Mile High Menthol & The 207:

This morning's shave felt great. Today I decided to do a Cold Water shave. So after a nice hot shower, I went with Catie's Bubbles and their fabulous Mile High Menthol shaving soap which is their version of Proraso green only in the classic, slick formula that Catie's Bubbles has. To add even more refreshment, I went with a healthy dose of Osage Rub which adds even more menthol to the equation which I definitely needed to open up my sinuses this morning:

The 207 was perfect this morning. Nice comfortable 3 pass shave with a couple of touch ups and combined with the slick soap and cold water, I'm really slick this morning. Wow what a refreshing and eye opening shave. Shave videos are coming soon. I just need to get a miniature Joby magnetic gorilla pod and I'm all set to do shave videos.

Knee High to a Grape & The Griffon:

Today's shave was epic, wow. Today I went with an old favorite of mine which is Catie's Bubbles and their fabulous grape soda scented soap, "Knee High to a Grape" which is a seasonal scent so you might want to grab a puck of it before it's gone. And to finish off today's shave, I went with a nice healthy double dose of Aqua Velva classic ice blue aftershave splash:

Oh wow is all I can say about this razor and the Belgium Coticule edge that I put on it last night as you saw in my YouTube video. I now get why people choose these German made razors over the Gold Dollar razors and that is the fact that they are much easier to hone and take a wicked good edge. Don't get me wrong, I still like honing the gold dollars and I still plan on buying a couple more here pretty soon, but I will choose these German made razors over them anytime in terms of honing. In the end it's all about the edge you put on them. Wow what a shave.

Antique Store Score: Griffon Razor:

I got lucky today in a local antique store. While I was looking around I noticed a case and that usually gets my attention real quick and sure enough this monster was in the case. I can't believe we got it for a measly $20 U.S. Dollars :

The tang says "Griffon" which is clear on the razor. Unfortunately my camera didn't want to cooperate with me today and I was just barely able to get the logo:

Here's the Soligen, Germany crown stamp on the other side. This photo came out better than the other one did:

I already heard from my friend, Frank Misa over on Instagram and he said he just got through honing one up and said it takes a really beautiful edge so that's good news right there. Soligen steel is some what of a softer steel but it's an extremely good steel that will hold an edge. It's not stupid hard like the Swedish steel is so I more than likely will be honing this beast tonight. Right now I'm trying to figure out where to start my progression. You start too low and you will damage the razor but if you start too high, you will be there all night. They could have charged a lot more than $20 dollars for this razor easy. Its only drawback is the fact that it's only 4/8's wide. I have thick and tough beard and a wider blade makes beard removal much easier versus this 4/8's blade. I think I will start with my Suehiro 1K and progress up to my Naniwa 8K and switch to Dr. Matt's under running water technique afterward using both my ILR and Coticule.

C.a.D. & The 430:

Man I needed that. Today's shave felt extremely good and was very satisfying to say the least. Today I went with Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements and their modern day classic C.a.D. scent which has a canned Barbersol original shave foam scent only this one is 10 times stronger and is twice as slick. And I finished it off with a healthy dose of the matching aftershave splash which is good for about 18 hours and to put the icing on the cake, I also went with their matching aftershave jelly which is excellent. I like the aftershave jelly better than their balms and splashes:

The 430 started off rough so I stopped and stropped the razor which was better but still wasn't quite enough. So I broke out the ILR and did Dr. Matt's under running water technique and that fixed the razor. After I finished my shave, I went back and did the technique on both my 207 and the 430. So now I am more than confident that these razors are shave ready and both should be extremely comfortable because I shortened the technique and stropped both razors on my 3 inch mustang strop afterward. It's looking like I might be doing a honing video here pretty soon. I'm planning on getting a few Gold Dollar 66's off Amazon.

