April 2021 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

[Mike M]

Still in

Tonight's shave is courtesy of the Parker 26C/Astra SS (12) combo the Astra SS blade has outlasted my best Astra SP shave by 4 shaves if I include this one and, spoiler alert it's still in for the next shave. If this performance keeps up it could be joining the Personna platinum in the performance stakes, although it still has 15 shaves til it catches up with the BIC Chrome Platinum.
The cream for tonight was TOBS coconut lathered with the Yaqi evil zebra. The 26C is one of my favourite razors and always gives a great shave, but with the thirteenth use of this Astra SS blade it managed a BBS which is impressive with so many uses.

 

[FoolishMortal]

I see. Yes, i don't really need any soap. But then, one thing i don't understand. Why call it "April" restraint? And not April-December restraint? Wait! I think now i understand. Because if someone wants to stock up, he simply doesn't join the May GRUME, but can come back to the June GRUME. Correct?

GRUME = Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End

There's a GRUME thread for each month. So, yes, people can and do pop in and out of the GRUMEs according to their current situation.

Some people feel they just need to a take a breather from purchases and decide to go a single month without acquisitions. Sometimes that turns into multiple months. Others purposefully string months together, going for long periods without acquisitions, but not feeling the all-or-nothing pressure of a GRUYERE. For instance, my last unnecessary purchase was in June of 2019 and my last necessary purchase, as mentioned before, was in February of 2021. I did manage to sneak in a couple of fantastic trades, though!

Do what's right for you.

 

[FoolishMortal]

SOTD

• Rockwell 6S (4)
• Nacet (23)
• Omega Eucalyptus
• Yaqi 24mm Synthetic
• WH w/menthol, LTFT
• Dominica Bay Rum AS

A busy schedule kept me from shaving for a few days, so there was some growth to knock down. The cream is growing on me (in a good way) and I used not a lot of it to get perfectly serviceable lather. SWMBO walked in as I was mid-lather and said, "oh, it smells like minty eucalyptus in here!". Got it in one...

Onward!

 

[B_R_A_D]

Still in. Great minds think alike @Mike M

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale Slant “FOCS”
Blade: Kai Stainless Steel (1)
Brush: Grizzly Bay “Neptune Hurricane” with 26mm Thäter 2-Band Silvertip (Bulb)
Bowl: Captain’s Choice Copper Lather Bowl (Heavyweight)
Lather: Taylor of Old Bond Street Coconut
Post-shave:
• Omega Alum Stick
• Stirling Coconut Lime Aftershave Splash
• Stirling Coconut Lime Aftershave Balm

Result: 10 / 10
Fantastic 3 pass BBS shave with no cuts, weepers, irritation or tugging. This is my third Kai blade from the participation PIF and first time trying it in the FOCS and boy was it good, better then the Timeless .95 that tugged a lot. Also was the first time trying the Thäter knot with TOBS cream and I got the slickest lather I’ve gotten with TOBS yet, usually it’s really fluffy and drying on the third pass. This will be my go to brush with TOBS for now on. Oh and I smell

 

[Herrenberg]

Still in.

It would be way too embarrassing, on this thread about restraint, to talk about my most extravagant razor purchase ever. So I won't. I'll just say that it is an oversized kamisori, and then proceed to talk about what I'm calling "lock-in," and my shave.

There is a thing that happens, with both knife sharpening and razor honing, when you are on a stone or strop, and everything just locks in, to where the edge just glides along the surface, as though it were Teflon. When you hit that, you know you've reached the limit of what that stone/strop can do. You've got the best edge it can make. Every now and then, you hit that point even on the 0.1 micron diamond-pasted balsa strop, and that's what has happened with this razor. It's completely locked in.

So when I pulled it out for a shave today, for the first time in weeks, it was perfect. So perfect that I decided to go for the dreaded (by straight razor shavers) third XTG pass, as much as possible.

It worked, sort of. 30" off of vertical was as close as I could get, and there were two weepers, but darned if I didn't get as close to a BBS from all angles on my neck as I've ever gotten. I hope no one spots me feeling my neck, which I've done a lot today. A very happy shave day.

Who could be tempted to buy more stuff, when such a shave is already within reach? OK, I could, but I made a commitment.

