~ Today's Shave, November 21st, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: P.160 Tipo Morbido
Brush: Made Rite, Finest Badger
Razor: Gem 1912
Blade: Gem
Balm: Kiehl's

The Single Edge razor is a sweet close shave, but seems to demand some special attention.  Though it is smooth and ultra close, you can get too much of a good thing and shaving with this on two consecutive days is a challenge.  This is the Gem 1912 manufactured in Brooklyn, New York.  It is loaded with a standard single edge blade, such as what you would use to scrape your vehicle registration sticker from the windshield of your car.  Scary sharp.

The Made Rite brush, refitted with a Finest Badger Fan shaped knot, is absolutely superb.  Not a single complaint!

P.160 carries a wonderful almond scent that lasts through out the shave.  It lathers thick and slick and although I was initially challenged with getting a good lather from it, we have come to an agreement..  This soft soap is no longer available, but I have plenty left and also have two more tubs in my inventory.

Sweet shave today!!

Image from the Nikon D3, 70-200 f/2.8 VR,.  Oddly, this superb lens doesn't allow for focusing on subjects closer than about five feet.  When fitted with a 12mm extension tube you can focus on subjects as close as inches away.  Extension tubes are hollow tubes that simply move the lens further away from the camera's sensor.  They don't have optics and most don't have electrical contacts, but the set used here, made by Kenko, do communicate electronically with the camera body and as such, auto focus and all aspects of metering are retained.  Light is provided by one Nikon SB800 speed light camera right, with a Lumiquest soft box and one SB-800 camera left and slightly behind the setup with a Wescott Apollo soft box.  Lights were triggered by Nikon SU-800 controller.  

Working with small speed lights is a joy.  This setup was shot in the brightly lit home studio, but by properly controlling the exposure settings for the ambient light, the background can be rendered black while the two flash units bring the light back to an appealing composition.  This allows for control of two distinct zones of light...Zone one, the area behind the subject ,can be fully balanced from a brightly lit scene to dark shadows without impacting the light in zone two, that which is falling on the subject.

Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, October 18th, 2010 ~

Prep: Hot shower, Dark Roast coffee, Pheobe Snow via Pandora stream on iPhone
Cream/Soap: Speick Stick
Brush: Shea Moisture, Pure Badger, aka Target Special
Razor: 1966 Gillette Twist, Bob's Razor Works Slim Bull Mastiff Deluxe handle
Blade:Feather
Balm: Kiehl's

Pic to follow.. this is a beauty!

For the past three days I have been shaving with a new to me, Gillette Twist, modified by CoonCat Bob from Bob's Razor Works (BRW) in California. This razor was born in England some time in the fourth quarter 1966 (Date code L4).. The Twist, and it's domestic sister the Gillette Knack, were essentially a Gillette Superspeed head on a cheap plastic handle, but with the Turn To Open collar just under the head instead of on the end of the handle as with the SuperSpeed. It shaves very much like the SuperSpeed, which is to say.. very mild.  So much so that it easily tames a Feather blade which as noted in earlier posts is considered one of the sharpest blades available.  The marriage of the smooth head design and wicked sharp blade seem to meld into a sweet combination and my shaves have been consistently superb.

This razor was modified by BRW around December, 2009 when it was fitted with a slimmer version of the outrageous BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe handle. This could easily become my favorite razor.. Near BBS with zero discomfort. Perfect balance and hefty weight attributed to the handle. Simple blade installation through the top load silo doors.. And beautiful nickel plating on both the head and handle. 

I continue to enjoy Speick Stick.  Using a stick requires you rub the soap on your moistened face depositing the pre-lather in and around your whiskers.  Unlike many other soaps, Speick leaves a nice slick residue after a pass, a characteristic that is more cream than soap. Face lathering with the Shea Moisture brush is a bit prickly, but it exfoliates well, and the size and shape of the brush are spot on for whipping a froth without depositing it in your nose or ears.  The 'Target Special', so named because that is the only source for this item, is an absolute bargain at $9.95.. if you can find one.

Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, October 11th, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: Tom's of Maine, Natural Mint
Brush: iKon Silvertip Badger
Razor: iKon Prototype, Long handle
Blade: Feather
Balm: Kiehl's

My week long obsession with the iKon razors continues.

The Prototype is just awesome.  Yesterday's shave was dead perfect and lasted near ten hours!  This morning was equally enjoyable.  The Feather needs to be respected, but it can achieve BBS in a stroke less than all other blades.  The long handle creates exception balance and it's longer lever action reduces the amount of pressure I apply.. a welcome thing with the Feather blade...

Image is from the Nikon D300, 70-200VR with an extension tube to allow for closer focus.  Sad to report the D3 suffered sudden death syndrome while photographing birds of prey over the weekend.. It sits in the queue at Nikon Melville awaiting a new shutter mechanism.  The D3 has less than 30k actuations on it.. and is generally babied.. odd that it would bite the dust.

Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, October 8th, 2010 ~

Prep: Hot shower, Dark Roast, streaming Grateful Dead via Pandora on iPhone
Cream/Soap: Edwin Jagger, Sea Buckthorne Cream, last of my sample
Brush: Shae Moisture, aka Target Special
Razor: iKon Deluxe, Open Comb Prototype / Prototype Long Handle
Blade: Personna Red
Balm: Kiehl's

iKon week continues...  I determined the Standard head is either going to be passed on to someone else or put in storage.  If I want a mild shave, I'll reach for a SS.  I switched to the Prototype open comb head, with a Personna Red with three shaves on it and I am back to the closeness I want in my shave..  Though, I do have a bit of irritation on my neck likely a function of a bit of unneeded pressure written into muscle memory from the prior shaves with the Standard head...

I beat up my face a bit this week.. I think I'll spend next week with my Mergress or Fat Boy and let my skin recover.

Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, September 22nd, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: C.O Bigelow/Proraso
Brush: Hoffritz Vintage Pure Badger
Razor: Muhle R89
Blade: Derby
Balm: Very Sexy for Men

 

At times our decisions are controlled entirely by emotion and the recent purchase of this Muhle, model R89 open comb razor qualifies.. it was based purely on aesthetics.  In fact, the reviews from users were pretty clear that the shave was nasty aggressive.  Yet, I liked the lines of it.  

Today's Shave

~ Today's Shave, September 16th, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: The Body Shop (TBS), Macca Root cream
Brush: Franks Shave, Finest Badger
Razor: 1954 Superspeed
Blade: Derby
Balm: Kiehl's

Today's Shave...

I've been keeping a log of each days shave..  I don't post each one here, maybe I will..

~ Today's Shave, September 15th, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: C.O Bigelow/Proraso
Brush: Franks Shave, Finest Badger
Razor: iKon Deluxe, OC / Bulldog Handle
Blade: BlueBird
Balm: Kiehl's

This turned out to be a wonderful shave and it's simplicity is what prompted my project of cleaning out my shave den.  The Frank Shaving Brush is just awesome and a bargain.  It's  a Pure Badger hair brush with a well made acrylic handle that cost all of $9.  C.O Bigelow/Proraso is a famous cream used in barber shops world wide.  It's got a wonderful menthol/eucalyptus burst and is super slick.  The iKon razor and Bluebird blade are a great combination and at this point my shaves are super smooth and completely irritation free.  Ironically, the soft spots on neck, either side of the adam's apple, that had given me trouble with irritation for my entire life, are now the most enjoyable spot to shave..

Nikon D3, 28-70 f/2.8 lens.  Mounted on a Burlhbach Ash table top tripod with a Really Right Stuff ballhead.  Nikon speedlights fired via Radio Poppers, through Wescott 43" umbrella's.