The Ice pre-shave soap is from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. It’s a high-glycerin soap with no fragrance (so not competing with the shaving soap or cream’s fragrance) and, in effect, gives a menthol hit to whatever shave soap you use. Want a menthol version of Mitchell’s Wool Fat? Use this pre-shave soap and regular MWF and you’re just about there.
It did a good job as a pre-shave soap, and the menthol effect did linger when I applied the (wonderful) lather from Mickey Lee Soapworks Bee Witched. The drawback for me is that I’m not that big a menthol fan—one of the things I like about shaving is the warmth of the lather—so I’m not sure I’ll use it a lot. But I was very curious to try it, and it does work as intended.
Bee Witched has a wonderful fragrance and makes a superb lather. The H.L. Thäter brush is top notch. You’ll note from the appearance of the knot that this brush has hooked bristles, which give the brush a very nice feel on the face. (If you brush your hand over the dry brush, the knot resumes a normal appearance.) This is a terrific soap.
The two razors (the Standard’s head is on a UFO handle, which adds some heft) both shaved extremely well. The Standard had an Astra Superior Platinum blade, the Parker a Shark Chrome, and any difference in performance was within the difference of brands of blades. Perhaps the Parker was a tiny bit more comfortable, but difficult to tell. Both razors are excellent: very comfortable and very efficient. The Standard is made of aluminum, the Parker of brass, and the Parker’s price ($29) is just over a third of the Standard’s price ($80): 36% of the price, more exactly.
A good splash of Barrister & Mann’s aftershave, and the day gets underway.
Filed under: Shaving
