Formulating my opinions

[jtyson]

Another update. I've been trying a couple new soaps, and tried a new blade.

Razor is still an R41. I'm really glad that I found something that works so well for me. Cured me of my RAD for sure.

Blade I tried is an Asco. It is a tolerable 1 shave blade. Second shave it was too dull.

Soaps/creams -

Mike's Hungarian Lavender - Man do I love the smell of this soap. Fantastic. But I can't get it to lather very well, and the slickness/cushion is less than stellar. The scent is good enough to make me keep trying it though.

AOS Lavender cream - Awesome scent and performance. No complaints, other than wish I would have found it sooner.

HTGAM Irish Cream - Fantastic performance, mediocre scent.

HTGAM Cherry Sandalwood Vanilla - Great performance, mediocre scent.

I will be looking for more HTGAM soaps. I think their performance is top notch. Honestly, the best soap I've tried. I also intend to get some more AOS creams, as I thoroughly enjoyed using the lavender cream.

I tried an aftershave, simply because I'm very interested in them now due to reading on here. HTGAM Autumn Factory. Whoa...talk about strong. If this is how "in your face" all aftershaves are, I think I'll stick to my Nivea sensitive balm, which I find to be more than heavily scented enough.

Since I updated about my eyes last time, I figured I'd let everyone know about my current progress. Where I had metal in the eyes, it is still very sensitive, and I have a minimal amount of pain while my cornea is healing. Dry eyes have been a bad problem over night, which is miserable, because when I snap awake for whatever reason, it feels like my cornea is stuck to my eyelids and torn off when I open my eyes. Pretty awful pain for a couple hours. Otherwise, my vision improvement is pretty awesome in my dominant eye, but less so in my other eye. I go back for a re-evaluation mid December and hopefully find out whether or not they are going to have to operate again on the bad eye.

 

[jtyson]

Well, I've been feeding my soap and cream addiction. Purchased a bunch more. Gonna try them all and have another BST posting for the ones that I don't care for.

Catie's Bubbles Irish Cream - Wanted to love it, but didn't. Performance was good, but scent I didn't like much.

Barrister & Mann Tre Citta First Snow - Performance was fair, but scent is awesome. I love Christmas and this smells just like a fresh cut tree. Awesome.

DR Harris Windsor - Fantastic smell and good performance.

So my RAD has been non existent for quite some time now. No real interest in razor shopping. Until the other day. I saw chatter about the Mongoose. Now I want to get my hands on one and see what I think. Never used a SE razor before, so not sure if it'll be for me, but as soon as someone wants to sell theirs, or I can get one from Mongoose, I'm gonna give it a try. I've seen a lot of comparisons to the R41 which is my go to razor, and people say it is milder, but just as efficient and much more refined. We shall see!

 

[Bossies]

Regarding soaps and scents, I have recently abandoned my own quests for best product and settled on my future having one or two favourites while the majority will be unscented soap with a drop or two of essential oil added. I will use First Canadian Shave Soap Company. Oils I have so far are peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, and lavender. I'll be getting a lot more of them though. I just mix up what I feel like on the day.

Regarding your recovery, I've been as close as someone can be without experiencing it myself. You have my best wishes. A recommendation for dry eyes at night is the Bausch & Lomb Liposic Ophthalmic liquid gel. For drops you can use as often as you like, try the Refresh Tears Liquid Gel.

 

[jtyson]

Thanks for the response! For the soaps, originally I was on the hunt for what didn't bother my skin or nose. Seems as though I've found a handful of scents that don't, so at this rate, I'm trying mostly different soap maker's versions to see which I like best. Though I do still throw in some new scents from time to time.

Thanks so much for the tips for my eyes. I've learned the easiest way for me to battle the night time dry eye is to make sure I'm drinking a full gallon of water every day. If I keep my hydration up, I have no issues, with or without eye drops. With that said, a gallon is a lot of water and often tough to do, so I use Refresh Plus preservative free vials during the day currently because I bought a ton of them right after surgery. At night sometimes I'll use Genteal gel eye drops, although honestly I don't care for how the gel feels. Ultimately, I've learned to keep my eyes closed no matter how abruptly I wake up. If my eyes feel even remotely uncomfortable or feel like they'll be difficult to open, I'll move my eyes around with the lids closed and wait until they come apart easily. Sometimes keeps me in bed for an hour. Luckily I work for myself from the house, otherwise I'd surely have been fired by now for being late! I've tried stumbling blindly to the bathroom for a warm rag, but that has proven to be more dangerous with 3 dogs that don't seem to understand my struggle to walk without seeing lol!

 

[Bossies]

Indeed drinking a gallon of water a day is tough. That is a lot. And I'm not 100% certain it's good for the kidneys either - too little OR too much water can be a strain on them. It could also dilute the salts balance in your body. Double check that though; I may be incorrect about it.

