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The Sandalwood Shaveoff

IIRC, the same manufacturer, different formulations.
I realize they used to share the manufacturer. However, according to suffolksupplies.co.uk's/connaughtshaving.com's post [dated 6.25.15] on another forum, Creightons no longer makes TOBS. It's my understanding I can't link to it per B&B rules, so I'll quote it here:
suffolksupplies said:
FYI TOBS like D R Harris has not been made by Creightons for some time now.
They still make St.James, Trumpers & T&H.
Real Shaving Co. has been sold to another manufacturer. I assume the company (Swallowfeild) has the forumlas for the classic line, but I doubt the creams will remain unchanged.
 
Thursday Nov 12:
Still going the exact same lineup as my first Shaveoff shave, and only changing the AS. Today's cast is

$SOTD.jpg
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Merkur 33C
Blade: Gillette 7 o'clock yellow
Soap: Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood shave cream
AS: Lucky Tiger
Finisher: Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood balm

Face lathering is really been enjoyable with this cream, so I place a generous dollop on my wet brush, and lather directly on my wet face. After almost a minute of heavenly face massaging (aka: face lathering), my loaded brush looks like this:

$After first lather.jpg

I go through my three passes, and am rewarded with a DFS. I decided to use Lucky Tiger as my AS because it's heaven on my face and because its scent disappears very quickly. I want to be able to experience the full fragrance of the balm. As I've written, my sniffer doesn't seem to pick up much of a scent from either the cream and today's the day I rectify this. Your reviews tell me the balm will likely blow me away.

I apply the balm and I am...very disappointed. The balm works very well, but I cannot pick up much of a scent from it. Just enough that to my nose it is not as cologne-y as the cream. The balm's performance is great. My face is hydrated, soft, and smooth.

So, I think I have given up on trying to pick up any aroma from this cream. Great performance, though. I will then go for a bolder AS tomorrow.
Have a good night gents, and keep the reviews/photos coming!
 
Gear for this shave:

Razor - '62 Slim
Blade - Personna Blue (1st shave)
Brush – Simpsons Case Best Badger
Cream – Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood
Aftershave – Gabels Bay Rum

Switched up a few players for today's shave. I am using my '62 Slim and my Badger.

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I placed a generous ribbon of cream in the mug and began to form my lather. Thick and pasty at first but after about 5-7 drops of water it took on a great consistency. The shave was very slick and comfortable. The scent is still too mild to be anything of importance. It is there, it is nice, it is not anything to write home about. Here is the brush after first application.

$IMG_0377.jpg

For the second application I added another 2-3 drops of water as my mug was very warm and appeared to dry out the lather. The second pass was very nice as well. Brush after second application with the leftovers from the mug. More than enough for at least one more formal pass if not more.

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2 WTG passes gave me a DFS, good to go. Finished up with a cold rinse and a splash of Gabels Bay Rum because as another member had put it "I love smelling like a ham". I really do love that aftershave, brings back memories. My face was smooth and well conditioned through the entire day. This cream definitely has some great qualities (scent not being a prevalent one). Tomorrow I will use the T&H Sandalwood AS Balm. I will use it heavily as well to really see what its all about. Apparently the reviews on the AS Balm are mixed. Some are liking it and saying it has great scent while others are not liking it so much and saying the scent is minimal. Not much of a balm guy but I will give it a go.
 
Day #5 with T&H
Today was a Progress with Derby Extra, LS synthetic, pre-shave oil and bowl lathering again. I'll be the first to admit, my synthetic brush technique is lacking. I hear people rave about how wonderful they are, but for me the synth's strong suit is whipping up a good hard soap lather. For my first application, I think the brush was loaded with too much product and not enough water. I applied a thin, but dense paste to my face. I continued to work in water during the first pass, but it wasn't as comfortable as previous days.

I added about a tablespoon more into the bowl for the second pass and was rewarded with a much slicker, thicker lather and a wonderful 2nd pass. I finished with a splash of clubman and a bit of Afta. It feels pretty good now, but cannot compare with the days 1, 3 and 4.
 
Day 4, T and H

I have been having pretty good luck with this cream, and I had the time, so I decided to use my Feather AC. I'm pretty green with it, so I have to have time to go slow. Face lathered again with one of my favorite synths. The T and H is thirsty, but pretty flexible once you get it in the zone. I just take my time adding in water on the tips, and it works great. Worked up a pretty sloppy lather and got after it. I only am up to doing two passes with this thing yet, but got as decent a shave from it as I ever have, wasn't uncomfortable, and didn't draw any blood. �� I cleaned up a little with a DE, and had a fun shave.

Been enjoying everybody's take on these creams. I will say that judging performance alone, I have to give this to T and H. I find it to have more slickness, and to have a much wider window on it's latherability. Keep em coming.

SOTD:

Feather AC w/Feather Pro (1)
Nathan Clark 28mm Ubersoft
Stirling Sandalwood AS

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Day 4 T&H:

$ImageUploadedByTapatalk1447422930.039551.jpg

MRGLO Lavender pre shave soap
Fatboy from the passaround
GSB
Omega 49
Bowl lathered

Another fine shave this morning. Only a 2 pass since I was strapped for time again, but very nice! Today, I got a full floral scent as opposed to Cologne like. I haven't changed anything, but the cologne was masked by the floral notes today.

