Most Use Gear for 2022

Some of you fellas are really thorough with your charts and statistics.
 I applaud you for the charts and all good job.
 *  I know I finished up some tubs of Ariana and Evan soaps, so probably number one through 2022 A&E.

   *I've also used quite a few Perma-Sharp Super de blades, so let's say number one on the blade. 

  *Shaving brush definitely a soft Motherlode Knot.

 *Razors I bounced all over the court, so no clear usage winner. I still need to narrow down on the razor front.

  *Post shave of gut to using a lot of alcohol-free witch hazel with Hyaluronic Acid mixed into a little spray bottle.

I don’t keep any records but I’m pretty sure my most used gear in 2022 was:

Razor - Lambda Athena
Blade - Kai
Soap - Grooming Dept Eau de Magnolia or Kaliflower Tjära
Brush - Wald A1 synthetic
Pre Shave - Fitjar Islands Stubble Softener soap
Post Shave - The Goodfellas’ Smile Witch Hazel with Cucumber
Aftershave Splash - Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber

Soap 
One brand was a clear winner: Ethos! I reached for it 82 times, and each time, I was very happy with the results. Other contenders were Barrister & Mann (45), Meißner Tremonia (32), Martin de Candre (26), and Wholly Kaw (19). Those five brands accounted for half of all my shaves in 2022. I also used 31 other soaps, just not so often.

Of all the Ethos soaps, I used DFS Colonia the most (14), but my most used soap overall was Grooming Dept’s Le Vétiver (15). I was trying to kill that tub off, but the stuff just won’t disappear. Still have 11 grams left.


Brush 
In 2022 synthetic brushes ruled the roost. At the top of the list, as always, Phoenix Shaving Peregrino (171), followed by Phoenix Shaving Amber Aerolite (93), AP Shave Co.Blue Lagoon (34), Phoenix Shaving Solar Flare (24), and finally, Blackheart Foolery Slightly Cloudy (23). Guess I like Phoenix Shaving’s brushes!


Razor 
Edwin Jagger DES89RC Kelvin (39), available only through Amazon, I believe. I like its smooth chrome plating and short rubber-sheathed handle. Also ran: Karve Christopher Bradley 3" Argyll (29), Merkur 42C (27), Karve Overlander (25), and Tatara Masamune (25).


Blade 
Astra Superior Platinum (84), PolSilver Super Iridium (67), Gillette Silver Blue (62), Gillette Platinum (44), Feather (42). Hmmm. I'm finding that I'm not to finicky about my blade. Most seem to work just fine. I should mention, though, that the PolSilver is the most corrosion resistant in a marine environment.


Discovery of the Year 
Again, Ethos takes the cake. Frank’s soaps have been very, very good to my face. And of course I like the fresh scents a lot. And to top it off, Frank’s just a nice guy.


Goals for 2023 
Keep reducing the hoard. Last year I started a restraint program that helped me cut my purchasing in half. (Thanks mrdoug!) This year I’ll try to halve it again. Let’s see if I can’t get by with just 15 new soaps. I also have 23 fewer soaps in the hoard than I had at this time last year. My apologies to those of you who I soap bombed, but cleaning out some of the den probably save my marriage. And isn’t it nice to be able to put my feet under the table again.

My shaving spreadsheet reveals the following for 2022...



Razor:  Karve Christopher Bradley - 45 uses (21.5%)


Blade:  Astra Superior Platinum - 79 uses (37.8%)


Brush:  A three-way tie with 14 uses (6.7%) each
- Heritage Collection Ever-Ready 200
- Maseto Shaving 'Memphis'
- Simpson’s Chubby 3


Soap:  RazoRock For Chicago - 16 uses (7.7%)


After Shave:  Shulton's Old Spice - 25 uses (12.0%)




On the bright side, my shaving expenditures for 2022 were less than $1,000.00.

No spreadsheet, just a general impression.

Soap: 
Proraso Green (croap) - A come-from-behind surprise. I used to hate it. I was merely trying to use it up and intended to never to buy any more, so I started using double amounts of it per shave. Suddenly it started working for me.
Honourable mentions: Omega, RR Puros, MWF, Tabac
For the most part though, I stick to an alphabetical rotation of all my current inventory.

Razor:
Most used: Henson AL13 mild - I used this one about 40% of the time, out of 16 or so (who can keep count?) DE razors.
Runner-up: Edwin Jagger DE87, maybe 25%

Brushes:
Stirling 2-Band Synthetic and Fendrihan Classic Pure Grey Badger, about even
Latecomer (September) - Rubberset that I refurbished with a badger knot.



