Reporting back.

[KeenGuy]

Hi, remember me? I'm the Keen Aussie that came in asking for some shave advice a little while ago. James was very helpful (Thanks James!) and I'm now back to tell you folks how I did.

Dan's Adventures in Wet Shaving!

Since we last spoke, I've improved my shaving kit out of sight. I'm now the proud owner of two Fatboys. And a ... bunch of other stuff. A package of a lot buy from EBay arrived today. After I get the razors cleaned up, I'll post a photo of my instant collection. I must say, estate sales rock. I'm so glad you can't take it with you.

Anyway, I've improved my shaving experience. From using a dime store bristle brush and a bar of bath soap, I now use:

Somerset's Shave oil
A Vulfix #849 Best Badger Brush
BodyShop Save Cream (With Sesame Oil. Smooth!)
my shny new Gillette Fatboy. ^_^
Alum Block
Garnier Pore Purifiying Astringant (for aftershave)
Banana Boat After Sun Gel (as skin food).

Many of the items on the list I allready owned, just were not part of my shaving routine.

I've gone from havin an aversion to lather to getting all excited every time I walk into the bathroom. Twice I've caught myself being disapointed that I can't shave mrore than once a day.

Gee, Just talking about it... (rubs cheek. RAAASP!) Woot! Stubble! I'm off to shave again!

Thankyou ever so much for your help. My life is better every single day because I met you guys. A big shout out to James (With the Grain) for being such a good sport.

Dan.

 

[Kyle]

Congrats, Dan! I look forward to seeing your picks and hearing about your progress with wet shaving.

 

[roughrider]

Thank you Dan for sharing your experience.

 

[Scotto]

I love to hear those stories. Congrats!

 

[guenron]

Nothings succeeds quite as well as success. Good show!

 

[With The Grain]

....

 

[KeenGuy]

As promised, team, I'm here to treat you to my instant collection of antique razors. I'll be honest, I only got the whole lot because they were going for about the price of a Fatboy and shipping from the US of A. That there is some other really cool stuff in this bunch was a very pleasant bonus.

So, Since I've got no clue about what these things are, we can all play a game of "Guess the Razor". I'll post pertinent details about each of them that might not be obvious from the photographs, and you guys can see who knows the most about razors. Win the acclaim of many by being the first with the right answers!

The six DE razors are all Gillette.

Top row, from left to right:
Razor #1 It has the Gillette diamond logo and says "Made in USA" on the back.
Razor #2 has the Gillette diamond logo and "Made in England" stamped on the back. It came in a nifty silver box with purple velvet inside.
Razor #3 Has "GILLETTE" pressed into the top of the blade cover thingie.

Bottom row, from left to right.
Razor #4, has "VALET" stamped into the top. It has a leather strop and a brown Bakelite box that came with it.
Razor #5 has "GEM made in England" written on the back, and "GEM British Made" under the blade cover. I'm guessing it could be some kind of GEM razor. ^_^
Razor #6 Came in a box with a satin lining which had "Aristocrat" printed on the inside of the lid. It has "BRIT PAT NO4300,030" The diamond Gillette logo and "Made in England" stamped on the bottom of the head. I _really_ like this razor. It feels very nice in my hand.
Razor #7 This is the reason I bid for this lot. It is a FatBoy. It has "MADE IN USA" The Gillette diamond logo, "E4" and "REG US PAT OFF" stamped on the underside of the head.
Razor #8 Has "REG US PAT OFF", "U3", the Gillette diamond logo and "MADE IN USA" stamped on the underside of the head.

James has identified Razor #8 as "The Knack" from the 1970s, sight unseen. He gets the first points. The rest of you can try for all seven points that remain.

Wow. Razors sure are fun. ^_^ I have yet to shave with almost any of these. I can't wait to try them out.

Dan.

 

[letterk]

Did you clean them up or did the seller? They look nice.

 

[With The Grain]

....

 

[KeenGuy]

LetterK,

A bit of both. I boiled the razors in hot water for about ten minutes after I got them (except the Knack. Plastic, you know). The Aristocrat (Razor #6) was obviously someones daily shaver, as it had a bunch of soap inside. I polished the worst offenders with Brasso and a couple toothbrushes. I applied a couple drops of mineral oil, after. The FatBoy was a bit tarnished, but the Aristocrat was shiny clean, apart from the soap.

James,

I really like the GEM. I think the handle on it is beautiful. My father speaks very highly of the GEM razors. He says when he shaved with a DE, he found the GEM a better shave than the efforts by Gillette. I'll have to try it and find out, after I locate a source for the blades. Shipping from the US of A (where James has been nice enough to point me to a store that sells GEM blades) would mean I'd have to buy a bunch to justify shipping.

So far, wet shaving has been a source of much joy and excitement for me. My shaves are not _very_ much smoother, but irritation is a thing of the past. My neck has forgiven me. I'm sure closer shaves will come in time, with practice.

Thank you James for your identification efforts.

Yours,

Dan.