SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)

[120inna55]

Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum
Brush: Ever-Ready 100T w/ TGN Finest
Razor: Early Gillette Tech
Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless(1)
Post: Derby City Chop Shop Small Batch Shave Tonic - Winter Reserve

This was a night of firsts:  First time ever experiencing a bay rum scent, and as a result first experience specifically with B&M's Bay Rum; first use of a Gillette Tech; first use of Derby City Chop Shop's Winter Reserve.

First off, the Gillette Tech.  It's an early Tech as evidenced by the triangular holes in the base plate.  For those that don't know, it's a hollow handle resulting in a very light razor.  This one took me by surprise.  I honestly couldn't feel the blade, but I could see the stubble disappearing.  I actually used a little pressure with my first pass because I felt like it was a bit too mild.  I was mistaken, and got some weepers for my trouble.  It turns out, for me at least, this is a pretty efficient razor and it's more aggressive than the feedback reveals.  I'll treat this razor differently next time, and there will definitely be a next time.  I'm overall quite pleased with its performance.

Barrister and Mann's performance was as expected:  excellent protection with a dense shiny lather and good slickness. Since this is my first experience with the bay rum scent in general, I can't speak to the accuracy of B&M's interpretation, but Will's reputation precedes him.  Bay Rum is like nothing else in my den.  The spicy is tempered well by the sweet such that neither is overbearing.  I would swear there is clove in this soap, but B&M's site says there is none.  It must just be the constellation of the spices that impart an essence of clove without it actually being there.  Most soaps that have this much spice tend to make my skin a little warm if not briefly red.  That wasn't the case with this.  This was a truly remarkable scent that I can't wait to use again.

I wasn't actually intending to purchase B&M's Bay Rum anytime soon, but I recently had the opportunity to purchase the Derby City Chop Shop Small Batch Shave Tonic Winter Reserve.  I asked my online buddies for a recommended soap to pair with the Derby City, and B&M's Bay Rum won out.  So, I kind of backed into the soap purchase.  While I was still enjoying the B&M, I splashed on the Derby City Winter Reserve.  Out of the bottle, this stuff smells like a sweet bourbon (think Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey).  It's an addictive scent in and of itself, but once I splashed it on, it really transformed.  Initially, I got a hint of coconut.  Not a fake "piña colada" scent, but rather a warm fresh cracked coconut milk.  Then a slightly woody bourbon scent overcame the coconut notes briefly before the complex spiciness took hold and persisted.  It felt good despite the tiny weepers.  There was an immediate warmth but it was comfortable and soothing and did not result in any flushing. This is aptly named, Winter Reserve.

As we look forward to our first freeze of the year in East Texas tonight, these products arrived just in time!

[120inna55]

Barrister and Mann - Le Grand Chypre | Semogue 1250 | RazoRock Stealth Slant V4 | Treet Platinum Super Stainless

Le Grand Chypre is absolutely incredible. The scent surpasses Hallows as my favorite B&M. It reminds me of a high-end gift shop in town. It starts as a complex citrus and sharp woody scent and unfolds with some leather notes (I'm guessing that's labdanum) and musk. It really is far too complex for me to convey. I'll just say it's elegant.

As to the performance, I honestly didn't expect much improvement beyond B&M's other soaps because they're already outstanding. If I understand it correctly, this is a new formulation. It may just be my imagination, but it seems a little more thirsty than the other B&Ms and resulted in more cushion. The slickness seems about the same. The post-shave, however, was at a new level. This soap surpassed MdC in my opinion.

[warhawk]

Thursday, December 3, 2015 SOTD

Razor:  Mongoose B1 w/ BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe Handle

Blade:  Feather Professional

Soap:  Cella!

Brush:  Semogue 610

Dessert:  Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

It has been awhile since I last posted.  I have been super busy and hope all is well with you and your families.  Just had a great shave today.  The past couple of weeks of I have been enjoying the RazoRock SMdF A/S.  Love this after shave splash.  The scent is amazing.

WARHAWK

[120inna55]

That's a nice shave, there, Mel!

[BaldBassMan]

@Warhawk, Do you buy any of that stuff here locally or do you order it all online?

[120inna55]

Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Beaver WoodWright - Jolly Roger
Brush: Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest)
Razor: RazoRock Stealth Slant V4
Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless(2)
Post: Beaver WoodWright - Jolly Roger
   
It's no secret I'm a sucker for limited editions and seasonals, and this season is replete with them.  The limited edition marketing scheme proved to be an effective vehicle introducing me to an artisan I'd never heard of.  A few weeks ago, the packaging and "limited" nature of "Ghost Ship" reeled me in, and I was blown away by Beaver WoodWright's performance.  Also a sucker for flashy packaging, I was compelled to pick up a couple of BWW's limited edition gift set, "Jolly Roger".  It turns out, my recent initial outing with BWW was no fluke.  BWW is a top performer.  Having used BWW with both badger and boar, I can confidently state that this is one of the easiest lathers out there.  It's easy to waste, though, because it's a pretty soft croap.  It's a little softer than RazoRock's croaps (not including SMdF which is practically a cream).  The softness is not a mark against it, but rather a note of caution especially for those of us that bloom everything.  Off the puck, Jolly Roger is a bright citrus scent with a subtle cinnamon undertone.  Once it's lathered, the citrus becomes more specific as a spicy orange.  About mid way through the first pass, cardamom* comes to the forefront.  Subesquent passes essentially hold that profile with perhaps more complexity with hints of red wine and darker, sharper spices and woody cinnamon.

