Wednesday, December 14, 2011
SOTD - December 14, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Future Changes
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Anniversary & Movember
Ahhh. Wetshaving. Funny. ...thinking about shaving use to be a chore and something I dreaded. Now, it's part of my morning routine that I continue to look forward to every morning. This month marks my 1 year anniversary since making "the switch". Overall, my shaving experience has been drastically changed. I went from complaining about razor burn and ingrown hairs nearly every day, to having only a few ingrown hairs over the last year. And, I honestly can't remember the last time I had razor rash. It's crazy to think that I used to grumble and complain about cartridge prices while I tossed a new $25 pack of replacement blades into my cart at Wal-Mart. While I'll admit, getting a new replacement DE blade for under 17 cents is an amazing way to save money, my AD (Acquisition Disorder) has caused me to spend much more on shaving supplies that I enjoy using. I guess that's the equivalent to a women buying clothes I guess. lol Anyways, I'm glad I made the switch. Little did I know that on that fateful day, when I googled how to get rid of shaving irritation, I would run across some quirky dude shaving on YouTube named Mantic59. My life, would never be the same. I remember I stayed up till nearly 3:00 in the morning that night. Watching his videos and learning so much. It was then that my life changed forever... or at least my shaving habits. And my mug is better for it! Thanks Mantic!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Technical difficulties
Friday, November 11, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Cartridge Shaving Part 3 - Final Thoughts
Now that I'm all clean and shaven from all those cartridge shaves, let's review shall we :) As Jerry Springer would say, these are my final thoughts.
While my overall impression with the cartridge razors was a good one, I'm not going to be switching over to them anytime soon. Sorry, don't get your hopes up. However, even though I had an overall good impression with them, I would like to point out a few things I have a problem with.
First is the outrageous prices for the cartridge blades. These companies are screwing over the consumers with their overpriced replacement blades. I remember reading somewhere that the mark up on these things are like 4000%! That is just wrong. Think about it... How much does it really cost to manufacture that little bitty piece of of plastic and metal. NOT MUCH. I understand that a company has to make a profit, but my word. Paying $20 or $30 for a replacement pack is absolutely ridiculous. PERIOD!
Another problem I have is the constant battle that these two companies have to "out-blade" each other. We started out with 1 blade. Then came the duo blade. Mach 3. Then the Quatro, etc... When will this end? Really? 5 and 6 blades is just overkill people. There is just no need for it. Think about it. 5 blades?! Comon! 1 blade should be sufficient enough.
I do believe that the lube strip is a pretty good idea. I have no problem with more hydration and protection. But how is it constructed on the razor again? First the little rubber fins pull the hair, then cut, then lube the face?
Isn't this backwards? As Larry the Cable Guy says, "It's like wipin' before your poop, it don't make sense!" By removing the fins, and putting the goo strip on the bottom of the razor, you wouldn't have a need for fins or a precision trimmer. Instead, you would have the lubrication strip first, then the blades. This seems like it would work much better to me. But hey, I don't make the razors.
I don't intend to sound mean or pessimistic. It's just my general observations of marketing failures.
--
Now, like I said in my reviews of the razors, I did enjoy the shave I got with both razors. Like I said earlier,
I won't be switching to cartridge blades anytime soon, but I think using them has now changed my mind on the fact that they are not evil anymore. In fact, with the proper hydration and preparation, they can give you a pretty darn good shave.
