gcgallant

I’m sorry that I missed this! I am having difficulty getting to the Reddit and Fediverse communities lately. That will be only temporary. I have definitely not lost my enjoyment for shaving, nor for interacting with those here.

February 19, 2026

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Brownstone 26mm V29 Fanchurian
• Razor: Filarmonica 12 Doble Temple 5/8" Full Hollow
• Lather: The Cajun Blade - Contraband Bay Rum - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
• Aftershave: The Cajun Blade - Contraband Bay Rum Aftersauce - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This was a test shave for the freshly honed edge on this razor. The comfortable Jnat edge, and the wonderful scent of Contraband Bay Rum made for a very enjoyable shave.

February 13, 2026 – Fougère Friday

• Brush: Oumo Compass Bonfire 27mm Emperor-2
• Razor: Tanifuji Spalding 0411 6/8" Full Hollow
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Fougère Bouquet - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Aftershave: Fabergé - Brut - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

I had a very enjoyable Fougère Friday with this shave.

These are great razors for the money.

He sent me 3 of them and gifted me one of them. I thought they were all consistently good. I haven’t honed this one, but its edge is holding very well (only 2 shaves).

February 10, 2026

• Brush: Captain’s Choice Ocean 24mm Tuxedo
• Razor: Torrey Razor Co. 6/8 Full Hollow Round Point
• Lather: Subtle Art Soap Co. - Maple Bourbon - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
• Aftershave: The Cajun Blade - Lumberjack Luxury Aftersauce - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Maple Bourbon is not what you expect. It’s not sweet at all. Rather, the maple tends to round the bourbon accord in the soap. This is a very nice scent, and while different, takes the place of WK’s Amber Bomba for me. (My son absconded with Amber Bomba.)

This Torrey razor was a gift to me from my YT friend nonamebear. This particular razor has a Zulu Grey edge finish, but I don’t think it would matter much. He is a terrific sharpener, and this razor has great geometry.

Thank you!

That’s a SV soap I do not have. I would love to join in for March. I just shaved with 80th Anniversary the other day. I found it in the Bleu de Chanel category. Very nice imo.

The Geneva Cutlery razors are overlooked. Great razors!

Le Grand Chypre is always great.

It certainly is!

February 8, 2026

• Brush: Thäter Faux Ivory 29mm 2-band Silvertip
• Razor: Blutt Rasur BR-1
• Blade: AccuTec AccuForge (3)
• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - 80th Anniversary - Soap
• Aftershave: Saponificio Varesino - 80th Anniversary - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Saponificio Varesino - 80th Anniversary - Eau de Parfum

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This was my first use of 80th Anniversary by Saponificiio Varesino. It has a wonderful scent which I felt was in the Bleu de Chanel category. The soap, splash, EdP, razor, and blade performed flawlessly together. This was a very enjoyable shave.

but the Junior is a nice efficient shaver

It’s pretty hard to find a bad GEM razor imo.

February 5, 2026

• Brush: Wald Nimbus Chryselephantine 29mm A1 Fan
• Razor: Filarmonica 12 Doble Temple 5/8" Full Hollow
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Leather - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
• Aftershave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Leather - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

There isn’t a bad Seaforth! scent. This one is not exception. Wonderful leather fragrance. It has been over 3 years since this razor was honed. I noticed it only because the performance was not what a Fili 12 can deliver. It still gave me a close, comfortable shave.

February 3, 2026

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Bordeaux 26mm V29 Fanchurian
• Razor: Gillette Super Adjustable 109 (Black Beauty) Gold O-4
• Blade: Accutec Pro (2)
• Lather: The Cajun Blade - Contraband Bay Rum - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
• Aftershave: The Cajun Blade - Contraband Bay Rum Aftersauce - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Wonderful shave with the Black Beauty and a new Bay Rum scent from The Cajun Blade.

If you organize another buy, and if the tariff situation changes, Outback would probably be my choice.

Nice setup today! Bleu de Chanel (duped by Deep Blue Sea) is one of my favorites.

The Genco razors are great in my experience. I have 3 of them - all good. If a razor tests well but doesn’t shave well, and if you were being conscious of technique (and have over 100 shaves ;-)), then it is almost always geometry or poor steel that’s breaking down at the edge.

To me, new Tabac just doesn’t have the soul of old Tabac, but I say that about many new-fangled things. I just bought Shulton Old Spice Cologne because it is the “real” stuff 🤣

I taught myself to use a straight razor around 2010 and shaved that way for several months, but I wasn’t wetshaving. I glommed onto wetshaving in 2021 and joined the sub in 2022. After Lather Games '22, I decided to go down the rabbit hole again. Both VisceralWatch and @djundjila were on their way at that time, so I joined in.

Wetshaving makes all the difference. This is the way.

Happy New Year! It is 15 minutes away in Germany as I write this :)

I’m glad you enjoyed the Jnat edge. I wish I could say that it is the magic of the stone, or the skill of the person doing the honing, but I honestly think that a razor’s geometry is the greatest contributor to the quality of shave that it provides. There are other factors, like steel quality, and care in creating a consistently uniform edge, but these are secondary IMHO.

I am (very) slowly doing a series on the “14” razor shape. I use a different finishing stone on 7 razors and evaluate the shave that I get. So far, I’ve done five razors and, while I can feel a difference in the edges, shaving closeness and comfort are almost identical. The constant in this is razor geometry.

I recall that the Moarteen was @djundjila’s idea. He contacted me, pitched the concept, and asked if I wanted to join as part of the organizing group. I thought it was a great idea then, and am really happy with how well the project has gone.

I “ain’t no expert” (as we Americans say), but I think using a slant razor in the same way you use a standard one gives you the benefit of the “Gillette Slide” (slicing motion) without the need to actually slide across the face. Merry Christmas! Hope it is a good one for you.