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Reasons why I mix my coffee with whiskey, my list of bodies I have buried in the woods, and other thoughts while shaving

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This week - a homage to boozy scents.

I don't own my own bar - but I do love scents and fragrances with that booziness. So I'm going to do a week of some of my favorites.

Have to start out with a summertime drink - the Long Island Iced Tea.

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Razor: Timeless Stork Hybrid
Blade: Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge
Brush: PAA The Solar Flare
Lather: Ginger’s Garden Long Island Iced Tea
Aftershave: Ginger’s Garden Long Island Iced Tea
Additional Care:
Ginger’s Garden Long Island Iced Tea EdC

This is a fantastic balance of having that boozy note without smelling like you spent the weekend at Spring Break. Really enjoy the citrus top notes as well (of course - citrus!). Both the soap and the AS have some cooling agent - so it really brings that having a summer drink feeling, sitting on the deck or the porch - just letting the day go by on a lazy day.

My Phillies can't make up their mind on whether to be a good or average team - they won the series with the Padres - but lost the last game 11-1 wow!. Then they turn around and hand it to the Cubs last night 13-3. I'll take it!

This was a strange weekend in that I started clearing out my den for razors. I have my heart set on two - but in order to get them - I can't justify keeping some. One, adding one or two more will decrease some in the rotation, two, I am really starting to understand what types I like and appreciate, and three, well the ones that I want are expensive - to the point where without at least subsidizing the cost, I really couldn't justify. So, I cleared out four, with most likely another 5 to be sold as well. It is strange in that some of these razors are what I started my hobby journey with, but at the same time, I am looking forward to using the ones I have on a more regular basis. So I think overall, it is a good decision. IMO, the hobby is for enjoying and sharing, not having the most toys (my younger self may disagree - thank goodness I'm old).

Have a most fantastic week everyone! And @Majorrich - enjoy your trip to Merz! That looks to be a really awesome place!
 
Yep, not much point practically speaking for me to have a ton of razors that just sit and look pretty more often than not. Which razors are you going for?
 
GearNoir said:
Yep, not much point practically speaking for me to have a ton of razors that just sit and look pretty more often than not. Which razors are you going for?
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I like both the Tedalus Essence and the Tatara Muramasa. Both have both good and bad points - so I haven't made up my mind on either just yet (though I did start clearing the den). The cost is really up there, but with both - they each have something new to the shaving area that I don't see in other razors.

For the Tatara - I did own the Tatara Masamune Nodachi which I loved - It, to me, was the perfect balance between efficiency and smoothness. The Muramasa is an adjustable - and the way it adjusts has never been done before. From what I've read and have seen on regarding reviews - it is very well balanced - and since it is stainless steel - it really appeals to me. Other than the price tag, the only other negative is that since the razor is new - it is sort of like Karve - in that you are put on a waiting list while they do their next run.

For the Tedalus - I like the look of a bespoke straight razor - but in shavette form. It is similar to some of the Boker shavettes I've seen where it can take a DE blade, an injector blade, and an artist club blade. I have a Feather SS shavette - and really like it. I stink at stropping - so having a shavette that allows me the straight experience I think is cool. The downsides for me are a couple: (1) only a 10 year warranty - every other razor I have has a lifetime warranty, (2) shavettes by their very nature are more aggressive - and I lean towards smooth (although I have improved my straight technique a lot over the past year).

So I have sold 4 razors and can pay for one of them. I have another that I am waiting for the buyer to provide me a quote, though I know it won't be enough to cover the second one, though should subsidize it to the extent that it wouldn't be as painful.

I'm pretty picky when I make purchases, but price tags always make you press pause...I know by clearing out a net of 7 razors, I will use whatever I choose a lot more often. And I know I lot of people invest in bespoke razors - they are art pieces. But we'll see how it goes and what the decision will be. I just enjoy the hobby - and especially the friends I have here on this site - we are a unique crowd and I like that there isn't the sense to have the latest and greatest.

I think the best way to describe the Cadre is sort of like the YouTube Channel The Whiskey Tribe- to steal from them, the best shave is shaving with what you like and how you like to do it.

I'll let you know what I decide my friend.
 
MilkCrate said:
I would really like to have the Tedalus Essence, but I can’t get past the price tag.
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It makes you blink that is for sure. i am gathering the company is trying to make up its R&D investment soon, but since the parts are machined in China, I would have assumed that would have helped reduce costs, the QA and assembly are done in Switzerland
 
Today's boozy scent is from A&E:

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Razor: Blackland Sabre
Blade: Blue Star GEM Super
Brush: PAA Amber Aerolite
Lather: Ariana & Evans Cuban Highball
Aftershave: Ariana & Evans Cuban Highball
Additional Care:
Jacques Zolty Severo EdP

I absolutely love this scent - the notes are: Cuba. Rum, lime, mint and sugar with a touch of tobacco (similar to an aged cigar in a humidor). I'm not a great fan of the A&E Kaizen base - I can appreciate why people like it - it has such great skin food qualities, but for me- it is a pain to lather- you have to add so much water to get it right. I remember watching the artisan on YouTube demonstrating, along with the first 5 or 10 of his select youtuber shavers - I felt I was watching a shaving version of the Emperor has no clothes - the soap was running down everyone faces - all over the place- while everyone extolled the virtues of the soap. But, for me, the scent of this soap makes it worth the extra effort to tune in the lather. It is based on the drink and the tobacco note tones everything down - it really gives you the feeling of having a nice summer drink while holding a high end cigar.

