My Journey - So Far

[Lockback]

My 1960 F3 Gillette Super Speed Regular arrived today.
It will receive its baptism of soap (well, in this household anyway) tomorrow morning.

 

[Lockback]

I shaved with my new (to me) 1960 Gillette Super Speed Regular Tip this morning and, in typical vintage Gillette fashion, it was yet another spectacularly good shave.

Here it is with its three bothers (in chronological order):

L to R: 1952 Super Speed (X3), 1953 Super Speed (Y2), 1955 Super Speed Blue Tip (A3), 1960 Super Speed Regular Tip (F3)

It's hard to believe that razors 63-71 years old are still so incredibly good. But they are.

 

[Lockback]

So I started my journey using Proraso Green (and doing a lousy job of lathering). It wasn't the soap's fault, it was mine: lousy technique and, frankly, a pretty crummy brush. I quickly became discouraged and tried some Cremo shave cream and it was love at first shave. I used it almost exclusively for awhile, then decided to revisit Proraso and add a couple more soaps, in this case Stirling Soap's Margaritas In The Arctic and Bay Rum. Again ... disappointment. Lather still wasn't great and, compared to the Cremo products, just not very slick.
I was gifted some Tabac and that started to swing the pendulum back again. First, it's a great soap. Second, I had added a better brush to my den. And, third, my technique had improved. I then added yet another brush from Maggard's (which is amazing) and ordered some more Stirling samples pretty much on a whim. If I was going to give up on traditional shave soaps and go only with Cremo - not that there's anything wrong with that - I was going to go down swinging.
And now I find myself easing back into the shave soap genre. My technique is better, I have a shave bowl I got from Stirling Soap, a converted dog bowl (!) with nice little nibs on the bottom that accommodate better lather creation, and on most mornings I enjoy the act of picking out which soap and which brush I'm going to use and going to work. It's part of the ritual, if you will, and being retired, I usually have the time.
Either way, soap or cream, works for me. Some days I enjoy the longer process, loading the brush, making the lather, etc. Others, like this morning, I'd just as soon squeeze out a little Cremo, smear it on my face and get it done. It's a consistently excellent shave cream (I have four different 'flavors'), very slick and protective of my face and extremely economical too, although prices here in Ohio have skyrocketed in the last few months ...
The point is that both work. And given the luxury of time, I'm happy to use whatever moves me on any given day, matched with whatever razor and blade I'm going to shave with.
I look forward to the process every day.

 

[Lockback]

So I wrote this in my first post on this journal:
I've posted before that my memory of my early shaves is just non-existent. The Gillette Trac II came out the year I graduated high school, 1971. I have no recollection of shaving before that or when I tried my first cartridge razor."
I've racked my brain and still have absolutely no clue what I used to shave prior to cartridge razors.
It's an absolute mystery.
And it's really frustrating me.

 

[Kix]

So I wrote this in my first post on this journal:
I've posted before that my memory of my early shaves is just non-existent. The Gillette Trac II came out the year I graduated high school, 1971. I have no recollection of shaving before that or when I tried my first cartridge razor."
I've racked my brain and still have absolutely no clue what I used to shave prior to cartridge razors.
It's an absolute mystery.
And it's really frustrating me.

I also graduated in '71 and can't remember the early stages of shaving. I remember having a puck of Williams soap in a cup and a brush, but besides that, it's all a blur.

Such is life, I suppose!

 

[Phoenixkh]

I also graduated in 1971. I do remember shaving starting around 14 with a rotary electric since my Dad was an electric razor user. I never liked the burns they seemed to leave behind. I know I borrowed a Schick injector from my mother (I now have the two G Schick razors she used) and a Gillette TTO razor she also used. I would guess that was probably when I was a senior.

Then I went overseas a few days after graduation and when I got back to the States in 1973, I started using Gillette cartridge razors...until I started wet shaving last year in February. The Trac II was what I bought a few days after getting home.

 

[thombrogan]

Your Gillette Super Speeds are clouding your memory to protect you from rougher times, @Lockback

 

[Lockback]

Your Gillette Super Speeds are clouding your memory to protect you from rougher times, @Lockback

I do believe you're correct, sir!

 

[Lockback]

Hoo boy ... another Super Speed will soon wing its way to my den, this one a 1940's edition with no date stamp on the base plate (so it was made prior to 1951).

STOP ME BEFORE I SPEND AGAIN!!!!

 

[desertcat]

@Lockback I am only now feeling restrained in my purchasing, and I'm just shy of hitting the $1K purchases mark since December... At least don't let me buy any more soaps! I've got more than 10 years worth at this point!

 

[Lockback]

@Lockback I am only now feeling restrained in my purchasing, and I'm just shy of hitting the $1K purchases mark since December... At least don't let me buy any more soaps! I've got more than 10 years worth at this point!

