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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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