A little while ago, I asked John if he would be interested in doing an interview. John works across the street from where I am so it was fairly easy to ask. I met John a few times and thought that he should share, again, his collection. Now, the pictures will be posted in a separate post to avoid any quoting where possible, there's a lot of them... This interview is added to the list of all other Interviews that we did already. The page can be found here: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Interviews
Who are you? / Where are you located?
John Emerson. I live in Bentleigh which is about 15kms south of Melbourne in Australia.
Im 46 years old. Ive been married to the same wonderful woman (Linda) for the last 23 years. We dont have any children but we do have two Pugs (Monty and Winston).
How do you take your coffee?
Ive got a Delonghi Prima Donna coffee machine that does an excellent latte so thats my favourite. Occasionally I do enjoy a short black though.
What happened that made you seek a better shave, or if the chicken came before the egg, how did you find B&B?
Id taken a redundancy package from a job and I was waiting for the new job to start and I was using some of the spare time to clean out my bathroom. I found my old Gillette Superspeed that Id had since I started shaving about 30 years ago and I thought Id give it another go. The local supermarket only had one brand of blade and they were expensive so I jumped on the internet to see if I could find some information about DE blades and stumbled across B&B.
What was it that held your interest?
Having left a job that Id been doing for eight years where I quite often worked 16 hours a day and travelled internationally alot, it was great to take 30 minutes for myself in the morning. It was also an effective way to set the tone for the rest of the day.
If i remember from your posts, you started with DE's before switching to straights; What did you start with?
My first DE was a Gillette Superspeed which I got when I started shaving when I was about 17 years old. Ive still got it. In fact Ive still got a collection of around 200 safety razors. Although I dont use them much at all these days, I cant bring myself to part with them. Ive been lucky enough to find some very collectible safety razors like Double Rings, Vest Pockets, Toggles, Gold plated Schick injectors and early Kampfe Brothers SEs.
Shave Cream & Soaps? what did you find that worked well from those initial trials?
I do use both but I prefer cream. Being an inexperience DE shaver, I really didnt understand how to get a decent lather from soap and I had no idea about tallow soaps. Cream is a lot easier to get right, relies less on the quality of the water and is very portable (small tubes).
Where did you get your first straight razor? was it shave ready?
I had an initial failed attempt at straight shaving. I tried it a few times and decided it wasnt for me. I bought a couple of straights from members here and although they were listed as being shave ready, in reality they werent.
Determination is key with shaving with a straight, how did you push through the Month + of sub par shaves? did you know there was a light at the end of the tunnel?
When I gave it up after the first failed attempt, it did make me feel inadequate on some level. Before the DE was invented, everyone that shaved, shaved with a straight yet I couldnt do it. I went back and looked at what I liked in DEs and I was more comfortable with a heavy and substantial feeling razor in my hand so I decided to try and mirror that feeling with a straight. Luc put me onto a member who might be able to help me. I ended up buying a 5/8 wedge. It felt so much more comfortable in my hand than the other two straights I had and it was definitely shave ready so the results were leaps and bound ahead of anything else Id achieved before. For the first few shaves, I did tidy up with a DE but then took away that crutch and made myself walk out the door in the morning with whatever shave I got from the straight. Ive still got that wedge.
Now my favorite question... if you were stranded on a desert island and could only choose:
3 razors:
2 brushes:
Although Ive got quite a few brushes, I dont consider myself a great brush aficionado. I recently reknotted an antique horn handled brush that I picked up in France with a TGN 24mm Super Badger with extra stuffing and I really love that brush so that would be one. The other would probably be my Simpson 2XL Colonel.
I like a brush that has a knot around 24mm and has quite a backbone to it.
3 soaps:
I havent tried an enormous number of soaps so my three are only based on a smallish sample.
2 creams:
3 colognes:
3 Aftershaves:
What is your strop preference and what is your stropping regime?
I really like a 3 strop. Up until a couple of weeks ago I would have definitely said my Tony Miller but Ive recently picked up a 3 MooRoo strop from Legion that Im liking a lot.
What is your honing set up for ebay specials?
600DMT, Shapton Ceramic Pro 1k, 2k, 5k, 8k and 12k.
Ive recently started to use coticules. I love the edge that you get off them but at the moment, the results I get are inconsistent due to my inexperience.
how often and what's your method for touching up your straights? favorite finish?
Because I rotate my straights daily and have a fair number, I dont have to touch them up often. Depending on what finish Im after Ill either touch up with a coticule only or perhaps Shaption Ceramic Pro 8k / 12k followed by a Frankonian.
Are you currently reading a book? or perhaps even better; what book will you be reading next?
Im not currently reading a book but I read lots of reports and presentations from work at home. Im having a holiday straight after Easter and Ill take a couple of Jeremy Clarkson books. They are great to read and enjoy without having to think too much about them.
Favorite Movie or two?
The Godfather Trilogy.
With what fictional/historical character do you most identify?
Winston Churchill.
Do you have any motto's, sayings, or quotes to live by?
Excellence is hard and mediocrity is easy, but both are real states of existence. The choice is yours, depending on the rewards you seek.
What has been the best advice you've gotten from a member at B&B?
The result is only a small part of shaving, its the journey that is the best part.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Just enjoy it. Take your time and savour the experience.
Who are you? / Where are you located?
John Emerson. I live in Bentleigh which is about 15kms south of Melbourne in Australia.
Im 46 years old. Ive been married to the same wonderful woman (Linda) for the last 23 years. We dont have any children but we do have two Pugs (Monty and Winston).
