Old Sarge Introduction

[Old Sarge]

You got that right, a modern day pencil pusher...computer/systems operator is more like it!   I kind of became uber specialized at the end as a budget analyst for logistics transactions. My last stateside duty station was with 3d Army/ARmy CENTral command were I was on a very small team managing over $9 billion in logistics transactions annually.

Ah, bean counter, got it. 

Bingo TobyC...nail meet hammer!

[Old Sarge]

Welcome aboard @oldsarge. Glad to have you here. As others have said thank you for your service. If you don't have great luck with the carbon blades let me know I'll send you a few SS PTFE blades. I find them much better for my beard and skin. I want to like the carbon blades and keep trying them but just don't get as good a shave with them.

Thank you for the kind greeting, GAW9576! And thanks for the blade offer. Another generous member has already PIF'd me some SS blades that are making their way to my location. I look forward to learning from your experiences!

[Wchnu]

Welcome to the show!!! I see you met the crowd. We are a smaller place but fairly friendly. There are a few that always run amuck. That baton handle is a great razor. Great to have you!!

[Wchnu]

Ah, bean counter, got it. 

Bingo TobyC...nail meet hammer!

TobyC knows a lot about the hammer!

[TobyC]

Bingo TobyC...nail meet hammer!

TobyC knows a lot about the hammer!

[GAW9576]

Welcome aboard @oldsarge. Glad to have you here. As others have said thank you for your service. If you don't have great luck with the carbon blades let me know I'll send you a few SS PTFE blades. I find them much better for my beard and skin. I want to like the carbon blades and keep trying them but just don't get as good a shave with them.

I find the Treets to be just as good as the GEM SS.

I have had a few decent maybe even good shaves with a carbon blade, don't remember which brand. However it's one or 2 shaves then in the bin with carbon from my experience. I get 8 to 13 out of an SS. I don't feel like stroppi g disposable blades so the carbons just don't appeal to me. I'm glad you enjoy them though. Like I said I want to like them. I just haven't been impressed so far. Also it seems like no matter what I do to preserve them between shaves the tarnish to a point I'm not sure they are good to shave with.

[ShadowsDad]

My pleasure, seriously, my pleasure. Most of those thoughts are pleasant and I enjoy remembering them which I don't do often. My biggest gripe? I have the same mind, but my body can't pay the freight anymore and I wind up recovering from body damage. Somehow I need to get my mind sync'ed with the age of my body.

Yes, we went out on FTXs often. I have no idea what it cost for us to train because everything went out, including the CEV vehicles (think a M60 tank with a shortened huge bore gun [I don't remember the diameter] used for breaching, a dozer blade on the front and a huge searchlight. Every piece of damage to the roadway would be assessed and paid for by Uncle Sugar.

I bet when we jumped Uncle Sam paid for the damage to the sugar beets or wheat we landed on too.

[Old Sarge]

I find the Treets to be just as good as the GEM SS.

I have had a few decent maybe even good shaves with a carbon blade, don't remember which brand. However it's one or 2 shaves then in the bin with carbon from my experience. I get 8 to 13 out of an SS. I don't feel like stroppi g disposable blades so the carbons just don't appeal to me. I'm glad you enjoy them though. Like I said I want to like them. I just haven't been impressed so far. Also it seems like no matter what I do to preserve them between shaves the tarnish to a point I'm not sure they are good to shave with.

In my research I've stumbled across palm stropping for SE blades. I guess the theory is that for initial use of a blade it could take out some of the harshness. While for a blade with a number of shaves, it could extend the life of the blade. 

Has anyone tried this with any success? And if so, what type of blade were you using, is there anything to note about the technique used and how many times would you strop each side? My concern would be that palm stropping could detract from the overall life of a blade, to include limiting the effectiveness of any coating.

[GAW9576]

I have had a few decent maybe even good shaves with a carbon blade, don't remember which brand. However it's one or 2 shaves then in the bin with carbon from my experience. I get 8 to 13 out of an SS. I don't feel like stroppi g disposable blades so the carbons just don't appeal to me. I'm glad you enjoy them though. Like I said I want to like them. I just haven't been impressed so far. Also it seems like no matter what I do to preserve them between shaves the tarnish to a point I'm not sure they are good to shave with.

In my research I've stumbled across palm stropping for SE blades. I guess the theory is that for initial use of a blade it could take out some of the harshness. While for a blade with a number of shaves, it could extend the life of the blade. 

Has anyone tried this with any success? And if so, what type of blade were you using, is there anything to note about the technique used and how many times would you strop each side? My concern would be that palm stropping could detract from the overall life of a blade, to include limiting the effectiveness of any coating.

I know some people palm strop. I used to run the edge of the blade just barely into a cork or a Styrofoam packing peanut to take down the harshness a little. Now if I want to reduce the harshness of a new blade I just use it in a particularly mild razor for the first shave or two. A Gem featherweight is an excellent option for this. I prefer the first Gen Featherweight to the second Gen. The differences are small though. I believe all Featherweight Deluxes were 1st Gen. In case you aren't familiar the Deluxe is the one with the Gold endcap on the handle. This makes them super easy to ID. I Can't remember if the discussion was on here about the difference between first Gen. And second Gen. It may have been on Tost2 if you or anyone else is interested I can dig up pictures and post it here somewhere.

[Old Sarge]

My pleasure, seriously, my pleasure. Most of those thoughts are pleasant and I enjoy remembering them which I don't do often. My biggest gripe? I have the same mind, but my body can't pay the freight anymore and I wind up recovering from body damage. Somehow I need to get my mind sync'ed with the age of my body.

Yes, we went out on FTXs often. I have no idea what it cost for us to train because everything went out, including the CEV vehicles (think a M60 tank with a shortened huge bore gun [I don't remember the diameter] used for breaching, a dozer blade on the front and a huge searchlight. Every piece of damage to the roadway would be assessed and paid for by Uncle Sugar.

I bet when we jumped Uncle Sam paid for the damage to the sugar beets or wheat we landed on too.

Yeah, I believe that back during your time in Europe there were many more training exercises that included areas outside of the traditional training centers, thus damage to roads, fields and trees.

When I was there during 90-93 most of the training was done at the Grafenwohr, Baumholder, Hoehfels and Wildflecken training areas. My engineer unit deactivated while I was departing, along with the "Wild Chicken" training area. This was my second engineer unit deactivation in a 12 month period and there was a time that I though I was a bad luck charm and my next unit would fall under the axe. Well, next was a finance unit supporting the 101st Airborne and they're not going anywhere anytime soon! 

When I finished my career with a final tour to Germany 08-10, I didn't get many opportunities to train. Within a couple of months of arriving I was off on a 12 month deployment to Iraq and upon returning I was doing all the admin crap to retire. I do remember that Herman the German was pretty extreme on protecting their trees with a big price tag for even damaging a limb!   I kind of feel cheated though with this last tour, as I knew I was going to deploy as soon as I was received assignment instructions so I opted for a two year all-others tour which allowed me to leave my wife stateside. Though she did come visit me for 10 days while we were on block leave prior to heading out and we did drive all over Germany doing tourist things and even scooted down to Venice...it wasn't the same for her to get the opportunity to live in Europe!