Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Nice Brad. I have Silk Road and Natchez Trace as well. Good stuff.
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SHAVEWIZARD'S THOUGHTS
- Thread starter Shavewizard420
- Start date
Thanks guys! Have more soap bases to try but was waiting for the Cadre to open back up first so i wouldnt have to backlog a bunch of shaves. Keeps things fresh in the old memory lol.
Thanks Dave! The Paladin soaps were made by Soap Smooth and they are quality products. The scent of Silk Road is not for me as it is a somewhat typical fresh scent, but got it in a trade and figured i would use it a few times to gove it a fair shot.
Great Shave and nice find in that Injector!
Thanks Don! For $4 i couldnt pass it up. Also picked up a Techmatic which is a strange razor, most of the reviews are negative so perhaps should have done reaserch first but it is a cool design. Hopefully it wont be too hard to find band refills.
3-7
Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Schick Injector
Blade: Ted Pella
Brush: Maggard White & Blue Synthetic
Soap: Vreto Cedar Sandalwood
First time with Vreto soap and it surpassed all expectations. Have a tin of Dendi which is another Serbian artisan and the 2 are usually mentioned together as there are noany artisans from that part of the world it seems.
Scent of Cedar Sandalwood is stronger than i was led to believe and is about 6/10. Much more complex than it sounds and does not smell like a simple mix of EO. it is spicy and woodsy and smells decent.
Performance was a nice surprise and it really whipped up a protective lather. Aparently there are a few different Vreto formulas out there, this one did not make that "stringy glue" lather that some have reported (B&M Reserve) but rather a lather that reminds me of Southern Witchcrafts or Noble Otter. This stuff can handle a bunch of water without breaking down, started to get shiny the more water that was added and had a layered look. Had a great refreshing shave and hope you had a similar experience!
Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Schick Injector
Blade: Ted Pella
Brush: Maggard White & Blue Synthetic
Soap: Vreto Cedar Sandalwood
First time with Vreto soap and it surpassed all expectations. Have a tin of Dendi which is another Serbian artisan and the 2 are usually mentioned together as there are noany artisans from that part of the world it seems.
Scent of Cedar Sandalwood is stronger than i was led to believe and is about 6/10. Much more complex than it sounds and does not smell like a simple mix of EO. it is spicy and woodsy and smells decent.
Performance was a nice surprise and it really whipped up a protective lather. Aparently there are a few different Vreto formulas out there, this one did not make that "stringy glue" lather that some have reported (B&M Reserve) but rather a lather that reminds me of Southern Witchcrafts or Noble Otter. This stuff can handle a bunch of water without breaking down, started to get shiny the more water that was added and had a layered look. Had a great refreshing shave and hope you had a similar experience!
3-8
Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Gillette Tech
Blade: Croma Diamat
Brush: Maggard Blue & White Synthetic
Soap: The Artisan Shoppe- Rival (Tallow)
Post: Mickey Lee Italian Stallion Milk A/S
Picked up a sample of TAS Rival from WCS a while back and this is the first time i have tried this artisan. Rival is their WCS exclusive Tallow formula which is somewhat new as they are known for Vegan formula.
Scent of Rival is a bit on the light side, hard to describe but is slightly powdery with some patchouli and a bunch of other notes that blend together to make up this scent.
Performance was quite nice and the lather could handle a good amount of water although not as much as the Vreto from yesterday. This soap provided a comfortable shave and a sample can be had for a decent price and have no regrets, although i dont see buying a full tub in the future so glad they offer samples to give it a shot. This tallow formula privided a decent shave with no nicks or visable irritation and overall was a refreshing near BBS shave. Post residual slickness is lacking IMO and is really the only reason negativity is present. Once rinsing touch ups were dragging a bit but it seems only a handfull of artisans have post residual slickness down pat.
Hope everyone had a swell shave!
Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Gillette Tech
Blade: Croma Diamat
Brush: Maggard Blue & White Synthetic
Soap: The Artisan Shoppe- Rival (Tallow)
Post: Mickey Lee Italian Stallion Milk A/S
Picked up a sample of TAS Rival from WCS a while back and this is the first time i have tried this artisan. Rival is their WCS exclusive Tallow formula which is somewhat new as they are known for Vegan formula.
Scent of Rival is a bit on the light side, hard to describe but is slightly powdery with some patchouli and a bunch of other notes that blend together to make up this scent.
Performance was quite nice and the lather could handle a good amount of water although not as much as the Vreto from yesterday. This soap provided a comfortable shave and a sample can be had for a decent price and have no regrets, although i dont see buying a full tub in the future so glad they offer samples to give it a shot. This tallow formula privided a decent shave with no nicks or visable irritation and overall was a refreshing near BBS shave. Post residual slickness is lacking IMO and is really the only reason negativity is present. Once rinsing touch ups were dragging a bit but it seems only a handfull of artisans have post residual slickness down pat.
