Shave of the Day - 10/31

Dove Men's Face Wash

TOBS Lavender Shave Cream

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

'62 Gillette Slim (9)

ASCO Super Stainless (6)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

The TOBS Lavender face-lathered effortlessly with Frank Shaving's badger brush. The Gillette Slim, set wide open, left my face near BBS. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and Aqua Velva Ice Blue leaving me totally refreshed and ready to go out for some chili on this fine Reformation Day. Happy Reformation Day all.

Shave of the Day - 10/30

Dove Men's Face Wash

Proraso Sandalwood Shave Cream

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

'62 Gillette Slim (9)

ASCO Super Stainless (5)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Another great shave. Love the way the Proraso Sandalwood face-lathers and smells. The Semogue boar has both backbone and softness and lathers almost effortlessly. Set wide open on 9, the Gillette slim continues to yield great shaves. That is one great razor. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and some Pinaud Clubman.

Shave of the Day - 10/29

Dove Men's Face Wash

VDH Deluxe Shave Soap

Parker Pure Badger Brush

'62 Gillette Slim (9)

ASCO Super Stainless (4)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

The VDH Deluxe soap face-lathered well with the Parker brush. Today's shave with the Gillette Slim set wide open (9) took two passes and touch-up on the neck area. It was an excellent shave that ended with Dickinson's WH followed by Aqua Velva Ice Blue. I am cool and ready to go. Nice...

Shave of the Day - 10/28

Dove Men's Face Wash
Kiss My Face Cool Mint Moisture Shave (First Shave)
Frank Shaving Finest Badger
'62 Gillette Slim (8)
ASCO Super Stainless (3)
CWR
Dickinson's Witch hazel
Pinaud Clubman AS

Well Kiss My Face. Today was my first shave with KMF. After washing my face with the Dove Men's Face Wash, I took a dollop of KMF and spread it over my face. I then took my Frank Shaving badger brush (which had been soaking), shook out the water and began to make a nice lather on my face. I enjoyed the "cool mint" sensation on my skin. I set the Gillette Slim to 8 and did two passes for a near BBS shave. I rinsed with warm water and then with cold water. Wow, did that feel refreshing. The cool stuck around. Finished off with the Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman AS. I'm refreshed and ready to go.

Shave of the Day - 10/27

Dove Men's Face Wash

Williams Mug Shave Soap

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

'62 Gillette Slim (7)

ASCO Super Stainless (2)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

The Williams face-lathered with the Semogue very well. Just two passes on #7 with the Gillette Slim gave me a near BBS shave. Followed up with the Dickinson's WH and some Aqua Velva Ice Blue. Very nice shave.

Shave of the Day - 10/26

Dove Men's Face Wash

Van Der Hagen Luxury Shaving Soap

Parker Pure Badger Brush

'62 Gillette Slim (7)

ASCO Super Stainless (1)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Wow! What a nice shave. The Van Der Hagen Luxury soap face-lathered great with the Parker brush. I went back to the Gillette Slim today with the ASCO Super stainless. Set the razor on 7 and got a great two pass shave with touch-ups. This is just my second shave with this razor, but I will be using it over the next 7 days. I am looking forward to seeing how it performs over the long run. I am very impressed right now.

Shave of the Day - 10/25

Dove Men's Face Wash

Col. Conk Lime Shave Soap

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum (8)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

I love the way the Col. Conk Lime lathered with the Frank Shaving badger brush. This was the eighth shave with the Merkur, and I have fallen in love with it. Two passes and touch-ups gave me another great near BBS shave. Finished off with the Dickinson's WH and Aqua Velva AS. Very nice indeed.

Shave of the Day - 10/24

Dove Men's Face Wash

Col. Conk Bay Rum Shave Soap

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum (7)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

I could have loaded the brush a little more, but the Col. Conk Bay Rum did the job anyhow. The Semogue brush has backbone, but it is soft on the face. Two passes and touch-ups with the Merkur slant left me clean and smooth. Mighty fine shave. Followed up with Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman. Feeling good. 

