stone or my diamond plate and that's a really good thing. I also noticed how fast slurry came up from every stone too. So that tells me I should look for a 320 grit (rough estimate) slurry stone that won't leave scratches behind:

So later on tonight, I will be looking at some true 8K stones and 320 grit slurry stones. I will see what I can find and go from there. I would love to get a Japanese natural Nagura set but we will see if I can swing it or not. I also found a 7 day razor set that was made in Soligen, Germany that caught my eye as well. 

Gusto & The 430:

Today's shave was great and very refreshing. It's been a while since I've used a beverage based soap and I was craving a citrus scented soap but didn't want any menthol today. So I grabbed Soap Commander and their fabulous Gusto scented soap. The scent on this soap is a very bright Raspberry Pink Lemonade scent which does make you crave the delicious beverage. And to finish off the shave, I went with Stirling Soaps Glacial Lemon Chill scented aftershave balm which has a slight amount of menthol compared to their over the top Lemon Chill scented soap which is awesome:

The 430 was great after I got it dialed in. I now know that I've been doing too much on the ILR. I found that it's best that I stop right after I use my fire hose strop instead of going back to the stone itself and repeating what I did before stropping the razor. If I don't stop, the edge is way too sharp for my sensitive skin and often leaves weepers. That's when things clicked. Once the razor gets extremely sticky and you have already turned the water up and have repeated this process, strop your razor and then stop. Do NOT go back and repeat what you did on the ILR earlier. If you do it will not be comfortable at all. I also just got through lapping and cleaning my stones with some 3M 320 grit Wet/Dry sandpaper. I'm currently waiting on my Suehiro water stones to soak before I will be completely finished and all of my stones will be cleaned and flat. I'm also looking at slurry stones as well. Even though my mighty mini water stone and diamond plate are great, I'm looking for something that's a little finer and smoother. So let the research begin.

Endurance & The 207:

This morning's shave was fabulous. Sorry for the delay folks. I've been crazy busy today and just barely had enough time to photograph and shave before going out the door this morning. Today I was craving a Vintage Old Spice scent so I went with Soap Commander and their fabulous Endurance Take Charge experience which includes but is not shown, their matching bath soap. And after I finished the take charge experience, I put on a nice healthy dose of Old Spice (modern version) aftershave splash which had a slight burn to it:

I ended up using my 207 yet again. While the edge on the 430 was good, I need to trim the heel and toe which I'm going to do a YouTube video on here shortly. I just have to charge my phone first though. I ended up getting a really nice and close 3 pass shave after switching razors: 

That's what has been causing issues with my 430. I needed to trim the heel and toe of the razor like you see on my Gold Dollar 207 shown above. Once that is done, I will reset the bevel and go from there. This should help make things a lot easier.

Honing Experiment!

Lets try this again. I'm not too eager to give up on my ZY razor just yet so I decided to kill the edge and start with the Norton 8K. I went ahead and just did simple "X" strokes until the razor started gliding across the stone with almost no effort. After that I went to my Jnat and worked up a slurry and slight diluted it. It only took roughly around 30 "X" strokes until the razor started sticking something fierce. Afterward I went ahead and did Dr. Matt's under running water technique with the Belgium Coticule and kept going until the razor was almost like glue in terms of gliding across the stone:

I'm more than confident that is what I needed to do with my ZY 430 razor to get it shave ready again. Hopefully this edge will be comfortable enough this time around. If it's not, then I will try again. I'm also looking at some Zeva straight razors that I found on EBay. They claim they're made in Soligen, Germany so maybe they will be pretty good.

WTF Cuban Tobacco & The 207:

This morning's shave ended up being great. Today is Tobacco Tuesday and so I went with Wet The Face and their fabulous Cuban Tobacco scented soap. The scent on this soap is a semi sweet Cuban Havana Cigar type of scent. And to finish off this morning's shave, I went full tilt and splashed on a healthy dose of the matching aftershave splash which is equally rich and bold:

This was the end of the line for the ZY 430. It was sharp and had no trouble removing my beard with the one swipe that I did with it, but it was far from comfortable. So I grabbed my 207 and it was perfect. I ended up with a slick as black ice post shave feel after 3 passes with the 207 which is all I'm going to use until I can some more razors in my collection.