I paired with the EdP of Jacques Zolty Severo which is based off a rum and coke. Top notes are Coca-Cola, Rum and Lime; middle notes are Birch, Davana and Black Pepper; base notes are White Musk, Amber and Vanilla.

Took my son to music therapy yesterday- which is always a joy - he gets a lot out of it. The rest of the day was tame......just chilled out- forgot to put on the baseball game which of course, because I wasn't watching - the Phils won. Debated which razor I was going to buy - and then if I should buy it. Then fell asleep sitting up - woke up at 2ish. Which was kinda cool - I was up when the early birds do their posts on the Cadre!

Have a great day!
 
Scuttlesoap said:
I remember watching the artisan on YouTube demonstrating, along with the first 5 or 10 of his select youtuber shavers - I felt I was watching a shaving version of the Emperor has no clothes - the soap was running down everyone faces - all over the place- while everyone extolled the virtues of the soap.
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😂
The great folly of most major traditional shaving YouTubers…most I’ve seen hardly ever let a negative comment about a product pass their lips. Makes it really hard to tamp down those ADs and feelings of FOMO!
 
GearNoir said:
😂
The great folly of most major traditional shaving YouTubers…most I’ve seen hardly ever let a negative comment about a product pass their lips. Makes it really hard to tamp down those ADs and feelings of FOMO!
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absolutely right on! I think 2020 played a role too - everyone stuck inside- I truly hope the base war has run its course- everything is so subjective anyway - and people miss out on such great products out there from other vendors
 
Graybeard57 said:
I watched a little of the game yesterday. Phils were up 7-0 when I started, up 7-3 when I stopped. Announcers were all over the Phils' bullpen struggles, going so far as to predict a close finish to the game.
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I watched the recap this morning- I would have been sweating bullets. I don't know what happened to the bullpen - they were doing so well in the beginning of the season - now it seems that the Phils have to put up 15 just to make sure the come on top lol. I can't imagine what 10 year old me would do with this team! My brother and I would pretend to go to sleep and then would put the games on real low on our clock radio that we got with Green Stamps (remember those? had to collect at least 20 books for that radio - had a green digital light)........but we'd always get in trouble once Mike Schmitt or Greg Luzinski would hit a HR. Or Pete Rose hustling it out. Then my parents would come up the stairs "We told you boys to go to sleep."

With this team - my parents would have grounded us for weeks for the amount of yelling we'd be doing 😀
 
Ok, for all you Bourbon lovers - looking at you @CVargo .......this shave is dedicated to you....

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Razor: Rod George Razor of Badassery
Blade: Willy’s Premium Stainless Steel
Brush: PAA Amber Aerolite
Lather: Cremo Reserve Blend
Aftershave: Ginger’s Garden Cola Whiskey Ice
Additional Care:
Cremo Distiller’s Blend EdT

I added both the Original Bourbon and the Reserve Blend - love the scents on both - though the Original Bourbon version is that sipping a nice bourbon to cool off on the porch at the end of a long day - nice, subtle........the Reserve Blend is more along the lines of - Dude, hand me the expensive Pappy - we're day drinking!

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I think Cremo is the perfect example that you don't have to spend a lot of coin to get a great shave - $5 for the regular Original Bourbon, a whole $8 for the Reserve Blend. These are so slick - they don't give you a huge lather - that is intentional - but it provides a great post shave as well. And for me, you can't beat the scent!

I went back and forth on what AS I should use - I have a Ginger's Garden Pure Malt version - but I like the addition of the cola note - so I went with it. Of course it has an added cooling agent - so +1!

I love my Rod George razor - it is definitely on the smooth side - but is efficient with the shave- I replaced the regular head with an Ikon Razors head because it has both the straight bar and the open comb. I had Rod add a couple of symbols for me - Green Lantern- my favorite comic book hero - something I shared with my dad since I was 7. Also have a puzzle piece - for eldest son - who is autistic , the Punisher - because nothing says badass like that - I am a recent convert for the Punisher- after watching the Dare Devil and Punisher series on Netflix (before then I really didn't know much about it), and a Spartan shield - because I love the real story behind the 300!

Yesterday was another chill day - and of course the Phils were the Phils last night - because I watched the game lol. Thank goodness for good pizza and beer to numb the emotions lol.

Have a fantastic day!
 
Very cool razor handle! Daredevil and Punisher were both great series’s! I hope they get brought back.

I still feel like DC hasn’t done justice to Green Lantern yet though and now that Reynolds has done Deadpool, I’ll never see him any anyone else lol (I know it’s Marvel but still).
 
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