November 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

brit · Nov 28, 2019

NCoxSTL said: ↑

NOVember 2019

November 28
Razor -1918 Gillette Old Type
Blade - View attachment 211282
Soap - Stirling Orange Chill
Brush - Stirling Finest Badger
Post - Alum

I know you can all read the name of that blade, right? Direct from Samah Razor Blades Industries in the resort areas of Bangladesh - I present the Balaka. It is made by the same company that makes the Sharp Durablade, which easily rates as one of the 10 worst blades I've ever had in a razor. So, what's the worst that could happen?

You'll also notice that I paired this blade with a slightly aggressive razor, the 1918 Gillette OT. With the finest blade this razor can exact revenge. Again, what's the worst that can happen?

You'll notice I went all Stirling for the software to give this setup a chance. Orange chill for the nice menthol and orange combo along with the Finest Badger brush. Excellent, even luxurious lather and more than I needed. Surely the question, what's the worst that could happen - couldn't really be a problem, right?

Well, I'm not bleeding. That's the good news. The Balaka is a carbon steel blade, though it wouldn't have mattered as it is about as sharp as my mind at 3 a.m. To say this thing dragged and pulled would be an understatement worthy of an award. The first pass especially was horrid. I nearly tossed in the towel. But, I'm no quitter and I have had worse shaves (which is really scary) so I kept on. By the end of the second pass I was either getting enough reduction to make it seem sort of ok, or else my face was just getting used to the pain. So, I threw in the third pass and called it good. I can say I got a DFS result, not horrible actually but my word it was not the easiest thing to do. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And an early gift to you with that shave! Have a great Friday tomorrow and try not to spend too much money on shopping here in the states!

View attachment 211284
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fine old type shave Neal..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

jgreenepa said: ↑

View attachment 211244
Quick face and noggin scrape this morning, but still a good DFS. I can always depend on my Vector, one of my favorite single edge razors! Brined the turkey overnight. Am off early with the bride to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. This is the first of two - her family today, and mine this Sunday.

SOTD 11/28/19

RAZOR: Blackland Vector
BLADE: Schick Proline
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a face and head scrub withGlyce glycerine soap.
BRUSH: RazoRock Plissoft Synthetic (Really miss my Omega Pro48)
SOAP: Mike’s Hungarian Lavender Shave Stick
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Fine Snake Bite AS Splash and finished with L’Occitane AS Balm
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fine shave and pic Jeff..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

jtspartan said: ↑

NOvember 28th
Gillette New Improved ‘Bostonian’
Omega Pro / Poculi
Fine L’Orange Noir SS
Thayers
M-bombed Stirling Arkadia
View attachment 211239
A few favourite combos left for the No Repeat focus. Outstanding lather, outstanding 3 pass shave. I am completely smooth and leaving the house smelling outstandingly.
To my friends south of the 49th- Have a relaxing Thanksgiving!
Have a great day all!
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awesome shave and pic Jason..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

Trigger said: ↑

Nov 28
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone and a great morning to those outside the US!
Straight Razor Shave #129
30 Same Straight/Setup Challenge #19
Wostenholm 5/8 Full Hollow Square Point
Stirling Boar Brush
Stirling Sandalwood SS and AS
Nivea ASB
Well, I am human and I did scratch my self on my sideburn because I improperly landed so the point tagged me. Fortunately, my light touch gave me a scratch and not a nick. Did get 2 weepers as well. My face looks like nothing happened except for the scratch, so no biggie. The razor finished off my 40 hr stubble in 2 passes without touchups. Did get a very nice IBSS++. 19 shaves completed and 11 more to go to complete this challenge in approximately 2 1/2 weeks. Finished with the matching aftershave and the Nivea.Enjoy your day, guys!
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fine shave Joe..

b1hart · Nov 28, 2019

Keithmax said: ↑

It is Friday for me so all our 30DC in the US should be nice and sleepy from all the Turkey and carbohydrates. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday.

For Friday I picked one of my favorite razors, a 7/8 full hollow Dorko. The grind is impeccable and she always take an exceptional edge. The scent is almost gone from this Fine soap but the performance is outstanding. A very nice shave to wrap up the work week.

View attachment 211283
Click to expand...

Gorgeous everything Keith!

