It's interesting we were talking about Franklin. We will be visiting in May, I believe, for a soccer game. Funny how that timed out.

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That sounds like my kind of Plan! I've got a German Slant DE to try out. Haven't had a SE in hand for a while. I suspect I'll work in a FB shave as well. Still got Decadent Lathers in mind & several samples of Stirling soap to unwrap. Good times ahead!

By the seat of the pants! That's living right there.

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You might have a different adjective for it if you could see how much time I spend packing my dopp on Sundays.

I've decided I need to give some attention to my SEs this month.... I haven't used one of the GEMs for a few months, and the Injectors are looking lonely too. Of course, I'll find time for a DE shave too. After all, I have to participate in Gillette Adjustable Fridays!

I’m definitely interested in the theme since I just went through all of my soaps for January I’m going to do a little comparison shaving for February. I think I’m going to compare some mass market products to artisan products.


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Favorite February

January 31 - Early start to February

Razor - Gem MMOC
Blade - Gem Carbon Steel
Soap - Stirling Ozark Mountain
Brush - Stirling Two Band Synthetic
Post - Alum

Getting this post in late as the shave got done late. This is just going to be the daily report. I'll have the full info on my month shortly. Tried posting this in January and was too late but that's ok, this is actually my first shave for February anyway.

Short version - I'm going with a Rule for February to learn the MMOC, or OCMM, whichever way you prefer it. This is a great razor from around 1930 or so that still garners the respect of SE gurus like @wchnu for its ability to reach out and bite. I want to master this razor and a Rule is the best way. Now, having said that, it will be what we called an HBSG shave the first month of our existence here. More details in a minute.

Tonight's shave - Great lather, though I need to make it a bit wetter for this blade. The carbon isn't as smooth as I'm used to, but was recommended by Fuzzy. Quick question to those who use these razors and blades - preference in blades? Gem Carbon vs. Pal Blue Carbon? Two passes, CCS result, no blood and the alum was a bit warmer than I usually prefer. Other than that, I can't complain and I'm off and learning.

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That's good to know! I'll be honest - the poll is almost always an on the spot thing because I tend to forget about it until I'm ready to post. Glad to know I can still improvise and have it worth something!

Those early Super Speeds are awesome razors! Should make for a great month and we'll try to keep the Shenanigans going!

I'll be watching! I'm doing some thinking on the differences myself and it will be interesting to hear someone else's take on it.

Feb Focus on Faves? In.

Hmmm. Fat Boy is my fave Adjustable. @wristwatchb showed me the gospel on that. I'll use it tomorrow. Look forward to hearing the why behind the faves that others have. That's my plan. I'll come up with something each time I shave that highlights a fave if some sort, while focusing on skinstretch and bevel control across various handle and blade styles.

Let's make it "Fun February!"

Good luck and have a great month!

February Favorites!

Ok, so here's my master plan for February. Something I haven't done in awhile. A Rule. Not the strictest Rule, but one that is more strict than a Focus.

When I used the Gem MMOC, or OCMM, or MOMC (sorry Fuzzy, can't resist) last week I realized that I have never been able to shave with it without having either blood or massive irritation. And in researching it and reading some of the SE experts comments, I realize it is a beast that is hard to tame. Well, I want to tame the thing. After all, I tamed pain sticks to the point I use them for head shaves on a whim. One little vintage Gem can't beat me, right? Well, we'll see.

As I mentioned in my shave report I'm using an "HBSG" Rule, which is an archaic term meaning "focus", but I'm restricting it down to just one razor, one blade (perhaps two if I need) and one soap (manufacturer). I'm using two brushes, though they are related. A strict Rule, or "BSG" Rule, would be one razor, blade, soap, brush. Here's a list of the gear.

Gem Micromatic Open Comb
Gem Carbon Steel blade (with Pal Blue Carbon on deck should I decide to compare at some point)
Stirling soap - I have eight different scents, but they're all Stirling so the lather should be consistent.
Brushes - Two Band Stirling Synthetic and Stirling Pro Style Synthetic.

I'll also be using alum to test the result for irritation, weepers, etc. This razor is likely to give me some challenges in finding quiet alum.

I'm looking forward to bending this razor to my will this month. It's been a long time since I've restricted myself to a Rule and it should be a good month. As for February Favorites? Well, I chose Stirling soaps for a couple of reasons. Number one they are consistent in lather quality, and they are among my very top favorite soaps! So there you go.

We're off to a great start! And - let me say how much I appreciated and enjoyed January! We did 3319 posts in January which is a record for that month. Here's to even more fun, shaving and just plain good times for the next 28 days!

Bonus Round - The first person who can tell me what BSG and HSBG stand for will get some free Russian Steel for their effort!​

Creative way to keep Fatboy February alive in the thread! But then, you are a creative kind of guy.

Fun. I will recuse as being one goofy dude back then. 30DC runs smoother under current regime!

The cats are just in straighter lines while herding now.

I gotta see if I can find a Feather blade in the stash.

The Yakuza leader unsure if he has a Feather?! Worrisome words!

It's Charlie's fave in the razor he champions. Respectful tribute to a crew fixture. I rearranged the supplies recently and saw a tuck, just need to locate it precisely.

Understood. My wife talked me into a reorganization of supplies last month. Bought a big tackle box and sorted blades etc. into different trays. Now I just dig and hunt until I find them. Not exactly the best system but it cleared a lot of space which made her happy. I still have my rack of razors on my desk and she cleared the top of the chest of drawers in the bedroom for my brushes and after shaves. The cabinet in the bathroom that we bought to hold all of that stuff? Now full of soap mostly. Yeah, the soap enablers got me good last year. Remind me to thank them!

I had things set. Then, well nevermind...lets just say things got disorganized. A divided box is the way to go. Feels official too, like retrieval from inventory.