August 2018 30 Day Rule/focus Pix & Discussion

I am 18 miles from my office which takes about an hour. With the consulting contract my commute lasts about 1 1/2 hours each way.




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I've always been lucky in terms of distances to work, I guess. I used to have a 3 block WALK to work for a few years! Our town is about 25,000 people but we've only lived here for 7 years. There are pros and cons to it, though. I don't have the conveniences and opportunities that living in a large urban area provide (We are a solid 3 1/2 hr drive to the closest major city), but it is also nice to not spend an hour a day in traffic.

 

Nice picture, Jason!

 

Great picture, Brian!

 

Beautiful picture, Doug!

 

Once you get your technique dialed in, you probably won't notice a big gap between any blade.

 

Thank you, Clint!

 

Thank you, Jason!

 

Sorry for the slow reply. Yes. I got bored using it daily after about 6 months. Honestly I have gotten bored with shaving and only shave a couple times a week (enough for work). I still use the Clog Pruf, Tech, and New Improved when motivated. The rest I ahve put away for now.

 

Fair enough! 6 months is admirable! Thanks for replying at all!

 

Blades don't really matter. Look for value.

 

That's great insight! I think that blade longevity is something that I definitely want to explore!

Thanks for clearing up the difference between rule and focus. I am more than happy with my Tech and Astras for now... I have bought other bits and pieces along the way, but have never really gotten anywhere - that's why i am now cracking on with a rule!

Thanks Chris! I will certainly be looking to develop solid technique before 'collecting'! I have already owned 5 razors and still don't have solid technique... That's why I got the Tech (mild, efficient and seriously popular) and am doing a rule!

 

Sadly, I was one of the newbies who bought 15 razors, and had no clue how to use them for optimal results. My entire collection now fits in a coffee cup. Razor collecting is a valid and fun activity, but not one I partake in anymore. If you want to collect, technique mastery makes collecting even more fun.

It's true, low angle shaves extend blade life. I've put 17 days on a GSB and 21 days on Derby. Any DE blade easily goes 5-9 days with good technique applied.

 

+1000000

 

What's your collection now?

 

Parker SRX
Magic Salon Razor
Gillette 195
Fatip Grande
Schick G
Schick J
Weishi 9306 (sold as VdH)
4 Traditional Straight Razors
One strop
One paddle strop

In my mind, these are the best of each razor type.

 

It is purely personal preference. I like and use both brands of blades. I could use Astra blades indefinitely and be quite happy with them.

 

I agree with you 95%, Chris. I'll explain why and also why it's not 100%.

In one of my reviews I mentioned that I got a weeper and someone asked me why I reviewed the soap so highly (as if the soap was responsible for my weeper). I explained that the fact that I got a weeper wasn't really the soap's fault; it was still an excellent soap with some specific outstanding properties. They didn't get it. Some people are not going to understand no matter how hard you preach it. If you think upping your soap, blade, razor and brush are going to automatically make your shave better, you are mistaken. Golf is my favorite analogy for this. In golf, a 30 handicap is a 30 handicap whether you're swinging your dad's 50 year old beater clubs or the newest Callaways. New golfers almost universally believe that if they buy better equipment their game (i.e. handicap) will improve, despite the fact that, in golf, we actually keep score and can 100% prove time and time again that it's not true. In short, outside of practice and instruction, there are no short cuts to acquiring a learned skill. Having said that, people learning that skill almost never want to come to terms with this at first. They almost always come to terms with that after they learn the skill. That's just life.

Be that as it may, very good golfers often ask others how they like their equipment. They buy new clubs that have a different feel, or different look, or are heavier or lighter or whatever. They may try a new putter just because it's more comfortable in their hands or they are looking to change things up. Before they do that, typically they seek out others' opinions about what they like or don't like about their equipment, and they tend to seek out equipment that others who have similar preferences use. They don't do this to "collect" golf clubs. They do it to find out which ones they personally like the best. As they get older or their game changes, most will continue to do this based on their changing preferences. Most understand it's not going to change their score; it's just that their preferences have changed or the find equipment that they now prefer for whatever reason.

In the soap world, it's the same way. Some soaps are slicker than others. Some make bubbly lather while others make creamier lather. Some do really good fruity scents, others are better at cologne scents. The list goes on and on. Soapmakers spend a lot of time (and science) to try and get their soaps to achieve different qualities and attributes. I'm a guy who is freakishly interested in that stuff. So much so, that several of the better known artisan soap makers send me samples of their R&D stuff to get my opinion on them and confirm their prototype soap is or isn't doing what they want. Typically they won't tell me what they are trying to achieve, but I can still almost always tell them pretty accurately how the soap changed over the last version. So, my soap reviews were never meant to communicate "this soap will give you a better shave than that soap", I just review the soap for what it is and tell what I like and don't like about it. For example, Tabac gives a great shave, but it smells like like grandma's purse with a stale cigar in it (to me). If you want to try it, go for it, but if you think it smells like "old man", don't blame me. I Coloniali can be made slicker than snot, but if you like making a fluffy Santa Claus beard on your face, it ain't your jam. If you buy it and then tell me you can't get a thick, rich lather out of it and it just feels slippery to you, again, don't blame me. I reviewed it.

Am I a collector? No... I'm more like hoarder. I fall in the "Variety is the spice of life" soap demographic. Not many people are this imalanced. But that's not who I write soap reviews for. It's the guy who wants to know what he should try and says "I love rich creamy lather and great moisturizing properties." or "I'm looking for really unique citrus scents", or "I just want the slickest soap I can find". Hopefully my reviews point that guy in the right direction, even if he only wants to buy 1 or 2 soaps in his entire life.

After reading this I'd be surprised, Brother Chris, if we didn't agree 100%. If I'm wrong, though, I'm good with 95%. Either way, I appreciate your continued words of wisdom as I find the axiom "technique trumps tools" to be true in more new ways every day.

 

But let's not forget...

 

ya got any names on that list, buddeh?