Great Canadian Travelling Box #2 (aka CTB2)

[Granaura]

The box has arrived safe and sound in the nations Capital!

Today's shave was exciting!

Acca Kappa 1869 cream
Semogue 2010 LE badger
Red Tip
Shark Blades
Razor Rock
Thayers Witchhazel
Mama Bear's Winter scentless aftershave balm
Creed Royal Oud

I loved the Acca Kappa cream. Whipped up to a really slick lather. That was a good thing because I normally use a slant with a Med blade, and today's combo was waaay different. I hadn't shaved for the last 2 days, so the first pass was a bit tough and the blade skipped a few times. The second and third passes however were much better. I don't know whether the blade just needed a run first, or if it was just not as sharp as the Med..

The Razor rock and Thayer's did the normal amazing job at preventing any burn, and the Mama Bear's was VERY NICE! Only a very minimal scent and well moisturizing.

Although it's reviews are mixed around here, I really like the complexities and scent of the royal oud.

 

[sparcotsi]

Sorry I'm a little behind this week I've got two SOTD's to update for the box, First was today's

CopperHat Mahogany 22mm Silvertip
Mama Bears Lime Ice
Arko A/S
Shick "Stick" Injector with new blade

Great shave, great lather, the Arko was a little potent for me but was refreshing none the less. Don't use my injector very often but I always enjoy it when I do. Quick and clean after 2 passes 1 wtg and 1 xtg.

 

[Luc]

Post 1 updated

 

[Munxcub]

Yeah I don't think Sharks are as sharp/smooth as the medical personna's. I haven't used a DE in about a year (straights), but pretty sure that's what I found while testing them out. (the other day though, I used my slim that had a med already in it from who knows when and it was a DFS to say the least)

 

[Granaura]

Today I used the Eucris soap (which I have been wanting to smell since it was released)!

Lathered it up with my 2008LE B&B soap killer and it was an excellent lather with a lovely smell.

Used the red tip again with the shark and it was DFS smooth. I agree with Chris that they are not as gentle a blade as the Meds, but I have been spoiled.

I used the Mama Bears Winter balm again and I love it. I have been looking for a good scentless balm for those days where I wanted to wear an expensive Creed. Topped it off with a Creed Irish Tweed Sample that was in the box. Wife loved it which means I am going to be getting a gift bottle in the near future... heh heh heh..

 

[maxman]

I found the shark blades only good for one shave. Not what I'm looking for that's for sure. I was also impresses with the mama bears AS.

 

[Granaura]

Today was the Malispina Vetiver soap with a Semogue 2010 LE Boar. The lather was slick, but was not very thick.. I think I may have used more water than necessary so I'm going to try it again tomorrow (I had gotten used to using the Benton Clay Vetiver which is a water hog).

I also ventured out of the usual by going to my razor rack and grabbing a thick handled Tech and pairing it with a feather (a popular combination on this site). Worked fine, but still not as good as my slant/med combination.

Finished it up with some Aqua de Parma balm and cologne...

Total experience was probably a 7 out of 10, but a learning experience that I intend to improve on.

 

[Munxcub]

Yeah I found with all the Malaspina stuff that I needed more product than I was used to, but either way the shave the was great! Nice to be able to go a bit thinner and mega slick, or load like crazy and get more thickness/cushion. Really can be whatever you want it to be. What I mean is, there didn't seem to be one sweet spot, and outside of that is either too wet/dry. Hope that makes sense.

 

[rockviper]

Very nice to see reviews alive and well once again. It give me my much needed daily fix

 

[maxman]

Yeah I found with all the Malaspina stuff that I needed more product than I was used to, but either way the shave the was great! Nice to be able to go a bit thinner and mega slick, or load like crazy and get more thickness/cushion. Really can be whatever you want it to be. What I mean is, there didn't seem to be one sweet spot, and outside of that is either too wet/dry. Hope that makes sense.

I prefer the Malaspina cream to the soap. I find that the cream can go from thin and slick to fluffy and meringue like or anywhere in between.
Very versatile stuff depending on what kind of lather you want to get.
With the soap I could only get thin lather, but I like thin lather if it's slick (which it was). I use this kind of stuff with a straight.

 

[Granaura]

Yeah! I missed the reviews as well.. I think (apart from getting the box) they are the best part!

 

[sparcotsi]

Yesterday's Shave


I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the Don shaving cream. That was my last tube I sent away with the box last year so I was quite happy to see it back.

