December 2018 30 Day Rule/Focux Pix & Discussion

Well, here's my dilemma. I haven't used a modern razor (beyond the EJ or Muhle) this year. I haven't played with any of the new designs out. My love of vintage keeps me pretty locked up in a bubble. I suppose I should start getting in on the pass around thing for new razors just to say I've tried them. So.....with that caveat.....I can still give you my nomination for razor of the year that I have actually used. And that razor would be - are you ready? It's gonna shock you I'm sure!


The Gillette 195 - Fatboy. Yeah, I know, quite anticlimactic. Here are my reasons/thoughts/train of thought/whatever. First of all, I considered the Toggle. It was the first adjustable, after all. But it's a limited thing. Pretty rare as we know. I just got lucky and got to play with one and have one sitting on my shelf at the moment. Same basic razor as the Fatboy, just the toggle vs. the dial. So, the Fatboy wins by virtue of being the one Gillette produced of the two. The Fatboy adjusts for anybody's preference, provides good angles and is solid razor. They don't seem to wear out with reasonable care. Hard to argue with their versatility and build.

Runners up - still from the world of vintage - Gotta throw the Gem Jr. in the conversation on the SE side. And the Type G Schick. On the DE side - NEW LC and Super Speeds. Workhorses of their generation who still bring it today. My experience with true straights is very limited but in the world of straights I can speak to pain sticks. Sorry, Artist Club razors. The Feather SS is very nice. However, the lip on it changes things a bit. The Kai Captain is more of a "traditional" head and is, I believe, easier to use than the Feather SS, though it's also easier to cut yourself with the Kai. CJB Greager mirrors the Kai. I have a Feather DX still waiting for its first trial. That will happen in the next few days. It may rise to the top.

 

I've delt with them. They are good people Paul.

 

You know the computer I'm currently typing on? Yeah, well there's that. LOL As for shaving gear? The Muhle fits that criteria as well. I have 4 more days. We'll see how much more I can cram in.

 

Speaking of Jennifer being gone and everything I've been up to.....the hospital called today. They can see two very small nodules on my lungs - but nothing that concerns them. Just leftovers from 30 years of sucking in smoke. So, they'll look again in a year to make sure they're just in there for the heck of it and I'm all good to go. As I told Jennifer by text when I gave her the results, there's some irony involved with all of this. 30 years smoking, much of it over a pack a day. Sometimes over two packs. Back in my younger days about a decade of serious drinking. As in - you don't get hangovers if you never sober up. And what nearly killed me ten years ago and keeps me on my toes now? Food. Yep. The bad stuff was apparently better for me than the thing I need to live on. Oh ok, ok, so I don't need Bob Evans sausage gravy or Five Guys burgers and fries. But you get the idea.

 

I love vintage Gillettes myself. Hope others might give their opinion of the 2018 razors. It was last year or the year before that Timeless Razor came in for over all I believe.

 

Oh ok Doug....they do seem to have a wide variety of products. I did sign on to their newsletter.

 

I'm with you. I hope we can get some ratings for the new razors too. That way I know what to try first.

 

Sounds good Neal. I have some of the new razors. We can work something out.

 

Oh my. That brush.
Awesome holiday themed photo, Doug!!
Agreed. Some incredible razors hit the market this year!

 

Fantastic photo and setup, Jim!
Outstanding report on the soap & AS as well. Subtle enabling at its finest.
That sounds like a scent I’d enjoy.

 

Bruce. Mr. Bob Quinn does amazing work. This brush is incredible.

 

West Coast Shaving has ‘em, Paul...

 

Thanks for the kind words, gents!

 

Seriously crew - how long has this guy been one of us? And he's got all the lines, all the angles, everything figured out already?! I think I need to call a truce with @BaylorGator and start a serious look into the kind of collusion that may be involved with other shaving forums. We can't let our best secrets get out!

 

Was there an election? Missed it

 

FYI, I have three Thaters. Two are two band which are soft, scrubby and dense, and some of my favorite knots of all time. One is a three band which is unbelievably pillowy soft with not that much back bone. If you like synthetics, it’s like that on steroids. Too soft for me, but luxurious enough where I haven’t been able to let it go from my den. Anyway the two band and three band Thaters are very different.

As for your pick of DE razor, I am in 1000% agreement. I have a Karve, a Rex, and A few other fancypants razors, but none of them hold a candle to my Fatboy.

 

Keeping your good health in my thoughts, Neal.

 

Thank you, Jim!

 

Thank you, Bruce!

 

This Thater enabling session from all sides today is pretty impressive. I'm going to mark this particular discussion thread as "enabling for the advanced denizen". Good info though. I appreciate it. Great to see some more Fatboy love too. I know some people have considered it an overrated razor, and some people have certainly paid a premium when they get stuck in an auction for one, but at the end of the day, it works. And keeps working. And looks good doing it.