I can definitely say that I like this scent better than TOBS, but I wouldn't say no to either. After using these two creams back to back, I can definitely say I'll be giving more creams a chance.

I'm typically a soap guy, but these have opened the doors to a new world of possibilities for me. They may not be the absolute best creams out there, but they are far from the worst. The only other cream I've tried was Proraso green, so that's all I had to go on performance wise.

Overall, the slickness of the T&H is better than the Proraso, whereas the TOBS fell a little short in that department. Cushion, on the other hand, I'd still give the nod to T&H, but TOBS was better than the Proraso in this area.

I know it's apples to oranges when it comes to the "T's" vs. Proraso, but it's all I had to work with, so naturally, YMMV.

Just my 2¢.

I look forward to finishing the weekend with the T&H!
 
Day 4 T&H:

View attachment 615125

MRGLO Lavender pre shave soap
Fatboy from the passaround
GSB
Omega 49
Bowl lathered

Another fine shave this morning. Only a 2 pass since I was strapped for time again, but very nice! Today, I got a full floral scent as opposed to Cologne like. I haven't changed anything, but the cologne was masked by the floral notes today.

I can definitely say that I like this scent better than TOBS, but I wouldn't say no to either. After using these two creams back to back, I can definitely say I'll be giving more creams a chance.

I'm typically a soap guy, but these have opened the doors to a new world of possibilities for me. They may not be the absolute best creams out there, but they are far from the worst. The only other cream I've tried was Proraso green, so that's all I had to go on performance wise.

Overall, the slickness of the T&H is better than the Proraso, whereas the TOBS fell a little short in that department. Cushion, on the other hand, I'd still give the nod to T&H, but TOBS was better than the Proraso in this area.

I know it's apples to oranges when it comes to the "T's" vs. Proraso, but it's all I had to work with, so naturally, YMMV.

Just my 2¢.

I look forward to finishing the weekend with the T&H!
Love your lather bowl.
 
Razorock Stealth Slant v2
Rooney Victorian
John Allan SlickWater
Haslinger Schaffmilch soap for the überlather

OK, I've had it with the T&H!

i redoubled the cream, used more water, doubled the whipping time, used my mild Razorock and still got the hamburger treatment with nicks and weepers. The whiskers did get soft and moist, but the shave was lousy.
 
SHAVE #4

Back to the Bowl

Same wonderful lather - rich and slick. I'm enjoying T&H very much - both the shave cream and balm. My perception has been that I like this scent better than TOBS sandalwood. It will be interesting next week to contrast the two side-by-side.
 
T&H #5

$ImageUploadedByTapatalk1447425388.270301.jpg

This shave sealed the deal for me. This is one thirst soap! I face lathered and added quite a bit of water. But it still wasn't enough. My shave still wasn't as good as when I started to get the lather a little soupy. I don't think I could comfortably add enough water to it, while face lathering, to get the optimal shave.

I'm done with my trials. I've made my final conclusions regarding both creams, but I'll wait until next week to disclose the results.
 
Shave 2 T&H

VL Epsilon Horse
CVH MK32
T&H Sandalwood

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The epsilon doesn't over aerate ever... it's a wonderful brush and the T&H complimented this well.

very nice scent, today i got a slight floral whiff that was slightly reminiscent of a part of the Acca Kappa LiboCedro scent with is cedar/rose-ish to my thoughts. I like the scent although it doesn't linger. i think i felt a small amount of tingle when i left the cream on a bit longer to see how it reacts pre shave and post shave.

2 passes and the lather was nice, rinsed off the straight well, didn't dissipate and the scent isn't obtrusive or offensive. can't complain.

the post shave feel was okay, not dry, so i'll call it nice.

i gave a small try of the ASB, my typical application to moistened skin and the scent has that base that smells "sunscreeny", i get a slight hint f the fragrance through that base smell though.. this fragrance would not impede on any edt application.
 
So I have enjoyed reading these reviews and comments from others. Before I read the first review, I had, purely by chance, just ordered TOBS Sandalwood. I tried it for the first time last night after shaving that morning (dinner out). I did a quick 3 pass shave and absolutely loved it, including the scent. My DW enjoyed the scent too. When we returned from our night out, 5 hours later, the fabulous scent still lingered in the bathroom!
 
Shave 3: I was somewhat apprehensive given my poor last shave. I tried to put all of that aside and start fresh. I used our subject cream, scuttle, Merkur DE and Cade brush. For the aftershave: I used the sample balm supplied for one half of my face and C&E sandalwood ASB for the other. This morning, I created a better lather. I think I may have gone overboard the other day and added too much water. The lather was thicker today. The DE slid right through the lather across my face without missing a beat. 2 passes left me with a much improved shave compared to yesterday. One tiny weeper, not a big deal. My face felt pretty good. I put on the aftershave and this is where I noticed a difference. The T&H balm made my face burn and tingle. Something in it doesn't agree with me. The burn and tingle stayed with me halfway through my day and then went away. The scent on the balm is minimal. The balm did make my face feel soft though. Obviously, My mileage did vary with that one. I'm liking the cream, though. The scent is very good and doesn't feel like it is overpowering. The scent stays pretty close to the user. The performance is very good also. I took my time mixing and adding water and the cushion is awesome and the slickness is very good as well. No picture for this shave, which was yesterday.
 
