Unsolicited opinions, musings, and ramblings from a grumpy old man’s recliner.

[WThomas0814]

Finished one of the most pleasurable weeks of shaving I’ve ever had. Every day seemed to get better than the previous. Today was no exception with a two-pass BBS.

I hate to put this razor away, but, tomorrow is Vintage Sunday!

Off now to a birthday cookout for two of our grandsons, ages 5 and 3 (their birthdays are 17 days apart, so my (step) daughter splits the difference for the party. They end of getting two birthday celebrations each.

Prep: warm water splash

Razor: Atelier Durdan Le Maurice 1.0
Blade: Personna Lab Blue (3)
Soap: Cella Red
Brush: Zenith 507 Boar

Post: hot shower, then Dickinson’s Original
Aftershave: Osage Rub

Fragrance: Tom Ford Beau de Jour EDP

Cheers, one and all!

 

[thombrogan]

Happy Birthday Celebration to your grandsons!

 

[Eric_75]

Happy Birthday Celebration to your grandsons!

@WThomas0814 I second that, Bill.

 

[Dave himself]

Have a nice time at the party mate.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Another Happy Birthday to your grandsons. We’re certainly enjoying our first: a granddaughter: 9 months old and learning voraciously.

 

[WThomas0814]

Thank you, gentlemen. I can say with 100% certainty that spoiling grandchildren make 40 years of working 50-60 hour weeks worth every second.

 

[Mannic]

Happy Birthday too your grandsons

 

[WThomas0814]

Well, Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.

First go with the Yates 921-M. I’m severely underwhelmed.

First go with the Pegasus Boar. I’m even more underwhelmed.

The 921-M feels rough, about the same, to me, as an OG Blackbird, nut not as efficient. It just doesn’t feel the way it should with the stated specs. I changed the handle (why is the standard handle half a mile long?) for the stubby.

The Pegasus. Where to start? Backbone is pretty much non-existant; it splays wildly when lathering, yet, somehow, it manages to hold 95% of my lather. It actually removes lather from my face. It’s new, but, so were all of my other boars at one point. I’m thinking Semogue needs to stick with 24mm knots max.

Anyway, I’ll give them both more chances. Especially since the 921-M was a gift from my wonderful wife.

Result: DFS, but not a comfortable one

Razor: Yates 921-M, Stubby handle
Blade: Personna Lab Blue (1)
Soap: Vitos Red + Coco
Brush: Semogue Pegasus C7 Boar

 

[Phoenixkh]

Well, Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.

First go with the Yates 921-M. I’m severely underwhelmed.

First go with the Pegasus Boar. I’m even more underwhelmed.

The 921-M feels rough, about the same, to me, as an OG Blackbird, nut not as efficient. It just doesn’t feel the way it should with the stated specs. I changed the handle (why is the standard handle half a mile long?) for the stubby.

The Pegasus. Where to start? Backbone is pretty much non-existant; it splays wildly when lathering, yet, somehow, it manages to hold 95% of my lather. It actually removes lather from my face. It’s new, but, so were all of my other boars at one point. I’m thinking Semogue needs to stick with 24mm knots max.

Anyway, I’ll give them both more chances. Especially since the 921-M was a gift from my wonderful wife.

Result: DFS, but not a comfortable one

Razor: Yates 921-M, Stubby handle
Blade: Personna Lab Blue (1)
Soap: Vitos Red + Coco
Brush: Semogue Pegasus C7 Boar

View attachment 1845705View attachment 1845706

The Pegasus Mistura still lurks in this old mind of mine..... But I think... do I really want another brush in rotation? I certainly don't need it.... but I sold my two Misturas because they felt small on my face... My SV brushes are listed as 26mm... but that's at the bottom of the knot... They are much larger when they exit the pewter crown. I'm used to that feel....

Maybe one day....

As far as boar brushes go... I have 4 Zeniths but they are mothballed until DecemBOAR. Boar bristles go every which way as they break in. I might just be a tad too OCD for that not to bother me. <eg>

 

[WThomas0814]

The Pegasus Mistura still lurks in this old mind of mine..... But I think... do I really want another brush in rotation? I certainly don't need it.... but I sold my two Misturas because they felt small on my face... My SV brushes are listed as 26mm... but that's at the bottom of the knot... They are much larger when they exit the pewter crown. I'm used to that feel....

Maybe one day....

As far as boar brushes go... I have 4 Zeniths but they are mothballed until DecemBOAR. Boar bristles go every which way as they break in. I might just be a tad too OCD for that not to bother me. <eg>

I have several Zenith boars, plus multiple variations of the Semogue C5 boar knot (the ones Rudy Vey uses and that are in Semogue’s SOC brushes). I love the way they break in, tips getting soft while backbone is maintained. Between rotations, I keep my brushes in travel tubes so when I pull them out, they look almost new. I love the way they splay when I’m face lathering, although I do tend to get a wee bit of soap in my nose.

This one is very different. It is floppy when it gets soaked and it splays like a Simpson Duke. Not what I expect from a new boar. It looks to be very dense, but, it doesn’t feel dense, except for gobbling lather. It feels like a bigger version of the 620 or 820 brushes. Weird.

 

[WThomas0814]

Damn. I already have stubble, not 6 hrs post shave.

I need to have a discussion with Anne.

 

[Guido75]

Congrats on the grand children Bill! And catching up on your journal you have had done amazing shaves with superb gear! That Maurice is definitely a looker! I have checked the website frequently and this might be an addition up for consideration. France is not that far away either!

Enjoy!