NCoxSTL said: ↑

NOVember 2019

November 28
Razor -1918 Gillette Old Type
Blade - View attachment 211282
Soap - Stirling Orange Chill
Brush - Stirling Finest Badger
Post - Alum

I know you can all read the name of that blade, right? Direct from Samah Razor Blades Industries in the resort areas of Bangladesh - I present the Balaka. It is made by the same company that makes the Sharp Durablade, which easily rates as one of the 10 worst blades I've ever had in a razor. So, what's the worst that could happen?

You'll also notice that I paired this blade with a slightly aggressive razor, the 1918 Gillette OT. With the finest blade this razor can exact revenge. Again, what's the worst that can happen?

You'll notice I went all Stirling for the software to give this setup a chance. Orange chill for the nice menthol and orange combo along with the Finest Badger brush. Excellent, even luxurious lather and more than I needed. Surely the question, what's the worst that could happen - couldn't really be a problem, right?

Well, I'm not bleeding. That's the good news. The Balaka is a carbon steel blade, though it wouldn't have mattered as it is about as sharp as my mind at 3 a.m. To say this thing dragged and pulled would be an understatement worthy of an award. The first pass especially was horrid. I nearly tossed in the towel. But, I'm no quitter and I have had worse shaves (which is really scary) so I kept on. By the end of the second pass I was either getting enough reduction to make it seem sort of ok, or else my face was just getting used to the pain. So, I threw in the third pass and called it good. I can say I got a DFS result, not horrible actually but my word it was not the easiest thing to do. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And an early gift to you with that shave! Have a great Friday tomorrow and try not to spend too much money on shopping here in the states!

View attachment 211284
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking one for the masses! No Balaka ever. Got it. Nice setup otherwise!

brit · Nov 28, 2019

wchnu said: ↑

Yessss itttttt issss...
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Edison Carter said: ↑

HEAR! HEAR!

As eloquently written as one could ever ask.

This writing should be a master stickie for 30DC philosophy.

My compliments and thank you!
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awesome..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

Tommynick said: ↑

Happy thanksgiving everyone!!

Seagal razor
Super irridium blade modified 4
Palmshave
Omega Boar
English Leather asb

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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cool shave Tom..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

wchnu said: ↑

Runs through the room wearing the Emperors new clothes...
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whoa..hello sir..happy thanksgiving..welcome back..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

jtspartan said: ↑

What an awesome proper British shave, Gary!
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thank you Jason..a fine shave it was....do the british 40s/50s crats spark an interest?

brit · Nov 28, 2019

MrEE said: ↑

Nov 28th
No Repeat

Razor: Valet Autostrop
Blade: Feather FHS Hi-Stainless (3)
Brush: Ever Ready 500BN
SS: Arko Shave Stick
AS: Pinaud Clubman Musk

Another shave from the Traveling Box. I went easy with the shave. Comfortable.

I'm in a little trouble for using the Clubman... oh well...

View attachment 211258
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cool shave Evan..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

b1hart said: ↑

View attachment 211245
Nov 28th

Proraso PS/SC/AS - Red
Heritage Colletions Ever Ready 3-Step - 26mm Envy Shave 2 band badger
Drew Dick 7/8 Damascus Steel - Green Kirinite
Gentleman Jon Alum Block

All Italian goodness from Proraso today. The shave cream tube is the second gift from my TSD Secret Santa. And....another Heritage Collections brush handle showed up yesterday....an awesome ER 3 Step replica. Mounted the Envy Shave knot mid afternoon with Gorilla Silicone, and it sat for 14 hours. This morning....a round of baby shampoo, several lathers and rinses...time to get after it. Great aroma, thick and slick, just awesome bowl overflowing lather. More face lathering and painted on goodness. 2.5 passes with the green scaled beauty, just a small nick on a neck mole, otherwise a very nice DFS+. Gentleman Jon's to the rescue, all under control. Followed with one of my favorites, Proraso AS Red. Smooth and smelling fine.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thursday!
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fine shave and pic Blair..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

jluc said: ↑

The family unanimously voted prime rib over turkey. Currently 27° outside. The smoker is taking its sweet time heating up. It'll be worth the wait.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my 30DC friends!
Click to expand...

awesome..happy thanksgiving Jim..

jluc · Nov 28, 2019

brit said: ↑

awesome..happy thanksgiving Jim..
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Thanks, Gary. It's been a great day.

