I am glad you cracked the 10108 code. I have never used MDC but I understand it is a very hard soap so I can imagine that a soft boar like this one would need quite a bit of loading to get enough product on the brush for a good lather.
It is not really that hard in my opinion. For example the SV soap is harder. I think it has more to do with the fact that boar fibres need more water from the start to load a decent amount of soap than a synthetic brush? But hey, I am only a user trying to find out what works when for myself ;-)I am glad you cracked the 10108 code. I have never used MDC but I understand it is a very hard soap so I can imagine that a soft boar like this one would need quite a bit of loading to get enough product on the brush for a good lather.
I think it has more to do with the fact that boar fibres need more water from the start to load a decent amount of soap than a synthetic brush?
Agree, but I am sure that is not the case with this one (yet). I have only used it for about 10-15 times. I blame it more on my intrinsic character, being a bit on the cautious side of things ;-) Like I said... user error.Usually, if I had real trouble that blooming the soap couldn't solve, it's because I had a "dead brush" like we discussed before!
I hope you're having a great time.Thanks all for the birthday wishes. I haven’t been here the last few days, we are offin
. And of course I brought my Proraso with me
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Nice write up. I see you are embracing the joy of the obsessionIt is about time that I started writing my own experiences with wet shaving. Certainly since I have been doing that since 2020. On a Dutch forum, I posted my list of razors I have owned, and it would be good to have it all in a topic, that is, from now on ;-) Perhaps I will write down the list here as well, but not now. Something about me: male ;-) nearly 53 years old, Dutch, married, working, love padel and tennis.
I started back in 2020 with an EJ DE89, an EJ best badger brush, some Proraso white, Nivea after shave balm. From then on, I was lost. Tried quite a few DE razors, experimented a lot with Schick injector razors, as well as with some AC type razors. Since about a year or so, I have gone back to just 1 platform of classical razors, the DE. Also gone from badger to boar to synthetic brushed. Since this month, I have 1 boar brush again, next to my synthetics.
I also went from mild (EJ DE89), to more efficient (Fatip Grande, Lupo95, Blackbird), to even more aggressive (like R41), but now I have come back to the start. With my improved technique, I noticed I like the milder razors better. I also upgraded in the soap department, although I still like Proraso (or other cheaper soaps) as well.
That's me and my journey in a nutshell so far. Will periodically post here to keep you guys updated on my shaves and my experiences with some of the products used.
For now, I will end with the (few) products I currently own and all use. I am not a collector, so everything I have is being used or sold / exchanged.
Razors:
Tatara Masamune with SB and OC plates
Karve Overlander
Karve Christopher Bradley with SB-C and OC-B plates
Razorock Game Changer .68 -P and -OC . I also have an .84-P plate, but don't use that one anymore
Mühle R106 (a R89 with a black handle). I only use(d) this one on holidays.
The Lupo has left, the Mühle is not in the photo.
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Brushes:
Razorock Plissoft (synth)
Frank Shaving - Pur-tech (synth)
Mühle - Silvertip Fibre (size M, synth)
Omega - 10108 (boar)
Soaps:
Martin de Candre - Nature
Martin de Candre - Vétyver
Saponificio Varesino - Mirto di Sardegna
Proraso - Eucalyptus & menthol
Stirling - Naked & Smooth
Stirling - Sheep
And a photo of my last shave (from today), which included the last December buys (Omega and SV soap):
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There’s always pickleballWelcome to the Journals and Diaries, sir.
I don't have one myself but I'm a regular around these parts.
I used to love playing tennis but since I tore the MTP joint in my right foot it just isn't possible anymore.
One of my heroes.
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haha, I know, but that is only hot in the USA, not here in Europe (yet). But perhaps it is an option for @Eric_75 indeed ;-)There’s always pickleball
I've had that happen, I had a soap that I was a little on the fence about but it kept growing on me to the point that I used it exclusively until it was gone. Well, almost gone, just a few chunks left. I went back to it several months later and I was back to being ambivalent about the scent.Sometimes I think, what the *$)( is this? Then 10 minutes later I love it. Can you imagine?