8th Night
Shave Member
Wow, 2 shaves in 1 day. Another great shave, Lantzman.
The Shaving Cadre
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SOTD May 2026
- Thread starter BarberDave
- Start date
remfan170
Shave Newbie
May 4, 2026
• Brush: Semogue – 2000 (Boar)
• Razor: Muhle – R41 (Black)
• Blade: Tatra – Platinum
• Soap: Wickham Soap Co. – 1912 Club Cola
• Aftershave: Murray and Lanman – Florida Water Cologne
• Balm: Stirling – Unscented Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: LBCC Historical Apothecary – Florida Water
On April 21, I wrote a long post on Florida Water and the artisans that make shave soap and/or aftershave dupes of it. One resource I relied on was this Canadian database of shave soap dupes which had listed Wickham’s 1912 Club Cola as a dupe of Florida Water. Wickham is an outstanding English artisan who makes some of the best vegetal/vegan soaps in the world. I could be wrong about this, but Wickham and Pheonix and Beau are the only English “artisans” I can think of. When I think of English wetshaving, I think of the barbershop/company brands (e.g. TOBS, Harris, Trumper).
Someone once sent me a sample of 1912 Club Cola that I enjoyed. I did not think it was a straight dupe of Florida Water, but found it to be “Florida Water Adjacent.” However, I was having some difficulty finding any way of purchasing the soap in the United States due to the ongoing tariff situation. This set off quite an interesting journey. To make a long story short, I was able buy an unopened puck from a truly kind soul that was a few years old and a touch dry. I poured a layer of distilled water and let it soak for six to eight hours before pouring off the excess and letting it air dry for a few hours. I did this for three consecutive days; and it worked a charm.
I was guided in this process by Darron, the artisan behind Wickham Soaps. He mentioned, and this is important for my “fellow Americans,” that Wickham currently ships to the US and will pay any tariffs associated with the order. This is exceedingly kind of him. It currently is the only way to get his soaps as there are no US stockists. While I was familiar with his usual lineup, there were some interesting limited editions available.
During our correspondence, I asked him if 1912 Club Cola was actually a dupe of Florida Water, as there had been some debate about that. His response: “When I originally created the fragrance, I was attempting to recreate the scent of cola bottle sweets using essential oils. The result wasn’t an exact match, but I was struck by how much I liked the strong citrus character that came through. Rather than discard it, my stepson and I decided to develop it further into what became Club Cola. It was later recreated as a synthetic fragrance to keep up with demand and the cult status that followed…The name itself was simply an amalgamation of “cola” and “Jockey Club,” which I had come across in an old fragrance book I own. So to answer your question directly, no, I wasn’t trying to recreate Florida Water. Any similarity is coincidental. That said, I can understand why people might see them as adjacent, as both share bright citrus and aromatic elements, but Club Cola was always intended to stand on its own as a unique fragrance.”
It works beautifully on its own as a unique fragrance. It also works beautifully with Florida Water. I had an amazing shave with it and look forward to many more.
Have an awesome day, friends!
• Brush: Semogue – 2000 (Boar)
• Razor: Muhle – R41 (Black)
• Blade: Tatra – Platinum
• Soap: Wickham Soap Co. – 1912 Club Cola
• Aftershave: Murray and Lanman – Florida Water Cologne
• Balm: Stirling – Unscented Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: LBCC Historical Apothecary – Florida Water
On April 21, I wrote a long post on Florida Water and the artisans that make shave soap and/or aftershave dupes of it. One resource I relied on was this Canadian database of shave soap dupes which had listed Wickham’s 1912 Club Cola as a dupe of Florida Water. Wickham is an outstanding English artisan who makes some of the best vegetal/vegan soaps in the world. I could be wrong about this, but Wickham and Pheonix and Beau are the only English “artisans” I can think of. When I think of English wetshaving, I think of the barbershop/company brands (e.g. TOBS, Harris, Trumper).
Someone once sent me a sample of 1912 Club Cola that I enjoyed. I did not think it was a straight dupe of Florida Water, but found it to be “Florida Water Adjacent.” However, I was having some difficulty finding any way of purchasing the soap in the United States due to the ongoing tariff situation. This set off quite an interesting journey. To make a long story short, I was able buy an unopened puck from a truly kind soul that was a few years old and a touch dry. I poured a layer of distilled water and let it soak for six to eight hours before pouring off the excess and letting it air dry for a few hours. I did this for three consecutive days; and it worked a charm.
