December 2020 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

[Owen Bawn]

Owen,

No worries. I got you in Dec and will do my part to boost the British economy by buying another 2-3 brushes from Simpsons.

It’s on you next year though. I shall be implementing a shavI guess gear buying freeze effective Jan 1.

Here's one my sales right here, actually.

 

[‘Bout Time]

Well ....... speaking of Simpsons ...........

I had decided recently that I wanted a Chubby. But given I’m trying to restrain impulse buying, I concluded I would wait for a good sale ..... maybe until next Black Friday. No rush. They’ll probably still be making them a year from now. There were some pretty good prices on their site this past month. No problem. Waiting till next November would be fine.

Then I saw a Chubby 2 Best Badger on Amazon for a very, very good price. And then I saw that if I used some points I have accumulated, the really good price was reduced by another 40% or so. Way lower than the Simpsons Black Friday prices.

And then I pulled the trigger. So ....... I’m out.

Feeling a little guilty, but I’ll get over it.

See you in January.

 

[SharpieB]

Here's one my sales right here, actually.

True. Mark W. owes you some commissions. 1 M7 down for me this month already and likely 2 more to go.

 

[SharpieB]

Well ....... speaking of Simpsons ...........

I had decided recently that I wanted a Chubby. But given I’m trying to restrain impulse buying, I concluded I would wait for a good sale ..... maybe until next Black Friday. No rush. They’ll probably still be making them a year from now. There were some pretty good prices on their site this past month. No problem. Waiting till next November would be fine.

Then I saw a Chubby 2 Best Badger on Amazon for a very, very good price. And then I saw that if I used some points I have accumulated, the really good price was reduced by another 40% or so. Way lower than the Simpsons Black Friday prices.

And then I pulled the trigger. So ....... I’m out.

Feeling a little guilty, but I’ll get over it.

See you in January.

Saving the global economy one brush at a time.

 

[FoolishMortal]

Well ....... speaking of Simpsons ...........

I had decided recently that I wanted a Chubby. But given I’m trying to restrain impulse buying, I concluded I would wait for a good sale ..... maybe until next Black Friday. No rush. They’ll probably still be making them a year from now. There were some pretty good prices on their site this past month. No problem. Waiting till next November would be fine.

Then I saw a Chubby 2 Best Badger on Amazon for a very, very good price. And then I saw that if I used some points I have accumulated, the really good price was reduced by another 40% or so. Way lower than the Simpsons Black Friday prices.

And then I pulled the trigger. So ....... I’m out.

Feeling a little guilty, but I’ll get over it.

See you in January.

If you're going to go out, that's a pretty good way to go out. As usual, feel free to continue to play along at home.

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

Roll Call!

1) @FoolishMortal
2) @Sinnbad11
3) @henrickd
4) @Owen Bawn
5) @4and20blackbirds
6) @Timeclo
7) @Mike M
8) Tomo - out (12/14: NOS Filarmonica SR)
9) @Stuart Ganis
10) ‘Bout Time - out (12/22: Simpson Chubby 2)
11) mattps1 - out (12/14: Simpson brushes)
12) @Doti B
13) craigq - out (12/10: OREN razor)
14) @Smooth and Sharp
15) @Kyle89
16) @Roedeer
17) @pdieten
18) RumpleBearskin - out (12/11: Coticule)
19) @SillyPancake
20) @Sotiris_A
21) @Schnitzel52
22) @Abz88
23) JWCowboy - out (12/9: BS brush, GD soaps)
24) @cryhavoc
25) @ajduplessis
26) @BobbyB
27) Flintstone65 - out (12/7: Cased Autostrop A1 and MdC Fougere)
28) Trollky - out (12/20: Soaps and Splashes)
29) @stealthmayhem
30) @BigD
31) @Ed Gcom
32) @Billski

 

[FoolishMortal]

We're now at 75% still in. Not too shabby, considering this is December!

 

[SillyPancake]

Still in.
For the heck of it, I did half of my usual loading time on Haslinger and Stirling SheepMix and a blob of Proraso Wood and Spice. Man, I love wood and spice so much. The scent is so bold yet not overpowering. I have to seek some AS that will pair with it well.

 

[BigD]

Christmas Season Day 25.

Rockwell 6S Matte Black with Modern Williams and Aqua Velva.

Prep: Hot Shower and Bloom/Lather Building Water
Soap: Modern Williams
Razor: Rockwell 6S (R5, R4, and R3)/Merkur Mustache and Eyebrow Razor
Blade: Dorco Prime (2)/Merkur Mustache and Eyebrow Blade (10)
Brush: Zenith Boar
AS: Aqua Velva (US)
ASB: Aqua Velva (US)

Just a fantastic shave.

 

[Schnitzel52]

Still in
SSSR
Fat Handle Tech
Personna Red (4)
Colonel x2L
Proraso Red

 

[Schnitzel52]

If you're going to go out, that's a pretty good way to go out. As usual, feel free to continue to play along at home.

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

Roll Call!

1) @FoolishMortal
2) @Sinnbad11
3) @henrickd
4) @Owen Bawn
5) @4and20blackbirds
6) @Timeclo
7) @Mike M
8) Tomo - out (12/14: NOS Filarmonica SR)
9) @Stuart Ganis
10) ‘Bout Time - out (12/22: Simpson Chubby 2)
11) mattps1 - out (12/14: Simpson brushes)
12) @Doti B
13) craigq - out (12/10: OREN razor)
14) @Smooth and Sharp
15) @Kyle89
16) @Roedeer
17) @pdieten
18) RumpleBearskin - out (12/11: Coticule)
19) @SillyPancake
20) @Sotiris_A
21) @Schnitzel52
22) @Abz88
23) JWCowboy - out (12/9: BS brush, GD soaps)
24) @cryhavoc
25) @ajduplessis
26) @BobbyB
27) Flintstone65 - out (12/7: Cased Autostrop A1 and MdC Fougere)
28) Trollky - out (12/20: Soaps and Splashes)
29) @stealthmayhem
30) @BigD
31) @Ed Gcom
32) @Billski

Still in

 

[Trollky]

Exact same here. There is likely no chance that I will completely abstain from buying shaving gear for a full year.

Month to month is better for me if I want to take a break, get a brush or razor for my birthday, Black Friday sale, etc.

I will be in for January for sure. This will be after I spent like a drunken sailor in Dec. I have a Simpsons M7 in the mail and will likely order 2 more between Christmas and New Year. Add a few soaps, hundreds of blades and maybe a new razor, I will need NEED a break after Dec.

I made it until about the 20th of Dec then fell off the wagon in impressive fashion:

It started with an order consisting of 2 soaps and matching AS. Then I decided I needed a variety of Egyptian and German blades and another soap in my life...

However, the wheels really came off this morning! I took advantage of Rockwell's sale and bagged both a red and a blue 6S.

Perhaps an annual restraint might not be a bad idea for me...

 

[pdieten]

Still in. This was yesterday morning's shave, too good of a BBS to shave again this morning.

Williams soap, my Simpsons 57 brush, iKon X3 slant razor and Aqua Velva Ice Sport. Because like the Williams box says, there's just something about an Aqua Velva man. The something is that he has very good skin.

 

[FoolishMortal]

SOTD

• Rockwell 6S/4
• Nacet (10)
• The Mug of Gross
• Rubberset 203 w/28mm boar
• WH w/menthol, LTFT
• Stirling Spice ASB
• Dominica Bay Rum AS

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I take the leftover Tabac lather and put it on top of the puck. That works well with Tabac because of the tall-sided jar, but not so well with soaps that come in a tin or a small tub with no extra room. In those cases, I would squeeze the extra lather out of the brush and into an Old Spice mug.

Over time, this has built up layers as I've rotated through soaps. Occasionally, I added some water and stirred, just to see if it would eventually compact and coalesce into some sort of soap...thing. I've read of others leaving their creams open so that they'll dry out and get to more of a croap or even soft soap consistency, and I applied the same theory here. It was worth a try, and I wouldn't really lose anything if it turned out to be a bust.

I'll say one thing: it doesn't look pretty in there! Hence, the name. However, since (most of) the soaps that gave lather to this experiment are quality soaps - Arko, Formula T, Stirling, etc. - the melange should work on the better side of okay.

Yesterday was my first shave with the Mug of Gross. I didn't load very long - the "puck" was harder than I expected - so the lather was thin and dried out fairly quickly, but I ended up with a decent shave and almost no irritation. Adding water as I went brought out the slickness, which saved the shave.

Today, I loaded a bit longer, added a bit more water, and got a much better lather. Again, almost no irritation. I'm going to stick with the Mug of Gross "soap" for a bit and see how it goes.

15-second load:

After face-lathering:

Onward!

 

[FoolishMortal]

Still in.
For the heck of it, I did half of my usual loading time on Haslinger and Stirling SheepMix and a blob of Proraso Wood and Spice. Man, I love wood and spice so much. The scent is so bold yet not overpowering. I have to seek some AS that will pair with it well.

As much as you like it, there's someone who is sad that he bought it. Find a trade!

Of course, I say that in part because I really enjoy "the hunt". Since I can't go into antique stores anymore, trying to work a trade for what I want is the next best thing.

 

[Sotiris_A]

I have to seek some AS that will pair with it well.

FWIW, Proraso makes a Wood and Spice balm, if you are into those.

 

[Owen Bawn]

Shark SS in the red tip Super Speed; Rooney Pure badger; Simpsons Unscented Luxury cream; Pinaud Virgin Island bay rum. Liquid clove is more like it. After the elegant fresh bay oil scent of the St Johns I really notice the difference in the Pinaud Clubman bay rum. I like and enjoy it, mind you, but it smells much more like clove than like bay leaf oil. I have to go to the fish market to buy scallops and shrimp for Christmas Eve (and perhaps a few slices of Scottish smoked salmon for meself, of course), and then to the butcher for the Christmas beef tenderloin. No turkey this year, as there are only 3 of us here.

Still in restraint, so long as smoked salmon has no shaving function. Would be slick as could be if I were to rub it on my face.

 

[Timeclo]

Still in! SOTD - 23 DEC 2020

What a shave! Excellent shave today with some newer products that's been in my den. To start off, Barbus Classic shave cream lathers beautifully and makes for a slick lather. The scent is a little spicy/medicinal/floral; not my thing but it comes off more clean to be in a subdued manner. Rockwell 6C w/ Astra SP (3) shaves like a charm. One of the smoothest shavers in my den. Result was BBS without irritations. Wrapped up the shave with some Aqua Velva AS; Fruity forward with some musky notes towards the back. Good stuff.

 

[SillyPancake]

@Timeclo where did you get the Barbus shave cream? I know it is made here in Slovakia, I saw it in stores but never tried it.

 

[Timeclo]

@Timeclo where did you get the Barbus shave cream? I know it is made here in Slovakia, I saw it in stores but never tried it.

I'll put a spoiler in case someone doesn't want to be enabled.

Spoiler

I got it from TheRazorCompany. It's also available on grujoski.us . The guy behind Barbus is active in social media as well as youtube so I wanted to support/try his product.

 

[Mike M]

Still in

Razor: Parker 82R
Brush: Yaqi Timberwolf
Soap: Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera
Blade: Personna med prep

Haven't used the 82R in a while, it was my first DE razor and the doors sometimes come loose in use. But today's shave was rather good. The EJ aloe Vera soap has a fantastic smell and gives a good slick shave, even if it takes a little tweaking to get the right amount of water.