My Grande Journey

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wes @TinyT, admittedly I've tried a whole lot of razors - double edges, AC platform, injectors, barber razors, GEM/E-R, and straight razors - and a whole lot of blades. I've settled on my best blade for DE razors and my best blade for the AC platform and my best blades for the injectors, but most all the time I shave with straights.

I've jumped around far too much. Against everyone's advice I learned straight razor shaving simultaneously with straight razor honing. Not having sufficiently sharp straights certainly retarded the learning process. I've done loads of things wrong.

But, I've persisted. I've also tried hard to not try too hard having learned that overdoing anything leads to problems.

Now, two years and some months into it I'm finally getting the hang of things such that my shaves are consistently of the Damn Comfortable Shave variety.

• Comfortable during the shave.
• Comfortable immediately after the shave.
• Comfortable until the next shave.

It would be incorrect to say I've totally mastered the Damn Comfortable Shave, but I'm very very close to perfect consistency except when testing a straight razor which turns out to be not shave ready. I've also learned a huge amount - through trial and error and by listening to advice - about how to take care of my skin.

Huge secret there (recently learned): Hyaluronic Acid!

In terms of closeness and smoothness and always getting every whisker? Well, I'm getting better and better, especially recently, with the straight razor. I can shave with my favorite (best) safety razors, but I prefer the straights for their comfort.

Anyway, the point of this it to encourage you. The learning curve doesn't have to be as slow as I've made it. We are all different, etc. I'm not sure how I'll be as a shaver in another year (or five) but I believe I'll continue to improve.

Still, I'm very satisfied with the progress I've made. It's apparent you're making progress at a sustainable rate, but don't be too impatient or hard on yourself.

You're doing great from what I can tell.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Its pretty much like Jim said above. Set a goal, then try to reach it. Jim's goal was a comfortable shave. Mine was a one pass shave.

Jim has now started reaching for a new goal, comfortable and close. Thats a methodical approach to a very realistic goal.

The longer we all do this the more we all learn. The more we learn, the better we become. The limitations are mostly our own. Once we know what we want and understand what will let us have that easily and comfortable, the only thing left is experience.

As our experience grows, even very slight and subtle changes that you may not have noticed before start to become very noticeable. Understanding those differences and why they actually make a difference is a key piece to the puzzle.

A Tech may give you the shave you want but the only way you'll know is to be able to consistently get the best from it that it can give. That takes time. Changing razors mid term can complicate that. It can also open your eyes to a much easier to follow path.

The same as with blades, you'll most likely know a better razor on its first use.

 

[TinyT]

The same as with blades, you'll most likely know a better razor on its first use.

This I can confirm. I knew I liked the Tech much more than the 34C from the very first stroke. Best of all, by asking lots of questions and studying razor designs, I know why I like it so much more.

Changing razors mid term can complicate that. It can also open your eyes to a much easier to follow path.

If I hadn't tried the Tech, I'd probably still be struggling away with the Merkur, convincing myself that all razors are basically the same. They may well be in the right hands, but not in my hands and I know for a certainty that the Tech is a much better razor for me. But here's the rub. Whatever I think of as being the best, whether that's a razor, a blade, a soap or even an individual shave, I know that better is possible. Whether I can find it or not, or achieve it or not is a different question. That's the problem with rating shaves out of 10 and why I don't do that anymore. I once rated one of my shaves with the 34C a 9 out of 10. Today, that shave wouldn't be any higher than a 5. It's all relative. I'm at the beginning of my journey, so the differences and gains are still quite pronounced but as I progress, they will become smaller and it's likely that at some point the plateau effect will occur. At least, thats what I expect, as I follow my plan. It may not work out that way, but that's ok too. There's a saying in chess that it's better to have a bad plan than no plan. I have that, at the very least.

 

[Esox]

Many people firmly believe that they can get a great shave from their razor even if that razor is a poor choice for them. Wise advice can, and often does, fall on deaf ears and many of those times people think its a problem money can solve. If you cant get a good shave from an inexpensive razor, you're not going to get a better shave just because another razor of the same design costs 10x's more.

