What's your new favorite thing?

Over in another neighborhood I saw a forum topic that really sounded fun so I thought it might be cool to repeat it here.

So the thread went, "... Many of us are always trying new things, so how about this thread where we post our current new thing. It can be a razor, a blade, a brush, a soap, an AS, or anything else shaving related that you feel like sharing."

Now, in my opinion, that thread kinda devolved into the same as any other Aquisition thread (which every shave forum has plenty of, already). But for me, it should be a more open, creative, and less purchase centric. For example... You may have started shaving with cold water. You may be trying a new process. Whatever new is really striking your fancy.

Now, as I posted there, my new favorite thing is a process I'm trying (though there was a purchase involved):

So my buddy MaineYooper had mentioned a Boar brush he's going to try. I hadn't used a boar since I first started traditional shaving (3 years ago, I think). I didn't like it at all! Two scratchy, too rough, and my skin is very sensitive.

After reading what he posted, as well as researching the breaking in of a boar, I thought maybe I should try again. To mitigate my losses, I ordered a cheap (but we'll regarded) Semogue 1305.

It's now been 9 break-in lathers and 1 overnight soak. I have yet to actually use it, but I can definitely feel it getting softer. Just the project of breaking in a boar... Regardless of whether I'll actually like it, has become my new 'favorite thing'. Lol.

I've even pondered buying another. Again, we're talking about not yet knowing if I like them. I think I'm just enjoying the process.


So, what's yours?

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Nice Paul, I'll have give this some thought !

Not sure it really qualifies, but...

I'm trying to reduce the number of soaps in my drawers. So, I've been using the same soap continuously until its gone. I know this isn't revolutionary as many do so. But is a new thing to me.

I just finished a tub of A&E Tertius. Next is SV Cosmo. I'm guessing there's about two weeks worth of shaves remaining in the tin.

So, what I'm enjoying is the experience and benefit of actually dialing in the lather. That - and not having to make a choice. LOL

Not sure it really qualifies, but...

I'm trying to reduce the number of soaps in my drawers. So, I've been using the same soap continuously until its gone. I know this isn't revolutionary as many do so. But is a new thing to me.

I just finished a tub of A&E Tertius. Next is SV Cosmo. I'm guessing there's about two weeks worth of shaves remaining in the tin.

So, what I'm enjoying is the experience and benefit of actually dialing in the lather. That - and not having to make a choice. LOL

That absolutely qualifies... Anything that is bringing joy, that you can qualify as your new favorite thing.

Using a soap more than twice in a row is a rarity around here, lol. Yes some definitely do it, but not as many as us a soap a new soap every day folks.

Good for you, too. We all end up with too many soaps (aftershaves, razors, etc). Glad to see you are not only working through them, but also having fun too.

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I am pretty close to only 1 year in, so everything is kind of new to me at this point. However, I have reached the stage where most of my curiosity itches have been scratched, acquisitions have slowed, my preferences are forming, and some of the razors are finding new homes. Thanks to DFS passarounds and BST I have experienced an embarrassing number of DE razors, blades, and soaps/croaps/creams.

All that being said, my absolute favorite pry it from my cold dead hands setup would be:

Razor: Yates 921 M for face, H for head
Blade: Nacet
Post-shave: Generic witch hazel to which I add tea tree oil, aloe vera, and glycerine
AS: Proraso green (I love this stuff as much as the Yates 921!!!!!)

Favorites if I had to pick, but not as attached to:

Soap: Soap Commander Vision
Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia (however, I share your appreciation for boar brushes and use them almost exclusively now. I picked a synthetic because there are too many times where I forgot to presoak the brush, and a synthetic is nice to have)

As we say in the U.P., I have a couple two three favorites things going on! First, as Paul mentioned, is breaking in and using now a Semogue SOC boar. I have not had great experiences with a boar, the Omega Pro '49. Okay, but not great. And I said that out loud in a couple of places! So, a friend on another forum gifted me a NIB SOC. And another pal over here is sending me a Zenith boar. Hey, I love being proved wrong, or at least inexperienced, as the SOC is making my day!

Second, I am really enjoying delving into SE shaving. Currently, the GEM razors are the main joy. They are so audible! and finding many that are so efficient yet mild-mannered is making my day as well!

