Elliot's Journal

[Phoenixkh]

Elliot,

I haven't seen you around for a few weeks.... so I thought I'd check in and see if all is well... .and you are simply busy with summer activities....

 

[Elliot]

Elliot,

I haven't seen you around for a few weeks.... so I thought I'd check in and see if all is well... .and you are simply busy with summer activities....

Thank you for checking in, Kim. I appreciate it.

Alas, we've hit a bit of a trying time in life. Nothing related to the health of me or my family, but a bit occupying nonetheless. I do miss interacting with all of you and hope to be in a position to spend a little more time here soon.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Thank you for checking in, Kim. I appreciate it.

Alas, we've hit a bit of a trying time in life. Nothing related to the health of me or my family, but a bit occupying nonetheless. I do miss interacting with all of you and hope to be in a position to spend a little more time here soon.

Sorry to hear that, Elliot... life does throw us a few curves along the way... I hope you get things sorted quickly with a satisfactory outcome.

 

[Elliot]

Hello, all.
I will take some time getting caught up (as much as one can) with the board, but I hope to be spending some more time here again.

I've had some lovely shaves with what has become a rather joyous collection of hardware and software. Not any new arrivals recently, as my focus has been elsewhere.

I do still need to find someone willing to knot my Wolfman brush handle. My last three messages to Scott at Declaration have gone unanswered, so I am not sure if he is doing that type of work anymore.

Anywho... hope everyone is well!

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Hey! Welcome back, man. Hope all is ok with life and stuff.

 

[huck1680]

A confluence of events, really. Both my face (skin issues) and hands (ability to hold steady) have made straights increasingly harder to manage without excessive nicking.

No sh+te about the hands being steady. One of the reasons I got rid of the Harley was...I don't pay enough attention and I just don't have the reactions I used to have.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Elliot,

I always look forward to your posts... Welcome back.

 

[sarir97]

Welcome back. Thanks to your high praise of the La Faulx, I placed my own order just a few days ago. Instead of polished bronze, I instead ordered the machined bronze that Augustin will offer in an antiqued finish. This way, I won’t worry about upkeep, hair line scratches and uneven patina.

 

[Elliot]

Welcome back. Thanks to your high praise of the La Faulx, I placed my own order just a few days ago. Instead of polished bronze, I instead ordered the machined bronze that Augustin will offer in an antiqued finish. This way, I won’t worry about upkeep, hair line scratches and uneven patina.

Glad to hear it! Perhaps I will shave with mine this morning and take my first set photo in awhile.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm really looking forward to mine.

 

[Elliot]

Inspired, brought out La Faulx today.

Razor: La Faulx
Blade: Feather Pro Guard
Brush: Simpsons Manchurian
Pre: The Tube + Grooming Dept. Lavender
Soap: MdC Rose
After: Ethos Vintage 1936 Mysore
Post: Crown Shaving Co. Farzad's Tobacco

Such a lovely shave this morning using some of my favorite gear. Pretty much everything in this set, other than the brush, is in the top-tier for me. And mind you, a Simpsons Manchurian is far from mediocre. I am just fortunate to have at least five brushes I prefer ahead of it.

As for La Faulx, well, it remains at the top of the list. It is not quite as mindless as the Overlander is for me, but damn close. Maybe 85% of the way there for mindlessness? But, as should go without saying, the craftsmanship and experience just make these two razors not comparable in my view. Much like earlier with Simpsons, this is not to speak poorly of the Overlander. It would be in consideration for desert-island razor. But Augustin's work is at a different level.

For those looking for comparisons, this is the best I can do:

Take the craftsmanship of Wolfman, the ease of an Overlander, and the aesthetics of whatever your most beautiful razor is, and produce a child. That is La Faulx.

Sometimes I wonder if paying for these things at such a premium, with premium finishes, etc., is worth it. For me, it is at double the price. Yeah, I can get a great shave from a $10 vintage razor. But as I have said before, that's not why I shave.

And while I wasn't in a bad mood this morning. Quite a fine one, in fact. I'm in a better one now.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I agree with everything you said, @Elliot, and it’s a good way to summarise the razor. I never get tired of seeing the photos - it’s so beautiful in that polished bronze.

You did well to get it when you did as the price uplift for this premium polish is very high now.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I agree with everything you said, @Elliot, and it’s a good way to summarise the razor. I never get tired of seeing the photos - it’s so beautiful in that polished bronze.

You did well to get it when you did as the price uplift for this premium polish is very high now.

I've been looking at polishing/buffing machines.. or taking my current grinders and putting on a buffing wheel.... i have two of them. I have a regular bench grinder and a slower speed Tormek for sharpening plane iron, chisels, what have you. I think I could easily get a buffing wheel for the Tomek.

 

[huck1680]

Just happy to hear you being happy

 

[Elliot]

Lovely shave this morning with the Blutt 1.2. The Wolfman WR1 handle I got from BST is such a joy on basically ever razor. I really enjoy heavily knurled handles.

Other highlights of the DFS included AdP, the goat (thanks to Senpai @Mr. Shavington for the direction) and the SOC Mistura, which is the brush equivalent of the Karve Overlander for me. It just works and is effortless.

Happy Sunday, folks.

 

[huck1680]

Yes the Blutt is a terrific razor. I have never had a problem with any razor handle in that if my hands get soapy...I dry them off. The Athena, for example has what might be surmised as a "slippery" finish wherein I have never found it to be so. Glad your combo works out so well for you.

 

[Elliot]

A bit of the forgotten razor, the ATT X1 Slant is really a solid piece. That said, between the Vector, La Faulx and the ordered WR4 just in the AC format, I think it may be a seldom used tool.

Of course, I am spoiled, as there’s 10 (or so?) double-edged razors that get into the rotation as well.

All that said, it was a nice shave this morning, which included what has become among my favorite balms: Crown Shaving Co. Farzad’s Barbershop Tobacco After Shave Lotion. It’s got a great texture, but the smell is fantastic. I hate to use the word “masculine,” as that’s not something I concern myself with, but it is an appropriate word to describe the scent. However, there’s a nice fruitiness, almost aromatic bit to it that really makes it pop for me.

Happy Sunday, all.

 

[huck1680]

Yep, I have 8 razors soon to be 9, @LRod kinda talked me in to the Flexi OC with his review. And I do rotate them pretty evenly. Not that hard to do for me. My all-time favourite scent is Pierre Cardin After Shave Balm. No longer made but comes up on eBay every now and then. Have a couple of bottles (1oz) left that I'm using sparingly. Having said that I just may give the Farzad a try. I use the Henri & Victoria Cognac and Cuban cigar soft soap for lathering and like it quite a bit.

 

[Elliot]

Yep, I have 8 razors soon to be 9, @LRod kinda talked me in to the Flexi OC with his review. And I do rotate them pretty evenly. Not that hard to do for me. My all-time favourite scent is Pierre Cardin After Shave Balm. No longer made but comes up on eBay every now and then. Have a couple of bottles (1oz) left that I'm using sparingly. Having said that I just may give the Farzad a try. I use the Henri & Victoria Cognac and Cuban cigar soft soap for lathering and like it quite a bit.

Oh that cognac and cuban cigar scent sounds lovely!

 

[huck1680]

Oh that cognac and cuban cigar scent sounds lovely!

It is! And lathers up quite well. I use a synth brush and just swirl it around in the container to get the tips loaded and then use one of my bowls to build the lather. It's a very comforting step in the shave process I really like. When traveling I used a soap stick until I got a collapsible silicone bowl which allowed me to do my preferred lathering method while away from home.