What's new

Best of the Three T’s including D.R Harris

Hello there,

I am a brand new member to this forum so hello everyone!

I recently have got into traditional shaving and have been looking to invest in some of the most classic of gentleman shaving products that there is.

I have a straight razor from DOVO, a badger brush from Truefitt and Hill and shaving cream from Taylor of Old Bond Street. I have just ordered some Eucris shaving cream from Geo F Trumper to see how that compares.

With all of these options which products out of the 3 T’s in general are the best quality when it comes to:

1. Shaving brushes
2. Shaving soaps/creams
3. Razors
4. Aftershaves/colognes

Also if you had to pick one, including D.R. Harris in this, out of the 4 shops, which would you regard as the most classic and traditional and why?

Thank you.
 
Welcome to B&B.

I keep meaning to do a pilgrimage to Saint James's, but haven't got round to it yet. Looking at the pictures they all seem worth a visit, and Kevy Shaves and PaulHFilms videos on youtube are good viewing.

Fairly limited experience of all except the TOBS creams which are regulars in my circulation. I'm a definite fan of Cedarwood (and Peppermint, though that one's best kept occasional - it's not one for every day).
 
Good morning and welcome!

I am by no means an expert but I have tried soaps and creams from each of them and can't
complain about the performance of any of them.

But as far as tradition you can't beat D.R. Harris. Founded in 1790. The official chemist and
perfumer to the House of Windsor. I've read somewhere that "Arlington" is the preferred
scent of the recently Crowned King. I do like that they're still a tallow based soap as well.

And TOBS Sandlewood is a true gentleman's scent that I like in the colder months.

If you are looking to stay British and classic then you can't beat Simpsons brushes,
Edwin Jagger DE89 razor, or a British made vintage Gillette Tech.

Happy shaves!

I forgot to mention that Trumper's "Eucris" was mentioned in a "James Bond" book.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your responses! Interesting take on your cedarwood shaving creams! I need to try them!

D.R. Harris as the most classic and traditional? Not Truefitt and Hill being the oldest barbershop in the world though? I didn’t know that about Arlington! Yes, I have heard good things about Edwin Jagger.

What would you both say about brushes? As the best quality and why if you could compare.
 
I've been converted to synthetic brushes this past year and my go-to is the Rasorock
"Keyhole" plissoft. Some think it's to floppy, but I face lather with it most days using
mostly hard soaps.

That being said, I think for tradition and quality, anything from Simpsons in their "Best Badger"
level knot is amazing bang for the buck and breaks in nicely. And any inexpensive Omega boar
brush is about as classic as it gets.
 
D.R. Harris as the most classic and traditional? Not Truefitt and Hill being the oldest barbershop in the world though? I didn’t know that about Arlington! Yes, I have heard good things about Edwin Jagger.

Somehow, I was never that much attracted to Truefitt & Hill, I zeroed in on Taylor of Old Bond St. for a while, but when they started cutting back on their shaving soap range I switched to D.R. Harris, which became my English brand of choice.
If you want to go beyond England, but stay on the British Isles, there is Castle Forbes from Scotland, not quite as traditional as the other four, but very good.

For shaving Brushes from the UK, I would pick Simpsons rather then Vulfix (why incidentally own Simpsons nowadays). None of the above four make their own shaving brushes, so you might as well stay with one who actually makes them.

For straight razors, the British Isles have a long history, but if you look for current production straight razors you might find a broader range on the (European) continent - and Dovo would not be my first choice. For safety razors and shaving brushes you might again find a broader range on the continent.

Keep also in mind that the continent has a extensive selection of soaps, creams, after shaves, etc. that may lack a Royal Warrant (due to lack of royalty in these republics :001_cool:) but are excellent nevertheless.
’Supplier to the President of the Republic’ just does not sound the same, does it? (Besides that the person might no longer be in office after 4-5 years. :sneaky2:)


B.
 
I've been converted to synthetic brushes this past year and my go-to is the Rasorock
"Keyhole" plissoft. Some think it's to floppy, but I face lather with it most days using
mostly hard soaps.

That being said, I think for tradition and quality, anything from Simpsons in their "Best Badger"
level knot is amazing bang for the buck and breaks in nicely. And any inexpensive Omega boar
brush is about as classic as it gets.
Interesting… I may have to try the Rasorock and I am tempted to go for a synthetic due to being a better price and doesn’t take as long to dry and also the ethical element. Are there any badger brushes that are ethical? As in the badgers are killed humanely? There was a clip on YouTube where a woman who works at a Truefitt and Hill shop in Australia says that the badger hair is ‘ethically sourced’ is this a lie?

Are Simpsons brushes still made in the Saul? I read somewhere that they weren’t nowadays or is that wrong?

