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The Sandalwood Shaveoff

Ladies and Gentlemen, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, fall is upon us. The temperatures are dropping outside, and along with them, the leaves. It's time to ring in The Winter Shave. And what better way, than with a Sandalwood Shaveoff!

Why Sandalwood? Because! It is one of the most recognized scents in cosmetic products. It's woody smell has been in use for thousands of years, to convey a sense of heavenly peace and to aid meditation. Whether or not you recognize the names Mysore, Chandan, or tan xiang, you'll never forget the scent. It's that scent, that immediately warms the soul and comforts the user.

A group of our members have volunteered their services, to usher in the Winter Shave. They'll be using two of the finest Sandalwood Shaving Creams in the world. Each participant will be using one cream exclusively for a week, then switching to the other cream for the next week. They have promised at least 4 shaves per week, and will be posting their thoughts and techniques. We'll have a roundtable discussion on the third week, to evaluate their findings. I invite everyone to shave along and enter the discussion.

The Creams this year have been provided, complimentary, by two of the oldest and finest Wetshaving institutions in the world.



Our first Cream was donated by Paul Chessell, General Manager at Taylor of Old Bond Street, London, England. http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/

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"Jeremiah Taylor first founded Taylor of Old Bond Street on September the 1st, 1854. Jeremiah opened his salon in London's fashionable Bond Street and gained a reputation in British Society for his botanical extracts. The Taylor tradition continued through the next generation with Sidney who opened our now famous flagship store in Jermyn Street, London.
The 'Taylor' brand epitomizes classic British style and understated elegance, reliability and quality. Our products are manufactured and designed to meet the highest standards and are made out of natural ingredients where appropriate. We strive on providing both exceptional customer service and products.
Taylor of Old Bond Street remains a family business."



Our second Cream was donated by Linda Mountford, Managing Director of Truefitt & Hill, NA. https://www.truefittandhill.com/

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"The story of the Oldest Barbershop in the World, as recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2014, began in fashionable Mayfair in 1805, the year of Nelson's victorious Battle at Cape Trafalgar, while King George III sat on England's throne and William Pitt the Younger served as its Prime Minister. This was the era of fine craftsmanship, innovation and styling which set the scene for a history that is colourful, inventive and pioneering.
Catering to the exacting standards of London's gentry, when vanity and good grooming were the essential mark of the gentleman, Truefitt offered its demanding clientele a new level of service unsurpassed anywhere in the world. From its array of exceptional products through to its legendary barbering services, there developed a heritage and sense of innovation that today marks Truefitt & Hill as the world leader in men's grooming."

Without further ado, I present The Sandalwood Shaveoff!
 
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Participants, please lather your samples of Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Cream, for the next week!

Please, feel free to introduce yourselves!
 
Hi everyone. I'm Brian and I'm a shaveaholic. But I've never tried anything from the 3T's. So I got lucky there and was able to get in on this. Can't wait for tomorrow's shave. :) I've been taking occasional whiffs of both of these creams and they both smell great but very different. TOBS has a strong scent while Truefitt is more subdued. We'll see how TOBS performs in the morning.
 
I'm Ted. I'm traditionally a soap user but have been dabbling in a few creams. Can't wait to finish my coffee and start shaving.
 
Hi fellow Sandies,

I'm Bob and happy to be a part of the sandalwood shaveoff.

First I'd like to thank Paul Chessell, General Manager at Taylor of Old Bond Street, Linda Mountford, Owner of Truefitt & Hill, NA and of course Badger and Blade. A special shout out to Dane (FordFather) for sheparding this project and making it happen. Great thing don't happen unless someone is bringing people together, toting boxes to the post office, communicating with people in PM's etc. etc.

I'm 90% soap user, but do appreciate creams too. C.O. Bigelow (Proraso) was my first love as well as Tabac, Mike's Natural, Mitchell's Wool Fat, Soap Commander. I never tried sandalwood until last year with Proraso's Sandalwood debut in the Den amd became quite enamored with Sandalwood. Since that time I've used quite a few sandalwood soaps and a few creams, but never used either of two "T's" sandalwood.