Shave of the Day - 10/23

Dove Men's Face Wash

TOBS Lavender Shave Cream

Parker Pure Badger Brush

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum (6)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

I love this TOBS Lavender SC. It is so creamy, smooth, and rich. The Parker brush did a good job face-lathering, and two passes and touch-up with the Merkur slant made for a very nice shave. Finished off with the Dickinson's WH and Aqua Velva Ice Blue. Ahhhh!

Shave of the Day - 10/22

Dove Men's Face Wash

Proraso Sandalwood Shave Cream

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum (5)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

A walk in the woods today with the Proraso Sandalwood SC. The Frank Shaving brush did an excellent job with the face-lathering. Nice woodsy smell. The Merkur slant made short work of my beard in two passes and touch ups. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman AS for a near BBS shave. Nice.

Shave of the Day - 10/21

Dove Men's Face Wash

Williams Mug Shave Soap

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum  (4)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Williams Mug soap face-lathered well today with the Semogue 1305 brush. The creamy lather prepared my face for a near BBS shave with the Merkur 37c. The Merkur Super Platinum blade is doing a good job so far. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and some Aqua Velva Ice Blue. Feeling good.

Shave of the Day - 10/20

Dove Men's Face Wash

Proraso Green Shave Cream

Parker Pure Badger Brush

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum  (3)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

The Proraso Green was especially refreshing today. It face-lathered well with the Parker pure badger. Two passes and touch ups with the Merkur 37c resulted in another great shave. I have encountered no problems with the slant. This is just my third shave with it, and I am feeling more confident with each shave. If there are mistakes to be made, I may be getting close because at this point it feels like this razor can do no wrong. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman. Sweet.

Shave of the Day - 10/19

Dove Men's Face Wash

VDH Deluxe Shave Soap

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

Merkur 37c Slant

Merkur Super Platinum (2)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Another fine shave with my new Merkur slant. Face lathered with the VDH Deluxe and Frank Shaving Finest to make way for another smooth irritation-free shave. Even though it was only my second shave with a slant, I found myself shaving at a comfortable pace. I forgot to slow down because this is uncharted waters, but there were no mistakes made. I ended up with another great near BBS shave. Finished off with some Dickinson's WH and the Aqua Velva Ice Blue. There was a refreshing tingle but no stinging. Incredible.

Shave of the Day - 10/18

Dove Men's Face Wash

Van Der Hagen Luxury Shaving Soap

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

Merkur 37c Slant (First Shave)

Merkur Stainless Steel (1)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Today was a new experience in shaving. This was my first shave with a slant razor. They have always looked a little intimidating to me, but as it turns out, that was unfounded. Probably because I have a lot of experience with wet shaving both single and double edged razors. After a nice shower, I face lathered with VDH Luxury soap and my Semogue 1305. The Merkur 37c, paired with the Merkur Super Platinum blade, did a fine job with two passes and some clean up. It was an effortless shave ending with a near BBS shave. I finished off with the Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman AS. I do not recall any stinging with the after shave. What a nice shave!

New Merkur Slant

I received the Merkur 37c Slant in the mail today along with the Kiss My Face moisture shave. I got it in record time. I was expecting it tomorrow, but it arrived today. Tomorrow I will substitute this razor for the Slim. I had my first shave with the Gillette Slim today, and it was outstanding. I was going to use it over the next eight day rotation, but I may now be using the slant instead. This is one awesome looking razor. The slant has been on my list of razors I would love to own, but the cost was prohibitive for me, but when I got birthday money from Phil and Tim, I pulled the trigger on this beauty. 

Shave of the Day - 10/17

Dove Men's Face Wash

Col. Conk Lime Shave Soap

Parker Pure Badger Brush

Gillette Slim Adjustable H1 (first shave)

Shark Super Chrome (17)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

A morning shave today with the Col. Conk Lime soap was very refreshing. It was also the maiden shave with my new Gillette Slim Adjustable set on 6 for starts. I did two passes for a clean comfortable near BBS shave. This was shave 17 with the Shark Super Chrome blade, and it did outlast the partial federal shutdown, thank God. I hand-stropped it and put it aside for one more shave, then I think I will retire it. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and some Aqua Velva Ice Blue.

Update:  I decided to go ahead and retire the blade. It had a good run. This is my new blade bank that I made recently.

