Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea Shave Stick
Brush: Omega #50014 travel boar
Razors: Merkur 985CL Open Comb travel razor
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea Shave Stick
Brush: Omega #50014 travel boar
Razors: Merkur 985CL Open Comb travel razor
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Somehow I have managed to use – and love – this brush for almost two years… but not gotten around to do a write-up on it. Time to fix that, right now.
I bought this mixed badger / horse brush shortly after the TSN LE 2012 had showed me how nice mixed brushes could be… and to dip my toes both into badger and horse hair. Like most of my brushes it is on the small side – 20mm knot and 50 mm loft – which makes it suitable for both face and bowl lathering.
It can best be described as being fluffy with a backbone – the horsehair adds springiness and a slight scritch, the badger do what badger do best and imitates a fluffy cloud. The combination makes for a efficient lather maker.
If you’re looking for a new brush, you can’t go much wrong with mixed brush from Vie-Long.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Eucalyptus
Lather: Mike’s Natural Pine & Cedarwood Soap
Brush: Vie Long 14033 mixed horse-boar
Razors: Merkur 25C Open Comb and Gillette ’58 TV Special, both with a Treet Platinum Super Stainless blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Horse hair brushes has fascinated me since I got into traditional wetshaving – not only are they traditional (until the anthrax scare, they were the most common brush) but they are also animal friendly.
The Vie-Long 13051M is my first pure horse, and even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea it’s a keeper for me.
I tend to prefer small brushes, since that makes them useful for both face and bowl lathering. the 13051M has a 21mm knot and a 50mm loft, and holds plenty of lather. It has plenty of backbone, and lots of scritch – if you got sensitive skin or prefer a fluffy, cloudy brush… this is not the brush for you.
If you’re in the market for a smallish brush that is animal friendly and don’t mind the scritch, I can recommend the Vie-Long 13051M
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Mama Bear’s Awakening
Brush: Demogue TSN 2012 LE mixed badger-boar
Razors: Merkur 25C Open Comb and Gillette ’58 TV Special, both with a fresh Treet Platinum Super Stainless blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Orange
Lather: Orange EO Shave Cream
Brush: Demogue TSN 2012 LE mixed badger-boar
Razors: Cadet 13 TTO-OC and Cadet 11 TTO, both with a Persona Platinum
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
A few months ago I bought a Cadet TTO-11 OC via shave-a-buck, and for some reason I haven’t gotten around to writing a review of it yet.. time to remedy that.
The Cadet TTO-11 OC is – as the name suggests, an Open Comb, Twists-To-Open razor made by the Indian razor manufacturer Cadet… and it’s a keeper. I was initially sceptical to the shortish handle – since I tend to prefer razors with long handles – but the balance is very good which makes for an easily manoeuvrable razor.
The open comb and head geometry makes it slightly more aggressive than my other Cadet TTO, but not by much. It’s an efficient axe for mowing down stubble, but at the same time great for touch-ups and polishing.
Overall it’s a keeper – and if you like Twist-To-Open or Open Comb razors, you could do a lot worse than getting a Cadet TTO-11
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Lavender
Lather: Derby Shave Stick and Derby Lavender Cream
Brush: Vie Long 13051M pure horse
Razors: Cadet 13 TTO-OC and Cadet 11 TTO, both with a Persona Platinum
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Im getting ready to be on the Go for a short while, so I decided to re-evaluate what goes in the GoBag as far as shaving goes. As I mentioned before, part of the issue in my GoBag is space – or rather lack of space. If I put something in, something else have to come out… I have however replaced the liquid shampoo with a travel sized bar of Mike’s Natural Shampoo Bar, so there is some free space. Even so, there is not any huge changes since my last time on the Go:
I may or may not change things further… but for now, it’s a den away from the den.