Welcome to May 2020! Yeah, I know. That looks strange. It has been MAYhem for four years. Well, things change as we have certainly seen in the past few months around the world. But…we adapt and move on and look forward to a great month that we’ll call……..


THE MERRY MIXED UP MONTH OF MAY!!


What in the world is that, you ask? Well, while MAYhem always focused on exotic shaving gear, mostly handmade, or gear used that probably never should have been, this month, in order to save blood loss and not have to worry about medical care, let’s just mix up the gear we have. How many of us have gear stored away somewhere we haven’t pulled out in awhile? I know I do! I have a lot of “off-brand” blades I haven’t touched. And some strange razors and even just less favorite razors that need to come out of hiding. Let’s mix things up and use some of that idle gear. You can mix blades with razors that you’ve never tried, try razors in the drawer you’ve had but not tried, whatever you can that mixes things up.

And…..let’s mix it up another way as well. Got some gear you don’t want anymore? Razors? Blades? Soaps? You know, anything? Well how about some unique and fun PIF’s?? Figure out what you want gone and figure out a fun way to give it away to someone else!! Let’s mix up some gear among the whole group. How’s that sound?

And…..one more thing….May is the month when we celebrate Memorial Day. So, I’ll go back through some very early days of this thread and pull out a memory for each day. Give us a perspective of where we’ve been and some of the unique things that have happened.

So, there you go. Let’s mix it up and have a great month!! Share some memories and make new ones. It’s a way of celebrating Spring and another great month of the 30DC.

Of course, the theme is optional. Figure out what you want to do and keep sharing! There’s room for everyone.

So…that’s the main intro. Now for the real meat of this group. As always, let’s let everyone know what we’re about as a group of shavers looking to improve our technique and teach new guys how to do it like the pros! Let’s get it started!!! And make it a great month!!!!

Welcome back or welcome for the first time!! Wondering what the heck a 30 Day Rule or Focus is? Well, let’s let the one, the only, the legendary and mystical @Bama Samurai remind us. Please rise and remove your hats and hold your favorite razor aloft in tribute. We’ll pause for a moment of revered silence.


HEY! I said pause for revered silence! Ok, now you can proceed.

The 30 Day Rule (designed to build solid technique or learn new technique)

1 brush, 1 soap, 1 brand of blades, 1 razor, 30 Days. The rule is really that simple. It seems boring, but this is probably the most straightforward way to learn for a brand new shaver. This is the exercise that really allowed me to clearly see the interplay between the four elements. It is highly recommended for newly converted shavers and more experienced shavers who have a problem that defies resolution. This exercise eliminates variables and will likely solve any problem you may have, with a strict scientific approach.Any thing that strays from these simple guidelines is not a rule, but rather a focus (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

The 30 Day Focus (more flexible, for exploring and comparing)

This is a less rigorous exercise, designed for exploration and comparison of gear and technique. This is the most common exercise on the thread. Generally the elements are rotated one by one to allow clear observation. Examples of focus areas include brush types, blades, soaps, razor variants, or technique foci as a standalone.

These are the suggested guidelines, and serve as a starting point for the discussion each month. Again, if you want to follow the theme in some way feel free. But if you are on a Rule or Focus that doesn’t include the theme we’re totally fine with that. Most of all remember – this is about learning to use the tools and improving our skills so that TECHNIQUE TRUMPS TOOLS!!


Here are the rules. Those not following the rules will be subject to penalties to include a visit from Ivan or Igor to correct that stinkin’ thinkin’!

1. New Members always welcome. Start anytime.
2. Experienced Members also always welcome. Notice I stopped calling us “old”?
3. Respect everyone
4. Follow the rules of the forum
5. All razor types and styles welcome
6. Any criticism of Russian steel of any kind will be met with swift and ferocious retribution. Ok, so maybe not so swift. The guys have to sober up first. And ferocious? Well, at least slightly uncomfortable to listen to.
7. Any criticism of Feather blades is also subject to the same kind of almost uncomfortable retribution. The Yakuza has started mixing their sake with the vodka from the Cartel boys. Let’s just say it seems to have calmed them down.

Let's have some great shaves! Group hug people!

awesome Neal..welcome back..

For MAYhem, I will use 1 yes 1 Feather FHS blade all month. The plan is to make it work with my Autostrop. This until I finish my straight razor and I can shave with that.

i will be going forward with a "mix up May" theme..anything and everything..what ever the mood brings..inspiration from others,we'll see..see you all here..

I'm in. I May use mild razors. I May use aggressive razors. I May use SE razors. I May use OC razors. I May use synthetic brushes. I May use...
Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to do but I do know I Will shave.

And of course, you MAY shave at will!

There we have it folks. MAYhem with one blade.

For those who are sure to ask, the over priced flimsy Naked Armor strop trims down to be a perfect Autostrop strop.

You all know what I'll be up to

Back to the utensil drawer again this year, Patrick?

You are the Master of MAYhem!

That would have made a good CT. Too bad you went with El Scratcho.

*And he shaves only 1, yes 1 time this month*

You're hard core, Evan. One of my greatest failures as a shaver was trying to extend the life of my GEM blades by stropping--I must be the world's crummiest stropper because I never could get any more life out of them, and in some cases I'm pretty sure I made things worse. Seems like a great motivating force to get that blade made

Should be both--seems like the one is intricately connected to the other

Been snooping around it a bit to see if anything catches my Jason.

Thanks Jim! CTs do rarely get changed . Never know .

That sounds like a great intro...

I’ll be in for the month of course.
For mixed up May, I’ll take Neal’s advice and try to use some blades I don’t usually get to and some neglected software. I’ll also take Gary’s direction and take inspiration from the 30DCs postings. I’ve just come off a month of using some neglected razors, so I’ll probably just rotate through most of my shavers a few days at a time. Looking forward to being a little unfocused, actually.

Would you like me to send you a few of my past MAYhem inventions to try out? Only thing with Canada post is you might not receive them till September.

I sure hope so.

He bought a real meat cleaver and he is going to shave with it. Lol!

Sorry if I got your hopes up !