I hear ya, brother!

 

[Lockback]

WARNING! RAMBLING DISSERTATION AHEAD!!!​

So for years, many, many years in fact, I got up early every morning to go to work. For over four decades, I was at my desk by 7:30 AM even though for some years I lived some distance away. I'm not complaining, mind you. I loved my work and went by the addage: "The earlier I get to work, the earlier I can go home."
But the fact is I didn't have much time for shaving. I'm not a morning person, although I was more lively back then. I was on a tight schedule: shower & shave and grab a bite on the way to the office and be quick about it. Climb out of the shower, shoot some Barbasol into the palm, spread it around quickly, grab my cartridge razor (Atra? Mach III? I don't remember ...) and have at it.
I'm retired now and have the time in the morning to shave at my leisure. And since slipping into the clutches of traditional shaving last year, I enjoy taking my time in the wee hours (yes, I still get up early. It's a curse.)
But what do I enjoy the most?
Choices.
I'm not tied to just my Mach III or Dollar Shave Club Executive or Barbasol anymore (which, by the way, I liked a lot). No, now I have a virtual cornucopia of choices: 21 different models of blades, 10 different razors ranging from a late 1940's Gillette Super Speed to a modern stainless steel Game Changer, 5 shaving creams, 8 shave soaps and 3 shave brushes.
Like I said, choices are good. Every day is a fun roulette wheel: which combination shall I choose today?
Of course, with well over 200 traditional shaves under my belt, I have some "go-to" shave combos, but frankly it's more fun to spin the wheel and see what I can come up with every morning.
Let's face it: my life isn't all that fascinating. And I'm easily amused.
The same applies elsewhere in my life.
About six years ago, I got a modest Christmas bonus from my employer and thought it would be fun to get an electric guitar, something I'd wanted since I was a teenager. So I did; I bought an inexpensive Yamaha and a small Fender amplifier. I didn't spend much because I wasn't sure I'd take to it, although I had played a little guitar back in college and I have some musical acuity. Sure enough, I took to it like the proverbial duck to water and a few months later bought another electric guitar. Then an acoustic which my father-in-law kindly bought as a gift. Then another and another and ... well I'm up to five electrics and two acoustics and two amps now.
Firearms? Same thing, although my journey there is much, much longer ... over four decades. But suffice it to say I have choices.
Some people ask, "What do you need X number of razors/guns/guitars for? You can only use one at a time!" But they're missing the point. Variety is the spice of life and makes things more fun than the same old same old.
Of course, there's a limit to everything and I don't plan on buying too many more razors or soaps or guitars, for that matter. But it's nice to look around and say, "I think I'll play the Telecaster tonight" or "I think I'll shave with the 1953 Gillette Super Speed this morning with the Stirling Barbershop soap and Maggard's brush."
As a buddy of mine once said, "It makes it more better."

 

[Lockback]

My in-laws are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. They're both pushing 91 years old and still (relatively) active. How they've managed to stay married all those years is a minor miracle. She's the most critical, demanding person I've ever known. She's lucky her husband is a kind, patient man ...
So Mrs. Lockback wanted to go all-out for them (nobody else in her family would) and make a nice dinner for them. We did snow crab legs, flank steak on the grill, salad and mashed potatoes served on our finest China ...
But enough of that: my father-in-law is a pretty cool guy. And he knows I love vintage razors and he was wandering around a local antique store and bought me this.
I know it's an Ever-Ready and clearly a travel razor but beyond that, I haven't a clue.
If any of you guys have an idea, let me know here if you know when it was made, etc. It uses a half blade, the type used in Exacto knives, apparently ...

 

[thombrogan]

Congratulations, Lockback’s in-laws!

 

[Lockback]

I'm slowly evolving my lathering technique and think I may have stumbled on something that really works for me.
I purchased a repurposed collapsible dog bowl from Stirling Soaps that has nubs on the bottom which helps to stimulate lather and I love it.
But now I've developed a bit of a hybrid system: I lather the brush for about 30 seconds and begin to face lather with it, getting a decent layer on my face. Then I wet the bristles just a bit and go to the shave bowl and get more lather and use that for the second pass and touch up passes. Nothing earth shattering but it does seem to work better than just using the bowl.

 

[huck1680]

I'm slowly evolving my lathering technique and think I may have stumbled on something that really works for me.
I purchased a repurposed collapsible dog bowl from Stirling Soaps that has nubs on the bottom which helps to stimulate lather and I love it.
But now I've developed a bit of a hybrid system: I lather the brush for about 30 seconds and begin to face lather with it, getting a decent layer on my face. Then I wet the bristles just a bit and go to the shave bowl and get more lather and use that for the second pass and touch up passes. Nothing earth shattering but it does seem to work better than just using the bowl.

