Greetings all from sunny Perth, WA.
I've been shaving the way I should for close to a decade now. Previously a lack of any guidance from a father figure in relation to shaving properly left me with no other consideration past carts. Carts resulted in ingrown hairs that then formed sebaceous cysts. These had to be periodically cut out by a surgeon. It got to the point where the medical advice was to grown a beard or risk permanent damage to vocal cords and facial muscles. Well that didn't suit my line of employment, so I had to find another solution. An internet search led me to the US based forum B&B and rather quickly I was stuffing money into this pursuit with more vigour than a guy at a strip club.
From B&B I moved to TSN were I served as a Moderator and then an Administrator. In the forum's infancy it felt more akin to what I felt comfortable with, but as the community grew, management styles adapted and I was left feeling disenfranchised. I'm not sure if its a geographical oddity, but my Australian heritage sees me placing stronger emphasis on characteristics such as a loyalty and mate-ship than it seems our US brethren do. So rather than following most that leave TSN disgruntled (and more recently, delusional) to DFS, I've sought out Paste & Cut in a hope that I'll feel more at home.
I regularly visit a few UK based forums too, as they also seem to have a mindset more aligned with my own.
My preferred software are hard soaps and currently SV ranks as my favourite. I use aftershave religiously, but never balms. My pre shave routine is only ever hot water, no oils etc.
I regularly switch between DE and SE, but if I had chose one over the other it would be SE. My favourite SE razors are the Cobra Classic and King Cobra (but only ever with a UFO handle). Recently I've also been enjoying the Colonial General and the OneBlade (which for me was the biggest surprise of 2016). I've tried all the Mongoose variants and didn't reach an accord with any of them. The ATT SE1 was too mild, but I just invested in a revised SE2 (longer teeth and hopefully more aggressive). I owned the Asylum Rx, but released it on account of the incredibly shallow angle (the handle just kept getting in the way of my face). I just managed to secure a Hawk and am looking forward to seeing what this end of the market has to offer.
As for DE, the Blackbird is currently the best for me. I own a few Wolfman razors (the finest crafted razor I have ever held) and am on the waitlist for a BBS-1. I still own examples from Feather, Pils, Joris, iKon, Mergress and all the HD Merkurs that helped start me on this journey. I tried many vintage Gillettes, but none earned a permanent spot in my rotation. The Timeless scalloped head and OC base plate will most likely be my next DE acquisition.
Brushes were where my AD was most most apparent. At one time I owned more than 100 M&F brushes and as a result shared quite a good friendship with the maker. Since then I've gravitated to Simpson Manchurian and sold all my pre Vulfix 2 bands and extra super (aka old Manchurian). Even my Rooney Finest and original heritage gel tips were liquidated and the only other offering I retained any quantity of are my Plisson HMW and synthetics.
I never threw myself wholeheartedly into straights, but I still own a few TI's. A wife and 3 young children put limits on my ability to spend too much time in the bathroom or learning new skills such as honing or truly mastering the straight. Kamisori style razors from Butch Harner and Iwasaki were my preferred tools, but in the interest of sliming my investment in this hobby they were among the items I let go.
Well, if you've made it this far you're probably ready for Tolstoy. Apologies for the long winded introduction, but I rarely do things by halves. Sorry if I left dirt on the mat!
I've been shaving the way I should for close to a decade now. Previously a lack of any guidance from a father figure in relation to shaving properly left me with no other consideration past carts. Carts resulted in ingrown hairs that then formed sebaceous cysts. These had to be periodically cut out by a surgeon. It got to the point where the medical advice was to grown a beard or risk permanent damage to vocal cords and facial muscles. Well that didn't suit my line of employment, so I had to find another solution. An internet search led me to the US based forum B&B and rather quickly I was stuffing money into this pursuit with more vigour than a guy at a strip club.
From B&B I moved to TSN were I served as a Moderator and then an Administrator. In the forum's infancy it felt more akin to what I felt comfortable with, but as the community grew, management styles adapted and I was left feeling disenfranchised. I'm not sure if its a geographical oddity, but my Australian heritage sees me placing stronger emphasis on characteristics such as a loyalty and mate-ship than it seems our US brethren do. So rather than following most that leave TSN disgruntled (and more recently, delusional) to DFS, I've sought out Paste & Cut in a hope that I'll feel more at home.
I regularly visit a few UK based forums too, as they also seem to have a mindset more aligned with my own.
My preferred software are hard soaps and currently SV ranks as my favourite. I use aftershave religiously, but never balms. My pre shave routine is only ever hot water, no oils etc.
I regularly switch between DE and SE, but if I had chose one over the other it would be SE. My favourite SE razors are the Cobra Classic and King Cobra (but only ever with a UFO handle). Recently I've also been enjoying the Colonial General and the OneBlade (which for me was the biggest surprise of 2016). I've tried all the Mongoose variants and didn't reach an accord with any of them. The ATT SE1 was too mild, but I just invested in a revised SE2 (longer teeth and hopefully more aggressive). I owned the Asylum Rx, but released it on account of the incredibly shallow angle (the handle just kept getting in the way of my face). I just managed to secure a Hawk and am looking forward to seeing what this end of the market has to offer.
As for DE, the Blackbird is currently the best for me. I own a few Wolfman razors (the finest crafted razor I have ever held) and am on the waitlist for a BBS-1. I still own examples from Feather, Pils, Joris, iKon, Mergress and all the HD Merkurs that helped start me on this journey. I tried many vintage Gillettes, but none earned a permanent spot in my rotation. The Timeless scalloped head and OC base plate will most likely be my next DE acquisition.
Brushes were where my AD was most most apparent. At one time I owned more than 100 M&F brushes and as a result shared quite a good friendship with the maker. Since then I've gravitated to Simpson Manchurian and sold all my pre Vulfix 2 bands and extra super (aka old Manchurian). Even my Rooney Finest and original heritage gel tips were liquidated and the only other offering I retained any quantity of are my Plisson HMW and synthetics.
I never threw myself wholeheartedly into straights, but I still own a few TI's. A wife and 3 young children put limits on my ability to spend too much time in the bathroom or learning new skills such as honing or truly mastering the straight. Kamisori style razors from Butch Harner and Iwasaki were my preferred tools, but in the interest of sliming my investment in this hobby they were among the items I let go.
Well, if you've made it this far you're probably ready for Tolstoy. Apologies for the long winded introduction, but I rarely do things by halves. Sorry if I left dirt on the mat!
