The Wanderer's Journey

[Esox]

I know what you mean buddy. I have just enough to keep monotony at bay, but am happily getting to a point where I don't feel claustrophobic from owning too much stuff either.

Sadly (or happily) there's no signs on such minimalism on the musical instrument front. I own far more than any sensible learner would ever start with, and still can't help online window shopping. With shaving, I was happy to own one and get good with it. With the noisemakers, I seem to be having more fun being utterly incompetent with a diverse mix of stuff

Happy New Year Al!

Heres to a year without shaving monotony!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have a singing razor...Can I be in your band?

Happy New Year,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Happy New Year Al!

Heres to a year without shaving monotony!

Happy New Year to you too, Mike, and to all my journal readers. I've stumbled into this new decade rather bestubbled, and might see how the Razorine handles heavier growth later.

I have a singing razor...Can I be in your band?

Happy New Year,

Jim

Absolutely! You won't catch me singing, Jim. I sound like a hippo with gout.

Happy New Year buddy

 

[Esox]

Happy New Year to you too, Mike, and to all my journal readers. I've stumbled into this new decade rather bestubbled, and might see how the Razorine handles heavier growth later.

You and me both. I'll be taking off 80 or so hours of growth with my Bullet Tip in the next hour or...three.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

First shave of 2020, and I think there was four days growth, but can't be certain of that. I've been fighting off migraines over recent days, and tend to lose track of time. Usual boar was used, but with PannaCreama Nuavia Nera soap, and the Razorine with the blade I'd been using in the Jagger.

Rather brutal first pass, and I was fighting the stubble all the way. I didn't know for sure how that closed comb design would cope, but now I do. Not great. I carried on hacking through without incident, and lathered for the second pass. Much better! Effortless second pass, again reinforcing the fact that closed comb razors work best on lighter growth. I thought the shave might have been a little rough on the skin, so the alum block got a rare outing. Very light tingle, which surprised me after how much effort was required on that first pass. Finished off with Wickham Citrus Musk. Found an area I "missed" under the jaw on the right hand side, but that can wait for another day.

 

[Esox]

First shave of 2020, and I think there was four days growth, but can't be certain of that. I've been fighting off migraines over recent days, and tend to lose track of time. Usual boar was used, but with PannaCreama Nuavia Nera soap, and the Razorine with the blade I'd been using in the Jagger.

Rather brutal first pass, and I was fighting the stubble all the way. I didn't know for sure how that closed comb design would cope, but now I do. Not great. I carried on hacking through without incident, and lathered for the second pass. Much better! Effortless second pass, again reinforcing the fact that closed comb razors work best on lighter growth. I thought the shave might have been a little rough on the skin, so the alum block got a rare outing. Very light tingle, which surprised me after how much effort was required on that first pass. Finished off with Wickham Citrus Musk. Found an area I "missed" under the jaw on the right hand side, but that can wait for another day.

I still havent shaved. Going on 100 hours growth and I expect a simply fantastic shave from my Bullet Tip.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Nothing much to report, but felt the need to check in. It's been a fairly standard routine of shaving, with no change of any ingredient. The current serving of Goats Milk soap is running low, but might make it through next week. The Wilkie in the Jagger is still going strong, although it's noticeably duller than it was new. Number of passes, and what I splash on after, seems to be the only real variation over the last week or so. Three passes, and finishing with Boots Freshwood today.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

While the journey will never really be over, at least until I can no longer hold a razor, I think this journey can now be shelved. Why? The Wanderer wandered back "home".

I used the last of the Goats Milk soap in the ramekin today. I do have another full tin of it, untouched, but that may well stay that way. I've already determined (a long time ago) that I prefer Mitchell's Wool Fat and Palmolive sticks a lot more.

Do I want to go another few hundred shaves with it, before going back to my favourites? With two cakes of Mitchell's and several Palmolive sticks in the drawer, I'm not sure that I do. I also have several samples waiting to be used, which I'll break out as and when I get the urge. If any of those samples are particularly noteworth, either due to being really good, or really bad, I might dust off this journal and make another entry.

