Here are some blog posts and information I found interesting during the month of January. There is a short summary with each link. Please let me know if you enjoy this and if I should continue!
Shave Like Grandad
Keeping Up One’s Enthusiasm for Shaving
“What keeps one’s interest high in shaving?Actually, I think it’s similar to what keeps one’s interest in a movie, TV show or novel.”
Fresh Perspective on My Gillette Slim Adjustable
“My vintage 1963 Gillette Slim Adjustable razor is an interesting instrument. I have recently come to fully appreciate it, and have given it a place in my regular stable of daily-use razors.”
“For some (like me) old habits die hard, and, despite my best intentions as well as the on-target advice from others, I’ve been using more pressure than appropriate for a long time.By using a light touch, I’ve been able to get better shaves with more aggressive razors. “
Eating Crow, Choking on the Feathers….
“I have used a Feather blade for the last two days.Oh, yeah, I’m the guy that wrote an article about how I’d never use Feather blades.Well, the fact of the matter is that I had a trial pack of Feathers hanging around for a while, and haven’t had a trial shave with the Feather brand for a long time. So I thought, what the heck. I took a new Feather blade, put it in the mildest razor head in my regular rotation, which is the Merkur 33C Classic, and took it for a test flight, you might say.”
Feather, Tech and Arko, Oh My!
“Today I had a sixth shave with the Feather-brand blade that I last wrote about….The combination of the used Feather blade, the Tech, and the Arko soap gave a close, comfortable shave, and finally, finally, minimal insult to my skin.”
“My first double-edge razor was my dad’s 1963 Gillette Slim adjustable. It took me a long time to develop any affinity for this particular instrument. I always found that when I used it for a shave, any given setting was never quite right.Yet I was reading a recent article in Sharpologist.com about the best mild razors, which both led me to a new approach to using an adjustable razor as well as awakening my dormant razor-acquisition disease. If Mantic59 is reading this, he’s probably rolling on the floor laughing because I had written to him about the article and averred that I WILL NOT BE BUYING ANOTHER RAZOR. CASE CLOSED.The 1963 Slim Adjustable by Gillette.[Sheepishly:] Um, well, so much for will power and resolutions.So, truth be told, I did order another razor, which will be arriving soon. I ordered the Parker Variant adjustable razor, which Mantic59 has called his new favorite, with which he will part only when if you “pry it from [his] cold, dead fingers.”
Jayaruh Shaving
“Today, I had my first shave with my new Enders Speed Razor and an Enders Speed Blade. It was a very fine shave indeed.It is a very interesting razor. I would be interested in any others who have used it to comment on their experience. I have seen them on eBay, but it was my friend Mike that got me interested enough to get one and some blades. I am a sucker for vintage razors. Although the blades are no longer available, I was able to get a pack of four.The razor is light and feels comfortable in the hand. The angle of the head is just right. I found that it does well under the nose and everywhere else. I had no nicks, cuts, or irritation with this razor. I found that the best angle is to put the head almost flat on the face. I did a two pass shave, and I would give it High marks. It was excellent. “
“I received this Made in England Gold Rocket from Rob in Canadia. It has a few little blemishes on it, but over all, it is a fine razor. It was made from 1948 through 1954. It has a gold finish, but it is very light. It is a heavy razor compared to super speeds of the same time frame. It has good balance and is an excellent shaver. “
Stephen Davidson
“After getting some really good results from the 2 stone method, I decided to change my Japanese natural stone method up a bit and go with my friend Anthony Esposito’s jnat method to see what happens. Anthony uses a different jnat than I do, but he did tell me that he uses the same technique on all of his jnats and gets great results. So lets get started”
“I don’t normally do a top shave gear/year in review posts mainly because what I buy and get is a favorite. But I’ve been asked by a dear friend of mine, Antonio Portolesi (Northern Shave Guy) to do one so why not. Oh if you’ve not done so, you should really check out his YouTube videos. Here’s the link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2GKan7jq9M0oY7R3UEm4fQ . He also has a really cool Google + community called Wet Shavers United which I’m a member of that you should check out as well. Here’s the link to the G+ community: https://plus.google.com/communities/105428296294968412322 .”
“My last touch up was just before I used it and it wasn’t that great. So I decided to go ahead and do the old 2 stone method only using what’s left of my Norton 8K and my Japanese Natural water stone, the Shoubandini type 100. “
The Close Shave
“One question I often get asked when people find out that I am a classic wet shaving enthusiast is what is the difference between shaving cream and shaving soap? Of course before that question there is general confusion as to why I am using these “outdated” tools, that for the most part require an online purchase because I can’t pick them up at the grocery store, to perform my morning ritual of shaving.”
“It is time for an updated list of best safety razors for 2017. Like most of the best of lists here at TheCloseShave (you can check out our most recent – best shaving soap list) the best doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive. In fact if while I’m shaving I am thinking about how much the tool cost me rather than experiencing the shave I’m not sure what that is worth. “
Wegian Warrior
The most important item in my shave gear
“The most important “item” for me is the mindset of the shave. I got a fair selection of razors; new and vintage, SE and DE, open comb and safety bar. I got a decent selection of brushes; horse, boar, synth and entry-level badger. I got plenty of soap; factory and artisan, hard and soft, american and european. I got a small but decent selection of aftershaves; big names and artisan. And I can mix and match and get Damn Fine Shaves every time, provided “
Leisureguy
“I finally used up my sample of Van Yulay Puros La Habana shaving soap sample, and I like it enough that I got a tub of it. Not only does it have a fragrance that is pleasing to me (fine Cuban cigar), but it is also made with pig fat (lard). “
Tailor & Barber
Truefitt & Hill “Trafalgar” Shaving Cream, Aftershave, and Cologne Review
“Right before the holidays, I took another dip into my Truefitt & Hill sample pack. I’ve written enough reviews that I’m actually starting to run out of samples. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but this is the best sample pack out there.”
2016 Men’s Grooming Product Awards
It’s that time of year again (ok, so I’m probably a week late). But it’s time to take a look at the past year and see what the best men’s grooming products of 2016 were. I know 2016 was a year most people want to forget, but there were some good things too. Today I want to take a look at what some of those were. “
Omega 10048 “Pro 48” Boar Shaving Brush Review
“Today I’m taking a look at the Omega 10048 boar bristle shaving brush. This brush can also go by the names “Pro 48” or “Forty Eight 48”. This is one of two Omega brushes I’ve been using for the past six months or so.”
Why I Wet Shave
Everything you need to know about shaving scuttles
“For any wet shaving enthusiast having high quality gear is critical to getting the closest shave – a sharp straight razor, shaving brush, and premium shaving cream or soap. Shaving scuttles […]”
BrushnSoapnBlade Podcast
“Ep 157 – Life is Good! BrushnSoapnBlade Wetshaving Podcast”
Some Other Interesting Links:
West Coast Shaving: Mark From Sharpologist Shares His Shaving Secrets!
Pick-Up Change Podcast (please note that some site content may be NSFW): Check out my interview about wet shaving on the Pick-Up Change podcast!
I enjoyed browsing the links that you trawled for us! Most of which I would never have found or bothered to read without your summaries… Thanks!
This is great. More!
Mark, I liked this summary, and would be glad to see more like it. Thanks!