The gel eye drops feel weird indeed, and make your vision blurry for a while, but that is why they're best used when retiring for the night. This person has told me that they use it for a few days to "break the cycle" of dry eyes, following which they have a period of up to 8 weeks without issues before the cycle starts again and needs treatment. It's also weather dependent - when the air has a spell of lower humidity, it causes issues requiring treatment.

Also, with three dogs around, you're in good company!

 

[jtyson]

My doctor actually told me to drink a full gallon every day a couple years back because of high blood pressure. Said it makes a difference. I'm not so good at it though.

I may have to try using the gel drops more religiously and see if that helps. Unfortunately, here in New Mexico we live in a perpetual state of thirst. We average a hefty 9" of precipitation yearly and day to day our relative humidity is usually about 20-30%.

 

[Bossies]

. . .

I may have to try using the gel drops more religiously and see if that helps. Unfortunately, here in New Mexico we live in a perpetual state of thirst. We average a hefty 9" of precipitation yearly and day to day our relative humidity is usually about 20-30%.

The eyes and nasal passages certainly take a beating in conditions like that! Growing up in a dry area, I had almost daily nosebleeds.

 

[jtyson]

Wanted to check in. I've become a stranger to the forum. Unfortunately, that is primarily because of the change in the marketplace. I am not a fan. Not in the slightest. I loved buying stuff on there before, but now, it feels too commercial. Oh well, evolve or die! I may try listing something on there and see if I hate it as much from a sellers point of view.

Either way, I should still come on here and be a part of the community too. Give back something other than money. So, I'll do my best to come on and throw out some more opinions on some soaps/creams I've tried.

I did find a member with a Satin Mongoose who was willing to sell. That should be here in the next couple days. I'm really looking forward to trying that, but admittedly have some buyers remorse after dropping $150 on a single razor. It is just a crazy amount of money on a single piece of grooming equipment.

I've become more aware lately of how much money I've thrown away on this "Hobby". Truth is, I do this with everything I get into. I go crazy for a while then burn out. Normally I sell everything off and forget the hobby all together. Shaving doesn't work like that though, so I'm experiencing mixed feelings about much of it. I love the creams and soaps. I don't mind the razors. I don't particularly care one way or the other about the actual shaving. For me it is about the products. The tangible items. My beard is going to be there day in and day out whether I shave it with a custom straight razor or a single blade bic. So I've been trying to talk myself into not buying anything else, because ultimately, these are just things to use to remove something that will reappear tomorrow. So far, I'm not doing very well. I haven't bought any soaps/creams in a month or two, but this razor purchase was a big one. I think I may quit after this...maybe. It really is like an odd addiction of sorts..

 

[jtyson]

Well, the Mongoose is gone. Tried it for a week with Feather Professional blades and Feather Super Profession blades. The Super Pros gave a good shave, but not so amazing that I was able to justify keeping it over continuing use of my R41 which has been nothing but great since I picked it up.

I will say though, buying it ignited my RAD again. I know I said I was going to try to quit, but just a couple more scores..... I'm pretty much a junky. Hey, at least this isn't crack! Although it is equally expensive.

Now I'm thinking about ordering a Feather AC SS. I've actually used one of these before and I do like them. Amazon Prime has them right now for $71, so I think I may jump on that. I've got a bunch of blades to use up anyway.

Also hoping to get added to a pass around for a King Cobra. Now that is an absurdly priced piece, but apparently they are worth it because they are rare to find on the BST of any of the shaving sites I watch, and they still haven't restocked them on Classic Shaving

I've been selling/trading off some of my soaps/creams reserves. I've realized that it is probably a little crazy to have enough soap to last a decade or two. I acquired some HTGAM Lime from a member who happens to be local in my area, which is neat, because I now feel like I'm not the only weird guy with a shaving hobby in Albuquerque. Though I will say, as I am growing a light beard currently, when I meet people in person that are shaving geeks like me, they do tend to look at me a bit odd most likely because I have facial hair and waste tons of time and money on shaving gear. Eh...whatever.

 

[jtyson]

I've decided that to date, my favorite scent in a soap/cream is DR Harris Windsor. I just think it is stellar. I've been tempted to pick up the cologne, but I'm not sure I'm willing to commit to the scent throughout the whole day. Also, I'm young, and I consider this a bit more of an older man's scent. Maybe that is stupid, but it seems to me that it is something someone 40+ would wear. I can't be chasing off the ladies wearing an "old" scent!

Cleaned up my old ball end OC and used that tonight. It is too mild for my liking. Still prefer my R41. The OC did a fine job, but much more care has to go into blade angle just to get it to cut at all, and that is a bit more work than I care to put in.

I did manage to get my name on the King Cobra pass around, and if all goes well, in about a week I should get a shot to try it out. I'm a little reluctant, because I'm sure I will love it, and then won't be able to get my hands on one without offering my first born to someone who is hoarding them.

 

[jtyson]

Long overdue update. I loved the time I spent with the King Cobra and have been looking for one since I had to pass it on. Almost thinking about designing my own along the same design. Not sure I have the skills/tools, but could probably acquire them more easily than a King Cobra.

