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Last shave with the slim this morning. Pouched it up and will save it my son.
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I don’t use aftershaves any longer, but when I did, the Speick Aftershave Lotion was my favorite! Lots of skin food ingredients at a fair price and a fabulous fresh green scent.

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I got the speick after shave in and I find it's pleasant but also extremely familiar. I haven't smelled English leather in a very long time so don't know if that's it or not but that is what comes to mind.
 
Family shaves what I would do is to make a journal. It could be handwritten. A Word document. Or a public forum journal (B&B has a feature). I would try to remember what details you can about the shave from your family point of view, your grandparents, dad and finally yourself. Imagine like it is 10 different perspectives. Then remember product and technique. If there is a favorite soap then try to get some of it so it is on hand when you need it. And also some blades.

A keepsake box might be small to start. It might have a bowl. Than a brush. Then another brush. Another soap. Nostalgia is like memories, and finding these rarities is tremendously important to you. A balm, an aftershave lotion. Determine the size of the box and what you would like in it.

Does it have a stand? What about a blade bank?

You might like to hand make the wooden box and line it with velvet and a simple piece of Masonite for easy access.

You can always add to the shave. Just determine price also. For a high school graduation gift you might like to have some platinum cream from tobs. And have something for yourself like a 50 year shave, I think tobs has a formula like it. Would it have a shavette? What about matching leather cases? Is there room for a travel kit?

And are there particular soaps you might like? Longevity I think there is currently a fine Dovo porcelain kit with a shave bowl at The Superior Shave. Dovo has Ariana and Evans in a cork bowl.

Another thing might be to have a local barber involved so he can have an hour with dad. And rent the barber shop and give the barber the hour off so you can really give him the experience of a lifetime. Do the whole hot towel thing in the shop. Preshave oil.

Sometimes it’s really simple and something really elaborate. You could fly to London for Trufitt & Hill for one of their shaves.

I think it is most important from the heart. And from his dad.
 
Here are gift ideas. Washbag. Dopp kit. Travel brush case. Cologne.
 

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Thought I might add this here. I was out at the old farm house with some other family cleaning it out.

Here is where I learned how to shave with grandpa. Basement utility sink, old mirror medicine cabinet, single light hanging down, and a hot water heater we sat our razors on when done...
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And in the clean up found some really cool aftershave bottles and no idea how old they are. But he definitely liked to try different aftershaves and maybe razors too.

Old spice
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Horse head. No idea, just has a 7 on the bottom
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Avon
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Avon Straight 8
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No idea what the TTO is. No branding on it at all. He probably picked it up at a local drug store with the stand. Very old brittle brush. Hair cutting shears. Some crazy old manual hair trimmer. And a straight razor.
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Looks like Chas. T. Lawton. Don't know anything about it.
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And I don't think he even used the safety razor or if he did maybe once or twice. Probably didn't like it and don't blame him with the Toggle he had too. There's a pristine looking blade still in it. I also don't remember him ever using this brand. With me it was always Gillette. Like the Silver Blues
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So here's all of gramps safety razors. The slim he gave me when he taught me how to shave. The toggle he started using when he gave me the slim. Who knows how many other razors may have come and gone but the last one found is this no brand no markings TTO.

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Thanks for sharing all of this here and over at the other thread that got me interested! ;)
(sorry if I failed to welcome you to B&B somehow)
 
So I believe I've identified that shiny TTO as a Van Der Hagen. Which would make sense if he saw that at a grocery store or drug store in town and decided to try it out. Again, looks like a pristine blade in there so probably not more then a couple shaves and sat to the side. But it would have been totally like him to just leave the blade in there. Like I've mentioned earlier he would just leave the blades in closed up till he saw rust ... His skin had to have been like leather and kept those blades honed.
 
I was wrong and sort of new it. The knurling didn't exactly perfectly match the VDHs I've found online but was close and the end caps weren't exactly the same either but close...

The mystery TTO I'm almost positive now turns out to be a Rifeng Big Wig RF-998 from some time in the '90s. Knurling, TTO knob, smooth ring above the knob, the end caps, etc look dead on.

I've never heard of this brand before and not finding much about it either. He had to have found it at someplace local.
 
Wow, rabbit hole....

There's plastic piping company with that name... But it looks like dorco repackaged that razor as a set with the stand and their razors. Also, looks like they restarted to do so under the name Microtouch one classic safety razor set. Still with the unbranded TTO, stand, and dorco blades.

Crazy I can now buy the same set my grandpa did 3 decades ago or so on Amazon right now. And it's funny, they are endorsed by the guy from Pawn Stars.

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