If the design is the weakness theres only one way to solve that. Imagine your Merkur with 5x's as much blade exposure and you'd have the R41. That would only compound any problems, not alleviate them. Many people dont seem to understand that though. Just the other day someone posted about razor bumps and ingrown hairs from using a Merkur 34C. A new problem that hadnt surfaced previously. I posted a solution I'm 95% sure would work, but my advice went ignored. I dont understand why some refuse to think the razors design could be the issue. It's obvious when you think about it.

Better is always possible but the line needs to be drawn somewhere or it never ends lol. I'm sure there are better soaps and creams than Wickham and CRS, but I dont need better.

There very well might be better razors than Fatips and GEM's too, but I'm pretty sure I dont need them either. That brings me to my next post.

 

[Esox]

Yesterdays shave...

Bullet Tip/PTFE 4

Why did I use DE's again?

 

[Raven Koenes]

Here's the first peak at the Fatip Slant. It will come in both Solid Bar Gentile and Traditional Open Comb. The handle is the Grade style with a twist (quite literally). They will be fully unveiled on New Years Eve. Here's a peak.

9

 

[guitarslinger]

No. Way. :0

 

[Esox]

I just hope they make a gold one. I need that handle!

 

[TinyT]

I just hope they make a gold one.

Anything can be made gold.

 

[Esox]

Anything can be made gold.

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That must be a movie I havent seen lol.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

 

[Esox]

Ahhh. I thought a Bond movie. I knew it wasnt Austin Powers lol.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Ahhh. I thought a Bond movie. I knew it wasnt Austin Powers lol.

 

[Esox]

I was never much of a James Bond fan but since you bring up music lol.

This is a band from Georgia's indie music scene and they play around there often.

Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER - https://bittersoutherner.com/ruby-velle-and-the-soulphonics

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Nice sound, Mike. Thanks.

 

[Raven Koenes]

I haven't seen a drummer play with brushes in a very long minute. Her voice is very meaty and sultry and smooth. Thanks!

 

[TinyT]

Jack DeJohnette - One of my favourite drummers of all time. (turn it up.)

 

[Esox]

Her voice is very meaty and sultry and smooth. Thanks!

Sultry, funky and soulful. I love her voice, so much emotion.

If thats typical of Georgia's music scene it makes me want to go bar hopping for a year or three lol.

That reminded me of a month I spent in Toronto one weekend. We started at the south end of Yonge Street at Lakeshore Drive walking north and stopped in every bar we came across for one drink. I decided to drink Black Russians. A more enthusiastic? friend decided on Long Island Ice Tea's lol.

32 Black Russians later I was back in the Delta Chelsea Hotel. That was the late 1980's, maybe 1990. I still dont know how I got back to the hotel and no one I was with could remember either lol.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I was never much of a James Bond fan but since you bring up music lol.

This is a band from Georgia's indie music scene and they play around there often.

Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER - https://bittersoutherner.com/ruby-velle-and-the-soulphonics

Finally found my decent enough and comfortable enough headphones. My wife sometimes "cleans up" meaning I can't find anything (nor can she to be fair). These headphones were missing. They're not expensive and they aren't my most audiophile kit, but they're comfortable and easy to use, and perfectly adequate. Meaning more adequate than my ears.

Vastly better than onboard the laptop computer speakers.

Anyway, this is terrific music, Mike.

It would be even better if I hooked up my little DAC but here I am lazy.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Finally found my decent enough and comfortable enough headphones. My wife sometimes "cleans up" meaning I can't find anything (nor can she to be fair). These headphones were missing. They're not expensive and they aren't my most audiophile kit, but they're comfortable and easy to use, and perfectly adequate. Meaning more adequate than my ears.

Vastly better than onboard the laptop computer speakers.


View attachment 1056172


Anyway, this is terrific music, Mike.

It would be even better if I hooked up my little DAC but here I am lazy.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

Yer cooking with gas now lol.

Shes from Atlanta Jim, and plays the club scene pretty regular from what I gather. Might be worth catching a show some night, she sure can sing.