My Wet Shaving Journey

[gablett]

On the topic of blades.....

I recently discovered that I really like Astra blades. I was given a tuck of Polsilver, which I really liked. Zero weepers or anything with the closeness and smoothness of a GSB. So what better thing to do that get my most blade forward razor, Timeless Ti .95 OC, and shave one half my face with Astra, and one half with Polsilver. I wanted to use a soap that I know is a great, consistent performer that I know how to dial in well. B&M seville fits that bill to a T.

I will say I think we are splitting hairs here (pardon the pun). It was very difficult to tell a difference during the shave. Sometimes I even thought I had the other blade in, when I didn't. Both provided a fantastic issue free shave. No weepers, no cuts, no irritation. Very close shave. I would be very happy to use either of these blades. The only difference was closeness in the problem area for me, under my jawline. The polsilver ever so slightly had a closer shave in the problem areas than the Astra. But both were just a great shave. If doing a blind test, there is no way I could tell the difference during the shave. The kicker for me is Astras are cheap and readily available. The only thing I havent tested is how long they last. But I have a feeling, based on past experience, both will last longer than I use them.

So I have procured a 100 pack of Wizamet SI blades. I have read they are even slightly better than Polsilver. So, I am going to try those soon.

 

[gablett]

2fer because I am behind!

Great shave today. Polsilver blade performed well. This soap is never a let down. Love the lime forward scent. Recover splash lives up to the hype. Heather continues to put out top notch products.

New brush. Diving head first into synthetics. Outstanding brushes. This is a TDR handle that is just stunning and so 3D. He makes amazing stuff. The knot is a synbad knot. Can't say enough good things about it. I dont know what more I would ask from a brush. Splay is so easy. Paints extremely well. As soft as you can imagine. And it does not hold onto the soap. The badger brushes, while nice, don't have many points of attraction at this point. The synthetics I had tried before were just not good quality. Now that I have tried some top notch ones, I dont need to use an animal hair brush again. Again, just my personal opinion. But this is just outstanding. No odor, zero maintenance, not a lather hog, and a fraction of the price.

 

[gablett]

Great shave with some new products.

First time using DG Massacre. Smells fantastic. Ive heard some say its a fall/winter scent. I can see that, but I think it smells good enough to use any time. Hard to describe and to me the way Ive heard it described didnt match what I think of it. So I wont try to describe it. Just try it, youll like it! Performance is as you would expect. Im not a huge fan of how soft this soap is, as I tend to load too much. But that may just be the way it is to get the performance it has. Scent strength is not strong off the soap, but the aftershave kicks it into high gear for sure which is nice. I have noticed that there is some variation in DG from batch to batch, which Im sure it normal. The previous batch sellout I have is very strong scent, and this latest batch is substantially lower in scent.

This is a brand new TDR pueblo I just got and put a 26mm Cashmere fan knot from AP shave co. Outstanding knot. I really like fans and was excited to see these. I added a couple quarters to get the loft up a little and it splays wonderfully and is so soft. Love Cashmere. Synbad is right up there with it.

So I sold my timeless and the replacement hadn't arrived yet so I put the King C Gillette on the timeless barber pole handle. What an underrated razor. So smooth, so easy to use. And so inexpensive! If you haven't gotten one, do it. The handle honestly just flat sucks for me. But we all have plenty of handles to find one to use. Not the closest shave, but very comfortable.

Lastly, I tried the new Barrister & Mann balm. No surprise, this stuff flat out rocks. I love Zingari Sego balm and these two are right on par with each other. I fee like the B&M soaks in a little faster if you have oily skin. Zingari you can tell you put it on for quite a while. Depends on preference. They are both outstanding.

 

[gablett]

So I somehow convinced myself that Stirling soaps wasn't as good as some of the other soap bases out there. Not only is that not correct, but if you take into consideration the cost and performance, I think it may be simply the best soap base in all of wet shaving. I don't know how they sell such a quality soap at that price per ounce. Im really starting to narrow down the scents I like too. I love Oleo Excursion and this is based on the same Perfume. Delightful. I have the EDT from them in the scent as well. Just incredible.