How do you take your coffee?
Ive got a Delonghi Prima Donna coffee machine that does an excellent latte so thats my favourite. Occasionally I do enjoy a short black though.
What happened that made you seek a better shave, or if the chicken came before the egg, how did you find B&B?
Id taken a redundancy package from a job and I was waiting for the new job to start and I was using some of the spare time to clean out my bathroom. I found my old Gillette Superspeed that Id had since I started shaving about 30 years ago and I thought Id give it another go. The local supermarket only had one brand of blade and they were expensive so I jumped on the internet to see if I could find some information about DE blades and stumbled across B&B.
What was it that held your interest?
Having left a job that Id been doing for eight years where I quite often worked 16 hours a day and travelled internationally alot, it was great to take 30 minutes for myself in the morning. It was also an effective way to set the tone for the rest of the day.
If i remember from your posts, you started with DE's before switching to straights; What did you start with?
My first DE was a Gillette Superspeed which I got when I started shaving when I was about 17 years old. Ive still got it. In fact Ive still got a collection of around 200 safety razors. Although I dont use them much at all these days, I cant bring myself to part with them. Ive been lucky enough to find some very collectible safety razors like Double Rings, Vest Pockets, Toggles, Gold plated Schick injectors and early Kampfe Brothers SEs.
Shave Cream & Soaps? what did you find that worked well from those initial trials?
I do use both but I prefer cream. Being an inexperience DE shaver, I really didnt understand how to get a decent lather from soap and I had no idea about tallow soaps. Cream is a lot easier to get right, relies less on the quality of the water and is very portable (small tubes).
Where did you get your first straight razor? was it shave ready?
I had an initial failed attempt at straight shaving. I tried it a few times and decided it wasnt for me. I bought a couple of straights from members here and although they were listed as being shave ready, in reality they werent.
Determination is key with shaving with a straight, how did you push through the Month + of sub par shaves? did you know there was a light at the end of the tunnel?
When I gave it up after the first failed attempt, it did make me feel inadequate on some level. Before the DE was invented, everyone that shaved, shaved with a straight yet I couldnt do it. I went back and looked at what I liked in DEs and I was more comfortable with a heavy and substantial feeling razor in my hand so I decided to try and mirror that feeling with a straight. Luc put me onto a member who might be able to help me. I ended up buying a 5/8 wedge. It felt so much more comfortable in my hand than the other two straights I had and it was definitely shave ready so the results were leaps and bound ahead of anything else Id achieved before. For the first few shaves, I did tidy up with a DE but then took away that crutch and made myself walk out the door in the morning with whatever shave I got from the straight. Ive still got that wedge.
Now my favorite question... if you were stranded on a desert island and could only choose:
3 razors:
- This is really tough. One would have to be the Buddel. That has a very special place in my collection because I designed it and I had it made for me.
- The second would have to be my Sheffield steel, vintage LeGrelot. Its a fantastic shaver. Possibly the best I own.
- The third spot could be filled by a number of different razors, Ed Wusthoff, Filarmonica, Kron Punkt, Klas Tornblum, lots of other customs but I think Id take the Jos Mappin Lancet Edge.
2 brushes:
Although Ive got quite a few brushes, I dont consider myself a great brush aficionado. I recently reknotted an antique horn handled brush that I picked up in France with a TGN 24mm Super Badger with extra stuffing and I really love that brush so that would be one. The other would probably be my Simpson 2XL Colonel.
I like a brush that has a knot around 24mm and has quite a backbone to it.
3 soaps:
I havent tried an enormous number of soaps so my three are only based on a smallish sample.
- Ralph Lauren Safari
- Sir Irisch Moos
- Mitchells Wool Fat
2 creams:
- Cyril R Salter French Vetiver
- Geo F Trumper Rose
3 colognes:
- Floris Vetiver
- Creed Neroli
- Saint Charles Shave Bulgarian Rose
3 Aftershaves:
- Old Spice Silver Jubilee
- Penhaligons Blenheim Bouquet.
- Prada Infusion
What is your strop preference and what is your stropping regime?
I really like a 3 strop. Up until a couple of weeks ago I would have definitely said my Tony Miller but Ive recently picked up a 3 MooRoo strop from Legion that Im liking a lot.
What is your honing set up for ebay specials?
600DMT, Shapton Ceramic Pro 1k, 2k, 5k, 8k and 12k.
Ive recently started to use coticules. I love the edge that you get off them but at the moment, the results I get are inconsistent due to my inexperience.
how often and what's your method for touching up your straights? favorite finish?
Because I rotate my straights daily and have a fair number, I dont have to touch them up often. Depending on what finish Im after Ill either touch up with a coticule only or perhaps Shaption Ceramic Pro 8k / 12k followed by a Frankonian.
Are you currently reading a book? or perhaps even better; what book will you be reading next?
Im not currently reading a book but I read lots of reports and presentations from work at home. Im having a holiday straight after Easter and Ill take a couple of Jeremy Clarkson books. They are great to read and enjoy without having to think too much about them.
Favorite Movie or two?
The Godfather Trilogy.
With what fictional/historical character do you most identify?
Winston Churchill.
Do you have any motto's, sayings, or quotes to live by?
Excellence is hard and mediocrity is easy, but both are real states of existence. The choice is yours, depending on the rewards you seek.
What has been the best advice you've gotten from a member at B&B?
The result is only a small part of shaving, its the journey that is the best part.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Just enjoy it. Take your time and savour the experience.
