Shameful Lather

The review for today will be a short one. An artisan shave soap has refused to impress leaving me with irritation and an overall burn. There is no after photo because I am ashamed to show the result of what was an uncomfortable frustrating shave. The last photo is simply to show what was left of the already lame lather after it has dissipated during 10 minutes of shaving. Needless to say this soap will be going into the shower to spend the rest of it's life as a body soap, never to touch a knot of badger brush again.

Shaver- Gillette Slim adjustable
Blade-  Gillette Platinum
Brush- Everyready
Mug- Vintage old spice
Soap- Camamu artisan soap

A Little Something Different

Taking a break from the constant shaving review I have something slightly different to share. While not a documentation of a great shave, still relevant to wet shaving. I recently purchased a small tin "shaving cabinet". It is designed to hang on the wall and provide a place to store a couple shavers, brush, and extra blades while also offering a mirror in which to view your shave. It came into my possession in less than exemplary shape, so a restoration is in order. Que the chemical paint stripper and a mugful of elbow grease.

Stay tuned for more progress.

Williams Shave Soap

Among the many items I purchased during our short trip to Portland was a new old stock puck of William's Mug Shave Soap. Emblazoned  across the box is a profound statement and the companies motto "Famous For its Lather". I toyed with the idea of trying the soap whilst a small nostalgic part of me restrained that thought. I have always been a collector but in the end I do like to play with my collections whether it be old film cameras, bicycles, mopeds, or vintage razors. So begins the review of a fine vintage soap...

3 passes:
     -With the grain
     -Across the grain
     -Against the grain

Razor- Gillette Aristocrat
Blade- Gillette Silver Blue
Brush- Unknown vintage brush
Mug  - Unknown vintage glass mug
Soap - NOS William's Mug Soap

The shave started by soaking one of my favorite brushes in a bath of hot water. I released the old puck of William's soap from it's soggy paper, into a mug where it was then moistened with just a few drops of warm water. Much to my delight with just light swirling the soap came alive and began to develop a momentous lather! Once satisfied with it I began applying. The lather was smooth, yet thick with an extremely slick feel to it. On the first pass it would have been hard to guess that a weeks worth of beard growth was in front of the blade as it glided across, quietly vanquishing every whisker in it's path. With the second pass, still absolutely no nicks, or burn. Onto the third, minor irritation and just a few nicks. As more experienced wet shavers had warned me about William's soap, I had found something truly great. The day that William's puck runs out will be a sad one. As a complete shave it has earned a fantastic 9 out of 10.

Enjoy the photos, As no words can describe the experience.

Thank you Portland

It's become a regular vacation for my girlfriend and myself to take a short two day trip to Portland OR. It is close enough to our home here I'm Everett Washimgton but far enough away to be an escape from the grind. Needless to say when we are there I become arnica antique store shopper. I found a few interesting shaving items this time around, but the most interesting piece I found at the very last antique shop. Viewing it under a pile of ratty shaving brushes, Schick injector razors, and led blades this razor didn't stand out from the crowd. Once the other items were cleared away I realized what was in my midst. It turned out to be a three piece razor made entirely out of what looks like brown Bakelite. After a little polish it was given back the original shine that it once boasted. 

Schick Injector

Today's shave was disappointing. The shaver was a Schick Injector with what are supposedly "Personna" blades. Needless to say there was so much tugging and missing hairs that I stopped halfway through, only to Finnish with one of my Gillette shavers. 

Mint Condition

My 24th birthday yesterday came with some very cool gifts. One of the most interesting is a silver colored Gillette 3 piece. It appears to never have been used and still has the paper card telling how to install the blade.

Schick Repeating Razor

   This mornings shave is thanks to one of the more interesting shavers that is in my collection. It is a Schick type C Repeating razor. You load blades into a magazine that is in the handle, pull a lever action, and the blade loads itself into the razor head while simultaneously ejecting the old blade. I took a short video of how it functions.

Today's Shave
     -Schick Type C repeating razor
     -Unknown blades
     -Proraso Green with menthol and eucalyptus
     -Ever Ready brush
     -Dove Men +Care after shave balm

     The shaving caliber for this morning is tough to rate. One factor that makes for a bias review is that I shaved a second time around against the grain. Proraso green makes for a refreshing sensation that leaves your skin feeling soothed. I give the repeating razor a 5 out of 10 due to a few key factors. The head and blade are both very small so keeping the shaver at the correct angle can be challenging. Another draw back comes from the design of the guard. It does not clear trimmed whiskers very efficiently which results in clogging, causing the blade to glide over your face without cutting. Other than those two cons I found the razor to function well in tight spots and was relatively easy to maneuver. The brush used today is one of my stiffest bristled brushes, this comes in handy when you really want to exfoliate and get up under each and every whisker.

 

First Shave

     Today's shave:

          -Gillette adjustable Shaver (great for when you have some grow-out)

          -Gillette "Silver Blue" razor

          -Proraso Red with Sandalwood and Shea Butter

          -Fuller U.S.A. Badger Brush

          -Dove Men +Care after shave balm 

     This shaver handle offers the ability to adjust the space between the blades edge and the bottom guard. This is very helpful when you need to shave through a tough bit of grow-out. The Gillette razor gave a comfortable, and smooth shaving experience coupled with an intense growl as it demolished my scruff. I give this blade a 7 out of 10 star rating. Proraso Red smells enticing and makes for an extremely slick surface for the razor to glide across, not to mention it lathers up fantastic. The brush I used which is not pictured is a vintage find from an antique store and it is one of my favorite brushes. It has an interesting two tone translucent handle with an exceedingly soft badger knot.

 

Stay Smooth

     -Aron

Unboxing

I was presently surprised to find some cool items when I opened the box from Razor Emporium. They included an actual newspaper add from 1958! That is definitely getting framed and hung up. I may have slightly underestimated the amount of razors that I was purchasing but that just means that I will have a lot to test.

Stay Smooth
     -Aron

Teaser

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