Blades:
Astra SP (still)
Gaining more use: Feather - no longer afraid of using them in moderate/more aggressive razors.
I also decided that Derby Extras were better than I remembered. I might get some more of them the next time I need to top up an order for the free shipping.

Aftershave:
Proraso Green splash. I took  chance on a 100 ml bottle, liked it, and replaced it with a 400 ml bottle. I choose it maybe 3 times as often as the others.
Runners-up: RazoRock xXx and RazoRock Sicily. For both of those I took a chance and made a choice to buy it strictly on the vendor's description of the scent.

Bath bar soap:
Caprina Fresh Goat's Milk Soap Bar, w. Shea Butter

Alum:
"Pure & Natural Crystal Deodorant Stone", from DSA.
This is made of Potassium Alum, unlike many crystal deodorants which are often Ammonium Alum, or else they don't say at all on the label.
Twice as big as, say, an Omega stick (60 g), but still about the same price per unit.
The flattened cap top means you can stand it handle end up, so any remaining water does not drip down into the handle. Otherwise the last bit of alum would be partially dissolved, thereby causing it to come loose in the handle, but not loose enough to pull it out.
Even so, I've taken to wiping it dry with a piece of toilet paper before capping it.

I started a new stick early last January and it still has about 40% remaining. I only use it on my face after shaving.

Music:
Moon Phase Radio

Goal for MMXXIII:
Finish twice as many soaps as I order. I'd gotten quite a few in a generous PIF some time ago, some really nice, some ... meh. It is a bit of an ordeal to finish off the "meh" ones.
Then I want to try some new-to-me brands, like Ariana & Evans and Noble Otter.
And try some new aftershaves too. I've had good luck with RazoRock splashes so far, so I might get a few more.

Stuff I have but use the least:

• Floïd Vigoroso splash - I don't know what to make of it.
  
• Wilkinson Sword blades - way overpriced for the performance.
  
• Omega 49 Pro boar brush - still too floppy, even with a hair elastic around the knot to reduce the splay.
  
• Schick type E3 - it feels really rough, especially compared to the G1 and K1.
  
• Wilkinson Sword Classic DE Razor - I hate the handle. Too long, poorly balanced (because too heavy), and too slippery. The spiral grooves just make it worse. I had to give it a few wraps of hockey tape for my own safety.
  

The head is ... okay though.

365 shaves with 84 different razors

Top 10
1. Cobra Classic (22)
2. Merkur 37C (21)
3. Yates Precision Manufacturing 921 (EH: 12, H:9)
4. Blackbird Blackland (19)
5. Green Cult (15)
6. Monocero Husaria (13)
7. Raw RS-10 aggressive (12)
8. Stirling Standard (11)
9. Asylum Rx (10)
10. MARS (10)

Soaps
About 100 different soaps used
Top 10
1. Declaration Grooming Weinstrasse (10)
2. Speick (9)
3. Grön Lycka Troll (9)
4. Proraso wit (9)
5. Le P’ti Meusien (9)
6. Martin de Candre Original (9)
7. PAA CaD (9)
8. Arran Sense of Scotland Machrie (8)
9. Zingari The Magician (8)
10. Pannacrema Nuavia Blu (7)

Brushes
1. Zenith Silvertip multicolored (28)
2. Simpson Chubby 2 synthetic bristle (25)
3. ApShaveCo Synbad (24)
4. Yaqi Tuxedo (23)
5. Zenith boar aluminium (23)
6. Zenith Silvertip Copper (23)
7. ApShaveCo Ebonite Synbad (22)
8. Alpha Rubberset 400 Tribute (22)
9. Zenith Slivertip Turchese (20)
10. Zenith Horse Hair extra soft (15)

Blades: nearly exclusively Wizamet Super Iridium or Feather Professional.

Post-shave: mainly Nivea sensitive balm.

Soap: Ethos F Base, with the Tonka Bean being the most used of those.

Razor: Blackbird (various types) or RR Lupo aluminum (way better than the stainless versions)

Blade: Gillette Platinum (99% of shaves)
The ones that AOS stores sell. There are at least two other versions of GPs. Not the same.

Brush: No idea, but always synthetic for the past several years.

Aftershave: Hard to say for sure, but either Osage Rub, Ethos, Figaro Ambra, or Derby City.