I've begun to thin my herd and get rid of razors, soaps and creams that I just don't love. I've realized that I have way too much to bother with keeping things that aren't, in my opinion, awesome. One that I am fairly upset about is the DR Harris Windsor soap. It is very quickly losing its scent, which is my favorite part about it. On a happier note, I made a trade of a razor for some Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet cream which I used for the first time this evening. Performance is great. Post shave feel is great. Scent is great. All around, probably the nicest cream I've tried to date.

Trusty R41 is still going strong, but I will say, I've become bored with it. If it didn't give me consistently good shaves, I would be playing the razor swap game again until I get my hands on a Cobra. That is the ultimate goal anyway.

 

[jtyson]

Since my last post, nothing much has changed. Still shaving with the same razor, using the same brush and hadn't added any new soaps/creams, until today. I got a tube of CO Bigelow in the mail. When I first started wet shaving, someone sent me what I thought was a sample of CO Bigelow and I was extremely excited to buy a tube of that icy cool cream. Well, either I was told wrong in the beginning, or I just can't feel it now, because the shave was just....normal. No icy menthol feel. So most likely I'll get rid of this cream. I don't care for the scent and performance wasn't above anything else that I have.

For a mere blink of an eye, I thought I was going to be able to get my hands on a King Cobra. I found a member who had one for sale, but I just couldn't come up with enough cash. He said he was going to hang onto it, so the next time I have a few extra bills laying around, I'll likely give him a shout and see if I can muscle him out of it, if he hasn't gotten rid of it already.

 

[jtyson]

So my grandfather passed away about 2 months ago. My grandmother asked me if there was anything of his that I would like to have. I have spent the last few years helping take care of him - he had alzheimers. We didn't really share anything special like some do, but he did have some shaving equipment that I liked, so she gave me two of his stands with brushes. Didn't have any razors as he has been using carts for as long as they have been out, but still, I'm glad to have a little something of his. They aren't anything special, but here they are.

 

[jtyson]

Well, I finally got a King Cobra. Wonderful razor. So nice in fact that I don't even gag when I think about the fact that I spent over $200 on a single shaving implement.

If you've ever used one, you know, the razor speaks for itself. It is a fantastic shave. Efficient. Smooth. Really, not much more I could ask for from the shave.

Presentation is where it dies though. The razor looks great, but it is delivered to you with the same loving care that you would expect receiving a $10 ball end tech. Mine came wrapped in a couple sheets of tissue paper, a layer of bubble wrap, and was stuffed in a simple cardboard box with a Classic Shaving logo sticker. Adequate to get the item to the buyer in good condition - sure. Worthy of any praises beyond that - not a chance. It kills me that I can spend $240 on a razor, and they don't even care to give it a proper box. What about the old Gillette Aristocrat or Bostonian or the like in their hard case covered in leather or metal adorned with decorative engravings, with a pillow of silk or velvet and accompanied by a plated blade holder. THAT was the definition of elegance. A product deserving to be delivered as something to be proud of. The King Cobra simply falls short in that category. I'm tempted to fashion a custom box for mine. I wish that Classic Shaving took as much pride in displaying their razors as they do in making a hefty buck on them.

 

[jtyson]

I've not been around in quite some time. I got comfortable with my daily setup, but recently bought a new razor off a group on Facebook, and while I actually don't care for it too much, it made me realize how much time I used to spend on this site, and how much money just a few years ago. So I figured I'd update this do a little digging around the forum, and post the new razor on the BST, assuming that is still a thing.

So the King Cobra - I liked it, really did. But didn't end up loving it. I sold it shortly after buying.

For my face, I still use my R41, and honestly, anything else I try feels sub par. For the money, I just can't beat it. The new razor I bought was an ATT SE1 with the Bamboo handle. Very nice looking piece, and I've always had an infatuation with the single edge idea. However, to me, it feels very heavy and a bit unbalanced. So I'm gonna roll back around to the R41, and probably just stay there.

For my head, I use a razor that was advertised to me on Facebook one day. Called the Defender. It is shaped a little different, ergonomics on it are excellent for the head IMO. Blades are spaced further apart so it doesn't clog. I really, really like it. And it is cheap. It doesn't feel buttery smooth or cut tight edges, but for slicking the dome, it does the job very well, very quick.

Soaps/Creams......oh boy. I used to buy so many. Crazy. I haven't bought a single one in probably 3 years. Still working on what I stocked up, which honestly, wasn't a ton. About a shoebox full of various. I still love the Proraso Blue and my Musgo lavender cream and treat myself with my Penhaligons Blenheim cream. Just thinking about this makes me miss buying all sorts of various scents. Maybe I'll pick up the addiction again.

Never did pick a cologne. I notice myself smelling people around town, and 90% of the time, their scent is an attempt at pleasant, but tips the scale to offensive. Has anyone tried Scentbird? Or anything similar?

I don't know that anyone will actually read all this, as it is long, and a post necromancy, but I wanted to drop in and update things so that in a few years, I can come back again and see where I'm at.