Category Archives: Big Boy Toys

Gear, or Big Boy Toys. Reviews and thoughts.

Electronics and Water

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Never a good idea.

The Ixus 70 point and shoot we’ve had for years took one too many nose-dives and I’d recently replaced it with a Canon Ixus 115 HS. One cool feature of this P&S is it records in 120fps slow-motion. Fun!

On Saturday it took a dive off my belt, pouch and all, into the (thankfully clean) pisser. It didn’t hit the side of the bowl, it fell straight into the water. It took me 3 seconds to realise it by which time the pouch was soaked through and the camera was wet too.

I didn’t try to turn it on. Wiped it down and sat it, the battery and SDCard in a sealable popcorn container with a Thirsty Hippo desiccant.

Two days later, fingers trembling and all, turned it back on. It powered up! And a test shot.

Note to self: hang the pouch on the belt AND secure it to a belt loop. It doesn’t need to be load-bearing – a loop of string should do it.

More RAD: Muhle R41 Grande and Omega 49

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No… I don’t have RAD. I NEED these. Right….

The latest arrivals: A Muhle R41 Grande, Omega 49 boar brush, some Proraso aftershave cream, and Musgo Real Lime Glycerine Soap.

The boar brush is HUGE!! It came perfumed… after the first lather it started to smell like dead animal. So for now it has been relegated to the bench while it goes through several more test-lather sessions. The hairs have already begun to split. Good sign!

The R41 has been described by many as aggressive, vigorous, direct and efficient. I have 2 shaves under my belt, both dual-pass WTG with a Derby blade. The audio feedback is excellent, and I agree with direct and efficient. My scalp is still here! Seems like this razor makes the full use of the potential of the blade. I wouldn’t have liked it as my first razor, but once you get the hang of things… nice!

Test Drive: Nike Free Run+ 2

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As part of my New-Year-New-Life resolution of 2012, I’d signed up for a marathon. I will walk it. I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but hey one’s gotta try.

So I’m getting some new gear. I bought a pair of Asics GT2160 a month ago and have covered a hundred KM or so…. and thought I may benefit from something flatter and lighter. Tried these at the shop today in size 12.

First impressions… the shoe has no tongue and is a snug fit. Very light, and offers almost no support at all – I can feel my arches collapsing. Obviously more cushioning than the Vibrams. I like the idea of going long distance in these, but concerned about possible fatigue and injury. I’m also not sure about the durability of the outsole.

I didn’t buy these today, but maybe I will to replace the Vibrams when they go…

I was also looking to buy some dri-fit T-shirts for training. Couldn’t find any I liked for the money I’ll pay, so I think I’ll shop at Amazon.

Merkur 39C Closeup

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So I’ve placed the Merkur blade into the 39C, and had a headshave. It does look like the blade is torqued/twisted within the housing. Oooh aggressive.

The 1st shave was fantastic! WTG, ATG, Touchup. Baby smooth; very little burn (probably from bad technique). The 2nd shave the next night however had very different results. Maybe the stubble hadn’t grown enough, or maybe my skin hadn’t had a chance to rest enough.

Burn! Super alumblock burn!

I’ve been logging my results with different blades. And it turns out, for ATG passes, most blades are only good for one headshave, with the exception of Feathers (2-3).

Woot!

The Christmas Shaving Loot

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OK I take back what I said about staying away from from RAD (Razor Acquisition Disorder). I’ve gone and gotten myself a slant bar Merkur 39C, and a whole bunch of different blades – from Connaught Shaving. Pretty good rates, and shipping out to here. I wanted a Muhle R41, but the forums described it as a hair AND skin removing monster, so I decided to wait for a bit while I hone my technique.

Mama Bear’s shipment arrived too. A little expensive to ship out to here – so buy more to make it more worthwhile. I’d asked Sue to throw in 2 used containers so I had a place for the sample Lime puck, and the other for my alum block. She sent empty containers that used to hold Masculine Musk, and Toasted Coconut. Damn! Now, I’ve got to get those as well!