There and Back Again, A Wet-Shaver's Tale

4/27 SOTD

Razor: Valet Autostrop/Rockwell 6c
Blade: Personna/Wizamet
Brush: Sorrentino Turquoise
Soap: Seaforth Spiced
Aftershave: Williams Aqua Velva

I was able to follow Fuzzy's instructions and get a Personna blade installed in the Autostrop that Dave in KY gave me. I also grabbed the sample of Spiced that he gave me as well, as it has been languishing on the dresser since I got it. I got almost all the way through the first pass of the shave before I realized that the Autostrop just wasn't going to work without the blade guard that is missing from one side. Or maybe it was going to work a little too well.  It took almost putting a nice slice along my cheek to come to that realization, and I grabbed the 6c to finish the shave. Another pass with some clean up left me with a delightful BBS and I finished it off with a massive glug of Spanish Aqua Velva. Wonderful stuff, and it's another product that I've had for a while and have only used once so far.

The soap was very nice. The scent put me in mind of Lisa's Naturals Cedar & Saffron. I might have to dig my tin out and compare the two, but it smelled very similar from my memory. The performance was also very good. Between the scent and performance it still wasn't quite enough for me to pull the trigger on a full tub, but it is good stuff and I'm glad I got a chance to try it. Many thanks to Dave for both the razor and the soap sample. I'm going to try to jury rig something for the blade guard so we'll see how it works out.



Thanks for reading and have a great day!

4/27 SOTD

Razor: Valet Autostrop/Rockwell 6c
Blade: Personna/Wizamet
Brush: Sorrentino Turquoise
Soap: Seaforth Spiced
Aftershave: Williams Aqua Velva

I was able to follow Fuzzy's instructions and get a Personna blade installed in the Autostrop that Dave in KY gave me. I also grabbed the sample of Spiced that he gave me as well, as it has been languishing on the dresser since I got it. I got almost all the way through the first pass of the shave before I realized that the Autostrop just wasn't going to work without the blade guard that is missing from one side. Or maybe it was going to work a little too well.  It took almost putting a nice slice along my cheek to come to that realization, and I grabbed the 6c to finish the shave. Another pass with some clean up left me with a delightful BBS and I finished it off with a massive glug of Spanish Aqua Velva. Wonderful stuff, and it's another product that I've had for a while and have only used once so far.

The soap was very nice. The scent put me in mind of Lisa's Naturals Cedar & Saffron. I might have to dig my tin out and compare the two, but it smelled very similar from my memory. The performance was also very good. Between the scent and performance it still wasn't quite enough for me to pull the trigger on a full tub, but it is good stuff and I'm glad I got a chance to try it. Many thanks to Dave for both the razor and the soap sample. I'm going to try to jury rig something for the blade guard so we'll see how it works out.



Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Yeah sorry,it really needs something done for the corners to be covered even if you shave with axes. If anyone can fix it you can Eric ! If not they are cheaper than shipping on eBay

4/27 SOTD

Razor: Valet Autostrop/Rockwell 6c
Blade: Personna/Wizamet
Brush: Sorrentino Turquoise
Soap: Seaforth Spiced
Aftershave: Williams Aqua Velva

I was able to follow Fuzzy's instructions and get a Personna blade installed in the Autostrop that Dave in KY gave me. I also grabbed the sample of Spiced that he gave me as well, as it has been languishing on the dresser since I got it. I got almost all the way through the first pass of the shave before I realized that the Autostrop just wasn't going to work without the blade guard that is missing from one side. Or maybe it was going to work a little too well.  It took almost putting a nice slice along my cheek to come to that realization, and I grabbed the 6c to finish the shave. Another pass with some clean up left me with a delightful BBS and I finished it off with a massive glug of Spanish Aqua Velva. Wonderful stuff, and it's another product that I've had for a while and have only used once so far.

The soap was very nice. The scent put me in mind of Lisa's Naturals Cedar & Saffron. I might have to dig my tin out and compare the two, but it smelled very similar from my memory. The performance was also very good. Between the scent and performance it still wasn't quite enough for me to pull the trigger on a full tub, but it is good stuff and I'm glad I got a chance to try it. Many thanks to Dave for both the razor and the soap sample. I'm going to try to jury rig something for the blade guard so we'll see how it works out.



Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Yeah sorry,it really needs something done for the corners to be covered even if you shave with axes. If anyone can fix it you can Eric ! If not they are cheaper than shipping on eBay

It was a hatchet

4/28 SOTD

Razor: Henckels 401
Brush: Sorrentino Turquoise
Soap: Ethos Grooming Colonia
Aftershave: Ethos Grooming Colonia

Since I started traditional wet shaving with straights and DE's/SE's I've found that it is at least as much about the journey as the destination for me. For instance, I can rarely pull off a BBS with a straight, and usually don't bother trying, but I still enjoy the process of shaving with a straight very much which is why I continue to use them.

Yesterday's shave with this little NOS beauty was no exception. This was one of the last that I honed on synthetics/lapping film before going almost exclusively to the natural stones, and the edge is fantastic. Got a great three pass DFS and loved every minute of it. The soap definitely added to the enjoyment. Ethos Colonia has probably gotten more use in a shorter time than almost any other soap I've ever used, and is definitely a contender for the #1 spot.