Atomic Bay Rum, The 42C & Edge Test:

Today's shave ended up being great. Unfortunately the edge test failed. More on that in a bit. Today I went with my newly acquired Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's Atomic Bay Rum scented soap which is awesome. It's a Bay Rum that's been aged in a charred American White Oak whiskey barrel which adds a distinctive but subtle wood note that blends perfectly with the bay rum scent. Speaking of bay rum, I finished off today's shave with a splash of Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum aftershave splash and I'm about to put on some of Soap Commander's "Purpose" aftershave balm which is also a bay rum scented soap:

Due to the edge test failing on me with both straight razors, I ended up finishing today's shave with the Merkur 42C and I did a total of 4.5 passes and now have some razor burn. I hate it when this happens. So later today, I will be doing a honing video using Anthony Esposito's honing method only with a different progression. I will using my Suehiro 5K Rika, Naniwa Snow White 8K and finishing on my Shoubandini Aswedo type 100.

The Comfort Knot Brush:

This brush has just became my all time favorite shave brush in my entire collection. The lather this beast builds is unreal and since it's a synthetic, it does not absorb your lather. I can personally guarantee that this will be the softest brush in your collection period. I've got a relatively expensive silver tipped badger brush here which is incredibly soft and this comfort knot blows it away in terms of softness. I've also got a RazoRock Plissoft synthetic and an Omega Synthetic Boar and neither one of them comes close to this brush:

The knot size is 33 millimeters and it cost me $39 U.S. Dollars shipped. It does NOT take much soap and you need to use a light touch when you bowl or face lather which will look like half melted ice cream and is one of the best type of lathers you can have for wet shaving in my humble opinion. To buy this brush you need to message Greg Wagner over on facebook and he will hook you up. Here's the link to his facebook page where you can get in touch with him: https://www.facebook.com/gregkw12 . The grip is also excellent and one of my favorite attributes that his brush has apart from the softness. You don't have to worry about dropping this brush even when the shifter handle is covered in soap which is equally awesome.

Vanilla Spice & The 207:

Today's shave was really good. The brush was epic and gets its own blog post here in a bit and for toady's soap, I went with Uncle Jon's Vanilla Spice. The scent is excellent you have vanilla, a hint of sugar with some spices and due to the vanilla content, the soap is almost black which can't be helped even with stabilizers. The vanilla fragrance turns any soap brown or black. It does NOT stain anything so you don't have to worry about that. I use white wash cloth to rinse with and it did not stain it. And to finish off today's shave, I went with the matching witch hazel based aftershave which smells so good and delicious:

The 207 was good but not great. So I will have to take it to the stones and get it back up to snuff which shouldn't take long at all. I will probably start at the Suehiro Rika 5K and progress from there. There's no need to drop down to 1K because this razor is in excellent shape and doesn't need any major repair work. I've also been looking at Japanese made Swedish steel razors which are excellent but the steel is stupid hard in terms of honing. It takes twice as long to hone Swedish steel than it does to hone the usual stainless steel.

Asian Plum & The 430:

Today's soap and aftershave was phenomenal. Peter Charkalis if you are reading this, you hit a grand slam on this one. Wow what a soap and the scent strength is off the page. The matching aftershave is also phenomenal and equally strong which is what I finished off today's shave with:

Unfortunately the 430 needs to go back on the stones which I will probably do tonight and there's a 98% chance that I will put it up on YouTube tonight. My 207 is fine if not perfect. I think I will go with a Coticule this time around on the 430 razor.

Ike & The 207:

Tonight's shave felt extremely good. Tonight I decided to go with a Skin Bracer themed shave so I went with Strike Gold Shave and their fabulous "Ike" scented soap which was made by Jennifer Mason Marting formerly known as Masons Boutique which is extremely close to Skin Bracer in the scent department. The RazoRock Plissoft was a welcomed sight and built an excellent lather. Speaking of Skin Bracer aftershave splash, that is what I finished off tonight's shave with and you know you got a great shave when your aftershave does not burn:

As I mentioned earlier, my aftershave did not burn at all and normally I do get a bit of a bite from the alcohol contained in it. So the ILR edge I put on this razor was exceptional. I had the glide of a cartridge yet again so using the Cremo Cooling shave cream as a preshave turned out to be a wise decision. Plus I was also slick as black ice after 3passes. Other than taking the time to apply the Cremo shave cream as a preshave and face lathering, my shave would only take about 5 minutes. Probably not even that. I think I will try using some glycerine next as a preshave.

