Author Topic: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)  (Read 741807 times)

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1830 on: January 28, 2017, 03:32:57 PM »
Wholly Kaw - Fougère Bouquet
RazoRock 400 | Noir Plissoft
RazoRock Black Mamba | Feather New Hi-Stainless (1)


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1831 on: January 30, 2017, 08:04:48 PM »
The Club "El Gaucho" LE
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest
Star 1912 | Gem PTFE (1)


I've been on the fence to join "The Club" ever since the [REDACTED] Incident.  Ironically, if not for that, "The Club" may have never been on my radar.  Keeping my eyes peeled for an exclusive that would catch my eye, the promise of a yet to be released "Mobster" tipped me over.  After joining, I saw "El Gaucho".  Being a sucker not only for exclusives and limited editions, but leather as well, this was an easy first purchase.

The load and lather came easy and intuitively despite my hard water. With a moderately damp TGN knot, the load began making that sticky friction cue within a few seconds, but I continued to load for just under a minute to allow for enough for a head and face 3-pass shave.  When I load the knot this way, I can practically dunk it in my reservoir bowl without drowning it.  If done quickly, the soap repels enough of the water to prevent over-saturation, but allows enough into the gaps between the clumped hairs to promote good flow-through.  El Gaucho performed without exception with an almost immediate usable lather, but with patient slow alternating swirling and painting, it yielded a superior lather, skipping the large bubble stage. Not that it's all that imperative with the mild but efficient Star SE, but protection was excellent.  Slickness was as good as anything else in my den, enabling me to do a little touch-up with no visible lather.  As per my usual testing procedure, I applied the pulled lather to my skin and left it while I cleaned up my gear (about 2 minutes).  I experienced no adverse sensations, but rather was rewarded with a very good post-shave feel.

The paired splash is milky and slightly thicker than water and viscous. The alcohol is noticeable, but I wouldn't call it a sear.  It felt like it was soaking into my skin as opposed to just cooling and evaporating.  It left a very soft, moisturized feeling.

As to the fragrance, El Gaucho initially broadcasts a bold warm, spicy leather.  The other notes aren't as easily called out, but they clearly hold up the leather.  As the shave progressed, the leather transformed somewhat to a new buckskin fragrance that was sharpened by an almost bitter citrus.  Further in, the fragrance warms, mellows, and gets slightly heavier with musk and lavender.

The splash complements the soap, but it skips the buckskin suggestion and jumps immediately to a more identifiable mandarin and slightly smoky---not dirty---leather. Two hours out, the leather is still at the forefront, but it ages a bit, becoming a little oily and smoky as it subtly slips into a faintly woody lavender.  This is a very pleasant manly fragrance without being outright rugged.

Overall, "El Gaucho" made an excellent first impression.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1832 on: January 31, 2017, 07:01:57 PM »
Apropos.


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1833 on: February 01, 2017, 09:32:10 PM »
Van Yulay "Merc"
RazoRock 400 | Noir Plissoft
RazoRock Black Mamba | Feather New Hi-Stainless (1)


When I asked the Van Yulay proprietor to make a soap/splash set based on my favorite comic character, I doubt she anticipated the scent profile I would suggest: gunpowder and chimichangas!  She never missed a beat, and said she'd get back with me.  I can't believe what she came up with. 

You have to lather Merc to even begin to appreciate it.  Immediately while loading, there's a distinct smoky, but clean, metallic fragrance.  This note is never abandoned throughout the shave, but it takes on a softer, thicker, smoldering character mid-shave.  I really couldn't find the chimichanga, but I figured that might be a good thing.  I asked myself, "do you really wanted to smell like chimichangas?"  I answered myself, "probably not." However, Merc is more than a singular gunpowder fragrance. Late in the shave, I detected some sharp spiciness.  If this is sounding like Van Yulay's lovely "Hephastus", it does share some qualities, but where Hephastus' metallic smoke is set off with a sharp lime, Merc is softer and darker.

The paired alcohol-free splash has the signature Van Yulay creamy fragrance initially.  Every Van Yulay splash I've ever used has this short-lived scent, but it fades within minutes to reveal the intended fragrance.  Merc was no different, but it does get a little more interesting with time.  About an hour out, a discreet charred, peppery carne note came though and it melded with the gunpowder just enough to add depth to the character of the fragrance without actually smelling like food.  My wife generally prefers the spicier fragrances with my chemistry as opposed to florals and sweet fragrances.  She approves of Merc.

Merc incorporates one of Van Yulay's tallow formulas.  The dense slick lather is characteristic of the included clay, which I love.  The post shave is on par with my other favorite artisan soaps and I find a post product is rarely needed after a Van Yulay shave, but the splashes are so nourishing, it's a shame to skip them.

