Shaving notes of the MaineYooper

The last couple of days I have been using the Karve razor with the B solid bar plate and a Rapira Platinum Lux blade. Some very nice shaves. After the polishing AlanH81 gave it, I found myself checking to see if I really had a blade, or if I was using a bad angle! I would hear and feel that whisker whacking was taking place on the first stroke, but then nothing, just gliding along. But the result was smooth and efficient, definitely RCS.

Thanks Eric 

I guess it depends on razor it’s self lol, I particularly find Karve in my opinion being polished shaves / glides way better thus no blade feel at all.

So far I’m enjoying as always my Karve SS with Their Blue Ribon Plate SB-C :happy2 wish I tried it way before lol.

Very happy that your enjoying your Karve.

Take care 

Alan H

Great setup, shave and pic Eric

Great setup, shave and pic Eric

Thank you, Dave. I had to shoot quick, as my wife was stirring, and I can only imagine the fun discussion as to why I was taking pics of my shave set up to share on the interwebs!!

Great setup, shave and pic Eric

Thank you, Dave. I had to shoot quick, as my wife was stirring, and I can only imagine the fun discussion as to why I was taking pics of my shave set up to share on the interwebs!!

I gave up on worrying about those eye rolls a long time ago. Wait till she sees you walking outside with them and says where you going with that stuff and you say to take a picture of it in the snow

My wife and I are making plans to adopt some new kitties soon. But we still miss Gus and Carson. Reading Ken's loss was tough. Like Dave said, all of us who have lost a furry friend know that pain and hole in your heart. I looked at photos of our boys to remind me of the good time that we had.

Hey Eric.
I totally understand your feelings and thought process. Getting two siblings from the same litter is what I did years ago. Never a dull moment. My wife did the same thing a few years before her and I met. Tang and Robbie are brothers. A word of caution from me to you buddy. Watch out for "Orange" cats. They have a PITA gene. My wife is a Vet Tech with 30+ years experience. It is a real phenomena. Should you choose to take on one of these cats be prepared for shenanigans.
Fluffy

I hear you Ken, and appreciated the knowledge shared about your wife's experience! Gus, who bonded predominantly with my wife, was an orange and white male. Big guy, loads of "personality". I can only imagine what life would be like if he was all orange! But he was a gentle, tolerant big brother to Carson, who came to us several years after Gus (Gus actually predates me in so far as being with me wife!). Carson bonded with me at the shelter, a special connection I am amazed at to this day and one I cherish. He didn't purr out loud for a year. You had to touch him and then could feel the purring. But as he came out of his shell and realized he was safe and loved, Gus became one of his favorite "toys." And Gus would put up with it to a point, then make a stern but gentle point, and then it was all kiss and make up time! so funny to watch, although several times I thought we were on the verge of Cat-megeddon!

On Variety and Accumulation

I know, how pretentious, right?! He names his post like an essay!!

On another forum, they have many "clubs and brotherhoods" and I have joined a few over the years. One from around early 2018 was about being minimal in your den. For me, it was more that I was feeling controlled by my shaving stuff. I worried about rotations, even if certain razors or soaps or blades or brushes weren't my favorite, I felt that I still had to use them to justify their being in my hoard. I tried many razors, vintage and moderately priced newer stuff (nothing over $100, that's crazy!) I paid to have razors recoated, to make them mine. And I jumped around so much with my "rotation" so much that it took a long time to get really proficient with a DE. I loved the variety, but felt compelled to use it all, all the time. Then I got a SynBad brush. OMG, what a brush! Many of my others were soon sold or PIF'd. A month later, I gave into the hype regarding the Karve Christopher Bradley razor. Wow, almost 8 months late to the party, but what great shaves! Soon, I sold off all but 2 razors. I was down to 3 razors, 3 soaps, and 6 brushes, 4 of which are SynBads in various sizes. Here I stayed until last December.

I saw a Sharpologist review of a new injector, adjustable to boot. I love adjustable/adaptable razors. Then I read Dave tried one and found it mild. He nicely enabled me (actually, I offered cash and lots of it!! ha ha) But soon I had an injector, my second attempt with one (apologies to the Hydromagic, I didn't give you a fair shake). Wow, what an effortless, comfortable and close feeling shave! I wonder if the Vector is as fantastic as its hype? Dave helped again, lending me his for the Holiday season. I couldn't buy one fast enough! And then why not try some new soaps? Nothing wrong with the Big Three that I have always had in the drawer, why not give them some company?

And why not try the original adjustable Schick? And one from a favorite 40s movie? And the hype around the Yates, sounds like a good companion for the Karve!

It has got to stop. These are things, not people, so I have to stop anthropomorphizing them!

But now the drawer has an addition. Razors have there own little display area. Soaps filled the drawer.

And I am going to try to enjoy the variety, and not get obsessed with rotations. Variety! as Dave said. Enjoy the shave, is what I said. Well, I want to learn to enjoy my new variety and not get hung up on whether I am using the razor enough to justify what I spent. Just relax and enjoy the tools, the lather, the time, and how it makes me feel!

Nice essay Eric