#2 of 2018:

No you are not dreaming and yes, I did it again. I now have to change my shave of the day because I was planning on using this today but I didn't have enough left to amount to anything so I scraped out the thumbnail sized amount that I had left which is not enough for any of my brushes or even bloom for that matter and for sure it wasn't enough for me to get a comfortable shave either:

I'm also dangerously low on the aftershave as well. But that's okay because I have 3 different mail calls coming in which does include Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements.

Fortitude & The 430:

Today's shave felt extremely good. Today I went with something that I hadn't used in a while and that would be Soap Commander's "Fortitude" shaving soap. The scent of an aged hay, aged tobacco and dark rum was excellent and extremely satisfying today. And to finish off today's shave, I went with a huge healthy dose of Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum which my barbershop still uses to this very day. It adds a touch of sweetness to the already rich post shave smell and feel:

The 430 was great but I did have to hit the fire hose strop and my leather strop during the shave. I also had to add more soap because I didn't quite load up enough of it and once I did, the 430 glided across my face with no issues at all. Chalk up another 3 pass slick as black ice shave with no cuts, weepers and the best part, no burn from the aftershave splash.

Influence & The 207:

Today's shave felt great and was nothing short of phenomenal. Today I was craving a tobacco scented soap but I was wanting something unique. So I grabbed Soap Commander and their fabulous Influence scented soap which has a deep rich scent of moist pipe tobacco, cherry and a full bodied black tea. Then I went with the matching aftershave which adds a touch of menthol to the already incredible post shave feel:

I wasn't too comfortable with the ILR so yesterday I decided to perform Dr. Matt's under running water honing technique with my Naniwa Snow White 8K Junpaku and my Belgium Coticule. I'm glad that I did because I was able to perform the old "Gillette Slide" with my Gold Dollar 207 and my shave felt like a butter knife and I was slick as black ice after just 3 passes. I guarantee you that my 430 will feel the exact same way when I use it next because I went ahead and did the same thing on it yesterday as well. So once I get some more razors next pay day, I will do another YouTube video using Dr. Matt's under running water technique with these 2 stones. I've also decided to stick with this honing technique from here on out now that I've found my "go to" stone combination.

Kiss My Face & The 430:

Today's shave was pretty good but not great. This Kiss My Face shave cream was okay but it can use some improvements. The first thing is the cushioning ability isn't too hot but it is extremely slick which helps a lot. The scent is extremely good which reminds me of Wrigley's Spearmint gum. I think I would have done better if I had gotten the lavender scented cream instead. This cream is extremely thirsty. If I can give people an idea of how thirsty it truly is, it's even more thirsty than Barrister & Mann's soaps which puts it off the page. I had use more product about half way through the shave which I don't like to do. I will pick C.O. Bigelow/Proraso green shave cream over this stuff. After my shave I finished it off with Aqua Velva Ice Blue splash which seems to pair well with this cream. It's an alright cream but I won't be getting again so once it's gone, it's gone:

The 430 started off okay but got worse during the shave especially in the comfort department. So I went ahead and touched up both razors using my new Naniwa snow white 8K followed by Dr. Matt's under running water technique using the ILR and I stropped both razors on my 3 inch Mustang horse hide strop for 10 round trips on both razors afterward so they are definitely good to go. If they are too sharp then I will use the under running water technique on my Coticule which not only fixes an edge but really smooths it out and makes it at least 10 times more comfortable. I'm thinking that the ILR was too sharp due to the fact that I was using a Norton 8K before going to the ILR instead of the Naniwa Snow White 8K which is far superior over the Norton. So my next shave will be extremely interesting because I still love the Coticule edges over Jnats and my ILR but what stone you use before going to a finisher is just as important if not more.