Star of the show is the replacement for the timeless. This is the best razor I have used to date. Again, I have narrowed down what I am looking for in a shave and this ticks the boxes. Its a bit blade forward, efficient, yet so smooth! I was at 3 pass level of shave in 2 passes with an Astra SP. With a sharper blade it may be even more noticeable. After 3 passes I was still darn near BBS the following morning which never happens. Plus zero nicks, irritation or weepers. Perfectly balanced. Its the titanium handle version.

Synbad knot is a really nice brush. Toss up for me between it an the cashmere fan. If they made a 26mm Synbad Fan, I think that may be the perfect synthetic brush. Still don't miss badgers.....

 

[Tomo]

Great thread. I like your open minded attitude. I’ve been at this for just shy of a year and I’ve found that what I like now is very different to what I first expected in the beginning. Keep experimenting and when you’ve got the DE technique down try the SE’s and SR’s. You might surprise yourself. Enjoy the ride. Samples are a great way to try lots of soaps quickly. Shavedash is a good resource for this.

 

[gablett]

This. This here is not even shaving. This is pure enjoyment. This is the pinnacle of shaving for me.

This razor is just simply outstanding. Not sure why I tried it with every blade I have besides my favorite. Finally went with a GSB and it was 100% BBS. Comfort and smoothness was outstanding. No irritation. Just an easy comfortable ridiculously close shave.

Cashmere knot in fan is amazing. Not sure which I prefer, this or the synbad. Both just blow the doors off everything. TDR handles are second to none and for the price simply cannot be beat. This was a factory second pueblo and I have no idea why it is considered a second as its beautiful. I love this shape.

DG soaps need no hype or introduction. Finally starting to figure out how to load without loading too much of this soap. Slickness, performance, ease of use, and post shave make it the mark for all other soaps. Zingari for me is the only other one in the ballpark.

The surprise here for me is B&M post shave balm. I had been using Zingari Sego balm and love it. But Will may have edged it out. I dont know what it is that is different or what is in it but its a solid balm. Feels fantastic and continues long after the shave. Im sure some of it was the soap, but when I showered today after hitting the gym I was actually surprised how slick my face was. I think I could have shaved with it. If you haven't tried it, do it!

Its days like this that make me so glad I found wet shaving and I tell all my friends about it.

 

[gablett]

Well, it was bound to happen. My first let down in wet shaving.

Not sure if it was the hype that seems to surround PAA or what, but this just wasn't a great shave. The scent on the soap is very weak. Like a 2. The scent of the soap base itself is quite a bit stronger than the fragrance. Good news is its not a bad smelling base. This was disappointing as this is one of my favorite scents in general. It is so faint. The aftershave is a bit stronger but I can smell alcohol quite a bit over the aventus scent. So that was a let down. I assumed based on reviews that PAA was a very strongly scented product. Maybe I got a bad soap? Pretty unlikely. Sellout from DG is 10x the scent strength and much better. Its closer to the Stirling type of Aventus but Stirling, while on the light side of scent, is way stronger. So that was a disappointment.

So I'm thinking its CK6 so it should at last perform stellar. I was wrong. Again, maybe my anticipation was high. But this is not a cheap soap base. So expectations should be reasonably high. I will say this stuff lathers like a beast. I loaded as much as I typically do and the lather just explodes. Its extremely easy to get a ton of lather. And its high quality lather. I have not tried many non animal fat soap bases, but this one wins. Hands down. But thats where the winning ended IMHO. Slickness was decent. Nothing exceptional. Post shave was average. Is it better than a more budget friendly base, like Stirling, absolutely not. Its not even in the same zip code as like DG, Zingari, B&M, and the like. Not even close.

Like I said, maybe it was high expectations. But I was disappointed. Its not a worthless failure soap, just didn't live up to my expectations of a soap at this price point.

All other items in the shave performed wonderfully as expected. 4th shave on the GSB and it wasn't the smoothest I've had. Not sure if it was the soap or if I need to change the blade a little quicker.