Merc exceeded my expectations both with regard to the fragrance and the slick labeling. Van Yulay is finally up to my standards for labels.  In the past, my biggest beef with Van Yulay, was the poor label execution.  The art was on point, but colors were often muddy with crushed blacks.  Many of the also arrived with scratches and bubbles.  Apparently the material has been upgraded because they are no longer easily scratched and Merc arrived free of bubbles.  As you can see in my amateur photograph, the color separation is perfect.  There are times I sound like a spokesperson for Van Yulay, but it's purely because I'm in love with the product.  I've never received one of their products without paying for it. 

As to recommendations, if you like Hephastus, but want something a little darker, Merc is your man.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1834 on: February 03, 2017, 09:15:29 PM »

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1835 on: February 06, 2017, 11:13:39 AM »
Catie's Bubbles "322"
drivenlegend Red & Black Acrylic | APShaveCo "Tuxedo" Synthetic 30mm
1912 Star | Gem PTFE (1)


Offline warhawk

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1836 on: February 10, 2017, 03:58:20 PM »
Hi Matt:  You are absolutely right.  I love my Weber DLC.  It has served me well.  I can honestly say that it will never ever leave my shave den.  It is that good of a shaver.  Text me when you find out when the RazoRock Black Mamba arrives.  I am very intrigued with that razor.

On a side note... kindly keep up with your SOTD posts, pics, and reviews . . . I thoroughly enjoy them.  Later my friend.

WARHAWK O0
Tough times don't last but tough people do!!!


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1837 on: February 12, 2017, 06:49:35 AM »
...Text me when you find out when the RazoRock Black Mamba arrives.  I am very intrigued with that razor...
Will do.  Joe's talking like it will cost less and will come with a titanium Halo handle.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1838 on: February 12, 2017, 06:50:08 AM »
L&L Grooming "Puzzle"
drivenlegend Red & Black Acrylic | APShaveCo "Tuxedo" Synthetic 30mm
1912 Star | Gem PTFE (1)


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1839 on: February 12, 2017, 04:55:31 PM »


Van Yulay "Merc"
drivenlegend Red & Black Acrylic | APShaveCo "Tuxedo" Synthetic 30mm
RazoRock Black Mamba | Feather New Hi-Stainless (2)


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1840 on: February 14, 2017, 06:01:28 PM »
Barrister and Mann - Night Music
drivenlegend Red & Black Acrylic | APShaveCo "Tuxedo" Synthetic 30mm
1912 Star | Gem PTFE (1)


Obligatory Night Music Valentine's post.  It's hard to be creative with the picture, because the packaging sort of speaks for itself.  This is a beautiful, sexy, filthy fragrance, and I'm so happy there's finally an EdT to go with it!

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1841 on: February 16, 2017, 08:31:49 PM »
L&L Grooming - Darkfall 2016
Rubberset 200-4 | Omega Boar
1912 Star | Gem PTFE (1)


Offline SlyCatCrossing

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1842 on: February 17, 2017, 01:18:15 PM »
Been awhile since I posted here.  Lately I've been sticking to my regular rotation of 63 travel tech, 37c slant, or 33c straight bar.  Playing around a bit with a hair shaper Shavette and a 1/2 de blade Shavette... Cut city haha.  I've also been experimenting with some different soaps/creams: proraso red, arko, and (haven't tried it yet) van yulay green Irish tweed.  I love proraso green and white but I'm on the fence with the red, it seemed to cause the razor to almost stick to my skin and not glide. Maybe the Shea butter?  Scent is on point though! Also a very big fan of fine American blend now.

That's all, just a brief update.
Bearded, Bald By Choice, and breathin' the Florida ocean air

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1843 on: February 18, 2017, 11:13:23 AM »
Lather Bros. "El Barbero"
drivenlegend Red & Black Acrylic | APShaveCo "Tuxedo" Synthetic 30mm
Gillette Pre-war Tech | Feather New Hi-Stainless (2)


Recently, a fellow wet shaver asked if anyone had yet tried Lather Bros.  He posted a pic of their flashy labels, and thus being a sucker for such things, I bit.

The 4 oz. soap was $11.99; the 4 oz. splash was 11.99; standard USPS shipping was 4.95.  I placed my order on Saturday, February 11.  I received a shipping confirmation the following Monday, and the package arrived at my home in East Texas via USPS the following Friday, February 17.  The products arrived in a generic cardboard box and were securely packed in packing peanuts.  Both the soap and the splash's lids were secured with perforated break-away seals.  Included as a throw-in was a silicone soap dish.  More on the soap dish later.

Since the lure was the packaging, I'll start there.  The labels do look as good in person as they do on their site.  They're bright and colorful even if they're a little busy.  The side label is welcomed and legibly denotes the product name as well as the logo and ingredients list (ingredients list for soap and splash can be found at the end of this review).  The side label is not perfectly centered, and one corner is abraded as if someone attempted to peel and re-try.  The top label is perfectly placed and without blemish.  The labels are, in fact, water-proof with a shiny luster.  I also note both the product name and company logo on the top label are slightly raised and have a different texture from the rest of the label giving the impression of a very thin decal, when in reality it's probably just a printing technique.  This overlay effect causes the logo and product name to stand out from the back ground.  It's a very professional job.