Going from a razor that has 1 blade to 5 was different. But, ultimately, a razor is a razor. Whether a cut-throat blade, Double Edge safety blade, cartridge, or sharp rock, all will cut and remove hair. Some prefer the traditional styles over the others, while some prefer the more modern day technology. That’s fine. “To each his own”, I say. People can argue over this all day. However, whatever gives you the most comfortable shave, I say stick with that. Me? I still plan on enjoying the nostalgia and the tradition of using a brush and DE razor. It's just my thing. However, I don't think cartridge razors are as bad as I had originally thought.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Home Sweet Home
Friday, September 9, 2011
5 things
My beautiful wife. I can’t stop thinking about her and how much I love her. We’ve been married for 7 years, 1 month and 30 days (and yes, I had to look at a calendar to add up those days haha). I’m so glad she decided to married me all those years ago. We’ve gone through our hard times and good times together. For better or worse…sickness and health… for richer and definitely for poorer… She’ stuck by me no matter what and will always be my best friend. I love you babe
2. Arkansas Razorbacks
2 years ago, we ended up going to 5 games that year, which included 4 Arkansas Razorback games and 1 Alabama game. It was awesome! Last year, we didn’t go to any. At the time, we were concentrating on paying off a lot of our debt and didn’t really have the means to go to any games. This year, even though we have some “big plans” coming up in the next month or two, we are planning to go to Fayetteville once this year. Even if we don’t really have the spare money to do so, we’re gonna make time to do it. It’s one of my favorite things to do and it’s like my sanctuary if you will. When you grow up in the state of Arkansas, the Razorbacks mean everything to everyone. The Hogs started the season and won their first game last week. It was no surprise that it was almost a shutout. They have incredible talent this year and are poised to contend for a conference championship. I’m keeping my fingers crossed...
3. 9/11
This weekend is the 10th Anniversy of September 11th. Everyone remembers where they were that day. I was a freshman in college. It happened that morning and everyone was in the lobby of the dorm watching it on TV. It was so surreal that we were being attacked…America…the greatest country in the world… I’m not a declared political party. I’m not a fan of democrats, or republicans. I was a bit critical of George Bush when he was in office. I’ve since changed my mind a bit and really appreciate how good of a president he was. Anyways, I watched an interview with Geoge W on Natgeo the other day and was very impressed with his accounts during that tragic day. It was VERY interesting to watch. You can check it out here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1OU_t8lJZI). Let’s all remember those who lost their lives and also remember those heroes who saved countless other. May they never be forgotten. God Bless America.
I’m thankful for many things right now. My wife, my family, friends, our jobs. We have wonderful jobs at a great place. It’s such a blessing to work at a place like where we work. I’m so thankful for my wife and how much she means to me. I’m so thankful for my parents and how much they have done for us since my wife and I have been married. I’m thankful for my brother and his family. And all our friends. We’re so blessed and fail to realize how much we have and how much we should be thankful for.
5. Surprise
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Cartridge shaving Part 2 - Gillette Proglide
I followed my normal pre-shave, shave, and after-shave routine while using this razor. I performed my shave as normal as I could, to compare the razor as fairly as possible. Pre-shave routine consisted of a shower, washing face with a mild face wash, and showering in the shower, not at the sink. I used my badger hair brush with a few of my favoriate creams and soaps (C.O. Bigelow, D.R. Harris, Tabac, & Cyril R. Salter). The shave was my standard lather + with the grain pass, second lather + second with the grain pass. After-shave routine consisted of cold water splash, alum, cold water splash 2, Thayer's Witch Hazel, Nivea after shave Balm.
The Gillette Fusion Proglide
Packaging - Again, the first thing I noticed right off the bat, is that all of the packaging can be recycled. There's not anything that I can't easily throw into my recycle bins and take to the curb. As you can see, the entire packaging is printed cardboard paper, with a plastic shell around the razor. When the packaging is torn apart and disassembled, it's all able to be recycled. No problem. Good job Gillette!
First Impression - So my first impress of the razor is that is reminds me of a transformer. It is really cool looking. It definitely looks like high tech engineering. The razor did have a cool look and a heavy weight to it. Not made of plastic, but metal.
Handle - Lots of cool looking rubber wavy fins on the handle made this thing easy to grip and nearly impossible to drop. It's heft and easy to grip handle felt abnormal compared to an all metal handle, but easty to grip nonetheless.
Fins - *I'm stealing my quote from my Schick Hydro here*- This is where the advanced engineering and technology of today’s razors, I believe, fails. I’m not sure who first came up with the concept of little rubber fins on a razor, but in my opinion, that wasn’t the smartest move. The whole purpose of a comfortable shave is to avoid irritation and ingrown hairs. So why put rubber fins on the first part of the razor that goes over your skin first? The rubber will first swipe away the protective lather, and then “pull” and “straighten” the hair before it cuts. This causes the hair then to slightly go back into the skin. The result. A closer shave right? Genius! ...er, not so much. This means that the hair has to grow back through a closed pore and skin. The result? Ingrown hairs! Bad move here. Not only that, but in my opinon, the rubber fins removing and sweeping away the cusion of slick lather that protects your face from the blades isn't isn't the best idea. Why do this? That’s like lathering your face, wiping it off, then shaving. Doesn’t make sense to me.