Guido

 

[WThomas0814]

As I sit and ponder, which I seem to do more often as I grow older, it seems to be that I need a massive den purge.

Talk me out of it.

I have eight “modern” razors, most on the premium end of the scale, but, I only LOVE four of them. The unloved include a Blackbird titanium and an Atelier Durdan Vestige, for what it’s worth. Ive already sold both of my Roccas, my Blackbird SS, and my Vector.

I also have, if I’m counting correctly, 15 vintage razors (six Techs, two Aristocrats, three Super Sspeeds, a Fatboy, two NEWs (LC and SC), and two Ever-Ready Gems. I’m not wild about any of the TTOs and, while I like my Techs, I like my NEWs much more.

And, lest I forget, I have three Kamisori barber razors (Feather AC SS, Feather AC DX, and Schick Proline). The two Feathers have never been opened, the Proline is from the 90s.

Brushes? Lord, please help me. I have a half-dozen premium boars brand new in boxes that it will be years before I ever think of using (I blame Rudy Vey and his brilliant work for part of that); I also have 3-4 restored vintage brushes sitting idle.

Time is short and it seems prudent to focus on the kit that has proven to work flawlessly.

I wouldn’t say that I’m going minimalist; if I proceed, I’ll be left with four top-tier modern razors and three vintages, as well as a dozen-ish premium boar brushes.

What do you think?

 

[Dave himself]

As I sit and ponder, which I seem to do more often as I grow older, it seems to be that I need a massive den purge.

Talk me out of it.

I have eight “modern” razors, most on the premium end of the scale, but, I only LOVE four of them. The unloved include a Blackbird titanium and an Atelier Durdan Vestige, for what it’s worth. Ive already sold both of my Roccas, my Blackbird SS, and my Vector.

I also have, if I’m counting correctly, 15 vintage razors (six Techs, two Aristocrats, three Super Sspeeds, a Fatboy, two NEWs (LC and SC), and two Ever-Ready Gems. I’m not wild about any of the TTOs and, while I like my Techs, I like my NEWs much more.

And, lest I forget, I have three Kamisori barber razors (Feather AC SS, Feather AC DX, and Schick Proline). The two Feathers have never been opened, the Proline is from the 90s.

Brushes? Lord, please help me. I have a half-dozen premium boars brand new in boxes that it will be years before I ever think of using (I blame Rudy Vey and his brilliant work for part of that); I also have 3-4 restored vintage brushes sitting idle.

Time is short and it seems prudent to focus on the kit that has proven to work flawlessly.

I wouldn’t say that I’m going minimalist; if I proceed, I’ll be left with four top-tier modern razors and three vintages, as well as a dozen-ish premium boar brushes.

What do you think?

Man that's a tight call. Seems like you been thinking about it a lot though .

 

[JoWolf]

As I sit and ponder, which I seem to do more often as I grow older, it seems to be that I need a massive den purge.

Talk me out of it.

I have eight “modern” razors, most on the premium end of the scale, but, I only LOVE four of them. The unloved include a Blackbird titanium and an Atelier Durdan Vestige, for what it’s worth. Ive already sold both of my Roccas, my Blackbird SS, and my Vector.

I also have, if I’m counting correctly, 15 vintage razors (six Techs, two Aristocrats, three Super Sspeeds, a Fatboy, two NEWs (LC and SC), and two Ever-Ready Gems. I’m not wild about any of the TTOs and, while I like my Techs, I like my NEWs much more.

And, lest I forget, I have three Kamisori barber razors (Feather AC SS, Feather AC DX, and Schick Proline). The two Feathers have never been opened, the Proline is from the 90s.

Brushes? Lord, please help me. I have a half-dozen premium boars brand new in boxes that it will be years before I ever think of using (I blame Rudy Vey and his brilliant work for part of that); I also have 3-4 restored vintage brushes sitting idle.

Time is short and it seems prudent to focus on the kit that has proven to work flawlessly.

I wouldn’t say that I’m going minimalist; if I proceed, I’ll be left with four top-tier modern razors and three vintages, as well as a dozen-ish premium boar brushes.

What do you think?

Time is short and it seems prudent to focus on the kit that has proven to work flawlessly.

Our community would be boring without the many hardware and software products being auditioned and reviewed. A place of learning for all of us. A great place for entertainment as well. My opinion on your situation would come down to one question. Is challenging the equipment you have more exciting than challenging the shave you get? Of course I’m speaking as a minimalist. I prefer challenging the shave. My software and hardware journey was limited compared to the majority of our shavers. My sensitive skin was probably the main driver in my minimalism. There is no escape even in minimalism. I recently changed my razor after over three years use. Most surprising to me was completely changing my shave stroke. The excitement, learning and exploration never really stops in any excellent hobby. Minimalism is a narrower path but can be just as challenging and exciting.

 

[thombrogan]

Follow your bliss. If that means not cluttering your life and lodgings with stuff you don’t enjoy using (or enjoy, but have to force yourself to put them in rotation), go for it. If it means leaving your loved ones to deal with stashes of unused shave gear, well, you probably won’t be alone in that regard (Thom admits guiltily…).

 

[WThomas0814]

Much better result today. Skin is still a wee bit tender from Monday, but, the Sabre was quite forgiving.

Blackland Sabre Lz
Personna Gem PTFE
Cell Red
Zenith 507 unbleached boar

I’ll say 9.8/10 today, DFS+, treaded carefully on the neck and upper lip. This razor is definitely in my comfort zone. Great Cella lather with the big Zenith (27.5x57) made it nice and slick.

Wrapped up with a shower, Dickinson’s, and Skin Bracer.

Happy Monday, all!