SOTD: Thursday March 30, 2017

Dedication to Matt Marting on his retirement and military service.

Razor: Blackbird from Blackland Razors

Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword (3rd use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze

Soap: Jeeves of Hudson Street Turkish Bath

Aftershave: Mason Boutique Maya (made by Matt's wife, Jen)

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, an efficient with two passes (N-S, S-N). The last time I used this aftershave it lasted hours, and what a complex and awesome scent it was. Jeeves performed as always with the scent right out of tub reminding me of Stirling's Barbershop.

SOTD: Tuesday March 28, 2017

Razor: Timeless (.95 blade gap)

Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword (1st use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze

Soap: Tabac 

Aftershave: Tabac 

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, back to my normal three pass shave today with Tabac Tuesday.  This razor is aggressive enough, but not overly so, and smooth at the same time. 

SOTD: Monday March 27, 2017

Razor: Mühle R41

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (2nd use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze

Cream: Taylor of Old Bond Street Coconut

Aftershave: Lebelle Soaps Coconut Island

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, sticking with two passes (N-S, S-N), and a touchup still with this setup. Killer scents on the the cream and the post. Lebelle Soaps is up there as one of the underrated artisans. Those few hairs that are stragglers on my neck are there, but once again I don't push the issue with those.

SOTD: Sunday March 26, 2017

Razor: Mühle R41

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (1st use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze

Cream: Taylor of Old Bond Street Almond 

Aftershave: Ginger's Garden Almond

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, Two passes with touch up versus my usual three with touch up. BBS with the exception of those few stragglers on my neck. I don't push the issue with that. After a few days of not achieving close shaves I figured it was time to throw this combination together. The sweet smell of the cream plus the awesome properties of the aftershave topped this all off. This was my first TOBS that I acquired in a trade from a really cool local that was retired from the railroad, and it forever made me a fan of the cream.

SOTD: March 25, 2017

Razor: Feather SS Artist Club 

Blade: Feather Super Professional (6th use?)

Bowl: Jay's Clay 

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze

Soap: The Shaving Shop Barbershop Poivre Rosé

Aftershave: The Shaving Shop Barbershop Poivre Rosé

Comments/Overall Thoughts 8.5/10, excellent scent and performance as always with this soap. The best way to describe it is a spicy, cologne-like Barbershop scent. I still need to get more proficient with the shavette, with the neck area not achieving the close shave I'm used to.

SOTD: Friday March 24, 2017

Razor: Timeless (.95 blade gap)

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (3rd use)

Brush: DeLuxe Shaving Co. 30MM Silvertip Badger 

Soap: Stirling Soap Co. Stirling Blu 

Aftershave: Stirling Soap Co. Stirling Blu

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, first time using Stirling Blu (Stirling's take on Polo Blue), and what an awesome scent. Sharp Dressed Man has been one of my favorite scents from an artisan soap and aftershave, with the scent lasting up to 3-4 hours, so I have been excited to try this.

SOTD: Wednesday March 22, 2017

Razor: Timeless Razor (.95 blade gap)

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1st use)

Brush: Tampa Shave Co. 22MM Synthetic 

Soap: Mickey Lee Soapworks Agora Xyrisma

Aftershave: Mickey Lee Soapworks Agora Xyrisma

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 10/10, BBS with a smooth post feel. Three passes with a J-Hook touch up on neck. Awesome scent on soap. All these products are reliable and consistent performers. 

SOTD: Tuesday March 21, 2017

Razor: Stainless Steel Mongoose 

Blade: Feather Super Professional (5th use?)

Brush: Tampa Shave Co. Synthetic 22MM

Soap: Mickey Lee Soapworks Agora Xyrisma

Aftershave: Mickey Lee Soapworks Agora Xyrisma

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, fresh, clean, and aquatic (from what my nose is picking up). Performance with MLS is supberb as always, easy to load and slick. Closer shave than yesterday with the same razor and same blade. 

SOTD: Monday March 20, 2017

Razor: Stainless Steel Mongoose

Blade: Feather Super Professional (4th use?)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Black

Soap: Reef Point Soaps Classic Barbershop 

Aftershave: Reef Point Soaps Classic Barbershop 

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, with great lasting scent and post feel. Mongoose is the very definition of mild but efficient, and always has been a consistent performer.