I was guided in this process by Darron, the artisan behind Wickham Soaps. He mentioned, and this is important for my “fellow Americans,” that Wickham currently ships to the US and will pay any tariffs associated with the order. This is exceedingly kind of him. It currently is the only way to get his soaps as there are no US stockists. While I was familiar with his usual lineup, there were some interesting limited editions available.
During our correspondence, I asked him if 1912 Club Cola was actually a dupe of Florida Water, as there had been some debate about that. His response: “When I originally created the fragrance, I was attempting to recreate the scent of cola bottle sweets using essential oils. The result wasn’t an exact match, but I was struck by how much I liked the strong citrus character that came through. Rather than discard it, my stepson and I decided to develop it further into what became Club Cola. It was later recreated as a synthetic fragrance to keep up with demand and the cult status that followed…The name itself was simply an amalgamation of “cola” and “Jockey Club,” which I had come across in an old fragrance book I own. So to answer your question directly, no, I wasn’t trying to recreate Florida Water. Any similarity is coincidental. That said, I can understand why people might see them as adjacent, as both share bright citrus and aromatic elements, but Club Cola was always intended to stand on its own as a unique fragrance.”
It works beautifully on its own as a unique fragrance. It also works beautifully with Florida Water. I had an amazing shave with it and look forward to many more.
Have an awesome day, friends!
Yetzirah
Shave Member
Awesome shave Akhi!Sunday, May 3, 2026
I love MWF. This soap performs so well, slick, creamy, thick lather and smells great. I always come away from a MWF shave feeling clean and fresh. The Timeless Aluminum Slant took down the 2 days of growth with ease... like a hot knife through butter. I did 3 passes on the cheecks and 2 on the neck. DSBBS finish.
View attachment 158737
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (Epic Shave!)
Smoothness: ★★★★★ (BBS Perfection)
Irritation: ★★☆☆☆ (Barely There)
Time of Day: Afternoon
Blade Uses: 2
Passes: 3
Razor: Timeless Razors Timeless Aluminum Slant
Blade: The Gentleman Super Platinum Max x 7 (India)
Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat Mitchell's Wool Fat
Shaving Bowl: Face Lather
Brush: PAA Green Ray
Pre-Shave: Hot Shower
Aftershave: PAA Alum Solid Block No slip Grip.
Aftershave 2: Thayers Unscented Facial Toner - 3 Oz mister
Aftershave 3: Stirling Soap Co Unscented Aftershave
Aftershave 4: Stirling Soap Co Unscented - Post-Shave Balm
Generated by Shaving Sherpa — Shaving Sherpa - Master Your Wet Shaving Journey
Shavuah Tov!
Yehuda D
Sr. Shave Member
A shave fit for a king Akhi!Sunday, May 3, 2026
I love MWF. This soap performs so well, slick, creamy, thick lather and smells great. I always come away from a MWF shave feeling clean and fresh. The Timeless Aluminum Slant took down the 2 days of growth with ease... like a hot knife through butter. I did 3 passes on the cheecks and 2 on the neck. DSBBS finish.
View attachment 158737
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (Epic Shave!)
Smoothness: ★★★★★ (BBS Perfection)
Irritation: ★★☆☆☆ (Barely There)
Time of Day: Afternoon
Blade Uses: 2
Passes: 3
Razor: Timeless Razors Timeless Aluminum Slant
Blade: The Gentleman Super Platinum Max x 7 (India)
Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat Mitchell's Wool Fat
Shaving Bowl: Face Lather
Brush: PAA Green Ray
Pre-Shave: Hot Shower
Aftershave: PAA Alum Solid Block No slip Grip.
Aftershave 2: Thayers Unscented Facial Toner - 3 Oz mister
Aftershave 3: Stirling Soap Co Unscented Aftershave
Aftershave 4: Stirling Soap Co Unscented - Post-Shave Balm
Generated by Shaving Sherpa — Shaving Sherpa - Master Your Wet Shaving Journey
Jeff
Yehuda D
Sr. Shave Member
Yehuda D
Sr. Shave Member
Thanks again Akhi!