I know that there are ancient (and honorable) threads about sandalwood scents where people contrast earthy sandalwood vs. cologney sandalwood. Personally, I like reading different opinions, but my criteria is simply do I enjoy the scent and does it perform well.
 
Participants, please lather your samples of Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Cream, for the next week!

Please, feel free to introduce yourselves!

Let the shave off begin!!!

Thank you Dane for organizing this. I'm one of the lucky members here who will be participating in this great shaveoff.

My name is stefan, and I'm ADHD when it comes to software. I started with creams about a year ago but quickly jumped to soaps of all kinds, settling on palmolive stick, arko, and EJ sandlewood soap.
I look forward to concentrating my shaves for the next few weeks with these two creams.
I'll be trying bowl lathering again, face lathering and even try a mix of the two by starting in the bowl and finishing on my face. In effort to give my best views, I will be sticking with mostly the same hardware so that my views and opinions aren't skewed.
After work tonight, I'll give my TOBS sandlewood it's first run!!!
I hope you all enjoy this as much as I'm sure I will.
And I would also like to thank these two companies for sending along these products for our testing and enjoyment.
Happy shaving everyone!!
 
I will post my SOTD on this thread every shave along with my views and opinions and any tips I seem to notice.
I will say I think I'll be using generous amounts of these two creams each time to ensure I don't get a poor shave from trying to be too thrifty with the cream.
 
Hi Everyone, I'm Olaf and I like warm h.....sorry, I live with a 3 year old lol. Anyways, I'm John and I'm primarily a soap user. I haven't tried any of the Three T's stuff, let alone sandalwood. Because of this shave off, I've also ordered at least 3 other sandalwoods to compare after this has completed.

I'm looking forward to lathering up tonight and seeing what the TOBS experience is like!

Stay tuned ladies and gents!
 
This morning's gear: 1969 long handled Super with a personna blade. Bowl lathering with a Jagger Best Badger brush.
TOBS is a very strong scent in the tub, but it changed into a mellower scent as I lathered it. I took about two almonds worth of product into the bowl and within seconds had a very luxurious lather that had a medium scent. It went on well. The only con was I was expecting slicker performance. It was very cushioning and did not sting the eyes (I'm a head shaver too). 2.5 passes and one full rinse to re-lather and I've had a very good shave without any post shave dryness. Finished with the Veg and some Firehouse wax.

Again, I think I expected slicker, but the pleasant side was the thick lather, a pleasant and not overpowering scent and the finish was not drying (for me). Tomorrow I'm going to change things up and try a face lathering.
 
Ooo, this is getting exciting already. As a sandalwood aficionado, although only with soaps so far, I am eager to hear about the perspective of the guys that are part of this test.
 
Good morning, my name is Edwin and I am addicted to the scent of Sandalwood. As already stated I would also like to thank Dane for organizing this event and also Paul and Linda for their kind gestures and great customer service.

I will be mixing up my gear and techniques throughout this event but my results will be posted each and every shave. I really look forward to this so let the games begin.
 
Jon checking in... I've been sneaking in wafts of the 2 graciously donated creams and already noted a distinct difference in notes of the 2. Haven't touched them yet though. They both smell very nice, can't wait to give them a go.
 
This morning's gear: 1969 long handled Super with a personna blade. Bowl lathering with a Jagger Best Badger brush.
TOBS is a very strong scent in the tub, but it changed into a mellower scent as I lathered it. I took about two almonds worth of product into the bowl and within seconds had a very luxurious lather that had a medium scent. It went on well. The only con was I was expecting slicker performance. It was very cushioning and did not sting the eyes (I'm a head shaver too). 2.5 passes and one full rinse to re-lather and I've had a very good shave without any post shave dryness. Finished with the Veg and some Firehouse wax.

