You sunk my battleship.
#1 - Parker Variant
Why? It is the razor I would be able to see myself using every day without issue. I've recently found fondness for the Rockwell 6C as well, but the Parker has the off-the-cuff adjustability and is more aesthetically pleasing (subjective). Both have given great shaves, however. Great build quality for the price, especially as they're starting to show up in BST threads these days. Early iterations did have some plating issues but I've seen none of that with mine and the issue appears to have been entirely rectified.
#2 - Maseto 30mm 2-band finest
Why? Although I have sold mine on, it really did offer a value for money approach to trying out a good badger brush. As I'm relatively new to the 'game', I didn't want to fork out anything substantial only to forego the hobby. It doesn't hog lather, smells okay out of the box, is well made and soft to boot. I will revisit Maseto brushes, but probably a 24mm Silvertip next time... perhaps soon.
#3 - OSP Bay Rum
Why? Well, this one took the most deliberation. Do I choose a blade for #3 spot? Or an aftershave splash? Or the coveted BBA PSB? As soaps are an (almost) definite requirement for shaves (yes, you could use 'shave butter', or 'shaving oil' or canned goo...), I wondered which I would be able to use daily and why. The OSP offering is relatively inexpensive for its performance. It's easy to lather and gives great properties, including post-shave feel. It's scent could be used year-round, being exotic enough for the summer and spicy-warm for the winter.
There we go! Of course there are many an honourable mention - BBA PSB, Extro Splashes, Fine Soaps, Gillette Nacet blades, Rockwell 6C, Yaqi brushes, RazoRock Hawk... the list goes on! I think my approach isn't a bad one, to envisage one's self using the chosen items. I feel I could use only the above 3, with a variety of blades, without the need for a post-shave on a daily basis without issue.
Go fish...
#1 - Rockwell 6S
Why? Must seem strange as I've mentioned the 6C favourably above... I was fortunate enough to be loaned this razor before thinking of buying one and I'm glad I took that opportunity. This razor was a hefty, well-finished beast. I love the look of it, but really struggled to get a decent shave at any of the settings. With the 6C, it was a case of 'Load up, plate #5 and away to go'. The shaving feel wasn't too dissimilar but the 6C was far, far smoother and seemed to give me more feedback. I'm sure with more time I might have gotten on with this razor, but for the price vs the 6C, the decision is a no-brainer.
#2 - Fiore & Frutta Mandorla Amara
Why? This soap and I simply didn't see eye to eye. I couldn't get a meaningful lather out of it. This is probably a testament to my ability to produce a lather but I've managed fine with other soaps for less effort. The scent, however, was pretty good.
#3 - S.V. Cosmo Splash
Why? Okay, I'm clutching at straws a bit here. If I had to be really pedantic to choose a third it'd be this. I've had some good fortune with shaving stuff over this last year but this one came across marginally sub-par. It was slightly sticky after use, had a strange 'oriental spicy' scent, not dissimilar to curry powder, when first applied and I had just hoped it smelled as good as the soap. I'm wondering whether the witch hazel was marginally too high a proportion to give the strange smell as I didn't notice it with the Manna di Sicilia (MdS) set I also had the fortune of trying. The MdS didn't come across sticky after use, either.
There we have it, guys! My 3 hits and 3 misses for the year!