Vision & The 207:

Today's shave felt great. Today is Sunday and that means Soap Commander Sunday is in full effect. And since it's officially summer now, I went with my all time personal favorite shave soap which is Soap Commander's "Vision" scent. The scent is their take on "Cool water" which is an Aqua, Amber and Mint scent. There is no menthol in the soap but it still has a chill about it due to the mint that's contained in the soap. And to finish off today's shave, I went with a nice healthy dose of Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue aftershave splash and I followed that up with Soap Commander's Vision scented aftershave balm which does have menthol added in addition to the mint contained in the shave soap itself. That pretty much put the post shave feel over the top:

The 207 was perfect yet again. Before my shave, I took it to my fire hose strop for 10 round trips and that seriously made this the best edge I've ever used which says a lot. I've shaved off of Jnats, synthetics, the Apache Strata from several people and this Belgium Coticule edge puts them to shame in BOTH post shave quality and comfort. I don't want to shave off anything else but the Belgium Coticule period. They are that comfortable and efficient. I was slick as black ice after just performing 3 passes with no touch up spots at all. I also discovered that instead of going from North to South on my with the grain pass when shaving my neck area, I get a closer shave by going North to Southwest which just about eliminates doing touch up spots on my neck area.

C.a.D. & The 207:

Today's shave was excellent. Today is also "Cadusal Friday" over in the Google + community, How To Grow a Moustache. And since I was craving a barbershop scent, I decided to participate and grabbed Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's C.a.D. matching set. The scent on this stuff is Barbersol Original canned shave foam that's on steroids. And I finished it off with a double dose of the matching aftershave splash which lasts 18+ hours:

The 207 was perfect yet again. I took it across my new Coticule and it was exactly like it was the day I bought it. Once I took it across my strops, I was dialed in perfectly. The result was a close and comfortable 3 pass shave that's slicker than black ice. For those of you wondering and still debating on whether or not to get a Coticule, get one. They are totally worth it and if you use Dr. Matt's under running water technique, don't worry about the razor not sticking like you have seen in his videos. Belgium Coticules are like that and usually around 20 to 40 simple "X" strokes is enough to get the razor where you want it to be. These edges are perfect for those with a heavy beard and super sensitive skin like I have.

The Belgium Coticule:

Well that was easy and it went fast too. Earlier today, I uploaded a mail call video and stated that I would be lapping and flattening my new stone tonight. That was the easiest stone that I have ever flattened and rounded the corners on. It's also the fastest stone I have ever lapped and flattened as well. I was done in less than 3 minutes:

My Belgium Coticule is also smoother than a piece of glass and it's a really soft stone. So far I am loving this 4 by 2 inch stone which is perfect for Dr. Matt's under running water technique which is beyond easy to do. Frank Misa pretty much got me hooked on Coticule edges after he put one on my Gold Dollar 207 razor. Now I will not shave off of another stone as a result. The edge that these specific stones produce is perfect for those with sensitive skin and tough beards. You don't need an impossibly sharp edge to get a great and enjoyable shave.

Mountain Man & The 430:

Tonight's shave ended up being pretty good but it was not very comfortable at all. More on that in a little bit. Tonight I was craving a cologne scent so I went with Stirling Soaps and their "Mountain Man" scented soap which is their take on Creed's Silver Mountain Water Cologne. But unlike Creed, Stirling's won't break the bank and is much stronger. And to finish off tonight's shave, I went with Pinaud's Clubman aftershave:

Something is wrong with my 430. It's getting to where it won't hold an edge and I noticed a chip in the edge on the face of the blade. I believe I've got a lemon razor ladies and gentlemen. I've already honed the living crap out of it so I killed the edge. I will see what I can do in terms of resetting the bevel but I have a feeling that it would not be a good idea to do so. I took it to my ILR twice during tonight's shave and it still was rough.

