February Focus Brutalt Bra~~Semogue Mistura~~Portland 1905~~Proraso SR #21 Portland 1905, raffle prize from @Paul76 This is a nimble and fairly easy to wield instrument. Pins are tight and the size of the blade appeals to me. 21 straight straight-shaves which, I know isn't all that many, but in the end, it's not rocket science, and I am feeling pretty, darn good about my progress. I have successfully sold off 5 of my DE razors, have a current offer on a sixth and have 8 remaining, that I wish to sell. I have decided to keep the following: 1941 Ranger Tech. This was an NOS purchase with original case and instructions and it is beeeeeautiful. Cannot part with it. Not to mention it shaves like a dream. 2011 Mühle R41 on a Weber Bulldog handle. The BEST 3-piece razor I have ever owned. 1958 D3 Gillette Adjustable. First production year of the Fatboy. Iconic. Staying. The remaining "For Sale" DE's are listed on "MY Shave Den" link. Brutalt Bra was my soap of choice today. Norwegian-made, so of course, it smells of pine. It creates a wonderful lather with excellent slickness and protection. Nice and shiny isn't it?? The whipper-upper was my mixed-media boar/badger Semogue. One of the better brushes on the market, IMO. WTG/XTG/here and there ATG and I am smooth. Proraso Dopobarba closed the deal with aplomb.
Wonderful post, Joseph! Nice photos as usual, and the lather shots from yesterday and today have been superb. Glad your sales of the DE collection are going well.
I changed out my handle on my 2011 R41 and it’s my favorite DE. It was also my gateway drugs to straights. Love to see you commitment to the Dark Side.
It is awesome when the light switch goes on when the realization that there is a better way. Way to go, Patrick!
Charlie, I like using my Dovo Shavette when I want a straight shave w/o stropping a razor. Personally, using a shavette is fun because it keeps my technique "sharp". In other words, you can't cheat with it. Glad you are doing well with your Parker shavette.
Thanks Joe. As you and many others do, I really enjoy open blade shaving. It's a fun and challenging way to refine your technique and get consistently great shaves. I'm just not fond of blade edge maintenance (a skill altogether different than shaving), so I'll probably never get into conventional straight razors. I like to pick up an extremely sharp and smooth blade, regardless of the blade holder, and shave with it.
Great shave and photo Jim. Wishing you son good luck with the tryout. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
February 9th Razor: Timeless .95 SC Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (2) Brush: Omega 10098 boar Pre-shave: Stirling Mentholated Soap: Wholly Kaw King of Oud Thayers Rose witch hazel PAA Star Jelly unscented AS: Wholly Kaw King of Oud Another excellent shave to start the day! Everything was going so smoothly and such a wonderful scent from the WK I went with a full four pass shave. I am dolphin smooth and feeling good! Wholly Kaw is a top performer in my den, neck and neck with A&E. The scent from King of Oud is light off the puck but really opens up when lathered. Just wonderful! First use of the Omega 10098. A little scritchy on its maiden voyage. Really looking forward to breaking this one in. I think I'll do a rule with it in March. It should be well on it's way to fully broken in after an entire month of use. Have a great weekend my friends! Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
How does everyone store colognes and aftershaves to ensure maximum longevity? On a shelf, in a cabinet, on the dashboard of your '63 Comet, or in the saddlebags of your '49 Harley? The discussion about vintage aftershaves and colognes makes me curious....it's hard to believe these old juices retain a good scent after so many years. Common storage wisdom for certain juices in my neck of the woods is to store bottles in a cool, dark place...and to consume them in a reasonable period of time once the bottles have been opened and exposed to oxygen. When I move, I'll have the ability to store my aftershaves in a medicine cabinet or on a shelf. Just curious what you guys do in this regard. Thanks.
I currently store most of my excess containers of soap and cream in a spare refrigerator. It's probably unnecessary, but I had the room and I figured it couldn't hurt. I'l lose the spare fridge at the new house, and everything will go either into a medicine cabinet or a closet. As I reduce my total number of containers, I'll also be able to use them up faster. I only mistook the TOBS cream for French Onion dip once.
