Just a reminder....PAIN STICKS STILL RULE! September 1, 2024 Stirling Shavette September Razor - CJB Greager GR1003 Shavette Blade - Feather Pro A/C Soap - Stirling Sheep Brush - 2019 Meetup handle with a Badger/Boar hybrid knot Well I finally got things settled enough to get into a daily routine. After 3 weeks of not shaving at all I decided September was the time to start. My original idea was Shavette/Straight September. Then I read Joe's intro and loved the idea of adding Stirling to the mix. Definitely my favorite soap maker. I still have a ton of it in stock and even added some new Iced Coffee to the collection. One of my old favorites that I have missed for too long. It's been 4 years or so since I picked up a pain stick. Figured I'd see if I still had what it takes. I chose the CJB because my first ever A/C style shavette was the original CR 100-B that I won in a pif from @Keithmax in the early days of this group. My blade of choice - the Feather Pro A/C blade, of which I still have a good supply again due to the generosity of @Keithmax. I've tried all of the artist club blades and the Feather Pro is absolutely my favorite. For the soap - Stirling Sheep. Love that mutton tallow. And the brush - a high end Badger/Boar hybrid that I put in one of the 2019 meetup custom handles. Happy to say I am bloodless, and finished with a very fine shave. The muscle memory held and the month is off to a great start. I'll be posting a picture of all of the various shavettes I'll be using this month. Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend.
I was thinking about what has changed since the OG 30DC originally taught me proper DE shaving techniques, goaded me to shave with straights, pain sticks, and other questionable paraphernalia, and enabled me to buy way too much crap. So here are the big 4: 1. I now have zero interest in chasing a BBS shave. Chasing too hard ruins my zen. Besides, I’ve always felt like those only truly exist in theory anyway. Splash on some AS and tell me you can’t find a single shrewd of evidence that you had even one hint of a whisker on your face I’ll tell you that you are probably not looking hard enough for evidence. 2. I no longer bowl lather. Instead I make my lather right on top of the puck. While it may use a fraction more soap I consider this to be a good thing as it will give me a fighting chance to exhaust my soap collection before I die. It also always produces a fantastic thick rich lather, no matter what. 3. I’ve settled on one razor – the Hinson. It’s almost like a DE with cartridge-like safety properties. While I learned better technique using a variety of tools, this DE razor feels almost like cheating and always gives good results. It’s also virtually impossible to get a cut, nick, or weeper, even when you are not focusing or concentrating. Life is too short to deal with that stuff. 4. I no longer buy anything shaving related, and have been completely cured of my RAD, SAD, BAD, and any other AD’s, as I now consider using what I already own to be an almost impossible task. That’s probably why you’ll find me and a number of other old 30 DC members occasionally posting on the 3017 thread.
Indulge me while I answer each of these 4. 1. BBS shaves have always, honestly, been an ideal more than a reality. They also last, what, 20 minutes? It's not like your beard stops growing until you go to sleep to honor that completely bald smooth face. I think BBS became synonymous with "the best shave I can perform today". But, it helped inspire others to go for that total perfection which never really exists, short of blow-torching your face. Something which nobody ever tried, surprisingly, given the members of that OG. I am perfectly happy getting it nice and smooth and not worrying about that spot I hurried over. Doesn't matter, really. Nobody outside razor geeks notices anyway. 2. I tried bowl lathering for awhile in the OG days but quickly switched to loading the brush on the puck and face lathering. I never got the point of producing a bowlful of lather that would mostly be dumped anyway. I can make all of that right on my face where it's needed. I still have my bowls and mugs, but use them mostly for putting loose pucks in so I can lather on the puck. Ironic. 