I'M BACK !

New to the world of wet-shaving? Grab a desk and be seated! Welcome to SMFU: A place to learn and compare notes about the ABC's of wet shaving. From brushes to creams, razors and more...We've got it all!
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gil3591
Posts: 3045
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:36 am
Location: ohio

I'M BACK !

Post by gil3591 »

hi guys. i've been away a long time and thought i'd check in a see how ya all are doing. now that i have ten years of wet shaving under my belt i would like to share my observations on the best products i've found. for what it's worth ! :)
razors: my choice is: merkur 38c or a 34 hd in gold plate. best gillette is a red tip super speed but is more harsh than the merkurs.
blades: best blades are the nos vintage gillette platinum plus followed by gillette spoilers , then the super iridiums.
cream: going with trumpers as best bang for the buck
soap: fine triple milled
best shave stick: palmolive (a must when using a cartridge razor)
aftershave: proraso
aftershave balm: neutrogena or geo trumper coral skin food
best soap brush: simpson commodore x3 in best
best cream brush: kent bk8 in silvertip
i was totally disappointed in simpson brushes and their hair loss 10 years ago. recently purchased a chubby 2 in best and a commodore in best. happy to say i've not lost one hair from either of them. the chubby seems to be too large and a lather hog in my opinion.
i have spent many, many dollars trying all types of products and right now these have won out over all others.

i hope to see that the old timers are still around and we haven't lost to many of them. great knowledge from this site. gil
Gil
futur/EJ357/ gillette redtip
iridium ,blue IP
thater, shavemac.anchorset/tgn,sr3226
dirty bird
and a prayer
CMur12
Posts: 7457
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:41 pm
Location: Moses Lake, Washington, USA

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by CMur12 »

Hi Gil! Glad to have you back.

My favorites:

Razors: Rockwell 6C (plate 2) and Mergress (at lowest setting).

Blades: I get along well with most decent blades. Favorites are Personna Med Prep, Perma-Sharp Super, Super Iridium, Treet Dura Sharp, Tiz (Iranian brand), and many others. Among vintage blades, I don't think anyone has ever equaled the Personna 74.

Brushes: Semogue 1305 (boar), Semoge 2105, 730, 2140 (silvertip), Asylum BG-7 (synthetic), Razorock (synthetic).

Soaps (no creams here): Valobra hard soap (stick or cake), Mike's Natural Soaps.
(Note: Valobra quadruple-mills their bath soaps, but they don't give their shaving soaps this treatment. A softer shaving soap makes sense to me.)

Aftershave: Thayer's Peach Witch Hazel Astringent.

I look forward to more of your posts, Gil!

- Murray
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gil3591
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Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:36 am
Location: ohio

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by gil3591 »

hi murray, i remember you . good to see you're still breathing =D>
Gil
futur/EJ357/ gillette redtip
iridium ,blue IP
thater, shavemac.anchorset/tgn,sr3226
dirty bird
and a prayer
brothers
Posts: 21507
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:18 am
Location: Oklahoma City USA

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by brothers »

Hey Gil! Glad to see you here again!
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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gil3591
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Location: ohio

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by gil3591 »

hi gary, hope all is good with you. is fallingwickets still around? how about gordon?
Gil
futur/EJ357/ gillette redtip
iridium ,blue IP
thater, shavemac.anchorset/tgn,sr3226
dirty bird
and a prayer
CMur12
Posts: 7457
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:41 pm
Location: Moses Lake, Washington, USA

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by CMur12 »

Gil, Clive/fallingwickets still frequents SMF, but Gordon disappeared some time ago.

- Murray
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TRBeck
Soapgeek
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Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:59 pm
Location: Denver, CO

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by TRBeck »

Gil, glad to see you back! I've been poking around here a bit again lately, too, after a long layoff.

I may have to give a Simpson another whirl again, but for me, the best brush going right now is the Semogue Caravela mixed-knot in resin.

I share your enthusiasm for Fine soaps, but I use homemade soaps more than anything else. Palmolive makes the - ahem - cut for me, too.

Welcome back!
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
ShadowsDad
Posts: 3121
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:13 am
Location: Central Maine

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by ShadowsDad »

Welcome back to the forum!
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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fallingwickets
Clive the Thumb
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Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:59 am

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by fallingwickets »

still here!! Nice to see you out and about Gil. The simpson chubby 3 still sits proudly on the pseudo DrP shelf :D :D :D

Razor: muhle 89 made better by an ikon bulldog handle :D

soap; trumpers rose or cyril salter and if an inheritance cheque is in the mail, MdC

blades: gillette rubies and personna hospital blades

brush; tulip 3 rules

a tip of the hat to mia gordon's fidelity

clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
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gil3591
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Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:36 am
Location: ohio

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by gil3591 »

glad to hear from you clive. i was going to ask about that chubby :)
Gil
futur/EJ357/ gillette redtip
iridium ,blue IP
thater, shavemac.anchorset/tgn,sr3226
dirty bird
and a prayer
EL Alamein
Posts: 3101
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:55 pm

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by EL Alamein »

Welcome back!

Chris
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gil3591
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Location: ohio

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by gil3591 »

thanks
Gil
futur/EJ357/ gillette redtip
iridium ,blue IP
thater, shavemac.anchorset/tgn,sr3226
dirty bird
and a prayer
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Teiste
Posts: 1247
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:25 pm
Location: Utah

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by Teiste »

Good to see you back , gil
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Z-2
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:11 am
Location: Bulgaria

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by Z-2 »

Welcome again :)
Lolita Haze: Do you always have to shave twice a day?
Humbert Humbert: Yes, of course, because all the best people shave twice a day (from the film Lolita (1962))
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i_shaved_something
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Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:56 pm
Location: Northern Virginia, USA

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by i_shaved_something »

Sorry to resurrect old thread but good to see you Gil, I'm back myself after a long hiatus!
My faves these days are:
razor: Feather AS-DS1, with a cart Schick 3 for touch ups.
blade: I shift around, still have a ton of stock of Wilks, Gillettes, Personna 74...set for life.
brush: still love my Simpson Gary Young and Major, Rooney finest #2, and coral Emillion, but my simple Vulfix 374 gets most of the action these days.
cream: still working through old stock of Coates tubes, have several left. If in a hurry I find Kiss My Face patchouli with no brush a good sub.
after shave: Clubman Vanilla or Musk or Original, or Loccitane Cade moisturizer. Also like Kiehl's after shave balm.
edt: Aqua di Parma, Taylor's #74 green, or any of the Penhaligon's samples I have here.

Welcome back, long live SMF!
Rob
CMur12
Posts: 7457
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:41 pm
Location: Moses Lake, Washington, USA

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by CMur12 »

Welcome back, Rob! It's good to see you again.

- Murray
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i_shaved_something
Posts: 1557
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:56 pm
Location: Northern Virginia, USA

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by i_shaved_something »

Thanks Murray you too!
Rob
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fallingwickets
Clive the Thumb
Posts: 8813
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:59 am

Re: I'M BACK !

Post by fallingwickets »

welcome back rob....i found a few tubes of coates in the pseudo DrP drawer and use the rose occasionally. Good stuff which of course makes me wonder if there are still tubes for sale, because you know, one can never have enough spares!!! :D :D

clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
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