 

[gablett]

So I also got PAA in one of my favorite cologne scents YSL La Nuit Del Homme. Was hoping this went better than the last PAA shave. The scent issue was the same as above. The scent of the base was significantly stronger than the cologne smell. Its odd because I always thought PAA was a very strong scent profile soap. Maybe the cologne ones are not. The one point of good news is that the aftershave was a lot stronger. And the EDP was really nice! Again the soap lathers like a beast. But it doesn't offer equal performance for price of a nearly $50 set, at least not for me. If the scent were mindblowing, or the slickness was next level, I would totally be onboard. But in my perception its just not for me.

I decided to give the aluminum lupo a try with a fresh GSB. Its a very mild razor. Extremely mild. But it is surprisingly efficient! I got a great shave, no irritation, no weepers. I think this would be the best beginner razor you could buy. Had I started here, I think I would not have had some of the initial issues I had. For the price, it simply cant be beat in my mind.

 

[Music]

Great write up Gablett. It's funny because with the great lather I get from PAA CK6 soaps, it's almost like there is an illusion of slickness. I'm impressed that you can separate your evaluation and feel of the slickness from the quality of the lather. I'm going to focus on that now in my next CK6 shave.

Agree with you 100% about B&M Excelsior and Zingari Sego. Two of the top three for me.

Am greatly enjoying your write ups about your journey and they are helpful and informative as well. Thanks and keep up the good work!

 

[gablett]

Great write up Gablett. It's funny because with the great lather I get from PAA CK6 soaps, it's almost like there is an illusion of slickness. I'm impressed that you can separate your evaluation and feel of the slickness from the quality of the lather. I'm going to focus on that now in my next CK6 shave.

Agree with you 100% about B&M Excelsior and Zingari Sego. Two of the top three for me.

Am greatly enjoying your write ups about your journey and they are helpful and informative as well. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it.

I'm not going to give up on CK6 either. They aren't going anywhere. Lots of people love their products, so maybe I just have to learn how to use it better or change my expectation. That's where this hobby is great, theres something out there for everyone. I try to be as open and objective as possible, but that has its limits for sure.

 

[gablett]

Getting a little behind, so lumped a couple together. All were great shaves. I love this razor. Declaration grooming is becoming my #1. Not only for performance but all the scents are just outstanding and right up my alley. Im more into cologne type scents.

Massacre of the innocents is an AMAZING scent. I get a lot of rich tobacco scent, which Im learning that I like. It really sticks with you to. My kids love the smell.

I'm a huge fan of all thing Aventus and Im quickly beginning to collect all the variants. M&M is a great soap and you get more soap in each container than the typical 4 oz so its a good price per ounce for the performance. Id say its right there in value with Stirling and a little better performance. Not that Stirling is bad at all, just my opinion. I love stirling. The scent is nearly a twin to Executive man if you are wondering on the scent profile.

88 Chestnut is my first Chatillon scent. It is incredible. It is so well blended, you can tell its done by a professional. It was instantly one of my favorites. Im really enjoying DG splashes. Good ingredients, feels nice on the face, and the scent strength is great.

B&M balm is quickly becoming my fav. Very high quality product as you would expect.

 

[gablett]

So I wanted to keep this one separate because a few things changed.

First I ordered the R2 SS handle from Carbon. I prefer the razor to have a little weight. This handle is stunning. It balances wonderfully. Grip is really good. Not sure how you would improve on this razor. Its beautiful, balances wonderfully, great efficiency and blade feel.

In talking with the owner of Carbon shaving he recommended I give the Nacet blade a try as it meshes well with this razor. I like the GSB but I figured I should try his suggestion. Wow was he right. Incredible combination. Probably going to switch to Nacet.

This soap is simply amazing. I love this scent. It lasts a very long time and is very pleasant. Stirling is so easy to load and get a lather. Probably one of the quickest soaps for me to get a great performing lather. Very forgiving. I can see why it is so often recommended as a first soap. Its really obvious when its properly lathered.

 

[gablett]

Couple solid weekend shaves. Thoroughly enjoying shaving at this point. Loving the Nacet blades. They work exceptionally well with this razor.

