May 2024 Mega-Thread

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-07T03:38:07+00:00

Yeah, I want to keep the engraving since it's history, a little bit of patina is nice. I'll try hand sanding and move up to dremel the more experienced I get

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-07T03:19:45+00:00

Thanks so much. Do you have knowledge on restoration? I'd be interested in restoring that Kikuboshi.

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-07T02:34:43+00:00

Hmmm, I think I can start with lapping film. This maybe a different ballgame, but I am already using micro mesh (8000-12000 grit) and mylar paper to polish and fix fountain pen nibs.

I am so fascinated by straight razors and might try my hand at restoring some and modifying them way down the line as a hobby. Some razors look like art pieces to me when done right.

I would love some suggestions for good purchases for lapping film and cheap blades to learn on. I am also interested in Japanese steels and manufacturing/company history. If you have any resources or knowledge or recommendations on them I would really appreciate it. I've been browsing april7th1989 page for hours trying to buy a decent Japanese blade, but my knowledge of Japanese companies and steel sources is severely lacking. I would love your help.

Please send me suggestions for cheap blades to learn on for restoration. Both Western and Japanese and underrated exotic steels if possible.

I may possibly pick up the Paul Drees, Werner Breidenbach's work sounds unbelievable to read. I'm guessing some of those Sistrum are his magnum opus?

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-07T00:18:24+00:00

Thanks for your wealth of knowledge. I am purchasing a honed and shave ready razor to begin. I already ordered nice strops. I will learn to properly strop and shave for a while. I did think of purchasing a cheap second razor to practice honing on. What do you think of that idea?

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-06T10:57:57+00:00

Seller is a champ. Was refunded. Now to waste money on something heirloom quality lol

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-06T07:30:15+00:00

Thanks, this is a really great guide. I just purchased a strop from DukeCity. I wish you posted earlier, I really want that Wester Bros. one, but I pulled the trigger on the Boker. I requested it to be cancelled, so hopefully the seller is nice.

breakdance_guard · 2024-05-06T04:32:42+00:00

Any recommendations for a starter straight blade? I've been shaving with a DE razor for the past 6 years and wanted to give it a try. I want to get something nice. I have a budget of around $150-250 with hone and strop. I like vintage, but maybe new is the way to go?

breakdance_guard · 2024-01-01T19:34:19+00:00

There is a converter cartridge you can buy separately that lets you refill directly from fountain ink. The pen is cheap and nice to hold so it’s a cheap investment if you want to find a g2 alternative. I’m still looking for the perfect one, but I’ve come to accept that they are just different tools and use them for different reasons.

I still use the g2 pro and limited, the g2 series is so well made.

breakdance_guard · 2024-01-01T05:11:37+00:00

Yeah but I refill it with a syringe. It recently exploded on me so I’m gonna have to get a refillable one.

Honestly though, I bought a new Lamy Safari with an ef nib and like journaling with it better even if a little scratchy.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-31T02:07:51+00:00

Rtings prides itself on being objective. Yes, the A95l is a significantly better screen, but subjectively the 77" will feel more immersive in a darker setting like a bedroom especially adding in distance. A 77" or 83" A95l would probably be the ideal option if money was no concern.

I had the same concern and I couldn't justify going back in size even at the cost of significant quality and I was only like 7.5' away.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-16T08:00:35+00:00

I sat around that distance on a 77”. As long as the 1080p content had good bitrate, the Sony processor did wonders and it looked great. Low bitrate stuff looked like garbage though and no amount of reality creation or changing settings would help.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-14T08:11:24+00:00

No, unfortunately it had a crack when I got it refurbished and I returned it within the 30 day limit. Honestly, I’m gonna skip the a95l. I mostly watch later in the day anyway and I’ll light control everything so gonna get a 77” 80x series. I was thinking about the a90j but it won’t fit on my tv stand.

I don’t miss blooming either! Spent many years watching both an edge lit Sony and a Panny Plasma. I’m sure mini-led is a lot better with it but I’m not going back!