brit · Nov 28, 2019

NCoxSTL said: ↑

Thanksgiving at the 30DC

View attachment 211251

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Yes, I know some of you are in places around the world where today is just another Thursday. Us American types invite you to join in the spirit of thanks today, no matter where you are. Heaven knows we need a lot more thanks and positive energy than just one corner of the world can hope to provide.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to everyone who makes this such a great and unique place. We’ve talked about it fairly often, but there is still no other spot anywhere on the internet where you can find the spirit and attitude of this place. Nearly five years ago, Chris @Bama Samurai invited a few of us to join him on a journey to learn how to shave. Instead of thinking the answer to a great shave was somehow in the gear we were all buying as fast as we could, he had discovered, thanks to a gentleman named G.D. Carrington, that the answer was in how we used whatever gear we picked up. Technique is the key. Technique Trumps Tools! (As long as the tool isn’t defective) This was the motto and goal, to achieve great shaves as effortlessly as we eat dinner. And most of us have no trouble with shoving food in our mouths. I know….I’ve seen a number of you eat BBQ!!

Somewhere along the way we also discovered that we could enjoy each other’s company. We found common beliefs, and even commonality where beliefs might differ! We started caring about each other’s lives, health, families and all of that other mushy stuff. For heaven’s sake, we’ve watched two young boys grow weekly for the past couple of years. And our Wednesdays and Fridays aren’t complete until we get the latest picture. We rejoice when others rejoice and feel sadness when others are sad. We share stories of kids off to college, moves across the country, the latest round of snow or floods, and watch tractors being fixed and built. The diversity that exists here is truly amazing. Beyond amazing, really.

And, by the way, we have some of the finest shaving gear in the world represented in this little corner of the world! Amazing vintage straight razors, vintage safety razors, modern pain sticks, modern DE razors and so many others. We could fill the Grand Canyon with brushes and the amount of soaps we hoard – I’m not sure there’s enough land surface on earth to keep up! Yeah, we’ve the cool kids with the cool toys. No doubt about it. And...we know how to "lightly encourage" others to try the best stuff we've found. Some call it "enabling". I just call it "sharing the love".

Most of all, we have a spirit of community that transcends anything I’ve found anywhere else. We invite newbies into the fold and answer their questions. Most forums tell the newbs to “look it up”. “We’ve answered that a million times”. “Do some research before you bother us”. Not the 30DC. Yep, we’ve answered every question a million times but we’ll answer it a million more if we get a million more newbies. We like getting to help you discover great shaving. We like seeing you develop your skills and become the next person who is now answering questions and coaching others. It’s an amazing legacy.

I could name so many names of people who have made my life more enjoyable, richer and just plain more fun by being part of this group. I could tell so many stories of the fun at the Meet-Ups, or of the shenanigans that are pulled around here. And I look forward to, hopefully, adding many more of those stories in the future.

I know this place has gotten busier by the month and is a bit of a handful at times to keep track of. When I look back over the past few years and see the growth it really astounds me. Sometimes I long for the old days when we only had about a thousand posts. It’s easy to lose topics and miss out on some of the shenanigans now, but I believe the added volume is worth the trouble. We have more people than ever in our little band and together we make some really beautiful music. There’s always room for one more! Thanks for your patience as we continue to get bigger and noisier!

Again, Happy Thanksgiving to all who make this such a special place. I hope you eat too much, nap too long and get up and eat some more. Then get that shave done and let us hear how it went!!!

Your humble and faithful Czar and the rest of the crew at Cartel HQ.

Neal the 1st, Ivan, Boris, Yuri, Vladimir, Natalia and the rest of the drunks….er…….staff.

View attachment 211250
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absolutely awesome Neal..thank you..happy thanksgiving..

Trigger · Nov 28, 2019

Keithmax said: ↑

It is Friday for me so all our 30DC in the US should be nice and sleepy from all the Turkey and carbohydrates. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday.

For Friday I picked one of my favorite razors, a 7/8 full hollow Dorko. The grind is impeccable and she always take an exceptional edge. The scent is almost gone from this Fine soap but the performance is outstanding. A very nice shave to wrap up the work week.

View attachment 211283
Click to expand...

Awesome shave, pic and review, Keith!

