As requested by bart, here is a new poll.
Fwiw I really think the contest is a great idea.
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As requested by bart, here is a new poll.
Fwiw I really think the contest is a great idea.
Thank you, Bruno, for putting this poll together, I was unaware that it was even possible, the creation of multiple entry polls.
For clarification:
the original idea was doing a fun little contest. http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...g-contest.html
But if the fact that we will announce a top 3 and give those participants a prize, scares too much guys away, then we will do exactly the same, without announcing winners, which will turn the thing into a survey. The goodies will we donated to random participants in that case.
Gssixgun is already in the jury/assessment committee.
And if we get at least 20 participants, I volunteer for the job of executor (keeping track of the razors, making sure everyone gets his one back, sending the bribing bottles of single malt to the jury members, and such)
Bart.
Instead of creating 2 separate threads of discussion why don't we keep this one for just the votes on the poll, and the original one for opinions either For or Against....
Since I can't close this thread and leave the poll open you are just going to have to follow the link in Bart's post to the original thread and I will move the last two comments there....
Thank you in advance for your cooperation
Count me in! Mine can be the "See... here's what you don't want to do...." example. :)
That reminds me of a plaque a friend of mine used to have. It said "No man's life is completely wasted--he can always serve as a bad example for others!"
I'm in. Looking forward to hearing some feed back.
I thought we had stopped kicking this horse. An inter-continental contest like this seems to be way, way beyond our amateur abilities to manage and assess.
Oops, the horse just twitched! Could it be that our pedal ministrations have given it life? Up, up my steed; on your hooves, up brave Lazarus.
";"
Let's ride, Bruce. There be razors in them thar hills, and they aren't going to hone themselves.
Come on guys! just 5 more and we have ourselves a contest. :)
I'm in for either a contestant and/or a judge (provided it's not overly expensive). Seems like fun!
Mark
Whoops! Just saw that the judging is restricted to members in the CONUS...and rightly so....those customs folks are real trouble!
Mark
Only 3 more. I know you guys can do it. :tu
Should be good fun! Common now guys, you know you wanna! :tu
Mark
I'd be in for this. If nothing else it would be a GREAT learning experience as far as a honing status (if what i think is good actually is). Would it be a good idea to keep a log of what hones/how many strokes/slurries are used? I don't know if it would be giving anyone's "secret" away, but I would find it very interesting to compare this data since everyone would be receiving nearly identical razor. Just an idea.
I had said I would be in on the first go round of this topic but have been thinking about it. I would like to see everyone use the same Double Arrow and nothing but a Norton 4/8 and their strop. IMHO, this would narrow it down to a more equal test of the honing skills of the participants.
Everyone doesn't have a Norton 4/8, unfortunately. If we go that route, I say everyone should use nothing but a combination blue/yellow belgian and their strop (what if my strop is pasted? Can I still use it? Can I strop on newspaper or would that be frowned upon?)
:shrug:
On the other hand, if someone is donating a bunch of Norton 4k 8k combination stones for the contest participants who don't have them, then sure I agree :) As a matter of principle, not convenience of course :) Otherwise I guess I will have to join a Belgian hone sharpening contest
I think that this is more about "how good are my skills, and how sharp is my razor to other people" than an empirical "how good are you at honing, given certain conditions." I'd rather know that my current set-up is up to scratch (Norton 4k/8k and Coticule) than if my honing stroke is good enough off the 8k.
If we go that route and standardize everything, we'd also have to limit the number of laps you could do, because a "proper" honing stroke wouldn't need extraneous laps...but if we're about how good you are at knowing when to stop, when to move on, etc, the variables help and not hurt us.
Just my $0.02
Mark
I get the point. I am still up in the air as to whether I will enter. I hone a lot of razors as I am still in the learning process and I get them off of ebay usually in less then stellar condition. I have also gotten a number of them honed by Lynn and other honemiesters. So I am perpetually in a contest with myself to see if I can equal the sharpest I have received from the experts. It is fun and I will probably throw my hat in the ring for the contest even though I have no expectation of winning. Maybe playing the game is enough.
Remember, Jimmy, it's not if you win or lose, but IF you play the game! :rock:
Mark
We're only two players away from a game...
So close!
One thing I can say if this gets rolling: Tape schmape. I will hone that double arrow as nature intended, spine unfettered.
Wait, unless aesthetics and looking all pretty is a factor in the scoring....? Then I guess I'd be using that confounded sticky stuff.
Chris L
This sounds so cool. :rock: I'd be interested even if I became known as "Butterknife Bob" :rofl2: after the contest. I like to test my feeble skills once in a while, and I'd get a chance to get other opinions on how my honing is progressing.
Butterknife Bob,
Welcome.
--Breadknife Bruce
Ahh what the heck, count me in. That makes 19.:tu
Come on, twenty! Papa needs to enter this contest!
Chris L
...One...more...so...close! Gah!
So close it hurts! Common...you know you've always wanted to know how well your stones match up! :rofl2:
Mark
Another possible addition to the rules: the administrator could discard the highest and lowest score for each razor, just like with the olympics. This would result in a more dependable outcome.
There are a couple of people who registered in the other thread, so even with 2 people dropping out, we should be able to hit 20.
I have asked Bart to be the central organizer of this contest, and he has accepted.
I think it is safe to say this will become real.
We will have to do some preparation and discussing beforehand, but once we have something that looks workable we will post back here with the practical details and ask for feedback.
Thanks for all the interest guys :tu
YES!!! :y:y:tu
Now the winner gets an all expense paid trip for two to either the Dovo or TI factory (their choice) or am I misunderstanding the grand prize?
:roflmao:roflmao
Chris L
Way Cool !!!!!
Game ON!!!!!
Aha!! The game is afoot. Now what, pray tell, is the game? As I poorly understand the goings on, razors will be honed and said honing will be evaluated by... evaluators. Who hones what and who tests what and what is the test? For instance, I can shave with the same razor on three different days and get three different results - this is on the same face, mind you, albeit this is probably with different soaps or creams, but still the same face, same razor, and same hands wielding said razor. So a shaving test may not be all that informative, particularly if different faces are the test media.
Can all the salient factors be re-iterated for those of us with wretched rememberies?:thinking:
Thanks ever so much,
No, It 's trip to Ardennes Coticule where you will receive a close shave after the grand tour. Next two naked natural Belgian blonds will perform a facial scrub with a thick coticule slurry and you will be introduced later on that night on Belgian television as "the smoothest man alive".
I wish I wasn't joking.
But yes, we're going to put this show on the road!!!:y
The way I understand it, I'll send an entry fee to *someone*, and then I'll receive in return a double arrow razor. Then I do *something* to the razor, mail it back to *someone* and then sometime later someone will tell me whether or not I won. what else is there?
You 'll receive your razor back with some nifty graphs that show you how your razor was found by the jury to perform in the pack, for various criteria, such as ease of shaving, closeness of the resulting shave, absence (hopefully) of post-shave irritation.
Most likely, those Double Arrows will have an improved set of scales, and they will only be produced in a very limited number...
Guys,
25 DA's are ordered.
There's no turning back now.:)
We're composing the jury and tweaking the rules at this very moment.
Bart.