Shaving notes of the MaineYooper

It’s called a “curse” for a reason!

Is it possible to get the perfect shave? Or do you just approach perfection? Occasionally finding a razor that takes you a little bit closer but never actually reaching true perfection. It becomes harder to tell as incremental “improvements” become tinier and tinier. Is it actually better or was it just phase of the moon? I’m going through a phase of one pass shaving with very little touch up. It’s so hard knowing that with just another couple of passes I could be so much smoother. Instead of a five o’clock shadow I could have a nine o’clock shadow or even a midnight shadow. Of course I’m asleep. I had to stop chasing the dragon and so far I’m generally happy with it. My skin thanks me too.

In Japan. The pursuit of perfection is “Kaizen”. A way of life.  It is acknowledged to be almost impossible to achieve.  But is an honorable way to pursue one’s life.

It’s called a “curse” for a reason!

Is it possible to get the perfect shave? Or do you just approach perfection? Occasionally finding a razor that takes you a little bit closer but never actually reaching true perfection. It becomes harder to tell as incremental “improvements” become tinier and tinier. Is it actually better or was it just phase of the moon? I’m going through a phase of one pass shaving with very little touch up. It’s so hard knowing that with just another couple of passes I could be so much smoother. Instead of a five o’clock shadow I could have a nine o’clock shadow or even a midnight shadow. Of course I’m asleep. I had to stop chasing the dragon and so far I’m generally happy with it. My skin thanks me too.

In Japan. The pursuit of perfection is “Kaizen”. A way of life.  It is acknowledged to be almost impossible to achieve.  But is an honorable way to pursue one’s life.

Thanks, that is quite a goal. And so happy to have you stop by!

It’s called a “curse” for a reason!

Is it possible to get the perfect shave? Or do you just approach perfection? Occasionally finding a razor that takes you a little bit closer but never actually reaching true perfection. It becomes harder to tell as incremental “improvements” become tinier and tinier. Is it actually better or was it just phase of the moon? I’m going through a phase of one pass shaving with very little touch up. It’s so hard knowing that with just another couple of passes I could be so much smoother. Instead of a five o’clock shadow I could have a nine o’clock shadow or even a midnight shadow. Of course I’m asleep. I had to stop chasing the dragon and so far I’m generally happy with it. My skin thanks me too.

In Japan. The pursuit of perfection is “Kaizen”. A way of life.  It is acknowledged to be almost impossible to achieve.  But is an honorable way to pursue one’s life.

Yes, but when perfection is in so many things, and possibly none more so than shaving, subjective …

Don’t think for a moment that I was being critical of Eric’s pursuit of his perfect razor. Not at all. I’m on a different bus now that’s all. Eric’s one of the most grounded shaving dudes I know.

It’s called a “curse” for a reason!

Is it possible to get the perfect shave? Or do you just approach perfection? Occasionally finding a razor that takes you a little bit closer but never actually reaching true perfection. It becomes harder to tell as incremental “improvements” become tinier and tinier. Is it actually better or was it just phase of the moon? I’m going through a phase of one pass shaving with very little touch up. It’s so hard knowing that with just another couple of passes I could be so much smoother. Instead of a five o’clock shadow I could have a nine o’clock shadow or even a midnight shadow. Of course I’m asleep. I had to stop chasing the dragon and so far I’m generally happy with it. My skin thanks me too.

In Japan. The pursuit of perfection is “Kaizen”. A way of life.  It is acknowledged to be almost impossible to achieve.  But is an honorable way to pursue one’s life.

Yes, but when perfection is in so many things, and possibly none more so than shaving, subjective …

Don’t think for a moment that I was being critical of Eric’s pursuit of his perfect razor. Not at all. I’m on a different bus now that’s all. Eric’s one of the most grounded shaving dudes I know.

Mark, I really think Ken Fluffy was only sharing an interesting bit of cultural information. I certainly took no criticism, in fact, I realized a soap base is called that and now I get it!

