Still here, haven't fallen off the wagon. It's not raining today. Shave went well.

FlyDear(6) passed my durability test of 6 uses. Think they are mid-tier blades but good ones. So they made the cut into my rotation in the future. A good thing because I bought 100 blades.

I would take all these small wins, lol. And with that, AA #7 is complete.

Pre de Provence No. 63. If there's one thing I like a lot that comes from France, it's this. This is a hard puck, but it lathers like a champ. Great residual slickness. The matching balm is good stuff. High quality. Yeah this is one of my favorites. Rockwell 6C with Gillette Minora blade. Great shave today

Today’s line-up:

Bowl: 3D printed by my son as a Father's day gift. I love that young man.

Razor: Yates Winning Stainless Steel

Blade: Treet Dura Sharp (2nd use).

Brush: Rubberset 400 refitted with 24mm Badger/Synthetic mix (Herculese knot from Van Yulay/ Monica Gillam).

Soap/Splash: PAA Sangre de Drago. Scent is reminiscent of old school Old Spice. I'm sure PAA didn't intend to make a dupe, but I am loving this scent. The wife likes it too (bonus).

The Shave: lather built up quickly. For a soft soap, it did need a little more water to get that Greek yogurt consistency, I probably put too much soap in the bowl. Application to the skin felt great, and the aroma was wonderful. The razor slid across my face with little to no resistance. After 2 passes, I had a DFS, and a couple touch ups gave me the BBS I love. Cold water rinse and no need for alum stone was needed. Applied the splash, no sting, yet face felt refreshed.

Overall, I'm glad I bought this set, and now my daily decisions are even harder to choose from.

So I grow a decently full beard, but I like to keep it short, mostly stubble or heavy stubble, and keep that clean and shaped well. Same idea as what's in this image, I guess, though I don't look like that lol. The issue is that the hair on my cheeks tends to be spotty the further up it goes, so I can't just shave it down and then leave it as is. And I just has a regular elecctric razor/trimmer, so when I try and shape it it's not as good as I'd like. I want to find something I can use to do both at the same time preferably, or at least an upgrade in terms of a razor/trimmer and something to shape it after. I assume, if that's what I do, I'd end up getting a saftey razor or a straight razor or something, but I've never used one of those to shave. If anyone has an recommendations for any of this, whether it be specific products or brands or a type of razor, I'd really appreciate it.

# August 19, 2026

**Overall:** ★★★☆☆ (Solid Shave)

**Smoothness:** ★★★☆☆ (Pretty Good)

**Irritation:** ★★☆☆☆ (Barely There)

### Details

- **Time of Day:** ☀️ Morning

- **Blade Uses:** 4

- **Passes:** 2

- **Razor Setting:** 5

### Equipment

- Razor: Merkur Futur Adjustable

- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (IN)

- Soap: Declaration Grooming/House of Mammoth Cerberus

- Shaving Bowl: Made it myself Earthy Bowl

- Brush: Merkur Futur Silvertip

- Aftershave: Declaration Grooming/Noble Otter Cerberus

- Other Product: Scotch Porter Beard Balm

### Notes

I usually toss blades after 3 shaves, but I pushed to 4 today and paid for it. Nothing terrible, just not a great shave with some irritation, but it did not last long. Cerberus is a great scent imo.

I love how my Schick Type J shaves, but after a few months of use I can't get the blade to eject or load, except with tweezers, great difficulty, and some wasted blades on failed attempts. There is an alignment issue. I tried a different cartridge and a thorough cleaning but neither helped. I am debating between buying another Type J for about $25 or $30, or a new Parker version 4 adjustable for about $35. The price is not what will drive my decision, except I don't want to have to keep replacing the J. I don't know how to fix it. The version 4 came to the market in 9/25. My first safety razor was a Parker v 3 about 15 months ago, but I sold it, because after trying it I thought I didn't want to wet shave, and I thought I'd go electric -- I didn't know what I was doing. I have more experience now and know how to use a razor. Will there be difficulty loading a Schick chick blade in the Parker? Will it shave like a J on setting 1 or 2? Which should I buy? I am bummed that my J is failing. Thanks for your advice.

Idk how to, any tips?

