Items by Steerpike

I'll be clear from the outset- I really don't like this fragrance. Now I'll go into more detail: Topnotes: As soon as I put it on, I'm greeted by a strong odour of cigarette smoke on clothing, mingled with the kind of perfume worn by older ladies who want to seem a lot more "upper crust" than they really are. So now we have the scent of a pretentious, chainsmoking hag with a slapped a**e face and a string of pearls hanging around us. I think there's some lemon and bergamot in there too...

Pleasant cologne, although like some of their other colognes it does smell a little dated. That said, to many younger people it may be so unfamiliar a style as to avoid the "old fasioned" sort of reaction, and maybe will smell less dated than some of the fragrances of the 70's, for example. I like the very natural smell this has to it- like all Trumpers fragrances, it smells like it has been made from essential oils and aromatic waters, rather than chemicals created in a laboratory...

The scent of this cologne is very old fasioned, most would probably say dated. That said it has a majestic, complex quality that is quite enjoyable, and if "vintage" is your thing, I imagine this cologne will be right up your street. Curzon street to be precise... The topnotes are mostly floral, hard to pick out any specifics, but there's a bit of orange flower here. Is there the faintest whiff of lime when you put it on? The heart seems quite spicy, with a spicy sweetness to it that...

This really is the best leather cologne out there. What the scent of Imperial Leather soap aspires to be, this cologne is. Wonderfully complex, unashamedly manly, yet refined and genteel, this really is the best. The packaging is the best I've seen too- seriously classy in an old fasioned bottle with a crown shaped stopper. None of your poncey atomisers- you just shake out a few drops and slap it on. I like to shake a few drops onto my chest before I put my shirt on, and rub it in with...

This is a perfectly good shave cream, lathers up nice and rich, does not dry on the skin, and has reasonable moisturising qualities. It also feels a tiny bit cooling, although I don't think it contains menthol. It doesn't soften stubble as well as some, and the lubrication isn't the best, but apart from that its OK. The scent however is not to my taste- very modern, although it doesn't smell so synthetic as the other scents in this style. I think I'll give this to my brother, I'm sure...

I got a bottle of this as one of the first in my recent exploration of Fougeres, and it hasn't dissapointed me. It's a massive cut above Brut in terms of the scent- it smells like quality, the very highest quality, very natural. The scent is a little less complex perhaps, starting briefly with citric topnotes, then the lush, green scent in the middle, and a hint of sandalwood in the base. There's a little Lavender in there too, but it just serves to bring out the herbal smell of it. But...

Got a stick on ebay because I love the hand soap so much. The hand soap as it is currently made reminds me a lot of Trumpers Spanish Leather, but obviously made with much cheaper fragrances and with more emphasis on rose in the smell. I like it a lot, and for the price (£1.75 for 4 bars!) it's a deal. The stick is ancient, it cost 12p when new (price sticker is still there!) and has no listing of weight, best before or ingredients. It was unused, and came in foil in a cardboard box much...

Got this have stick along with the aftershave, I don't know why it took me so long to get round to reviewing it. I don't know if it's the same soap as in the bowl, so I've started a new review for it. The price is alright, the cheaper end of what you'd epect for a "posh" product. The quality of the soap is good too- although it behaves rather differently to most. It is quite soft and "slimy" when wet, and this coupled with the hugeness of the stick means that you get a lot on your face...

Lovely stuff, the sweet scent is delightful first thing in the morning, gives me an appetite for breakfast. Somehow despite the sweetness it doesn't smell feminine, despite the Amaretto association. Trumpers are wizards with the fragrances. It lathers up as rich as you like, a smooth, creamy lather that doesn't dry out while you strop the razor. Provides excellent lubrication and beard softening for a really smooth shave, leaves the skin feeling really good, noticably really good. Maybe one...

Part of the kit I'm assembling for my friend, had to test shave with it of course, so here's the results: Price: just over £5 -can't fault it! Needed quite a bit of cleaning up though, but it's now quite sparkly, with no deep corrosion marks. Craftsmanship- nothing fancy, but it all fits together just fine, everything works, hinge moves smoothly but not at all loose. The jumps are nice and even, the grinding is well excecuted, and the engraving on the handle is really smart. As you...

