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Cake day: June 10th, 2023

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  • Prep: Splash of Cool Water
    Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
    Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (543)
    Lather: 345 Soap Co - General Patton
    Brush: Declaration Grooming - B7 Viking Ivory (4 uses)
    Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Diamond


    Gear Pic :: Video

    ䷀ General Notes

    Trying out 345 soap with the Slurry method and it was inconclusive. Need to get more soap involved.

    ䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

    (Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹543 uses›)

    As usual, with this blade now: a little tuggy at first, but fine after, and giving a close shave.

    Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)

    ䷀ Soap Notes

    (345 Soap Co - General Patton)

    Them: “In what seems like a lifetime ago, I was in the 82nd Airborne. So we wanted to do something special for the August soap, General Patton. Our namesake. A long time ago my late grandfather said that somewhere down the line uncle George and I were related. One day I’ll make that lineage. We will be donating 10% of all General Patton sales in August to them.”

    Scent notes: Tonka bean, amber, powder, guaiac wood, cedar, sandalwood, dash of vanilla. “This is a warm, complex scent. A scent of Victory!”

    345 also says, “We wanted to give back to those that have served our great nation, and the charity ‘Mission 22’ would be a great place to start. Their mission is to help all veterans with suicide prevention, and any mental health help that they need.”

    Scent: My first use of this one was a blind one, and I picked up the amber and tonka type scent, and woodiness. I also thought I got some leather, but I guess it was something else. I can see how there was a touch of vanilla in there, but it wasn’t much, and didn’t feel food-like at all. Just right.

    An at-home kind of warmth, and manliness, is the vibe I got from this soap. I enjoyed it a lot.

    Lather… soap hadn’t been used in a while and didn’t give itself to the brush too easily. So lather was watery and thin. Will try again later, probably with another brush.

    Got the job done, though. But no residual slickness like this slurry lather method usually gives.

    Hydration: Dry End of Perfect (for me)

    • = 4 passes of lather

    Bowl: No Bowl

    ䷀ Brush Notes

    (Declaration Grooming - B7 Viking Ivory ‹4 uses›)

    Not as much soap was picked up, so the lather was very wet, but not much substance. That needs to be adjusted. So the backbone of the brush was in full display.


    During the Shave Feel:
      Cheeks: Just a little tugging
      Neck: Just a little tugging
    After the Shave Closeness:
      Cheeks: Close Shave
      Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)


    Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet


  • Prep: Splash of Cool Water
    Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
    Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (542)
    Lather: Black Ship Grooming - X Tenth Anniversary
    Brush: Declaration Grooming - B7 Viking Ivory (3 uses)
    Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - History 101


    Gear Pic :: Video

    ䷀ General Notes

    Will the base from Blackship Grooming work with the Slurry Lather method? Yep, sure enough. Works great.

    ䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

    (Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹542 uses›)

    As usual for the Nacet: tuggy on pass 1, then fine after. Close shave.

    Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)

    ䷀ Soap Notes

    (Black Ship Grooming - X Tenth Anniversary)

    Them: “Pineapple, bay rum, and cedarwood”

    Me: fruity, yes, and I’m glad to say I didn’t pick up much of the bay. light woody to balance it out. Very pleasant, but not complex.

    Scent Strength: 4/10, lightly present during shaving.

    Lather… This base worked well with the Slurry Lather method.

    On the third or fourth pass, I did add a bit more water. and my last pass was able to be worked into that final creamy lather to top it off with some luxury feel.

    With all the hydration this method uses, I think it puts this base in a very good light.

    • 16 sec load with a Very Wet brush
    • = 5 passes of lather

    Bowl: No Bowl

    ䷀ Brush Notes

    (Declaration Grooming - B7 Viking Ivory ‹3 uses›)

    Comfy and pretty easy to splay.


    During the Shave Feel:
      Cheeks: Just a little tugging
      Neck: Just a little tugging
    After the Shave Closeness:
      Cheeks: Close Shave
      Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)


    Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet



  • Prep: Splash of Cool Water
    Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
    Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (540)
    Lather: Wholly Kaw Vegan - 1776
    Brush: Semogue - Owner’s Club Boar (Shedder) (21 uses)
    Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Full Measure of Man


    Gear Pic :: Video

    ䷀ General Notes

    A quick shave with the Slurry lather using the Wholly Kaw Vegan base today.