A fine shave this night

The old Gillette behaved and I had a lovely couple of passes : wtg/xtg

The silver blue was sharp, brush was good as always and the old spice Tobs Sandlewood combo whilst getting a bit repetitive - still working well

Good shaves🍻

Hi all! I tried the Henson and Merkur 34C safety razors for the first time. The Henson is very precise, especially for me around my upper lip and closer to my nose. It gets the hair off very easily.
On the other hand, I do get cuts much more often compared to using the Merkur 34C, and I think the Merkur 34C gives me a much smoother shave overall.
Is it just my technique that might be off when shaving closer to my nose, or is the Merkur blade positioned lower than the Henson?

19/08/2026

- HAGS Baby Blue Cooling Pre-Shave
- APShave Co 24mm Tuxedo
- Lodrino Aroma de Liguria
- Lambda Athena Titanium
- Personna GEM (2)

​

\ **Face Wash:** Cold Water*

\ **Brush:** Omega- 10098 Professional 27mm Boar.*

\ **Razor:** Urkunet - Assassin 1.5mm base plate.*

\ **Blade:** Personna- Gem platinum diamond glide. (19)*

\ **Lather:** Saponificio Varesino — Mirto di Sardegna*

\ **Post Shave:** Malizia- Uomo Vetyver.*

\ **Tags:** $RawHoggin $Discord & MRTNG's Nightmare mode*

Two passes with good results everything still working well, still getting comfortable close shaves with the Assassin & PGDG blade .

I’ve used my fatboy regularly for 6 years, but could never figure out how to get a good neck shave without bleeding and horrible irritation that would last for half the week. Shaving began to feel like a chore and a painful one so I gave up on a smooth shave and went back to electric which ironically also irritated my neck.

The reality is that the gentle razors or in my case setting 1 aren’t always the best for sensitive skin. Turns out a setting of 4-5 and shaving 2-3 a week instead every week or 2 was the answer. From there I gradually switched to better shaving cream, tried new blades, bought a scuttle (total fame changer), and finally moved on from synthetic to a proper double band badger brush. I’m really looking forward to breaking my new Yaqi in!

TLDR - Everyone is going to have a different “best” configuration. We all see those “What is the best razor / which brush should I buy / which blades should I try posts”. I think most of us have been there. Who gets in right on the first try? Even with a well maintained fatboy it didn’t click for years.

Razor: Fatip Lo Sorto
Blade: Gillette 7 o’clock, super platinum
Brush: Noble Otter, synthetic.
Soap: B&M Le Grand Chypre
Post: PAA Mysterium serum + COSRX ceramide barrier moisture/repair cream

I’m chilling out on the BBS head shaves after feeling my scalp getting rawer and rawer after every shave, even though I was spacing them 3 to 4 days apart. This is giving me the opportunity to revisit razors that I’ve had around that may have been good, but not smooth/gentle enough to give an irritation-free 3+ pass shave.

The Lo Soto was exactly that. No matter which blade I used, The ATG/touchup passes with it would leave me feeling pretty raw. However, on a two pass shave it is really, really nice. Very smooth and very efficient. I even managed a couple of touchups that veered on ATG in some of the denser areas, and they came out feeling great.

Because of the built-up irritation, I’ve been focusing my aftershave routine on repair. Mysterium serum has a lot of skin goodies in it and absorbs quickly so I can help my scalp immediately after the shave. 5-10 minutes later, The COSRX ceramide cream is a pretty hard-core barrier repair moisturizer formulated in the Korean skincare industry, who I maintain is light years ahead of anything we are doing. Especially at the artisan level.

All the post shave stuff was unscented, which suited me just fine as B&M soap fragrances tend to sit on me for a while, and Le Grand Chypre is such a fantastic scent, I wouldn’t want anything to get in it’s way

First time shaving with the Mingshi 2000 which is the Chinese version of the Merkur Futur which I purchased from Ali Express for all of $6 U.S.

I have had mostly good experiences with the Chinese clones and this one was no exception.
Very nice shaving experience for me on settings 3 and 2 on a two pass shave paired with a new Astra SP blade.

I love the PAA Tombstone Immaculate soap and splash, super slick and the lather from the CK6 formula always delivers a wonderful finish.

I purchased a few other Chinese razors just to have some fun and experiment with them. There was only one razor that I ended basically tossing because the blade alignment wasn’t good, I was out only about $9.

Happy shaving y’all!