Trigger · Nov 28, 2019

NCoxSTL said: ↑

NOVember 2019

November 28
Razor -1918 Gillette Old Type
Blade - View attachment 211282
Soap - Stirling Orange Chill
Brush - Stirling Finest Badger
Post - Alum

I know you can all read the name of that blade, right? Direct from Samah Razor Blades Industries in the resort areas of Bangladesh - I present the Balaka. It is made by the same company that makes the Sharp Durablade, which easily rates as one of the 10 worst blades I've ever had in a razor. So, what's the worst that could happen?

You'll also notice that I paired this blade with a slightly aggressive razor, the 1918 Gillette OT. With the finest blade this razor can exact revenge. Again, what's the worst that can happen?

You'll notice I went all Stirling for the software to give this setup a chance. Orange chill for the nice menthol and orange combo along with the Finest Badger brush. Excellent, even luxurious lather and more than I needed. Surely the question, what's the worst that could happen - couldn't really be a problem, right?

Well, I'm not bleeding. That's the good news. The Balaka is a carbon steel blade, though it wouldn't have mattered as it is about as sharp as my mind at 3 a.m. To say this thing dragged and pulled would be an understatement worthy of an award. The first pass especially was horrid. I nearly tossed in the towel. But, I'm no quitter and I have had worse shaves (which is really scary) so I kept on. By the end of the second pass I was either getting enough reduction to make it seem sort of ok, or else my face was just getting used to the pain. So, I threw in the third pass and called it good. I can say I got a DFS result, not horrible actually but my word it was not the easiest thing to do. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And an early gift to you with that shave! Have a great Friday tomorrow and try not to spend too much money on shopping here in the states!

View attachment 211284
Click to expand...

There are better ways to do penance, Neal!

brit · Nov 28, 2019

Paul Turner said: ↑

Another fine shave from Stoylin Ramblin Man this morning. A couple weepers but not of the serious persuasion. 2 passes. The scent of the RM aftershave stays with me most of the day-I like that. More good focus on the sides of my neck, but I almost forgot the "straight up" part in the middle. The neck is indeed a work in progress. Happy Thanksgiving, gang!!!
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cool shave Paul..happy thanksgiving..

Trigger · Nov 28, 2019

brit said: ↑

fine shave Joe..
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Thank you very much, Gary!

brit · Nov 28, 2019

clint64 said: ↑

November 28, 2019
OneBlade Genesis Gunmetal
Feather FHS
Shavemac Synthetic
TOBS Herbal Sandalwood
Fine Santal Absolut

Everything is just about done for Thanksgiving Lunch so a good shave was in order. No better razor for a perfect drama free shave than the OneBlade Genesis. I just had to give my new Shavemac synthetic a try as well. The Shavemac feels like a CH2 synthetic. There is no glue bump evident at all. The fan shape does make it easier to splay than the CH2. The TOBS Herbal Sandalwood is a fougere sandalwood blend. Three passes and touch ups ended in a perfect BBS shave. A splash of Fine Santal Absolut and I am back to the kitchen to finish everything up. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
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fine shave and pic Clint..happy thanksgiving..

brit · Nov 28, 2019

Trigger said: ↑

Thank you very much, Gary!
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happy thanksgiving Joe..thank you..

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November 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

We want to KNOW your NO in NOvember!!

I'm gonna go No Variation and RULE it!

I'm gonna go No Repeat and use it all!

I'm gonna go have cookies since they are doubled this month!!

I'm gonna go with my usual gear and just have fun without a theme!

I'm gonna go have ice cream since there's extra this month!!

I'm gonna go over there and watch you all like a stalker!!

I'm gonna go over there and have extra cookies AND ice cream - because I can!!!

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

b1hart Speed Racer

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

jluc smelling pretty

brit in a box

Trigger Double Jedi Knight

Trigger Double Jedi Knight

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Trigger Double Jedi Knight

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November 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

We want to KNOW your NO in NOvember!!

I'm gonna go No Variation and RULE it!

I'm gonna go No Repeat and use it all!

I'm gonna go have cookies since they are doubled this month!!

I'm gonna go with my usual gear and just have fun without a theme!

I'm gonna go have ice cream since there's extra this month!!

I'm gonna go over there and watch you all like a stalker!!

I'm gonna go over there and have extra cookies AND ice cream - because I can!!!

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

b1hart Speed Racer

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

brit in a box

jluc smelling pretty

brit in a box

Trigger Double Jedi Knight

Trigger Double Jedi Knight

brit in a box

Trigger Double Jedi Knight

brit in a box

brit in a box

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