Mine too. She even allowed me to convert the guest bathroom into my den, though it has cost me a few Coach purses.
Quest for less technology
- Thread starter blethenstrom
- Start date
Mine too. She even allowed me to convert the guest bathroom into my den, though it has cost me a few Coach purses.
- Thread starter
- #162
Absolutely and every holiday sale and who can pass up the great Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. No wonder we end up in a bit of a quandary .
- Thread starter
- #163
Sounds like a pretty awesome trade though
This has been an interesting and fun conversation to follow. I think I won the lottery with my Mrs. She has actually encouraged me to buy more shaving stuff. She says she has a lot of earrings, so go for it. And if I need another item or two to qualify for free shipping, I'd be violating the constitution of the of United States of America if I didn't add them to my cart.
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- #165
Well I have been successful in pulling in the Mrs in one of my vices and that is fountain pens. She now looks at them drools over them, uses them. When we were last on our vacation and we were at St Thomas we went in and looked at Montblanc's and she told me. You should get one because you never buy yourself nice things. I almost fell over! So I got a Montblanc 146. Needless to say I am happy. Going to geek out this coming weekend though going to my first pen show in Raleigh, NC. Looking forward to it.
As far as shaving I think that as long as I keep my stuff to my area and not overflow it, I will be fine. She got a point as well at least from a practical viewpoint. I really do not see me as a shaving hobbyist. I am more of a practical guy. I think that once my gear has converged I will be happy with just a few razors and off load the rest. I am getting closer.
My lady keeps me in check. I love her to bits and she is my better half. She has put up with my idiosyncrasies and this hobby - silently accommodating every new razor and soap or blade that made it to the house. And lately she has been more vocal about the number of razors I have. She reluctantly agrees to soaps and balms, because they don’t last forever, but she is drawing a line to the number of razors and frankly I have to agree with her. Each of my razors could be a daily driver and if I were just an inch more like you @blethenstrom I should be using just a few as daily’s and off load the rest. So I decided to create a new razor stand that houses exactly the number I have now. Don’t want new ones coming in - PIFfed or bought. I have what I need and want to enjoy them for the rest of my days.
Soaps will come and go and there I have developed some preferences as well. Same goes for aftershaves. Soaps and AS have been checked with the LOTH to make sure she likes the scents. Floïds for example did not make the cut and was let go.
We are all blessed with our counterparts I think. Thanks for your journal!
Cheers,
Guido
Soaps will come and go and there I have developed some preferences as well. Same goes for aftershaves. Soaps and AS have been checked with the LOTH to make sure she likes the scents. Floïds for example did not make the cut and was let go.
We are all blessed with our counterparts I think. Thanks for your journal!
Cheers,
Guido
- Thread starter
- #167
That sounds like a very reasonable deal. We would probably be living in squalor if it was not for our lovely wives. They look after us and keep us under control. I cannot imagine myself be a 51 year old bachelor.
It would not be pretty that is for sure. Guido75 you are becoming a simple man! I am proud of you. 
- Thread starter
- #168
Evening shave
Razor: RazoRock Game Change .84-P
Blade: Treet Platinum (2)
Soap: VDH(x+12)
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: Stetson Cooling Moisture
Rating: 10/10, BBS
Boy that was a nice shave. It is amazing what switching to a more efficient razor does. Still a very good DFS this morning while writing this so it was nice and close. No irritation just awesome smoothness.
I just can't get past the difference in shave between the .68-P and the .84-P plate on my Game Changer. It made an enormous difference. Makes me think that I need to pull out my brand new Fatip Grande and try it out. Maybe I do need a more efficient razor for most shaves. the really weird thing is that I have had very nice close shaves with the .68-P plate as well, but maybe the blade in those cases were a bit sharper than the Treet Platinum.
Today I got to thinking about sharpness of blades and how it correlates to longevity of a blade. Of course we have to factor in the quality and characteristic of the steel used as well as the heat treat. all of this is vital for the performance. Steel can be too hard and therefore brittle and chip easily. It also makes it easy to snap a blade like that. On the other hand it can be too soft and the edge will fold over easily. Such a blade would bend and possible even deform. Now a softer steel can be sharpened to a keener edge than harder, but as soon as it is used the edge will fold. A hard blade that is sharpened to a too keen of an edge will start getting jagged and rough.
How the edge is formed and at the angle that it is sharpened makes a big difference as well. In some cases they may even add a second bevel to strengthen the edge a bit. A real shallow angle will give you a much keener edge but a potentially weak edge. First shave may be great and very sharp, but the performance degrades quickly. It will also be a rougher shave, think folds or chips. On the other end you may have a steeper angle or double bevel the sharpness will be less, but it will give you a very smooth shave and greater longevity because the edge holds up better with use.
Just like with anything else in life we cannot eat the cake and have it as well. There are trade-offs in everything. We may need that extra sharp blade for our tough whiskers and only use the blade 1-3 shaves or if we have less course, maybe a bit milder blade that also will have a bit more longevity will be fine. Personally I try to go after the medium sharp blades that do have a bit longer life. Now I do know there are some Excalibur folks here on B&B that have 100+ shaves on a Feather. More power to them, but I am not one of them. If I can get 7 days out of a blade I am happy.
