Shaving notes of the MaineYooper

Thanks for the kind words Dave in KY and Eric MaineYooper.

Laundry seemed like a pretty good bet Eric, but these things are never a "gimme", so it is good to hear that Laundry did in fact work well for you.  Mohammad puts out a range of soaps, some of which are going to be better suited to folks with skin and/or scent sensitivities.  For example, as I write this, the unscented, tallow Pura is available at Pasteur's.  Whether or not Pura is right for you I can't say, but since you like the version 1 Laundry, chances are in any case good that an even more delightful and "Eric-friendly" Grooming Dept. soap will be available soon enough.  I think you are right to keep an eye out for it.

Question for you Mike... Laundry is now in V2. Any idea how that differs from the first?

Mo makes some great soaps for sure. I've tried a few in the past.  Glad to see he has (at least) two that are Yooper-Approved.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

That's a good question Paul, and I'll tell you what I know.  I don't buy each and every release from anyone - not even my favorite artisans - and it so happens that I passed on Laundry II.  So I have no firsthand experience, nor have I followed whatever buzz there may be about Laundry II.  OTOH Mohammad still makes product pages available for both versions, the original Laundry and Laundry II.  The scent notes are unchanged - "Laundry + Fresh air", but the bases are different.   The ingredients are listed for each version, but interpreting how the differences might affect this or that shaver is beyond me.  One thing I did notice is that Laundry II contains lanolin, whereas the original Laundry does not.  

FWIW if it were me, I would have zero concerns about the performance of Laundry II, and almost zero concerns about the scent.  (The scent might be the same, but it also might be stronger, and perhaps too strong for some.)  However, if I had sensitive skin and no previous experience with the Kairos Tallow base, I would try to first get a sample.

Bad news on the Laundry shave soap: a "perfumey" odor in the bathroom was detected by my wife. While it didn't trigger anything bad, I am taking it as a warning sign and will have to refrain from using any more. Bummer. Now all the more reason to get GD's unscented soap!

Shaving-wise, I did a quick WTG/ATG shave this morning with the Yates 921-M before rushing out the door. Great shave, no photo, but the G5C in the Trotter Messier was great, and I will most likely use it again this weekend, along with the soap, Zingari Man unscented. 

Rushing out the door to do a meet and greet! Ohio Bob is visiting the state and asked if I'd like to meet up for a coffee or lunch. Since he was willing to make room in vacation plans to geek out with me about all things shaving, I met him in Portland, in the Old Port, and we had coffee and a donut. NOT that (hideous) chain stuff (this American does NOT run on Dunkin!) but a home made delight at The Holy Donut! I had a Bacon Maple donut (sorry, again, no photo) and a black coffee. A nice reward after the drive down and a great time with Bob. Even got to meet Mrs. Ohio Bob. A wonderful couple and so nice to include me in their plans. (My wife was of course invited, but had to decline for health reasons. We pray for the day she can get more of her life back.)

We had a good time and the morning flew by quickly. No photo here either, as we didn't want to risk a stampede of autograph seekers!

As a side note, Portland now has these new fangled parking "poles" that only have a large number on them and instructions to download an app to buy parking time. And apparently the "meter maids" have a scanning device that plugs your license plate number into the database and lets the meter reader know if you are paid up or not! A plus was I got a notification on my phone when my time was 2/3 over and asking if I wanted to buy more. So that was cool!

<truth&honesty>Awesome meetup!!</truth&honesty>

<sarcasm>Wow, how awesome to see such efficiency for paying rent for a parking space for your car!!</sarcasm>

<reader_humor_judgement>
Two dogs were walking down a sidewalk and they encountered a brand new row of parking meters.
One dog looks at the other and says, "Well, whaddaya know, pay toilets."
</reader_humor_judgement>

Sorry about the Laundry Eric.  Thank heavens your wife is okay!

This would have gone well with your doughnut. I managed to get a few of these a few years back. They’re delicious albeit at 750ml and over 7% alcohol that tasty goodness packs a punch. 

Sorry about the Laundry Eric.  Thank heavens your wife is okay!

Oh, no problem at all! I appreciate you thinking of it. Perfumey means she doesn't like it but I don't think she was on the verge of a headache. Strong perfume would do it, though. So I will set it aside and maybe move it on. I sure enjoyed it and the memories that the scent evoked.

An enjoyable shave this morning, a Mary Poppins shave, in my book! 

Karve Overlander Nickel-plated brass
Personna Platinum Chrome (1), from German plant? "Personna" is in a larger font, and the red package is different than the Israeli ones. Regardless, an awesome shave.
Trotter Messier handle with an APSCo G5C knot. This knot is really becoming a great brush for me.
Zingari Man unscented. What a great lather this makes!

And today is the day I am aiming to get my BST stuff up on the site. Just awaiting the copy from the ad department, but they are s-l-o-w, I think just because they are young and new to this!


In part of our conversation yesterday, Bob and I talked about having too much stuff and finding you reach for the same stuff more often than not, in our personal experiences. Neither of us are collectors, and both of us enjoy new things, and we still find that over time, certain items are always preferred. This same topic was discussed last year here on DFS and we even have a thread with some great posts regarding acquiring versus using, and what brings enjoyment for each individual. 

This got me thinking, and I can hardly believe it is still in my mind, that maybe I should let go of my polished Karve Christopher Bradley razor. This stuns me, as that razor has such sentimental value to me. But the reality is that I don't reach for it. My hand swerves over it for the Overlander or the Yates 921-M, both of which give me wonderful shaves. I should probably use the CB again. But what if it is time? I don't know. I am not tied in knots (yet!) but it's the people versus things. What if someone else could really benefit from this razor? I would love that. What is bouncing around in the razor section of my brain is that if someone is only out to collect it, maybe I should just keep it in my collection, as it is an important part of my traditional shaving journey. On the other hand, doesn't that last sentence sound daft?! It's not about money, for after polishing I will never recoup the total cost. It seems to be solely about my journey. Two other razors are already in that category: a fat-handle, pre-War Tech and my Steampunk Slim. 

Off to work with the copy writers now! Thanks for reading this drivel!

This would have gone well with your doughnut. I managed to get a few of these a few years back. They’re delicious albeit at 750ml and over 7% alcohol that tasty goodness packs a punch. 

Marko, that looks like one tasty ale! along with that donut, I probably could have curled up and slept the sleep of a contented fat man!!

Keep it until you are CERTAIN you want to let it go is my thoughts.