SOTD - SEptember 2025

[Jayaruh]

SEptember 13 - should be a lucky shave day!



Treet SE, Ever Ready #19, Duc de Santal, Thayers 3rd pass, Duc de Santal balm to finish. Nice one.

Great setup. The Treet baton is a beautiful and efficient razor.

[Rocketman]

SEptember 13 - should be a lucky shave day!

Treet SE, Ever Ready #19, Duc de Santal, Thayers 3rd pass, Duc de Santal balm to finish. Nice one.

Great setup. The Treet baton is a beautiful and efficient razor.

Thanks! I really had a great shave with the Treet. There is something about the blade angle that together with the closed tooth guard works really well. I struggle a bit with the baton handles though, they are just so dern big. Once I’m through SEptember, although I rarely switch parts out, I intend to try out various handles on this frame and see if I can find a combo that suits me. It looks terrific though exactly as sold. I may not have shaved with this ? again for a long time were it not for you choosing it - so thanks!!

[Rocketman]

Lather Catcher Sunday during SEptember = Sweeeeet!!

I was quite pleased with Jayaruh’s pick of a Kampfe Star 1902 for today and also went with sharpening up a wedge blade. I have tried sharpening numerous wedge blades from old sets and have done ok. I have also had some pretty unsuccessful, rather sh*tty shaves this way too. I wanted todays to ‘just work’ so I chose a Swedish Heljestrand I have from a NOS 7 day replacement blade set I was so very fortunate to get through the kindness of our own RobinK a little over 10 years ago now. These blades rock! I put a shaving edge on them using this wonderful Escher & Co. Barber’s Delight stone which gets these blades so sharp I just need to get one close to my face and it begins to cut hair! (Well, almost) Sweet, sweet Sunday! I see the blade looks chippy in the photo, but it actually has a super polished edge.

       

Disclaimer: I didn’t use that nos Star brush (nor the old Kampfe set strop) but substituted it for the shave with a Thater badger covered with Trumpers Coconut Shaving Cream. The shave was pure bliss!!

[Jayaruh]

Lather Catcher Sunday during SEptember = Sweeeeet!!

I was quite pleased with Jayaruh’s pick of a Kampfe Star 1902 for today and also went with sharpening up a wedge blade. I have tried sharpening numerous wedge blades from old sets and have done ok. I have also had some pretty unsuccessful, rather sh*tty shaves this way too. I wanted todays to ‘just work’ so I chose a Swedish Heljestrand I have from a NOS 7 day replacement blade set I was so very fortunate to get through the kindness of our own RobinK a little over 10 years ago now. These blades rock! I put a shaving edge on them using this wonderful Escher & Co. Barber’s Delight stone which gets these blades so sharp I just need to get one close to my face and it begins to cut hair! (Well, almost) Sweet, sweet Sunday! I see the blade looks chippy in the photo, but it actually has a super polished edge.



Disclaimer: I didn’t use that nos Star brush (nor the old Kampfe set strop) but substituted it for the shave with a Thater badger covered with Trumpers Coconut Shaving Cream. The shave was pure bliss!!

That's awesome that you sharpen your own blades. I have Tom White to do my wedges. Once he sharpened them, I just have to strop them and go. The Kampfe Star is my favorite of my lather catchers, but I love them all.

[Rocketman]

Lather Catcher Sunday during SEptember = Sweeeeet!!

I was quite pleased with Jayaruh’s pick of a Kampfe Star 1902 for today and also went with sharpening up a wedge blade. I have tried sharpening numerous wedge blades from old sets and have done ok. I have also had some pretty unsuccessful, rather sh*tty shaves this way too. I wanted todays to ‘just work’ so I chose a Swedish Heljestrand I have from a NOS 7 day replacement blade set I was so very fortunate to get through the kindness of our own RobinK a little over 10 years ago now. These blades rock! I put a shaving edge on them using this wonderful Escher & Co. Barber’s Delight stone which gets these blades so sharp I just need to get one close to my face and it begins to cut hair! (Well, almost) Sweet, sweet Sunday! I see the blade looks chippy in the photo, but it actually has a super polished edge.



Disclaimer: I didn’t use that nos Star brush (nor the old Kampfe set strop) but substituted it for the shave with a Thater badger covered with Trumpers Coconut Shaving Cream. The shave was pure bliss!!

That's awesome that you sharpen your own blades. I have Tom White to do my wedges. Once he sharpened them, I just have to strop them and go. The Kampfe Star is my favorite of my lather catchers, but I love them all.

I have been working at getting a good edge for a long time. They don’t always come out great, but I persist and for the most part I do pretty good. Stubbornness mostly! Some folks, like Tom, seem to have a natural knack for it although I would magine he worked at it as well. And as for the Star, I am a big Kampfe fan. Those are the doods! They got it right a century and a half ago and their gear is still rockin it all these years later. I’m thinking I might try a wedge blade & lather catcher month myself sometime soon.

[Jayaruh]

   
Menthol Monday's Cold Water Shave

Cold Water Rinse
Derby Menthol Shave Cream
Jayaruh #4 High Mountain Badger
Gem Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade
CWR
Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

The Derby Menthol Shave Cream was face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #4 High Mountain Badger Brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Gem Micromatic Open Comb Razor and the Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse I finished off with Humphrey's Witch Hazel and Mennen Skin Bracer After Shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

[Rocketman]

Time to grab some fruit from the Micromatic Tree! Yeah SEptember! 

   


And thanks to those GEM folks and their wonderful Micromatic, shaving has a lot fewer requirements!


   

I used a 2nd gen MMOC, a new GEM Ptfe, a trusty Thater badger and some awesome Castle & Forbes Lavender followed by a Thayers WH 3rd pass. 

I have to say having finished this shave. SE or no, for me, these MMOCs, whether 1st or 2nd generation, just aren’t worth setting up. These razors do not respond well to my beard - it leaves patchiness like crazy and I find myself scraping away trying to get through the shave. My prep was good, the soap was great, yet this shave sucked I gotta say. It has been a few years since using a Clog Pruf, so I will see tomorrow how that goes!

   

[Rocketman]

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Menthol Monday's Cold Water Shave

Cold Water Rinse
Derby Menthol Shave Cream
Jayaruh #4 High Mountain Badger
Gem Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade
CWR
Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

The Derby Menthol Shave Cream was face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #4 High Mountain Badger Brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Gem Micromatic Open Comb Razor and the Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse I finished off with Humphrey's Witch Hazel and Mennen Skin Bracer After Shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

I love the Scuttle!! Great addition!

[Jayaruh]

   
Tabac Tuesday's Cold Water Shave

Cold Water Rinse
Tabac Shave Soap
Jayaruh #4 High Mountain Badger
Gem Micromatic Clog-Pruf
Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade
CWR
Humphrey's Witch Hazel
Tabac After Shave

The Tabac Shave Soap was face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #4 High Mountain Badger Brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Gem Micromatic Clog-Pruf Razor and the Personna GEM SS PTFE Blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse I finished off with Humphrey's Witch Hazel and Tabac After Shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

[Rocketman]

SEptember - Micromatic Madness???

   

After yesterday’s shave I grumbled a bit today before loading a new Gem blade into the ClogPruf. I needed to rule out a bad blade as the culprit for the MMOCs poor performance. The CP shaved pretty much the same as the open comb but did cut a little better. I just need to chalk up these razors as not for me. (Probably why I haven’t used one for ages - and probably won’t again.) Thankfully I don’t have a plastic bullet tipped micromatic which is up for tomorrow, so I will take a day off and choose a different razor for tomorrows event.