Steel is near and dear to my heart. Growing up in Sweden, it is almost like it is in our blood. Swedish steel and more specifically Swedish tool steel is very well known. On top of that I grew up in a small town called Hagfors and it just so happen that that is where Uddeholm steel is located and most of my family, including my father, worked there. I still remember as a kid in the summer sitting outside during the day hearing the oven kick on. It was 3 miles away! They use only scrap steel at that steel mill and when they had filled the oven with scrap steel and turned it on that scrap steel would vibrate in the oven until it melted. I worked in the steel mill a few summers as well doing various things.
Razor: RazoRock Game Change .84-P
Blade: Treet Platinum (2)
Soap: VDH(x+12)
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: Stetson Cooling Moisture
Rating: 10/10, BBS
Boy that was a nice shave. It is amazing what switching to a more efficient razor does. Still a very good DFS this morning while writing this so it was nice and close. No irritation just awesome smoothness.
I just can't get past the difference in shave between the .68-P and the .84-P plate on my Game Changer. It made an enormous difference. Makes me think that I need to pull out my brand new Fatip Grande and try it out. Maybe I do need a more efficient razor for most shaves. the really weird thing is that I have had very nice close shaves with the .68-P plate as well, but maybe the blade in those cases were a bit sharper than the Treet Platinum.
Today I got to thinking about sharpness of blades and how it correlates to longevity of a blade. Of course we have to factor in the quality and characteristic of the steel used as well as the heat treat. all of this is vital for the performance. Steel can be too hard and therefore brittle and chip easily. It also makes it easy to snap a blade like that. On the other hand it can be too soft and the edge will fold over easily. Such a blade would bend and possible even deform. Now a softer steel can be sharpened to a keener edge than harder, but as soon as it is used the edge will fold. A hard blade that is sharpened to a too keen of an edge will start getting jagged and rough.
How the edge is formed and at the angle that it is sharpened makes a big difference as well. In some cases they may even add a second bevel to strengthen the edge a bit. A real shallow angle will give you a much keener edge but a potentially weak edge. First shave may be great and very sharp, but the performance degrades quickly. It will also be a rougher shave, think folds or chips. On the other end you may have a steeper angle or double bevel the sharpness will be less, but it will give you a very smooth shave and greater longevity because the edge holds up better with use.
Just like with anything else in life we cannot eat the cake and have it as well. There are trade-offs in everything. We may need that extra sharp blade for our tough whiskers and only use the blade 1-3 shaves or if we have less course, maybe a bit milder blade that also will have a bit more longevity will be fine. Personally I try to go after the medium sharp blades that do have a bit longer life. Now I do know there are some Excalibur folks here on B&B that have 100+ shaves on a Feather. More power to them, but I am not one of them. If I can get 7 days out of a blade I am happy.
Steel is near and dear to my heart. Growing up in Sweden, it is almost like it is in our blood. Swedish steel and more specifically Swedish tool steel is very well known. On top of that I grew up in a small town called Hagfors and it just so happen that that is where Uddeholm steel is located and most of my family, including my father, worked there. I still remember as a kid in the summer sitting outside during the day hearing the oven kick on. It was 3 miles away! They use only scrap steel at that steel mill and when they had filled the oven with scrap steel and turned it on that scrap steel would vibrate in the oven until it melted. I worked in the steel mill a few summers as well doing various things.
Sandvik and Böhler Uddeholm make my favorite stainless cutlery steels. Years ago, I founded a cult fawning over the greatness of Stainless Swedish Strip Steels.
- Thread starter
- #170
Yep Sandvik and Uddeholm makes great steel. Sorry can't get used to the Böhler part, since they merged after I left Sweden. Just like I can't get used to ABB after ASEA(Swedish) and Brown Boveri(Swiss) merged.
I actually worked one summer in the laboratory at Uddeholm steel. It was fascinating to see under microscope how the crystal structure changes during each step of the heat treat etc. I still remember being with an old timer there that worked in the heat treating area in the lab. His skin was literally as leather. There must have been 15 small ovens in there set to different temperatures etc and they would test different heat treat routines for the different steels. when they opened an oven to put in or take out a piece of steel it was brutal hot. No wonder the guy had the skin he did.
We also did analysis of the steel in the oven, while melted, to figure out what they needed to add to get the correct composition, for the steel variety that they were making. Some really neat stuff there and very cool analysis equipment. I remember the spectrum reflectometer where they would shine light on the polished steel surface and it would analyze the spectrum of the reflection and from that get the composition of the steel.
Man all this brings back some memories this was 30+ years ago.
I knew you had cult-leader in you. The Force is strong with you. Got any tips for me? I'm thinking leading a cult would be kinda fun, especially on the weekends.
My apologies for mentioning mergers. That was their names when my addiction began
Read “The True Believer” by Eric Hoffer.
