SOTD : Saturday 15th September - Friday 21st September 2018.

Sunday 16th September PM

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Prep: Warm rinse with The Real Shaving Company Facial Scrub then Nuage Shave Oil
Soap: Palmolive Shave Stick
Brush: Executive Shaving Medium Jock synthetic
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic
Blade: Feather Hi Stainless (1)
Post: Cold rinse, Boots Freshwood aftershave finishing with Boots Freshwood balm.

This evening was a bit of fun. Firstly, I wanted to see how my newly chosen travel bag items would perform, and secondly, how much difference there would be in a less expensive shave. First things first, I enjoyed ever second of it!

I'll list the costs as I think this may be one of the cheapest shaves available in the UK. Yes, there may be shavings (sorry) here and there, but I was in and out my local shopping centre in less than 10 minutes and had everything I used tonight!

Okay....here goes.

The Real Shaving Company Facial Scrub - 99p. The scent of this reminded of BBA face wash. Actually really pleasant and soft....no harsh chemical smells like that from some Bulldog products. The grit in it is a pain to rinse off so it may be easier in the shower!

Nuage Oil - 99p. A little kick of menthol to set the mood. Nowhere near as good as Proraso but it's still okay for me.

Palmolive Shave Stick - 50p - the underdog! I read lots of reviews on this and it's value for money. I mean FIFTY of the Queen's single pennies for something that just works. No thrills. No deep breaths and being reminded of the salts of the seas or Spaniard Pirates swigging rum whilst smoking Panama's finest cigars. Just good clean carbolic soap. Job done. I did try to scrape some into my lathering bowl to lather up but I gave up after a few minutes and rubbed it on my face. Lots of circles with the brush, occasionally adding extra water, and a usable slick lather emerged.

Wilkinson Sword Classic razor - £4.69. This is solely for my travel bag. Cheap as chips. I'll not be worried about misplacing or losing it. I've read it's quite a mild razor so I paired it up with a Feather blade.

Round 1 - WTG. A simple to find blade angle and really straightforward. No issues. Result. As I rinsed I could tell a good amount of stubble was gone but plenty left waiting to be slaughtered.

Round 2 - XTG. Again no issues, though last night's spot made himself known. No pain, other than in the backside. A rinse and things were looking promising.

Round 3 - ATG. The whole shave was beginning to speed up now as I was realising the razor and blade choice was a good one. A few bits of buffing and job done. A rinse identified a few areas for some pickups - around my neck, which were dealt with in no time.

Post - I didn't want to cheat and start using products that took a bit of time to obtain. So a quick splash with Boots Freshwood aftershave (£2.99) gave me a little burn and then a splattering of balm (£2.99).

Job done.

I'm not going to claim that it's the best shave I've ever had or that there's no difference between expensive and inexpensive products....that wouldn't be true. It wasn't earth shattering, but as an introduction to DE shaving for those that are only seeking to save money, this isn't a bad line up.

That's face scrub, pre shave oil, soap, razor, and post shave aftershave and balm for no more than £13.15. That'll last a good month or 2. I've not included blades, but that won't add that much more (though the razor comes with blades - 5 I think?).

Overall I'm satisfied that the items that I've chosen for my travel bag will perform well enough when the time comes. The good thing is I'll have better pre and post shave products at my disposal so it will only get better!

Other than that, a shave like tonight proves that cheap doesn't always mean nasty. I'm happy I tried it!

So thanks to everyone who has helped with my choices for my travel bag, and to those that have provided advice on the more inexpensive side of things.

Have a great week folks! [emoji1360]
 
Sotd - Thursday 13th and Saturday the 15th of September -

13/9 -

Razor - Mergress (2)
blade - vintage Gillette Super Stainless - the Aussie Spoiler - (1)
brush - Simpsons P8 Phyl LE best badger
soap - LPL Abricot
post - witch hazel
a/s - LPL Abricot
balm - Barts Bergamot and Vanilla.

15/9 -

Razor - Mergress (2)
blade - Aussie Spoiler (2)
brush - Stirling two-band fan
soap - The Traditional Shaving Co. - Leodis cream
post - witch hazel
a/s - Williams Aqua Velva
balm - Floid
scent - Dior Eau Sauvage parfum.

Result - all good.