I have tried boar and for me it’s a little too hard for my liking but each to their own.
 
Somehow, I was never that much attracted to Truefitt & Hill, I zeroed in on Taylor of Old Bond St. for a while, but when they started cutting back on their shaving soap range I switched to D.R. Harris, which became my English brand of choice.
If you want to go beyond England, but stay on the British Isles, there is Castle Forbes from Scotland, not quite as traditional as the other four, but very good.

For shaving Brushes from the UK, I would pick Simpsons rather then Vulfix (why incidentally own Simpsons nowadays). None of the above four make their own shaving brushes, so you might as well stay with one who actually makes them.

For straight razors, the British Isles have a long history, but if you look for current production straight razors you might find a broader range on the (European) continent - and Dovo would not be my first choice. For safety razors and shaving brushes you might again find a broader range on the continent.

Keep also in mind that the continent has a extensive selection of soaps, creams, after shaves, etc. that may lack a Royal Warrant (due to lack of royalty in these republics :001_cool:) but are excellent nevertheless.
’Supplier to the President of the Republic’ just does not sound the same, does it? (Besides that the person might no longer be in office after 4-5 years. :sneaky2:)


B.
How come you were not that much attracted to Truefitt and Hill? I personally think their cologne Apsley is extremely pleasant and their Wellington badger brush I can’t complain about as it’ the one I use, no problems so far.

Interesting you say D.R. Harris is your go to. Why so? Are they better quality than the other 4?

You say the other 4 don’t make their shaving brushes but a quick google search showed T&H are made in the UK. Does that mean made in the UK but not by them? I also heard somewhere that Simpsons brushes were no longer made in the UK, is this wrong? Also is a Simpsons Super Badger and Silvertip much different? Is it worth just getting a silvertip?

What would be your first choice of straight razors? Why not DOVO?

Fair point about the warrant.
 
How come you were not that much attracted to Truefitt and Hill? I personally think their cologne Apsley is extremely pleasant and their Wellington badger brush I can’t complain about as it’ the one I use, no problems so far.

Interesting you say D.R. Harris is your go to. Why so? Are they better quality than the other 4?

You say the other 4 don’t make their shaving brushes but a quick google search showed T&H are made in the UK. Does that mean made in the UK but not by them? I also heard somewhere that Simpsons brushes were no longer made in the UK, is this wrong? Also is a Simpsons Super Badger and Silvertip much different? Is it worth just getting a silvertip?

What would be your first choice of straight razors? Why not DOVO?

Fair point about the warrant.


Q. How come you were not that much attracted to Truefitt and Hill? I personally think their cologne Apsley is extremely pleasant and their Wellington badger brush I can’t complain about as it’ the one I use, no problems so far.
A. Personal preference, I just liked Taylor and D.R. Harris better.

Q. Interesting you say D.R. Harris is your go to. Why so? Are they better quality than the other 4?
A. As I mentioned, when Taylor thinned out their range of shaving soaps, I found in D.R. Harris excellent products where shaving soaps and After Shaves/Eaux de Cologne performed very well and had a scent that I liked.

Q. You say the other 4 don’t make their shaving brushes but a quick google search showed T&H are made in the UK. Does that mean made in the UK but not by them?
A. Correct.

Q. I also heard somewhere that Simpsons brushes were no longer made in the UK, is this wrong? Also is a Simpsons Super Badger and Silvertip much different? Is it worth just getting a silvertip?
A. ‘I heard somewhere’ is just another way of saying ‘according to unconfirmed reports’.
What I would do if I wanted to find out is go to the Simpsons website, find their location and then locate it on (Google or other) maps.
Hint: You could simplify your search by finding out which country the country code of their telephone number belongs to.
As far as the various Simpsons hair grades are concerned, go to their website and check under ‘Brushes’. Among Simpsons badger brushes, many consider their Best Badger grade the best overall combination of backbone, softness and price. I should mention however that - while I have no problems - reports of shedding seem to be more common with Simpsons than with brands from the continent like Shavemac.

Q. What would be your first choice of straight razors? Why not DOVO?
A. Dovo razor quality is inconsistent and they don’t leave the factory anywhere near shave-ready according to my and many other shavers’ standards (although some people with different standards from mine claim they do). Part of this could be explained by lack of experience among the people making them.
I consider Aust, Böker and Wacker (plus some others) a better choice in this respect.



B.
 
Last edited:
Interesting… I may have to try the Rasorock and I am tempted to go for a synthetic due to being a better price and doesn’t take as long to dry and also the ethical element. Are there any badger brushes that are ethical? As in the badgers are killed humanely? There was a clip on YouTube where a woman who works at a Truefitt and Hill shop in Australia says that the badger hair is ‘ethically sourced’ is this a lie?

