8th Night
Shave Member
Wow, 2 shaves in 1 day. Another great shave, Lantzman.
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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
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Shavuah Tov!