Hope everyone had a swell shave!
Regarding the Techmatic. Very good, very easy shaves. It's super mild, but they do make refills that are adjustable. Should be easy to find refills on Ebay. Each band has 10 "segments" or the equivalent of 10 blades. I used one segment for a full month, and could have easily gone longer, I was just tired of using it at that point, and had only committed to a month. So one refill could last a whole year, if you were so inclined.
Thanks for the tag, Don.
Thanks Kj you helped restore my faith in this razor as most people were saying it was the worst razor ever lol which is hard to believe. The one i have has a "cartridge" but am not sure if it is Kosher to use or if i should wait and pick up some new ones. The design is pretty cool and unique. There are numbers 1-3 on it, does it move the band when you flip the switch?
The Vreto made a much better lather than the Dendi IMO and was quite surprised how decent this stuff is, although agreed its not in the "elite" category.
3-9
Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Gillette Tech
Blade: Croma Diamat
Brush: Yaqi 26mm Synthetic
Soap: Shannon's- Haymarket Vetiver
Post: Shannon's- Haymarket Vetiver A/S
Had a awesome refreshing shave yesterday morning. Shannon's Soaps have been arpund since 2011 and produce some quality products for affordable prices. The owner Brian (Mr. Shannon) is a nice guy and have talked to him a few times both thru email and in person at the Maggard Meet up.
The scent of Haymarket Vetiver is one of the best scents from Shannon's Soaps IMO, it is a citrusy vetiver that is a little earthy but the citrus makes this a very wearable fragrance that pairs well with Royall Rugby or other Vetiver colognes.
Performance is very good. This soap whips up a different kind of lather than most soaps IMO and is similar to I Coloniali or Perfectly Natural when it comes to lather consistancy, no bubbles and extremely creamy. This soap seems to fly under the radar for some reason but they have a solid soap base that deserves recognision IMO. Managed a super smooth BBS shave with no nicks basically a perfect shave. Finished off with matching aftershave which has decent longevity and is WH based with other skin food ingredients. Hope everyone had a similar experience!
Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Gillette Tech
Blade: Croma Diamat
Brush: Yaqi 26mm Synthetic
Soap: Shannon's- Haymarket Vetiver
Post: Shannon's- Haymarket Vetiver A/S
Had a awesome refreshing shave yesterday morning. Shannon's Soaps have been arpund since 2011 and produce some quality products for affordable prices. The owner Brian (Mr. Shannon) is a nice guy and have talked to him a few times both thru email and in person at the Maggard Meet up.
The scent of Haymarket Vetiver is one of the best scents from Shannon's Soaps IMO, it is a citrusy vetiver that is a little earthy but the citrus makes this a very wearable fragrance that pairs well with Royall Rugby or other Vetiver colognes.
Performance is very good. This soap whips up a different kind of lather than most soaps IMO and is similar to I Coloniali or Perfectly Natural when it comes to lather consistancy, no bubbles and extremely creamy. This soap seems to fly under the radar for some reason but they have a solid soap base that deserves recognision IMO. Managed a super smooth BBS shave with no nicks basically a perfect shave. Finished off with matching aftershave which has decent longevity and is WH based with other skin food ingredients. Hope everyone had a similar experience!
3-10
prep: pre shave soap mix
razor: Gillette Tech
blade: Croma Diamat
brush: Yaqi 26mm Synthetic
soap: Queen City Soapworks- Gentlemens Cut
post: HEV Cognac & Cuban Cigars Balm
had used this soap once when i first got it and have been wanting to revisit it so today was the day. Queen City Soaps (not to be confused with Queen Charolette Soaps) is a artisan that there is little information about accept the WTF review which is where i purchased this soap from.
scent of Gentlemen's Cut is a light barbershop type tobacco scent, many artisans offer soaps that smell almost exactly like this (MW Sweet Briar, WILD WEST PEACE PIPE, etc.) It smells nice but prefer other versions of this scent.
performance is quite nice and made a decent lather with no issues. Soap consistancy is on the hard side like Paladin or Soap Commander and has a waxy feel to it. This soap is very concentrated, only scooped a small amount and still had some left over so a tin should last practically forever. Overall this is a decent soap but nothing about it had that "WOW" factor IMO. Finished off with Yak & Cuban Cigars balm to keep with the tobacco theme and is one of my favorite balms when it comes to both performance and scent.