Pro glide blades - It's their thinnest and most efficent blades ever! I'll agree to this claim. The blades were extremely sharp and gave me a very close shave. I didn't feel the normal "pulling" of hair as I normally do with disposables. This gave a very close comfortable shave.
Lube strip - The lube strip wasn't anything to brag about. This area probably could be improved, but it's nothing a little pre-shave oil and a good lather can't correct.
Precision trimmer - The precision trimmer was a pretty useful tool here for lining up the sideburns.
pivoting head - This is a pretty good idea here. It's old technology by cartridge razors standards. However, it allows the blade to pivot back and allow the razor to conform to the contours of your face. It's especially handy by the adams apple and those hard to reach places on the neck. I have to admit, it got the hair on my neck better than I'm accustomed to. However, I am still learning how to get those places with my DE razor comfortably.
The Price - In comparison to the competition, it is by far, one of the most expensive razor and replacement cartridges on the market. Replacement blades run about $3-5 a piece! This will never live up to the cost of DE blades! WAY overpriced
Overall -
While the fact that the non-eco-friendliness of the cartridge blade and the outrageously overpriced cost of the replacement razors may off put some of those in the traditional wet shaving community, the Gillette Proglide gave me a very close and wonderful shave! I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. It was very user friendly and easy to use. Pretty much dummy proof. I was very impressed by the closeness of the shave with the new thinner and sharper blades. It also got those hard to reach places on my neck which was a great feeling.
If you'd like to used the Gillette Proglide, you can find it ...well...pretty much everywhere!
Happy Shaving!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Don't think it's that big of a deal huh?
At the time, I had never read any of the Harry Potter books. I had heard of them, and had even watched the 1st movie. I knew it was popular, but never in my life would I have guess what was to come. I thought that we would sell some books, and be out within the next 30 mins to hour. Boy was I wrong. The line of people was endless! We live in a small community, so I didn’t think that there would be this many people who showed up! We stayed and sold book after book. It was nearly 3:30 a.m. by the time we were closing up and going home. I went home in amazement at the number of people who stood in line for a book… A BOOK! A stupid fantasy book!
About a year later, I somehow obtained a copy of the first Harry Potter book. I’m not sure how I got it, or where it came from, or even why I bothered to pick it up. I’ve NEVER been one who likes to read…ever. I’ve never enjoyed it and never had to read anything other than what was assigned in school. However, for some reason, I got this book and opened it up. I read the first page…first chapter…first book… and from those lowly beginnings at privet drive, my world would never be the same.
Since then, I have stood in line during the midnight release of the last book (it was even more insane than that night I worked at Hastings). We’ve also got all of the movies up to date and have enjoyed many many hours of reading and watching Harry Potter.
But last night, the final installment of the Harry Potter movies has come to an end. The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the last movie in the series. We’re going to see it this weekend, and it’ll definitely be a bittersweet moment when the credits roll.
If you think Harry Potter is a joke, a kiddy thing, or just plain dumb, you have to realize that Harry Potter is one of the most successful franchises in the world! Still think it’s not worth seeing? Still think it’s a waste of time?
I guess you’ve heard of Twilight haven’t you? You may think that’s a big deal and a huge phenomenon? Guess again. That’s a teenage girl American thing. Stephanie Myer’s net worth is only about 125 million dollars. How bout Tom Clancy? Big time author, been writing books for year? Net worth 300 million dollars. Stephen King? Horror, suspense, fiction writer. 400 million dollars.
No…this is junk change to the creator of Harry Potter.
J.K. Rowling. Author of the International best-selling series of all time, Harry Potter is the first billion dollar author… That’s right, net worth is approximately, 1 Billion dollars…
Suck it Stephanie Myer!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Happy July 4th!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Infinity miles to the gallon
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Cartridge shaving Part 1 - Schick Hydro 5
I followed my normal pre-shave, shave, and after-shave routine while using this razor. I performed my shave as normal as I could, to compare the razor as fairly as possible. Pre-shave routine consisted of a shower, washing face with a mild face wash, and shaving in the shower, not at the sink. I used my badger hair brush with a few of my favorite creams and soaps (C.O. Bigelow, D.R. Harris, Tabac, & Cyril R. Salter). The shave was my standard lather + with the grain pass, second lather + second with the grain pass. After-shave routine consisted of cold water splash, alum, cold water splash 2, Thayer's Witch Hazel, Nivea after shave Balm.
