December 2018 30 Day Rule/Focux Pix & Discussion

Terrific picture, Brian!

 

John, glad the first impression of the Gillette Wilkie was positive. I give away a lot of these with razors in the shop.

 

Thank you, Andrew!

 

Great picture, Andrew! Nice write up on the soap.

 

Thank you Gary!

Thanks Clint!

Thank you Jim!*

Thanks Bruce!*

Thanks Jason!

*Sticking with the same lineup for a week makes me consider more than just the standard "soap on the left, AS on the right, razor in the middle in front of the brush" format. While the photos feel repetitive the shaves are great!

Thanks Andrew! I was a little put off by the label. After trying the lather I'm interested in the other two scents. For me triple milled>soft soap>cream. It's an old school economic choice of buying more product/less water. There's also the added preservatives needed to keep creams fresh versus the inherent longevity of dry pucks.

 

Thank you, Jim!

 

I understand the concept but refuse to participate. For many of us taking inventory highlights the lack of need to purchase more shave gear. The base point of a Rule or Focus is "use the gear you own" designed to teach New Shavers to develop Technique. Reaching the status of a Journeyman Shaver, that middle ground where you've now got the TTT firmly understood, those AD's kick in and gear accumulates quickly. Then you get to Veteran Shaver where you've developed your preferences, purchased the majority of the stuff you desired, and either fill in the gaps or are watching for The Latest Thing.
I've reached a Less-Buy period & have no desire to be a Minimalist. No point in denying my urge to read up on items The Enablers electronically wave in front of my screen. Most times I'm satisfied with the vicarious thrill of knowing my 30DC buddies are testing the gear for me. Doesn't stop me from wanting it, but honestly I've got enough to keep me shaving for years if I keep buying tucks of DE blades.

 

How do you rate them vs. the 7 o'Clock Permasharp?

 

I don't think they are nearly as sharp as the Permasharps. To me the 7:00 Permasharp is a top tier blade where the Gillette Wilkie is middle of the road.

 

If we're so busy that we're causing you to fall behind because of sleep and work there's only one real solution. You need to sleep and work less. There, problem solved! Or maybe we could find a way to feed the thread through a ticker of some kind....just put the feed under all of those financial tickers you have every day. There's a fix in here somewhere.

 

Well there are plenty of yellow page books around with no other purpose. Every time they dump a new one on our porch I have to wonder "why".

 

A man after my own heart. Makes me want to sing. However, I"ll leave that to your expertise.

 

Well said summary of the "life cycle of the wetshaver". The only difference for me is my underlying belief that minimalism is something that could be attained and is where the ultimate savings would arise, since many of us started this as a way of saving money. Of course, the enablers did my minimalistic tendencies in big time when I kept receiving a free sample of soap in the mail unannounced. The guys who weren't here a couple years ago would probably find it strange to know that I didn't have a single Stirling soap in my collection until sometime in 2016 I believe. I got the Route 66 Sweeney Todd from Charlie around Christmas 2015. Then Soap Commander showed up. And someone suggested I try Stirling so I ordered a sample or three. Then the El Caballero found its way to my den. And I tried more Stirling scents. And......well......that's how you go from a rotation of three soaps (MWF, Tabac, ARko) to the full shelves and continuing additions I'm still trying to bring under control. Brushes seem to be the next problem area but I'm working on that. Honest. I promise. No more brushes. Until the next one.

Ultimately I plan to do a lot more reviews of all of the gear and that is part of my plan for 2019. I've received some interest from here and other threads to do more writing and reviews. Life seems to have finally settled down into a routine that allows me more time to spend on hobbies and other personal pursuits. I hope to take advantage of that.

 

Thank you Andrew. I’ll be placing another order soon.


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Sorry the scent didn’t work out. Excellent report and photo.


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Thank you Jim.


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Thank you, Clint!

 

I have given up the NB's. I don't care anymore. If I was a minimalist, I would sell it all except one razor/soap/brush/AS...and that's not going to happen. I have simply become more judicious in my purchases.

 

Sing out loud, my friend!

Thanks Jim. MWF is one of the best! (Especially when you scent it with tobacco and vanilla)

 

very well said ..