Again, I think I expected slicker, but the pleasant side was the thick lather, a pleasant and not overpowering scent and the finish was not drying (for me). Tomorrow I'm going to change things up and try a face lathering.

Yay our first shave review!!!
I've used other tobs creams but never had a sickness problem. I'm sure we will all need to dial this in, but I'm probably gonna run some test lathers first to find the right water amounts for equal cushion and slickness.
The otherror ones I've used are Eton college, shavING shop, and lemon lime I believe. Each needed slight tweaking.
Thanks for the review and the inside into the scent profile when lathering!!!
 
Shave #1 - In the books.

Pros:Great Lather, Slick and protective.
Cons:At it's first outing, I"m not sure that I like or dislike the scent - kinda neutral.
Price:N/A
Quality:9
Scent:?
Latherability:9
Efficacy:8
Moisturizing Properties:6
Packaging:10

(Note re: table. This is copied directly from the B&B TOBS review page http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=6160&title=taylor-sandalwood&cat=41 The numbers, are of course mine.)

Like Edwin, I'll be mixing up my lathering techniques.

Today's shave was a traditional bowl lather with a fan-shaped 24 mm Shavemac Finest brush. The Shavemac soaked in a mug while I was in the shower and then shook and gently squeezed much of the water out. I easily loaded the brush by swirling it on the cream in the tub and gradually added a few trickles of water (no more than a 1/2 teaspoon) quickly I had a thick, shiny lather, which easily painted on my face.

The scent was not too strong, not too weak and was a little different that I had expected. Protection and slickness were top notch and I enjoyed a wonderful shave using a Cadet OC loaded with a new red Personna Platinum Chrome blade. 3-passes, plus a little touch up = BBS, not slices or weepers. I finished up with a cold water splash, Haslinger SPA Sandalwood (Sandelholz) Aftershave Balm and Ogalla Bay Rum & Sandalwood. A very nice Sunday morning shave.

As I mentioned earlier - I am not sure that I like the scent or not. I'm certainly not a "scent puritan", but this cream strikes me as being "sandalwoodish" or "sandalwoodlike". I feel neutral on my feeling of the scent and will enjoy this cream for the rest of the week.
 
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Well, here's my first shave with TOBS Sandalwood. First off, I'll say I've been using L'Occitane Cade soap for the past month and that's a tough act to follow but TOBS did a great job this morning.

Whisker softening is important to a good shave for me so my usual routine is to use a dab of cream and wet hands to get a thin, wet lather on my beard for a few minutes. After this I noticed TOBS did a really good job of softening my whiskers.

My gear for today was a 24mm TGN Finest brush, Schick Golden 500 with Personna injector blades, and I finished up with Clubman. That's an AS that will highlight any deficiencies in your lather or technique :)

As someone already said, this cream is not as slick as some. Coming off the Cade which has lots of residual slickness, I just made sure not to go over any areas that didn't have some cream left on them and had no problems.

Cushion and lather stability were excellent with this cream and I did not have any problems with it drying out before the end of my pass.

As for the scent, I think it definitely changes when you lather it up. In the tub it smells sweet, strong and not much like wood. After lathering it up though, it seems to get that woody scent that was more what I expected. I enjoyed the scent very much.

During the shave everything felt great. I did 2 passes with a touch up on the jawline and got exactly the closeness I usually get from that so no surprises there. And then I gave it the test. A double sized splash of Clubman. No burning at all :). I love shaves like that. No irritation, no weepers. My face feels nicely moisturized afterward. Can't ask for more. I'm looking forward to the next 6 shaves with TOBS!
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tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Good morning sandalwood lovers! I trust everyone enjoyed their extra hour to sleep (or party last night - YMMV 😉). I am John. I've been wet shaving with a DE safety razor for about 14 months now. I am mainly a face lather and a big fan of boar brushes, although I intend to kick things off with my lone badger brush for reasons that should be apparent when I post my first review. I like both soaps and creams. A few of my favorites include Cella, Proraso Blue and Red, Musgo Real, and Stirling Barbershop. My scent preferences run more towards the "barbershop" style. Pinaud Clubman is my favorite aftershave. I'll caveat all that with the fact that I haven't used a tremendous variety of products yet as I try to keep my stash reasonablely small. My only extensive experience with sandalwood is Proraso Red. Also, I've never tried the 3 T's or any other British products, so I'm very excited about this opportunity. Thanks to Dane for putting this together and allowing me to participate. And definitely thanks to TOBS and T&H for the generous samples. First review shortly...
 
