walden
@walden@sub.wetshaving.social
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, July 8th, 2025 (#756) 1 hour ago:
July 8th, 2025
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Blackland Era - Level 3
- Blade: Bolzano Superinox (German) (1)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Haverford - Soap
- Post Shave: Old Spice - Hawkridge - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
Fresh blade today. Didn’t feel a whole lot different than the P74 with 100 shaves on it, but it did feel slightly sharper. Less resistance on the chin, for example. Will I use the P74 again in the future? Maybe!
- Comment on Are you fucking kidding me?! I hate anything that requires verification and codes! 6 hours ago:
Use a password manager. Bitwarden has a specific “Card” entry type.
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, July 7th, 2025 (#755) 14 hours ago:
Thanks! I never pictured myself “pushing” a blade this far because blades are cheap and it’s not worth getting bad shaves just to claim you got 100 out of a blade… But here we are. This thing just kept going.
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, July 7th, 2025 (#755) 14 hours ago:
Oh no, good to know!
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, July 7th, 2025 (#755) 19 hours ago:
July 7th, 2025: Centennial
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Blackland Era - Level 3
- Blade: Personna P74 (100)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Haverford - Soap
- Post Shave: RazoRock - Puros - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
- Fragrance: Azzaro - Pour Homme Night Time - EdT
100 uses! And it still shaves like new, maybe even better than new. Tomorrow I’ll use a Bolzano with my Blackland Era which is one of my favorite combos. After using this blade for a while I expect it to feel different, but perform about the same.
I’ve been using this blade since January 17th, 2025, which was 171 days ago. That means I’ve had 71 non-DE shaves since then, as I shave every day. I’ve done 40 straight razor shaves, so that leaves 31 shaves with a cartridge (while traveling for work). I haven’t strayed from this DE blade or used any GEM razors in that time period.
I was giving a friend scent recommendations for Stirling yesterday and remembered about my Haverford sample. I absolutely love it and should get a tub.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, July 6th, 2025 (#754) 1 day ago:
Spreadsheets are great! You’d probably feel right at home with this since the “database” part is all spreadsheet style, but you can only track what I let you track since you’re locked into my design :-).
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, July 6th, 2025 (#754) 1 day ago:
Posting for anyone who uses the Shaving Data System (SDS) for their shave tracking…
There’s a new version of the template available. Changes are minor, but you might find a new feature that you like, so check it out gitlab.com/walden_/…/releases
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, July 6th, 2025 (#754) 1 day ago:
July 6th, 2025: 99
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (99)
- Lather: London Razors, Summer Break Soaps - Mountain Laurel - Soap
- Post Shave: London Razors - Mountain Laurel - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
The Summer Break soap base (and aftershave) are super good. 99 shaves on this blade means I’ll hit 100 with tomorrow’s shave. This blade is fantastic. I’ll switch to another blade after 100 just to see if I’m missing anything, but I really don’t think I am. I’ve been using other types of razors here and there (straight and cartridge), so I don’t think my expectations have drifted off course. Just good shaves all around.
- Comment on Call Before You Dig 2 days ago:
I doubt they’d mark non-dangerous, buried by the lowest bidder, no paperwork fiber cables. But you never know.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, July 5th, 2025 (#753) 2 days ago:
July 5th, 2025: Tub Kill
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (98)
- Lather: Abbate y La Mantia - Garibaldi - Soap
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
- Fragrance: Geoffrey Beene - Grey Flannel - EdC
Tub kill! (u/visceralwatch)
I had planned on killing this soap in concurrence with 100 uses on this blade, but boy did I get it wrong! I thought I had at least two shaves left in this tub, but it was only 1.
- Comment on Millionaire homeowners sued the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, arguing a 10 square mile town whose new zoning plan to increase density had no plan to expand the roads 2 days ago:
I wholeheartedly agree. These are not the class of people to be vilifying.
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, July 4th, 2025 (#752) 2 days ago:
For sure!
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - July 4th, 2025 2 days ago:
Congrats!
- Comment on Millionaire homeowners sued the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, arguing a 10 square mile town whose new zoning plan to increase density had no plan to expand the roads 2 days ago:
Ehhhh, zoning is super important. Vilifying someone by calling them “rich homeowners” is pretty weak.
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - July 4th, 2025 3 days ago:
For those of you in the USA, have a happy 4th of July!
Today is our Independence Day, and I’ll be celebrating with grill burgers and dogs, a fireworks display launched from our friends dock, some swimming in the pond, and some moderate consumption of adult beverages.
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, July 4th, 2025 (#752) 3 days ago:
July 4th, 2025
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (97)
- Lather: Abbate y La Mantia - Garibaldi - Soap
- Post Shave: Barbasol - Brisk - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
- Fragrance: Berceuse Parfum - Minneapolis 5.3 - EdP
I loaded super heavy and the lather was unlike anything else I have in my den. Even though Coconut Oil is the #1 ingredient, this is the least puffy lather I have. It just doesn’t get big. Adding water just waters it down – it’s either a thick hair conditioner or a thin hair conditioner depending on how much water you add. It’s both wonderful and horrible at the same time.
