Hi, gang!
After 18 months of sampling at least 80% of the popular items on this forum, the dust has finally settled and I’ve gotten the gear that works best for me. While it would be near foolish to claim this is the best gear in existence, I can fairly confidently say that nothing else out there is clearly better.
I’ve also settled on a simplified shaving routine. A single with-the-growth pass every other day after a hot shower gets me smooth enough for the girl I know and keeps all irritation at bay. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Now the gear. Some expensive, some cheap, but every item is (to me) the best in its class, and all of them combined cost far less than everything bought along the way. Such is this journey.
Timeless Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb (plus the .95 OC plate)
What can I say that hasn’t been said a thousand times? This razor with the .68 plate gives one of the smoothest shaves you’ll ever experience, and the .95 plate provides just a hair more blade feel for occasions when you want to mix things up a bit. The open comb leaves plenty of lather behind for those who love to buff.
Gillette Nacet Stainless
It was tough admitting to myself that I like this blade more than my Feathers, Med Preps, and Astra SPs, but the truth is I do. It starts off smooth and sharp and stays that way. It works equally well in both plates and never, ever, bites.
Semogue 610 Boar
Holy friggin’ crap, this is a fantastic brush! The 610 made me purge my synthetics and my sole remaining badger, and caused me to buy several other boars just to compare. It also fully converted me to face lathering. A close second to the 610 is my Semogue Taj Boar. I love the way it feels, but it’s just a bit larger than I like for face lathering.
Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary
I didn’t like this soap at first because I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to smell like. I was too used to all the soaps that claim to smell like familiar things — barbershops, rums, tobaccos, popular colognes, the ocean — and 70th didn’t smell like any of those. I finally accepted it for the clean fresh scent it is and now I’m kinda sorta put off by soaps that try to mimic other smells. Scent aside, the lather and slickness can’t be beaten by anything, except maybe other SV soaps. I rate my SV Cubebe about a quarter inch behind 70th, overall, mainly because I think 70th compatible with more aftershaves.
Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary
It smells like the soap, goes on like a light cooking oil, quickly dries with zero tackiness or oiliness, and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth all day. The same is true of my Cubebe aftershave, so I know it’s not a fluke. SV seems to have perfected their craft.
I do still have other gear, but most goes unused and will soon be part of a final purge. Things I’ll likely keep on hand include: 1964 Gillette Slim (my go-to travel razor); Feather, Med Prep, and Astra SP blades (I do really like them); Semogue Taj Boar (it just feels so nice, even if it’s a bit big for face lathering); Proraso Green cream (it was the first soap I bought and I love the way it smells…also used for travel); and several aftershaves, too numerous to mention, with Acqua di Parma and Floïd Blue leading the second string.
Newer items I’m interested in include the new Mühle R41 GS and the Semogue Torga Premium Boar.
That’s it for now folks. Thanks for reading, and I wish you well on your own shaving journey!
After 18 months of sampling at least 80% of the popular items on this forum, the dust has finally settled and I’ve gotten the gear that works best for me. While it would be near foolish to claim this is the best gear in existence, I can fairly confidently say that nothing else out there is clearly better.
I’ve also settled on a simplified shaving routine. A single with-the-growth pass every other day after a hot shower gets me smooth enough for the girl I know and keeps all irritation at bay. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Now the gear. Some expensive, some cheap, but every item is (to me) the best in its class, and all of them combined cost far less than everything bought along the way. Such is this journey.
Timeless Stainless Steel .68 Open Comb (plus the .95 OC plate)
What can I say that hasn’t been said a thousand times? This razor with the .68 plate gives one of the smoothest shaves you’ll ever experience, and the .95 plate provides just a hair more blade feel for occasions when you want to mix things up a bit. The open comb leaves plenty of lather behind for those who love to buff.
Gillette Nacet Stainless
It was tough admitting to myself that I like this blade more than my Feathers, Med Preps, and Astra SPs, but the truth is I do. It starts off smooth and sharp and stays that way. It works equally well in both plates and never, ever, bites.
Semogue 610 Boar
Holy friggin’ crap, this is a fantastic brush! The 610 made me purge my synthetics and my sole remaining badger, and caused me to buy several other boars just to compare. It also fully converted me to face lathering. A close second to the 610 is my Semogue Taj Boar. I love the way it feels, but it’s just a bit larger than I like for face lathering.
Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary
I didn’t like this soap at first because I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to smell like. I was too used to all the soaps that claim to smell like familiar things — barbershops, rums, tobaccos, popular colognes, the ocean — and 70th didn’t smell like any of those. I finally accepted it for the clean fresh scent it is and now I’m kinda sorta put off by soaps that try to mimic other smells. Scent aside, the lather and slickness can’t be beaten by anything, except maybe other SV soaps. I rate my SV Cubebe about a quarter inch behind 70th, overall, mainly because I think 70th compatible with more aftershaves.
Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary
It smells like the soap, goes on like a light cooking oil, quickly dries with zero tackiness or oiliness, and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth all day. The same is true of my Cubebe aftershave, so I know it’s not a fluke. SV seems to have perfected their craft.
I do still have other gear, but most goes unused and will soon be part of a final purge. Things I’ll likely keep on hand include: 1964 Gillette Slim (my go-to travel razor); Feather, Med Prep, and Astra SP blades (I do really like them); Semogue Taj Boar (it just feels so nice, even if it’s a bit big for face lathering); Proraso Green cream (it was the first soap I bought and I love the way it smells…also used for travel); and several aftershaves, too numerous to mention, with Acqua di Parma and Floïd Blue leading the second string.
Newer items I’m interested in include the new Mühle R41 GS and the Semogue Torga Premium Boar.
That’s it for now folks. Thanks for reading, and I wish you well on your own shaving journey!