Couple great summer time scents. Sunny Lane continues to be one of my favorite scents. Its so bright and happy. Smells like walking through a field of clover. Zingari Nomad is very lime forward. If you told me the scent was just lime, I would not doubt it. Great smell, outstanding performance. Zingari may be the easiest most straight forward soap I have to get a great lather. Im not sure you can mess it up. Some of the higher end soaps like Declaration take a little more work, but are definitely worth the effort.

I still do not miss natural hair brushes in any way. This brown knot from Teton is a great brush. So soft and easy to lather with.

If you have not tried B&M balm, do it. Its everything you would expect from B&M. Just perfected in every respect.

 

[gablett]

Got to try out the new Declaration Grooming scent, Tribute.

Performance needs no explanation. Pretty well established that it is one of the leaders of the pack. Scent on it is not what I expected. I expected a more pineapple forward scent. It smell very sweet, almost like candy. I imagine it would bring back to mind some fruity drink on the beach. But yes, its very fresh, very sweet. Great for summer time. I think I prefer their darker more cologne type scents, but this is great as well. Excited that Declaration is starting to release some more stuff recently.

Gotten 5 great shaves out of these Nacet blades. I could really notice a difference after 3 shaves on the GSB, so that seems to be an improvement. Next shave I am going to go with a new blade and see if I can tell a difference. It would seem to me that they can slowly dull with each shave and you might not notice without something to compare it to.

 

[gablett]

So first off, what a scent. Top 3 without a doubt. Maybe top 2. I don't know if it has to do with the ingredients or I got someone on a good day but the lather just exploded on this soap. More so than other Stirling soaps I have. I really wish I could just smell this all day. I'm not sure what it is I like about it so much. If its the tobacco, vanilla or what. But I want to figure it out so I can get that scent in other soaps as well. Stirling is just amazing at what they can put out at the price they do!!!

Tried a new nacet and didnt notice a difference from the 5 use nacet. So I am going to try to get a full 7 days out of one and see how it goes. GSB I tossed at 3 shaves because I notice a definite difference. Not with the nacet. Wonderful blade.

This razor just continues to amaze me in every way as I get even better with it. Love the blade feel. Balance is perfect. Plus it just looks killer.

And the Cashmere knot is without a doubt my favorite knot. Every quality I value in a brush this knocks out of the park.

When did shaving become the highlight of my day lol!

 

[gablett]

Man I just love this scent. I dont know what it is in particular that I really like about it. I wish I could isolate it so I could find other soaps with that element. I love Haverford as well so maybe its the tobacco and vanilla type scent? Not sure but anyway its an amazing base and an amazing scent. The only trouble I have with DG is I seem to either load way too much or not enough. Its a different texture than a lot of other soaps, so maybe thats why.

I decided to give my very first brush a try again. I hated it originally. And not much has changed, not a fan. It has nice soft tips, but the bristles are just not very flexible. I have to push really hard to get it to splay. Ill stick with the synbad.

All in all, love the shave. Still loving the carbon and the Nacet pairs with it so well. Going to see how long I can get a blade to last. No post shave balm needed with this soap!

 

[gablett]

Great shave right here. I enjoy Oleo soap. Good value for the money. Kind of in the realm of Murphy & McNeil and Stirling. Shave 5 with the Nacet blade and there is no perceptible difference in shave yet. This Oleo splash has just alcohol in it so I followed it up with Thayers. B&M post shave balm continues to amaze me. Turns a soap with a lack luster post shave into a top tier post shave. I dont usually use it with Declaration or Zingari as they dont need any extra help!

Carbon is great still. Perfectly balanced. Im learning just how light of a touch you can use and get a great shave. I am discovering that i enjoy some blade feel most of the time.

So I had my first vintage razor shave. I was blown away at how well this Gillette ball end tech shaves. The handle take a little to get use to as it is very small in diameter. But it shaved just fantastically. Id put it on par with the Lupo as far as how aggressive it is. But as smooth as butter. I dont think you could cut yourself if you tried! After that it feels kind of foolish to pay for a razor that the tax would more than cover the total for this razor. If I had to shave every day with this razor, I would not complain at all. I'm trying my best now not to head down the vintage razor rabbit hole....

Love this scent. Very citrusy. Smells like citrus blossoms too. DG milk steak is the base to beat as far as I'm concerned.