This is a hone I got on behalf of a friend, for whom I'm gathering the tools to start straight razor shaving. Didn't cost me much (ebay!) but postage from America took a while. It's an excellent quality piece of kit- the carborundum company was always well respected in their time as a supplier of the finest quality abrasives. It was a bit grubby, but the dirt cleaned off when I lapped it, leaving a lovely smooth honing surface. It is quite a hard grit, so lapping won't be required for...

The Exide combo is an excellent hone, it does the job quickly and well, and is a breeze to use. I'd recommend it to a beginner over the waterstones, as it is easier to use, much less expensive, and compact. The hone is grey and glittery on the coarser side, and glossy black on the other. I'd estimate the coarse side something like 3-4K in waterstone grit terms. The black side is very smooth, maybe 6-8K, (just my subjective judgement based on the scratch pattern etc), but used with...

This is one of my favourite razors. I paid £10 for it (grudgingly, my most ornate razor cost less!) but on further consideration, you pay much more for the plainest new Dovo, amd this razor was almost new. Made in Sheffield by J. Hatfield & Co. It had a trace of tarnish on the tang, but this came off with a little autosol, and the whole blade came up really sparkly. It didn't seem to have been used much, hone wear was absolutely minimal. The blade is fully hollowed, almost as much...

Another blade I paid a fiver for, took 5 mins to tune, and have been getting consistently brilliant shaves from ever since. It is a Bonsa Extra Hollow Ground (not a brand I've heard of before or since), 5/8, "real Sheffield steel forged and real hollow ground in Germany". The blade looks like it is overworn toward the toe, but this must be the angle I took the photo at. The wear is even, if a little heavy. There is a reason it has had so much use- it is an excellent razor...

I paid £4.50 for this razor. I'm thinking it's from around 1880, but would love an expert's opinion on this. There are people spending twice what I paid for this for a box containing 24 tiny blades, encased in pieces of plastic. About a month later, they have to throw them all away and buy some more. This razor has "everlasting" stamped on the tang, and I don't think this is false advertising at all: How many chins have been left glassy smooth by this beast, and it's still...

Southern & Richardson, Sheffield "Shaveesi", 6/8 hollow ground. I got this on ebay for about £20, the most I've spent on a razor. It looked lovely in the photos, but looks didn't convey the whole story. The box I made myself, I like these tube boxes, they protect the razor and hold it shut. Simple and functional! The scales are albalone, with a lining of a layer of plastic, and a layer of aluminium. This makes them quite heavy, and that's the only problem with it. The blade is...

Here's the first razor I got. I paid £5 for it in an antique shop in Wales, a price I really can't fault. "John Sellers and Sons, Arundel St, Sheffield". It is a really heavy wedge ground razor, feels like a meat cleaver when you pick it up, I like it! There are no jimps or serrations on the tang, so I'd advise against using it with lathery slick hands. Wipe them on the towel first. This razor holds as good an edge as any I own, and it hold it for a LONG time, which is just...

I bought a box of these on a flea market for a few quid. No complaints about the price then! They come in attractive little boxes, like a matchbox, with a waxed paper wrapper, each one individually labelled. It looks very old fasioned, I like it! It has kept in perfect condition, however old, perhaps due to the "formulation antiseptique". This, along with the fact that a stick of compounds lasts for ages, is why I gave it 10 for durability. Smells like crayons though... The red...

I got this on ebay (my first attempt at using ebay in fact), and paid £10 for it. Having gotten better razors for less, I wasnt too pleased at that. Here's why- Whoever "Spikuson" were, they had lame quality control. The spacer was too thick to allow the blade to close properly, so I had to sand it down with some emery paper folded around a ruler. That done, it closed. Why was this not remedied before it left the factory? Not so simple, but presumably it annoyed whoever bought it...

I got this in an antique shop for £7.50, it had never seen a hone, and had only minor pitting and watermarks in places. Hence 10 for price! It's beautifully made, as good as the new Dovo I took a gander at in a leather shop. I like the small piece of mother of pearl- only on one side of the scales, just at the tip, looks really nice. All the better for being so understated. It is the most hollowed razor I own, you can scarcely see the line of "wear" left by the hone. It says "12"...