Reposted from my journal:
New Year 2020 TSC Appreciation Shave #1 of 2
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Stirling Uncented pre-shave oil
Razor: Fine Marvel razor
Blade: Shark SS (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: The Tech Hive Synthetic Tuxedo Beehive 26mm
Soap/Cream: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard
AS 1: 365 Everyday Rose Petal Face Toner + Lucky TIger AS & Face Tonic
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB & Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream
AS 3: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard
Fragrance: none
While I appreciate, and value all of the Cadre, I can't include you all in my appreciation shaves. I would if it were at all possible. Thank you all for being here.
So, here are TSC Members represented in today's shave (in alphabetical order by forum handle):
@BarberDave - Lucky Tiger Disappearing Cream - I first heard about the Disappearing Cream and the Vanishing Cream from reading one of Dave's posts. I decided to give them a try based on that. Dave also put some amazing edges on a few of my straights. I am very glad that he, Chad, and Chris L. made the decision to start this forum.
@Cvargo - Shark SS DE blade - Chad reviewed this in one of the early Bad Blade reviews which caused me to go out and buy a few. I agree with his "100 Pack" rating for this blade. It surprised me by being as good as it is even after seeing Chad's review. I love watching the Bad Blade series and am glad that I helped make it what it is.
@Dragonsbeard - Ethos Grooming Essentials soap & AS - Trying this new product as part of a pass-around. I love it that new artisans are springing up on TSC. It makes this place even more special. I am glad to help get this brand off the ground.
@NurseDave - Stirling pre-shave oil - I was Dave's Reindeer Buddy for 2018. He sent me a cool TSC Christmas ornament, a San Francisco mug full of Ghirardelli chocolate and other goodies, and 3 pre-shave oils. Stirling makes really good pre-shave oil. I wouldn't have tried them if not for this gift.
@Spider - Fine Marvel razor - I am glad that I purchased this from KJ. It is a fine shaver, even if it is 100% pot metal. KJ is the reason that I know about TSC. When the Cadre was just getting started he sent out an email to a bunch of people that had participated in Bingo on that other forum to tell them about TSC. Five minutes after reading that email I was registering my account here. At that point I had stopped going to that other forum because of multiple run-ins with the moderation staff for basically fan-boying too hard. I was even accused of shilling for Colonial Razors at one point. The mods at that place soured me on the whole experience but I always missed the people like the various Daves, KJ, Chad, and Chris L. So, KJ is the reason that I was able to reconnect with all of you.
@Techichi - Tech Hive Synthetic brush - Another new artisan that has sprung up on TSC. After Chad and a few others mentioned how good these brushes are, and how reasonably priced they are, I just had to get one.
Happy New Year, Cadre. I am glad that we can all gather here and share like we do. This forum is one of the most welcoming and civil places on the Internet. It is a great place to hang out. I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2020.