And after much back and forth, this synbad knot is the best knot I have used in both synthetic and natural fibers. Cannot be beat in my book.

 

[gablett]

I think I learned a valuable lesson with this shave. When I shave purposefully aiming for BBS or bust, I end up over shaving, irritated, and disappointed. I need to remind myself its about the journey, not the destination. Im going to get a great shave by default. BBS is a bonus that happens often. But only when I just shave and let it happen. I really like this brush. I dont know what knot it is, but its very soft, loads and splays easily. Handle is easy to hold and the clear is really cool. Waves never disappoints. Solid base, this used to be hard for me to figure out, but now that I have its easy to get a great lather. Scent is outstanding. Carbon just continues to blow my mind.

So Im discovering that I really like sweet tobacco scents. Like Massacre of the Innocents, Haverford and the like. So I decided to give Murphy & McNeils take on the scent a try. Its very unique. More vanilla and sweet than the others. Scent is very light. Performance is what you would expect from them, very reminiscent of Stirling. Easy to lather, great performance.

I did try something new this time. I have never bowl lathered. I picked up a Timeless lather bowl. Over all Im very impressed with the ease to get a ridiculously perfect lather. Lather just explodes out of that bowl. I can see a number of benefits. Its really easy to get an ideal lather. Another plus is the lather doesn't go deeply into the brush knot so its easier to effectively use all the lather. I think this would be especially beneficial for people who don't like to scrub their face and badger knots as they seem to eat lather. The downside, you miss some of the experience especially in scent of building the lather. I dont know if its connected or not but my skin felt better after this shave and absolutely not irritation. Could have been because of what I learned in the above shave as well and I wasnt thinking about BBS, just shaving. Another thing I did, was I didnt rinse my face with water between passes with water. I just wiped the lather off. I felt a lot more of the residual slickness on my face after this shave. Maybe thats connected as well?

 

[Esox]

Nice thread!

Great progress and understanding too.

I'm trying my best now not to head down the vintage razor rabbit hole....

Do it. Do it now lol.

I'll suggest, since you havent tried an SE yet, a GEM Bullet Tip and some GEM PTFE blades. That combination may very well be, and in my own experience is, twice as smooth, twice as comfortable and twice as efficient as any DE shave I've yet had with the exception of a single combination. My Fatip Grande and a fresh Feather.

A Bullet Tip would compare well to a Tech as its mild and easy to use, yet highly efficient. Mine is equal in efficiency to my Fatip Grande with a fresh Feather blade while being as easy to use as a post war Tech. The GEM Bullet Tip is a an underrated razor.

A Maggard synthetic is also the only brush I use and have used for around two years now. Their 22mm Plissoft type.

I'm with you about Stirling soaps too. For the money they're hard to beat. There are several that do beat them on my shelf though.

 

[Harald]

View attachment 1141292

This. This here is not even shaving. This is pure enjoyment. This is the pinnacle of shaving for me.

This razor is just simply outstanding. Not sure why I tried it with every blade I have besides my favorite. Finally went with a GSB and it was 100% BBS. Comfort and smoothness was outstanding. No irritation. Just an easy comfortable ridiculously close shave.

Cashmere knot in fan is amazing. Not sure which I prefer, this or the synbad. Both just blow the doors off everything. TDR handles are second to none and for the price simply cannot be beat. This was a factory second pueblo and I have no idea why it is considered a second as its beautiful. I love this shape.

DG soaps need no hype or introduction. Finally starting to figure out how to load without loading too much of this soap. Slickness, performance, ease of use, and post shave make it the mark for all other soaps. Zingari for me is the only other one in the ballpark.

The surprise here for me is B&M post shave balm. I had been using Zingari Sego balm and love it. But Will may have edged it out. I dont know what it is that is different or what is in it but its a solid balm. Feels fantastic and continues long after the shave. Im sure some of it was the soap, but when I showered today after hitting the gym I was actually surprised how slick my face was. I think I could have shaved with it. If you haven't tried it, do it!

Its days like this that make me so glad I found wet shaving and I tell all my friends about it.

Nice reviews! What is the name of the razor?