ShaveFan.com

ShaveFan is a a shaving-focused link aggregation and discussion web site. In other words a place where interesting links from all over the shaving world ends up, so you don’t have to visit several blogs, forums and sosial media daily. In a way it’s like fark.com,1 but with more focus and less snark. ShaveFan uses tags to allow for easy filtering and searching.

It’s possible to use it just as a visitor, but to gain the full benefit you ought to sign up. As a full member you can submit and vote on links. You also need to be a member if you want to comment on any links listed. For the time being at least you have to have an invite, more on that later.

I’ve been a member on ShaveFan for a while now, and I find it useful both for finding out what is going on in the world of shavers, as well as – being honest here – promoting some of the more interesting things I write about on my blog. With more members I can see ShaveFan becoming an even more useful addition to the shave world.

Interested in joining ShaveFan? Ask either ShaveFan himself (he’s also active on Twitter) or me about an invite. Reach me through my contact form, on twitter, or via PM on my favourite shave forum.

  1. Fark.com is a news aggregator and an edited social networking news site – a decent place if you want to know what is going on without having to visit several dozen news sites.

Shave of the day 29th June

Razor: GEM Heavy Flat Top
Blade: GEM Single Edge Stainless
Brush: Semogue TSN LE 2012
Lather: Williams Mug shaving soap
Aftershave: BullDog Sensitive Aftershave Balm
Additional Care: Alum Block & BullDog Original Beard Balm

Harrison H Boyce’s simplified safety razor

There seems to have been a drive – since Gillette first started to sell safety razors – to simplify production and increase the profit margin. I’m convinced that not all ideas got patented, but those which did can make for some fascinating reading.

Continue reading

Shave of the day 26th June

Razor: Schick “Lady Eversharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: Artesania Romera Manchurian Badger, imitation horn
Lather: Williams Mug shaving soap
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block & Gentlemen of Sweden Original Beard Oil

The juxtaposition of an inexpensive soap with my most fancy brush is interesting to say they least…

A wonderful care package

As the sharp eyed reader might have spotted, the last couple of my SOTDs have featured the Williams Mug Soap, which I got as part of a care package from a friend and gentleman from my favourite shave forum.

In addition to the soap – which he offered to ship since I haven’t had the opportunity to try it previously – he put a lot of other welcome items in the box as well.

A lovely bevy of samples – allegedly taking up space in his drawers, but a windfall for me.

  • Four samples of Saponificio Varesino after shaves; Cubebe, Dolomiti, Tundra Artica, and Manna Di Sicilia
  • A sample of Esbjerg shaving cream
  • A sample of Stirling Soap Co’s Barbershopw shampoo bar
  • four B&M aftershave samples; two Reserve Cool, one each of Reserve Classic and Reserve Spice

Add to the soap and the samples a nice selection of blades; Med Preps, Lab Blues, Israeli Personnas and Crystals. From what he tells me the Med Preps and Lab Blues might be similar, so I’ll be sure to do some compare and contrast between the two – perhaps load up my Gillette Old from the my Khaki Kit with one and my Gillette Single Ring with the other and use them on opposite sides of my face?

And in addition to all that – which was already beyond what I was expecting – my friend found it in his heart to add a GEM G-bar, also known as the Heavy Flat Top. I do enjoy GEM and other vintage Single Edge Razors, and I am beyond excited to add the G-Bar to my rotation.

So a big thank you and shout out to Charlie – both for his friendship and for the box filled with joy!

Shave of the day 19th June

Razor: Schick “Lady Eversharp”
Blade: Schick Injector
Brush: Wilkinson Sword Badger
Lather: Williams Mug satsing soap
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block & BullDog Original Beard Balm

The Williams Mug Soap is gift from a gentleman shaver over on my favourite shave forum, generously sent to me after I mentioned that I had never given it a go. My initial impression is that the soap isn’t nearly as hard to lather as I’ve been led to believe, although my soft water might have something to do with that.

Shaving patents, advertisements, history, oddities, reviews, book, and more…

Just a reminder; if you enjoy reading my snarky commentary on old shaving related patents, old (and some newer) advertisements, shaving history and other shaving related oddities… I have collected the vast majority of links on a separate page here on my blog.

I also have a page that acts as a very basic introduction to the various styles of safety razors for those who are new to the hobby, and a page where I got almost all of the reviews I’ve done over the years collected.

And if you enjoyed my writing on patents, I have also committed a book you can read offline that is available both on Kindle and as a paperback.