Minneapolis 5.3 is definitely in my wheelhouse. It’s a thicc scent and I like it.
- Comment on Thursday SOTD Thread, July 3rd, 2025 (#751) 4 days ago:
Excellent travel razor choice!
- Comment on Thursday SOTD Thread, July 3rd, 2025 (#751) 4 days ago:
July 3rd, 2025
- Brush: Stirling Soap Co. 24mm Synthetic
- Blade: Personna Twin Pivot Plus (Atra) Cart (4)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Ozark Mountain - Soap
- Post Shave: Old Spice - Original - Aftershave
Got a great lather.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, July 2nd, 2025 (#750) 5 days ago:
Have a good trip!
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, July 2nd, 2025 (#750) 5 days ago:
July 2nd, 2025
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (96)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Ozark Mountain - Soap
- Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman Musk - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
- Fragrance: Brut - EdT
Clubman Musk goes surprisingly well with Ozark Mountain, and of course Brut is pretty musky itself so all around really nice. Compared to Atriox from GLHF Workshop, Brut is less potent, less fancy, and has less longevity.
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, July 1st, 2025 (#749) 6 days ago:
July 1st, 2025
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (95)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Ozark Mountain - Soap
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Dove - Men+Care Ultra-Hydra - Cream
- Fragrance: GLHF Workshop - Atriox - EdP
Atriox is my most prized possession.
- Comment on Venmo overdrafted my bank rather than use the balance in my account 1 week ago:
Grocery delivery service sounds expensive… but I don’t know where you live.
- Comment on Venmo overdrafted my bank rather than use the balance in my account 1 week ago:
Not trying to lay blame, but doesn’t Venmo ask where you want the money to come from every time you send money?
Overdraft fees are evil. Some banks will even clear transactions to result in the most overdrafts without regard to which order the transactions took place. For example if there are two transactions, one for $100 and one for $5, and account balance of $50, they’ll purposely clear the $100 transaction first so both transactions trigger overdraft fees. They could clear the $5 first so only the $100 transaction triggers a fee, but nope.
Also, if this is your first overdraft you might have luck calling the bank and asking for forgiveness. I did that once in college and they refunded the overdraft fees.
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, June 30th, 2025 (#748) 1 week ago:
June 30th, 2025: My favorites
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (94)
- Lather: Noble Otter - Batters Up - Soap
- Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square - Aftershave
- Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille - EdP
Theme justification: I bought this tub of soap on a trip to Merz Apothecary with u/VisceralWatch, and it has become my favorite scent! Weird, right? Everybody seems to hate Batters Up. VW handed me the tub and said “smell this”, so I did. I was initially surprised by what was happening in my nostrils, and agreed “yeah, I can see why people don’t like it”. Then I smelled some other stuff, returning to Batters Up to give it another try. It didn’t put me off, it was just different. I smelled it a couple more times and decided “you know what, I like it”. I’m so glad I bought it. Noble Otter is, of course, great soap, and the scent represents what I love about artisan shaving – uniqueness, variety, exploring, being bold, trying different things, telling a story, etc. That type of thing isn’t possible outside of the artisan world, because a scent like Batters Up wouldn’t be approved by the CEO’s and other Executives involved in the process.
Everything else I used could be considered my favorite, too. The CFG Legacy razor, the Wolf Whiskers handle with my favorite synthetic knot, my favorite aftershave formula (and scent), and my favorite soap-scent-turned-frag, Lavanille. Fantastic all around!
Oh yeah, and the blade. This Personna P74 is nearing marathon territory, often defined as 100+ shaves. 100 isn’t a goal, but at this point I can’t not do it. After 100 I’ll set it aside and try another DE blade for science. If I like the fresh blade better, I’ll stop using the P74. Otherwise, I’ll keep going with the P74. I haven’t used any other DE blades since starting with this blade, but I’ve used cartridge’s and straight razors. Here’s my first shave with this blade, which was on January 17th of this year sub.wetshaving.social/post/1824382/2944765.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, June 29th, 2025 (#747) 1 week ago:
June 29th, 2025: G&T
- Brush: Maggard Razors - 2 Band 24mm Badger
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (93)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic - Soap
- Post Shave: Noble Otter - Hamami - Aftershave
- Fragrance: Noble Otter - Hamami - EdP
Theme justification: Gin & Tonic is a type of adult beverage, best served over ice with squeezed slice of lime.
I got a bit too much sun today, so decided to keep it to a 2 pass shave. Also, this blade (and razor) has been giving me shaves that are way too close and comfortable, so 2 shaves should help ensure there are some longer whiskers to shave tomorrow.
