The Wanderer's Journey

[AimlessWanderer]

I've opened the mail. Much fun to be had this week!

Please excuse picture quality as always. I have trouble knowing when it's the pic that's blurred, or my vision.



On the left, is a Kent Infinity brush, kindly gifted to me by @Cal . I find it impressive, that when Cal has gifted me something, it comes with the original packaging That goes straight in the trash/recycling when I get something.

Next, is a Maggards synthetic. Probably a Yaqi by another name at a guess. There's also a couple of buffalo horn seconds, which will go in the projects box. They'll be used for rescaling Swiss pocket knives at some point in time. At the front is a pack of samples from St James of London.



There's 5 shaving cream samples:
Cedarwood and Clarysage, Black Pepper and Lime, Lavender and Geranium (Sensitive), Sandalwood and Bergamot, and Mandarin and Patchouli.

4 Post shave gel samples:
Cedarwood and Clarysage, Black Pepper and Lime, Lavender and Geranium (Sensitive), and Tonka and Tobacco Flower

1 Pre-shave oil sample:
Mandarin and Patchouli

I'm not sure I've ever really used a pre-shave before, other than washing my face with a moisturising bar soap. Such is the nature of my simple humble shaves.

Here's the line-up of brushes



From the left:

1) The cheap Omega boar that I've been using for the last few months (yes, there's soap scum on it - get over it). This has now been demoted to a general cleaning brush, and now lives with my oils and greases, etc. It'll be used for general maintenance of anything that needs cleaning before re-oiling. No more will it see the face, and no more will it get to do the anoying thing of wicking moisture away from the lather, so there's pasty soap at the tip, and water dripping from the base of the knot.

2) The Omega Hi-Brush (also gifted to me by Cal). This generally lives in a travel kit, but has been a permanent resident in the bathroom since I fell out with, and demoted the boar.

3) The Kent Infinity. I love the size of this brush. It hasn't seen lather here yet, but the feel seems very promising. Plenty of backbone for loading my favoured hard soaps, yet still soft to the touch. Much softer than my several month old boar.

4) The Maggards. Softer than the Infinity, but a bit less backbone too I think. Mike recommended this brush, and he uses a few different creams. I can see this being maybe a better brush for cream, and the Kent being a better brush for soap. Time will tell.

So with the boar relegated to DIY use, that leaves me with three synths for shaving purposes. The mission now, is to select which of these will be permanently in the bathroom, which is to reside in the travel kit (for lathering face applied shave stick), and which gets to metaphorically sit on the bench while the other two get all the glory. That said, if the one in reserve does something better than the bathroom one, it might get the occasional call to action for that product/sample.

So over the next week or two, each one of these will need testing with Mitchell's (grated and pressed into the ceramic pot), face applied Palmolive stick, and some cream. As the cream I have most of is a tube of Erasmic, I'll most likely use that for consistency of testing. If the first shave is fantastic with any given brush and any given soap, I might skip straight to something else for the next shave. If not, I might give it a few tries, just to see if I need to use it/them differently. So that's at least nine initial test shaves, but potentially a few more to be sure.

While I'm still looking to settle down with (mostly) one kit, it has to be the right kit, and that boar was not the right brush. My original boar was perfect, but that bit the dust, so I need to go through this little exercise, before I can try to settle back down again. Hopefully, I should be good for a few years then.

 

[comis]

Looks like an exciting week ahead of you, good luck with all the testing and have fun!

 

[Esox]

The Maggards. Softer than the Infinity, but a bit less backbone too I think. Mike recommended this brush, and he uses a few different creams. I can see this being maybe a better brush for cream, and the Kent being a better brush for soap. Time will tell.

As far as I know Al, they are made by Yaqi.

I have 2 creams and 6 soaps in rotation. You might be surprised how easily it loads a hard soap.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Cheers fellers I'll keep informed of my findings
Sadly, I can't shave just yet, as there's work being done on our water supply (only pipe flushing, nothing too disruptive) The engineers tell me supply should be restored soon.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Water supply restored. Let the shaving commence

Brush Test #1
Kent Infinity Silvertex & Mitchell's Wool Fat

This is one rigid brush! TONS of backbone! It's also the smallest brush (splay on face) that I've used so far.

It loaded pretty quick, and let me know immediately that it doesn't like being swirled on the face. Just like the Omega Hi-Brush it needs to be used with a painting action, but it does it very well, and precisely too with the minimal splay. The rigidity really works the lather into the base of the whiskers, and lays the lather off really thin. No waste, and no ridiculous feel numbing pillows of lather. Perfect for me. Lots of blade feel means lots of control during the shave. Other people mixing a richer lather may get different results from it.

Being so small, it doesn't hold much in the way of lather for the next pass. That's really not an issue for me though, literally three seconds to pick up a little extra soap, and I'm back to work. I've never been one of these 60 second loaders, and 3 minute builders. All that does is make my arm tired, and leads to great globs of lather dropping off your face. This loads, incorporates, and applies hard soap very efficiently indeed. It also means that if you only want a pass or two, you're not wasting product. Not sure how it will work with creams or shave stick. My initial impression is that the Maggards may have the edge there, but I could be wrong.

