Nanka?

[shyrlock]

Has anyone else used this Japanese shaving gel?
I tried some today with my straight razor shave. It was OK, I thought, but not great. One advantage is that it is clear, so it is easy to see what you are doing.
What's the consensus?

 

[HoratioCaine]

I just posted this in a thread on Kiehl's shaving cream, but it seems apropos here.

Sorry if I sound curmudgeonly, but I've tried enough brushless creams to know that I never need to try another one again. They just don't do it for me.

 

[shyrlock]

Yes, I sort of feel the same way. Perhaps it will have some value as a pre-shave.
The stuff is made by Feather, so I thought it might be good.

 

[kingfisher]

Given that "Nanka?" could be interpreted as a slang way of saying "What th'?!?" in Japanese, I think I'll pass.

 

[TonyH]

I haven't tried the Nanka yet, but the Kanwa balm is nice.

 

[TimMechEngr]

I haven't tried the Nanka yet, but the Kanwa balm is nice.

I agree as I like the Kanwa aftershave gel myself.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I've shaved my way through most Japanese gels and creams over the years but this is one I've missed. The fact that it seems to be non-scented, non-everything made it kind of unexciting. I also used to see it in gigantic pump bottles in stores, so I figured that I'd be living with it for a long time. Without ever using it myself, my guess would be that it works great and isn't any fun.

 

[shyrlock]

Well, after trying this gel back in August, I wasn't very impressed. It ended up on my closet shelf where questionable shaving products end up.
Lately I have been shaving with a Feather Artist Club DX straight.
As you probably know, these razors are renown for their exreme sharpness. Extra care and consideration should be given to pre-shave prep when using one of these to avoid over exfoliation and nicks.
I decided to add a pre-shave treatment to my regular tallow based soap lathering. The popular oil type pre-shaves did not work for me as they gunked up my brush and made my skin too slippery to stretch. I got some herbal gel pre-shave from TOBS and it worked well, but was quite expensive.
On a whim, I got the 200ml pump container of Nanka gel out of the closet and tried it as a pre-shave. This was a Good Idea .
Massaging a pump squirt of this stuff into my shower wet beard, before lathering with Tabac or DR Harris really makes my gnarly whiskers softer and easier to cut.
My Feather straight just glides over my face with no trauma at all.
I would highly recommend this stuff as a pre-shave.
It is pretty inexpensive, very effective and the 200ml pump dispenser will last a long time.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[HoratioCaine]

Thanks for the tip, Mike.

 

[thunderball]

Interesting...I may have to seek some of this stuff out.

 

[media]

Where is a good place to buy this?

 

[TimMechEngr]

Where is a good place to buy this?

Here

 

[Geordon]

Does anybody know of any place other than Classic that carries Nanka and Kanwa in the USA? I have nothing against Classic, but they're currently sold out of the travel size, and I want to try that before I shell out for the big bottle, know waht I mean?

 

[hipfan]

Looks like it's back in stock there now. Vintage Blades also appears to carry this stuff, but only the big size is listed. Looks like an interesting possibility for a pre-shave!