SOTD: Sunday March 19, 2017

Razor: Blackbird from Blackland Razors (polished version)

Blade: Personna (3rd use)

Brush: St. James of London Badger

Cream: Mr. Taylor's Shaving Cream from Taylor of Old Bond Street

Aftershave Balm: Mr. Taylor's Luxury Aftershave Balm from Taylor of Old Bond Street 

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, excellent post feel and close shave. I have came to the conclusion this brush doesn't lather easily with cream but works well with hard soaps. Excellent products all around. You can't go wrong with the scent on Mr. Taylor's.

SOTD: Saturday March 18, 2017

Razor: Hone Type 15

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (2nd use)

Brush: Cremo by Vie-Long Horse Hair 🐴 

Cream: Cremo Lathering Shave Cream Sandalwood 

Aftershave Balm: The Stray Whisker After Balm

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, close and smooth, especially on areas where I made a point to touch up (problem area on neck). This Sandalwood scent is different, it might be described as soapy or clean. It is slick, but we all know by now there is no cushiony lather. Overall an enjoyable and effortless shave. 

SOTD: Friday March 17, 2017

Razor: Parker Variant

Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword (3rd use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 24MM in Marble

Soap: Crown King Tweed 

Aftershave: Crown King Tweed

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, with some touch up areas. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

SOTD: Thursday March 16, 2017

Razor: Timeless (.95 gap)

Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword (2nd use)

Bowl: Jay's Clay 

Brush: St. James of London Badger

Pre-Shave: St. James of London Mandarin & Patchouli 

Cream: St. James of London Mandarin & Patchouli 

Aftershave: Maya from Mason Boutique (sample)

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 8.5/10 for close DFS shave overall and BBS on face. It took a little extra cream to whip up the lather in a hybrid face/bowl lather. The cologne-like scent on Maya is amazing.

SOTD: Wednesday March 15, 2017

Razor: The Grackle from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements 

Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword (1st use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 24MM in Marble

Soap: Tweed from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements 

Aftershave: Tweed from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements 

Comments/Overall Thoughts 8/10, at socially acceptable shave level (I maintain Feathers are key to this razor). Nice, clean and fresh scent with decent cushion. Initially the soap was chunky and pasty, but after working more water in the second pass there was noticeable improvement.

Shaving Without Style: Tuesday March 14, 2017

Shaving WITHOUT style

Razor: Dorco Plastic Safety Razor (Amazon $5.58)

Blade: Family Dollar Branded (1st use)

Brush: Perfecto Pure Badger (handle chipping)

Soap: Williams Mug Soap (purchased locally from WinCo Foods, roughly $1.00)

Aftershave: Family Dollar Branded Spice Aftershave

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 7/10, the blade is a pain to load and align properly in this razor. No cuts, no weepers, smooth-so much that I felt comfortable doing a fourth pass. The controversial Williams Mug Soap. I soaked the  puck with my brush in my bowl. Not bloomed, soaked. Where I live the water is so hard you might as well have concrete coming out of your tap. I seen this technique from someone else and honesty it works to get a somewhat decent lather from this soap. I worked out the bubbles and took more time to build the lather. The aftershave is close to Old Spice and has a kick to it. Not an offensive scent at all. Tomorrow I look forward to going back to my daily drivers, but this showed me the economical products work just as well, but might require more sacrifice or effort.

SOTD: Sunday March 12, 2017

Razor: Blackbird from Blackland Razors

Blade: Personna (3rd use)

Brush: Cremo by Vie-Long Horse Hair 

Soap: Soap Commander Ambition

Aftershave Balm: Soap Commander Ambition

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, three passes plus touch up. Early morning shave for exactly what I need today since I'm about to put in a 12 hour shift-ambition. SC balms set the bar for post feel and never leave your face greasy. Nice clean scent as well.

