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Rekindled Interest

There's an old Chinese story about a farmer. One day his horse runs away. And his neighbor comes over and says, to commiserate, “I’m so sorry about your horse.” And the farmer says “Who Knows What’s Good or Bad?” The neighbor is confused because this is clearly terrible. The horse is the most valuable thing he owns.

But the horse comes back the next day and he brings with him 12 feral horses. The neighbor comes back over to celebrate, “Congratulations on your great fortune!” And the farmer replies again: “Who Knows What’s Good or Bad?”

And the next day the farmer’s son is taming one of the wild horses and he’s thrown and breaks his leg. The neighbor comes back over, “I’m so sorry about your son.” The farmer repeats: “Who Knows What’s Good or Bad?”

Sure enough, the next day the army comes through their village and is conscripting able-bodied young men to go and fight in war, but the son is spared because of his broken leg.

And this story can go on and on like that. Good. Bad. Who knows?

Anyway, some days ago, i posted here about how my Merkur 34c was stolen and how frustrated I was by it. Well, maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Firstly, it brought me back here to you lot, which in and of itself is awesome. One forgets that there are fellas out there that actually enjoy shaving. Second, I found that I had been stagnating for years. I hadn't ventured out beyond the comfortable rut I had shaved myself into.

Now that my super safe, comfortable, known routine has been broken... I'm branching out. I have a bunch of new razors on the way, I have ordered new blades to try, and even some new soaps. Granted, the soaps I've ordered are not too much of a reach, but still different than the Arco I've been using for the last several years. (I bought a box back in 2011 and I'm finally down to my last stick!!!)

The Merkur 34c and either Derby or Feather, depending on my mood, with Arco then a dab of Proraso. The most adventurous I've been until recently was to get the Sandalwood Proraso instead of the menthol. Oooooo.... edgy!! LOL

I've also used Kiss My Face Patchouli, but found it doesn't like to be kept in a hot scuttle. It loses it's foam very quickly. So, I don't use it.

The two razors I purchased and have on hand since my 34c walked away are the Merkur 23C and a Futur. I've used each once and I like the Futur more than the 23c.

On the way are:
Fatip Grande
Timeless Bronze
Rockwell 6C

Astro Superior Double Platinum
Polsilver Super Iridium

Palmolive Stick soap
Derby Stick soap

I even ordered some Rocky Mountain Barber sandalwood preshave oil. Haven't tried it yet though.

I've found that the right side of my neck and adam's apple are rather sensitive and prone to irritation if i don't have a decent layer of protection going on during a shave. The one or two times over the years I tried something out of my ordinary, it resulted in some serious irriations, so i tossed the stuff.

Anyway... I'll keep y'all posted as how things go. :)
 
But who can tell if that's good or bad? Clay, you beat me to it! LOL

lasmanac, I'm not as adventurous when it comes to soaps. I've only tried a few in my 6 or so years. I started with Tabac and I've always kept coming back. I'd like to try others but feel I'll only be disappointed. Even though it's boring for many, it works quite well for me. Placed an order with IB the other day along with the Rockwell 6S. Looking forward to receiving it next week. Figure it should be here by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Fat Tip Grande looks to be a nice razor. Though I think it would be a weapon for me. Though I've had my eye on the Timeless 68. May start a razor fund for that one. I was going to get it instead of the Rockwell but it would put me in the $400 CAD range and couldn't justify it at this time. Anyway, enjoy your goodies once they arrive and do enjoy your weekend.
 
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Yeah, Big J. I'm a little worried about the Grande as well. I've heard it is a pretty aggressive razor, but I survived the the Futur with a tiny weeper on my first go so I decided to give it a go. It gets a lot of good reviews. I'm sure I'll write something short up on it.
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
Ah, you've come back. That's good!

You *may* order 16 new soaps. Depending on finances, could be bad ...


AA
 
the best soap i found was on olive oil soap made buy a small artisan shop here in Amman. one bar lasted me almost 3 years and it created a great, slippery shave surface, alone or mixed with proraso. good stuff. I might need to go back to that place and get a couple more bars.
 
For the razor burn, I end my shave with a cold washcloth held to my face for the count of ten, followed by a wipe down with an alum bar, clean razor, bowl and brush then witch hazel. Some say it is overkill, but it makes me happy!!! I then follow up with whatever aftershave I am using that day!!!

Tom
 
I love that story. Its one of the many stories in Zen that teaches us about how our perceptions can be shaped by duality.
Im sorry to hear that someone stole your razor (who steals a razor???) but like you said, whose to know whats good or bad because in losing your razor, it pushed you to try new things.
 
But who can tell if that's good or bad? Clay, you beat me to it! LOL

lasmanac, I'm not as adventurous when it comes to soaps. I've only tried a few in my 6 or so years. I started with Tabac and I've always kept coming back. I'd like to try others but feel I'll only be disappointed. Even though it's boring for many, it works quite well for me. Placed an order with IB the other day along with the Rockwell 6S. Looking forward to receiving it next week. Figure it should be here by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Fat Tip Grande looks to be a nice razor. Though I think it would be a weapon for me. Though I've had my eye on the Timeless 68. May start a razor fund for that one. I was going to get it instead of the Rockwell but it would put me in the $400 CAD range and couldn't justify it at this time. Anyway, enjoy your goodies once they arrive and do enjoy your weekend.


just ordered some Tabac. I've seen it get mixed reviews, but based on your post, I'm giving it a try. I'd really like to find a soap that is just plain slippery, you know?

I'm a bit anxious about the Grande. I've seen both positive and negative comments on it. Once i get a good grasp on using the Futur, i'll see how it goes. My thought is to try each razor every day for a week before i make any snap judgements.
 
Thanks! Thought it would be here today but Canada Post isn't that kind. Hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday. My face is looking forward to the 6s gliding across it. Getting scruffy waiting.
 
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