The truth is……the Vintage Spice is very close to the Shulton Old Spice in scent BUT: The B&M Spice moved it out of the way and the Stirling Spice eau de toilette also. By the way I ordered some Stirling Spice stuff recently - the shaving soap as well as the balm and the solid cologne. If all goes well they should arrive soon!
Jeff
Yehuda D
Sr. Shave Member
Menthol Monday’s Frigid Action:
Hot shower
Yaqi 30mm Barber Pole
Super Speed/Perma Sharp day 2
Stirling Glacial Iceberg Island SS
Bundubeard Stoffel ASB
Stirling Glacial Iceberg Island AS Splash
Oh la la my face is so frozen from using this setup - the Glacial Iceberg Island soap and aftershave as well as the Stoffel balm are three menthol atom bombs. Rod and Mandy created such treasures - the scent of the Glacial Iceberg Island is MAGNIFICENT - it’s a carbon copy of Creed’s Virgin Island Water which I had years ago, this soap lathers like there’s no tomorrow, the slickness is unbelievable, the blade glide is fantastic, the menthol sensation is so powerful that it feels almost borderline painful, (in a good way!) and the post-shave feeling is wonderful. The Stoffel balm from Bundubeard is freezing cold as well, it has a nice peppermint scent, and a little goes a long way because it’s very concentrated. Finally the Glacial Iceberg Island aftershave put another coating of ice in my face, and the scent earned me big kisses from my lovely wife. Three slow, delightful passes gave me a brilliant BBS shave - oh yes!!!!!!
Wishing you all a great week ahead - be well and stay safe!
Jeff
Hot shower
Yaqi 30mm Barber Pole
Super Speed/Perma Sharp day 2
Stirling Glacial Iceberg Island SS
Bundubeard Stoffel ASB
Stirling Glacial Iceberg Island AS Splash
Oh la la my face is so frozen from using this setup - the Glacial Iceberg Island soap and aftershave as well as the Stoffel balm are three menthol atom bombs. Rod and Mandy created such treasures - the scent of the Glacial Iceberg Island is MAGNIFICENT - it’s a carbon copy of Creed’s Virgin Island Water which I had years ago, this soap lathers like there’s no tomorrow, the slickness is unbelievable, the blade glide is fantastic, the menthol sensation is so powerful that it feels almost borderline painful, (in a good way!) and the post-shave feeling is wonderful. The Stoffel balm from Bundubeard is freezing cold as well, it has a nice peppermint scent, and a little goes a long way because it’s very concentrated. Finally the Glacial Iceberg Island aftershave put another coating of ice in my face, and the scent earned me big kisses from my lovely wife. Three slow, delightful passes gave me a brilliant BBS shave - oh yes!!!!!!
Wishing you all a great week ahead - be well and stay safe!
Jeff
Yehuda D
Sr. Shave Member
Yetzirah
Shave Member
anchovie666
Shave Member
Monday 5/4 Shave
MODERN MAY
One Pass knockdown with the Thiers Issard
Merkur Progress with a Rapira SS Blade finished the deal
Omega early synthetic with MDC executed a stunning lather
Osage Rub is a great astringent to “set the shave”
Razor: Thiers Issard “Art of Shaving”
Blade: Ye Ole Straight n Strop Edge (2X)
Clean Up: Merkur Progress
Lather: Martin de Candre NATURE
Brush: Omega Old School Synthetic
Post Shave: Osage Rub Splash Mix
Post Shave: L T Piver Lotion Pompeia
MODERN MAY
One Pass knockdown with the Thiers Issard
Merkur Progress with a Rapira SS Blade finished the deal
Omega early synthetic with MDC executed a stunning lather
Osage Rub is a great astringent to “set the shave”
Razor: Thiers Issard “Art of Shaving”
Blade: Ye Ole Straight n Strop Edge (2X)
Clean Up: Merkur Progress
Lather: Martin de Candre NATURE
Brush: Omega Old School Synthetic
Post Shave: Osage Rub Splash Mix
Post Shave: L T Piver Lotion Pompeia
8th Night
Shave Member
Todah, Ak!
8th Night
Shave Member
Todah, Akhi!
8th Night
Shave Member
Awesome! I know you'll enjoy your Stirling products as they perform so well. Stirling is a great company with wonderful products for a terrific value.