Looks like we mostly forgot pictures! Hopefully, tomorrow I'll do better.

John Allan SlickWater pre shave.

Mergress set at about 3.25. New 7OC Green Super Stainless. Simpson Chubby3 Super Badger. Face lather.

For about the past year I've been an überlather user, and before that, AoS almond cream as a face lather. While I've been here and into our whole mishigoss (Yiddish: elaborate craziness) I have learned a lot about brushes and face lathering, I think.

So I swirled my slightly damp brush lightly a few times around the tub of TOBS and went to my face. Vigorously lathered about 3 times over all. I had a thick, rich, yogurt coating and went to the razor. Significant stubble, since my last shave was Thursday.

I was was a bit surprised that my stubble did not seem as softened as with my usual überlather. But the shave was smooth. I was getting excellent slickness and cushion. And loving the scent.

Bottom line, BBS, no nicks or weepers, which is rare for me. Perhaps because I was paying more attention. I think I have relatively delicate upper lip and neck skin, since I watched a Mantic59 video last night and comparatively, Marc seems to really slash without doing any damage.

In sum, yay TOBS Sandalwood! Next shave, tomorrow, will be in a scuttle.

Abby
 
TOBS Sandalwood SOTD:

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Loaded the brush directly from the tub. Loaded easy enough although I may not have loaded enough.

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Went into a face lather and in about 20-30 seconds I had a great thick luxurious lather after a little swirling and painting. First pass with '59 Fatboy/Personna Blue had a real nice easy glide, plenty of cushion and slickness. I believe there could have been more slickness, probably not enough moisture in the lather.

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For second pass I may have added a little too much moisture to the brush as the lather got a little runny as seen on the below picture.

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After 2 wtg passes I did a little touch up here and there and was pleased with the results. A nice smooth shave without any nicks or cuts so I finished up with Gabels Bay Rum.

For my first review of the cream I will say that the strength of the scent definitely changes after being lathered. In the tub the scent is strong, sweet, and almost like a vanilla candy IMO. After lathering the scent mellows out and begins to take on more of what I would consider "woody". It smells great throughout the entire shave and filled my den with that pleasant "barbershop" scent.

A great Sunday shave, looking forward to the rest of the week and everyone elses reviews and opinions. Cheers!
 
Good Morning,

It is so much fun to be involved in the shave forums. It is so much fun I often just browse and post infrequently. I am Ron and when I browsed into this forum section and seen this, well I had to get to work. Thanks to an awesome steward and great companies like Taylors and Truefitt and Hill we have this opportunity.

For me this is Creams time of year. I have dry skin and in when the heat is on I lean to creams and bowl lather. a preshave oil has been the order of the day for the last few months, but for this test no preshave product will be used. The hardware will stay pretty slim. This week I will use the Rooney 2\1, British 58. and Iridium blade.

First impression; The scent of the TOBS Sandalwood is mild, which I like so it does not overcome my sense first thing. Latherability is standard TOBS greatness, I load very light as a standard. Using this technique one be a bit more careful with the water. I agree with what some others have said all marks were hit with high marks except for slickness. This is an easy assessment and maybe due to not have using my usual preshave oil. But, with my past uses I would have reduced the slickness rating overall.

I will reduce the amount of water and increase the amount of product and see what the next shave turns up. the reviews are of coarse under the magnifying glass so we should not think this product does not provide top notch results. over the years of using TOBS Cream i have noticed how different each scent is in all departments of shave-ability, lather-ability and so on. chemistry is a strange bird indeed.

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