- Thread starter
- #174
Evening shave
Razor: RazoRock Game Change .84-P
Blade: Treet Platinum (3)
Soap: VDH(x+13)
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: XtraCare Aftershave Original
Rating: 8/10, DFS+
I was able to get a good shave, but I think I over did it on the side of my mouth. Got a bit of irritation. Not doe to the blade though. Completely my fault for chasing the BBS.
Razor: RazoRock Game Change .84-P
Blade: Treet Platinum (3)
Soap: VDH(x+13)
Brush: RazoRock Hive 24
Aftershave: XtraCare Aftershave Original
Rating: 8/10, DFS+
I was able to get a good shave, but I think I over did it on the side of my mouth. Got a bit of irritation. Not doe to the blade though. Completely my fault for chasing the BBS.
I'm loving my Game Changer 84p too! It may just be me, but I found a blade that pairs incredibly well with it - Personna Platinum (from Germany). That pairing is so smooth and effective for me. I wanted to pass it on to you in case it works well for you too.
- Thread starter
- #176
Thank you for your tip. I do have some Personna Platinums (Germany) from my GBE that I did a while back. I will have to run it through it's paces.
- Thread starter
- #177
Morning shave
Razor: RazoRock Game Change .84-P
Blade: Treet Platinum (4)
Soap: Barasol Foam Original
Brush: N/A
Aftershave: AV Classic
Rating: 9/10, DFS+
Very nice quick 2-pass shave. Smooth and nice. Blade still sharp. No irritation what so ever.
Not sure what to write about today. It is Friday and it is always a good day of the week ahead of the weekend. However, tomorrow I will be going to my very first fountain pen show here in Raleigh, NC and I am very excited about that. Fountain pens is just as dangerous, if not more, dangerous for your acquisition disorder. the difference with this is that my wife is going with me and is also excited about it. This probably makes it even more dangerous from that aspect.
I didn't start using fountain pens until later in life. I was probably around 48-49. I didn't have to use them in school growing up or anything. I was just drawn to them when I was trying to improve my cursive writing. I always had horrible handwriting and I needed to do something about it. I even had problems reading my own writing. I have also started to have this aversion toward writing everything on the computer. I was attracted to the older, "lost" ways of writing and documenting things by hand. It is also more relaxing writing by hand than using a computer.
Through all this trying to learn proper cursive I developed writers cramp in my left hand. Yes it is a real affliction and it is neurological in nature. It causes your hand while holding the pen to contract and make it impossible to write with it. I was a bit at a loss regarding this and what to do. My wife told me to try to learn writing with my non-dominant hand (right). I thought she was on something. I cannot do that, but I gave it a shot and after a few weeks of practice my right handed cursive was very passable and it eventually got even better than I have ever written with my left hand. I am still a lefty, but I now write everything with my right hand. Below is a small sample of my new revised non-dominant hand cursive writing.
Razor: RazoRock Game Change .84-P
Blade: Treet Platinum (4)
Soap: Barasol Foam Original
Brush: N/A
Aftershave: AV Classic
Rating: 9/10, DFS+
Very nice quick 2-pass shave. Smooth and nice. Blade still sharp. No irritation what so ever.
Not sure what to write about today. It is Friday and it is always a good day of the week ahead of the weekend. However, tomorrow I will be going to my very first fountain pen show here in Raleigh, NC and I am very excited about that. Fountain pens is just as dangerous, if not more, dangerous for your acquisition disorder. the difference with this is that my wife is going with me and is also excited about it. This probably makes it even more dangerous from that aspect.
I didn't start using fountain pens until later in life. I was probably around 48-49. I didn't have to use them in school growing up or anything. I was just drawn to them when I was trying to improve my cursive writing. I always had horrible handwriting and I needed to do something about it. I even had problems reading my own writing. I have also started to have this aversion toward writing everything on the computer. I was attracted to the older, "lost" ways of writing and documenting things by hand. It is also more relaxing writing by hand than using a computer.
Through all this trying to learn proper cursive I developed writers cramp in my left hand. Yes it is a real affliction and it is neurological in nature. It causes your hand while holding the pen to contract and make it impossible to write with it. I was a bit at a loss regarding this and what to do. My wife told me to try to learn writing with my non-dominant hand (right). I thought she was on something. I cannot do that, but I gave it a shot and after a few weeks of practice my right handed cursive was very passable and it eventually got even better than I have ever written with my left hand. I am still a lefty, but I now write everything with my right hand. Below is a small sample of my new revised non-dominant hand cursive writing.
I also write better with my non-dominant hand. Takes the Homer Simpson out of the penmanship.
Have fun at the big show!
Have fun at the big show!
- Thread starter
- #179
Are you full time non-dominant writer as well?
My handwriting will always be terrible. I blame my mother for a lot of things, but I partially blame her for this. I was born a natural lefty, but she forced me to do everything in my right hand because she felt it was a right-handed world. The good news is now I’m mostly ambidextrous for most things. The bad news is my handwriting from both hands is so bad that sometimes I can’t even read it.
On the topic of ambidextrous, it makes shaving nice. One hand for each side of the face and no body contortions needed like would be used in a game of Twister.
On the topic of ambidextrous, it makes shaving nice. One hand for each side of the face and no body contortions needed like would be used in a game of Twister.
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