Shave of the Day - 10/16

Dove Men's Face Wash

Col. Conk Bay Rum Shave Soap

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Super Chrome (16)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Day sixteen of the federal shutdown, and day sixteen of this Shark Super Chrome blade. They may make an agreement on ending the shutdown today, but this blade will continue tomorrow. The Col. Conk Bay Rum soap lathered nicely with the Frank Shaving brush. Two passes and touch-ups made this a near BBS shave. I finished off with the Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman AS. I hand-stropped the blade and set it aside for tomorrow. Tomorrow I will do the maiden voyage with my new Gillette Slim. I'm looking forward to that.

New Faucets

Eventually, I want to raise the counter top three inches and replace it with new sinks and counter top. However, today, I took a small step towards that goal. I replaced the original faucets with new ones. This small upgrade has made a difference in appearance already. New counter top and sinks will cost about $400. Hopefully, I may get that done before Christmas. We will see.

Birthday Shave of the Day - 10/15

Dove Men's Face Wash

TOBS Lavender Shave Cream

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Super Chrome (15)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Day fifteen of the federal shutdown, and day fifteen for this Shark Super Chrome blade. The Semogue 1305 did an excellent job of face lathering with the TOBS Lavender. What a nice shave for my 66th birthday. Two passes and some touch ups left me near BBS. Topped it off with some Dickinson's WH and Aqua Velva Ice Blue, and I am feeling young again. I cleaned up and palm-stropped the blade for another day. Here's hoping the blade doesn't have to go into default.

Birthday Razor

I have ordered the Merkur HD Slant Razor 37c with birthday money from sons Phil and Tim. The blade sits on a slant in the razor head with one side raised higher than the other, the edge slices away each bristle as it passes through the beard, offering a slightly more aggressive shave than the standard HD. This razor gets great reviews, and I am looking forward to having it in my collection.

Shave of the Day - 10/14

Dove Men's Face Wash

Proraso Sandalwood Shave Cream

Parker Pure Badger Brush

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Super Chrome (14)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Day fourteen of the federal shutdown and day fourteen of this Shark Super Chrome blade. That is two full weeks on this blade with more to follow. Hoping to outlive the shutdown. The Proraso Sandalwood face-lathered very well with the Parker brush. Today, I did three passes with the Gillette New and Shark Super Chrome for a near BBS shave. Finishing off with the Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman left me feeling mighty fine. Cleaned up and palm-stropped the blade putting it aside for another day. 

14 Days with the Shark

Shave of the Day - 10/13

Dove Men's Face Wash

VDH Deluxe Shave Soap

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Super Chrome (13)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Day thirteen of the federal shutdown and day thirteen of this Shark Super Chrome blade. The VDH Deluxe soap made a nice lather with the Semogue 1305 for a face lathering. I must say again that I love this Gillette New short comb razor. Even on the thirteenth shave with this Shark, it delivered a close comfortable shave. Finished off with Dickinson's WH and some Aqua Velva Ice Blue. Palm-stropped the Shark and put it away for another day. Hoping the shutdown ends soon so I can retire the blade. Although, it is still doing a good job with no problems (unlike our government).

Shave of the Day - 10/12

Dove Men's Face Wash

Proraso Green Shave Cream

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Super Chrome (12)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Day twelve of the federal shutdown and day twelve for my Shark Super Chrome blade. The Proraso Green lathered very well on the face with the Frank Shaving finest badger brush. The twelfth shave with the Shark was a good one with no cuts, nicks, or abrasions. Two passes and a little touch up with the Gillette New left me clean and smooth. I followed up with the Dickinson's WH and some Pinaud Clubman to leave me refreshed and feeling good. As part of my clean up ritual, I palm stropped the blade and put it away for another day. I am still hoping it will outlast the federal shutdown.

Shave of the Day - 10/11

Dove Men's Face Wash

Williams Mug Shave Soap

Parker Pure Badger Brush

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Super Chrome (11)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Day eleven of the federal shutdown and day eleven of this Shark Super Chrome blade. The Williams Mug Soap lathered well with the Parker badger brush to provide a slick cushion for another great shave. The Gillette New with the Shark Super Chrome blade took two passes to give a clean close shave. I finished it off with Dickinson's WH and Aqua Velva AS. After the clean up, I hand stropped the blade and put it away for another day. Hoping the shut down will end before the blade is retired.