I use a collapsible silicone dog bowl as well. It's excellent and it folds flat for traveling. I use cream soaps in a tube and use about an inch in the bowl. I then lather for about a minute which builds up a nice lather. I tend to use synthetics for this but my boars are getting better.

 

[Lockback]

As my journey continues, I've come to a few conclusions ...

• Once I got used to modern safety razors (Rockwell, Game Changer, etc.) and my technique improved, the next Big Step was getting my first vintage Gillette razor. I'm a history lover but my somewhat romantic and nostalgic notions of using a 70-year-old razor were bolstered mightily when I realized that these weren't just some quaint old tools but simply superb shaving instruments. They opened up a whole new world for me. I currently have five Super Speeds and plan on adding a couple more eventually, perhaps even a Slim Adjustable or Fatboy down the road ...
• Blades. Of the several variables (razor, blade, soap/cream, brush), I think the blade quite possibly is the biggest difference maker. I've had the opportunity to test a lot of different brands and makes. I started out with sample packs, which I highly recommend. Frankly, I was looking for alternatives to Gillette blades and found a few, particularly Derby Extra, Shark Super Stainless and the Tiger Platinum. But frankly, when push came to shove, my favorite blades are Nacets, Perma-Sharps and Astra SPs, all three of which are Gillette/Proctor & Gamble products. It is what it is. Not surprisingly, those are the three blades I have most of in my shave den. My days of experimenting with different combinations have waned a bit. I've learned what works for me and what doesn't. It's fun to try new combos here an there but I'm at a point where I don't need surprises so much. This morning's shave was my 1952 Gillette Super Speed, a Nacet blade and Proraso Green shave soap. I expected it to be a great shave and it was because I know those elements work almost every time.

More rambles later but I've got a big day tomorrow ...

 

[Guido75]

"What do you need X number of razors/guns/guitars for? You can only use one at a time!" But they're missing the point. Variety is the spice of life and makes things more fun than the same old same old.

Two things - one you are absolutely right. Two: I am so gonna quote you to the LOTH when new razors arrive! No honey, Dan made me do it with his world views!

But number one still rules - it is such fun!!

Thanks for the dissertation Dan!

Cheers,

Guido

 

[Lockback]

Two things - one you are absolutely right. Two: I am so gonna quote you to the LOTH when new razors arrive! No honey, Dan made me do it with his world views!

But number one still rules - it is such fun!!

Thanks for the dissertation Dan!

Cheers,

Guido

 

[ButterfaceX]

I've been riding motorcycles for 45 years and still have one, a Yamaha FJR1300 sport-touring bike. Really fast and smooth. But I got COVID a couple of years ago and have never totally recovered. It's pretty much sat in the garage the last couple of years. My sense of balance isn't what it used to be and a few months away from 70 years old, I no longer have the sense of adventure I once did. I plan on selling the bike this Spring and finally letting go over one of my great passions. I've traveled a lot of states on motorcycles over the years and have tons of great memories but the time has come to pursue other things.
Today I ordered another electric guitar, which has become one of my passions the last few years. It's a lot safer than riding a motorcycle.

Hi Lockback,
Keep the updates coming!
I hear you on aging, it's not for faint of heart .
I will be 66 on the 25th.
I also love motorcycles, started a 15 dirt ride, then quickly to the street once I got my motorcycle permit at 15 1/2. Had quite a few over the years... Last one was a HD road king. Love all the two wheels.
Had a couple Yamaha VMax, loved those but I love life and was going a bit quick on the V's...Sold them because I found out I am not immortal.
Never crashed in all my years on two wheels, so the motorcycle gods and goddesses liked me a bit...and let me live...
Sold them all at 55....Had mazda's rx7/ 8s to keep road engaged...

Shaving, wow...I will try to keep this as short as I can..
My great dad ( now 95 - 96 soon ) taught how to shave a 16.
Straights first, he said it like driving a standard....
DE's later...
Never looked back, never even touch a plastic razor thing.
Mapped from my dad, a daily shaver...
Love the process and the face smoothness.

The big thing I have learned, that is also about face management and more so has we get older.
It is discussed here on the forum but I don't think it comes close to level it should.
Like...outside shaving...
I wash the face at least twice a day and supplement small layers of skin care ( letting each absorb.
Note: I got the drill very early from dad on consistency, patiences, skills, face mapping, and so much more...enjoyment.
My wife, once a cosmetologist & dermatologist all the best practices around both shaving and daily skin care.

So in short, enjoy the shaves, keep learning, but do all the right things to protect and repair your face/skin during the hair execution process.
Sorry got to go....at work....lol..

Cheers,​

BFX​