I've seen no documentation suggesting the base soap formula changed, but Jolly Roger seemed slicker than Ghost Ship, and the post-shave feel seemed slightly better.  Regarding post-shave specifically, I have to say this at least rivals the likes of B&M's new "Glissant" formulation.  It really is that good! Additionally, my sensitive skin tends to be a bit dodgy with regard to cinnamon, often resulting in transient redness/flushing to raised red-hot scalding.  This was most definitely not the case with Jolly Roger soap or splash.  So cinnamon-sensitive wet shavers can probably be confident with a blind purchase.

The Jolly Roger splash is superfluous due to the remarkable protective and nourishing qualities of the soap, but I wanted the alcohol sear and more of the scent.  Initially it's the same scent profile as the soap, but it obviously unfolds more quickly.  About an hour later, the citrus, cardamom, and cinnamon became less sharp and took on a darker warmer profile.  That's not to say it became muted, however.  The Christmas-themed packaging notwithstanding, this scent shouldn't be confined to a "festive" profile.  This can easily be used year round, and I intend to do just that. The splash has excellent staying power, lasting at least 6 hours.

(*yep, that's the correct spelling)

[BaldBassMan]

Well, this would by my first SOTD post of my shave. I was lucky enough to have a friend at work pass along some extra stuff he had that just didn't work for him. This was my first time using a brush and a shaving soap bowl like this as well as a higher quality razor. What an absolutely amazing shave I had tonight, smooth and fresh, the best so far.

Soap: RazoRock XX
Brush Zenith Boar
Razor: Parker 99R Long Handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Aftershave: RazoRock XX

[120inna55]

Well, this would by my first SOTD post of my shave. I was lucky enough to have a friend at work pass along some extra stuff he had that just didn't work for him. This was my first time using a brush and a shaving soap bowl like this as well as a higher quality razor. What an absolutely amazing shave I had tonight, smooth and fresh, the best so far.

Soap: RazoRock XX
Brush Zenith Boar
Razor: Parker 99R Long Handle
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Aftershave: RazoRock XX

That is a quality shave, my friend!  Congratulations!

[warhawk]

@Warhawk, Do you buy any of that stuff here locally or do you order it all online?

I buy my shave gear on line.  My favorite on-line vendors are Bull Goose Shaving, The Italian Barber, Lee's Safety Razors, West Coast Shaving, Royal Shave, and Connaught Shaving.  On occasions . . . I get some good deals on Amazon. 

WARHAWK

[warhawk]

Saturday, December 12, 2015 SOTD

Razor:  iKON ShaveCraft #102 w/ BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe Handle

Blade:  Gillette Silver Blue

Soap:  RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore Firenze

Brush:  Semogue Owners Club

Dessert:  Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore

Enjoyed today's SOTD so much that I did not want it to end.   

WARHAWK

[120inna55]

Head & face shower shave. 3 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Barrister and Mann - Fireside
Brush: Kent V8
Razor: RazoRock Sealth Slant V4
Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless (2)
Post: Barrister & Mann - Hallows
Pay-off:  Remy Martin VSOP

As an early Christmas present to me, Fireside came in today. Just like Le Grand Chypre, it loaded quite easily.  Will explains that we might expect some increased slickness with this version of the Glissant base since it has "high-oleic safflower oil" in place of the sweet almond oil used in LGC.  Honestly, I can't detect a difference with this first use.  Frankly, I can't see how LGC can be topped in the first place.  Fireside performs at least as well as LGC, however.  It uses lots of water, and you can actually get a pretty thin layer down without sacrificing protection.  I don't know why, but this is how I prefer if when shaving my head.  It may be because I take long sweeping strokes.  I would imagine straight razor shavers would really like the Glissant base.

The scent is bold and complex as has been my experience with B&M soaps.  It's fairly sweet off the puck, but when lathered with a warm wet knot, woody notes come through the obvious brandy/cognac base.  Throughout the three passes, vanilla could be detected very faintly.  Like many of B&M's other soaps, this one is really so complex that I have a difficult time providing a detailed assessment of the scent notes with only one use. 

I think I understood the rationale for not making a paired aftershave is that the scent would linger too long.  There must be more to that story because I wouldn't mind this scent hanging around until my next shower.  Maybe it's because the "cognac oil" lingers beyond the other scents and results in a single-faceted annoying scent in the long term.

