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- #1,961
What DE's have you been using. I don't think we've ever discussed your DE collection.
Micromatic Monday
- Thread starter Twelvefret
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Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Well said, sir....very well said!
Finally got to shave today and it was a very enjoyable comfortable Micromatic Sunday.
Hot shower prep
Bloom water preshave
Mer shaving Fougere bay on omega boar.
Goldish MMOC bumpless with Gem ss ptfe 11th flip first pass
Schick Golden 500 with 1st use chick blade first use.
Whitchazle and Tolsom aftershave splash.
I only used the bloom water to make a great lather, I didn't even need to load the brush. This soap performs great.
BTW I don't know what the schick is reflecting but it is in excellent shape.
Hot shower prep
Bloom water preshave
Mer shaving Fougere bay on omega boar.
Goldish MMOC bumpless with Gem ss ptfe 11th flip first pass
Schick Golden 500 with 1st use chick blade first use.
Whitchazle and Tolsom aftershave splash.
I only used the bloom water to make a great lather, I didn't even need to load the brush. This soap performs great.
BTW I don't know what the schick is reflecting but it is in excellent shape.
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
A few months ago I would have said that my DE collection outnumbers my SE's by 2-to-1, but I think the SE's have definitely pulled ahead (I stopped counting....it was starting to scare me!)
Once you helped me discover the joys of SE's (injectors and GEMs), I sort of wandered away from the DE's. So I've got many razors that I've cleaned but not used. I'm now in the process of using the ones that I haven't tried. For example, I recently tried the Gillette Contract Tech and either forgot how good the Techs shave or just discovered that the Contract Tech is an excellent razor. Same with an Ikon X3 slant -- I used that one a few weeks back.
Generally speaking, I like vintage open comb razors....which means I'm a big fan of the Single Ring (my oldest is 1906), and while I've got several New Improved's and like the handle look and style, I prefer the Old Types and the "New" long comb. I recently picked up a New short comb, and I'm anxious to give it a try (probably this coming week). I've also got several non-Gillette vintages (French, Argentinian, American) which I need to press into service. The only style that doesn't ring my bell tends to be the Gillette TTO's. I have several, and they shave perfectly fine, and I totally respect the history, and I'll probably pick up a Sheraton one day; but the GEM Micromatic's have ruined me for any other TTO. The craftsmanship of the GEM TTO (in my opinion) just blows away the Gillette TTO's -- again, no disrespect intended at all. Oh and I've got several adjustables....I've only used the slim, but I've got a Fatboy with some small issues that I work on from time to time.
To sum up, I really do think that @McKinneys said it best -- and I really do apologize if I'm about to misstate or butcher his excellent sentiment -- but while I still enjoy my DE's, the shaves I get from my SE's tend to bring me greater joy and very often a closer/better overall shave.
Shaving tonight so I don't have to do it tomorrow. Besides, it's Monday on more than half the globe by now. Have not brought the Gems out for awhile, but because I've been ill I had 3 days' growth. So I let the MMBT play tonight. I don't even know how many shaves are on the blade. But it left me with a BBS with little effort and no pain so I'm calling it good. The Proraso is new to me, just picked it up at Burlington Coat Factory the other day and thought I'd give it a try with my trusty Edwin Jagger medium best badger. Finished with homemade aftershave. Three parts Everclear, one part witch hazel, several drops of vegetable glycerin and enough lime EO to make it smell good while I'm in the bathroom. No sandalwood AS on hand to match the cream. I should fix that one of these days.
The closeness of the SE, threat or menace?
I get plenty of shaves from my many DEs that feel just as close as a Gem blade shave immediately after the shave. For whatever reason (probably the power of suggestion from all that 5 o’clock shadow razzmatazz, my stubble is very credulous), the SE shaves seem to last longer.
Leading to skipping what could have been shave days.
Meaning fewer opportunities to play with some of my favorite toys.
Thank heavens for The Daily Double
Nice setup for going after the tall stuff!
I am thinking that my next homebrew AS will use Everclear/ethanol instead of the 99% rubbing alcohol/isopropyl/propanol I used last time. Based on your recipe I will also try cutting back on the glycerin as well. Thanks for sharing the details!
Nice setup for going after the tall stuff!
I am thinking that my next homebrew AS will use Everclear/ethanol instead of the 99% rubbing alcohol/isopropyl/propanol I used last time. Based on your recipe I will also try cutting back on the glycerin as well. Thanks for sharing the details!
I agree on the alcohol. I once made some with isopropyl but that stuff just does not smell good. It's too bad that untaxed denatured ethanol is so hard for consumers to buy and so expensive to ship, but so it goes. I think I paid $15 for the liter of Everclear 190 at the discount liquor store.
It doesn't take much glycerin to make AS sticky especially with summer coming. A little definitely goes a long way. Good luck with it all
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- #1,969
Wonderful MM for me. Two passes and some cleanup using the BMMOC and a near worn out GEM PTFE blade. One thing that is different is my soap. I'm using tube Palmolive soap. This is a very affordable option. I used the mixed badger/boar to obtain a creamy/hydrated lather.