Let's begin the vintage blade test - the Aussie Gillette Spoilers were - unsurprisingly - sent to me by @TomG - in - well - Australia. Thanks Tom - a chance to try a legendary blade. I was conflicted about which razor to try them in - it ought to be something vintage? - my very lovely Slim Aristocrat would have been the obvious choice but Tom also sent me some Perma-Sharp Triple-Life blades - which were made in a factory about ten miles away from where I am typing this - and there is a direct connection between the plant and why I was gifted my Aristocrat - it's a good back story - I'll keep that for another day. So - the Mergress it was - pretty much my standard reference double edge - the Rockwell 6C - very close behind - I chose the former simply because I have more experience using it - that being said - if you can't get a superb shave from a Rockwell - I'd grow a beard. Ha ha - The blade worked straight off - sharp and smooth - sometimes - vintage or modern blades - they can need a shave to get to their potential - a bit rough at first - I'm looking at you Feather - it was just fine out the pack - after all these years. A bit like an old Vizamet or Lodz Polsilver on first impression.Gillette blades of this generation have a reputation for astonishing longevity - @Barry Giddens - illustrated the background well in his post earlier - I'll find out I guess. Given my habit of not shaving as much as I should - I may potentially see Christmas in with the same blade.

Other honourable mentions from the shaves -

I had never used the Traditional Shaving Co. Leodis cream before. It was a bit under the radar for me - thank you K - @Boru62 - for gifting me a tub. Appreciated. Worked well for me - a very thick cream - not quite a croap - a bit like Barberia in texture - concentrated - I think I may have smeared too much into the knot - it took a bucket of water - actually much more than that - two or three camels? - I'll know the next time. Excellent shiny lather - top end slickness - and an intriguing scent - personally - no idea what was going on - according to the manufacturers -

'Our signature fragrance opens with fresh and fruity top notes of sweet and zingy bergamot, mandarin and green apple which intertwine effortlessly with a heart of fragrant cardamom, lavender and rosemary with just a touch of spice. This signature then drifts into a distinctive base characterised by precious woods, warm amber and musk.'

Fair enough - it's nice - as I say.

And finally - talking of scent - I used the parfum version of Eau Sauvage for the first time properly yesterday. Not all scents - in my opinion - survive the transition from edt to parfum. This does - superbly well - I love the edt version - it is a classic for a reason - as you might expect - the stronger concentration has far better sillage and longevity - richer - but never departs from the original version - I'd recommend it to you - if that is your sort of thing.

Enjoy your shaves - one and all - yours - I.
 
Sunday 16th September

La Toja Stick
RazoRock 400
Rockwell 6C R4
Voskhod (1)
Nivea 2 Phase Aftershave

Simple kit just works.
La Toja Stick provides protection and glide as well as residual slickness. Ok, it doesn't smell of much but it's good value - especially if you buy it in Spanish territory.
Nivea 2 Phase Aftershave also has a non descript scent and does a fair job.
Two comfortable passes later I am suitably sheared and feeling refreshed.

Where did the weekend go ?

 
Pre: Sainsburys Tea Tree Cleansing Bar
Razor: Gillette Aristocrat #16 / #22
Blade: NOS Czech Gillette Stainless (1)
Soap: Soapy Science Hanalei
Brush: Simpsons Chubby 2 Synthetic
Post: Bart's Balm - Peppermint

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I was a little naughty today and used two new items at once. Being used to synthetic brushes with less backbone (had a Zenith, but moved it on), the Chubby 2 took a little getting used to, but in the end I got a good lather. The Gillette Stainless made short work of two days worth of growth to leave a DFS bordering on BBS in two passes.​
 
Prep: Face wash with Audacious Beard Co soap
Pre: Proraso White pre shave cream
Brush: Omega 10019 Pure Bristle
Cream: Palmolive Classic Cream
Razor: EJ DES89KN
Blade: Personna Platinum Red (5 and out)
Post: Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel
AS: Barts Balm Cinnamon and Patchouli. Thanks to Bart for the sample ~ lovely stuff.

3 passes for DFS and ready for work in the morning.
 
Last edited:
16/09/2018

Had my first experience of the Palmolive Shaving Stick.

I'm in the process of trying to cut down the amount of shaving products I use whilst cutting the shaving budget. Figured I would give the Palmolive stick a try since its only 50p at my local Tescos!

My usual soap is Wickham's 1912 which is sublime and I compared the Palmolive to that for reference.

Facial scrub
Hot towel
Rubbed the Palmolive stick across my face.
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Ikon Tech loaded with a Perma Sharp on its 4th use.
Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera facial toner
Poraso white aftershave balm
1 day of growth.

