July 2020 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Good morning, Gary! Thank you.

 

Thank you, Joseph!

 

Terrific shave, pic and setup as always, Maestro!

 

Thank you.

@jtspartan
Demim is a well known firma in Europe.
Before was made in Italy, now in Swisse.
Cheap but with a nice value.

 

Thanks Andrew...SB is a classic, all right.

 

Right you are, Jeff. Just so long as they make me feel ready for the day.

 

Thank you, Andrew. Longer strokes usually mean more pressure for me too, but with shorter strokes I subconsciously over-shave. I felt the lesser of two evils was the former, so to compensate I used kind of a Kentucky windage to get it done--I aimed for no pressure added, and the resulting unconscious heavy-handedness got it just right. One of these days I'll actually start using the amount of pressure I mean to use

 

I'lll have to ask Charlie about Kentucky windages.

 

Thank you Joe. I decided to modify the theme. Going with JustOneJuly with Stallion. I will worry about the Reduction Weekend theme with the Stache Soapworks in August. Just loving the Oud too much.

 

Very nice!

 

All in all a nice shave Paul

 

Felt the same way with Chicago--their early stuff was awesome, and then the Cetera-ballads started to get to be a bit... much. By the mid-80's Chicago had pretty much become anathema to me.

 

Blair- That blade is total BA. Wonderful scales!

 

Thank you.

 

Lots of fabulous SOTD photos today. Great job fellas!

First use of a stainless GEM blade today. As mentioned yesterday, I’ve only ever used the carbon blades from CVS. The one selected today was the regular GEM-branded Stainless (Not the PTFE coated). First impression? Meh. Certainly not as smooth right outta da gate. I’ve read posts in the past where folks recommend palm stropping, or some other kinda witchcraft with the stainless GEM blades. So, before someone suggests that, the answer is a firm “NO!”. I put that in the same category of silliness as blade-flipping and blooming. There is no need to subject oneself to making something work when there’s zero reason to.

For the most part, I’m a believer in not only TTT (Technique Trumps Tools), but also a razor is a razor, and a blade is a blade. So long as everything is mechanically sound, you should be able to get a decent shave with any razor/blade combo. That doesn’t mean there won’t be favorites - either with razors or blades - or a certain combo. That’s part of the point (and fun) of sampler packs. Let’s see what we like before making a bulk purchase.

I’ll try another shave with it tomorrow. If there’s no improvement, it’ll get binned and something else will replace it.

Rant aside, the ending result was yet another Ridiculously Awesome Shave (RAS). I didn’t say the blade didn’t work, just that it wasn’t as smooth as a CVS carbon GEM. During the shave, a few “greed weepers” appeared during the ATG pass, however they were gone by the “close of business”.

The tub of Grooming Dept. “Soap” has reached the end. There’s a tiny scrap left. That’ll get move over to the tub of Grooming Dept. “Melody”. From what my uneducated olfactory senses tell me, it’s the same basic scent, with a few other scent notes added.

Using Jason’s @jtspartan creation (30DC LE brush) is always a pleasure, and it gets pulled into duty fairly often. Not only is it a stunning handle, the SynBad knot is delightful to face lather with. Whatta craftsman he is - and a fine gentleman (with good taste in CL aftershaves) too!

Speaking of aftershaves. Yesterday and today there was no use of post-shave products. Livin’ life on the edge, my friends.

Enough yammering from me. Have a wonderful day, guys! Hope you enjoy!

 

Just gorgeous Andrew.


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Yeah, the first EVO I just kept checking WCS until one showed in stock. It was the 'Marble Oval' handle, a most bland shaving brush handle. The second I ended up getting lucky, it is slightly nicer, the 'Marble Ego'. Nabbed it within an hour’s listing on a BST. The Oval handle knot is in the HC Klenzo now.

The Simpson Trafalgar T3 would be a great, if not nearly identical alternative, but there is that shipping time that Gary and Jim experienced.

 

Nice, Andrew!

Thank you, Joe!

Good luck with the move, David.

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Thank you Andrew. Many times I’ll weigh the soap and container new and right it on the bottom with a permanent marker. Then when I get curious I’ll know much is left. Over time I have figured out that I load 3-4 grams per shave on average.


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Nice shave and write-up, Bruce!