this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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Share your shave of the day!

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

12/21/2023

  • Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
  • Blade: GEM PTFE (6)
  • Brush: Proraso Professional
  • Bowl: Georgetown Pottery G20 Scuttle
  • Soap: Stirling Soap Co. Sheep Puck
  • Aftershave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented Aftershave
  • Balm: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented Balm
  • Osma: Osma - Osma

First shave since the new water softener was installed yesterday. The plumber said that it could take a few days for all the hard water to get out of the hot water tank, but already there is a night and day difference. The lather was so much easier to form and felt softer and slicker. I’m excited to see the difference as the hard water works its way out of the system, and suggest everyone try a soft water shave.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oh man, congrats on the water softener. We have one and I agree, it's amazing.

I actually don't like fully-soft water, and I've adjusted the bypass valve to allow some unsoftened water through.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Interesting. Can you tell me more? I admit my water feels a bit…slick, for lack of a better word.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

There should be a valve to bypass the softener (for maintenance, etc.). I don't know what yours might look like, but mine is directly in front of the softener tank. It might be labeled on/off, but you can also do "in between", so a bit of untreated water bypasses the softener.

Allowing a little bit of hardness to bypass makes the water less slimy feeling, while still being good and soft. Fully soft water is a bit undesirable, just like hard water. It can be corrosive over time, plus you use more salt with the softener on "full blast".

It takes some time to find a good setting. It's just a trial and error type of thing.

Here's some info: https://www.madsewer.org/news-resources/blog/soften-water-with-less-salt-using-blending-valves/

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Nice. Water softener is a great addition. It seems to make rinsing so much better and I agree the lather works up way easier. Congratulations!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

December 21, 2023: Learning to Fly


Following @[email protected]'s advice (or at least trying to), I paid more attention to the angle. The result were mostly a close enough shave - but for my cheeks, which I probably need to blow out more.

Have a good night!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My dude! Now you dropped my second d!

Happy flying! 🛩✈

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My dude! Now you dropped my second d!

One day - and this day will come - I will spell your name correctly 😅

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Dec. 21, 2023

  • Brush: Yaqi 26mm Synthetic
  • Razor: Karve CB SB D
  • Blade: Tatara
  • Lather: 345 - RKY MTN Tree Line - Soap
  • Post Shave: 345 - RKY MTN Tree Line - Aftershave

Nice shave. This scent really does give me a mountain feeling. I’d say they did a good job and it was dirt cheap.

The Tatara blades are quite harsh in this razor. They do work ok but I’ll use different ones in this setup in the future.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

SOTD 21.12.2023

  • Prep: warm water
  • Razor: Stando Perun
  • Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum
  • Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE
  • Lather: Noble Otter - Neon Sun
  • Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Aloe Vera moisturiser

Headshave at night. Still really in the honeymoon phase with this NO soap - the scent is like 80s music, a timeless classic with a nostalgic vibe.

One pass plus cleanups on the dome. My skin on the scalp seems to not respond too negatively to the scented soap, so I theorize that it really was the alcohol aftershave that was always the irritating factor. I'm glad that there's a plethora of alcohol free options like toners and balms nowadays. The milder razors seem to help too.

Tomorrow will be the last day of my internship at the place for disabled parents with children. It was only two weeks, the shortest internship we have. But nevertheless interesting. I found out that I can get along way better with children than I thought... Maybe one day I will finally have a family of my own.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Maybe one day I will finally have a family of my own.

It is different when they are your own :)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

🌹 Rosy 🌹

  • Brush: Мужской Материк Orange Stabilised Burl with 28mm Oumo boar knot at 57mm loft
  • Razor: Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple (8/8", extra full hollow, carbon steel)
  • Lather: Geo.F. Trumper Rose
  • Aftershave: Noble Otter Two Kings
  • Fragrance: Mäurer und Wirtz Tabac Man Gravity
  • Extra fragrance to complement: Parfums de Marly Delina

I had planned to be on theme today, but then my wife got a bottle of Parfums de Marly Delina (a delicious rose scent) in the mail yesterday, so my cool shave is relegated to Second Luxury Shave ™ later today and I'm going for a Wallygatorian complementary non-dickhole shave pairing (quadrupling?) lather, post, my frag, and my wife's frag today. I enjoy rose scents a lot, but I don't have many to work with in my den. This, YRP, Orbit, Rose Santal and that's about it, I think. I'll have to keep this in mind when I allow myself again to buy new software. Anyway, this was a very nice combo, even if Gravity sets a cooler mood than Delina.

I'm surprised by how much I enjoy using this Geo.F. Trumper cream. The scent is simple and nice, and a good glob of cream in the bottom of the lather bowl is enough for loads of pink lather. Even the performance is surprisingly good for a cream. I may have reconsider my disdain for shave creams when compared soaps. It may be an unjust prejudice.

