Item Description
The Blades Grim Gold Luxury Shaving Soap- Reaper $14.99- Other fragrances include Sinimint and Scythe. Made in the USA.
This product is very interesting. Let’s start with the packaging, which is a mixed bag. Not really impressed with the logo, although I understand the need to create a brand- this company’s heart lies with the creation of cold steel straight edged blades. The tin is high quality, with a nice gold sheen. I liked the idea that there are two options to the lid- screw top (which was on our example) and pop-top. The screw top is elegant and works with smooth efficiency. When the product is opened, the new owner is greeted by elegant packaging. The puck is nestled in a tobacco leaf like paper, sealed with a paper stamp. Oils noted on the wrapping paper, which contributes to the overall effect. The user is greeted by overtones of floral scent, but manly not feminine. Woodsy, floral, are terms that readily come to the mind. The product description listed by Shaving Club calls it “ . . . Citrus and spice mix of lime, bergamot, tangerine with cinnamon bark, sage, vetiver and orange flower.” Other users may find other terms relevant. A video of the product is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdXPneB25ug
Day 1-The soap lathered nicely and spread freely across my face, the light smell a plus. It took very little to create the proper the proper soap to face ratio and I received a proper shave with little incident. The blade glided with notable smoothness and little pull. Initial testing was with and B&B Brush 2007 and a standard Gillette Mach 3 razor. The blades had at least 10 days use.
Day 2- Again, I was impressed by the lathering properties of this product. The has a very deep, rich lather that garners confidence in the user. The scent is understated, but persistent, which is fine if that is the effect the user desires. The skin is left supple and refreshed, with no oily overtones noted.
Day 3- Another excellent shave, with no notable change in the soap’s overall impression. Definitely could be a daily go-to, but with that said, would be a real addition to a rotation pattern. Again, the buffering of the blade by the product was obvious and greatly appreciated.
Day 4- Switch up in blades, with a double edge Merkur in place, using a such and such blade. Again, the lather was bountiful and readily available for more than one pass. The slick properties of the soap were especially appreciated.
CONCLUSION: I really liked this shaving soap- excellent, with superior lathering properties, interesting packaging and a well thought scent. My touch stone soap tends to be the Proraso line, and I think that the Grim soap is probably better. My only suggestions would be to have a higher lip on the metal container, since the luxurious lather seems to pour over the flush edge, and a rethought of the logo. An additional comment would be to make the lid concave, so that it could be used to create lather if the proper equipment was not available. This would make a great gift to almost any fellow shaver, but if the giver wanted to impress someone, somehow a cartoonish reaper caricature doesn’t cut it. Again, this works against the otherwise elegant and impressive packaging.
By the numbers:
Price- 9
Quality- 9.5
Scent- 8
Latherability- 10
Efficacy- 9
Moisturizing properties- 9.5
Packaging- 8
This product is very interesting. Let’s start with the packaging, which is a mixed bag. Not really impressed with the logo, although I understand the need to create a brand- this company’s heart lies with the creation of cold steel straight edged blades. The tin is high quality, with a nice gold sheen. I liked the idea that there are two options to the lid- screw top (which was on our example) and pop-top. The screw top is elegant and works with smooth efficiency. When the product is opened, the new owner is greeted by elegant packaging. The puck is nestled in a tobacco leaf like paper, sealed with a paper stamp. Oils noted on the wrapping paper, which contributes to the overall effect. The user is greeted by overtones of floral scent, but manly not feminine. Woodsy, floral, are terms that readily come to the mind. The product description listed by Shaving Club calls it “ . . . Citrus and spice mix of lime, bergamot, tangerine with cinnamon bark, sage, vetiver and orange flower.” Other users may find other terms relevant. A video of the product is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdXPneB25ug
Day 1-The soap lathered nicely and spread freely across my face, the light smell a plus. It took very little to create the proper the proper soap to face ratio and I received a proper shave with little incident. The blade glided with notable smoothness and little pull. Initial testing was with and B&B Brush 2007 and a standard Gillette Mach 3 razor. The blades had at least 10 days use.
Day 2- Again, I was impressed by the lathering properties of this product. The has a very deep, rich lather that garners confidence in the user. The scent is understated, but persistent, which is fine if that is the effect the user desires. The skin is left supple and refreshed, with no oily overtones noted.
Day 3- Another excellent shave, with no notable change in the soap’s overall impression. Definitely could be a daily go-to, but with that said, would be a real addition to a rotation pattern. Again, the buffering of the blade by the product was obvious and greatly appreciated.
Day 4- Switch up in blades, with a double edge Merkur in place, using a such and such blade. Again, the lather was bountiful and readily available for more than one pass. The slick properties of the soap were especially appreciated.
CONCLUSION: I really liked this shaving soap- excellent, with superior lathering properties, interesting packaging and a well thought scent. My touch stone soap tends to be the Proraso line, and I think that the Grim soap is probably better. My only suggestions would be to have a higher lip on the metal container, since the luxurious lather seems to pour over the flush edge, and a rethought of the logo. An additional comment would be to make the lid concave, so that it could be used to create lather if the proper equipment was not available. This would make a great gift to almost any fellow shaver, but if the giver wanted to impress someone, somehow a cartoonish reaper caricature doesn’t cut it. Again, this works against the otherwise elegant and impressive packaging.
By the numbers:
Price- 9
Quality- 9.5
Scent- 8
Latherability- 10
Efficacy- 9
Moisturizing properties- 9.5
Packaging- 8
