What's new

West Coast Canadian Pass-around Box

Blade: Voshkod Teflon Coated Score 8 out of 10
Brush: My Vie-Long horse hair
Soap: Tiki "Surf's Up" Score 8 out of 10
Aftershave: Clubman Classic After Shave Score 8 out of 10
Razor: Gillette: Ball-End Score 7 out of 10

Prep as usual was my morning shower. I shaved off a thin slice of the Surf's Up and used my ever present jelly mold bowl for whipping up the lather. The scent of the Tiki soap was nice. It was light, with a freshness that reminded me of cool breezes. I would have preferred the scent to be a bit stronger but such is the way with soaps that have been open and used for a while. I expect that if I was lathering a bigger sample it would have been a bit stronger. The lather was really decent with a good balance of slickness and cushion. Not quite as good as the B&M but pretty darn good. I think I'll try one or two Tiki soaps the next time I'm ordering.

I was really looking forward to using a Gillette Ball-End. When I was a kid in the '60's, my Dad had one. Using one today, it brought back some pleasant memories of six year old me watching my Dad shave.

I've been looking forward to using a Voshkod blade too. I've heard good things about them.

The blade/razor combo was efficient and gave a good, comfortable two pass shave. The razor is slightly less aggressive than I like and I have to admit, I've been spoiled by my own Fatboy and the adjustability it offers. That being said, today's razor and blade did a great job and if it I had just one razor, this would be quite acceptable. The combo gave a DFS all around with no nicks and no irritation. I like the blade and think I will be picking up some more soon.

Every Friday is Clubman Friday in my house so it was an obvious choice to use it again today. I like the Classic barbershop scent. If you've never tried it, go get your hair cut. That smell you get when they use the talc-loaded brush at the end or your haircut...that's the scent. For me it brings back memories of being a kid, sitting in the barber shop and listening to the old guys analyzing and solving the problems of the world to the sound of scissors.

Another great shave today.
 
What did you think of the Tiki Surfs Up scent?

For me it was a bit faint to form a solid opinion but I got enough of a whiff to say I'd like to try with a fresh puck. It may be my nose too. My wife says that I don't notice some scents that make her nose wrinkle. I may just be one of those people who are a bit nose-blind to some types of scents.
The performance was approaching top-notch. It was very forgiving regardless of how wet or dry it was. The first pass was a bit thin but protected just fine. The second pass was a bit drier. I used what had been left on my brush and it had a couple of minutes to dry out a bit. It ended up just fine.
I like a soap that has some staying power. Some soaps have a habit of drying out on your face before you get through one pass -you end up having to touch it up. Not so with the Tiki. This soap will go the distance with plenty of cushion and glide. Me likes.
 
Today's shave:
$uploadfromtaptalk1428787834321.jpg
 
Shave Oil : Real Shaving Co. Shaving Oil 2 out of 10
Blade: Wilkinson Sword 5 out of 10
Brush: My Matthew Marting custom badger
Razor: Sik Bay plastic DE 5 out of 10
Soap: Axe Denim Shaving Cream 3 out of 10
Soap: Tiki Bar Salty Air 9 out of 10
Razor: My Razorock Jaws

Initial prep as always was a hot shower followed by the Real Shaving Co. oil. Basically it was glycerin. Generally I stay away from shave oils and this reminded me why it's not my thing. As a beard softener it doesn't appear to offer much advantage over a hot shower. The residue just gums things up too. When I started the Axe shave cream the result was awful. It congealed and slid off my face as I shaved. Starting over with the oil removed entirely the Axe worked little better but honestly it really doesn't offer much protection.