And third, it is the friendships, banter, and camaraderie of this community. That has really been a new favorite thing this past year. This forum in particular has moved from just being an informative place to being a group of friends. A lot of that is due to great members here, and also my not being so introverted or at least more of a lurker than a poster. Getting to know guys here has really helped me mentally. Maybe it is the pandemic thing, but I don't think that for my case, as I am an essential worker so can still have lots of interactions with folks as I am not isolating at home. Maybe it was others being more out going due to feeling isolated. In any case, this community is definitely one of my new favorite things!

Great thread!  I've got a couple of favourites going on right now too - first is I'm shaving every second day now instead of every day.  When I worked I had to be the well attired and well groomed professional that clients expected but now that I'm retired I can do what I want and despite the fact that I enjoy shaving I find that I get a better shave if I've got a couple of days growth.  My skin is happier about that too.  

Other thing thats happened over the last year or two is that I have surrendered to the reality that I just enjoy boar brushes more than any other brush material, particularly the Semogue brushes.  For me the break in isn't an issue, I just make sure they get a long enough soak in warm water and go for it.  They'll break in and improve pretty quickly and I've found that doing an extensive break in isn't really necessary.   Maybe with one of those really stinky Omega boars 

Third thing (I know 3 isn't a couple) is the personal member journal threads - I wasn't entirely sure what to make of them when they first started popping up but I've come to really like them.  It makes it much easier to just drop in on friends for a visit instead of waiting for them to post or searching for them.  It just seems natural now. 

For me, it has been synthetic brushes.  When I first tried a couple several years ago they were pretty awful, to be honest.  Then I started reading about newer versions.  The one that truly opened my eyes was the Plisson pour L'Occitane.  I couldn't believe how soft it was yet still managed some backbone.  Also, the ease of lathering impressed me.  While I still use my boars and badgers, as well as a horsehair, I have to admit that the various synthetics have truly taken over my brush den.

mrdoug, this is a really nice thread. Thanks for starting it. Participating in DFS has added a spark of joy to my life, and having good threads to reply to makes it all the more enjoyable.

When it comes to new favorite things, I'm on the same page as MaineYooper. About week ago I found a Gem 1912 razor in the bottom of a box of lost and unloved shaving gear. I was planning to shave with Barrister & Mann's Beaudelaire soap that day, so I was looking for a razor that matched Beaudelaire's 1920s vibe. The Gem seemed to fit the bill. Compared to most double-edged razors, the Gem 1912 looks so old fashioned, but at the same time it has an elegance that few modern whisker whackers can match. It's sort of steampunky. It's sort of Wizard of Oz-ish. It's sort of Jeeves & Wooster-ly. And I'm having a blast with it. 

Popping that stiff-and-steady Gem by Personna blade into it's polished jaws and then snapping it shut makes me laugh. Dragging it over my beard and hearing that butter-knife-on-dry-toast sonic feedback gives me shivers. But running my hand over my freshly shorn mug and feeling that perfectly smooth, marble-like finish ... that's just a pure joy. And best of all, there's been no irritation. The Gem's strange cutting angle seems to remove only hair, leaving the skin intact and unmarred.
    

mrdoug, this is a really nice thread. Thanks for starting it. Participating in DFS has added a spark of joy to my life, and having good threads to reply to makes it all the more enjoyable.

When it comes to new favorite things, I'm on the same page as MaineYooper. About week ago I found a Gem 1912 razor in the bottom of a box of lost and unloved shaving gear. I was planning to shave with Barrister & Mann's Beaudelaire soap that day, so I was looking for a razor that matched Beaudelaire's 1920s vibe. The Gem seemed to fit the bill. Compared to most double-edged razors, the Gem 1912 looks so old fashioned, but at the same time it has an elegance that few modern whisker whackers can match. It's sort of steampunky. It's sort of Wizard of Oz-ish. It's sort of Jeeves & Wooster-ly. And I'm having a blast with it. 

Popping that stiff-and-steady Gem by Personna blade into it's polished jaws and then snapping it shut makes me laugh. Dragging it over my beard and hearing that butter-knife-on-dry-toast sonic feedback gives me shivers. But running my hand over my freshly shorn mug and feeling that perfectly smooth, marble-like finish ... that's just a pure joy. And best of all, there's been no irritation. The Gem's strange cutting angle seems to remove only hair, leaving the skin intact and unmarred.
    

Bouki, this is pure poetry in prose-form! You really nailed it in the descriptions, and brought in elements that I both love and hadn't thought of myself. Steampunk! Oz! The wonderful humor of Jeeves and Wooster stories! And best of all, the wonderful shave experience of the GEM razor isn't just me! I feel vindicated, ha ha! Thank You!!