Kiss My Face Mint Shave Cream:

On the way home from my trip to UVA which went extremely well, we stopped at this grocery store called Martin's and inside I found Kiss My Face shave cream on the shelves which is a good thing. West Coast Shaving Supplies use to carry it years and years ago and I did see a friend of mind, Guy Solice use it in a video and the performance was off the page. So I grabbed a bottle of it. The scent reminds me of Wrigley's Spearmint gum. This was actually cheaper than Proraso at $6.50 for an 11 ounce bottle which puts the cost at $1.70 per ounce :

I'm really looking forward to trying this cream out tomorrow. My trips to UVA have ended. Today I officially got released from their care for the first time since 2010 when I was referred and sent up there. So I no longer have to go back to get routine check ups. That was a really nice surprise I got this morning. I thought for sure that I would get another appointment back up there next year which has been happening for a while now. The doctor showed us the Xrays from this morning compared to last year's and the fact that it has now gone way past the 5 year mark, they felt that I really didn't need to come back and I felt the same way. Even that we're glad to see them and they're glad to see us, it made sense to release me from their care. They did tell me that I can call them at will and book an appointment anytime I found something unusual.

C.O. Bigelow & The Doc:

Today's shave felt really good. Today I went with C.O. Bigelow shave cream which was made for them by Proraso and it's basically Proraso green which has a great menthol and eucalyptus scent to it. And to finish off today's shave, I went with a healthy dose of Osage Rub which puts the refreshment level off the page:

The Doc was great. I was exactly where I wanted to be after 3 passes. This is also the last shave on this blade so when I get back I will switch it out for a fresh one.

I Finished Another One:

It's been a while since I've done one these types of blog posts but I figured why not. Earlier today I managed to finish off another soap. This time it was a Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements High Jump 47. The Omega 10049 Professional boar brush makes a great lather but it is a soap hog. Basically what that means is that this specific brush uses more soap upon loading than your other brushes do including synthetics:

Badger brushes don't use any where near what most of your boar brushes do but they do hold twice as much water as the boar brushes do. I also tend to favor the scratch that boar brushes provide over both badger and synthetics. My beard starts to itch very badly after 2 days worth of growth and by the 3rd day, I'm eye balling my razors pretty hard. And with the way my beard grows along with the speed, there's no way I can use a cartridge. My skin can't handle daily shaving any more and after 2 days worth of beard growth, a cartridge just simply won't work on my beard. The best part about finishing off these soaps is that it gives me an excuse to buy more stuff.

High Jump 47 & The 207:

Today's shave was perfect in every way possible. Today I went with Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements and their classic High Jump 47 scented soap which was stupid slick once I applied it to my face after using Cremo's cooling shave cream as a preshave. The Omega 10049 Professional Boar had no issues whipping up an exceptional lather and it's also hard to believe that it will be nearly 5 years old come February 2019. Not bad for a $10 dollar brush huh? The scent on the soap is a fresh citrus cologne with notes of musk and fresh talcum powder and it pairs extremely well with Pinaud's Clubman regular aftershave splash which is what I finished today's shave off with:

The 207 was perfect. Something in my gut told me that I should take a closer look at the edge and it's a very good thing that I did. So I grabbed my Shoubandini Aswedo Jnat and I put one if not the best edges I have ever put on a razor. I was squeaky clean after just 3 passes and the edge felt like a butter knife. I believe I have perfected my honing technique now. To give you an idea of how good this shave was and how smooth and comfortable the post shave was, I did NOT get any burn from the Clubman aftershave I used and it's loaded with alcohol.