The Schick Hydro 5
Packaging - The first thing I noticed right off the bat, is that all of the packaging can be recycled. There's not anything that I can't easily throw into my recycle bins and take to the curb. Yes, it's plastic, but it really is hard to find anything packaged in anything that isn't plastic now-a-days. It's cheap and convenient. The inserts in the packaging are all paper and cardboard, and can be easily recycled, too. Good job Schick!
First Impression - After taking the razor out of the packaging, the first thing you notice is the weight of the razor. When I stopped using cartridge blades back in December, I was using a Mach 3 or Mach 3 disposable. Both of these are very lightweight and are cheaply made. The Schick Hydro 5 feels surprisingly hefty in your hand. The razor is alot heavier than I was expecting. Not so much where your arm gets tired of using it, but enough to feel as though it's not made of cheap plastic materials.
Handle - The website and packaging information says it's got a premium high gloss metal handle. I also noticed that it also has a lot of rubber on the handle for a better grip.The handle is supposedly "ergonomic"... While I'm not sure about that last one, you can definitely tell it's a quality handle. It's hefty and has a nice grip and feel to it. Not flimsy, cheap, or light.
Lube strip - This is where this razor really shined! We’ve all seen the commercials. Water activated gel compartment for a smooth glide. This was by far the best thing about the razor. Not only did my lather create a layer of protection and comfort for the razor, but once the gel from the smooth strip hit my face, a slick, gooey substance was immediately created. I’m sure this stuff has got to be artificial, but It was definitely slicker than any cream, oil, or lube I could smear on my face. Amazing! After swiping with the razor and picking the razor up off my face to make another pass, you could see the lube and shaving cream mixed and literally “string” to the razor as I made another pass. It was pretty gross really. Kinda like snot, but it was the slickest stuff I’ve ever felt. It reminded me of that non-caloric silicone based kitchen lubricant that is 500x's more slippery than ordinary kitchen oil (Thanks Clark Grizwald).
Ultra guide blades - The Schick Hydro features unique skin guards on each of the blades. Doubling the point of impact the blade has with the skin, helping to reduce irritation. This is something that was hard for me to feel and pick up on because I’m not accustomed to how a normal cartridge blade feels on my skin. However, reverting back to my days of using the Mach 3, I can tell that my face was not irritated by the feel of these blades. I could hardly feel that the blades were even present. I believe this is what this technology was aiming for. I didn’t feel or get any irritation here, and that was good.
Pull back precision trimmer - This little feature was pretty cool. You flip back that goo strip on the top of the razor on a pivot and only the blades are visible on the head of the razor for precise trimming. While it sounds like a good idea and worked pretty well right under my nose, in that hard to get place, I’m not so sure this is necessary. Could be eliminated for less moving parts and easier to manufacture which could possibly be less cost.
Pivoting head - This is a pretty good idea here. It's old technology by cartridge razors standards. However, it allows the blade to pivot back and allow the razor to conform to the contours of your face. It's especially handy by the Adam's Apple and those hard to reach places on the neck. I have to admit, it got the hair on my neck better than I'm accustomed to. However, I am still learning how to get those places with my DE razor comfortably.
The Price - In comparison to the competition (Gillette Proglide), it's easier on the wallet. Replacement blades run about $2-3 a piece. This will still never beat the cost of DE blades, but a decent deal on good replacement cartridge blades.
Overall - While the fact that the non-eco-friendliness of the cartridge blade and the price of the razors may off put some of those in the traditional wet shaving community, the Schick Hydro 5 gave me a wonderful shave! I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. Although it missed a few spots here and there during the week, It honestly was very user friendly and easy to use. Pretty much dummy proof. I was very impressed by the hydro gel strip and the softness of the blades on my face. It also got those hard to reach places on my neck which was a great feeling.
Stay tuned for part 2 and 3 coming soon!
