any shavemaster clones?

[Woknblues]

I know, ya get what ya pay for... But for those of us who can't, would any of the method shave gents here recommend a brush that comes close to the mark, but is a little less of an investment?

I want in, but realize that a good tool will work wonders here.

[Leisureguy]

I'm going to try my Rooney Style 3 Size 2 Super tomorrow, and if that works well (as I suspect it will), I'll try the Rooney Style 3 Size 1 Super, and finally my Size 2. They have pretty much the right head shape and the right density, and I'll bet they will work like a charm. I'll post here the results.

Oh: today's shave (from my blog):

So after rewatching Mantic’s videos on Method Shaving, I tried it again this morning, knowing a little more about the approach. I did a better job with the lather, I think, and after rinsing following the first pass, I again felt how slick my skin was, but this time it was not a surprise.

I did two N-S passes, something I’ve not done before, and I did observe on the second rinse that the second pass did indeed remove more stubble. Then the sideways pass, and finally I did my against the grain pass, not fully Method.

I was using the Gillette Diplomat with a Gillette Silver Blue blade with a few shaves on it. The result is probably a 9.3: I was in a hurry at the end, and I feel some places I missed. I think if I had taken my time, it would have turned out as well as yesterday’s shave.

The aftershave was Booster Oriental Spice. Tomorrow I’ll try it with just a regular brush—the Rooney Style 3 Size 2 Super, for example.

[rick]

I did two N-S passes, something I’ve not done before, and I did observe on the second rinse that the second pass did indeed remove more stubble. Then the sideways pass, and finally I did my against the grain pass, not fully Method.
I think if I had taken my time, it would have turned out as well as yesterday’s shave.

Michael:
Ill really start paying attention here when you start following "the form" for your shaves ;)
.....BTW I think your Rooney should do a nice job

[mantic]

Large, flat/fan-shape brushes work best for Method shaving. My Rooney SMF-III works almost as well as my Shavemaster for Method mix.

--Mark

[msandoval858]

Large, flat/fan-shape brushes work best for Method shaving. My Rooney SMF-III works almost as well as my Shavemaster for Method mix.

--Mark

Mark is right. I get great results with my SMF III and my Harvard 6.

Unfortunately, neither of those are significantly cheaper than the Shavemaster.

[Woknblues]

haha..... why did I just have a feeling? well, i guess ill keep on looking..

[Leisureguy]

The Rooney Style 3 Size 1 Super is 1/2 the cost of the Shavemaster. I'll try it on Sunday and report back if I remember. In any event, I'll report in my blog for sure.

[Baloosh]

So Mike -- how receptive was Charles to creating some sampler packs or smaller /trial versions of the Methodshave items?

[msandoval858]

So Mike -- how receptive was Charles to creating some sampler packs or smaller /trial versions of the Methodshave items?

I'm still working on that. We got side tracked on another topic last night :ashamed001

[Austin]

I'm still working on that. We got side tracked on another topic last night :ashamed001

Did you get side tracked discussing the shaving industry? Again. :D

[msandoval858]

Did you get side tracked discussing the shaving industry? Again. :D

lol, believe it or not we spent an hour talking about stuff not related to shaving. Wierd huh?

:rofl

[Austin]

Wierd huh?

:rofl

I'll say. ;)

My conversations with Chas have been shaving or government.

[msandoval858]

I'll say. ;)

My conversations with Chas have been shaving or government.

Oh yeah, we've been down that road before.

To the point that Jean called the store and told him to kick me out and go home.

:p

[Sejanus]

Oh yeah, we've been down that road before.

To the point that Jean called the store and told him to kick me out and go home.

:p

You know you have a 'problem' when... :rofl

[Scorpio]

Oh yeah, we've been down that road before.

To the point that Jean called the store and told him to kick me out and go home.

:p

Remember we dont want to upset the Mrs.:D

Raf

[IsaacRN]

Man that sounds like good times :)

[TstebinsB]

Whenever I call him, I have to clear out my schedule. He has got the gift of gab!