And Our Remodel Begins:

Today our bathroom remodel begins and I'm talking a full blown ripping up floor kind of remodel. New plumbing fixtures and faucets are going in, the floor is being ripped up and repaired and we are having a brand new shower installed after the old tub and tile is torn out. The contractor is putting down some kind of fiber board to protect our carpet:

We have been wanting to do this for a really long time now and have not been able to for many reasons. And here recently, these guys are the only ones that would even come out to give us an estimate and explain the work. Some other contractors would not even return a phone call. So if you are wondering about "Honey Do Service" contractors, they are awesome.

Atmotic & The 207:

Happy Father's day my friends. Today's shave was great and way better than yesterday's shave which was not posted thank goodness. Today I went with Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements and one of their newest scents "Atmotic" which is awesome. The scent on this is Aged Oak wood, Dogwood and Patchouli with a hint of ginger. To my nose it kindly reminds me of Dragon's Blood with a hint of musk and it's bold and strong which is an extremely good thing. If you don't have the matching aftershave splash, it goes well with Aqua Velva Ice Blue which is what I finished off my shave with today, along with any Musk based aftershave and English Leather also pairs well with it:

The 207 was perfect yet again. You know you got a good shave when the last shave was less than 24 hours ago with a Gillette Fusion that resulted in extreme razor burn and you shave with a straight today and didn't get any sting from an alum block after doing 3 passes on irritated skin that has not had time to heal at all. Oh I do have a Belgium Coticule coming and as far as I know, It's scheduled to arrive this coming Friday. I'm now done with buying stones. Once I tried that Coticule edge, that was it. I don't want to shave with anything but a Coticule edge now. As I stated in another post, I have met my "go to" edge and stone.

Ike & the 207:

Today's shave was great and very refreshing. Today I went with Strike Gold Shave and their fabulous "Ike" scented soap which was made by Jennifer Mason Marting of Mason Boutique. She has since quit making shave soaps except for Strike Gold Shave and she changed the name of her company to Decadent Bubbles (bath products only). The scent on this specific soap is a dead ringer for the classic Skin Bracer aftershave which is what I finished today's shave off with:

The 207 was even better than it was yesterday. I have to get me a Belgium Coticule because the edges are exceptional. Not one weeper today or anything and extremely close and comfortable. That's the kind of straight razor shave you want. I did not get any burn from the aftershave at all and I normally do no matter what kind of aftershave I use with the exception to the balms that I have in my collection. So I am on the prowl if you will for this stone. Combined with Dr. Matt's under running water technique, good luck beat the speed and the quality of the edges. Another thing I noticed about the soap is that it doesn't take much to build a lather at all and this sample is still going. I've quit counting how many shaves I've gotten out of it:

So it will be a while before I finish this sample off and start a new one. Frank sent me a sample of his "Kennedy" scented soap and it also goes extremely well with Skin Bracer. I also think that Kennedy can go with Osage Rub, Barbasol Brisk and Aqua Velva Ice Blue aftershave as well.

Endurance & The 207:

I have met my "go to" edge today ladies & gentlemen. What an incredible if not phenomenal and blissful shave that I got today. Today I went with the very first artisan soap that I ever got which was Soap Commander and their fabulous "Endurance" scented soap. I have missed the scent on this one which is a "1938 Vintage Old Spice" scent. And to finish off today's shave, I went with a healthy dose of Old Spice aftershave splash followed by Soap Commander's Endurance aftershave balm which adds a touch of menthol to the post shave feel:

The Gold Dollar 207 was perfect for me and my skin type. Frank Misa of Strike Gold Shave put a Belgium Coticule edge on the 207 and I am glad that I requested this kind of edge. The edge was like shaving with a butter knife in terms of comfort which I love and yet my beard disappeared completely in just three passes and I was slick as black ice afterward. I will take this kind of edge over my other stones any day. In terms of sharpness, the ILR does out perform the Coticule however it is no where near close to the Belgium Coticule in terms of comfort. In fact I often get a couple of weepers with the ILR in certain areas while I did not get any at all today. Everyone often screams for a Japanese natural edge and how good of an edge that they are which is some what true depending on who honed the razor but they are often "over hyped". Once I get a Belgium Coticule, I will be done in terms of buying water stones apart from replacing what's left of my Norton 8K. It has seen its better days and is almost gone. The only question I have is should I go ahead and get the full size version of the Norton 8K instead of the combo stone or should I look at a Belgium Blue stone or go with another brand's 8K stone before finishing on a Coticule? Decisions decisions. But the Belgium Coticule wins hands down. You can't beat them in my opinion.

