I'm up to bat to furnish the beginner's tip for February 2015. Looking at past tips, thinking of my years on this forum, I'm going to be philosophical rather than concrete.
There are quite a few acronyms seen in posts on SRP, but one of the most ubiquitous is YMMV. Indeed, in wet shaving, as in all facets of life 'your mileage may vary' from mine, and mine from yours.
This fact is something I thought I knew when I got here. The first instance where I realized how true this adage is was in a poll on favorite DE blades. There was no question in my mind that the Feather and the Gillette Swede were the best DE blades known to man, the Derby, and the Dorko the worst.
When I saw people post that my favorites were just so-so, if not downright poor, and the blades I thought were junk were their favorites, I was scratching my head in disbelief.
We can take this adage into any facet of straight razor shaving and maintenance. Be it razor brands, brush manufacturers, and/or bristle types. Strops of shell, horsehide, bovine, kangaroo. Then there is the second component. Some swear by linen, others cotton canvas, still others synthetics. Then there is the hanging versus paddle, and paste versus clean.
Getting into hones and honing is another poster child for YMMV. In the past six or seven years a plethora of new synthetics, as well as newly discovered naturals have surfaced. New methods of honing have come along to replace the old standbys for many of us.
An exciting time to be in the wonderful world of wet shaving. So there are many roads leading to Rome, figuratively speaking. SRP can furnish a wrench to fit every nut if the beginning shaver will read the beginner's guide, the stickies in the various forums. The thing to remember is that one man's meat truly is another man's poison, one man's trash another man's treasure.
So with tolerance and respect for our fellow members, regardless of what their preferences are, and how they may differ from our own, we realize that what is good for the goose, may not always be good for the gander .......... YMMV !
Smooth shaving,
JimmyHAD
