I used my grater on a half puck of MWF that cracked in numerous pieces and fashioned it in a container I got from WSC and MWF performs even better.
Shave Sticks Review Project
- Thread starter Luc
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I found that MWF will crack unless you store it in a container with a cover on it. I haven't used it as a stick yet but I thought it was similar to Tabac.
Kent/MWF is prone to dehydration and cracking. The cure is to add quite a bit of water (20-30 ml) to the puck and leave it with the lid on overnight. The puck rehydrates and swells. The cracks may still be present, but the puck wont fall apart when you load your brush. After couple of uses it will be back to normal.
This happens always to the MWF when not used for several days.
This happens always to the MWF when not used for several days.
And yet when I grated it and put it in a shave stick holder it does not crack and change its consistency even when not used for a while.
I don't use my MWF often but I store it in an empty TOBS container with screw cap. It always looks good. No cracks.
- Thread starter
- #566
We will see how mine will look like as I won't store it in a container when I'm done in 14 shaves. It should be interesting to see what it looks like 30 days later. I will put a reminder in my calendar.
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- #567
I used the Omega for the last 3 shaves now. Surprisingly, the lather is quicker to build than my Finest brush. The bristles are not as soft, of course, but it's still very enjoyable. I'm going to risk that I get better lather with the boar (quickly ducking after launching this can of worms)...
I face lather with both.
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^^^ Agree totally. The Fat loves the boar and vice versa. Fat + 830 what a combo, love it.
I used my La Toja shave stick last night and I don't see why it is so popular. It has a nice scent but that's about it. The lather is ok, nothing great. Over priced I think. I won't buy it again.
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- #570
That is good advice for many, but I am pretty sure Luc already knows how to reuse shave stick containers:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ave-stick-container-(Vintage-Shave-Stick-Ads)
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Creating_A_Shave_Stick
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shave_Stick_Containers
Me, I need to work harder: a couple of years ago I emptied a Tabac holder... and tossed it away. Not a mistake I am likely to repeat.
Bringing an older post back up.
I'm starting to have a few half sticks here and there. While I still know which is which, it won't take long before I don't know which is which for those who don't have a container. In this picture Mike, you are using a container that looks like glass for your Palmolive, Valobra and Arko sticks. Is that a salt shaker? Do you have the approximate dimensions of those? I'm guessing 1 1/2" wide or 1 3/4" and possibly 3"-4" tall?
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Good guess, Luc: those are spice jars. The one I have handy measures 32 mm diameter inside the mouth, OD about 48 mm, and about 110 mm tall.
For really low-budget storage, bundle the stick in cling wrap or foil and add an adhesive label with the date and brand. Or just put it in a ziploc bag and write on the ziploc.
For really low-budget storage, bundle the stick in cling wrap or foil and add an adhesive label with the date and brand. Or just put it in a ziploc bag and write on the ziploc.
- Thread starter
- #572
Thanks Mike, a trip to my local dollar store is in order to see if they have an equivalent.
I love my Fat. I've got a WCS twist up, sticked/stuck at the office and for trips. it's clean and non-cracked, goes on beautifully.
these are my two Fat pucks at the house. I shave with the open one 2-3 times a week. I haven't touched the pyrex'd, lidded one in probably four months. I did put it up damp intentionally, the last time I opened it. I've got a couple of Mike's pucks that I have open but haven't touched in probably a year. all they did was contract from the edges of the cups.
these are my two Fat pucks at the house. I shave with the open one 2-3 times a week. I haven't touched the pyrex'd, lidded one in probably four months. I did put it up damp intentionally, the last time I opened it. I've got a couple of Mike's pucks that I have open but haven't touched in probably a year. all they did was contract from the edges of the cups.
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- #574
Last shave with MWF tomorrow morning. I then need to test it against the products that I already have in the list to rank it appropriately. I have an idea but I'm not sure yet.
If someone has a suggestion for the next stick to use (see post 1) please go ahead.
If someone has a suggestion for the next stick to use (see post 1) please go ahead.
My vote is for the DR Harris Arlington stick. The price on these is significantly higher than lots of others so I'm curious whether it's better than the cheap ones I'm using now.
Good idea: I would like to hear what Luc has to say about Arly.
My own take is that the holder forms a large part of the cost. To be fair it is a pretty nice holder. Mine now hosts a Wilks stick, and I find the blue on white contrast appealing. But if and when I buy another Harris soap it will be a puck, and I will stickify it myself. The Arly scent is another factor in the price, so you had better like it. I did. The soap itself performed very well for me, but not that much different than other soaps I enjoy like Arko or Palmolive EU. For me it did not quite perform at the level of the Wilks stick or tallow AoS soap.
More reading:
- http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...bottom-of-a-Shave-Stick?p=1359150#post1359150
- http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=211184
- ...and the bowl, but the soap should be the same: http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=70584
Luc, another idea: what about doing that vintage Australian Palmolive while your memory of the modern stuff is fresh?
- Thread starter
- #577
D.R. Harris it will be. I will keep the Vintage Palmolive for after D.R. Harris. But... I will compare that Palmolive to all the Palmolive variations that I have.
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- #578
While I'm pending ranking the soap in post 1. I posted the review. I made one for this soap already back in 2012 (Wed May 30, 2012). The results are, somehow, similar...
The review can be seen here: http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=8445
I will now experiment with a few other soaps as I have an idea on where it goes but I have to retest a few to be sure. Here's a picture after 30 shaves. It looks like I used around 1/5 of the product which should land around 100 shaves for a puck (maybe more).
Regarding the cracks in the puck. It's not too bad. MWF is known to crack after a while when you leave it at the bottom of a mug or shave bowl. I added a note in my Google calendar to take a picture of the puck in a month and post it. I will let it dry and see what comes out of it. So far, I saw some small cracks on the puck. Those will go away as I use it. It's purely cosmetic also as the soap performs the same. Hopefully, I can capture them well when I will post the final pictures here when I get the alarm. I tried to capture the current cracks as there's some but they are fairly small for now.
The review can be seen here: http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=8445
I will now experiment with a few other soaps as I have an idea on where it goes but I have to retest a few to be sure. Here's a picture after 30 shaves. It looks like I used around 1/5 of the product which should land around 100 shaves for a puck (maybe more).
Regarding the cracks in the puck. It's not too bad. MWF is known to crack after a while when you leave it at the bottom of a mug or shave bowl. I added a note in my Google calendar to take a picture of the puck in a month and post it. I will let it dry and see what comes out of it. So far, I saw some small cracks on the puck. Those will go away as I use it. It's purely cosmetic also as the soap performs the same. Hopefully, I can capture them well when I will post the final pictures here when I get the alarm. I tried to capture the current cracks as there's some but they are fairly small for now.
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I've got Arlington stickified in an Irisch Moos holder. I'm never going back to a puck. DRH is too hard for me to load in puck form. Hope you got the Arlington AS, Luc. You are due for some good smelling stuff.
I had an Arly stick once, performs was great but I reacted a great deal to something in the composition somuchso that it gave a very unpleasant burning sensation on my face. I suspect it is their preservative. I ended up having to sell it.