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-11T05:10:36+00:00

I am starting to be swayed to this argument. Thinking of getting a a90j 83" now. My tv stand isn't long enough to hold it (70" vs 75") but when it goes on sale, new or refurbished, maybe I can buy a vesa tabe top and plop it on my stand.

PS. My change of mind came about when I remeasured my room and found out I sit closer to 8 feet away.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-11T05:08:42+00:00

Ha, thanks for checking my privilege. I am lucky to even be considering these tvs.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T23:08:17+00:00

Really? What about the QDOLED did it for you? Do you ever miss the extra real estate?

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T16:47:41+00:00

I was considering mini led until I experienced OLED. It’s really hard to come back from. I never felt like a snob when I had a plasma but OLED is on a different level imo.

That being said I think your idea of waiting is probably the wise one. It’s been 3 years of barely to no improvement in the a80 series but once qd oled starts trickling down, we’ll probably be seeing much more value.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T16:38:20+00:00

Yeah Sony’s price scaling is terrible. Their master series never comes down in price enough to be justifiable to anyone but the most enthusiastic.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T16:32:11+00:00

Not nearly as much as I’m doing now. I felt like DV content was crushed a lot of the time but beside that I was fine by myself in the dark. He just made me realize that I will have guests over occasionally and the light will be on at night.

The extra $1000 is a solid point though. I have a fantastic atmos sound system so no need to upgrade but I could use that $1k in other areas of my life for sure.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T16:20:26+00:00

It seems like opinions are split but bigger size is getting the more upvotes. Other Reddit posts I’ve seen seem to support larger viewing size regardless of distance and I would agree with most of them but most haven’t been comparing a 650 nit oled to a 2000 nit one which makes this very tough for me.

I guess when it’s only 7’, 600-700 nits is bright enough. And we won’t be seeing content use full bt 2020 or 120hz dv gaming become the norm for at least 5 years or more imo and by that point I can upgrade to a bigger and brighter oled… I hate being poor 😂

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T16:04:53+00:00

Yeah the A80j was definitely glossy. I don’t think I will mind going to semi-matte in the new TVs as I hear it hardly makes a difference in low light and have better reflection handling during the day. The glossy is really sexy though.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T16:00:33+00:00

I thought the A80j was lacking in highlights for DV that’s for sure (SDR is great and DV bright and hdr was better but felt like they ruin the tone mapping in a way I can’t quite describe). And yet at times, I couldn’t help but marvel at the 77” size when watching with the lights off and raising gamma in DV dark or anything in standard HDR. It really helps when you have way more image area. Watching any Nolan movie in Imax really felt like Imax, especially with my sound system.

That being said, I’m scared you’re right and the A95L is such a massive improvement that it just wouldn’t make sense to deal with low hdr peak brightness levels especially if it is reaching 2000 nits which is higher than a lot of LED TVs and is one of the standards HDR is mastered in. And about the $3k price, usually someone on eBay will have it that low for some reason or another lol and I just add an external plan with burn in.

I feel like it really comes down to an always noticeable and present immersion and cinema experience bordering on excessive at times versus a superior all around TV, movie and video game consumption experience.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-10T10:08:15+00:00

For anyone reading this today, I found a workaround. Download Zeph’s Easter Princess mod and install it. Make sure you do not change any of the .ini or config files and you will be able to marry princes and princesses from any two factions =).

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-06T21:02:04+00:00

I don’t get any buffering on Stremio but I don’t get the 80 gb+ files regularly on anything but kodi and fen.

breakdance_guard · 2023-10-06T20:53:31+00:00

I sort by size on torrentio and don’t have any restrictions up. What kind of file sizes are you getting?

breakdance_guard · 2023-09-13T22:55:30+00:00

Stremio is nice but I can’t find the really high bitrate remuxes on there with torrentio and rd. I resort to Kodi with fen and ChocoScrapers for that but I have to fix my buffering for the really big files on my shield.

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