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A Place for Deep Thought

I'm going to do it! I took stock of what I have, what I enjoy, and I think I can get through 2020 without buying more stuff. My focus in 2019, due to family health issues, has been to work at great shaves and stop worrying about what I haven't tried. And I found myself reaching for the razor that worked best, and same with brushes, so many things were donated or sold. That really helped me headspace, as I noticed I wasn't being weighed down by my stuff. I wanted to enjoy collecting, as I did early on, but it wasn't enjoyable for me anymore. I love looking at others finds, and reading about the history. But it is not for me at this time to be a collector. Shaving hasn't become humdrum, for which I am thankful! I enjoy it as much as ever, if not more. But I am enjoying it for what it is to me, instead of what I have in my hoard!

The three exceptions, that is what I am still figuring out. Maybe 2 soaps and a purchase of 1-3 Karve plates! If the SS version Wows me enough, I may sell or PIF the brass and get some plates in SS. But most of what I remember reading back when the SS hit the scene was hardly noticeable differences. I should check that out again. But I plan to put my name on the "S" list soon.
 
Great open comb shave today with the Karve A plate. To my face, there is a big difference in the feel of the open comb plate compared to the safety bar B plate. The OC feels more aggressive. I took more care and was rewarded with a good shave.

In the spirit of science and experimentation (having been a chemistry teacher in my former profession), I will be conducting testing on myself! I know that I can fall back on my best combinations any time I need to, so I won't be at too much risk.

Just 2 planned right now, testing the Bic Chrome Platinum blades, which had been great but the last few outings did not go well. Was it me or the blade? And shaving with the open comb for a couple of weeks, and see if I can get comfortable with it. I had a Maggards OC that I used a lot prior to the Slim taking the top razor spot. I don't remember feeling the teeth as much as the Karve open comb. I actually had the open comb B plate, but found it too much for me to use 2 or 3 days in a row. However, neither Karve open comb felt as toothy as an Old Type or the NEW short comb.

And I plan to do some comparison shaves, switching soaps every day or two, in order to compare and contrast various aspects of the soaps (remember that I only have unscented products).

So it should be some fun mixing in with great shaves!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
MaineYooper said:
Great open comb shave today with the Karve A plate. To my face, there is a big difference in the feel of the open comb plate compared to the safety bar B plate. The OC feels more aggressive. I took more care and was rewarded with a good shave.

In the spirit of science and experimentation (having been a chemistry teacher in my former profession), I will be conducting testing on myself! I know that I can fall back on my best combinations any time I need to, so I won't be at too much risk.

Just 2 planned right now, testing the Bic Chrome Platinum blades, which had been great but the last few outings did not go well. Was it me or the blade? And shaving with the open comb for a couple of weeks, and see if I can get comfortable with it. I had a Maggards OC that I used a lot prior to the Slim taking the top razor spot. I don't remember feeling the teeth as much as the Karve open comb. I actually had the open comb B plate, but found it too much for me to use 2 or 3 days in a row. However, neither Karve open comb felt as toothy as an Old Type or the NEW short comb.

And I plan to do some comparison shaves, switching soaps every day or two, in order to compare and contrast various aspects of the soaps (remember that I only have unscented products).

So it should be some fun mixing in with great shaves!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
tenor (24).gif
 
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Yesterday was the first shave with the Bic Chrome Platinum
Bic-Chrome-Platinum-Double-Edge-Razor-Blades-5-pack.jpg

The shave went well, but I had a lot of irritation on my neck, which I suspect was me
overshaving the area, as I kept feeling what one gent called "ghost whiskers!" So I will not hold this against the blade and will accept responsibility for user error. It constantly surprises me how much I enjoy shaving, and I just don't want to stop. This will serve now as a reminder that you can have too much of a good thing!
 
Ghost Busters!! One of my all time favorite films! When I was working on my BS in biochemistry, Bill Murray's character was my role model, in fact still is. I don't want to be the stuffy science guy (I was a research assistant and a chemistry and physics teacher prior to switching careers in 2002. And some of my coworkers now can be a little too Type A for me! I prefer laid back, have fun, but do the job with diligence!)
 
MaineYooper said:

Yesterday was the first shave with the Bic Chrome Platinum
Bic-Chrome-Platinum-Double-Edge-Razor-Blades-5-pack.jpg

The shave went well, but I had a lot of irritation on my neck, which I suspect was me
overshaving the area, as I kept feeling what one gent called "ghost whiskers!" So I will not hold this against the blade and will accept responsibility for user error. It constantly surprises me how much I enjoy shaving, and I just don't want to stop. This will serve now as a reminder that you can have too much of a good thing!
Click to expand...
Bic Chromes used to be my go-to blade until I found 7 o'clock Blacks.
 
Some thoughts on Bic Chrome Platinum blades. I had used them for about a year. Then in early Sept 2019, I noted a lot of nicks, so I tossed the blade. My log shows I had used the open comb plate that day. Later in the month, I used another, and noted on the 3rd shave a similar situation. But this time I had used the C plate, when typically I use the B plate (safety bar for both). And I noted in the log I was having a rosacea flare. A month later, in mid October, I used a Bic for 3 shaves with the B SB plate, and noted "not as comfy" as other blades.

Today I am 3 shaves in with a new Bic blade, and am getting great shaves, with just a little irritation that lasted for a minute or less on the first 2 shaves. Today with the A plate (SB), no issues, even with only 18 hours since the last shave.

Possible explanations? Maybe bad blades/tucks? Maybe sharper than I think so I need to be more careful? Rosacea definitely played a role. I need to shave with the goal of a Really Comfortable Shave (RCS) on days when there is a flare, instead of pursuing the smoothest I can get (that will lead to trouble even with my smoothest blade/plate combo!).

Anyhow, so far I am thinking it may have been more user error than blade, but I have the rest of the week to go, with work shaves for the next 2 days.
 
MaineYooper said:
Ghost Busters!! One of my all time favorite films! When I was working on my BS in biochemistry, Bill Murray's character was my role model, in fact still is. I don't want to be the stuffy science guy (I was a research assistant and a chemistry and physics teacher prior to switching careers in 2002. And some of my coworkers now can be a little too Type A for me! I prefer laid back, have fun, but do the job with diligence!)
Click to expand...
I think carry myself in a similar manner. I'm a bit of a goofball with my patients, laughter is great medicine. But when it's time to do the hard stuff, I leave the jokes on the counter....then pick up where I left off when I'm done.
 
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