SOTD: Wednesday February 28, 2018

Razor: Mühle Rocca

Blade: Rapira (2nd use)

Brush: Mühle 70th Anniversary Silvertip 

Soap: D.R. Harris Marlborough 

Aftershave: D.R. Harris Marlborough 

Initial Impressions: For those interested in this razor the consensus is that it is between the DE89 and R41 in terms of aggressiveness and I would agree with that assessment; maybe a tad more on the aggressive side in my honest opinion. Overall it did deliver a smooth shave.

SOTD: Sunday February 25, 2018

Razor: Timeless Titanium .95

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (3rd use)

Brush: Mühle 70th Anniversary Silvertip Badger 

Soap: Wickham Soap Co. Club Cola 

Aftershave: Wickham Soap Co. Club Cola 

Initial impressions: The shaving experience with the titanium is consistent with the stainless steel version. Although I prefer the aesthetics of the stainless steel version I find the weight more ideal on the titanium. The balancing point on the stainless steel version is half way down the handle and on the titanium version about one-third of the way down the handle. 

The brush’s knot is set just right and craftsmanship flawless. No chincy sticker that will wear off in a matter of weeks. The only odd thing is how heavy the chrome base makes it. With a little time and muscle memory it probably just gets a little getting used to. 

Once again these are initial impressions and are subject to change.

Mail Call

With my annual bonus I decided to not only book a vacation and stash some away, but decided to treat myself to shaving items I’ve been excited for. From @timelessrazor the titanium .95 and from @muehleusa the stainless steel Rocca and 70th anniversary silvertip brush.

SOTD: Saturday February 24, 2018

Razor: Karve Shaving Chris Bradley Razor (C Plate, 3.5” handle)

Blade: Personna Blue (2nd use)

Brush: Rich Hansen Custom Handle, 24MM Synthetic Tuxedo Knot 

Soap: Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux Gratiot League Square 

Aftershave:  Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux Gratiot League Square 

The Karve razor has became one of my new favorite razors, personally finding this plate and handle length to be ideal for an efficient and smooth daily shave. This along with the soap and splash delivered one hell of a shave, baby butt smooth level achieved. 

SOTD: Friday February 23, 2018

Razor: RazoRock Titanium BabySmooth 

Blade: Feather (3rd use)

Brush: That Darn Rob “Old Cahaba”

Soap: Scent Test #1

Aftershave Balm: The Stray Whisker After Balm 

Friday quick two pass with an enjoyable soap. 

SOTD: Thursday February 22, 2018

Razor: Rex Supply Co. Ambassador 

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2nd use)

Brush: Yaqi Boar Hair

Soap: Stirling Baker Street 

Aftershave: Stirling Baker Street

1953 Gillette Super Speed

I found this at a local antique store over the weekend. When I looked up the date code I was pleasantly surprised to find out it my dad’s birth year razor.

SOTD: Sunday February 18, 2018

Razor: West Coast Shaving Midnight Series 

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2nd use) 

Brush: West Coast Shaving Beacon Black Synthetic 

Cream: Proraso Red 

Aftershave: Proraso Red 

Testing new candidates for gym bag regulars. I’ve always enjoyed Proraso’s aftershaves but the soaps and creams always smell artificial and cheap to me, although I can’t argue with their value. I think I’ll throw Stirling Sharp Dressed Man back in the gym bag for next time.

SOTD: Saturday February 17, 2018

Razor: Karve Shaving Co. Chris Bradley (C plate, 3.5” handle)

Blade: Personna Blue (2st use)

Brush: Yaqi Boar Hair 

Soap: Lakewood Soap Co. Bacchanal 

Aftershave: Brut Dominant 

First use of the boar brush and the infamous Brut Dominant. My initial impressions on the boar brush are that the knot is the ideal size and set right versus something like the Omega Professional series with the longer floppy knots. Although Yaqi’s synthetic brushes seem to be more competitively priced than their boar brush which came in at $17.86 and in this particular area Omega tends to have the edge on value. 

Awesome scent, performance and post on this limited edition soap and Brut Dominant which had some decent strength out of the bottle. 

SOTD: Wednesday February 14 and Thursday February 15, 2018

Razor: Timeless .95

Blade: Crystal (2nd use)

Brush: That Darn Rob “Old Cahaba”

Soap: Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux Gratiot League Square  

Aftershave: Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux Gratiot League Square  

I was very excited to try this given my experiences with Declaration Grooming and Chatillon Lux. The soap is consistent with what I’ve had in the past from them-easy to lather, solid consistency and sheen. The top notes of leather and musk come out of the soap immediately, although not as heavy on the leather as Declaration’s Cur et Épices. The aftershave is highly concentrated and I make a habit to add a couple drops of water to my hand before applying. I’m looking forward to seeing what the staying power is with this splash (and my previous experience with Chatillon Lux it has been good).