Happy Shaving!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Bluebeard's Revenge
"Designed by a real life Blue Beard who was bored to death with being a Desperate Dan look-alike, The Bluebeards Revenge™ is a paraben free, premium quality shaving cream with added ingredients like Decelerine ™ to specifically combat tough stubble. It has been formulated to our unique specification in one of the UK's premier male cosmetics laboratories who are renowned experts in the field of shaving cream."
- Courtesy of Bluebeard's Revenge Website -
So as I mentioned in my earlier blog post, the wonderful people over at Bluebeard’s Revenge were awesome enough to contact me via Twitter and ask if I would like to do a review on my blog if they sent me a tub of their shaving cream. I, of course, was much obliged.
When receiving the cream in the mail, I was VERY excited to use it. As you can see, their packaging is like no other; a pleasure to read and quite humorous. Both the box and the jar definitely have the best packaging and branding of any other product I’ve used or seen. I mean, just look at it! It’s got a skull and crossbones on it for crying out loud! Wicked awesome!
Bluebeard’s Revenge is, "The Ultimate Shaving Experience for Real Men". A Paraben free high quality shaving cream. However, it does contain a decelerine ingredient that claims to slow down and reduce the growth of hair. I’ve only been using the cream for a few short weeks, so I can’t attest to this claim. Me personally, I’m not patient enough to wait 60 days to test out the results, but it’s an interesting claim, none-the-less. Some have been hesitant about putting such a “chemical” on their face. If I’m being honest, as long as I don’t start growing an ear or extra limb on my face, I could care less about the extra chemical.
Of course the packaging is cool, but what about the smell? You can’t enjoy something that’s going to make you turn up your nose. THIS, however, wasn’t the case with Bluebeard’s Revenge Shave Cream. I can’t really put my finger on the scent. It’s just got a “zing” to it. It’s not a strong scent but very subtle. It’s a classic barbershop smell with a hint of clean powdery citrus (or so I think). Once you lather it up, the scent intensifies, but not enough to choke you. It’s a very pleasant clean smell. I really enjoyed the scent. It made the shave that much more enjoyable.
Now down to business. How was the lather… Honestly, the lather was one of the best, if not the best lathers I’ve ever used. Seriously, it only took just a small amount to create a wonderful lather. At first, I was swirling my wet badger brush directly into the jar to pick up the cream and face lathering. While I did this initially, I found it to be overkill and produced WAY more cream than I needed. I also dipped some out with my finger and "bowl lathered" as well. And just to try it out, I used my hands a time or two. It only took a very small amount and adding a little H2O at a time to produce a LOT of lather. It was thick and cushioned my face with ease. Think after-school snack Fluffernutter and you get the idea. The “latherability” definitely gets an A+ in my book.
Once lathered, the shave was incredible. I used both a DE razor and a cartridge razor for the shaves. The cream had no problem holding up for a 2 pass shave and some touch up. I had plenty left over. The lather protected my face from razor burn and any irritation and was very slick. I tend to have slightly sensitive skin, so I was concerned about how the “decelerine” might affect me. The result? A clean, well shaven, irritation-free shave. I was impressed how great of a shave I got with this cream. I even went against the grain on some portions of my neck (gasp!) to see how well it protected me. It did WONDERS! I personally can’t shave against the grain that much because of irritation. Some men can and some just can’t. However, I was able to do a single one swipe ATG pass on my neck with Bluebeard’s Revenge... Impressive. The razor glided across my face with ease without any skipping or dragging.
After shaving, the cream and residue rinses off cleanly and leaves no soapy feeling. It’s wasn’t “hot” or dry at all, and didn't leave me feeling greasy. It did, however, leave my face feeling moisturized and soft. I followed up with my regular after shave routine of Alum and Witch Hazel or sometimes an Aftershave splash and didn’t notice any effect on my skin (other than the soft and moisturized part).
The Verdict
I want to personally thank Bluebeard’s Revenge for sending me a tub of their wonderful cream. I can’t speak to the claim of reducing hair. However, the packaging is cool, the lather smells great, and it really did give me one of the best shaves I’ve had in a long time. Even though I was sent a complimentary tub, I can guarantee that when I run out, I will be purchasing more. A google search looks like the cream cost around $20-25 US dollars. This may be pretty pricey for shave cream, but for the amount of lather you get out of so little cream and the quality of it, I would highly recommend picking up a tub of Bluebeard’s Revenge.
Argghh!