Today was an excellent shave, and this brush pairs with Mitchell's really well, particularly if you just want to get it on, and get it done. No mess, no fuss, no drama.

Thanks again @Cal On first shave, this is already vastly superior to the boar!

 

[TinyT]

Being so small, it doesn't hold much in the way of lather for the next pass. That's really not an issue for me though, literally three seconds to pick up a little extra soap, and I'm back to work.

This makes so much sense. Going back to the puck between passes has been an issue for me for far too long and with no reasoning behind it. Last shave, I went pack to the tub for a few seconds and was lathered up and ready for the pass after a few more. No drama and the correct amount of soap on my face.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

This makes so much sense. Going back to the puck between passes has been an issue for me for far too long and with no reasoning behind it. Last shave, I went pack to the tub for a few seconds and was lathered up and ready for the pass after a few more. No drama and the correct amount of soap on my face.

A lot of people online, seem to obsess about the brush having to hold enough lather for (at least) three passes. Antything that doesn't, may be viewed by some as a failure. My six (?) year old zamac razor that gets used for the vast majority of my shaves, supposedly isn't durable either. On knife forums, edge retention is a similar mythical property, which supposedly renders knives inferior if they don't have it to excess. Personally, I'd rather have a pocket knife I can put an edge back on in seconds.

I've never felt like it was a failure to go back to the puck for more soap, or back to the butter when buttering toast, or giving my knife a couple of swipes on the bottom of my mug of tea to bring the edge back, or even to put my phone on charge occasionally. I've even been known to re-tie a shoelace during the day without emotional meltdown. There is a lot of wisdom on the internet, but there's a lot of guff too.

No shave today. Yesterday's was so close, it wasn't necessary, and wouldn't be a good brush test with so little stubble. Next up will be the Maggards with Mitchell's. I think bouncing between the brushes with each soap/cream product is probably the most insightful way to test them.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Brush Test #1
Maggards synthetic & Mitchell's Wool Fat

A very different brush. The least backbone on any brush I've used. Still a good performer though.

It loaded well. Having more contact area than the Kent, it collected more soap in the same time. Once I'd got it to the right consistency, it had ample for three passes. It did however lay off thicker than the Kent brush, so there was less blade feel during the shave. This was the same in pass two, but when lathering for pass three it did lay it on thinner. I've never used a badger brush, but this is kind of what I would expect from one. The Kent has more of a boar feel to it.

The reduced backbone did mean this brush can be swirled rather than just painted, and can be used a little heavier on the face, which will probably be a bonus when I get to trying the brushes out with the face applied Palmolive stick. Holding lather as well as it does, it will also mean I only need to apply that shave stick once, whereas I may need to reapply with the Kent. Today's shave was a little rougher than it was when I used the Kent on Monday, which might be operator error, and/or the thicker lather muffling the blade feel. Now that I have an appreciation of what to expect from each of them, I probably need to reuse them both on Mitchell's to be sure of my verdict. That verdict being that whilst the Maggards felt quite luxurious to use, the Kent actually gave me a better shaving lather for my face and style of shaving. The Hi-Brush lies somewhere between the two - in both respects.

This is only one shave with each brush though, so nothing is certain just yet.

I think I'll move on to a different soap next. Either face applied Palmolive stick, or the Erasmic cream. I might also use the Omega Hi-Brush as well, so I'm assessing all three brushes against each other. It's been a few months since I last used the Hi-Brush with Palmolive, and I don't know if I've ever used it with the Erasmic. If I have, I can't remember what it was like. So I probably have at least another nine test shaves to do - all three brushes, with all three soap/cream products. Current thinking is that the Kent and Maggards will be home use, and the Hi-Brush will remain in the washbag for travel - with Kent taking Mitchell's duty for the bulk of the shaves, and the Maggards coming out for use on creams and softer soaps... maybe. That could all change in the next few shaves.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

In other news, I'm a bag of mixed emotion today.

My brother's fiance gave birth to my nephew 12 weeks early today. She'd been self-isolating due to a nasty cough, and suffers impaired kidney function since childhood. Then this morning, her body decided it wasn't happy, and hit the eject button. He came out kicking and screaming, which is a good sign, but there's still a lot of worry for both him and his mum. He's been put in premature care, and as yet, I don't know what they're doing with the mother. With my health issues, my parents being on full lockdown with being in the highest risk bracket for the current pandemic, and my other brother being in another city, as a non-driving single parent, none of us can do the usual family support thing. This leaves the proud new father being kept at arms length by the hospital for contagion fears, and having to look after the two year old and four year old at home on his own, while worrying himself stupid about his fiance and son. Her parents did initially take the kids and dog when all the excitement first started happening, but it's far too early to know how this is all going to pan out. Delighted the nephew came out fighting and there were no initial obvious complications, worried sick for the pair of them, burning with guilt over being unable to help, and frustrated that neither of his brothers, nor his parents, can truly be there for him at this time. Resisting the urge to keep calling him and texting him. He's got enough on his plate without me taking up brain space too.

 

[Esox]

We're all in the same boat Al. Hang in there!

