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Travel Shave Kit, Put to the Test

It's been a whiie since I did any traveling anywhere, but this trip was all the wife's idea - a month in Europe (Vienna, Salzburg, Prague & London), combining a slightly-belated honeymoon (we tied the knot in June), bucket-list check-off, and a visit to an artist friend of hers she hasn't seen in about 25 years. A lot was riding on this one. As I write this, we're into our second week, in Vienna. If you've been here, there's not much for me to tell you; if you've never been, there' so much to tell, I wouldn't know where to start.

As is traditional for me, I packed relatively light. But I didn't care to compromise too much on the dopp kit. The shaving portion of the kit, shown the accompanying photo, includes:

- Parker 3-Piece Travel Razor: I'll admit it: this choice was influenced by my continued giddyness with the performance of my Parker Variant adjustable which I bought several months back. So far, I can't say I'm disappointed, other than one very tiny section of the cap where it appears the chrome plating didn't fully take (I' been warned beforehand about this, but this hasn't impacted performance in any way).

- 3-piece travel shave brush: Ibought this one a few years back: the brand logo wore off within the first month os use, so I don' recall who markets it, although I've seen it under at least two different brand names. Best Badger, ever so slightly scritchy in feel, but does a great job lathering up with most creams I use (I don't bother with soaps on the road, since in the name of travel simplicity I forego my usual pre-shave routine, and a good cream often allows me to get away with that).

- KAI razor blades: At the same time I bought the Parker travel razor, I grabbed a five-pack of KAIs, as well as a pack of Personna Reds to try out in it: I'd gotten spoiled by the just-dial-it-in ease of the Variant, and realized going to a fixed-gap razor again meant paying attention to what gave the best balance of close and smooth for me. It was a very close match between the KAI, Personna, and Astra Superior Stainless, but the KAI got the nod for the trip, and I figured a five-pack would be more than enough for a month's shaves. Again, smooth sailing so far.

- Col. Conk Stypic Stick: It does the trick, and thankfully, I've only needed it once so far, during a rather rushed shave that I really should've skipped.

- D.R. Harris Arlington Shave Cream: This was sort of like reuniting with an old pal: it was the very first "good and proper" cream I spent money on, back when I got my very first non-mainstream razor (a Pumaster straight...talk about diving in the deep end first), and first discovered B&B in its earliest online incarnation. Decided to get the tube since I couldn't find it in shave-stick form quickly enough. This stuff is so damn good I'm scratching my head over why I stopped using it (Correction...I know exactly why I stopped: I was being a bit of a cheapskate for a while, switching to Taylor at first, then moving on to soaps to get more mileage out of my "consumables", although I've come back to creams for winter shaving - they simply work better for me, and you can bet a tub of Arlington is one of the first things I buy the moment I get back to the States...unless, of course, I happen to step into ToOBS' shop while I'm in London. (Would love a sit-down shave from them, but I get the feeling one needs to book way in advance for that.)

- L'Occitane Cade Shave Balm: I can blame this one on the wife - She semi-regularly orders stuff for herself from L'Occitane, and, like outfits such as Sephora, there are always lots of sample packets thrown in to try out. One day last year, in the middle of a shave, she pokes her head in the bathroom, saying "I have no use for this...want to try it?", and casually tossed the trial packet on the counter. I'd already put out my little bottle of Witch Hazel, and I recalled the trial-pack of Baxter's after-shave balm which left me quite underwhelmed, especially for the asking price. I have a reflexive resistance to pricey aftershaves, and I expected the Cade sample to be pretty much the same. Wrong: Iinstantly fell in love with it. Soothing, gently toning, quick-absorbing into the skin with no trace of greasiness, and the most wonderful, delicate scent. Naturally, it's the most expensive stuff I've found in a tube, but at the moment I don't care - It Stays In The Picture. (Wife took pity on me and bought me a tube...but warned me I was on my own from here. Good thing the stuff is like Brylcreem - "a little dab'll do ya" - I'm still on that first tube, as seen in the photo.

Cork: You already know this...

GO Atomizer: Okay, this is the only non-shaving-specific item I'm putting out here. My all-time favorite cologne is J. Peterman's 1903. Been using it since about a year after its release (which, for the record, wasn't 1903, but roughly 90 years later). A bottle usually lasts me 3-4 years, easy. While they do offer a spray-bottle version of it, I regarded it too large to toss into a dopp kit, so didn't think it worth buying, but really wanted to take some '03 along somehow. Along comes GO, which I found by a fluke in an old-school pharmacy. I was mildly skeptical about its long-term reliability, but I've had it for some five years now, on at least three long-distance trips, and numerous shorter ones. Fairly easy to fill, hasn't leaked yet.

If anythng changes radically, I'll dutifully report, but so far this kit is solidly doing the biz. (Nearly forgot: frequent-flying shavers here know this already, but for the otherwise curious: always pack your dopp kit in your checked luggage; I'm not 100% cerrtain what the TSA thinks about packing anything other than your multi-blade razor du jour in your carry-on bag, but better safe than sorry.)
 

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Some people cork their blades, thinking it helps them be less harsh?

Though I'm not sure what corking a blade entails.

I just looked it up and it seems some people like to run their blades through a cork to remove any imperfections on the blade edge. This is the first I've ever heard of such a thing and I spend WAY too much time on this site. I wonder if this is how the OP is using the cork.
 
Nice travel set up! Enjoy the trip (also stop by some shops to see what the locals use for shaving)!
 
you should surely stop by Taylor of Old Bond Street when in London. It is easy to get to, and you may be able to get a shave as well. I got some good stuff there and i have found that i am a real fan of their aftershave balm.
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you should surely stop by Taylor of Old Bond Street when in London. It is easy to get to, and you may be able to get a shave as well. I got some good stuff there and i have found that i am a real fan of their aftershave balm.
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I'm drooling just looking at that picture. Pasteur's in NYC is nice but much of the store is for non-shaving items. Clearly mostly everything will be shaving related. And their Mr. Taylor's Luxury Shaving Balm is my favorite of all time. I am using one tube and have two more in reserve. I have to get back to London soon.
 
Generally take a razor soley based on my whims. Poraso green preshave and cream, I have small TSA compliant sized bottles filled with each. My Simpson classic 1 brush. My modus operandi for blades is to mail them to the hotel I am staying at if I fly so I don't have to search for some. DE blades in even the largest US cities can be a challenge, unless you are willing to settle for suckie blades. Obviously if I drive, the sky is the limit.
 
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You have a very nice setup for travelling. Only suggestion I would make is to switch to a small book of alum matchsticks instead of a styptic pencil. Much more convenient I find.
 
View attachment 827566 You have a very nice setup for travelling. Only suggestion I would make is to switch to a small book of alum matchsticks instead of a styptic pencil. Much more convenient I find.

I entirely agree...but a quick check with the usual e-tailing suspects came up craps. I barely had time to get hold of the Col. Conk pencil.

As an addendum to the trip: it was amazing in so many ways I could bust several brain stems putting it together here. The shave kit came through gangbusters, so I have my "away kit" truly sorted. Got within a stone's-throw range of ToOBS and Truest & Hill, but had no time to drop in.

That said, it's marvy to be back home, and, as far as my shaving routine goes, to a somewhat more refined and luxurious experience.
 
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