The Fili 14 continues to impress me and treat me with great shaves; it's just so easy to feel and hear this blade cut, it's like having a friendly guide making sure everything is going well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

@[email protected] @walden @[email protected]

I like the shaving soaps from Trumper in terms of fragrance, but I don't want to achieve optimal lather. I don't know the shaving creams from Trumper yet. According to your description, they foam well!?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I've heard that the GFT soaps don't perform all that well, but I haven't tried them myself.

I really can't complain about the crab, though. It lathers super easily and you can add a lot of water without breaking the lather.

Maybe I get a little slicker lather with soap bases I have more experience with, but it was plenty good enough for an enjoyable, smooth shave.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The Birth of Cool

  • Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
  • Brush: The Razor Company Cream Soda Acrylic 28mm Synthetic Knot
  • Razor: Blackland Razors Blackbird Ti
  • Blade: Personna Lab Blue [11]
  • Lather: MacDuffs Soap Company/Pastuer Shaving - Birth of the Cool - Soap
  • Post Shave: MacDuffs Soap Company/Pastuer Shaving - Birth of the Cool - Aftershave (Alcohol Free)
  • Fragrance: Maison Martin Margiela - Jazz Club - Eau de Parfum

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I'm tempted to buy this set on cover art alone. Damnit!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

December 21, 2023

  • Brush: Brad Sears Arley 26mm Super Badger

  • Razor: Koraat 14-2.0 8/8" Full Hollow

  • Lather: Declaration Grooming - Darkfall - Soap

  • Toner: Thayers - Rose - Toner

  • Aftershave: Declaration Grooming - Darkfall - Aftershave

  • Talc: Yardley Gold
     
    2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.


I have no idea what cool would be in a shaving setup, but Darkfall was calling to me this morning. This shave was preceeded and then followed by coffee, and then some time in the woods feeding squirrels. A great way to start the day.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

December 21, 2023

  • Brush: Every Ready 400 w/30mm Motherload
  • Razor: MMOC Gen 2
  • Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (3)
  • Lather: Noble Otter - Hamami - Soap
  • Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Incorporeal - Aftershave
  • Post Shave: Harry's - Aftershave Balm

Yesterday I used an MMOC Gen 1, which is widely reported as being not as smooth as Gen 2. I enjoyed yesterday's shave a lot more, but I think it has more to do with the blade. This shave was just straight up tuggy. I got through it and the result is very nice, but nobody likes a tuggy shave. I'll have to do a side-by-side with fresh blades to see if I can tell any difference.

The auto-post bot seems to have broken. I couldn't fix it on my end, so I submitted a bug report to the developer. Here's hoping it's an easy fix!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

MMOC Gen 1, which is widely reported as being not as smooth as Gen 2

This always intrigues me. The difference between gen 1 and 2 are the blade bumps, which are there so that a then-brandnew spineless double-edged Micromatic blade would sit at the same angle as a classic GEM blade propped up by its spine. If you use a modern GEM blade, the blade bumps seem to do nothing, at least when I check mine, there is no wear spot on them after I move the blade sideways.

I have multiple gen 1 and gen 2 MMOCs and they all feel exactly the same, and as far as I can tell they are functionally the same.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This was my analysis, but I did it by observation rather than experiment. I have two Gen 2s. The first was a chromed one. I went looking for a Gen 1 and saw a gold-plated Gen 2 and could not resist. I was not about to buy a third MMOC so I did a hard look at the bumps on the Gen 2 relative to the spine of the blade and concluded that lack of bumps would make no difference. [ I only use my gold-plated MMOC. It has more character and is more photogenic. ]

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I can attest to its photogenicity (photogeneity?) 📸🙂

You have more sense than I did when exploring the GEM rabbit hole. I've ended up having a brass gen 1, a brass gen 2 with djudicial engravings, a chromed gen 2 with "HOLD FLAT AGAINST FACE" engraved in the top cap, and I've PIFfed some MMOCs

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You have more sense than I did when exploring the GEM rabbit hole.

Oh, I almost went there. Happening upon my gold-plated one reduced my urge for more. And then I "found" straight razor collecting. In that department, I have no sense whatsoever :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

In that department, I have no sense whatsoever :)

Yeah, same😬

I'm running out of storage space, like for the soaps. But unlike soaps, straight razors don't get used up, so this problem won't solve itself...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I have an inexpensive machinist's chest like this one that I use for my knife collection. I'm looking for something similar to this that I can use for my straights.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Say 'What' One More Goddamn Time

  • Brush: Мужской Материк Blue Stabilised Burl Maggard Tuxedo
  • Razor: Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple (8/8", extra full hollow, carbon steel)
  • Lather: Barrister and Mann Terror
  • Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Terror

I know this wasn't the intention, but I used today's theme as an excuse to dig up my Terror set. My cheeks and neck are now thoroughly refrigerated and because my brain is already focused on mountains and skiing slopes, this feeling triggered a skiing déjà vu and filled me with eager anticipation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Wait! Is it still November?

filled me with eager anticipation.

Did you mean Eiger anticipation? 😂

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Womp, womp, womp 😅