 

[thombrogan]

Congratulations on your nephew. I’m very sorry this situation is keeping your family from physically coming together.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks guys. The wee man is in isolation on a ventilator, but stable, and his mum is back home. She's got a chest infection, has been tested for Covid, and should get her results tomorrow. We're all a little calmer today.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Brush Test #3
Kent Infinity & Erasmic Cream

This shave moved the goalposts.

As I had already done a shave with each brush on two day stubble, and knew the brush could still get the lather where it's needed, I didn't have to wait an extra day for this shave.

No bowl lathering. A wee splurge of cream on the brush, maybe half cashew sized, and straight to painting. Once the brush and face were well coated, I added a little water, but not too much. I remembered from my earlier exploits with cream, that with my water and/or skin chemistry, it is quite easy to over hydrate it, and to then lose slickness.

I got it to a consistency I was happy with, and had the best shave I've ever had with a cream. Just like with the Mitchell's, the Infinity laid the lather off nice and thin, so there was plenty of blade feel. Unlike the Mitchell's though, it comfortably held enough lather for three passes! Also, I found that I could swirl to work the lather a little more, so long as I went into that swirl from a painting stroke.

So...

Best ever shave with a cream.
Swirlable.
Held lather for three passes.

I didn't expect that from this brush!

I certainly need to revisit Mitchell's again with it to be sure of my initial result there. Erasmic with the Maggards tomorrow, and then same methodology with the Hi-Brush on Saturday. It's only right that I do a 24hr shave with those two, after doing a 24hr shave with the Kent today.

 

[TinyT]

So...

Best ever shave with a cream.
Swirlable.
Held lather for three passes.

I didn't expect that from this brush!

These synthetics are looking like boar killers.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

These synthetics are looking like boar killers.

That boar is already written off! My first one was very good, but only lasted a few years before it started disintegrating. These synths are very different to each other, but all good performers, and worry free. I've not read of any synthetic shedding and disintegrating in the same way.

These three will certainly be all I need for the foreseeable future. It's just a matter of where each gets deployed for want of a better term. One will go in the travel kit, and one will be my primary for home use. The third will probably be back up, unless it does something better than the primary one, and gets called on for use with certain products, or the occasional test if I'm using a soap/cream sample.

 

[Esox]

Best ever shave with a cream.
Swirlable.
Held lather for three passes.

I didn't expect that from this brush!

I would expect that from any brush.

These synthetics are looking like boar killers.

Badger killers too...

They're just different and need to be treated as such. Any brush is capable of making and applying a good lather, its just the road to that result that may be different.

 

[comis]

In other news, I'm a bag of mixed emotion today.

My brother's fiance gave birth to my nephew 12 weeks early today. She'd been self-isolating due to a nasty cough, and suffers impaired kidney function since childhood. Then this morning, her body decided it wasn't happy, and hit the eject button. He came out kicking and screaming, which is a good sign, but there's still a lot of worry for both him and his mum. He's been put in premature care, and as yet, I don't know what they're doing with the mother. With my health issues, my parents being on full lockdown with being in the highest risk bracket for the current pandemic, and my other brother being in another city, as a non-driving single parent, none of us can do the usual family support thing. This leaves the proud new father being kept at arms length by the hospital for contagion fears, and having to look after the two year old and four year old at home on his own, while worrying himself stupid about his fiance and son. Her parents did initially take the kids and dog when all the excitement first started happening, but it's far too early to know how this is all going to pan out. Delighted the nephew came out fighting and there were no initial obvious complications, worried sick for the pair of them, burning with guilt over being unable to help, and frustrated that neither of his brothers, nor his parents, can truly be there for him at this time. Resisting the urge to keep calling him and texting him. He's got enough on his plate without me taking up brain space too.

I sincerely hope both the fiance and nephew will be doing better day by day, and the father stretching thin between his obligations could breath a little easier. My thoughts are with them.

If anything, definitely take loads of Vit C and D to boost his immune system and if possible, wear a surgical mask for protection. I have read somewhere even a buff is recommended to use, some barrier is always better than none.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I sincerely hope both the fiance and nephew will be doing better day by day, and the father stretching thin between his obligations could breath a little easier. My thoughts are with them.

If anything, definitely take loads of Vit C and D to boost his immune system and if possible, wear a surgical mask for protection. I have read somewhere even a buff is recommended to use, some barrier is always better than none.

Thanks Chi. The mother was home yesterday, and everyone is feeling a little calmer now. The little one is in isolation, as was on a respirator as his lungs were quite tight. They're also giving him nutrients via a canula, as his stomach isn't developed enough for milk yet.

 

[comis]

Thanks Chi. The mother was home yesterday, and everyone is feeling a little calmer now. The little one is in isolation, as was on a respirator as his lungs were quite tight. They're also giving him nutrients via a canula, as his stomach isn't developed enough for milk yet.

Al, good to hear and that's a relieve, I have faith in the little guy, hope his condition will continue to improve!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Al, good to hear and that's a relieve, I have faith in the little guy, hope his condition will continue to improve!

Thanks. I've heard nothing today (and not pestered them either), so I'm taking that as everything going to plan.