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Intro: Recent DE convert / daddy / cyclist / photographer / singer / cuber

Hi all,

I hail from the SF Bay Area, and have only just come around to wet shaving in the past few months. I'm fairly value-minded, so I wince at the thought of the money I've wasted on decades worth of cartridges! Having a blast trying DE blades & products while dialing in my technique.

A few details about the other interests in my topic title...
  • Daddy: my wife and I have a 10yr old daughter and an 8yr old son... they're fun, kind, smart, and (like me) fully bilingual & bi-literate (English/Spanish). I've known since I was ~10 myself that I wanted to be a daddy, and am thankful for a job that leaves plenty of time to hang out with my family.
  • Cyclist: we're a one car family, and I commute to work on my road bike every day, rain or shine, about 25 to 35 miles a day depending on the route. I'm also part of a fun riding group that hits the foothills and trails around the Bay Area once a week. A typical group ride is ~30 miles with 1,500ft of climbing, followed by beers & laughs at a restaurant.
  • Photographer: a hobby for ~7 years, I do landscape photography and casual portraits, including a handful of paid gigs and a ton of volunteer work for our kids' school and our church. I use a Sony "mirrorless" camera and have a few vintage, manual lenses in my kit, which I prefer for certain types of work. I enjoy the creative aspects of photography *and* editing.
  • Singer: I've sung for as long as I can remember... church, college a cappella, and spontaneously in nearly any situation. I'm known among my cycling buddies for bursting into song in the middle of a ride, with selections ranging from hammed-up show tunes (ex. "Climb Every Mountain") to ballads in English or Spanish.
  • Cuber: more a quirky side interest than a defining passion. When my son asked for help solving his new Rubik's cube after Christmas, I took to YouTube and learned the Roux Method, an approach used by some "speedcubers," and taught it to him. Turns out cubing was really fun to learn together, and has proved to be a fun non-electronic brain teaser, stress reliever & distraction for fidgety fingers. My son & I would certainly be decimated in any serious competition, but are nevertheless pleased with our current top times of 52 seconds & 42 seconds, respectively.
On to the shaving stuff! Very minimal gear thus far...
  • Maggard MR3 handle -- started with a Maggard v3 head and switched to a Maggard Slant. The slant makes the blades stiffer & gives me a longer-lasting shave, justifying the minimal extra effort involved in getting new blades aligned. To their credit, Maggard has been up very front about the fact slant owners may need to manually aligning blades... a task easily done by nudging the blade's side tab(s) with a fingernail before you fully tighten the head.
  • Maggard 22mm Synthetic brush (black fibers, bronze handle) -- better loading than the generic boar brush I tried first, quick cleaning & drying.
  • SimplyBeautiful black brush/razor stand.
Consumables...
  • Blades: Polsilver Super Iridium trounced a field of ~20 blades... the runners-up were Rapira Platinum Lux (closer than the PSI but too harsh for daily use) and Gillette Silver Blue (mild enough for comfortable daily use, but not as close as the PSI). I tried some of the lauded favorites (like Feather and Astra SP) several times, and they just didn't agree with my skin & beard.
  • Cream/Soap: Started with Proraso blue tube (Aloe/VitE) cream and no brush, but I was going through it at an alarming rate. I'm now loading my brush with Cella, which seems to work a little better, and is lasting longer. Will probably try out a couple of others before settling on one... seems there should be something a little thicker & slicker. Recommendations welcome, especially if you've tried Cella... I'm partial to light on the fragrance so it doesn't conflict with my cologne.
  • Aftershave: I really like Fine Snake Bite... I was using it up really quickly, though, so I'm now making my own version with vodka, Thayer Witch Hazel, and menthol crystals. Still tweaking the proportions a bit, but IMO it's already at least as good as the original. I use it after applying alum, a dab of Proraso cream (smooths out the gritty feel after the alum's rinsed off, then allows for some final cleanup shaving if needed) and coconut oil.
Looking forward to chatting with and learning from this community!
 
Welcome to the B&B forums. My son is taking a music education program from Liberty University. Sounds like you are quite busy. Great to have you here.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Welcome to Badger and Blade @RazorMackham.
Sounds like you have a solid kit you are enjoying. Pop over to the soap forum and you will find lots of ideas/advice on thicker/slicker soaps and creams.
 
Welcome to B&B! I like Fine Snake Bite too, and your handcrafted version sounds very interesting. :001_smile
It's super simple, but then again the original is, too. I bought 2oz cobalt glass spray bottles... filled them just over halfway with vodka, added ~6 menthol crystals (a little goes a long way!), then filled the rest of the bottle with Thayer's Witch Hazel.