[Brad]

Any brush that will hold water well will work. If you have a silvertip or finest that will be best. Even the B&B Finest with more of a bulb shaped head works well because it holds so much water. I have been trading out between my Shavemaster and the B&B and the difference is minimal. Particularly if "pulling" the mix from the brush.

The other week when I was in talking to Charles we spent a while talking about brushes and her is what I took out of it. The old method of scrubbing way down is not necessary if the breech hold enough water. The really large V200 brush is only necessary for those with a really thick beard and the $100 S100 will work great for most who don't have a water heavy brush. I think that any brush that people call BIG will work well. I even have used my Vulfix turnback when traveling and got decent results. Nowhere near as easy to get a good lather worked up, but still beats what I get with standard soaps.

My suggestion is to try it with whichever brush you have and see what you think. If you like it, move up toa bigger brush.

Brad

[rick]

So Mike -- how receptive was Charles to creating some sampler packs or smaller /trial versions of the Methodshave items?
I'm still waiting :rolleyes:
I have some cube and Euc. paste but want to try the Activator, Cutting balm, Tonics and AS conditioner.


MIKE !

CAR really needs to put us sumpthin together.
I cant wait much longer for my S100 :eek:

[Scorpio]

I'm still waiting :rolleyes:
I have some cube and Euc. paste but want to try the Activator, Cutting balm, Tonics and AS conditioner.


MIKE !

CAR really needs to put us sumpthin together.
I cant wait much longer for my S100 :eek:

The activator, Tonic and AS balms are fantastic. I'm sure you will like them all.

Raf

[Queen of Blades]

I'm still waiting :rolleyes:
I have some cube and Euc. paste but want to try the Activator, Cutting balm, Tonics and AS conditioner.


MIKE !

CAR really needs to put us sumpthin together.
I cant wait much longer for my S100 :eek:

I'm pretty sure I recall Mike saying that Charles was not open to doing a sampler kit.

Check here. (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showpost.php?p=67021&postcount=9)

[Austin]

The activator, Tonic and AS balms are fantastic. I'm sure you will like them all.

Raf

Scorpio is correct. Great products indeed.

[rick]

I'm pretty sure I recall Mike saying that Charles was not open to doing a sampler kit.

Check here. (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showpost.php?p=67021&postcount=9)


I know.......just thought......it couldnt hurt to try again :o
Mike needs to put together some Method Shave Sampler kits.
I mean....

Its not like he's busy with a new job or toddler or fighting off the evil ravages of Simpsonitis ;)
Geez.

[Baloosh]

I know.......just thought......it couldnt hurt to try again :o
Mike needs to put together some Method Shave Sampler kits.
I mean....

Its not like he's busy with a new job or toddler or fighting off the evil ravages of Simpsonitis ;)
Geez.


I'm convinced Charles Roberts doesn't want any more business than he already has. If so, that's cool... I keep waiting for someone to offer their entire range of products up for sale so I can get them all at a discount and finally see if all the hype is legit or not. But now Methodshaving has hard rounds, soft rounds, apparently some new kind of paste or whatever, etc. The longer it takes, the more products that keep coming out. :confused:

[jls1963]

a shaving round costs $5, a pot of paste $15. You'll pay ~$30 for a tub of Trumper's. The variety of pastes are for fine-tuning a shave for your particular skin and conditions. To get a feel for MS, all you need is the primer (round or cube) and one of the aromatic pastes that are on the site. Or you could spend hundreds of dollars on parabin-heavy retail products and the array of required recovery products. Have been MS for about 3 months and get a chuckle when I see people on other forums cheering the occasional BBS. With MS, BBS is a given every time.

[rick]

OK.
So I have 3 pieces of da Cube and some Eucalyptus paste.
Thats all I need ???

I still want to experience the activator, cutting balm and aftershave products to see if my face will look and / or feel differently than it does now.
I'll prolly just lurk around until someone offers some up for trade.