Hamami (Now called Hamam) goes great with Gin & Tonic, but aside from that the post shave and frag aren’t relevant.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, June 28th, 2025 (#746) 1 week ago:
June 28th, 2025: Mid-Head Night Wood
- Brush: Zenith - 508A XL/Bristle (B35) (MOAR BOAR) 31mm Boar
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (92)
- Lather: Face Break Saponifications - Mid-Head Night Wood
- Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Lamplight Penance - Toner
- Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Leather - EdP
Today was really really fun. I was hemming and hawwing between Rhapsody in Indigo and You & I Will Die Down at the River, but in the end I decided to do something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Midnight Stag, Gearhead, and Wood Shop are all sort of the same genre to me. They all evoke a similar type of working person, blue collar vibe.
I mixed them together in what I thought would be appropriate ratios based on my perceived scent strenght, so Midnight Stag had the least, and Gearhead and Wood Shop had relatively more soap used. Mixing them together confirmed it – it’s a great idea.
What really surprised me was that I couldn’t pick out any individual soap - it was definitely it’s own thing, but with attributes from each fragrance.
Another thing that surprised me was the scent strenght – it wasn’t as strong as I thought it’d be during the shave. After the shave, I huffed each individual tub (and sample in the case of M.S.) and each one was stronger than the mixed concoction. Weird!
So, did stuff cancel each other out? Was my nose simply confused and not sure what to look for? Below is a table of the individual scent notes that I could find, along with which soaps contain them. Motor Oil is common in all of them, and then there’s Leather and Cedar that are present in 2/3, and then there’s a bunch that are unique.
Relevant Post Shave and Frag: Motor Oil is present in all 3 soaps, and Lamplight Penance smells like Lamp Oil, a different type of oil. Leather is present in 2/3 of the soaps, so I used Seaforth! Leather.
I took the quiz and got 25%!!! Stellar! A couple of them were on the tip of my tongue.
Scent Note Midnight Stag Wood Shop Gearhead/Redneck Motor Oil ✓ ✓ ✓ Leather ✓ ✓ Cedar ✓ ✓ Gunpowder ✓ Dirt ✓ New Tires ✓ Coffee ✓ Bourbon ✓ Pine ✓ Plywood ✓ Hoppes #9 ✓ Birch Tar ✓ Oakmoss ✓ Gasoline ✓ Smoke ✓ Cade ✓ Bergamot ✓ Vanilla ✓ - Comment on Free Talk Friday - June 27th, 2025 1 week ago:
Yesterday was perhaps one of the longest work days I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t get home until 3:30am, but fortunately I wasn’t too exhausted for the 1 hour drive home.
My day ended up being close to 13 hours long, not including the 1 hour drive to the airport in the morning and the 1 hour drive home. We came within 2 minutes of exceeding federal limits which are there to reduce the chance of fatigue. Pretty wild! Not very fun!
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, June 27th, 2025 (#745) 1 week ago:
June 27th, 2025: Menthol–
- Brush: Maggard Razors - G5 24mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
- Blade: Personna P74 (91)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas in the Arctic - Soap
- Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Weinstrasse - Aftershave
- Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Jitterbug - EdP
Theme justification: Having “in the arctic” in the scent name means it contains menthol!
Relevant post-shave: I have a handful of Chatillon Lux aftershaves, and I think they all contain menthol. Weinstrasse seems to have the most menthol of them, so that’s what I used. I’m not sure if it actually has an increased amount of menthol compared to the others, or if I get frag burn which is accentuated by the menthol, making everything feel that much worse :-)
I’ve figured out that Chatillon Lux aftershaves (and toner) are superb if you just use a small amount. I also make sure my skin is nice and wet to water it down a bit.
Jitterbug paired really well with Weinstrasse! I’ll have to explore this combo again in the future. They’re both semi-sweet, but not cloying. Some boozy type of fruit/floral in both of them too, maybe. Good stuff.
- Comment on Thursday SOTD Thread, June 26th, 2025 (#744) 1 week ago:
June 26th, 2025: Spicy!
- Brush: Stirling Soap Co. 24mm Synthetic
- Blade: Personna Twin Pivot Plus (Atra) Cart (3)
- Lather: Viking Shaving Soap - Norway - Soap
- Post Shave: Old Spice - Original - Aftershave
Theme justification: This is a clove bomb.
Notes: Clove, Rosemary, Benzoin, Lavender, Cedar, Patchouli
In my brief research I came across this AMA. He seems like a nice guy but it’s still not cool to copy (bite) other people’s work for profit. I’ve been told he recently rebranded to Cornfed Viking which is neat because he mentions that in the AMA. That was his nickname and wanted it to be the brand from the start, but thought it’d be too silly of a name. I like to think he was inspired by Rad Dino Creations to let loose and call yourself something silly and whimsical.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, June 25th, 2025 (#743) 1 week ago:
Mm, creamy