I spray into my hand to apply it, or spray directly onto my neck after a less-than-ideal shave. Still have about a third of a bottle of the original, and I really can't feel a difference... if anything, my version is more soothing. Figure I'm better off with the added witch hazel, anyway... and my little bottles are waaay more travel friendly.

Noticed later on that Walgreens carries generic Witch Hazel at $4/16oz, so I'll switch to that when my bottle of Thayer's runs out. Even at $10/12oz for the Thayers, though, the savings compared to the original Snake Bite at ~$16+shipping/3.3oz are dramatic. Especially considering I had a nearly-full bottle of Smirnoff's I'd literally not opened in 3 or 4 years.
 
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Hi all,

I hail from the SF Bay Area, and have only just come around to wet shaving in the past few months. I'm fairly value-minded, so I wince at the thought of the money I've wasted on decades worth of cartridges! Having a blast trying DE blades & products while dialing in my technique.

A few details about the other interests in my topic title...
  • Daddy: my wife and I have a 10yr old daughter and an 8yr old son... they're fun, kind, smart, and (like me) fully bilingual & bi-literate (English/Spanish). I've known since I was ~10 myself that I wanted to be a daddy, and am thankful for a job that leaves plenty of time to hang out with my family.
  • Cyclist: we're a one car family, and I commute to work on my road bike every day, rain or shine, about 25 to 35 miles a day depending on the route. I'm also part of a fun riding group that hits the foothills and trails around the Bay Area once a week. A typical group ride is ~30 miles with 1,500ft of climbing, followed by beers & laughs at a restaurant.
  • Photographer: a hobby for ~7 years, I do landscape photography and casual portraits, including a handful of paid gigs and a ton of volunteer work for our kids' school and our church. I use a Sony "mirrorless" camera and have a few vintage, manual lenses in my kit, which I prefer for certain types of work. I enjoy the creative aspects of photography *and* editing.
  • Singer: I've sung for as long as I can remember... church, college a cappella, and spontaneously in nearly any situation. I'm known among my cycling buddies for bursting into song in the middle of a ride, with selections ranging from hammed-up show tunes (ex. "Climb Every Mountain") to ballads in English or Spanish.
  • Cuber: more a quirky side interest than a defining passion. When my son asked for help solving his new Rubik's cube after Christmas, I took to YouTube and learned the Roux Method, an approach used by some "speedcubers," and taught it to him. Turns out cubing was really fun to learn together, and has proved to be a fun non-electronic brain teaser, stress reliever & distraction for fidgety fingers. My son & I would certainly be decimated in any serious competition, but are nevertheless pleased with our current top times of 52 seconds & 42 seconds, respectively.
On to the shaving stuff! Very minimal gear thus far...
  • Maggard MR3 handle -- started with a Maggard v3 head and switched to a Maggard Slant. The slant makes the blades stiffer & gives me a longer-lasting shave, justifying the minimal extra effort involved in getting new blades aligned. To their credit, Maggard has been up very front about the fact slant owners may need to manually aligning blades... a task easily done by nudging the blade's side tab(s) with a fingernail before you fully tighten the head.
  • Maggard 22mm Synthetic brush (black fibers, bronze handle) -- better loading than the generic boar brush I tried first, quick cleaning & drying.
  • SimplyBeautiful black brush/razor stand.
Consumables...
  • Blades: Polsilver Super Iridium trounced a field of ~20 blades... the runners-up were Rapira Platinum Lux (closer than the PSI but too harsh for daily use) and Gillette Silver Blue (mild enough for comfortable daily use, but not as close as the PSI). I tried some of the lauded favorites (like Feather and Astra SP) several times, and they just didn't agree with my skin & beard.
  • Cream/Soap: Started with Proraso blue tube (Aloe/VitE) cream and no brush, but I was going through it at an alarming rate. I'm now loading my brush with Cella, which seems to work a little better, and is lasting longer. Will probably try out a couple of others before settling on one... seems there should be something a little thicker & slicker. Recommendations welcome, especially if you've tried Cella... I'm partial to light on the fragrance so it doesn't conflict with my cologne.
  • Aftershave: I really like Fine Snake Bite... I was using it up really quickly, though, so I'm now making my own version with vodka, Thayer Witch Hazel, and menthol crystals. Still tweaking the proportions a bit, but IMO it's already at least as good as the original. I use it after applying alum, a dab of Proraso cream (smooths out the gritty feel after the alum's rinsed off, then allows for some final cleanup shaving if needed) and coconut oil.
Looking forward to chatting with and learning from this community!
Welcome
 
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