Friday, October 31, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/31

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Arko Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette NEW SC
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

The Arko Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Merkur 15c Open Comb and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Mennen Skin Bracer after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Proposed Trade: It's a go.

I am in negotiations with a gentleman on TSD for a Schick Krona razor. He looked at my list of stuff and liked my Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap. We went back and forth, but I have decided that maybe it is a good trade. I have asked for photos of said razor. I can always get more soap.

October 31 Update:
The trade is on. He had two that I could choose from and I chose the one that was the older. It says Schick Krona on the top. I successfully removed the MFW from the bowl, wrapped it in waxed paper, sealed it in a plastic bag, and packed it for shipping. I will be shipping it out today, and he said he will be shipping the razor today. (shipped on both ends today)





Arrived today. November 4.









Shave of the Day - 10/30

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Arko Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette NEW SC
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

The Arko Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette NEW and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Aqua Velva Ice Blue after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/29

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Arko Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette Old Type
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

The Arko Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette Old Type and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Pinaud Clubman after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/28

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Arko Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette Old Type
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

The Arko Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. This was my first shave with the Arko, and apart from the smell, it was a fine shave. Two passes with my Gillette Old Type and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Mennen Skin Bracer after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Monday, October 27, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/27

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette English NEWtopia LC
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon  WH
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

The Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette English NEWtopia LC and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Aqua Velva Ice Blue after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/26

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette English NEWtopia LC
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

The Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette English NEWtopia LC and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Pinaud Clubman after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/25

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush
Gillette English NEWtopia LC
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Lemon WH
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

The Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my new Omega Pro 98 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette English NEWtopia LC and Personna Stainless blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Lemon WH and then Mennen Skin Bracer after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Friday, October 24, 2014

Open Comb Razors

Here are three of my four open comb double edged razors. From left to right: Gillette 20s Old Type with ball end handle, Gillette NEW with Bar Handle, Merkur 15c. The heads are very similar, but the Old Type is the most aggressive, the NEW is less aggressive, and the Merkur is rather mild.

Handle Diameters
20s Old Type .375"
Gillette NEW .45"
Merkur 15c  .375"



Shave of the Day - 10/24

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
TOBS Grapefruit Shaving Cream
Vie-Long 12704 Horse Hair Brush
Merkur 15c Open Comb
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

This is my third day with some new shaving stuff. The Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit face-lathered well with my new Vie-Long horse hair brush. It is still a little skritchy and smells like a horse's rear, but I can tell that it is fading. The Merkur 15c open comb razor performed flawlessly with the Personna Stainless Steel blade. After a cold water rinse and the Asma alum block, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel and then Pinaud Clubman after shave. It all ended with a close comfortable shave, and I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Merkur 15c Open Comb


The Merkur 15c is a three piece razor made in Germany. The head looks very similar to the Gillette Old Type. The handle is hollow, but the walls are thick, so it has a nice heavy feel. The razor is chrome plated and has a very nice finish. For an open comb razor it is surprisingly mild. It is much easier to shave with than the Gillette Old Type. Some have complained that the handle is too thin, but that is not an issue for me. It is the same as the Gillette ball end handle, .375". The razor is not too light nor too heavy. At 2.7 oz. it seems to be just right.


Shave of the Day - 10/23

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
TOBS Grapefruit Shaving Cream
Vie-Long 12704 Horse Hair Brush
Merkur 15c Comb
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

This is my second day with some new shaving stuff. The Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit face-lathered well with my new Vie-Long horse hair brush. It is still a little scritchy and smells like a horse's rear, so I am hoping that the smell will pass in time. The Merkur 15c open comb razor performed flawlessly with the Personna Stainless Steel blade. After a cold water rinse and the Asma alum block, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel and then Pinaud Clubman after shave. It all ended with a close comfortable shave, and I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/22

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
TOBS Grapefruit Shaving Cream (first shave)
Vie-Long 12704 Horse Hair Brush (first shave)
Merkur 15c Open Comb (first shave)
Personna Stainless Comfort Coated (first shave)
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

All the basics of today's shave were new to me. The Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit face-lathered well with my new Vie-Long horse hair brush. It was a little scritchy and smelled like a horse's rear, but I suspect that will pass in time. I had lathered with it and shampooed it before today's shave, butt it still smelled. However, the Merkur 15c open comb razor performed flawlessly with a new Personna Stainless Steel blade. After a cold water rinse and the Asma alum block, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel and then Mennen Skin Bracer after shave. It all ended with a close comfortable shave, and I am feeling fine and relaxed: ready for a new day.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Birthday Stuff Begin Arriving

Today stuff began to arrive. Pictured below are the Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit Shaving Cream (England), Vie-Long Horse Hair Brush (Spain), Merkur 15c Open Comb razor (Germany), and 100 Personna Stainless Steel blades (USA). I will be using this combination tomorrow. It will be an international shavefest. Reviews to follow.




I received the Omega Professional 98 long handle boar brush. It is very soft and has plenty of backbone. It is a very nice brush indeed.


I received a natural wood shaving bowl and two sticks of Arko. I pressed one into the bowl and labelled it with a cut out from the wrapper.

Shave of the Day - 10/21

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette NEW SC
Astra Superior Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

The Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Semogue 1305 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette NEW SC and Astra Superior Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Aqua Velva Ice Blue after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Monday, October 20, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/20

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette NEW SC
Astra Superior Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

The Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap face-lathered very easily with my Semogue 1305 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette NEW SC and Astra Superior Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Pinaud Clubman Bracer after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/19

Cold Water Shave

Dove Men's Face Wash
Cella Crema da Barba
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette NEW SC
Astra Superior Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Mennen Skin Bracer AS

The Cella Crema da Barba face-lathered very easily with my Semogue 1305 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette NEW SC and Shark Super Chrome blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Mennen Skin Bracer after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/18

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Cella Crema da Barba
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette Old Type
Astra Superior Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

The Cella Crema da Barba face-lathered very easily with my Semogue 1305 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette Old Type and Astra Superior Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Aqua Velva Ice Blue after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Friday, October 17, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/17

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Cella Crema da Barba
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette Old Type
Astra Superior Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

The Cella Crema da Barba face-lathered very easily with my Semogue 1305 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette Old Type and Astra Superior Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Pinaud Clubman after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Shave of the Day - 10/16

Cold Water Shave

Noxema Classic Clean
Cella Crema da Barba
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette Old Type
Astra Superior Platinum
CWR, Asma Alum Block
Thayers Rose Petal WH
Mennen SB AS

The Cella Crema da Barba face-lathered very easily with my Semogue 1305 Boar Brush. Two passes with my Gillette Old Type and Astra Superior Platinum blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, alum block, and a final cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayers Rose Petal WH and then Mennen Skin Bracer after shave. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Happy Birthday to Me

For my birthday, I used some birthday money and ordered three items I have been wanting for a while. I am about to run out of my Taylor of old Bond Street Lavender Shaving Cream, so I am replacing it with TOBS Grapefruit SC. I am anticipating the wonderful citrusy scent.


Next is the Merkur 15C open comb razor. It is a mild open comb razor that weigh in at about 2.5 ounces. The three inch handle should be interchangeable with some of my other 3 piece razors, or not. It is a German made razor of high quality.


Then, I am getting a Vie-Long horse hair brush. I have been wanting to try a good horse hair brush for a long time. I did get a Turkish #6 horse hair, but that is a very low cost brush. It is a good one, but not very dense. This brush is set in an acrylic handle.


arrived 10/21
arrived 10/21
arrived 10/21
arrived 10/21
arrived 10/21