3. I still have most of my collection. Unfortunately the Toggle is not included. However, for the past few years I have used mostly the modern Wunderbar from RozoRock. It's a solid, heavy slant that can produce a "BBS" with one pass if you aren't afraid of the aggression it provides. Why did I choose that one? Because it works, it's easy, and we were in a very small space that didn't allow me access to my full collection. Give me some Stirling, the Wunderbar and a synthetic brush and I can be perfectly happy. That said, it's been great to have my vintage stock back out and usable. However they are just for my enjoyment, really. The necessity of shaving and mechanics of a quick shave are easily handled by the Wunderbar. I may change to my Fatboy or another vintage choice from time to time, but the daily switch is not necessary. 4. Oh my. RAD, SAD, BAD and all the others. There's a reason I have a 20 year supply of Russian steel. And enough Stirling soap to supply my whole neighborhood. It's called addiction and it's real. Ok, confession, I did just buy a puck of Iced Coffee from Stirling, mainly because it had been off the market before and I LOVE that scent. But I'm not buying ten other soaps and trying twelve others etc., etc. I also haven't even looked at razors or brushes. I have a very fine collection that sits and waits for me to decide to use it. I'm pretty sure I could go years without buying anything shaving related. And I'm perfectly fine with that. If we could get a refund on everything we spent back in the day I'm pretty sure we could all retire. I do miss the OG days, but when I think about it it's not really the shaving stuff I miss. It's the fellowship we had. The meetups, though small, were awesome and friendships were forged. We had connections with each other that transcended all the shaving gear. The online conversations were legendary stuff. I do want to find some of the gems just to have the for my memory. Skunk shaves, March Madness, all that stuff that people would never believe if it wasn't saved for posterity. Or maybe just because the internet never dies. Well, until you pull the plug. Have a great day Gents!
I rarely but soap now but when I do it is to support an on-line vendor here in Korea. I think I have enough soap for at least 5 years. My DE shaves are now 90% my Joris or 2011 R41. I have only added two straights in the last two years, I do rotate through them as I like to keep the edges fresh and each has their special quality. I also find I no longer chase the latest hot item, be it soap, razor, straight or brush. Actually I do not even know what the hot items are now.
Just a historical note for us 30DC Alumni guys. Or, as I prefer, the 30DC OG's! Today is December 23rd. Ten years ago today the first post concerning the 30Day thread was posted by the late, the great, @Bama_Samurai. It was an invitation to try a 30 Day Rule based on G.D. Carrington's. That post gathered together the first denizens of what would become a journey into great shaves and shenanigans. Oh so many shenanigans! In honor of the 10th anniversary of the 30DC, I wish you all a great shave, a better one tomorrow, and may the shenanigans never die! Nice to see a few of us old guys still around.
Well it was all you guys who made it happen, to be honest. I'm actually doing some research into the old threads to find the best of the best posts that were made. Maybe nobody else will care, but I want to preserve some of them for posterity. The skunk shave. M-bomb below the waist incident. And some of the May-hem stuff.....nobody will believe it if we don't remind them. LOL It was the participation of all of the guys that made it easy to be the moderator. Shoot, just edit and post the monthly intro, suggest a theme and turn the horses loose! And, I will add, Sir Keith, you had a big part in all of it. Especially as our overseas guest at the meetups!
I joined the Den in February of 2015. I do not remember my first 30DC, but had an awful lot of fun in those threads. I met some really cool people, learned a lot, was entertained, and still chuckle when I think of some of the things that we used to do. Merry Christmas guys!
I'm finally in a position to unpack a bunch of my shaving stuff. Going through the tackle box I bought to store a lot of it in. By the way, if I'm boring you please feel free to say something. Doesn't mean I'll stop but at least I'll know. Found an interesting item in the bottom of the box and it took a minute to figure out why in the world I had this. It finally came to me and I had a huge laugh. Anybody else remember?
I have a few of those Sayuri's still hanging around too. And, as Keith said, as long as we have a bolt and a blade there's no excuse for not being clean shaven. And bleeding.
Merry Christmas, my friends. I am thankful for our friendships and memories. We received a message this morning from our dear friend @Bama Samurai's parents (now also part of our extended 30DC family) this morning. This says it all. The Love of Christ, grace, peace, and hope to you and your sweet families.
