Unsolicited opinions, musings, and ramblings from a grumpy old man’s recliner.

[thombrogan]

I call it “Happy Razor Fun Time” for that reason.

 

[WThomas0814]

#111/300+ shaves in 2024

Razor: Lambda Athena
Blade: Personna Lab Blue (1)
Soap: Arko puck
Brush: Rudy Vey Boxelder Burl, Semogue C5 boar knot

Post Shave: Shower, followed by Dickinson’s Original

Aftershave: Osage Rub
Fragrance: Guerlain Vetiver

Stellar shave with the Athena. Close, comfortable DFS+ in two passes.

The RV brush is an absolute joy to use and, of course, ARKO!

Finished with a splash of Osage Rub and three sprays of Guerlain Vetiver.

Cheers, all!

 

[Guido75]

When I was shaving every other day, there was no better razor than the Muhle Rocca.

Ah. Now I understand. I saw your BSTs and was wondering why as you liked it so much. We have different beards apparently a as the Rocca is a daily shaver for me and could easily be my forever razor.

the Athena, Le Maurice, and the Carbon Cx are ideal, as is the Gillette NEW Short Comb on the vintage side. These are razors I will never part with.

Fierce competition for sure. I truly like the design of the Carbon, but I think it was you who mentioned it was very similar to a Tech. That Maurice is also on my some day maybe list.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[WThomas0814]

Ah. Now I understand. I saw your BSTs and was wondering why as you liked it so much. We have different beards apparently a as the Rocca is a daily shaver for me and could easily be my forever razor.

Fierce competition for sure. I truly like the design of the Carbon, but I think it was you who mentioned it was very similar to a Tech. That Maurice is also on my some day maybe list.

Cheers,

Guido

A Tech with different baseplates for different feel, yes. My .71 plate feels a lot like my 56 Ball End.

 

[Phoenixkh]

As I sit and ponder, which I seem to do more often as I grow older, it seems to be that I need a massive den purge.

Talk me out of it.

I have eight “modern” razors, most on the premium end of the scale, but, I only LOVE four of them. The unloved include a Blackbird titanium and an Atelier Durdan Vestige, for what it’s worth. Ive already sold both of my Roccas, my Blackbird SS, and my Vector.

I also have, if I’m counting correctly, 15 vintage razors (six Techs, two Aristocrats, three Super Sspeeds, a Fatboy, two NEWs (LC and SC), and two Ever-Ready Gems. I’m not wild about any of the TTOs and, while I like my Techs, I like my NEWs much more.

And, lest I forget, I have three Kamisori barber razors (Feather AC SS, Feather AC DX, and Schick Proline). The two Feathers have never been opened, the Proline is from the 90s.

Brushes? Lord, please help me. I have a half-dozen premium boars brand new in boxes that it will be years before I ever think of using (I blame Rudy Vey and his brilliant work for part of that); I also have 3-4 restored vintage brushes sitting idle.

Time is short and it seems prudent to focus on the kit that has proven to work flawlessly.

I wouldn’t say that I’m going minimalist; if I proceed, I’ll be left with four top-tier modern razors and three vintages, as well as a dozen-ish premium boar brushes.

What do you think?

I look over my small families of razors and ponder if I have any that don’t fit. I get great shaves from them all. At this point, I like choosing one on a whim. I don’t have a set rotation.

Example: it's been raining here for the past 3 days. When it rains, I wear one of those wide brim khaki desert hats. If I miss a few shaves, I look rugged. If I’m not wearing the hat, I look homeless. <eg>

It was abnormally slow today so I took an hour and a half off, buzzed my hair and had a wonderful shave. I selected the heavier Timeless hybrid 0.68OC razor head as I thought the extra weight would assist mowing down the 5 1/2 days of growth. It performed just as I thought it would.... That's why I decided to keep both hybrid heads. I had one of them up for sale the other day... not one bite.. and I was taking quite a loss on them. They are both very well balanced, just a tad different.

I might feel differently in a year or so... or even 6 months, but they don't take up that much space as I have the three families separated. I enjoy looking at them... and using them all.

I do have a set rotation of brushes... I just finished my first tub of soap since I started saving Feb. of 2022. That was a nice feeling... washing out the Canada Shaving Soap tub so it can be repurposed. The Baume.be is next.... I should be through that one in a couple months at most.

 

[WThomas0814]

It's been crazy at Grammy and Grampas house. One set of grandkids Friday and Saturday (8 and 5) and another set today and tomorrow (3.5 and 2).

Saturdays shave was the Athena and an unbleached Zenith boar. Today for Vintage Sunday it was a Flat Bottom Tech ( beautifully plated with Platinum by Back Roads Gold) and a restored Ever-Ready 400 with a 24x50 badger/boar blend (Albus Palmira soap).

Two fantastic shaves!

 

[WThomas0814]

Today is Gotcha Day for my wee Sadie Girl. She came to me a year ago from an Amish puppy mill after a very unhappy life. She has become my shadow, my constant companion, my Velcro dog, and a constant source of joy.

 

[Eric_75]

Today is Gotcha Day for my wee Sadie Girl. She came to me a year ago from an Amish puppy mill after a very unhappy life. She has become my shadow, my constant companion, my Velcro dog, and a constant source of joy.

View attachment 1849201

What a sweet girl.

 

[thombrogan]

Congratulations on your first year with your beautiful partner in crime.

 

[Dave himself]

She's a wee beauty .

 

[WThomas0814]

Congratulations on your first year with your beautiful partner in crime.

She’s n9t as excited as I am when new stuff arrives, unless its a treat for her.

 

[thombrogan]

I’ve seen horror stories of brushes loved by pets. In particular, an olive wood handles Mühle brush owned by @tjsgarden

 

[cajunrph]

Sweet pup. I have a Velcro dog also. She was our daughter’s dog but the grandkids were young and rough on her. Hanging on her neck to the point of an injury. She chose me the second she load eyes on me.

Hers is getting old. Moving slower now. We cherish all the time we have with her. She sleeps right up next to me in the bed. If she could get inside me she would. Haha.

 

[WThomas0814]

Outstanding Monday shave. Staying with the Athena for another week because it feels and sounds so good.

Personna Lab Blue remains my blade of choice, and the big Zenith unbleached boar never disappoints. Soap was te all-time king, Bitos Red + Coco.

Wrapped it all up with skin Bracer.

Perfection.

 

[WThomas0814]

Sweet pup. I have a Velcro dog also. She was our daughter’s dog but the grandkids were young and rough on her. Hanging on her neck to the point of an injury. She chose me the second she load eyes on me. View attachment 1849502

Hers is getting old. Moving slower now. We cherish all the time we have with her. She sleeps right up next to me in the bed. If she could get inside me she would. Haha.

Beautiful.

40-ish years ago I gifted my father a one year old rescued Cocker. She was born on the day my Springer Spaniel died. She was the best dog he and my mother ever had. She lived to 17.