January 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Thanks Jim. You're catching on quickly.

 

Is that the tub I sent you, Paul? I know Jeeves changed his sizes mainly because other vendors were charging the same for a smaller size, and it allowed him to keep his prices steady. He also wasn't getting a great deal of repeat business because no one ever finished his soap tubs. I have about 9 different scents of his, and will be trying to titanic one of them this year. We will see how that goes. I track my soaps by weight. have noticed that I get more shaves out of an ounce of Jeeves than some other soaps, so cost wise, it is kind of a wash for me. My skin likes his formula a lot though.

 

Nice shave and photo, Charlie!

 

Yes, which does cause some issues in areas such as under the nose.

 

They guy in the second advertisement looks like he's spent some time here during MAYhem.

 

Great minds. Maybe twisted minds. You should officially be scared and possibly seek professional help.

 

Coffee nerds recommend drinking coffee within a couple of weeks after roasting the beans for best flavor. I can't seem to to do this, so I just store my beans in Mason jars in a cool, dark place. It still tastes good to me after being in storage a few weeks.

I'm beginning to see that the world has a community of tea nerds also. There's a local tea shop here in my neck of the woods, and they have weekly tastings. I may have to check this out.

My next question: how many of you (besides @BaylorGator of course) extend your pinkies while partaking of your favorite tea?

 

January Focus

B&M Bay Rum~~Semogue Taj Mistura~~Feather AS-D2~~Gillette Nacet~~Grand Bay Bay Rum
Didn't have to be at work until 8:30, so naturally, I had time for a shave.
Dominica shave soap has been relegated to the shower. Lesson learned (again).
Barrister & Mann Bay Rum is probably my second favorite after Mike's.
Wonderful lather; creamy and slick.
Two-handed with the Feather/Nacet combination.
No issues.
Three passes for a DFS.
Splashed on a healthy dose of the GBBR for a great finish.
This AS has very little staying power, unfortunately.​

 

I may have to try some of this on my next tea order.

 

Thank you, Perry. I'm having fun with the SRX. I don't take it for granted, though. I don't want to meet my insurance deductible this early in the year.

 

I don't consider the cost of soaps, creams, aftershaves, etc. I just use what I like, and I like to try new products. The cost per use is almost insignificant when you consider that most products last for a long time. Where this really tests me is with colognes...a bottle is fairly expensive, but it lasts me for years.

 

How else would you drink it?

 

As the wetshaving hobby/movement has grown so have those who figured out that we all need quality soaps/creams and that we are willing to pay for quality products. However, so many got started up that it fragmented the market and created a difficult market for new producers to make a profit. Some of them are only hobbyists themselves, producing the soap as a side job kind of thing and happy with the extra money. Some want to become a full time producer and build a business. Some are in between. Just like any other startup industry there will be shakeups and new people and failures and all that. I think we're just now seeing a critical mass of soaps being made and will begin to see the number of soaps level out and begin to fall as the part timers either run out of funds or just don't have the interest to fight that hard for market share. Stirling has definitely gotten a leg up on the competition by the way they set up their business and how they have chosen to continue expanding the line of products. It would be a good thing for wetshaving if others could succeed like that as well if only to keep competition alive and also provide variety. We'll see how things go in the next couple of years.

Disclaimer: My comments about the soap making industry does not reflect my opinion of any particular maker. I'm speaking in generalities unless I state otherwise.

 

Agreed. I always find it interesting when people start looking at the cost per ounce of soap. To have a fair comparison, you would have to look at cost per use.As cheap as I am at times, I should be shaving with Arko and Russian blades all the time. I didn't get into wetshaving to shave money, it was about the experience for me. The scent and post shave feel are bigger factors for me. I think if you find a soap maker that makes scents you like, that's also a winner.

 

Charlie, I agree! Who knew there was so much knowledge about tea within the 30DC?

Terrific photo and shave, Joseph! At least the Dominica shave soap was cheap.

 

I got into wet shaving to save money. We all know how that turns out.....

I agree - I look for post shave feel and good slickness and other qualities in a soap. There are so many good soaps out there. But my CT confirms that I rarely buy a brand new soap. My MO is to scour the BST and buy used soaps or make trades. You often get an almost full product for far less.

 

EDRIO shave #3 January 6th

Quack, quack! Dubl Duck Special #1 razor, and Dubl Duck M2 brush handle with Omega 10066 knot. I forget how awesome this brush is. It is one of my first wetshaving purchases, and is softer than some of my badgers once it is soaked. The only reason I don't use it as much is because I have an Omega Pro knot in my 30DC LE handle. This is my titanic soap right now, and I saw the bottom of the tub when finished yesterday. I would rate Wild West Soaps based on this one as a solid mid-tier performer. They make a very good thick lather that is slick and works well. The scent is amazing. Its a mix of Rose, Bourbon, Leather, and Vanilla. The bentonite clay is also noticeable in this scent quite a bit. I don't usually like that scent in my shave soaps, but with this blend it works really well. It smells like a dusty old library in an eccentric old man's house. Creosote aftershave rounds it off nicely, which smells like the desert in AZ after a rain. Overall, a good shave. This razor will need a touch up before I use it again, but that won't be until 2020 anyways.

 

How do you like the Rapiras? I was given a tuck of them and a tuck of Lapas . Liked them so much i ordered more and got a free razor with them. Actually just arrived an hour ago.

I would just splash double the amount on . That should take care of the scent disappearing.

 

Pardon the pun but i think Omega got a "handle" on the boar brush market. Awesome shave Adam.

 

Ummmmm....so were you interested in "shaving money" another way? Just curious. The problem with comparing soaps by cost per use is that every person loads differently and you can use different amounts of soap each use. I know you keep track of that, which is admirable (or a bit OCD, not sure) and does allow you to know some very exact and useful numbers. As a sales and marketing type guy I can tell you that the real issue when it comes to cost of product is perceived value. I look at a tub of AOS soap and see NO value in that price. That tub may last a year and be cost effective at a "per shave" cost but I'll never get there because my perception is that only crazy people pay that much for one tub of soap. Others love the performance, feel, scent etc. and enjoy using it so much that the soap is clearly worth the cost, hence, it has a high perceived value for them. The arguments for "cost per ounce" or "cost per use" or "cost per unit" are all academic until they hit the reality of the person needing and buying the soap. It's one reason I hope we can have a number of highly successful soap makers survive the current glut in order to provide quality products to everybody on the entire perceived value spectrum. That will help us keep accelerating the use of traditional shaving methods and eventually topple the carts. And THAT, my friend, is the ultimate goal of the revolution.