SOTD: Saturday March 11, 2017

Razor: RazoRock Baby Smooth

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (1st use)

Brush: RazoRock Plissoft 

Soap: RazoRock Don Marco 

Aftershave: RazoRock Don Marco

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, with three passes and buffing there is very minimal patches of residual stubble left. Since I typically prefer mid-aggressive to aggressive razors, I balked at the very minimal blade gap, and almost used something else. But I figured I would give this a chance and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how efficient this thing is.

Shaving Life Hack

A daily pill organizer can come in handy for safely storing your blades, and when trying to keep track of how many uses each blade has. You can take a Sharpie and number each compartment if you choose, or what I am doing is just moving them to the next compartment after each use.

SOTD: Thursday March 9, 2017

Razor: Timeless (.95 blade gap) 

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (2nd use)

Brush: St. James of London Badger

Soap: Parma Inspiration (made by Catie's Bubbles for Razor Blades and More)

Aftershave Balm: Parma Inspiration (made by Local Gent Co. for Razor Blades and More)

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, for me this has been an acquired scent with good performance.

SOTD: Friday March 8, 2017

Razor: Merkur 34C

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (1st use)

Brush: Omega Boar Hair

Soap: Reef Point Soaps Classic Barbershop 

Aftershave: Reef Point Soaps Classic Barbershop

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9/10, the 34C has earned the distinction of being the dedicated gym bag razor. Being a 2-piece razor that is economical and mass produced (so if it's lost it's easily replaceable) it is a perfect travel razor. Feather blades tend to amp it up a bit in a aggressiveness, and generally make it a smooth shave. Reef Point Soaps also never disappoint.

SOTD: Tuesday March 7, 2017

Razor: RazoRock Wunderbar 

Blade: Personna Blue (2nd use)

Bowl: Jay's Clay

Brush: RazoRock Plissoft Synthetic 

Soap: RazoRock Zi' Peppino

Aftershave: RazoRock Zi' Peppino

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, with some buffing. The product theme is merely my OCD kicking in. This razor is underrated, and extremely efficient. It's debatable on how forgiving it is.

SOTD: Sunday March 5, 2017

Razor: Blackbird from Blackland Razors 

Blade: Personna Blue (2nd use)

Brush: Tampa Shave Co. 22MM Synthetic

Cream: Mini Moustachery Buttered Rum

Aftershave Balm: The Stray Whisker After Balm 

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 8/10, I purchased two of these creams and sent one off to a friend. The one I sent my friend had a stronger scent, and I was hoping once the lather was whipped up the scent would come out on mine, but this didn't seem to be the case. Performance on all products was good, with BBS and a great post feel.

Afternoon SOTD: Saturday March 4, 2017

Razor: Cubano DOC from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements  

Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (2nd use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze

Soap: L&L Grooming Cuir Et Épices 

Aftershave: L&L Grooming Cuir Et Épices

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 10/10, rich leather and tobacco scent that reminds me of all the store front shops in Jackson Hole (where I spent a lot of time as a kid). Soaps loads easily and has a lot of cushion. Rich and paste like.

SOTD: Thursday March 2, 2017

Razor: Timeless (.94 gap)

Blade: Timor (3rd use)

Bowl: Jay's Clay 

Brush: St. James of London Badger

Pre-Shave: St. James of London Mandarin & Patchouli 

Cream: St. James of London Mandarin & Patchouli 

Aftershave: Clubman Pinaud 

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 8.5/10 for close DFS shave overall and BBS on face. The scent on the cream is weak, but the performance is excellent.

SOTD: Wednesday March 1, 2017

Razor: Blackbird from Blackland Razors 

Blade: Personna Blue (1st use)

Bowl: Jay's Clay

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze 

Soap: Platinum from Fine Accoutrements 

Aftershave: Platinum from Fine Accoutrements

Comments/Overall Thoughts: 9.5/10, first use of this razor. Going on pure aesthetics it is a piece of art. I have owned the black oxide version for 14 months, and I can say this razor does not disappoint (although I do miss the long handle). This one seems to be a smoother shave, but just as efficient. Rounding out the sharp corners on the head from the original design was also an improvement. As far as the software goes, Fine does a fine job with loading easily, cushion, and slickness. Smelling a few other artisans take on Creed Aventus, and so far this one ranks at the top for me.