Ingredient list is: Saponified Steric Acid, aqua, caster oil, Coconut Oil, Kokum Butter, sodium Lactate, Glycerin, fragrance
hope everyone had a great shave!
prep: pre shave soap mix
razor: Gillette Tech
blade: Croma Diamat
brush: Yaqi 26mm Synthetic
soap: Queen City Soapworks- Gentlemens Cut
post: HEV Cognac & Cuban Cigars Balm
had used this soap once when i first got it and have been wanting to revisit it so today was the day. Queen City Soaps (not to be confused with Queen Charolette Soaps) is a artisan that there is little information about accept the WTF review which is where i purchased this soap from.
scent of Gentlemen's Cut is a light barbershop type tobacco scent, many artisans offer soaps that smell almost exactly like this (MW Sweet Briar, WILD WEST PEACE PIPE, etc.) It smells nice but prefer other versions of this scent.
performance is quite nice and made a decent lather with no issues. Soap consistancy is on the hard side like Paladin or Soap Commander and has a waxy feel to it. This soap is very concentrated, only scooped a small amount and still had some left over so a tin should last practically forever. Overall this is a decent soap but nothing about it had that "WOW" factor IMO. Finished off with Yak & Cuban Cigars balm to keep with the tobacco theme and is one of my favorite balms when it comes to both performance and scent.
Ingredient list is: Saponified Steric Acid, aqua, caster oil, Coconut Oil, Kokum Butter, sodium Lactate, Glycerin, fragrance
hope everyone had a great shave!
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Nice shaves Brad!
Thanks brother! Have a few more unknown artisans to bring to light but the well is starting to run dry lol.
+1 really like their soap base but unfornuately most of the scents dont jive with me, although a few are great. Am curious about their Rose scent and it would be cool to see a darker scent offering such as Sandalwood Coffee or something along those lines.
3-11
prep: Pre Shave Soap Mix
razor: Gillette Tech
blade: Croma Diamat
brush: Yaqi Synthetic
soap: Gustafsons- Stubble Management
post: Aqua Velva A/S (Decanted)
The soap used for todays shave is Gusrafsons Stubble Management which is produced by Square One Soapworks. Gustafsons first formula did not lather whatsoever, but this stuff has been a HUGE surprise. Vegan soap base that stands out and is not a typical Vegan IMO.
ingredients: distilled water, sustainable palm oil, stearic acid, shea butter, mango butter, potassium hydroxide, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, glycerin, sunflower oil, bentonite clay, essential oils (Anise, Peppermint), indigo blue powder, vitamin E
scent of Stubble Management is a mix of Anise and Peppermint. I am not a fan of Anise whatsoever but this is a different story, the 2 notes blend together yet you can still detect both notes (if that makes any scents hahaha). Very natural smelling scent that is fairly strong.
performance has surpassed all expectations and has actually become a soap base that is near & dear to my heart. The lather from this soap is a bit different (such as Shannon's, I Coloniali, or Perfectly Natural) and whips up to a cream consistancy with no visable bubbles. Lather can hold water and becomes nice and dense. Slickness and post shave feel are great but where this soap shines is post residual slickness, after rinsing touch ups are no problem. Would imagine this soap would be perfect for shaving with a Straight Razor as it is super slick with low volume. Managed a DFS drama free shave and finished off with a splash of AV.
hope everyone had a swell shave!
prep: Pre Shave Soap Mix
razor: Gillette Tech
blade: Croma Diamat
brush: Yaqi Synthetic
soap: Gustafsons- Stubble Management
post: Aqua Velva A/S (Decanted)
The soap used for todays shave is Gusrafsons Stubble Management which is produced by Square One Soapworks. Gustafsons first formula did not lather whatsoever, but this stuff has been a HUGE surprise. Vegan soap base that stands out and is not a typical Vegan IMO.
ingredients: distilled water, sustainable palm oil, stearic acid, shea butter, mango butter, potassium hydroxide, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, glycerin, sunflower oil, bentonite clay, essential oils (Anise, Peppermint), indigo blue powder, vitamin E
scent of Stubble Management is a mix of Anise and Peppermint. I am not a fan of Anise whatsoever but this is a different story, the 2 notes blend together yet you can still detect both notes (if that makes any scents hahaha). Very natural smelling scent that is fairly strong.
performance has surpassed all expectations and has actually become a soap base that is near & dear to my heart. The lather from this soap is a bit different (such as Shannon's, I Coloniali, or Perfectly Natural) and whips up to a cream consistancy with no visable bubbles. Lather can hold water and becomes nice and dense. Slickness and post shave feel are great but where this soap shines is post residual slickness, after rinsing touch ups are no problem. Would imagine this soap would be perfect for shaving with a Straight Razor as it is super slick with low volume. Managed a DFS drama free shave and finished off with a splash of AV.
hope everyone had a swell shave!
I never considered the techmatic a bad razor. My son loves it, ever since taking it from me 2 years ago he has pretty much used it exclusively. He made a cartridge last a full year no problem. I’d like to get my hands on an adjustable cartridge just for comparison but the original works fine.