The Wilkinson blade was definitely ok but not great. I'd use it in a pinch but it's not one I'd normally buy. It's a rougher shave either in the plastic razor or in one of my my regular razors. (more on that below)

The plastic razor intrigued me. Would it give a decent shave? I loaded the blade and gave it a go. With the Axe cream the result was awful. Pulling and scraping, ugh. I switched over to Tiki Bar Salty Air and it turned the experience from awful to ok. Switching the blade over to my RR Jaws it was a bit better again. I think the plastic razor would be OK if you were going on a flight and wanted a DE that you would be OK with if it goes missing. Don't expect a great shave but it will do the job. Personally I would prefer to just take my Jaws along for the ride if I'm travelling. If you do use a plastic razor just about anything would be better than the Axe cream. I've never been as disappointed with a product as I am with the Axe cream.

The Tiki Bar soap was a real performer. I used it on the second pass. The fragrance was nice. It's hard to describe the though. Certainly pleasant but hard to nail down the elements. I used a bigger sample this time and it made a big difference with the scent. Now I'm wondering how the Surfs Up would do with a larger sample.

If you are looking for a Shave Oil I recommend the Razorock Pre-Barba. Smells nicer and less goopy.

After the shave today I felt a lot of irritation. Alum block and alcohol today.
 
Blade: Rapira Stainless 6 out of 10
Razor: Gillette Tech 8 out of 10
Soap: Mystic Water Jeff's Lavender 8 out of 10
Alternate: Razorock Peppermint Lube 3 out of 10
Brush: My Matthew Marting horse hair
AS: NRAM's Citrus Bay Rum 8 out of 10

I started with my usual shower and tried the Peppermint Lube on one side and the Mystic Water soap on the other.

The Peppermint Lube is designed as an alternative to soaps or creams and is made with the traveller in mind. I liked the scent. It would pair up well with Krampert's Frostbite. It didn't give much protection though. Passable but not up to some other RR Lube I've tried.

The Mystic Water soap smelled nice and there was copious lather from a small sample. I like this soap. I'd place it just behind the Barrister & Mann, up there with many of the popular soaps out there.

The Rapira blade was odd. Smooth but occasionally it would feel like it was snagging. This happened with both the lube and the soap. I'm thinking that the edge was a little spotty because it was lined up properly in the razor. Maybe I got one of those duff ones that happen sometimes.

I switched out the Rapira and finished the shave with one of my Feather blades. The shave improved enormously so the problem was definitely the Rapira blade.

The Gillette Tech razor gave a decent shave. I've seen these at the flea market for $15. I should pick one up next time

I finished off with the Citrus Bay Rum. I liked how it hit with the Citrus note first with the Bay Rum coming out in the dry off. This is a Bay Rum that doesn't overwhelm you and I like that it isn't overly strong. Well done NRAM !
 
Update -On the weekend, I spied a Tech at a flea market and picked it up for $12.

Well that's it for me. Putting the box together and getting ready to send it on to Royal52. Thanks!
 
Update -On the weekend, I spied a Tech at a flea market and picked it up for $12.

Well that's it for me. Putting the box together and getting ready to send it on to Royal52. Thanks!


If I see a triangle slot Tech i will pick one up also. It was a nice shaver.
 
Alright I had my first shave this morning.

Products used from box were the Stirling Shave Soap - Nag Champa & Nram's Citrus Bay Rum Aftershave.

Used my own Omega Boar, Merkur Progress with a Feather Blade.

The soap was above average IMO. I'm not sure on the scent, to be honest a lot of the soaps in the box smell similar, perhaps they've been going through wild temperature changes often and the scents have been reduced. I also think the Nram's after shave may have leaked as the entire box resembles its scent.

Anyway, I've been using Barrister & Mann for pretty much every shave the past few months. The Stirling lacked the protection and slickness I get from B&M. I pretty much judge all soaps against B&M since I've found it to be the best for me.

The aftershave I would rate as average. I'm guessing it's homemade with actual drinkable rum? That is how it felt, not bad though. The scent is pretty much as described by the name, not a long lasting scent, but could catch hints of it a few hours later.

Shave 2 to come...
 
Shave 2

Products from box were Tiki Bar Salty Air Shaving Soap, Captains Choice Bay Rum Aftershave, Made Rite Pure Badger 500PB shaving brush, Gillette Nacet Blade.