SOTD: Tuesday February 13, 2018

Razor: Rex Supply Co. Ambassador 

Blade: Crystal (1st use) 

Brush: Omega Boar Hair 

Soap: Soap Commander Honor 

Aftershave Balm : Soap Commander Honor 

Probably my favorite artisan balm hands down.

SOTD: Saturday February 10 and Sunday February 11, 2018

Razor: Blackland Razors Blackbird 

Blade: Personna Red (3rd use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 22MM in Bronze 

Soap: Barrister & Mann Reserve Spice 

Aftershave: Barrister & Mann Reserve Spice 

Pulling out some of the reliable performers.

Collection Sneakpeak

So thankful for IKEA.

SOTD: Friday February 9, 2018

Razor: Karve Shaving Co. Chris Bradley Razor, C Plate

Blade: Personna Red (1st use)

Brush: Frank Shaving 26MM Silvertip Badger 

Cream: Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood 

Aftershave Gel: Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood 

My new favorite razor to recently work its way in my regular rotation, smooth and efficient I haven’t had a bad shave with it yet.

SOTD: Thursday February 8, 2018

Razor: RazoRock Titanium BabySmooth 

Blade: Feather (4th use)

Brush: Tampa Shave Co. 24MM Synthetic 

Soap: Mickey Lee Soap Works Agora Xyrisma 

Aftershave: Mickey Lee Soap Works Agora Xyrisma

The best Drakkar Noir inspired soap and splash combo out of the few I have tried, also delivering on residual post feel. When I initially used the BabySmooth razor the other day I used this same Feather blade on it's first use giving me a few decent nicks; today it was much smoother.

SOTD: Tuesday February 6, 2018

Razor: 1966 Gillette Flare Tip (restored by Delta Echo)

Blade: Feather (2nd use)

Brush: West Coast Shaving Beacon Black Synthetic 

Soap: Barrister & Mann Reserve Spice 

Aftershave: Barrister & Mann Reserve Spice 

Picking this up from my local brick and  mortar this was my favorite scent in the Reserve line up; classic and masculine but not your grandpa’s Old Spice. I was told this would be a lather that would be in my top 5 and I found that to be the case with the lather consistency and performance being similar to that of Declaration Grooming (formally L&L).

SOTD: Monday February 5, 2018

Revisiting Maca Root

Razor: Timeless .95 

Blade: Personna Blue (3rd use)

Brush: Maggard Synthetic 24MM, Marble Handle 

Cream: The Body Shop Maca Root 

Aftershave: The Body Shop Maca Root 

Since around the beginning of the year I have been putting more emphasis on ingredients and soap bases rather than the “this smells nice,” factor. How well does it perform and more importantly (for me) how well is the post feel. This is why soaps like Barrister & Mann and Wholly Kaw (among many others) have made their way in my regular rotation. 

In the past I would describe Maca Root as “an old lady’s moisturizer” or “grandma’s skin scream.” It getting buried under a mountain of soaps and creams on my bathroom shelves only being pulled out when I made a point to use it. 

Anyways back to my original point if you’re still reading this. I pulled this out keeping in mind it’s skin nourishing properties that Maca Root is known for. The lather whipped up rather quick in my relatively hard water with great consistency. Above mid range slickness with plenty of enough cushion for the efficient but smooth Timeless .95. This provided a wonderful nick-free shave with the lasting post feelI was looking for. 

SOTD: Saturday February 3, 2018

Razor: Karve Shaving CB Razor (C Plate)

Blade: Personna Blue (1st use)

Brush: That Darn Rob “Old Cahaba”

Soap: Wholly Kaw Monaco Royale 

Aftershave: Wholly Kaw Monaco Royale 

I’ve been really enjoying the new razor and this particular bottom plate gives a similar experience to what a slightly more aggressive DE89 or Gillette Tech would be. Only gripe is the blade overhang, if the head was about 1/16” longer on both sides that would be ideal. I also like being able to pick your bottom plate and handle length giving you the chance to customize the razor to your preference (in this case I went with the C plate which has a .85 gap and 3.5” handle). This is very much a similar system to what Rockwell has only a cooler looking razor. 

New Razors in the Den This Week

West Coast Shaving Midnight, The Christopher Bradley razor from Karve and the Titanium BabySmooth from RazoRock.