More thoughts on the X-A

As I mentioned a little while ago, I have made a brush I jokingly refers to as “Brush, Experimental, version Alpha” – or “X-A” for short.
Having used the home made X-A for two weeks, I have reached a few conclusion;
– While sold as “Chinese Badger”, the knot is undoubtedly synthetic. Not a bad synthetic either, but not a great one.
– The knot lathers well, soft and with just enough backbone.
– The handle sits well in my hand, but is slightly on the large side.
– The mineral oil and CA – GLUE finish is in fact fairly waterproof.
Overall I’ll rate the X-A as a successful first brush.

Shave of the day 17th October

Razor: Schick “Lady Eersharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: X A
Lather: Proraso Menthol & Eucalyptus
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block, BullDog Original Beard Balm, Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb

Shave of the day 15th October

Razor: Schick “Lady Eversharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: X A
Lather: Asylum Shave Works Frankincense & Myrrh
Aftershave: Asylum Shave Works Frankincense & Myrrh Additional
Care: Alum Block, Scotch Porter Beard Balm, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb

Shave of the day 12th October

Razor: Schick “Lady Eversharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: X A
Lather: CRSW Glide Morning Ghost
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block, BullDog Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb

Brush, Experimental, version Alpha

Allow me to present the “Brush, Experimental, version Alpha” – or “X-A” for short.

The knot is inexpensive Chinese badger from source who seems to mostly sell budget make up brushes and wigs. The handle is a piece of two-by-two construction lumber, good Norwegian spruce most likely, that have been ageing in my shed for a few years now. The finish is a mineral oil and CA glue finish, which – if my sources online can be trusted – should be at least somewhat water resistant.

It’s a 19mm knot with a “free loft” (above the handle) of approximately 55mm. The handle itself is about 45mm tall and 40mm in diameter… perhaps a little chubby, but the main objective with “Brush, Experimental, version Alpha” is to see how the knot works. Since I fully expect and even plans to de-knot it at some point and transfer the knot to a future “X-B”, the knot is set in place with bathroom caulk as suggested in a thread on the Shave Nook.

Finishing the handle took quite some time – not because it was particularly hard to turn, but I had to procure some Forstner Bits, thin CA glue, and not at least find the time in between everything else that have been going on.

Used my punch set to stamp an A on the bottom. What I’ll do when I have not just made versions Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and so on, but also versions Ærlig, Østen og Åse… well.. I guess I have to get some punches with numbers on. Or a laser engraver… either way it’ll be a long time before that point is reached.

The actual knot itself is fairly soft, with a bit of backbone and a pretty decent face feel for not having been broken in. It honestly feels better than my Wilkinson Sword Badger did before I broke it in… but miles away from the lovely Artisania Romera Manchurian Badger that I got from Phil at BullGoose Shaving. To me it’s a pretty decent little lathererer, good for an inexpensive brush or for a beginner wetshaver who don’t want to sink too much money into a new hobby. It’ll be fun to see how the knot develops, in this handle and the ones that are sure to follow.

Gents… I’ve taken the first step on a new shaving related journey… I have NO idea where I will end up 😀

Shave of the day 10th October

Razor: Schick “Lady Eversharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: X A
Lather: Mike’s Natural Soaps Lemongrass & Eucalyptus
Aftershave: Myrsol Aqua De Limón
Additional Care: Alum Block, Scotch Porter Beard Balm, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb

Review of a Periera Shavery prototype plastic lather bowl

I’ve been lucky enough to receive a prototype plastic lathering bowl from Perira Shavery. Having used it a fair bit, I feel it’s time to make a review of it.

It’s unbreakable – dropping it from almost two meters (close to 6 feet 6 inches) up onto the bathroom floor only makes it bounce (and will make your wife come to see what you are up to). You’ll honestly be more likely to take chips out of the floor than this bowl, it is almost infantry safe!

The Pereira logo is embossed on the underside of the bowl – subtle, but there to let you know who made it. The prototype I was lucky enough to receive is – as you can see from all the photos – black, but I’m told that it will be available in several other colours as well; the classic black and white, faux wood for a timeless feel, bold avocado green for those wanting to make a statement, and bright red to make sure you’ll always spot it.

The inside of the bowl have a raised pattern of ridges and bumps, aiding greatly in the rapid building of thick luxurious lather. The design itself is one that speaks to me on an almost sub-conscious level; it reminds me of water turbines and the intake of jet engines… while I realise this may not speak to everyone the same way, it endears me to the bowl even further.

The sturdiness also makes it a convenient travel bowl; you don’t have to worry about the luggage handles breaking it when it cannot be broken! With an inside diameter of 12.5cm (5″), you easily fit your razor and brush inside it while travelling – or for convenient storage if your shaving den is modest in size. You can also comfortable fit a whole puck of soap inside it, for travel or storage.

As with Pereira’s other bowls, this have a built in brush rest – a very nice and useful addition to any lathering bowl or scuttle. It means your brush have a place to stay while shaving, rather than having it sit on the counter-top or fall into the sink. It also gives a place to rest the brush handle against while soaking, rather than sliding around.

The plastic bowl also big enough to fit my largest brushes, something not a lot of lathing bowls can do in my experience. For that reason alone I’m happy to include the plastic lathering bowl among my regular bowl rotation, since no other bowl I have will let me really swing my big Omega board brush around in the same way as this does.

I’m not sure what these will sell for or when they will be available, but if you’re in the marked for a bowl that you can bring with you when travelling or just like your bowls big enough for any brush you should keep an eye out at Pereira Shavery – or even sign up for their newsletter.

Shave of the day 8th October

Razor: Schick “Lady Eversharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: X A
Lather: Pereira Shavery Shaving Cream w/ Activated Charcoal
Aftershave: Proraso Wood and Spice
Additional Care: Alum Block, BullDog Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb

Shave of the day 5th October

Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic
Blade: Perma-sharp Super Stainless
Brush: Vie-Long #13051M
Lather: Arko Shavestick
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block, Gentlemen of Sweden Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb