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February 2023 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

Date27.02.2023
365 days of shaving59/365 (100%)
GRUYERE59/365 (100%)
GRUME February28/28 (100%)
02/12 (100%)
Other participations
  • Shave of the Week Society (SWS)
  • Discovery Blade Adventure
  • One Blade in February (OBiF)

Passes3
XWTGCheeks: N-S
Neck: N-S
WXTGCheeks L: W-E (slanted)
Cheeks R: E-W (slanted)
Neck: S-N
XATGCheeks: S-N
Neck: S-N (slanted)

RazorBladeBrush
Gillette Old Type /w thick capTiger Platinum (11)DVH Synthetic
Pre-shaveSoap & BowlPost-shave
Cold splashTabac
Proraso Green
Cold splash
KCG Face Wash

EfficiencyQuality
8/10 (~20 minutes)10/10 (clean)
EffectivenessComfort
7/10 (DFS-)7/10 (Comfortable)

Notes to today’s shave:

Pfew!! Made it! And only because of the great support from fellow GRUMErs! I thank you for keeping me on track. March is upon us and we will see each other again there.

For the final shave in February and for OBiF I am using the trusted Old Type. I have the hallucination that this razor can give any blade a run for its money and deliver a stellar shave. More stubble to take care of given yesterday’s results, but I have had worse to deal with. With an 11th run on this blade stellar may have been out of the question from the start, but the pair delivered a very fine shave nonetheless. The blade was sufficiently comfortable.

Further details and more can be found in my journal here.

Enjoy your shave today!
 
Made it to the end with no temptations and no purchases (other than my GRUYERE exception). To cap things off, the last shave of Feb was a good one 👍

Fatip Piccolo
Gillette Perma-Sharp (28th and final use)
Lea
Omega632

IMG_20230228_092753179~2.jpg
 
Made it this month (only buy was this GRUYERE exception below).
This purchase left my max days without buying shaving eqt. on 425.
Lets try to do better next time...........

Gillette 1934 new RFB
Gillette Ruby (4)
Anbbas synth brush
B&M Bay Rum (SOTM) - COMPLETELY FINISHED
Labell ASB
Zara Tabacco AS

IMG_20230228_094250631_HDR.jpg
 
Another GRUME completed.

Early morning travel shave.

Sensor handle
Personna Triflex cartridge
Trader Joe’s Honey Mango cream
RR Bruce
Lather and Wood Sandalwood ASB

Outside of travel, I’m really only running the Twig and GC with occasional use of the Schick type J injector. No interest in other razors.
 
(🍊) Tallow Tabac Tuesdays!
The Completion Of Fruity February and OBIF Challenge
Still In GRUME, Gruyere & 365 Shaves...

PXL_20230227_170353264.jpg

Feather DX with Feather AC blade #28, (orange) Tallow Tabac & Simpson Trafalgar T3

Hey Guys
It has been a very good month in Fruity February and the OBIF challenge. Since I only have two razors that use an Artist Club blade, it has been a 'restraintful' month not using DE razors. I surprised myself choosing the DX kamisori today.
Thanks to @Mike M and @Time Bandit for sponsoring the threads.

Today's menu entree had rare vintage Tallow Tabac seasoned with essence of orange' 🍊 served on a Simpson T3 brush. After the main course, I enjoyed a soothing combination of balms and moisturizers and Davidoff Cool Water for desert. It was a delightful end of month DFS affair.

Most important, does anyone have news about our beloved Brandon, @FoolishMortal ???

Tomorrow many of us begin a new month of GRUMEing and continue GRUYEREing. 🥂

Please take care of yourself...and each other...Onward!
 
Last edited:
Still in and final shave of the month no for real this time

2 day of growth

February GRUME : 16
2023 GRUYERE : 37

Razor : Merkur 34 HD C
Blade : Gillette Silver Blue (1)
Pre Shave : Shave Secret oil got it gotta use it
Soap (SOTM) : Gillette Pure Cream
Brush : Semogue 1305
Aftershave: OSMA Alum Block, , NIVEA Sensitive Post Shave Balm

I always forgot that this AS balm is in fact sightly perfumed . alright shave, gotta do something about my dry skin though.
 
Still in 🙏🏽

Completed this month without any trouble.
The last two shaves were with the Karve CB G-plate (what are these dark staines 😵‍💫) and this lovely bakelite. I have two of those and call them 'my evil twin sisters'.
The gap is huge. The designer patented them in the 1930s, but I have seen no other specimen.
I read somewhere they are used in Swasiland nowadays, to saw the tusks of poached animals...

588E2F67-41AC-48D4-8C8A-398DC1BC0AC3.jpeg
 
Most important, does anyone have news about our beloved Brandon, @FoolishMortal ???

Tomorrow many of us begin a new month of GRUMEing and continue GRUYEREing. 🥂

Please take care of yourself...and each other...Onward!
I'm not so sure about the "beloved" part, but I'm here. I've been busy, then sick, then busy again. My apologies for neglecting the thread!

The March thread will be up shortly.
 
Ready, set, go:

We were ahead of schedule 😉

I'd suggest to delete your new thread @FoolishMortal

It's great that all is okay with you!
 
I'm out. Been wanting to get a straight for a while and finally caved. Of course I could have waited another 9 days, but I couldn't resist the temptation.
Okay.
TL,DR:
This afternoon, I paid an invoice for a long awaited razor. It puts me out of the February GRUME.

Here's the longer version of the story: Back in 2022, I have put my name on two waiting lists for two different razors (Lambda / Wolfman). I expected my name wouldn't be called until 2023 on either of the lists. At that time, I was still undecided which way to go. Not because I eventually did not want to purchase both razors, but because the GRUYERE allows only one exception and I assumed that I would have to choose one of the razors in order to not fail GRUYERE. The other purchase would then have to be postponed. That was my thought.

A couple of days ago it turned out that
regardless of when the waiting list related payment is to be made, under the rules of the GRUYERE, such a payment is considered a purchase that is assigned to the year one has entered the waiting list (in my case: 2022).

In consequence, by making the payment today, I technically have not executed my exception in the 2023 GRUYERE.
Hence today's payment does put me out of February GRUME, since GRUME exception #3 doesn't apply.

Yep, it's time for a roll call @FoolishMortal.

Cheers!
Guido
Putting your name on the waiting list puts you out of GRUYERE, but making the payment doesn't? I think that rule is a little odd. For GRUME, it's a matter of when you spend the money, so unfortunately, you're out, as you said.
Still in but if this puts me out, so be it...

I haven't had a barbershop shave for 5 years. It was the day I had the barber take it all off and went from a typical thinning (terrible looking) to my alter ego (see avatar) Mr. Clean! Long story short when my barber passed I'd told him a year or so before that once he passes I'll be taking it all off.

View attachment 1611359

View attachment 1611360


View attachment 1611362
If it was just a head shave, that's an "extreme haircut" and you're safe. If it was a full shave, you're out. Please let us know which.
Not in. I purchased something I didn't need. You guys have incredible resolve! I fell off the horse again but I'm getting back in the saddle to give it another round in March.
Okay. See you in March!
And with that, I am out...

A bit of a strange way to get out of the month of restraint, with more regret than progress.

Ok, I noticed DE blades had left UK eBay so I sent a message to a seller, and he said that pretty much overnight UK eBay took down all listings for blades. They even went to the extent for removing previous records of past sales as well.

One of the last listings left were for some Treet Platinums for a good price (200 for just under £8), and I purchased them, but the strangest thing happened. They took away the sale. I've bought countless from eBay over the years, this is the first time it has happened.

So even though I bought something and ended the GRUME, the listing for the item was taken down.

View attachment 1612521

There were some other blades I was planning to buy but no longer can. It's still possible to buy blades from abroad but they are a lot more expensive with a lot less choice than what there was before.

I'll use one example. A few days ago you could get 200 Treet Classics for £8, today the best deal is over £20 for the same number of blades from RBC. It's not great but what can you do.

I'm anticipating foreign sales of blades will be closed soon as well, so I am going to expand my stocks whilst I still can.

A lengthy explanation for my departure, but I had to get it off my chest.

Thanks for having me, I won't be around for next month's GRUME but I might throw my name in for April.

Good luck to the rest of you fine gentlemen for the last few days.
The intent was there. I'm sorry that it wrecked your GRUME and you didn't get the blades.

I guess that means it time for...

Roll Call!

1) @FoolishMortal - SOTMC, OBiF
2) @hopper_64 - OBiF
3) @Multum in parvo
4) @Doti B
5) @Guido75 - GRUYERE, OBiF, SWS
6) silverlifter - out (2/14: Fili 14)
7) @Balin - GRUYERE, SOTMC
8) @LJBraaten - GRUYERE, OBiF, FRUITY FEBRUARY
9) @iver
10) JAHE - GRUYERE, SWS, Fruity February
11) @wmadoty - GRUYERE, OBiF
12) Markdad2 - GRUYERE - out (2/6: SS Rocca)
13) @Chef455 - GRUYERE, OBiF
14) @cryhavoc - GRUYERE
15) @DougK - GRUYERE
16) @ChriWilson - SOTMC, SWS, OBiF
17) @Roedeer
18) @SharpieB
19) @Jayson74 - SWS
20) @Trollky - GRUYERE
21) @tjsgarden - GRUYERE, OBIF, FRUITY FEBRUARY, 365 Shaves 2023, SWS
22) @StratMan
23) @La Malice - GRUYERE, SOTMC
24) @elmo_koffman - GRUYERE
25) @Jack Goossen
26) @bartje-p - GRUYERE
27) @sandorfi - GRUYERE, SOTMC
28) zoidberg - out (2/26: Blades, but not really)
29) @CJB3
30) @Contact_vs_Feedback
31) @Tillerman
32) @Dodger59
33) wldecker - out (2/19: Straight)
34) awk_m4 - 365 Shaves 2023, OBiF - out (2/25: ???)
35) @cantujm
36) @Beto Salatini - Fruity February
37) JKaboom - GRUYERE - out (Maybe?)
38) @kjbarth - GRUYERE
 
We were ahead of schedule 😉

I'd suggest to delete your new thread @FoolishMortal

It's great that all is okay with you!
Deletion done. Thanks to @Multum in parvo for stepping up in my absence!
 
Okay.

Putting your name on the waiting list puts you out of GRUYERE, but making the payment doesn't? I think that rule is a little odd. For GRUME, it's a matter of when you spend the money, so unfortunately, you're out, as you said.

If it was just a head shave, that's an "extreme haircut" and you're safe. If it was a full shave, you're out. Please let us know which.

Okay. See you in March!

The intent was there. I'm sorry that it wrecked your GRUME and you didn't get the blades.

I guess that means it time for...

Roll Call!

1) @FoolishMortal - SOTMC, OBiF
2) @hopper_64 - OBiF
3) @Multum in parvo
4) @Doti B
5) @Guido75 - GRUYERE, OBiF, SWS
6) silverlifter - out (2/14: Fili 14)
7) @Balin - GRUYERE, SOTMC
8) @LJBraaten - GRUYERE, OBiF, FRUITY FEBRUARY
9) @iver
10) JAHE - GRUYERE, SWS, Fruity February
11) @wmadoty - GRUYERE, OBiF
12) Markdad2 - GRUYERE - out (2/6: SS Rocca)
13) @Chef455 - GRUYERE, OBiF
14) @cryhavoc - GRUYERE
15) @DougK - GRUYERE
16) @ChriWilson - SOTMC, SWS, OBiF
17) @Roedeer
18) @SharpieB
19) @Jayson74 - SWS
20) @Trollky - GRUYERE
21) @tjsgarden - GRUYERE, OBIF, FRUITY FEBRUARY, 365 Shaves 2023, SWS
22) @StratMan
23) @La Malice - GRUYERE, SOTMC
24) @elmo_koffman - GRUYERE
25) @Jack Goossen
26) @bartje-p - GRUYERE
27) @sandorfi - GRUYERE, SOTMC
28) zoidberg - out (2/26: Blades, but not really)
29) @CJB3
30) @Contact_vs_Feedback
31) @Tillerman
32) @Dodger59
33) wldecker - out (2/19: Straight)
34) awk_m4 - 365 Shaves 2023, OBiF - out (2/25: ???)
35) @cantujm
36) @Beto Salatini - Fruity February
37) JKaboom - GRUYERE - out (Maybe?)
38) @kjbarth - GRUYERE

@wldecker It was a full head and face shave. Whatever the consensus is works for me. In GRUYERE the consensus seemed to be that I was in.
 
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