It has been a worthwhile journey, but for the most part, I've ended up back where I started. The Edwin Jagger DE3D14 that was my favourite when I signed up here, hasn't dissolved or disintegrated as the anti-zamac crowd would have us believe, and is still doing most of the shaves. Straight razor honing and shaving has been accomplished, but neither are somthing that I want to do regularly. They might see light of day a few times a year though. Same with the hollow ground SE razors. Of those two, the straights will probably get more occasional use. The Dovo and Razorine shavettes are fun for the occasional shaves too, and will likely get used more than the straights. DE will remain the mainstay though, but I can't see me expanding on the four I currently have.

I have discovered other blade favourites on the journey. Astra SP, Gillette SharpEdge, Derby Premium, Feather, and SuperMax Blue Diamond Titanium now reside alongside my original favourite the Wilkinson Sword Classic in the blade box. All of them work well in all four of my DE razors, and both my DE blade shavettes. I've also fallen out of daily shaving, so at my rate of getting at least 10-14 shaves from a blade, my stash of 400+ (or whatever it is) will never run out.

While no new favourite soaps were found (so far), I have rediscovered aftershave lotions. Standard store bought stuff works just fine for me though. The Superdrug and Boots own brand (Forest Fresh and Freshwood) are dirt cheap, and work great. Old Spice works great too, and I can't see any need to spend more than that. I'm also enjoying using my own "homebrew" concoction, cobbled together out of alcohol, witchhazel and essential oils. Nivea Sensitive balm will remain on hand for days when I want something more moisturising.

A cheap boar for home, a synthetic for travel, a ramekin for serving up portions of soap and samples in, a wide mug, and a traditional scuttle, all round off the rest of the kit. They work. Nothing more is needed. Nothing more to discuss. When that cheap boar conks out, I'll buy another, and it will be business as usual.

Thanks for coming along on this journey with me guys. It's been fun, and largely due to your involvement. It's been great having you part of it. I just can't see me having anything much in the way of new stuff to say though, so this journal has served its purpose now.

I ain't leaving the forum though I might not log in quite as frequently as I did before, but I'll still be signing in to be sociable, joining in on your threads, and helping out the occasional struggling newbie. My own shaving won't need any commentary though. You'll already know what I'll be using, and how good a shave it was

Thanks again chaps! It was you guys that made this worth writing.

Cheers!

 

[Esox]

Dont be a stranger Al!

 

[Seveneighth]

It's a sad day. This journal has been one of my favourite reads.

I have really enjoyed your wanderings, Al. In the process you improved my DE shaving technique, taught me to love mild razors after all and, most importantly, introduced me to Mitchell's.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have no idea how anybody gets along with MWF.

I used it for a pretty long time early on. Way too long looking back. The problem with it then and the problem with it now is how drying it is for me. The shave, other than that, is decent enough. I didn't know better then, it didn't occur to me that all soaps weren't so drying, but now I know.

For a while I would shave with MWF occasionally. Every time I noticed the same thing. I've finally decided I won't use the stuff ever again. It's just not worth it.

Of course, all that is a prelude to saying to you, Al, that you've gotta stick around because you're using the wrong (or, worse, considering only using) the wrong soap. You've got to give us a chance to help you with that problem. Our friend is risking a lifetime of shaves with MWF? We can't let you do that.

Don't chime in - you know who you are - with any of that YMMV stuff!

This is serious. Al may leave. That's bad enough. Yeah, his whiskers and his skin and his water and all that might be different from mine, but nobody's skin doesn't deserve a really good, really nourishing, non-drying shaving soap.

MWF fans are not allowed to allow Al to just leave this conversation and dry up like a raisin.

Oh, nothing wrong with Zamac, Al, but I'm sure you need a Fatip Slant. A real brass razor, you know.

Help me out, gentlemen. I'm not sure what you're thinking, but one doesn't simply allow gentlemen like Al to fade into the sunset carrying only a tub of MWF.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Ha! Ha!