4/29 SOTD

Razor: Gillette Aristocrat
Blade: Wizamet
Brush: TSC 2nd Anniversary
Soap: Ethos Grooming Greenfresh
Aftershave: Ethos Grooming Fresh Lime

I've been going through some of the razors that I haven't used in ages, and the Aristocrat was called up for today's shave. I really don't know much about this razor but it is a very good shaver, though a bit more aggressive than I usually prefer. The soap sample was sent to me by mrdoug,  and it is a winner! Two Passes and some clean up left me with a BBS, and a nice splash of Fresh Lime capped things off nicely. I'm going to have to pull the trigger on a full set of Greenfresh. One of Ethos Groomings vendors is only about half an hour from me. I need to find out if they have a brick and mortar, and maybe head over there one day. Or maybe not, as walking into a place like that could be very bad for my wallet....


Thanks for reading and have a great day!

5/1 SOTD

Razor: JR Torrey
Brush: Stirling boar
Soap: Razorock Santa Maria Del Fiore
Aftershave: Razorock Santa Maria Del Fiore

Very nice shave yesterday. The soap is an adequate performer, and one that I really keep around because I love the scent. The Torrey is one of my earlier rescaling jobs. They are made from Padauk which is an absolutely beautiful wood. I don't remember what it was honed on, but the edge is still good, and three passes left me with a very nice DFS. It is either a half or quarter hollow, which is a fantastic grind for me, and I think I have another one of these that is pretty beat up and in need of a restore somewhere.



Thanks for reading and have a great day!

5/1 SOTD

Razor: JR Torrey
Brush: Stirling boar
Soap: Razorock Santa Maria Del Fiore
Aftershave: Razorock Santa Maria Del Fiore

Very nice shave yesterday. The soap is an adequate performer, and one that I really keep around because I love the scent. The Torrey is one of my earlier rescaling jobs. They are made from Padauk which is an absolutely beautiful wood. I don't remember what it was honed on, but the edge is still good, and three passes left me with a very nice DFS. It is either a half or quarter hollow, which is a fantastic grind for me, and I think I have another one of these that is pretty beat up and in need of a restore somewhere.



Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Nice shave Eric. I've seen quite a few posts here for the Stirling brushes. Freddy has used their synth for quite some time. They're dirt cheap, in any iteration, too. Not the fanciest design, but man does it look like a comfortable to hold. A squat version of a snowman, perhaps?

Have a great day!

Nice Eric! I agree RR SMdF has a very enjoyable scent. Have you tried Razorock XXX? The scent on that one is my favorite offering from RR.

They reformulated the soap base a while back (“Super Tallow Formula”) and it hits way above its price-point now.

https://www.italianbarber.com/products/r...aving-soap

5/1 SOTD

Razor: JR Torrey
Brush: Stirling boar
Soap: Razorock Santa Maria Del Fiore
Aftershave: Razorock Santa Maria Del Fiore

Very nice shave yesterday. The soap is an adequate performer, and one that I really keep around because I love the scent. The Torrey is one of my earlier rescaling jobs. They are made from Padauk which is an absolutely beautiful wood. I don't remember what it was honed on, but the edge is still good, and three passes left me with a very nice DFS. It is either a half or quarter hollow, which is a fantastic grind for me, and I think I have another one of these that is pretty beat up and in need of a restore somewhere.



Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Nice shave Eric. I've seen quite a few posts here for the Stirling brushes. Freddy has used their synth for quite some time. They're dirt cheap, in any iteration, too. Not the fanciest design, but man does it look like a comfortable to hold. A squat version of a snowman, perhaps?

Have a great day!

That is a good description of the handle lol. Stirling brushes are an excellent deal, and you usually get more than you pay for.

Nice Eric! I agree RR SMdF has a very enjoyable scent. Have you tried Razorock XXX? The scent on that one is my favorite offering from RR.

They reformulated the soap base a while back (“Super Tallow Formula”) and it hits way above its price-point now.

https://www.italianbarber.com/products/r...aving-soap

I had a tub of XXX a few years ago. Loved the scent but the performance was low enough that I ended up PIFing it. I might have to try the new formula, thanks for the heads up!

5/2 SOTD

Razor: Rockwell 6c
Blade: Wizamet
Brush: Sorrentino Turquoise
Soap: Ethos Grooming Colonia
Aftershave: Ethos Grooming Colonia

Couldn't decide on a razor so I went with the go-to. Maybe someday I'll find something that works better for me than the 6c with the #4 plate, but it would have to be truly amazing to top this combination. Two passes with a bit of clean up left me with a stellar BBS, and the aftershave made my skin feel and smell fantastic.

I've posted in here about repurposing cigar boxes for straight razor storage, but I figured why stop there? I have this fantastic Jnat and set of nagura and they currently just sit in some bubble wrap and packing paper when I'm not using them. So I grabbed one of the deeper cigar boxes and some thicker wood than I've been using to compartmentalize the straight razor storage boxes, and I'm very happy with the results. Thanks again to Fluffy for the heads up on flocking. It's working out great!







Thanks for reading and have a great day!