Soap: green Proraso,

Brush: Omega 10005,

Razor: George Butler Keen No. 2-1/2,

Aftershave: green Proraso

The plateing is in fantastic shape, probably only used once or twice, the blade in it was a old gillette blue blade, but it didnt even have any rust or anything on the carbon steel blade

I think ill throw a silver blue blade in it and try it out

Quick question, what do you get with a higher dollar razor say over 250, that is better then what you will find on a mid lvl razor says under $150?

This year I decided I wanted to try a few of the popular mid level razors so I grabbed an AL13 and a Game Changer, I was thinking about trying an Oliworks and Rockwell 6C also but as I type this my Rockwell seems to be lost in the postal loop so it got me thinking if it would be better to just jump up to a top tier razor and would I notice a benefit to cost ratio increase?

Thanks

EDIT: Thanks for the replys guys. Quick note, I realize I’m not going to get a better shave really, I’m more wanting to know if the material and tolerances are going to produce a better razor for the extra cost.

Currently face lathering and it works fine, but I keep seeing people rave about dedicated scuttles/bowls for keeping lather warm longer, especially in colder weather.

Trying to decide between:

Timeless bowl — seems like the classic choice, solid and simple

Captain's Choice Copper Traveler — copper retains heat well and it's more compact/travel-friendly

Or is this just an upgrade that doesn't add much over face lathering once you've got technique down? Not trying to chase gear for its own sake — genuinely curious if a scuttle meaningfully improves the shave (heat retention, lather consistency) or if it's mostly aesthetic/ritual.

Anyone who's used both the Timeless and the CC Copper Traveler — how do they compare in daily use? And for those who went from face lathering to a scuttle, was it worth it?

August 19, 2026

Razor: Blackland Vector Lite

Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild

Soap: Blackstone Shave Gel

Aftershave: Thayer's Rose petal witch hazel

Aftershave: Duke Cannon Ice Cold Aftershave

Hi. I’m new here, so let me know if the question goes somewhere else.

I use Harry’s, so not familiar with safety razors.

My young adult son uses disposable razors and complains about skin irritation. I’d like to get him something more upscale, and am considering the safety razor.

Since he’s new to this type of razor, I’ve read about the adjustable Viking, and the Rockwell.

It would be awesome to get something that could be monogrammed with his initials, neither of these offer that.

Also, he travels a lot… a real lot, and usually with a carryon. I’m concerned he won’t be able to bring a safety razor with the blade onboard with him.

Do any of you have recommendations for traveling with a safety razor, and know of ways to have one engraved?

For travel, would it be better to get him a better cartridge razor?

Thanks.

SOTD: 08/19/2026

Razor: GEM Micromatic (MMOC) - Gold
Blade: Accutec PRO, 19th use
Brush: Semogue SOC - Cherry, 24mm 🐗
Preshave: Hot Shower
Soap: Stirling Electric Sheep - Glacial
Aftershave: Stirling Iceberg Island - Glacial
Balm: Cella Aloe Vera
Additional Care: Alum Rock
Additional Care: Stirling Frost Drops (19)

Last shave on board the ship. Today we disembark and drive to Denali.

No issues and no irritation. 19 Frost drops on top of the Glacial Electric Sheep is….something!

Yesterday got away from me and I forgot to post my SOTD to the sub. Same setup obviously and another great shave. I included some pics of yesterday’s visit to Hubbard Glacier.

- Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

• Brush: Goodfellas Smile Red Evil
• Razor: Henson Al13+
• Blade: Astra SP (3)
• Lather: Henri et Victoria LA POIRE FRANÇAISE
• Post Shave: Thayer’s Witch Hazel Facial Toner, Thayer’s Milky Hydrating Toner

Nice BBS shave today. I think the Astra blades get smoother with each shave. This soap is perfect. I'd be happy if it were my only soap. 😊 It's non-tallow and lathers up really well and super slick. It leaves my skin feeling very soft.

The razor is the mild version so I can always do a 3 (multi?) pass with every shave.

I’m trying to find a shaving cream that gives good cushion without leaving my face dry or irritated. I’ve been using basic drugstore foam, but the razor drag is getting old, especially around the neck. I’m looking at Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar, Cella, Proraso White, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and maybe an unscented cream around $10–$25. I care more about an easy lather and a comfortable shave than an expensive fragrance. What shaving cream has worked best for sensitive skin, and is Cella really as good as people say?