I had to put a decent amount of work in, but got a nice and thick lather relatively quickly with a face lather.

Slickness is ok and nowhere as slick as my usual Wickham's, but for a 50p stick I can't really complain. There were bits of hard soap still in my stubble which probably didn't help. Razor also kept getting clogged up as a result. I'll try loading the soap straight to the brush next time rather than on the face.

However, I was really surprised with the post shave feel. My skins was so soft, smooth and hydrated. One of the rare occasions where I felt like I didn't need to use a balm, but I did just in case. I'll reserve my final judgement for a few shaves, but it did seem to slightly beat the Wickhams for post shave for me YMMV. Maybe that's due to the tallow and lanolin?
 
Digimonkey said:
Sotd - Thursday 13th and Saturday the 15th of September -

13/9 -

Razor - Mergress (2)
blade - vintage Gillette Super Stainless - the Aussie Spoiler - (1)
brush - Simpsons P8 Phyl LE best badger
soap - LPL Abricot
post - witch hazel
a/s - LPL Abricot
balm - Barts Bergamot and Vanilla.

15/9 -

Razor - Mergress (2)
blade - Aussie Spoiler (2)
brush - Stirling two-band fan
soap - The Traditional Shaving Co. - Leodis cream
post - witch hazel
a/s - Williams Aqua Velva
balm - Floid
scent - Dior Eau Sauvage parfum.

Result - all good.

Let's begin the vintage blade test - the Aussie Gillette Spoilers were - unsurprisingly - sent to me by @TomG - in - well - Australia. Thanks Tom - a chance to try a legendary blade. I was conflicted about which razor to try them in - it ought to be something vintage? - my very lovely Slim Aristocrat would have been the obvious choice but Tom also sent me some Perma-Sharp Triple-Life blades - which were made in a factory about ten miles away from where I am typing this - and there is a direct connection between the plant and why I was gifted my Aristocrat - it's a good back story - I'll keep that for another day. So - the Mergress it was - pretty much my standard reference double edge - the Rockwell 6C - very close behind - I chose the former simply because I have more experience using it - that being said - if you can't get a superb shave from a Rockwell - I'd grow a beard. Ha ha - The blade worked straight off - sharp and smooth - sometimes - vintage or modern blades - they can need a shave to get to their potential - a bit rough at first - I'm looking at you Feather - it was just fine out the pack - after all these years. A bit like an old Vizamet or Lodz Polsilver on first impression.Gillette blades of this generation have a reputation for astonishing longevity - @Barry Giddens - illustrated the background well in his post earlier - I'll find out I guess. Given my habit of not shaving as much as I should - I may potentially see Christmas in with the same blade.

Other honourable mentions from the shaves -

I had never used the Traditional Shaving Co. Leodis cream before. It was a bit under the radar for me - thank you K - @Boru62 - for gifting me a tub. Appreciated. Worked well for me - a very thick cream - not quite a croap - a bit like Barberia in texture - concentrated - I think I may have smeared too much into the knot - it took a bucket of water - actually much more than that - two or three camels? - I'll know the next time. Excellent shiny lather - top end slickness - and an intriguing scent - personally - no idea what was going on - according to the manufacturers -

'Our signature fragrance opens with fresh and fruity top notes of sweet and zingy bergamot, mandarin and green apple which intertwine effortlessly with a heart of fragrant cardamom, lavender and rosemary with just a touch of spice. This signature then drifts into a distinctive base characterised by precious woods, warm amber and musk.'

Fair enough - it's nice - as I say.

And finally - talking of scent - I used the parfum version of Eau Sauvage for the first time properly yesterday. Not all scents - in my opinion - survive the transition from edt to parfum. This does - superbly well - I love the edt version - it is a classic for a reason - as you might expect - the stronger concentration has far better sillage and longevity - richer - but never departs from the original version - I'd recommend it to you - if that is your sort of thing.

Enjoy your shaves - one and all - yours - I.
Click to expand...
Hi Iain - great post, mate. And your first instincts on blade matching were spot-on - well, according to the Gillette advertising of the day, anyway, and they would surely have no bias............... ;)

 
Digimonkey said:
Sotd - Thursday 13th and Saturday the 15th of September -

13/9 -

Razor - Mergress (2)
blade - vintage Gillette Super Stainless - the Aussie Spoiler - (1)
brush - Simpsons P8 Phyl LE best badger
soap - LPL Abricot
post - witch hazel
a/s - LPL Abricot
balm - Barts Bergamot and Vanilla.