Optimism & The 430:

Tonight's shave felt great & was perfect. Tonight I went with Soap Commander & their fabulous "Optimism" scented soap. The scent is a semi sweet pear, plum & bergamot. And to finish off this shave, I went with the matching aftershave balm which adds a touch of menthol to the already incredible post shave feel:

The 430 was perfect. I was squeaky clean after just 2.5 passes and it was like a hot knife through butter. My beard disappeared really quickly & the edge was stupid comfortable. No issues at all with tonight's shave & that's a very good thing. All of my video gear has arrived so I should be able to keep making videos. It will be a little bit before I can do a shave video because my bathroom is about to be remodeled completely. I'm talking full blown floor coming up type of remodeling. A new shower is going in along with new flooring & PVC crown moulding which I will really like. Plus I will be painting the bathroom which will be done after the remodeling is completed. 

Ouch! Definitely Shave Ready:

Ouch! I just barely caught my left thumb with just the toe of the razor & this happened:

I ran it under some cold water for a few minutes, washed my hands with hot soapy water to keep it clean & from getting infected then I put a bandage on & wrapped it up with some electrical tape:

I didn't even feel it for the most part but it's more than shave ready for sure. So when you are dealing with straight razors, use extreme caution & pay attention or this will happen.

C.a.D. & The 430:

Today's shave was nothing short of phenomenal. I was craving another but unique barbershop scent so I grabbed Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's C.a.D. scented soap which has a 1970's & 1980's Original Barbersol canned shave foam scent. And to finish off this shave, I went with the matching aftershave splash which lasts about 18 hours before fading:

I came extremely close to where I needed to be on the stones with the 430 straight razor. So I stopped & took it to my fire hose strop for 10 round trips & that was exactly what the razor needed. From there it was like climbing out of a mack truck & into a brand new Cadillac Seville Sedan. I will be doing a Japanese Natural water stone video here in a little while. There should be no problems this time around considering that I'm  not going to be doing a lot of work. Once I get finished on the Japanese natural stone, it should be like climbing into a new Rolls Royce.

Honing Time!

After today's shave, I decided to go back & perform everything you see in this specific YouTube video by Dr. Matt Robins only I did 3 different types of slurry on the Norton 8K before finishing on the ILR. I was extremely close to where I wanted to be before I started so I did not kill the edge. This video is exactly what I do to maintain my razors & it's extremely fast too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS48Bp6Yhd0 

I spent a little more time on the Norton 8K than Dr. Matt did but I felt that the razor needed it. This technique also works with other natural stones such as the Belgium Coticule:

Next I used a 600 grit diamond plate to clean the stone then to build a slurry:

After that I did a slurry with both sides of my Suehiro slurry stone:

After I got done with the Norton 8K, I went straight to my vintage fire hose strop & did 10 round trips on it before going to Dr. Matt's under running water technique:

After that I went to my brand new horsehide strop from TomoNagura & let me tell you, it's a dream to strop on it. The draw/glide is stupid smooth & fast:

I'm more than confident that this razor is shave ready. I was extremely close to where I wanted to be when I shave earlier today & just needed that extra little bit. This should more than do it. My next shave will be very interesting. I have a new razor coming in from Strike Gold Shave & I've never shaved off of a Coticule before. I've been told that I would love it. We will soon see.

Grape Soda & The 430:

Today's shave was really good. I got to craving something unique so I went with KShave Worx & their delicious smelling "Grapelicious" scented soap which is a very strong grape soda scent. And to finish off this shave, I went with their matching aftershave splash which is witch hazel based:

The 430 was good but not quite great. One more honing session using Dr. Matt's under running water technique using my Norton 8K & my ILR and I should be exactly where I want to be. I've got some goodies coming in that will allow me to make videos including some over head shots, another soap from Soap Commander that I've already got the matching aftershave balm for & I also have Carrie's book coming in. I also went ahead & ordered a new Gold Dollar 207 from Strike Gold Shave with a Coticule edge on it because I never shaved off of a Coticule before. My honing video didn't quite work out because it was simply too long & wouldn't allow me to optimize it or upload it. And when I tried to do it in 2 different videos, the file became corrupted & I had to delete it. So it will be a little while before I do a honing video and/or shave video. They're suppose to start remodeling our bathroom this coming Monday & there's no telling how long that's going to take.

