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Dr. Jon’s Defiance, with Fine Classic, Merkur Progress, and Esbjerg...
I discovered that I am short one RazoRock razor to do a full workweek run with them, but I have taken steps to remedy that. Watch this space. My Fine Classic brush did a fine job with Dr. Jon’s...
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A dark-chocolate shave and my breakfast this morning
The Chiseled Face synthetic in the photo, like the Phoenix Artisan Valentine’s Day Dark Chocolate shaving soap and aftershave, is a one-off, though all are delightful. The lather loaded the brush with...
View ArticleNon-stick pans and toxic gasses and the carbon-steel solution
On reading this post, The Eldest emailed to remind me of something I had vaguely known but forgotten: “The guidance for the non-stick T-Fal says to never heat it above medium, and never heat it empty....
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The Fine slant and Sandalwood
The Fine slant is still for me a touchy little beast. But after lathering well with Art of Shaving Sandalwood, I used it with a very light touch indeed and got a very smooth result with just two small...
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Green Ray brush, Eufros Rosa Bourbon shaving soap, the 102, and Dark Rose
JabonMan in Spain makes very nice shaving soaps, and this one, Rosa Bourbon, has a fine rose fragrance. The lather it makes is quite good, this morning achieved with the Green Ray brush from Phoenix...
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Chiseled Face Sherlock with Vie-Long brush, Edwin Jagger, and Phoenix Artisan...
The Green Ray brush with its horsehair-colored (synthetic) knot made me think of my actual horsehair knot, this Vie-Long. When using a horsehair brush, I do wet the knot well and then let the brush...
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Maggard 22mm synthetic, Dr. Jon’s Propaganda, iKon X3, and Chatillon Lux
Propaganda has a fragrance I like, and Dr. Jon’s (handcrafted) shaving soaps always give a good lather, helped along this morning with Maggard Razors’ 22mm synthetic, one of the brushes that is just...
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The RazoRock Mamba (with Halo handle) and Phoenix Artisan Solstice
I broke down and got Italian Barber’s new stainless steel Mamba razor, which arrived last night. I loaded it with an Astra Keramik Platinum blade. On this razor (as on a few others, like the Pils) the...
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If you can’t get a RazoRock Baby Smooth, get a Dorco PL602
The Dorco PL602 and the RazoRock Baby Smooth have the same head geometry, which includes extreme curvature of the blade, and so the feel (on the face) and performance of the two razors is quite close....
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Wee Scot, D.R. Harris Arlington, and the iKon 102
A fine way to start the week: An excellent lather from D. R. Harris & Co. Arlington shaving soap, thanks in part to the Wee Scot, and then a smooth and easy shave from my iKon 102, ending with a...
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Rooney Style 1 Size 1, Phoenix Artisan Honeysuckle, and the Baili BR171
Extremely nice shave this morning. Phoenix Artisan’s Honeysuckle shaving soap has the fragrance of spring and summer, and the Rooney Style 1 Size 1 seemed to enjoy making the lather—I certainly did....
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An old-products shave: Yardley, Stetson Classic, pre-Vulfix Simpson Emperor,...
These are not all old products—the Fatip Testina Gentile is readily available now, as is Stetson Classic—but I perceive Stetson Classic as appealing to men of a certain age, and the Simpson Emperor 3...
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Rod Neep brush, Creed Green Irish Tweed, and the Feather AS-D1
I have to say that Creed’s Green Irish Tweed shaving soap is first rate—but still, IMO, not worth its current price. It would be a lovely gift to receive, though. My Rod Neep brush made the usual...
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Mühle synthetic with Art of Shaving Sandalwood, Gillette Aristocrat, and...
The Mühle Gen 2 synthetic was a deliberate effort to make a “synthetic badger” brush, while the Plissoft brushes are not imitating any natural-bristle brushes. (The Omega S-series was a deliberate...
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Sandalwood and the iKon 101
My Simpson Emperor 2 Best worked up a very nice lather from my pre-reformulation-and-outsourcing Geo. F. Trumper Sandalwood shaving soap. It was a good soap back then. I haven’t used the iKon 101 for...
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Kent Infinity synthetic, Tallow + Steel Grog, and the Merkur 37G
Tallow + Steel delivered a great lather this morning, but the contributions of the Kent Infinity and the water amount (very little = just right) must be acknowledged. The fragrance of Grog is very...
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Plisson synthetic brush, Phoenix Artisan Briar, Maggard V3A, and Stetson Sierra
Made a great lather from Phoenix Artisan’s Briar (“Tobacco, Oakwood, Vanilla, Animilac Musk, Labdanum, Rose, and dried leaves”) and set to work with the Maggard V3A. Three passes later, my face was...
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Simpson Persian Jar, Tallow + Steel Dark, and the iKon 101
My Simpson Persian Jar 2 Super is pre-Vulfix and a fine brush, and it easily worked up a good lather from Tallow + Steel’s Dark shave soap. I am still very happy that I replaced my iKon 101 razor...
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Phoenix Artisan Green Ray and Organism 46-b with the Baby Smooth
I bought this Organism 46-b shaving soap and matching aftershave from Phoenix Artisan partly because I enjoyed the surreal name (of a real creature) but mostly because of the fragrance profile: burnt...
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Chiseled Face brush and Sherlock, with the Dorco PL602
I really like this Chiseled Face synthetic, which is no longer on offer, and his Sherlock shaving soap produced a fine lather with a very nice fragrance: It is a warm tobacco-based scent blended with...
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