The jar is frosted and double-walled with an internal diameter of 81 mm.  It's 44 mm high without the lid and 47 mm with the lid. The opaque black lid is recessed with ribbed sides and has some flex and thus is not brittle. If my research pans out, the jar appears to be Olcott Plastics model JDSF0489PP.  The soap filled the jar to approximately 1 cm below the top.

The splash bottle is crystal clear and stands 108 mm high with the lid.  It's 53 mm wide and 32 mm deep.  The screw-top lid is black and ribbed.  It has separate front and back labels done in the same style as the matching soap.  The label execution is not quite as professional as that of the soap.  The labels are slightly crooked, and the front one is off-center.  The corners of said labels are also peeling.  Again, the peeling does not appear to be non-adhesion, but rather a failed attempt to remove the label.  It's a comparatively small detraction.  The flow limiter is effective allowing you to control pour the thin product into your palm without having to shake it out.

The dry consistency of the soap is that of a typical croap on the firmer end of the spectrum with an off-white even color.  The scent off the dry puck is a pleasant, clean, gentle, slightly powdery citrus with a hint of earth.  I loaded with the outstanding 30 mm Tuxedo knot courtesy of APShaveCo.  With a slightly damp knot, the soap loaded easily.  As per my usual technique, I aggressively loaded for about 45 seconds to accommodate for a 3-pass head and face shave.  There was only a minimal amount of wasted proto-lather as the usable product pulled into the knot.  I quickly dipped the tips into my reserve water and began face lathering.  The initial distribution was much thinner than I'd expected, but it very quickly expanded into a thick pillowy lather.  After switching to paint strokes, the lather transformed into the desired manageable dense substrate most of us prefer.  Meanwhile, the knot had doubled in size.

The protection was excellent and glide was on par with most of my other preferred artisan soaps.  Freshly shorn areas maintained some slickness, but nothing approaching that of the elite artisans.  Reconstituting with a wet palm didn't change this. It doesn't change the quality of the shave, but one would probably want to avoid touch-ups without visible lather.

The lathered fragrance of El Barbero is about the same as the off-the-puck scent.  It's somewhat uninspired, but I probably shouldn't have high expectations having ordered their "Barber Shop" scent.  They claim a "Miami feel" twist to the traditional barber shop, but I don't feel it.  It's pleasant, for sure, but it doesn't stand out among other artisans' citrus/earth/powder barber shop offerings.  The scent strength is bold enough for me, but others may prefer a little more punch.  I would call it a 3.5 out of 5.

After the shave, as part of my unprofessional method of testing, I smeared the pulled lather onto my head and face while I cleaned up the gear. I noticed no ill-effects or warmth or tingling.  After rinsing, my skin felt very soft, supple, and moisturized such that a post product is not essential even for my sensitive skin.

The aftershave splash felt great with just enough glycerin to facilitate distribution.  Despite the inclusion of aloe, I did not detect any tackiness.  Interestingly, as I review the ingredients, I see the inclusion of "menthol crystals".  I honestly do not recall any cooling sensation other than what I'd expect from any room temp liquid applied to my warm skin.  The splash's fragrance is a good match for the soap, and it may be a bit more citrus-forward.  About an hour later I detected a healthy amount of earthiness with hints of oakmoss, and the previously non-descript citrus became more specific to bergamot.  I can't speak to the staying-power of the fragrance because I fell asleep about 4 hours after the shave.  However, it did last at least that long.

A 3-pass head and face shave went quickly, and it was an overall pleasant shave.  The performance is one that most of us will be happy to revisit and keep in our ever-growing rotations.  As a first impression, I feel like Lather Bros., while not topping out the field of elite artisans, it is certainly better than average.  They're already far ahead of the curve with regard to packaging, and the performance, with only a little tweaking, could easily hold its own with the top-notch artisans.

Other than being based in Miami Lakes, Florida, I know nothing else about the artisan/company.  The "about" section on the website is incomplete.  They are on twitter and Instagram.  I have sent an inquiry via their site asking for a bio, but as of this writing, I've not heard back.

In addition to shaving soaps and aftershaves, Lather Bros. also makes tallow bath bars and non-tallow "shampoo" bars.  They offer a free silicone soap dish for signing up for their newsletter.  I did not sign up, but a soap dish was included in my order.  It's a pretty nice flexible silicone dish. It has replaced my rubber shelf-liner on which I place my razor while shower shaving.

Shaving Soap Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Coconut Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Guava Puree, Tallow, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate Essential Oils and Fragrance

Aftershave Splash Ingredients:  Stearic Acid, Coconut Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Guava Puree, Tallow, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate Essential Oils and Fragrance













« Last Edit: February 19, 2017, 04:28:22 AM by 120inna55 »

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #1844 on: February 19, 2017, 04:58:39 PM »
Barrister and Mann - 42
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest
Above The Tie S1 | Triad Rolling Hex 316 Stainless
Astra Superior Platinum (1)


 



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