I decided to finish with Hallows. The unique cocoa notes from Hallows resulted in a surprising genuine Brandy Alexander scent.  I am loving this!

Merry Christmas!

[warhawk]

Hi Matt:  Merry Christmas to you also.  That is a great SOTD pic and thanks for the review.  I always enjoy them.  No Christmas SOTD but had a great Christmas Eve SOTD.  No pics but it was with:

iKON ShaveCraft #102 with iKON Tuckway Handle

Feather

Mystic Water Soap:  Bay Rum

Semogue 610

Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated FINE Fresh Vetiver

WARHAWK

[rodey201]

Getting ready for my Sunday shave!

[120inna55]

Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.     
Soap: Beaver WoodWright - Captain's Pipe
Brush: Semogue 1250
Razor: RazoRock Stealth Slant V4
Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless (3)
Post: Beaver WoodWright - Captain's Pipe

It's been a while since I've posted a SOTD.  The reason is that there's only so many ways I can take a picture of the same setup and software.  I've found it difficult to deviate from using the RRSSV4.  This is easily my all-time favorite shaver.  I really can't see how anything can be done to improve upon its performance.

I've had a similar conundrum with regard to soaps.  I can't seem to deviate from Barrister and Mann's Le Grand Chypre and Fireside and Beaver WoodWright's Jolly Roger.  I'm slowly finding that performance and post-shave far outweigh scent for me.  I've said it before, the aforementioned products could smell like manure, and I would still use them based on performance alone.  Fortunately, LGC, Fireside, and Jolly Roger all have outstanding scents.  So there's that.

My first exposure to Beaver WoodWright was with Ghost Ship, their limited release Halloween offering.  Prior to this, BW wasn't on my radar, but being a sucker for limited releases and packaging, I had to pick it up.  I really enjoyed Ghost Ship even though my initial impression of the scent was that of an orange push-up pop or sherbet.  Later impressions uncovered more complexity, and the performance was better than most.  Then along came Jolly Roger, another fancy packaging effort from Beaver WoodWright, so of course, I succumbed to the temptation.  JR's performance matched its presentation.  This was clearly a step above Ghost Ship and the condition of my scalp indicated it even rivaled B&M's new Glissant formula.  I contacted BW's proprietor, Kelly Hogan, inquiring about the obvious performance boost.  I'd become accustomed to artisans understandably touting their formula enhancements as they improve upon performance, but I had heard nothing about a change in BW's formula.  Kelly casually stated that he'd tweaked the temps and incorporated a new mixing technique that could have explained the difference.  He stated that he hadn't changed the formula.  It was just another example of an artisan making subtle changes that made a world of difference.  In my brief conversations with him, I got the impression he's a humble gentleman just trying to put out a good product.

For quite some time, I've sought the perfect pipe tobacco scented soap and splash.  When it comes to a Cavendish scent, you'll be hard pressed (forgive the pun) to surpass PAA's version with regard to both accuracy and longevity.  However, that same longevity is the reason I don't turn to it as often.  The sweetness of Cavendish can wear on me after a while.

I kept hearing good things about BW's Captain's Pipe which is supposed to elicit memories of Captain Black Cherry pipe tobacco.  I quickly found that this is a huge understatement.  Beaver WoodWright's Captain's Pipe smells exactly like Captain Black Cherry pipe tobacco!  If you want to know what this smells like without having to purchase a sample of the soap, drop by a tobacco shop and ask to sample Captain Black Cherry--that's exactly what you're getting with Captain's Pipe soap. I was just overwhelmed by the accuracy and subtly of the warm Virginia and Burley tobacco with perfectly blended black cherry, vanilla, and maple notes.  The scent unfolds and evolves throughout the day much like distance changes the dominant notes of the tobacco that influenced the soap.

The performance of Captain's Pipe was just like what I experienced with Jolly Roger, and Kelly confirms this new batch utilizes the new temperature and mixing techniques.  If you haven't tried Beaver WoodWright since these new techniques (presumably beginning with Jolly Roger), then you owe it to yourself to pick up some of the newer batches.  That's not to say the older batches were bad by any means.  They were definitely in my top 5.  Now, they're at least in my top 3.

The Captain's Pipe splash is more of the same scent…I mean a lot more.  If you don’t want to go all day smelling like Captain Black Cherry pipe tobacco, use the splash sparingly or skip it all together.  The performance of the soap precludes the perceived need for a post-product anyway.  Unfortunately, my wife only has a casual appreciation of the scent.  After I left for work, she got so sick of the lingering scent in the house that she felt the need to open the windows to air it out.  This is in the presence of mid day temperatures in the 50s here in East Texas.  I haven't yet figured out how to tackle that particular issue, but I don't see myself putting this soap and splash away.  This is exactly what I've been searching for in an aromatic pipe tobacco scented soap.

[120inna55]

Acqua Di Parma Collezione Barbiere | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | Mongoose B3 | Triad Rolling Hex Stainless | Kai Captain Titan Mild (1) | Acqua Di Parma Colonia