Are Simpsons brushes still made in the Saul? I read somewhere that they weren’t nowadays or is that wrong?

I have tried boar and for me it’s a little too hard for my liking but each to their own.
I don't know this to be the case all around, but badger is a food source in Asia and much of the hair for brushes
is a bi-product of the industry. Horse hair brushes are from hair removed during grooming.

The synthetic brushes are so easy to use, are more sanitary and less expensive. But I keep a few badgers and
boars around for variety. The Simpsons "Wee Scott" is a great travel brush if your more inclined to badger.

I think the Simpson brushes are still made in the U.K. but they moved production to the Isle of Man.
 
I think 2 and 4 are down to personal preference of their fragrances. If you’re ever in London, I thoroughly recommend visiting the stores - all close to each other and in a stunning part of the capital cocooned in its own historical cultural and architectural decadence.

1 has to be Simpsons, although I have a couple of Kent brushes.

3 has to be a quality vintage Wade & Butcher.
 
My preference is for DRH soaps. I get great lathers that are super slick and protective. TOBS hard soap is pretty good, but don’t care for their creams. Never tried the others.
 
Natural brushes are made from animal hair. Animal hair is naturaly porous and holds
moisture longer. At the proper temps, that grows things you don't want in small cuts
in your skin. Unless you keep the brushes clean.
Synthetics don't hold the moisture or the bacteria that the natural hairs do.

Not an issue if you let the brushes air out properly.
 
Last edited:
Welcome :)
this place is AWESOME but be warned its a fun deep journey but the end result will be the best shaving you have ever had by going down the shave hole !

I had a synthetic and did not like it at all and then got a RV Muhle STF (which is a synthetic by @Rudy Vey ) and WOW now my fav brush so like anything I think its all so personal so its bested my Semogue badger that was #1 before so even if you love badger or synthetic or boar you might need to try a few to find the ones you love the most

soaps love SV as do some others also love Captains Choice Cream and TOBS and really all the artisan are more alike than not and all are very good and close to each other so just comes down to trying everything you can :)

razors not into straights so cant say on that :)
for DE I am using a Timeless Ti loved the Wolfman and found some others nice also like the razorock models are insane nice for the sub $100 price
but just little things that made the Timeless work for me but I am trying to narrow down to one :)

for splashes the one thing I found is Neutrogena Hydro Gel boost cream as a game changer and makes any splash just amazing and the post is so good a good thread on it somewhere here :)

but as far as splash I love Old Spice :) Ethos is amazing stuff on its own but $ and SV again $ but amazing good stuff on its own but to me again the Neutrogena with any splash is best overall so its kinda the great equalizer to me
and for me with higher end splashes still not lasting I am putting that money into some EDT/EDP instead and just using cheap splash
balms ? Not a fan as they have this stay on me feel I do not like but they are popular also
also another thing is the menthol ! Not a fan but many love those that are mentholated

so get a few of each and see what ya love !


Upside to all this so many great options and no wrong choices and the buy sell here is awesome also
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
Natural brushes are made from animal hair. Animal hair is naturaly porous and holds
moisture longer. At the proper temps, that grows things you don't want in small cuts
in your skin. Unless you keep the brushes clean.
Synthetics don't hold the moisture or the bacteria that the natural hairs do.

Not an issue if you let the brushes air out properly.
If I understand you correctly you are saying that a clean natural brush is no less sanitary than a clean synthetic brush. I think that either natural or synthetic brushes can be sanitary or non sanitary, just like their owners. For me, the general statement that synthetic brushes are more sanitary is neither factual nor helpful and on this I respectfully agree to disagree👍
 
If I understand you correctly you are saying that a clean natural brush is no less sanitary than a clean synthetic brush. I think that either natural or synthetic brushes can be sanitary or non sanitary, just like their owners. For me, the general statement that synthetic brushes are more sanitary is neither factual nor helpful and on this I respectfully agree to disagree👍

There were two “ifs” in RobD57’s post:
1. “Unless you keep the brushes clean.”
2. “Not an issue if you let the brushes air out properly.”

Therefore the whole discussion is a non-starter for me and I don’t even have to dissect the question whether natural fibre is inherently less sanitary than man-made fibres.

Besides, I believe that some people overthink the question of microbes and bacteria.
Human skin has evolved over thousand of years, protects us pretty well, and our ancestors survived all kind of scratches rummaging through the forests.


B.
 
Great responses everyone and thank you all for your contributions and being so welcoming! The take away I get from this is that D.R. Harris are the way to go overall and Simpsons are the best brushes. Vintage razors are the way to go but yet, you have to be careful of the seller as many might be in bad condition propped up to look like they are not.
 
Top Bottom