 

[Jmp63]

Still in.
Razor: Karve SB-D for pass 1&2 SB-B for pass 3
Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
Brush: Semogue 830
Bowl: Timeless
Soap & A/S:Stirling Dunshire
Been a few days since my last shave, the D plate was fantastic for the first two passes, and the B plate was great at batting cleanup!
Have a great day y’all!

 

[Roedeer]

Still in.

Preshave: Hot washcloth
Soap: Speick, bowl-lathered
Brush: Men-U boar
Razors: GC.84 OC, Boots #3, GC.68 SB, Astra SP #3.
Post-shave: Hyaluronic acid, Nivea Balm.

Speick smells more "interesting" than MWF, lathers just as easily, and has good performance. It gives me more post-shave irritation/dryness than MWF, though.

Since I've got a record for liking products that abruptly get discontinued, maybe I should get spare MWFs while the going is good. I hope it survives the month...

HA + Nivea Balm is a good combination. BBS face and DFS neck.

 

[Tomo]

Still in

Picked a few of my favorites for this week.

 

[razgueado]

I wasn't aware of this "Lenten" tradition here. I fell off the wagon on the 5th of April and ordered in several tubes of cream and a Rockwell 6s. But I didn't buy a single shaving item in the six months previous to that.

We won't discuss how much I spent on guitars, though.

 

[Roedeer]

OK, as of 04:40 GMT, Roedeer is busted from this GRUME.

A few weeks ago, I was looking up lathering bowls. We all know about the popular copper captain's one, and the Timeless one, neither of which I own, but I can usually whip up a perfectly decent storm of MWF lather in a smooth Lidl food container. I also did a bit of ebaying, though, and got dangerous email feedback...

It appears to be an (inadvertently) perfectly fluted silver lathering bowl (probably intended for other things), from the late 19th C, and sub £50, so since I can afford it, I don't have much option but to buy it. Wouldn't you?

Anyone who wants to see what happens next can find me over on the 365 shaves thread, where I'm on shave 102 of shaving every day this year.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

GRUME = Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End

There's a GRUME thread for each month. So, yes, people can and do pop in and out of the GRUMEs according to their current situation.

Some people feel they just need to a take a breather from purchases and decide to go a single month without acquisitions. Sometimes that turns into multiple months. Others purposefully string months together, going for long periods without acquisitions, but not feeling the all-or-nothing pressure of a GRUYERE. For instance, my last unnecessary purchase was in June of 2019 and my last necessary purchase, as mentioned before, was in February of 2021. I did manage to sneak in a couple of fantastic trades, though!

Do what's right for you.

I have it all clear now. I was tempted again yesterday to make a re-order of soaps, but i think i will resist. I shouldn't buy anything for years. IF however i submit to temptation, i will do so near the end of a month, so i won't miss an entire GRUME. It will be my last purchase of soaps for years, if i do so. But for now i resist. Thank you for the extreme patience to explain everything to me, sir!

 

[Abz88]

Still in, I had my first ever shave with the German version of the Personna Platinum today and will be shaving with it for the week. Happy to report that to me, shave 1 felt identical to last weeks shave 1 with it's Israeli brother in this razor.

Pre-shave (in order of use)
- Clinique for Men Charcoal Face Wash
- Jack Black Face Buff Energizing Scrub
- Truefitt and Hill Pre-shave Oil
- Penhaligons Blenheim Bouquet shaving cream

Post-shave (in order of use)
- Omega Alum Block
- Simple Kind to Skin Alcohol Free Soothing Facial Toner
- Hylamide Low-Molecular Hyaluronic acid
- The Ordinary Buffet Serum
- Scottish Fine Soaps Thistle & Black Pepper Aftershave balm
- Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturiser

Tools
- 50's Gillette Aluminium Ball End Tech
- German Personna Platinum (1)
- Semogue SOC Taj Boar

 

[Kyle89]

OK, as of 04:40 GMT, Roedeer is busted from this GRUME.

A few weeks ago, I was looking up lathering bowls. We all know about the popular copper captain's one, and the Timeless one, neither of which I own, but I can usually whip up a perfectly decent storm of MWF lather in a smooth Lidl food container. I also did a bit of ebaying, though, and got dangerous email feedback...

It appears to be an (inadvertently) perfectly fluted silver lathering bowl (probably intended for other things), from the late 19th C, and sub £50, so since I can afford it, I don't have much option but to buy it. Wouldn't you?

Anyone who wants to see what happens next can find me over on the 365 shaves thread, where I'm on shave 102 of shaving every day this year.

View attachment 1250660

I believe you meant to say you bought a....

...candy bowl! To put in candy.

I feel like there is a gray area here...

 

[Kyle89]

I have it all clear now. I was tempted again yesterday to make a re-order of soaps, but i think i will resist. I shouldn't buy anything for years. IF however i submit to temptation, i will do so near the end of a month, so i won't miss an entire GRUME. It will be my last purchase of soaps for years, if i do so. But for now i resist. Thank you for the extreme patience to explain everything to me, sir!

Month to month is great. To me, it weeds out impulse buys. If I were to wait until month end to purchase something I was looking at, chances are I probably don’t want it anymore.
If I didn’t wait 2 years to pull the trigger on a tattoo idea, I’d certainly have tattoos I regret. It can never hurt to just slow down once in a while and appreciate what you have, ya know?

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Month to month is great. To me, it weeds out impulse buys. If I were to wait until month end to purchase something I was looking at, chances are I probably don’t want it anymore.
If I didn’t wait 2 years to pull the trigger on a tattoo idea, I’d certainly have tattoos I regret. It can never hurt to just slow down once in a while and appreciate what you have, ya know?

A very sound reasoning, sir. I agree.

 

[Kyle89]

Still in! Scraped out the sad remaining bits of a Stirling Wintergreen sample and pressed it into my bowl with Arko pressed into it.

Interesting combination, to say the least... I hope I didn't create a new virus or something....

 

[hopper_64]

Still in

Tuesday April 13 SOTD (headshave)

Schick (pre) Krona
Rapira Super Stainless (1)
Yaqi Tuxedo 28mm
Razorock Irish Countryside
Proraso Green

 

[Burundian Hawk]

^^^ Yaqi!

 

[FoolishMortal]

OK, as of 04:40 GMT, Roedeer is busted from this GRUME.

A few weeks ago, I was looking up lathering bowls. We all know about the popular copper captain's one, and the Timeless one, neither of which I own, but I can usually whip up a perfectly decent storm of MWF lather in a smooth Lidl food container. I also did a bit of ebaying, though, and got dangerous email feedback...

It appears to be an (inadvertently) perfectly fluted silver lathering bowl (probably intended for other things), from the late 19th C, and sub £50, so since I can afford it, I don't have much option but to buy it. Wouldn't you?

Anyone who wants to see what happens next can find me over on the 365 shaves thread, where I'm on shave 102 of shaving every day this year.

View attachment 1250660

Well, it certainly is lovely! I'm definitely curious to hear how it does with bowl-lathering (even though I'm a dedicated face-latherer). Please continue playing along at home for the rest of the month, if that is your desire, and we'll hope to see you in May.

And when a brother falls, it's time for...

Roll Call!

1) @FoolishMortal
2) @‘Bout Time
3) @B_R_A_D
4) @henrickd - GRUYERE
5) @SharpieB
6) @Doti B
7) @Stuart Ganis
8) @Chef455
9) Roedeer - out (4/12: Silver lather bowl)
10) @Cino
11) @Herrenberg
12) @CzechCzar
13) @Timeclo
14) @La Malice
15) @Contact_vs_Feedback - GRUYERE
16) @pdieten - GRUYERE
17) @hopper_64
18) Schnitzel52 - out (4/5: Zenith/IB brush)
19) Trollky - out (4/9: Merkur 34G)
20) Bravoure - out (4/9: Declaration Grooming soaps)
21) @Owen Bawn
22) @Abz88
23) @cryhavoc - GRUYERE
24) @Tomo
25) @Kyle89
26) @wmadoty - GRUYERE - AFFCC
27) @Heavy_Metal_Hound
28) @Jmp63 - GRUYERE
29) @Mike M
30) @sarir97
31) @nelsonic21
32) @bluesman 7
33) @4and20blackbirds
34) @FL shaver
35) @Burundian Hawk

 

[sarir97]

Still in!