1st Honing Session On New Razor:

So much for this being on YouTube. I went ahead & filmed the entire process except for the mid range & finishing segments because I couldn't record it. My phone only allows so much video to be recorded & due to this razor requiring stupid amounts of work, I exceeded it to the point where I couldn't even upload it to YouTube. I even tried to upload it in 2 different videos & by that point, the video file had become corrupted which means only one thing & that's delete. So I snapped a couple of photos before doing the Dr. Matt under running water honing technique to finish off this razor for tomorrow's shave. So I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't post up a honing video:

After doing some more mid range working using my Apache Strata & finishing on the ILR, I did my usual stropping routine which is 5 round trips on the fire hose strop followed by 10 round trips on my new leather strop that I got from Keith which was exceptional:

The razor should be shave ready. I'm more than confident that it is because I've pretty much adopted Dr. Matt Robbins' under running water technique on a permanent basis with the exception to my Japanese natural water stone which doesn't get a lot of use these days. I like the edges I've been getting off the ILR. This specific honing technique has never failed me, even when I had lather on my face in the middle of a shave, this technique actually saved that specific shave in no time at all. The only thing I really need to do is get an 8K stone besides the Norton 8K (blah).

Proraso Green & The German 37:

Today's shave was decent & no it wasn't the soap or brush either. Today I needed some refreshment so I went with Proraso green which has an incredible Menthol & Eucalyptus scent to it. And to finish off today's shave, I went with good old Osage Rub which puts the menthol chill over the top of the post shave feel:

I should have switched out the blade in the German 37. This last blade was some what of a dud & so was my last 2 Gillette Silver Blue DE blades. So new blades are going into my razors. My bathroom is also about to be completely remodeled. That starts Monday which we can't wait to see. Just getting people to come out & give us an estimate has been awful. Some wouldn't even return a phone call. Yet we call the local "Honey Do Service" & they came out gave us an estimate. That's who will be doing the work. Our bathroom has a ton of repairs that's needed.

Influence & The German 37:

Today's shave was great. Today is Sunday & that can mean only one thing. Soap Commander Sunday is in full effect. So after I bloomed their Influence scented soap & soaked my Omega 10049 Professional Boar brush, I took me a really nice, hot & relaxing shower which does make a huge difference for the better if you shower before shaving. It helps prep your beard & also helps you relax more. The scent on this soap is a really deep & rich tobacco scent, cherries & a rich & full bodied black tea. And to finish off this shave, I went with their matching aftershave balm which adds a touch of menthol to an already phenomenal post shave feel:

The German 37 by RazoRock was epic. I was slick as black ice after 3 passes which was one too many passes which resulted in a tiny bit of razor burn & since I used Soap Commander's aftershave balm, the razor burn is already gone. I'm just about to the point where I won't need to go against the grain (South to North for the most part) with any of my razors at all. 2 passes with the grain is more than enough & I only do the South to North pass on my neck area which gives me the most trouble apart from my moustache are which isn't too bad but can get irritated pretty easy.

Turkish Bath & The Doc:

Today's shave felt great. I was craving a tobacco scented soap so I went with Jeeves of Hudson Street & their fabulous Turkish Bath scented soap which is a heavy Turkish tobacco scent with some notes of musk. They have since re named it Barbershop & now offer a matching aftershave splash to go with it. And to my nose this pairs extremely well with a Bay Rum aftershave so I went with Soap Commander & their Purpose scented aftershave balm which had a Bay Rum scent to it. Unfortunately Soap Commander no longer has this scent. Thankfully I still have the aftershave balm & I do bring it out every once in a while:

The doc was great in every way. I ended up being slick as black ice after 3 passes which is about normal for this razor. I'm also looking at making soap as a hobby. I'm NOT going into the soap making business. This will be strictly on a hobby level only. It will be a while before I make my first batch because I have to get a few things for making videos & some shaving supplies before I get started making soap.