Ike & The 430:

Today's shave felt great. I was craving a Skin Bracer scented shave so I grabbed Strike Gold Shave's "Ike" which is extremely close to Skin Bracer in terms of the scent. Speaking of Skin Bracer, that's what I finished off today's shave with which is perfect for a hot summer day:

The 430 was perfect yet again. I'm really enjoying the Coticule edges and then some. Feels like you are shaving with a butter knife but your beard disappears like a sniper does in the bush. That's awesome for those who have tough beards but extremely sensitive skin. My buddy Frank Misa got me hooked on the Coticule edges which is not a bad thing at all. I will probably do a series of videos detailing my progression and thoughts on each of the Suehiro stones here shortly.

Naniwa Snow White 8K Ordered!

This day has been coming for quite some time now. Basically after owning and using what's left of my Norton 4/8K combo and learning about grit and micron ratings, I've come to the conclusion that my Norton 4/8K combo is no better than my Suehiro Rika 5K at the most. But that's not the only reason why I had to order this. I noticed that what was left of my Norton stone had some massive amounts of flex in the stone itself with almost zero pressure. That can mean only one thing. The Norton stone is totally useless now. Can't hone on it due to the flex and can't clean or lap it for the same reason so I had no choice but to order a new 8K stone:

I narrowed the choices down to 2 stones based upon my friends Frank Misa and Keith V. Johnson's recommendations and Keith's latest synthetic 8K video. The first I chose right out of the gate was this original Naniwa Snow White 8K Junpaku which was based on Keith's top ten synthetic 8K stone video. The second choice is Shapton Pro 8K :

The only reason I didn't get the Suehiro Rika 8K was because the amount of soak time it needs to be effective which is 1 hour. The Shapton glass stones are over priced for no more stone than you get and all I would have to do is drop them and that would be it. So unless something happens to to this specific stone that I ordered, this was my last stone purchase. If I have to break down and buy another 8K stone then I will get a Shapton 8K Pro to replace this one if something happens. I've already met my go to finisher which is the Belgium Coticule. And I've already got plenty of natural finishing stones to choose from other than my Coticule if I wanted to.

Honor & The 207:

Happy 4th of July my friends and fellow wet shavers. This evening's shave was perfect. Since it's a major holiday here in the United States, I decided to go with Soap Commander and their fabulous Honor scent which is their Barbershop scent. The scent is some where between The Old version of Fine's American Blend and Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's C.a.D. scent. And to finish off this shave, I went with the matching aftershave balm which adds a slight hint of menthol to the already epic post shave feel:

The touch up job I did on the 207 was perfect. I was slick as black ice after just 3 passes. The razor felt like a butter knife which is an awesome thing especially if you have sensitive skin like I do. So my technique on the Coticule is spot on. That's 2 completely different straight razors that I got to feel the exact same way during a shave and afterward.

American Blend & The 430:

Oh my! That's all I can say about this morning's shave. Today I decided to go with Fine Accoutrements and their classic American Blend matching set. The scent is their take on Rive Gauche Per Homme (2003) with a little hint of Gaiac wood. I only wish that this was much stronger than it is and that they would add orange blossom or some neroli oil to the fragrance. And you you know you got a perfect shave when there's no burn from the aftershave or sting from the alum block. Once the alum block is gone, it's gone because it really doesn't do anything for me:

I nailed the edge of the 430. I was slick as black ice after just 3 passes and 2 touch up spots and the razor felt like a butter knife during the shave. The razor had no issues at all in the glide department. I will have to do a YouTube video on what I did exactly to get this razor up to this level. I also now have a new progression with my water stones. 600 grit, 1K, 5K, 8K, Jnat, Coticule. And if the bevel is already set and the razor doesn't need a lot of work, I will start with either my 5K or my 8K and progress from there. Plain water ONLY on the Coticule and I rinse that specific stone frequently while I'm using it. Dr. Matt's under running water technique is great, but I think that my friend Anthony Esposito's technique is way better with the Coticule.