I'm so happy to be of service. I very much hope to meet you and the LOH some day. And thanks very much for hosting the 2025 GRUYERE thread and all else that you do in this crazy community.
Happy holidays my friend!
A newbie’s journey into DE shaving
- Thread starter Guido75
- Start date
Happy holidays my friend!
- Thread starter
- #4,822
Likewise Mitch! I will raise the glass to that occasion my friend. Sitting on the porch together.
GRUYERE is just out of necessity. Public commitment and all that! Haha! By my command!
- Thread starter
- #4,823
Which reminds me (well I actually never forgot but for dramatic effect). Earlier this month it has been 2 years since we first contacted each other and it is to the day that your most wonderful gift for my boy arrived that kickstarted his DE journey with a magnificent Gillette Slim. He is still shaving with that Slim. The only difference is that boys become men. So later on I will be shaving with my SA109 and my Lady Blue Starburst being the birth quarter razors of the LOTH and me. A sentimental and fitting Daily Double I thought.
Thank you for being a part of my universe Mitch!
Cheers!
Guido
I suddenly feel so much better for some reason.OK, at the risk of doing the above, I'll summarize:
I tried GRUYERE 2024 and succeeded until mid-November when I answered my wife's question about what to get me for Christmas with a Razorock Lupo 72, a Razorock synth brush, and four Stirling balms. I'm waiting until Christmas to open these. I also bought myself the Yaqi La Sagrada Familia brush that I mentioned a few posts prior. So, I think I added "only" 4 balms, 1 razor, and 2 brushes during 2024. Not t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e (if you ignore what I already had).
- 2000+ Blades
- 1000+ stainless vintage DE razor blades
- 400-ish vintage carbon steel DE blades that I will not use
- 300-ish modern stainless DE blades
- 50 modern stainless GEM SE blades
- 80 vintage carbon steel GEM SE blades that I likely will not use
- 75-ish stainless injector blades, most of which are vintage, but usable
- 40-ish vintage carbon steel injector blades that I won't use
- 50-ish vintage carbon steel blades in other formats that I mostly don't or won't use (Valet, Seigel, Durham, Enders, etc.)
- 100-ish vintage stainless blade cartridges that I will probably use once in a blue moon for kicks (Wilkinson bonded, Techmatic, TRAC II, Atra, etc.)
- 222 Razors
- 145 vintage Gillette razors made 1907-1986 (I have used most of them and could use all of them)
- 62 other vintage razors of various types (GEM/Ever Ready/ASR SE; Schick/Eversharp or PAL injector; non-Gillette DE)
- 10 vintage straights that I've never used because they scare me
- 15 "modern" razors, 1 of which is coming for Christmas
- 32 Brushes
- 19 vintage brushes that I mostly do not use
- 13 "modern" brushes, 2 of which are coming for Christmas (I have or will use them all)
- 45 soaps or creams, 4 of which are vintage soaps (Williams and Colgate)
- 10 shaving mugs, 5 of which are vintage Old Spice mugs
- 8 splashes, 4 of which are vintage Old Spice
- 9 balms, 4 of which are coming for Christmas
- 5 vintage blade sharpening machines
I think the responsible thing for me to do is join GRUYERE 2025. Has that thread opened yet?
Indeed GRUYERE 2025 is open and we are a merry bunch of hoarders. Come and join us!
- Thread starter
- #4,825
| Date | 21.12.2024 |
| 366 daily shaves | 356/366 |
| Razor | Blade | Brush |
Gillette SA 109 Gillette Lady Blie Starburst | 7 OC Yellow (26) | Omega 10108 |
| Preshave | Soap | Postshave |
| Cold splash Mastro Miche preshave | Hampshire Wool Fat (66) | Cold splash Aftershave Balm |
| Effectiveness | Facial Impact Score FIS™ |
| 8.25/10 (DFS++) | 10/10 (GlideFest) |
| Notes: |
Special shave today as our son turns 18. Still using his Gillette Slim Mitch @mgweatherly got him for his 16th birthday. He is currently using Mon Savin shaving soap and sporting an Astra blade for months on end now. He is an Excalibur’s without even knowing!
So I thought why not bring out the birth quarter razors of his parents to celebrate the momentous occasion. A very easy and comfortable shave with the Lady razor giving slightly more in blade feel even though the SA was on setting 5. A two pass shave again following yesterday. It might be the wearing of the blade (hence less sharp?) or my technique, but doing a second pass ATG rather than an intermediate XTG is starting to become more comfortable for me. It gives me more freedom when pushed for time while still getting great result. I missed a couple of stray cats so a little knock off in effectiveness score.
The 10108 felt softer today during face lathering. And because I did just two passes I had plenty of lather - yet not abundantly so which in my book is a good thing.
Wishing you a wonderful shave today!