Shave of the Day 10/10

Dove Men's Face Wash
Van Der Hagen Luxury Shaving Soap
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette New w/bar handle
Shark Super Chrome (10)
CWR
Dickinson's Witch hazel
Pinaud Clubman AS

Day ten of the federal shutdown and day 10 for the Shark Chrome blade. Although the VDH Luxury soap is not a favorite, it did a good job today. The Semogue 1305 boar is a favorite and did not disappoint. Two passes and some touch-ups with the Gillette New and the Shark chrome blade left me with a close comfortable shave. Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman left me feeling fine and smelling good. Like the shutdown, this Shark Chrome blade keeps on going. 

Shave of the Day 10/9

Dove Men's Face Wash

Col. Conk Lime Shave Soap

Frank Shaving Finest Badger

Gillette New w/bar handle

Shark Chrome SS (9)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Day nine of the federal shutdown and day nine with this Shark Super Chrome blade. Today I have changed razors to the Gillette New short comb with bar handle to participate with the open comb theme.  The Frank Shaving finest badger brush is my favorite badger. It lathers all my soaps and creams easily. The Col. Conk lime provided a nice cushion for the two passes. This is the best two pass shave I can remember. I had forgotten how well these News shave. It was a wonderful, close, irritation free shave. Dickinson's WH and the Aqua Velva AS completed a mighty fine shave. Let's hope that this blade will outlast the shutdown.

Shave of the Day - 10/8

Dove Men's Face Wash

Col. Conk Bay Rum Shave Soap

Parker Pure Badger Brush

Edwin Jagger De89bl

Shark Super Chrome (8)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Pinaud Clubman AS

Day eight of the federal shutdown and day eight of this Shark Super Chrome blade. Although the Parker brush is a good brush, for some reason, it has become skritchy to my face. The Col. Conk Bay Rum soap was nice on the face today, and it helped to produce a mighty fine shave with the EJ89 and the Shark blade. I've been working on my technique, especially the light touch. Dickinson's WH and Pinaud Clubman were a perfect finish. I will be switching to the Gillette New tomorrow to sync with the open comb week on TSD. Will take the blade with me. Hopefully it will outlast the shutdown.

Shave of the Day 10/7

Dove Men's Face Wash

TOBS Lavender Shave Cream

Semogue 1305 Boar Brush

Edwin Jagger De89bl

Shark Super Chrome (7)

CWR

Dickinson's Witch hazel

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS

Day seven of the federal shut-down and day 7 for the Shark blade. I am hoping that the blade will outlast the shut-down. The TOBS lavender face-lathered very well with the Semogue 1305 (my favorite boar brush). It provided a thick slick cushion for a smooth clean shave. Finished with the Dick's Witch and Aqua Velva. Nice. I am continuing my experiment with hand-stropping of DE blades. It only adds about a minute to my routine, but I think it is making a difference in blade life. I may need a little extra life if this is to outlast the shut-down.

Gillette Slim Adjustable H1 - 1962

October 6: This is my newest razor. It is a 1962 Gillette Slim adjustable. The Slim is the second of three major adjustable razors by Gillette. The first was the Fatboy, 1958-1961. Then the Slim 1961-1968. Then lastly, the Super Slim (black aluminum handle), 1969-1986. I have been after a Gillette Slim for some time now. I have even bid on seven slims before winning this one. I found that the good ones usually go from the mid-$30s to $70+.  Estimated delivery is October 10. I am excited to get it and add it to my collection. 

Update: October 10. The razor arrived today. Here are the pictures. It is in good shape. I will give it a good cleaning and put it through its paces next week after I finish a week with my Gillette New. While I am at it, I think I may get some black paint to fill in the numbers.

Here it is after a little clean up and numbers painted.

Update: October 11

Here it is polished up with the numbers painted in. I've set it aside with its new brothers and will break it out sometime next week for its first shave with me. I am really happy with this acquisition.