I use a spreadsheet to keep track of things like how long products last and how many times I use a blade, but I’m using this thread to document more qualitative observations on shaving. And maybe ramble. We’ll see.
At some point there will be much data to be read, so I’ll give some information about myself now to help put it in context:
I’ll be 24 this year. I started traditional shaving when I was 17 or 18. I got A Parker shavette, and some Shark half blades at first. I may as well have tried shaving with a cheese grater... it was pretty brutal. I think I was still using the canned gel I had left over from when I was using carts initially, but I got some Proraso red or something like that early on.
Between buying train tickets, cigarettes, and day old bread from Jimmy John’s while I was in school, it took about a year to save up for a real, brand new SR. I actually just traded it to a member here yesterday. I’m not terribly sentimental, plus I have a feeling he’ll get rid of those plastic scales and put it in some deservedly nicer ones, which I wasn’t going to do anytime soon. Anyway, being used to a shorter blade I immediately cut myself with the SR, just from not accounting for its length. So I have a faint scar next to my right ear from it. Those were the days...
But I learned. Eventually I took a hiatus and used a cheap electric thing for a while. I was working 7 days a week, then living on a tour bus. I just couldn't work in my wet shaving routine at the time. Then I tried DE shaving. And eventually with some practice I could get good (and repeatable) results shaving very quickly and with minimal pampering and supplies. In other words, I started wet shaving every day again. Even when traveling. And now I usually carry more kit with me and want to find a good way to use SRs (of course this means being away for weeks or months and needing strops and stones) on the road. I’ll figure something out eventually.
Why do I travel all the time? I PM and mix FOH for a metal band. AKA make the instruments loud with knobs and switches on the big sound board. I like all kinds of music though. From Shostakovich to Sinatra to Slayer. I like reading musical biographies, etc..
I’m from Chicago if you couldn’t tell. Jeppson’s Malört is a spirit you can pretty much only buy or be served in Chicago, and popular there among people like me who enjoy a strong drink. And my avatar, Sidewall Jones, is a fictional character whose origins would take far too long to explain.
What are some of my current shaving goals?
-To responsibly (ie. not binge buy) acquire a small collection where everything will see regular and justifiable use. This involves getting some new items, and getting rid of things I currently have.
-Getting a proper set of stones and practice so I can be more self sustainable.
-Eliminating grooming and hygiene products from conglomerates like Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. I think with my most recent toothpaste refill they’re no longer in the bathroom.
At some point there will be much data to be read, so I’ll give some information about myself now to help put it in context:
I’ll be 24 this year. I started traditional shaving when I was 17 or 18. I got A Parker shavette, and some Shark half blades at first. I may as well have tried shaving with a cheese grater... it was pretty brutal. I think I was still using the canned gel I had left over from when I was using carts initially, but I got some Proraso red or something like that early on.
Between buying train tickets, cigarettes, and day old bread from Jimmy John’s while I was in school, it took about a year to save up for a real, brand new SR. I actually just traded it to a member here yesterday. I’m not terribly sentimental, plus I have a feeling he’ll get rid of those plastic scales and put it in some deservedly nicer ones, which I wasn’t going to do anytime soon. Anyway, being used to a shorter blade I immediately cut myself with the SR, just from not accounting for its length. So I have a faint scar next to my right ear from it. Those were the days...
But I learned. Eventually I took a hiatus and used a cheap electric thing for a while. I was working 7 days a week, then living on a tour bus. I just couldn't work in my wet shaving routine at the time. Then I tried DE shaving. And eventually with some practice I could get good (and repeatable) results shaving very quickly and with minimal pampering and supplies. In other words, I started wet shaving every day again. Even when traveling. And now I usually carry more kit with me and want to find a good way to use SRs (of course this means being away for weeks or months and needing strops and stones) on the road. I’ll figure something out eventually.
Why do I travel all the time? I PM and mix FOH for a metal band. AKA make the instruments loud with knobs and switches on the big sound board. I like all kinds of music though. From Shostakovich to Sinatra to Slayer. I like reading musical biographies, etc..
I’m from Chicago if you couldn’t tell. Jeppson’s Malört is a spirit you can pretty much only buy or be served in Chicago, and popular there among people like me who enjoy a strong drink. And my avatar, Sidewall Jones, is a fictional character whose origins would take far too long to explain.
What are some of my current shaving goals?
-To responsibly (ie. not binge buy) acquire a small collection where everything will see regular and justifiable use. This involves getting some new items, and getting rid of things I currently have.
-Getting a proper set of stones and practice so I can be more self sustainable.
-Eliminating grooming and hygiene products from conglomerates like Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. I think with my most recent toothpaste refill they’re no longer in the bathroom.
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