From a distant time zone: Pacific Grove CA USA---same ocean, though

Hmm. I see the different time zone thing means you're posting while I'm sleeping... :)

@ Alfredus: I like the R1 head but found the H1 very harsh---though obviously some love it. That's what convinced of the narrow "good" range for the ATT baseplates (along with the fact that the R2 and the M1 also did not work well for me). And the same thing with the slants: the S1 is wonderful (used it this morning, in fact), but the S2 was just too uncomfortable.

@ Eggbert: the Treets I got---I called them "Black Beauties" because of color and performance---were not only doubly wrapped (inside wrapper and outside wrapper), but also the inside wrapped was attached to the outside wrapper by a dot of glue, so that as you unwrapped the outside wrapper you could simply continue the unwrapping motion around the razor a second time to remove the inside wrapper. I loved that, but at some point the glue dot vanished, and then you had to remove the wrappers separately. I'll have to try them again to see if the newer ones were made after the glue-dot machine was repaired. (I gradually stopped using them as I eliminated steps in the shave---e.g., no lathering bowl any more.)

@ Drubbing: Well, the swishing in alcohol trick certainly worked for me, but I strongly encourage people to experiment to test assertions. For example, use three blades doing the "swish in alcohol after each shave" trick, three blades without that, and compare blade life. If there's a significant difference, well and good; if not, that too is well and good since you know it doesn't help. That is: don't take my word for it, try it out in an experiment that will confirm or disconfirm the phenomenon. Here are the blades I mean. (Tryablade offers flat-rate worldwide shipping for $4.) The photo in this listing gets the colors better.

@ All: Very happy to be here and thanks for your warm and hospitable welcome.
 
LG, you mentioned your son(s) are into shaving now. Was that due to your influence alone? Was it "hard" getting them interested in wet shaving? Do you all share soaps and are they as keen as you are?

Recently @LifesaPeach helped his son shave for the first time and it was a proud moment for him.

I've got a son (still a long way from shaving) so I'm interested in passing on knowledge and enjoyment of wet shaving to the next generation.
 
My son was interested, though it took him a while to adopt a DE razor. The shaving cream and brush he liked right away. He lives across the continent from me, so I could not offer hands-on instruction. Indeed, my Guide had its origin in a lengthy letter I sent to him on what I learned. I edited the letter a little, put it on my blog, and kept adding to it, and as the blog post became longer and longer as I discovered or figured out stuff, my son-in-law told me I should publish it as a book. That was the first edition, and it's grown considerably since.

I did help my oldest grandson shave off his peach-fuzz moustache, and I think he'll be taking it up---his father took up DE shaving about the time he told me to publish the (growing) blog post as a book.

Now I've heard that sometimes a father will not be able to accept instruction from a son, or vice versa, or a brother from a brother. In some families, teaching another family member works fine, in others it is a fraught undertaking (cf. teaching driving). So in some cases the book has served for the initial instruction, generally given as a gift along with brush, shaving cream, and razor.

Once the initial learning is underway, though, there's generally pleasure in sharing discoveries (shaving soaps, brands of blades, aftershaves, and the like): once the footing is more equal, trading information seems okay.

If your son grows up seeing you shave with lather and a DE razor, he'll probably simply accept and expect that he will shave the same way, though, so the issue may never arise. Or, should he be rebellious, he'll refuse to shave that way (or, in my case, refuse to shave at all, once I got to college). But don't overlook the secret power of traditional DE shaving: it's enjoyable, and shaving with a cartridge razor and canned foam is not. Eventually most will come around.

I tend to give more soaps and razors and the like to my son and grandsons because I buy a lot of them to test. And they don't tend to give them to me because they assume I already have them (and generally I do). But I do get the occasional nice aftershave and the like.
 
Thanks LG. Helpful. I guess they say that it's "better caught than taught" and watching you shave is already the start of the journey. My son currently enjoys smelling the soaps I have and can't wait to shave like his father. [emoji4]
 
You have a great book there LG - what a shame I only got it a year after I started wet shaving ;)
 
Thank you very much, Alfredus. I'm actually working on the next edition: the final edition, I think. Right now it's 230 pages.
 
