Something came in the mail....(it was the duke 2)

[catherix]

A box arrived today. It was from WCS. And inside, among other things, was a duke 2. Its my third brush(I have a AoS fine badger and a VDH boar) and so far I think its gonna be my favorite!! I'm sure you all have seen it before but I can't contain my excitement!! So, without further ado, the reason I have a big smile on right now:



Its much more dense than my AoS brush and quite bit smaller. The tips have more scritch to them, which I'm very happy about. The AoS brush is just too soft IMO. It holds water very well and makes a great bowl of lather. Test lathered it tonight with some Col Conk lime and it makes lather in a jiffy. I think I'll face lather Cella tonight with it. Or maybe TOBS St James Cream. Haven't decided yet.

 

[catherix]

Some quick comparison pics.

The duke 2 on the left, AoS Fine on the right:


The duke 2 is a bit shorter and has a shorter loft. But overall it has more weight to it which I really enjoy.


Overall, I like the duke 2 a lot better so far. I'll be updating this thread with my experiences with my duke as I use it. I'm very excited for tonights shave!!

 

[cessnabird]

Congrats on the bootiful Duke. That knot shape is just superb. Be sure and share your post shave thoughts/lather pictures.

 

[catherix]

Congrats on the bootiful Duke. That knot shape is just superb. Be sure and share your post shave thoughts/lather pictures.

Your wish is my command sir!(looks like we were on the same page)

The gear:
365 lavender glycerin preshave soap
EJ DE89
Personna Lab Blue
Cella

Started with a good splashing of hot water while my brush soaked. Face lathered the preshave soap with my VDH boar brush(this is apparently what I'm using it for). Left it be while I swirled the duke 2 around on the brand new cella. Using marco's method I swirled for about 30 seconds or so. This soap smells awesome!! I was a little unsure when I first gave it a sniff earlier today but during the shave its an absolute delight! Now I rinsed the face and grabbed the brush to start the face lathering.

WOW this brush is soooo different then my AoS!! Its clearly smaller but the difference in the feel is something else. It has just the right about of scritch to it to make the face lathering very nice. A good amount of backbone, it springs into position when you want it to and gives way when you make it. I was way more accurate when lathering with it and was able to control the lather building much easier and control where the lather was going much better. As you'll see in the pics I think I needed a little longer on the soap before building but the shave was great anyways. (I should note this is only my 3rd face lathering and probably about my 3rd time using marco's method, I was using a much drier brush before).
The shave was very nice, DFS-BBS depending on the areas. It was quick and efficient as hell. Face lathering in combination with this brush makes the shave fly by with ease. The cella made great lather and it really does have a great smell. It was slick and protecting, no nicks and very little irritation(I probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the alum).

Now for the pics:

Here's after one pass, no before shots as I did not use a bowl:


After 2 Passes:


And after 3 passes, with a little artsy flair, would be a nice SOTD pic if I had put a little more thought into it:


I think I'm in love with this brush! Can't wait for tomorrow's shave!!

 

[jtb]

Great brush!!
I love mine, it gets the most use in my rotation.

 

[cessnabird]

Ahh, it looks like it was a great shave. Cella really does have a nice smell. I don't use it much but when I am in the mood for it, I never feel let down. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[JRobinhood]

Ah the Duke 2, one of my personal favorites. Congrats on acquiring one!

 

[Marco]

One of my favourite brushes! Congrats, Tyler!

 

[catherix]

Great brush!!
I love mine, it gets the most use in my rotation.

Ahh, it looks like it was a great shave. Cella really does have a nice smell. I don't use it much but when I am in the mood for it, I never feel let down. Thanks for sharing!!

Ah the Duke 2, one of my personal favorites. Congrats on acquiring one!

One of my favourite brushes! Congrats, Tyler!

Thanks guys! It really is a great brush! I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger and really happy I ordered from WCS. 2 days delivered in California and 10% off?!? What a deal!

And I'm definitely a fan of the Cella, it was a great soap. I think I'll face lather the TOBS St James cream tonight. Probably post more pictures as well.

 

[Mick]

Duke 2 rocks. My first Simpsons and still one of my favorites.

I keep 4 brushes out on my counter and the Duke 2 and Kent BK8 hold a permanent place, the other 2 places rotate but the Duke 2 is ALWAYS there for me to choose

 

[catherix]

Quick update from last nights shave(forgot to post yesterday):

Decided to try out another new product(to me), TOBS St James cream. I've really been enjoying learning to face lather so I decided to forgo the bowl once again. Soaked the brush while doing my normal prep, lots of hot water and some glycerin preshave soap lathered on the face with my VDH boar. A quick spin on the tub of cream with the duke and then built on the face. I had a lot of product and needed several dips in water to build a nice wet lather. But once I got it there it was a great lather. 3 pass shave with the EJ DE89(man I love this razor!) and a personna lab blue(on shave #3) and you've got yourself a CLOSE shave with only a little irritation. I've just started using an ATG pass on the chin and upper lip. A light touch and proper angle and I ended with one of the best shaves I've ever achieved! Tiny weeper on the upper lip, nothing a little alum wouldn't stop tho.

Quick pics:

After Pass 1:


Post pass 2:


And after pass 3:



So obviously I still need some practice with face lathering. It seems like the lather was only a third of the way into the brush after the first pass, before the ol' paint brush motion. I'm not sure if that's the way it should look or not. I think I need to watch some face lathering instruction videos or something. It also seems like I need more water to get this all right. New brush, new technique, new product - probably too many new variables but I can't help myself

I think I'll go back to the trusty bowl lathering tonight(possibly tomorrow morning depending on how I feel). Maybe I'll use a familiar product like Mike's too to keep things simple. I'll post more pictures as well if anyone is still watching. I don't want to the forum unnecessarily.

 

[djh]

I still regularly use mine and it is a great brush. Congratulations and enjoy!

 

[catherix]

Alright one last shave to tell you all about, then I'll leave you alone

This morning's shave:
Went for an early shave as I woke up early for work and wanted to wake up and start the day with an enjoyable shave. Dropped the brush in my bowl to soak and jumped in the shower, after starting the coffee of course! Out of the shower, I kept the face wet and went for a quick swirl in some TOBS cream, then to the bowl. A good amount of swirls, a few pumps, and more water than I assumed that I needed, and I had a wonderful bowl of lather! Popped in a new blade and went for a relaxing 3 pass shave. Finished with some thayer's rose petal and some Nivea Sensitive ASB. What an great shave!! Just shy of BBS and almost no irritation. Started my day off right and looked great all the way through the work day.

Bowl prior to the first pass:


The brush does a great job in a bowl! It whips up lather quickly and doesn't hog all the good stuff deep in the knot like my AoS brush. At the same time it holds plenty of lather to cover a wet face easily and a quick swirl in the bowl before the next pass 'reloads' the brush easily. It's clear to me that this brush will be great in the bowl and for face lathering, once I dial in how to build lather on face better.

Thanks for watching!