Gear for this shave:

Razor - '62 Slim
Blade - Personna Blue (2nd shave)
Brush – Simpsons Case Best Badger
Cream – Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood
Aftershave – Truefiitt & Hill Sandalwood ASB

Not that great of a shave today. As this is my fourth T&H review and its Friday I will not be shaving this weekend. No need and my face needs a rest.

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I loaded the cream inside of my badger knot (or at least i tried). It is a small brush and it was not easy to get the cream in the bristles and most of it ended up on the bristles. Also the brush was way too wet and the lather became very runny.

$IMG_0383.jpg

I began my face lather and water was slinging out of the brush and dripping everywhere. I tried to shake some out and lost a few puffs of cream. I was able to generate a decent lather in the end though. Brush after first application.

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First pass went well but I felt a little irritation begin. Not sure what it was from as the lather was decent. Rinsed off and reapplied for second pass. Brush after second application.

$IMG_0385.jpg

After 2 WTG passes and some cleanup I had decent close shave. I did not attempt to go for BBS as I could feel the irritation starting. I had noticed during the shave that I could definitely feel the blade against my skin. The lather must have been too thin/too much water. After my cleanup passes I rinsed with cold water and dried my face.

$IMG_0386.jpg

I applied a generous dollop of ASB and was immediately met with burning and stinging. It subsided quickly but was still quite uncomfortable. This is the first shave that I used the ASB. I will try it again as there is at least one more applications worth left in the container. The scent of the ASB was almost non-existent. As said before it kind of smelled like sunscreen or just plain old lotion - nothing special, definitely not Sandalwood. At first the ASB had left my skin feeling a little tacky until it was fully absorbed. After about 30 minutes my skin felt very smooth and conditioned so I thought the ASB had some decent qualities, I thought. When I looked at myself in the restroom mirror at work about 2 hours later I realized that my face and neck were blotchy and red. This is the first time this happened with either of these creams (TOBS and T&H) regardless of the quality of the shave. It is obvious that it was the ASB that caused the blotchy redness. As I said, I will try it again but I do not have high expectations whatsoever.
 
At least I am not the only one who thought the balm burned. The night I used it, I had a face fire like nothing I have ever felt before. I binned it, haven't used it since that night, and have had perfectly good post shave feels ever since.
 
Friday Nov 12:
The shaving lineup is still the same as my first shave with the Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood shaving cream, except for the AS.
After not being able to smell either the shaving cream or the aftershave balm, I decided to step it up in the fragrance department. Today's lineup looks like this:

$SOTD.jpg
Prep: hot shower with Avon Wild Country hair and body wash
Brush: Omega boar
Razor: Merkur 33C
Blade: Gillette 7 o'clock yellow
Soap: Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood shave cream
AS: Clubman Pinaud
Finisher: Wild Country cologne + Wild Country talc + Clubman Pinaud styling gel

See the trend? I definitely smelled like a ClubMAN!

I splash my face with cold water, then I plop a dollop of the T&H shaving cream on my wet brush, and proceed to face lather. This cream has performed very well for me, and after almost a minute of lather my face, the brush looks like this:

$after first lather.jpg

I go for a three-pass, DFS. I am satisfied with the results, as well as the cloud of Pinaud/Wild Country that follows me.

In terms of performance, this cream's been great for me, except for my inability to smell it. It's too bad some of you have been less than satisfied. Another example of YMMV, I guess?

Thank you all for the reviews. One more coming from me on Saturday. Good night all!
 
I walked into work, the place was a tizzy
No time for the forum, I had to get busy

I sit at my desk and begin to make calls
My boss starts to yell, his voice fills the halls

A very rough start to a very long day
But my shave was so nice, I smile anyway




You know, sometimes having a great start to your day can lay a foundation strong enough to withstand a tornado.

ATT S1
Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow
Omega 10066
Stetson Cooling Moisture

So when this week is over I think I will continue to use this cream until it runs out. This cream has impressed me on every level. I don't have extensive experience with luxury creams but the performance and scent certainly reflects the price. There is great value in this cream and I think $30 for 6oz is a luxury I can afford considering how long it lasts.
 
I'm afraid I've got some sort of allergy to something in the T&H. I had steadily worsening redness on my face everyday I used it up to shave 4 on Wed. So I took the past two days off and everything's back to normal. I probably won't use it again though. It's a shame because I was enjoying the performance of it. I seem to be a little sensitive to some fragrances and I guess this is one. It didn't cause a burning sensation or anything but it looked like I had a sunburn on my beard area that got redder and redder every day.

Oh well, I'll PIF the cream next time one of those traveling boxes comes through.
 
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