Other What currently makes your life awesome?

Knife sharpening (and razor honing to some degree) is almost therapeutic for me, i really enjoy working up a blade from a poorly ground factory edge to something that can shave curls off the side of a hair. I even break out a usb microscope just to see how the edge looks when you get really close:



That's one of my pocket knives part way through diamond stropping the edge, I'll be taking the same sort of pictures when I next have a go at the Rolls blades.

 

O yes, I get the appeal of honing and stropping etc for fun but when you have to do it for your daily/every-other-day shave it becomes a chore. Far easier to load a blade into a SE or DE razor.

Having said that, I'll have to give the kamisori a go again soon. It's lovely to shave with and shaves so, sooo close when properly maintained. It's made with tamahagane steel (as in katana - they were made by the same folk) and will cut a hair dropped anywhere along its edge, with no more than the weight of the hair.

 

You lot almost make me want to shave with a decent razor...

...Almost .

 

<£8 for 100 blades (~2 years worth) and so many awesome razors, both modern and vintage, to choose from.

Think of that the next time you're pushing your Mach5 Fusion Powerball Super Excel Plus(tm) multi-blade cartridge into its third week and beyond because they're £10 for 4.

We'll have you converted before the end of the year.

 

I think he means he's bearded and prefers to stay wooly.

So do I, friend, so do I. Even though I have a good DE razor. And good shave cream. I'd just rather be bearded.

My gtx 1070 should be in today. That makes my life awesome.

 

3 weeks? Bwahahahaha... oh, if only...

Typically 1 blade = 1 shave, some makes of razor don't even manage that.

 

Got shortlisted for two jobs in London. Here's to hoping I land one.

 

I assumed he meant to trim his beard/shave the rest of his face but you could be right.

Blimey, that must cost a fortune!

I used to get a week or so of "close & comfortable" shaves out of a multiblade cartridge but would always squeeze as much life as possible out of them due to their extortionate cost. I'd use the same blade for weeks on end and extending their life like this would lead to rough, "tuggy" and generally crap shaves. I hated shaving.

DE blades on the other hand are so cheap that I can bin them as soon as they become dull (which typically for me is after the 3rd or 4th 3-pass shave. YMMV. I generally shave every other day so a blade lasts me 1 week, hence 100 blades (£8) lasts me approx 2 years).

Cheaper and better, which makes a change.

 

There's a reason it's called "The Gillette Model"!

 

if you think that's bad, you should see how quickly I can ruin an electric shaver.

 

Do you have a face like a hedgehog?

Meanwhile, I dug-out my kamisori and quickly wrapped the handle (yes, in plain string. I don't have any rattan at the moment). I didn't lose any fingers in the process, which is a bonus.

Man, I love these little things.

 

£578 pay-out from Barclays for a mis-sold package bank account... Those Ryzen CPU's look pretty good, ya?

 

It's not so bad when it's longer, but when it's stubble you need an angle grinder to shift it.

 

Saw the band Orgy last night, never thought I would get the chance and despite being only the original singer it was awesome and such a small venue it was "intimate"

 

I would recommend trying an old style double edge razor and some Feather blades. The blades are cheap and unbelievably sharp as well as being hard.

I don't mind picking up a cheap kit and sending it to you if you want to give it a shot, I already have the blades as the Feathers are the only ones I use now I can't get the blue packet Gillette ones as easily.

 

Feathers for a new DE shaver? Are you trying to attract sharks?

Feathers are good but they can be a bit rough. I'd recommend Gillette 7 O'Clock stainless (green packet) or Voskhods (which I use most of the time). Much smoother and more comfortable than Feathers, and still easily sharp enough.

A lot depends on the razor of course. For example, some of my razors are just too aggressive for my skin with a Feather but fine with a Voskhod, whilst other razors are mild enough that I can use them with any blade. It's just a case of learning what works best for you, but I'd recommend starting the journey at the mild/smooth end of the spectrum. It will be a lot more comfortable.

Edit: Derby Extras are a good starting blade. Generally considered to be one of the smoothest and mildest blades available.

Blade sample packs Cheesecake.

http://connaughtshaving.com/samplepack.html

 

It's 70°F (21°C) in Philadelphia right now. Good weather makes me very happy.

 

I've been doing some maths this afternoon.

I have an external interview on Tuesday, let's pretend I get the job and it takes two weeks for them to let me know that. I have a 1-month notice period, so that means I'd be leaving my current job by around the 14th April.

When you leave "this place", you get a pro-rata holiday & bank holiday entitlement calculated - if you've taken more than that already then you'll owe the company money, but if you've not taken that full entitlement then it's owed to you. I have booked 4 days off this year, but I carried over 4 days' holiday from last year - I haven't actually used any of this year's entitlement. Assuming that I actually left on the 14th April I'd be owed two weeks' leave; I either have to take that before I finish (HA! fat chance of that right now!) or I'd have it paid to me. So I'd either work half my notice or get two weeks extra pay. This is on top of the ~9-10% annual bonus that I will be getting in March.

That's made my day, that has. Now I need to actually get the f---ing job!

KayinBlack got it - the avatar should be a giveaway! I can't stand being clean-shaven; the other half hates it, and I think I look like a child. I have always wanted to try a straight razor though. I had a straight razor shave at a barber shop a long time ago, and it was the best shave I've ever had in my life.

F--- those cartridge things, they're awful. I went through a period of having awful razor burn about 10/11 years ago. It kept scabbing over but I kept shaving; it looked atrocious. That was the point at which I simply stopped shaving regularly...

 

I spotted the beard, Byron. Thought you might still trim the borders though.

 

Bleh, there's electric trimmers for that stuff - or I can simply pay someone to do it for me .

I'm gonna have to trim it soon for this upcoming interview. I'm starting to look...dishevelled. Fine when I've been at the same company for 13 years, but doesn't exactly make a good first impression on a potential new employer!