No criticism thought, what so ever. Just explaining one of the aspects of Japanese culture that I find admirable.  
And they (Japanese) are not the only culture that write/speak of a life in the  “pursuit of perfection”. 
As finite beings. I believe we are not able to achieve it, (perfection).  
But there is value in striving to get as close as possible. As long as you don’t loose sight of what’s really important. 
Eric in his posts. Always describes his internal debates. With the AD’s associated with our hobby. And makes light of our “pursuit”.

No criticism what so ever. Just explaining one of the aspects of Japanese culture that I find admirable.  
And they (Japanese) are not the only culture that write/speak of a life in the  “pursuit of perfection”. 
As finite beings. I believe we are not able to achieve it, (perfection).  
But there is value in striving to get as close as possible. As long as you don’t loose sight of what’s really important. 
Eric in his posts. Always describes his internal debates. With the AD’s associated with our hobby. And makes light of our “pursuit”.

Makes perfect (no pun intended) sense to me.  All things in moderation, including the pursuit of perfection.

A Two Brush Side by Side!!

Crazy, right?! Or maybe I am just that weird! 

I had been liking my APSCo Independent and Titanium fan knots, but wanted to try them in the bulb version. Now, I mostly face lather, and conventional advise on the forums is that fan knots are best for this and bowl-lathering is better with a bulb-shaped knot. I don't know if I agree, but I wanted to see which version I liked better. So I ponied up the money and got some new knots, all in bulb. 


On the left is the Titanium bulb knot. The handle, a DSCosmetic, previously had the fan version. Funny thing is that in this snap, the knot doesn't look that much different than the fan version back a few pages! But IRL it is more bulb shaped. On the left is the Independent in an Ultra High Density bulb in the Trotter Handcrafts Quasar. I decided last month to go with no spacers/washers, so both of these are set as the handle maker intended.

Here is what they looked like after the first lathering of my face:


The UHD Independent worked great, and is slightly preferred after today's 2 pass WTG/ATG shave. It splayed the right amount for me and made a great lather. The Titanium was a bit more scrubby, and I did find the bulb shape seemed easier to lather with than the fan. Too early to tell, as these new synthetics seem to need a little breaking in, oddly enough. But by no means is this knot unacceptable to me. It needs a little more patience for the first few uses. 

Here they are after the shave:


The 3rd knot is my first APSCo badger, a 22mm SHD bulb to replace the Shave Forge High Mountain White knot in my favorite restored Ever-Ready handle that Freddie did for me. I will most likely use it tomorrow and post a photo. I am a tad concerned though, as the knot didn't want to seat all the way into the socket, I think. It felt like it went in, but when I pulled it out accidentally while trying to position it, the silicone on the knot base did not look disturbed, making me think it hadn't touched the bottom of the socket. I will be expecting it to pop off if it didn't make contact and then I will have see what I can do. The Shave Forge knot is very nice and soft, but has almost too much splay, so I wanted to try a denser knot and see what that is like. 

Hope the weekend goes well for us all!

I prefer bulb over fan too, bowl or face.

I’m going through a phase of one pass shaving with very little touch up. 

Hi Mark! I am feeling a bit sick these last few days, and have opted for 2 passes, WTG and ATG. The results are remarkably close to what I feel after 3 passes, but absolutely no irritation or red spots. I plan to give it a go with an efficient razor on Monday and see how long before my shirt collar snags a whisker, but I've a feeling it will still be a very acceptable shave result. The downside is less time to play in the lather! 

I prefer bulb over fan too, bowl or face.

One of the aspects of this obsession or hobby, is buyer's remorse. I now have 2 Wald brushes, both from the BST but still not inexpensive, and both are fans. The A-1 knot is so dense that splaying isn't as easy as it is with most synths, including the Muhle STF XL that I have. I am second-guessing my purchases, wondering if a bulb shape would serve me better. Maybe I should post for a trade? Who knows. Maybe I should spend more time being content instead of looking at the greener grass on the other side of the fence. Most likely, that grass is greener because it's over the septic tank, as the late great Erma Bombeck said!