    Using the phone’s camera, instead of my fogged up mirror to shave.

    ䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

    (Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹540 uses›)

    A little tuggy on first pass, since I skipped a day of shaving. But fine after that.

    Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)

    ䷀ Soap Notes

    (Wholly Kaw Vegan - 1776)

    Them: “a summer blend perfect for saluting the Fourth of July. It is a refreshing green aroma with notes of osmanthus, benzoin, labdanum, grapefruit, artemisia, tarragon, patchouli, musk, tonka bean, cedarwood.”

    Me: I did a blind shave with it first, not knowing the notes. I just know that i really enjoyed it.

    Scent Strength: 4/10, present during shaving.

    Lather… Likely my final verification that the WK Vegan base is very compatible with the slurry lather method.

    Nice, sloppy slick slurry for passes 1 & 2. 3rd is still highly wet, but was still super slick.

    Hydration: Perfect (for me)

    • = 3 passes of lather

    Bowl: No Bowl

    ䷀ Brush Notes

    (Semogue - Owner’s Club Boar - Shedder ‹21 uses›)

    The SOC is a great brush, espeically for the slurry lather method. This one has had a year of uses by someone else, but is not nearly as split as mine that has many less uses, but has been treated with the hair dryer.


    During the Shave Feel:
      Cheeks: Just a little tugging
      Neck: Just a little tugging
    After the Shave Closeness:
      Cheeks: Close Shave
      Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)


    Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet


  • Prep: Splash of Cool Water
    Razor: Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb
    Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Marathon) (538)
    Lather: Wholly Kaw Vegan - 1776
    Brush: Stirling - Finest CravingtShaving Blue Slate 26mm (42 uses)
    Post Shave: Barbedeaux - Razor Bump Therapy


    Gear Pic :: Video

    ䷀ General Notes

    Trying the Slurry Lather again with the Stirling Finest Badger and Wholly Kaw vegan formulation. STill not quite right.

    I also tried a couple of Barbedeaux products for the first time. I tried the shaving foam as a pre-shave face wash, and I hated the slime it left on my hands.

    I also used the splash at the end, and did not like the nasty rubbing alcohol scent… that I’ve never experienced with folks like Stirling, BaM, Mammoth, Summer Break, Declaration, Proraso … well, anyone. And the way it conditioned my skin with the food that it has in it (hey, at least there is some) didn’t seem to be any better than any of these others. At full price, buying 2 bottles of Stirling is a way better deal, because no alc hit, and you can get scent choice (Barb is basically unscented).

    ䷀ Razor and Blade Notes

    (Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹538 uses›)

    Tuggy since i was shaving off two days of growth. But after the first pass, allw as comfy. Got a close shave.

    Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)

    ䷀ Soap Notes

    (Wholly Kaw Vegan - 1776)

    Them: “a summer blend perfect for saluting the Fourth of July. It is a refreshing green aroma with notes of osmanthus, benzoin, labdanum, grapefruit, artemisia, tarragon, patchouli, musk, tonka bean, cedarwood.”

    Me: I did a blind shave with it first, not knowing the notes. I just know that i really enjoyed it.

    Scent Strength: 4/10, present during shaving.

    Lather… I’d guess I loaded for 80 swirls: 70 at start, and then a refresher later.

    So I did have to go back and get more soap and a little more water, but with the Slurry method, that’s really a small thing.

    But it still is not coming together how The SL method usually does. I see two possible culprits: the brush may be so dense that it doesn’t hold as much water as needed, which I think is less likely than… or that the soap just needs more product than usual. That is something I’ve experienced wtih WK in the past, but I can’t remember whether it was vegan or tallow at the time.

    I’m going to change one of those variables for next time.

    Hydration: Dry End of Perfect (for me)

    • 27 sec load with a Very Wet brush
    • = 4 passes of lather

    Bowl: No Bowl

    ䷀ Brush Notes

    (Stirling - Finest in CravingShaving Blue Slate 26mm ‹42 uses›)

    Firm backbone, but somewhat soft tips, as usual. Brush seemed to start out with enough water, but when I needed it in the second pass, not much was there.


    During the Shave Feel:
      Cheeks: Tuggy
      Neck: Tuggy
    After the Shave Closeness:
      Cheeks: Close Shave
      Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)


    Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet