Greetings DE shavers! I'd like to present to you Omp aka Jonathan. He graciously agreed to do an interview so hope you enjoy!
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Who are you?
Where are you located?
My name is Jonathan, although I generally shorten it to Jon. I live in Hexham in the North East of England with my wife and 2 daughters. I work as an IT Business Analyst which is as boring as it sounds.
Do you have a particular coffee you enjoy? or what wakes you up in the morning?
I enjoy the aroma of a good coffee but I'm not much of a coffee drinker. when I do drink it, it is usually a Latte with a little bit of sugar. My morning brew is usually a good old fashioned English cup of milky tea.
How did you get in to wet shaving?
I have always wet shaved since the age of 15/16. I experimented briefly with an electric but always preferred a wet shave. I was a cartridge or disposable user until February 2012 which is when I discovered Badger and Blade. I had already started using a brush and traditional cream a few months earlier but B&B introduced me to the world of DE.
What was it that held your interest?
There are so many aspects that keep me interested, I'm not sure where to start! I was never really into fragrances but that has really changed since I started DE shaving. The huge range of scented creams, soaps, balms is something I find very enjoyable.
I love owning and using vintage razors. In the early days I was convinced it was all about the software for me but trying razors that have been around for decades is fascinating to me.
I just enjoy the whole process from face preparation to building a good lather to striving for a close shave and then pampering myself with all of the post shave products. What's not to like?
Youve stated that you have used 14 different razors and 18 different blades. What is your blade preference and what is your rotation regime.
My blade preference is still evolving. I have enjoyed using Astra SP, Voskhod, Feather, Gillette 7 o'clock Blacks, Greens and Blues, Polsilver SI and Personna Labs. I'm beginning to find some good and poor combinations for me.
I recently got a Fatip Piccolo which is great with a Feather but was rough with a Voskhod.
However, the Voskhod is fantastic in any of my Gillette adjustables
The EJ86 likes most blades but I get a rough shave with a Feather
I don't have a rotation as such. I just tend to pick a razor dependent on the amount of time I have, how much growth I have and whether there is a razor I just fancy using that day. I then grab a blade that either suits the razor if I want a quick shave or I'll try a more unusual combo if I am feeling experimental.
What is your position on DE vs. Straight?
The world of Straights intrigues me but is still a little outside of my comfort zone. I have flirted with a shavette a few times but probably only have 4 or 5 passes to my name. I was hoping the shavette might be a gateway to straights but I am feeling less confident about that at the moment. I am going to enjoy my journey with DE's for a while longer but will never say never about taking that next step sometime in the future
What has been the best advice youve gotten from a member at B&B
"Don't worry about BBS"
In the early days, it was all about aiming for BBS. The result was generally some razor burn and an inability to shave comfortably for a couple of days. I now shave much more often and am happy with a DFS
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Don't expect miracles. Good shaves will only come with time and practice. It will probaly get worse before it gets better.
What prompted you to begin keeping a shave journal?
A few things:
I wanted to see what progression I was going to make in how good my shaves were
It's a good way to keep track of all of the shaving stuff I have.
I love stats!
Do you reference your shave journal at all?
I tend to look back from time to time to check which blade worked well or badly with a particular razor. I also use it to see which products I haven't used in a while. Sometimes I use it just to check how many uses a blade has had if it's been sitting in a razor for a while.
How do you think keeping a shave journal has helped you?
I think it's helped by confirming some of the things I have learned.
I felt as though I was shaving more often recently because I was sticking to 2 passes plus touch up and the journal has confirmed this.
It has also helped me keep a more objective view on how well some products perform for me. It's easy to get caught up in the hype for some products but if my journal tells me that I tend to get a poor shave using product X (or XXX in this case!) then it must be true.
Do you keep a journal for any other hobbies? or perhaps a daily journal?
No. Although I regret not regularly keeping a diary when I was young. They are fun to read when you are older!
Do you jot down notes while you are shaving or pull from your memory of the shave to fill out your journal?
I fill it in most days a few hours after I shave.
What type of notebook & pen do you use for your journal?
Google docs Spreadsheet.
Do you have any final thoughts youd like to share with the membership of B&B?
Just a big thank you to a great community.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who are you?
Where are you located?
My name is Jonathan, although I generally shorten it to Jon. I live in Hexham in the North East of England with my wife and 2 daughters. I work as an IT Business Analyst which is as boring as it sounds.
Do you have a particular coffee you enjoy? or what wakes you up in the morning?
I enjoy the aroma of a good coffee but I'm not much of a coffee drinker. when I do drink it, it is usually a Latte with a little bit of sugar. My morning brew is usually a good old fashioned English cup of milky tea.
How did you get in to wet shaving?
I have always wet shaved since the age of 15/16. I experimented briefly with an electric but always preferred a wet shave. I was a cartridge or disposable user until February 2012 which is when I discovered Badger and Blade. I had already started using a brush and traditional cream a few months earlier but B&B introduced me to the world of DE.
What was it that held your interest?
There are so many aspects that keep me interested, I'm not sure where to start! I was never really into fragrances but that has really changed since I started DE shaving. The huge range of scented creams, soaps, balms is something I find very enjoyable.
I love owning and using vintage razors. In the early days I was convinced it was all about the software for me but trying razors that have been around for decades is fascinating to me.
I just enjoy the whole process from face preparation to building a good lather to striving for a close shave and then pampering myself with all of the post shave products. What's not to like?
Youve stated that you have used 14 different razors and 18 different blades. What is your blade preference and what is your rotation regime.
My blade preference is still evolving. I have enjoyed using Astra SP, Voskhod, Feather, Gillette 7 o'clock Blacks, Greens and Blues, Polsilver SI and Personna Labs. I'm beginning to find some good and poor combinations for me.
I recently got a Fatip Piccolo which is great with a Feather but was rough with a Voskhod.
However, the Voskhod is fantastic in any of my Gillette adjustables
The EJ86 likes most blades but I get a rough shave with a Feather
I don't have a rotation as such. I just tend to pick a razor dependent on the amount of time I have, how much growth I have and whether there is a razor I just fancy using that day. I then grab a blade that either suits the razor if I want a quick shave or I'll try a more unusual combo if I am feeling experimental.
What is your position on DE vs. Straight?
The world of Straights intrigues me but is still a little outside of my comfort zone. I have flirted with a shavette a few times but probably only have 4 or 5 passes to my name. I was hoping the shavette might be a gateway to straights but I am feeling less confident about that at the moment. I am going to enjoy my journey with DE's for a while longer but will never say never about taking that next step sometime in the future
What has been the best advice youve gotten from a member at B&B
"Don't worry about BBS"
In the early days, it was all about aiming for BBS. The result was generally some razor burn and an inability to shave comfortably for a couple of days. I now shave much more often and am happy with a DFS
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Don't expect miracles. Good shaves will only come with time and practice. It will probaly get worse before it gets better.
What prompted you to begin keeping a shave journal?
A few things:
I wanted to see what progression I was going to make in how good my shaves were
It's a good way to keep track of all of the shaving stuff I have.
I love stats!
Do you reference your shave journal at all?
I tend to look back from time to time to check which blade worked well or badly with a particular razor. I also use it to see which products I haven't used in a while. Sometimes I use it just to check how many uses a blade has had if it's been sitting in a razor for a while.
How do you think keeping a shave journal has helped you?
I think it's helped by confirming some of the things I have learned.
I felt as though I was shaving more often recently because I was sticking to 2 passes plus touch up and the journal has confirmed this.
It has also helped me keep a more objective view on how well some products perform for me. It's easy to get caught up in the hype for some products but if my journal tells me that I tend to get a poor shave using product X (or XXX in this case!) then it must be true.
Do you keep a journal for any other hobbies? or perhaps a daily journal?
No. Although I regret not regularly keeping a diary when I was young. They are fun to read when you are older!
Do you jot down notes while you are shaving or pull from your memory of the shave to fill out your journal?
I fill it in most days a few hours after I shave.
What type of notebook & pen do you use for your journal?
Google docs Spreadsheet.
Do you have any final thoughts youd like to share with the membership of B&B?
Just a big thank you to a great community.