[jls1963]

Per Charles' suggestion, I started out with just da Cube (oh great and mighty Cube) and some unscented paste. I focused on getting the forms right and getting a wet, rich mix. I was using a low-end Rooney--since I wasn't using a Shavemaster brush, I had to spend a bit more time priming off of the cube and mixing the paste-loaded brush on the cube, but it still worked fine. Now that I'm more proficient at making and correcting the mix mid-shave (was never able to correct lathers mid-shave when I was trying regular wet shaves) I can cut the forms more efficiently, and am able to do some seriously off-form chipping away during my final pass.

The aftershave tonic and conditioners are really nice, but not necessary. I would recommend the finishing balm rather than the cutting balm or activator. It provides a bit more moisture and emollient at any step of the process. If there is any post-shave irritation, a hot rinse and a squirt of the finishing balm absolutely knocks it out.

[Baloosh]

With MS, BBS is a given every time.

That's a bold statement. I've never heard anyone else who primarily Methodshaves, including Mike, mantic, etc.. make that claim. Good to hear you found a process and set of gear that works so well for you so consistently. That's what the rest of us are striving for.

[TstebinsB]

That's a bold statement. I've never heard anyone else who primarily Methodshaves, including Mike, mantic, etc.. make that claim. Good to hear you found a process and set of gear that works so well for you so consistently. That's what the rest of us are striving for.

Using the forms, I got BBS shaves with MS every time as well. However, I also got tons of irritation. My issue was that MS didn't give enough protection for my sensitive skin. I want to get back into it a year later but I've just started using Trumper soaps and they're amazing. I also got some old formulation Harris shaving creams. Until those items finish, I'm going to sit pat.

[Scorpio]

I also wan to point out that the forms are there as a guide for newbies. experienced gents can just shave as usual.

Duder you have all you need for now. I'll put in a small sample of the activator when we send you the soaps. Prime the brush on the Cube for about 30 seconds get a good "slag" or lather going then open the breach and put a dab of paste right in the middle. Go back to the cube and see how the lather develops. if it gets a little dry drop a bit of water inside the breach and go back to the cube. You can also double load the brush with paste at this time. put the cube down. This is when you open the breach again and put the activator in small squirt or two. Lather in your hand and watch the lather explode great stuff. Apply to face and shave as usual. The entire process takes about a minute and a half.
It is not the brain surgery some people make it out to be.


Raf

[msandoval858]

That's a bold statement. I've never heard anyone else who primarily Methodshaves, including Mike, mantic, etc.. make that claim. Good to hear you found a process and set of gear that works so well for you so consistently. That's what the rest of us are striving for.

Bold as it may sound, he's right. I have always gotten BBS every single method shave since I started using the stuff almost 2 years ago.

[JimH]

Bold as it may sound, he's right. I have always gotten BBS every single method shave since I started using the stuff almost 2 years ago.


Here's another case of only BBS. My success didn't start until I switched from my Progress and Fatboy to a Merkur HD. At the same time I moved to a Shavemaster S-100, high emollient paste, and the shaving round rather than the cube. So much for controlled change of variables.

I made one attempt to go back to the Fatboy and decided never again. I can use my Vilfux 2234, but a it takes a little more effort to make the mix. The S-100 is my daily brush and the Vilfux is now for travel.

For a considerable time I struggled with irritation. I had more than a couple of conversations with Charles. The last was two weeks ago and the last adjustments to mix and method have resulted in irritation free BBS shaves.

The main adjustment was what was described earlier as "correcting the mix mid-shave". You have to be willing to talk to Charles. Listen carefully and then try to restate the advice into your choice of terms. See if what you heard was what he meant.

Jim

[Sejanus]

Something tells me Mike has zero trouble speaking with Charles Roberts. :rofl:rofl

[Brad]

I can get BBS every time with method shaving as well now. That being said, I can now do the same with my Futur and about any soap or creme. Not sure whether method shaving improved my overall technique or tamed my beard, but I can now get BBS with all my DE razors. That was not true for the six months prior to learning method shaving.

Now I just wish I could say the same about my str8 razor shaving.

Brad