Used my own Merkur Progress.

So this soap was excellent, I had heard good things about Tiki going in and it lived up to the reviews. Excellent slickness, creamy, excellent protection, and lathered as easy as any soap I've tried. Overall, right up there with Barrister & Mann. Only downside would be the very mild scent.

I've previously tried the Captains Choice Cat'O9tails and really liked it, so had good expectations for the CC Bayrum. It did not disappoint. Not as much burn at the Cat'O9 but give the same great post shave feel. I've tried quite a few aftershaves over the past few months and Captains Choice is definitely one of the best.

The brush was better than I expected. It does not have the softest tips, although that is expected from a pure badger, but does have great backbone and picks up and releases soap very well.

The Nacet blade was nice, quite smooth and sharp enough to get the job done. Probably not as sharp as a feather but still a very nice blade.

Shave 3 to come...
 
I found the Tiki soap to be very good. Like you I felt the scent was a bit light but I suspect it would be a bit stronger with a fresh container that hasn't been travelling around.
 
I get really decent shaves off the Nacet and in my experience I can get four shaves out of one.

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to the next.
 
Shave 3

Used the Simpson's 46 Berkeley in Best Badger, the same Gillette Nacet Blade, the Otoko Organics Shaving Soap, and CC Bayrum AS.

Used my own Merkur Progress.

I've used this brush before as I used to own one. It has slightly less backbone than the other badger brush in the box. I always find it hard to tell how much soap has been loaded on the Berkeley as it seems to disappear deep inside the bristles as opposed to coating the tips.

I loaded for a good minute and proceeded with a face lather. The soap worked up a very thick lather. I think it needed more water than I added as it was lacking slickness. Probably my fault. When I squeezed the lather out of the brush, there was a ton of thick lather left, definitely could have taken more water I would say. That being said I don't think I can give a proper review of the soap. I'm sure more water would have given it more slickness.

This was the second shave on the Nacet blade, still seemed fine. I was in a bit of a rush to get out the door so I just grabbed the CC Bayrum AS (same as last shave). There were only a few drops left so its now all gone. Its good stuff.

Shave 4 to come tomorrow morning hopefully. I'm giving John the box tomorrow afternoon.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the reviews Jeff. I'm keen to have a go with some of the products I've been reading about. See you tomorrow.
 
Shave 4

Products used from box were the Pre De Provence Shave Soap, Gillette Nacet Blade, & Old Spice Aftershave.

Used my own Semogue Boar & Merkur Progress.

The soap was average IMO. The scent was fairly mild and basically smelled like a nice french hand soap. The soap lacked the protection and slickness I get from my favorite soaps.

The aftershave I would rate as above average. Its got a nice barbershop scent, however not long lasting. Face feel is good. I think you can pick this stuff up at most grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Marts for around $10.

This was my third shave on the Nacet blade and it still felt ok, probably won't use it again though as I like very sharp blades and could feel the dullness a bit.

I made a number of swaps/additions and the box was given to John this afternoon.

I took out the Made Rite Pure Badger Brush, the wet shave club DE razor, Tiki Bar Salty Air, Axe Cream, Park Avenue Cream, Otko Organic Soap.

I added a well worked in Omega Boar, Feather Popular DE razor, La Toja Cream, Razorock Classic Soap, Razorock Neroli Soap, Real Shave Company Cream, Jack's Shaving Soap, Giovanni Shave Cream, Razorock pre shave oil.

Thanks !!
 
I met with Jeff today. Drank coffee and picked up the box. First thoughts as I looked through the contents--this is a very different mix from the east coast box. This one is full of soaps and has quite a few razors, and lots of soaps, and quite a few brushes, and plenty of soaps, and a few creams. Very few after shaves. The east coast box was dominated by after shaves when I saw it. I'm looking forward to trying some of this stuff.
 
Top Bottom