Leisureguy said:
Thank you very much, Alfredus. I'm actually working on the next edition: the final edition, I think. Right now it's 230 pages.
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I can't recall if you have a section on aftershaves. Even a primer on fragrances and an intro to aftershaves would be terrific. I recommend Will from @Barrister&Mann (also known as BostonPhotoTourist) if you needed any assistance. He's got a fantastic nose! [emoji14]
 
He does indeed. I recently discovered Ginger's Garden aftershaves: extremely nice, but probably not worth the shipping. I do indeed have a section on aftershavs.

Will does indeed have an excellent nose. I highly recommend Chandler Burr's The Emperor of Scent (about Luca Turin) for a fascinating book on the science and practice of smell. (If I got that right, it should link to secondhand editions in Australia.)
 
Leisureguy said:
Thank you very much, Alfredus. I'm actually working on the next edition: the final edition, I think. Right now it's 230 pages.
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Can't wait to read it!
 
Hello @Leisureguy . Good to have you on our side of the Pacific. Just been reading your impressive blog. That's quite a collection in your bathroom. Please share with us your favourite razors, brushes, soaps, etc.
 
Leisureguy said:
He does indeed. I recently discovered Ginger's Garden aftershaves: extremely nice, but probably not worth the shipping. I do indeed have a section on aftershavs.

Will does indeed have an excellent nose. I highly recommend Chandler Burr's The Emperor of Scent (about Luca Turin) for a fascinating book on the science and practice of smell. (If I got that right, it should link to secondhand editions in Australia.)
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Thanks for the book recommendation. My local library has it so I've been able to reserve it free of charge.

What's your favourite aftershaves? Classics or artisan moderns? Do you prefer a strong, long lasting scent or focus more on the "healing" properties?

Since the U.S. & Canadian made artisan aftershaves are either restricted from shipping or postage doubles their cost, it means I'm more selective in the aftershaves I obtain.
 
@alfredus belatedly: I woke up in bed suddenly recalling your question about the BBS-1 and the WR1-SB, both of course made by Wolfman Razors. For me, they are both excellent razors, but I find the WR1-SB the more comfortable. The BBS-1 is not by any means harsh, but the WR1-SB is further from harsh than the BBS-1 and equally efficient.

@Lifes a Peach: Thanks for looking at the blog. I try to have a good miscellany of things that strike my interest---science, art, curiosities, and politics. For those who want to look only at the shaving stuff, this link shows only shaving. But then you miss things like the dash cam/in-car video of teen-age drivers. :) (Of course, if you're the parent of a teen-age driver, you may want to miss it. :) ).

@filobiblic: I'll be very interested to hear what you think of the book. It's a lot like an extended New Yorker profile of Luca Turin, an interesting guy. So far as aftershaves, I do like artisanal products but also mass market things like Stetson, both Classic and Sierra. I generally go for not heavy fragrance, though occasionally I'll use Pashana---though not lately, I notice. Alt-Innsbruck Lotion (a splash) I like and am just about out. I read the description of Mickey Lee Soapworks Italian Stallion aftershave milk, and though it made it clear it did not smell like a garlicky horse, the description of the citrus fragrance didn't move me. But in an order (The Drunken Goat, a shaving soap of his I like), he included a sample of Italian Stallion aftershave, and I was surprised to find I like it a lot. I like rose fragrances, so D.R. Harris Aftershaving Milk and Pink Aftershave are pleasant. TOBS Sandalwoood.. There are many I like, in fact. :)
 
Leisureguy said:
@alfredus belatedly: I woke up in bed suddenly recalling your question about the BBS-1 and the WR1-SB, both of course made by Wolfman Razors. For me, they are both excellent razors, but I find the WR1-SB the more comfortable. The BBS-1 is not by any means harsh, but the WR1-SB is further from harsh than the BBS-1 and equally efficient.
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Thanks @Leisureguy for this info - I guess I don't need the BBS-1 then so bad...or do I :whistle:
 
late to the scene and belated welcome @Leisureguy

Hope you enjoy the banter around here :)
 
Welcome Leisureguy, hope you enjoy your stay here :)
 
Leisureguy said:
Thank you very much, Alfredus. I'm actually working on the next edition: the final edition, I think. Right now it's 230 pages.
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I already have a couple of the earlier editions including the first, when do you expect the final edition to be available?
 
Wow, I go away for a long weekend and the closest thing to Wetshaving royalty joins our little Antipodean convict midst.

FWIW, long time appreciator of your blog and I look forward to your posts at P&C (which are already quite excellent!)

Cheers, Nick
 
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