I ain't leaving folks, I just don't see the point of maintaining a journal where every entry is me just using the same stuff. Glad I managed to help you along the way, Kit.

Jim... funny! I tried using the right soaps, but they were all wrong, and that wrong soap is so right for me, that to not use it would be wrong. Right? I'll still be using samples occasionally, but remain sceptical that anything will be as good as Mitchell's.

 

[Esox]

Help me out, gentlemen. I'm not sure what you're thinking, but one doesn't simply allow gentlemen like Al to fade into the sunset carrying only a tub of MWF.

That paints a very sad picture.

I declare this a music thread! May it live...Evermore!

 

[Seveneighth]

If everyone comes back here everyday and asks Al a question, doesn't he have to keep posting? It would be rude of him not to answer...

 

[Somerled]

If everyone comes back here everyday and asks Al a question, doesn't he have to keep posting? It would be rude of him not to answer...

Or keep sending him samples, like the aftershaves I sent recently. Plenty more where they came from.

I have a Merkur Futur DE I'm not likely to ever use.
That should keep him busy on this journal.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Ha! Ha!

I ain't leaving folks, I just don't see the point of maintaining a journal where every entry is me just using the same stuff. Glad I managed to help you along the way, Kit.

Jim... funny! I tried using the right soaps, but they were all wrong, and that wrong soap is so right for me, that to not use it would be wrong. Right? I'll still be using samples occasionally, but remain skeptical that anything will be as good as Mitchell's.

Ah, I feel a little better.

Most of my friends don't leave until unless they're banned.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Seveneighth]

Or keep sending him samples, like the aftershaves I sent recently. Plenty more where they came from.

I have a Merkur Futur DE I'm not likely to ever use.
That should keep him busy on this journal.

He would HATE the Futur! it's like the antithesis of an Al razor. Please send it to him - it certainly would make for interesting reading.

I have a couple of mild razors that I wouldn't mind getting Al's opinion on. @AimlessWanderer if I were to send them to you to test, would you be willing to write a review of each? I am genuinely interested in your opinion.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Or keep sending him samples, like the aftershaves I sent recently. Plenty more where they came from.

I have a Merkur Futur DE I'm not likely to ever use.
That should keep him busy on this journal.

Future? That's one of those adjustable things! *shudder* I'm a big believer that the only thing that should be adjustable during a shave is me

I've not orgotten .... (has Jim been using my computer?)... that I still owe you a sample of my homebrew aftershave, Doug. I just haven't emptied any of the sample bottles yet.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

He would HATE the Futur! it's like the antithesis of an Al razor. Please send it to him - it certainly would make for interesting reading.

I have a couple of mild razors that I wouldn't mind getting Al's opinion on. @AimlessWanderer if I were to send them to you to test, would you be willing to write a review of each? I am genuinely interested in your opinion.

I'm actually kinda looking forward to a period of just shaving, to be honest Kit. I've not gone much longer than a month with any one set up for the best part of two years now, and have a real homesick type yearning to get back to "my" shaves. For a while, at least.

I'll certainly not rule it out for the future sometime, but I really want to get back to the "autopilot" shaves for a few months, and just let the shaving happen, without having to gradually settle back in from using something else. While I can usually adapt to something new within a couple of shaves, the shaves are never the same as when you've been using the same stuff for a few months, and the shave just seems to happen all by itself. Not sure how long it will take me to fully recover that feeling. Hopefully not too long. If at any point during the shave, I find myself thinking, then I ain't there yet...

 

[Esox]

If everyone comes back here everyday and asks Al a question, doesn't he have to keep posting?

Or keep sending him samples, like the aftershaves I sent recently. Plenty more where they came from.

I have a Merkur Futur DE I'm not likely to ever use.
That should keep him busy on this journal.

I'm a big believer that the only thing that should be adjustable during a shave is me

Amen to that Al!

I think Al might like the Future. It has the same amount of blade support as the EJ but likely more blade exposure when opened up a little. The Fatip I think offered too much rigidity so the blade didnt have any damping that I have a feeling Al appreciates.