I work for a very nice employer who was kind enough to give me a really generous Christmas bonus a week ago which I thought was great and really appreciated. He is a hobbyist and we've had several discussions about our hobbies with mine being wet shaving and razor collecting. Today he called me into his office and told me he had something for me because I have taken on some additional responsibilities and tend to stay a little later and take care of some things that keep issues off of his desk. As a token of his appreciation he gave me a 1909 Gillette Pocket Edition in the case. He also included a Gillette advertisement from the October 16, 1909 edition of The Saturday Evening Post. So a bonus, and then a razor with a mint condition advertisement...awesome. I feel blessed to work for such a generous employer. The razor and advertisement are appreciated, but what really struck me was the thought and time he put into the gift. What a great day.
My purchases so far this month; being a newbie, there is SO much out there I don't have, but being a member of this forum helps me make educated decisions based on other member's input/reviews. Anyway, without further adu, here is my December Haul - so far. Thanks for all the help spending my money...I mean, TSD support. From the top: Captain's Choice Bay Rum & Cat O' Nine Tails (LOVE this stuff - especially CO9T); Omega 652 Pure Badger brush & Merkur 38c HD ‘BarberPole’ (From Holy Rollah - thanks!); Weber "Bulldog" handle for my Merkur 23C (love the heft of this thing - makes shaving SO much better) and a Maggard Razors MR3 handle; Musco Real AS Balsam, RazoRock XXX & AS Wax (just use these 2 today - I'm one of those that love the smell, and my face was happy with both...great shave today!); On the XXX jar from top left and working clockwise, a Ziglar slant, a Durham, and a Gem MM; lastly, a Russian blade sampler from Italian Barber (also got the RazoRock from there) & a sampler collection of about 60 blades Holy Rollah threw in with my brush/razor purchase. I also picked up an Old Spice Hull Pottery Mug (used to hold my small, but growing collection of razors - also have an in case Gillette Rocket on the way) & a Klenzo Nylon/Lucite brush And lastly, my new shaving bowl - actually saw someone else had this as a shaving bowl, and loved it, so I sought one out on eBay - the Tabasco Chili Bowl, with handles. ...and the addiction grows.
^^^THAT^^^ Is awesome! Hats off to you for (obviously) going above and beyond with your job responsibilities, and to your employer for both appreciating and rewarding great employees! Congrats on a nice, well-deserved gift.
Made a quick stop at an antique shop on the way to dinner last night and picked up a couple travel kits. Seems like the last time I hit an antique store I picked up travel kits as well so maybe it's time for a vacation. Kit number 1 (on the right) is of unknown vintage and contains a Soluna razor and Triumph shave brush both from Czechoslovakia. Also a blade box and what appears to be a pill container. All of the metal is very light and thin so presumably aluminum and the shave gear doesn't appear to have ever been used. Kit number 2 (on the left) is nearly identical to another one I have but this one had different items inside and was priced at a very inexpensive $8 and appeared to have never been used as well. The toothbrush is still in original plastic and the razor is a 1958 ball end Tech still holding the paper blade and wrapped in very old tissue paper. Last but not least a couple packs of blades that were made in Michigan. A quick internet search found a razor made by Rhodes as well so maybe that accounts for the shape of the blades. I'm guessing? the Rhodes blades were specific to the Rhodes razor.
Acquired a 'used' Mühle R41—the newer version, often referred to as the '2013' model. I have been wanting to try out this razor for some time to see how it compares to the 2011 model I currently have. I am not expecting a 'night & day' difference. Both are considered very high on the 'aggressiveness' scale, but the new version is supposed to be a bit more forgiving (less blade flex, less blade exposure). The newer version has a larger, thicker head, but curiously, the blade gap is not that dramatically different. Should be a fun comparison shave. Blade exposure...
This week I bought what I think is a coat rack to use as a mug holder, and a shelf for holding my razor racks:
ABCBA is Antica Barbieria Colla Bitter Almond. I'm new to DE shaving, and bought this based on what many on TSD had to say about it, but one of the soaps I've seen it compared to is P.160. What I do know about it is that it has a great fragrance to it just in the box, and I'm looking forward to using it. Maybe someone else can help with this question...?
The ABCBA does smell great! I haven't used mine yet but am excited to! I hope you enjoy it! --------------- This is probably the best haul for me...ever I would say. I was given my grandpas watch. It is an automatic Bertmar. I believe the company was a small private Canadian company that was established in the 1930s. This specific watch has the date window and also a rotating calendar window that is adjusted monthly. As you can see it's a bit beat up, but with a bit of polishing and a new crystal, and a new pin, the watch should be as good as new! I grew up loving this watch (it was probably the start of my fascination with watches) and I am honoured to receive it. (I enhanced the photo a bit for a better look. As you can see the crystal is beat up)
Nice! I've never seen a watch that does a calendar too. (tho, my experience is limited when it comes to watches)