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Amen to that!!!
I'm a fan of the Palmolive (tube) soap as well. The stick is fine, but I like the cream a touch better.
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Thanks for joining in -- I learned a lot from this post (as well as confirmation of some thing I've experienced as well):
1. I haven't been in a Burlington Coat Factory in a while, but really glad to know they carry Proraso.
2. Never thought about using Everclear for the alcohol in a homemade AS -- great idea!
3. I too have turned to the Micromatics when I've got several days of beard growth....they always give me a very close and very comfortable shave in circumstances where a different style razor (maybe a DE
) might struggle a bit.And as a post-script, really like your Avatar. I grew up reading everything Charles M. Schultz ever produced....and I remember that one!!!
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Beautiful Avatar....do you know what the flowers are? Much like razors, I've got a thing about researching and learning about flora and fauna -- with me it's often things I've found in the woods. I had a plant biologist from Wildlife and Fisheries come out and walk my property -- we spent hours walking through the woods and meadows where I pointed at every grass, plant, shrub, and tree, and asked "what's that?". He knew 98% of the stuff, but he kept trying to verify his thoughts with his phone and it's too remote to get any kind of signal. The guy was amazing, he'd always start with the latin name (boehmeria cylindrica) and then the common name (false nettle / bog hemp). I took notes like a crazy man -- it was like being in school, but I loved every minute of it. Then went back home and started researching the dozens of things he had identified. I think I'm getting stranger in my old age
- Thread starter
- #1,973
Beautiful Avatar....do you know what the flowers are? Much like razors, I've got a thing about researching and learning about flora and fauna -- with me it's often things I've found in the woods. I had a plant biologist from Wildlife and Fisheries come out and walk my property -- we spent hours walking through the woods and meadows where I pointed at every grass, plant, shrub, and tree, and asked "what's that?". He knew 98% of the stuff, but he kept trying to verify his thoughts with his phone and it's too remote to get any kind of signal. The guy was amazing, he'd always start with the latin name (boehmeria cylindrica) and then the common name (false nettle / bog hemp). I took notes like a crazy man -- it was like being in school, but I loved every minute of it. Then went back home and started researching the dozens of things he had identified. I think I'm getting stranger in my old age
Rhododendron blooms Brother Fred. The reddish orange is either Blaze Azalea or something else. These were on my hike yesterday.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Good old GEMonday for me, I'm glad @Twelvefret & of coarse @Flintstone65 & us followers of GEM razors who contribute to this thread because it keeps me keen on my SE & less on my DE. My razor collection is about half and half and favor SE for closeness when shaving especially in winter months.
Razor: GEM Junior Bar 1911>
Blade: GEM Personna SS PTFE (6)
Brush: Razorock Plissoft
Pre shave: shower + Aloe Vera gel
Post shave: Razorock American barber + witch hazel 1:4 cut
End results were OK using my lather catcher CCS,DFS,BBS and thats great! Gives my skin a slight rest and that's the beauty of milder razors IMO.
Have some great shaves!
Razor: GEM Junior Bar 1911>
Blade: GEM Personna SS PTFE (6)
Brush: Razorock Plissoft
Pre shave: shower + Aloe Vera gel
Post shave: Razorock American barber + witch hazel 1:4 cut
End results were OK using my lather catcher CCS,DFS,BBS and thats great! Gives my skin a slight rest and that's the beauty of milder razors IMO.
Have some great shaves!
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- #1,975
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Thank you, and beautiful pics!!!
It’s a double, and I emptied them out...
PB & MMCP
GEM Blue Star & PTFE straining at the end of their tethers
BOSC Special Reserve AC croap
Vintage Whiting-Adams boar (vintage knot too)
Poor response this morning to the 4:15 alarm, so the quick MMMonday by the dawn’s early light stretched into a leisurely MM/Gem double.
I gave it the full prep and a lot of patience, but in the end it wasn’t even close. Dried both blades and banked them. Four shaves from a Blue Star I babied along, closer to twenty shaves from a PTFE I treated like a red-headed stepchild (apologies to both blended families and gingers...).
PB & MMCP
GEM Blue Star & PTFE straining at the end of their tethers
BOSC Special Reserve AC croap
Vintage Whiting-Adams boar (vintage knot too)
Poor response this morning to the 4:15 alarm, so the quick MMMonday by the dawn’s early light stretched into a leisurely MM/Gem double.
I gave it the full prep and a lot of patience, but in the end it wasn’t even close. Dried both blades and banked them. Four shaves from a Blue Star I babied along, closer to twenty shaves from a PTFE I treated like a red-headed stepchild (apologies to both blended families and gingers...).
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Love that razor -- and brush -- and soap....we have very similar tastes, my friend!!!
Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
Nice Double!!! Mine is coming up next. Been there, done that when it comes to shaving with the blades that are on their last gasp. I think I use my blades right to the end, and then another shave after that, sometimes two, just to make sure their done.
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- #1,980