1961 FatBoy
CopperHat Best Brush
Don Shaving Cream
Derby blades
Olimon A/S

As always the shave with the Fatboy and derby's was great. Dare I say I'm getting a little bored though?? I think it may be time to do some hunting once again and see what else I can find. The cream as mentioned was fantastic, thick and luxurious. The A/S I'm a big fan of as well, subtle scent with a very soothing feel. I suppose it's just about time up for me again. I'll likely arrange to meet for the hand off near the end of this week/weekend if it still works out.

 

[Granaura]

^^^ Ah.. Olimon and Don.. Loved the Olimon.. Don? Not so much so YMMV!..

Today I tried the Malaspina again. This time I loaded the 2008 B&B LE soap killer extra extra much with less water.. It is very true.. Malaspina needs less water (whereas Benton clay soaps need more)...

I kept the rest of the shave with my go-to kit (as I wanted to give it a fair appraisal of its quality). That meant a Murkur Slant with a Med blade. Finished off with some Razor-rock Alum, Thayers, and Opus Balm and Cologne.

The scent of the Malaspina was great. The trick is to use more product and less water, and it makes a nice slick lather that is thick to shave with.

A 3 pass BBS shave that I was very happy with!

I was glad to give the soap another chance.. It wasn't the soap, but rather the fact that different soaps have different water/products needs. It just takes some experimentation!

 

[Granaura]

Well, my time with the box is at an end..

There are a pile of soaps in this box, but most I had tried previously. The scents however were a nice addition, and I had a blast smelling through them.

The big winner for me in this box was the Mama Bears scentless winter balm! It is a wonderful performer and I really liked how it didn't interfere with the expensive colognes that were going on top.

It also confirmed that I still am not a fan of feather blades (or sharks for that matter) and that the Malaspina soaps require more product if you want to have a thicker lather (got a wonderful thick lather when I attacked it with my semogue 2010 LE boar).

I'm messaging the next player so the Box can head down to Toronto!

 

[joe2k1]

CTB 2 has arrived in Toronto. What a massive box! Will post pictures and my reviews shortly.

 

[rockviper]

As much as I don't want to, I'm going to have to bow out of enjoying KYOTO. We're in the process of putting our house on the market next week and will be moving to our new home in late-April. This pretty much rules me out for the next 2 months. Already packed all my shaving gear away except for 1 brush, 1 razor, 1 soap and 1 AS. *sigh*

At least I will be able to feel alive through everyone else's reviews.

 

[inspiringK]

Already packed all my shaving gear away except for 1 brush, 1 razor, 1 soap and 1 AS. *sigh*

So, what made the cut? What ended up being the one brush, razor, soap, and AS to rule them all?

I like having variety, but must admit that I also enjoy when I go on a trip or something and am forced to cut down the variables and focus on one setup.

 

[TheSentinel]

Lately I've been alternating between a Slim and a Merkur Slant with Feather blades and GFT Coconut soap.

The Tokyo box came to me yesterday and I had my first shave with it last night.

Normally, the only time I use creams are when they come in travelling boxes. The GFT Almond cream lathered up easily and gave a reasonably good cushion, though I could have whipped it up better. The scent reminded me of cherry, which I guess isn't unusual since cherry flavour is often made with almond and rum.

The shave was competent, but not as comfortable as I'm used to. The 'Sharp' blades didn't seem to live up to their name as there was quite a bit of tugging on the first pass. The razor is really mild and I had no irritation with the shave or any stinging when I applied the Old Spice splash afterwards. Overall, the shave probably qualifies for DFS, but there wasn't a spot where I couldn't find a little bit of stubble against the grain. It was quite unlike my normal shaves, but with a different blade I could see it being a comfortable, everyday shave.

 

[rockviper]

So, what made the cut? What ended up being the one brush, razor, soap, and AS to rule them all?

I like having variety, but must admit that I also enjoy when I go on a trip or something and am forced to cut down the variables and focus on one setup.

DE89L, Mama Bear's Bay Rum, Fendrihan silvertip, Booster Aquarius
They just happened to be what was currently in use when I started packing. Saved a lot of brain cells by not having to consciously select my gear. (I love all my stuff)

 

[joe2k1]

Sorry guys for the delay in posting my first shave/unboxing of the CTB2. I have decided to do something different. I thought I would do an unboxing video of the contents. Here is the link. This is my first video. I would like to hear some feedback, both positive and negative. I will be posting pictures of my shaves from the last few days.