15/9 -

Razor - Mergress (2)
blade - Aussie Spoiler (2)
brush - Stirling two-band fan
soap - The Traditional Shaving Co. - Leodis cream
post - witch hazel
a/s - Williams Aqua Velva
balm - Floid
scent - Dior Eau Sauvage parfum.

Result - all good.

Let's begin the vintage blade test - the Aussie Gillette Spoilers were - unsurprisingly - sent to me by @TomG - in - well - Australia. Thanks Tom - a chance to try a legendary blade. I was conflicted about which razor to try them in - it ought to be something vintage? - my very lovely Slim Aristocrat would have been the obvious choice but Tom also sent me some Perma-Sharp Triple-Life blades - which were made in a factory about ten miles away from where I am typing this - and there is a direct connection between the plant and why I was gifted my Aristocrat - it's a good back story - I'll keep that for another day. So - the Mergress it was - pretty much my standard reference double edge - the Rockwell 6C - very close behind - I chose the former simply because I have more experience using it - that being said - if you can't get a superb shave from a Rockwell - I'd grow a beard. Ha ha - The blade worked straight off - sharp and smooth - sometimes - vintage or modern blades - they can need a shave to get to their potential - a bit rough at first - I'm looking at you Feather - it was just fine out the pack - after all these years. A bit like an old Vizamet or Lodz Polsilver on first impression.Gillette blades of this generation have a reputation for astonishing longevity - @Barry Giddens - illustrated the background well in his post earlier - I'll find out I guess. Given my habit of not shaving as much as I should - I may potentially see Christmas in with the same blade.

Other honourable mentions from the shaves -

I had never used the Traditional Shaving Co. Leodis cream before. It was a bit under the radar for me - thank you K - @Boru62 - for gifting me a tub. Appreciated. Worked well for me - a very thick cream - not quite a croap - a bit like Barberia in texture - concentrated - I think I may have smeared too much into the knot - it took a bucket of water - actually much more than that - two or three camels? - I'll know the next time. Excellent shiny lather - top end slickness - and an intriguing scent - personally - no idea what was going on - according to the manufacturers -

'Our signature fragrance opens with fresh and fruity top notes of sweet and zingy bergamot, mandarin and green apple which intertwine effortlessly with a heart of fragrant cardamom, lavender and rosemary with just a touch of spice. This signature then drifts into a distinctive base characterised by precious woods, warm amber and musk.'

Fair enough - it's nice - as I say.

And finally - talking of scent - I used the parfum version of Eau Sauvage for the first time properly yesterday. Not all scents - in my opinion - survive the transition from edt to parfum. This does - superbly well - I love the edt version - it is a classic for a reason - as you might expect - the stronger concentration has far better sillage and longevity - richer - but never departs from the original version - I'd recommend it to you - if that is your sort of thing.

Enjoy your shaves - one and all - yours - I.
Click to expand...
Great review Iain. I have the EdT and the EdP. Last year, I think, Dior reformulated the latter. I haven't smelt it yet but apparently it's ‘brighter' than my (and your?) version. You're right though; it is a sillage monster. The EdT I replaced at duty free in August. It hasn't changed: it still has that bright lemony opening with what I can only describe as a skanky undertone. Tremendous stuff.
 
Sunday 16th September
Prep: Shower,face wash with Pears
soap: Wickham Classic 24
Brush: Yaqi 28mm
Bowl: Timeless Plastic
Razor: Gillette Tech with ikon bulldog handle
Blade: Voskod (1)
Asb: Barts Balm Amber and Moroccan Jasmine
As: Barts Balm Amber and Moroccan Jasmine lotion
Edp: Mancera Cedrat Boise
Wonderful shave with the Gillette Tech once again and to finish it the sublime Mancera Cedrat Boise ( if Creed Aventus is to expensive for you like me this as the same sort of vibe) £90 for 120ml on Notino
 
Monday 17th September



Heno de Pravia Glycerine Soap
Proraso Green Tea and Oat Preshave Cream
Cyril R Salter Tallow Soap
Omega 11137 Boar Brush
Yaqi 'Charcoal' Razor with a UK Wikinson Blade
Witch Hazel
Aloe Vera Gel
Agua Lavanda Puig

After the Streamline shave yesterday....there wasn't a lot to remove...but I don't feel 'dressed' unless I have a shave. The Yaqi 'Charcoal 'is no slouch when it comes to efficiency so 2 passes returned me to my former glory!
 
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