Category Archives: Review

Review of Dalan d’Men Energetic Shave Cream

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One of the wonderful aspects of viewing traditional shaving as a hobby is that I have no trouble picking up previously unknown products from webshops in the far corners of the world… Dalan d’Men Energetic Shave Cream is one of those. It’s a not much spoken off online, but most of what is said is good.

Overall it makes an average lather, perhaps a bit above. It performs better than my glycerine soaps, but less so than my tallow pucks. It has a hint of menthol, but don’t bite – unlike my more heavily mentholated soaps.

Decent slip and cushion, and pretty okay as far as moisturising goes. Like most creams it’s really easy to whip up copious amounts of lather, and it don’t collapse between passes either. It can leave a little bit of residue, but a good rinse fixes that.

Overall a good choice if you want a cream and don’t want to spend too much – something for the traveller on a budget perhaps, or for your back-up den?

Review of Col Conk’s Bay Rum shaving soap

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About a year ago I did a quick review of Col Conk’s Bay Rum soap, so I figured it was time to revisit it in light of what I learned since.

Col Conk Bay Rum is a decent enough glycerin based soap – which means it’ll leave my skin feeling dry after a shave. I did read up on the soap before buying, and there are some glowing reviews of it online… but in hindsight I feel it might be more rightly classed as a middle-of-the-road shaving soap and not a great one. It’ll gives a good shave and the scent is pretty good too – while not on the level of Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum – but other aspects are middling to bad. It is also quite subtle and far from overpowering, which is a Good Thing™.

The lather from Col Conk has decent slip, but the cushion could be better in my opinion. And the moisturizing properties simply are not there – a good aftershave or face balm is a must after using the Colonel. The lather also breaks down quicker than tallow based lather, even more so if you use the brush vigorously… my common approach to all problems with lather – add more product – goes some way  in alleviating the issue though.

The official black oak bowl I got mine in also leeches colour into the lather, leaving me with a gray and less appetizing lather… purely cosmetic, but somewhat distracting. Col Conk’s is very lather-able for me, although I do have soft water. If you got hard water it’s likely to be a case of YMMV… at least if reports online is to be believed.

Being a glycerine based soap the puck also wears faster than tallow – so even if the soap is cheaper than most it’ll wear thin quickly; some shavers online report getting a month of shaves from one puck.

Speaking of reports online – if you put the online reviews Google will find for you on a timeline, you’ll find that the most raving ones is the older, while the, ahem,  less glamorous ones are newer. there might be two explanations for this:
– They have changed the formulation, creating an inferior product.
– More and better soaps have emerged, many of which are from artisans.

Don’t get me wrong – Col Conk isn’t bad for a cheap glycerin soap… it’s just that cheap glycerin soaps are bad compared to tallow soaps in general, and compared to artisan tallow soaps in particular. But if you’re in the marked for a glycerin soap, a puck of Col Conk might be just the thing.

Quick review of the Omega 50014 travel brush

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I’ve mentioned my Omega 50014 before, but now that I used it a bit more I feel I can expand a bit on my first impressions of this travel brush.

Now that it’s properly broken in it’s gotten to be very soft, almost silky on the tips. It still retains more than enough backbone to get the lather down into my stubble, but I feel myself halfway wishing it had a tad more scritch… just a tad though. It’s wonderful for whipping up lather on my face, and works just as well in a bowl of that’s your preference while traveling – personally I tend to use a bowl at home and facelather while on the Go, but YMMV and all that; the brush works well both ways.

I do like the fact that you for all practical purposes can choose to have a small or a large handle with this brush; it adds to the flexibility and utility, and should be a boon for those who sometimes suffers from sore and stiff fingers.

The downside of this as a travel brush is that it takes a while to dry – something it shares with all non-synthetic brushes. This means that for me it’s a brush to use while going somewhere for staying in one spot… not for when I travel on the Go and don’t always know where (or if) I’ll get to shave the next morning. It does mean I keep two travel brushes on hand, but it’s a very small price to pay for what I get in return; a bit of luxury away from home.

Bottom line? If you like boar, need a travel brush and can live with a brush you have to let dry for a bit… go get a Omega 50014 – it’s well worth the rather reasonable price asked.

Quck review: Rise Shave Gel

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I received this a a PIF, not that long after I joined up on my favorite shave forum, and I honestly wasn’t impressed with it… because I failed to realise at the time that brushless creams are meant to be used without a brush.

If used with a brush Rise Shave Gel gives a crap shave and a gunked up brush… Used properly however, it has plenty of glide, decent moisturising abilities and almost no cushion. It also leaves less of a mess in the sink that using a ‘proper’ lather do, so that’s a point in it’s favour.  The smell of it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mild and inoffensive so it shouldn’t bother anyone terrible much.

Overall it has grown on me – not for everyday use, but for a quick and less messy shave it works well. it would also be a good choice for travellers, since you won’t have to bring a brush.

Quick review of Derby Shave Stick

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I tend to buy more soaps than I technically need – just like I have more razors and brushes than I can get away with – because variation is the spice of life, and I consider shaving to be a hobby and not a chore.

The downside is that it sometimes takes a long time for me to use a soap enough times to make up my mind on what I think about it, so this little review has been long in coming…

The Derby shave stick is, like most shave sticks, easy to use. It makes lots of lather and smells okay – mostly of soap – but it isn’t quite up with the Arko as far as glide and cushion goes, it’s more like the GzD in that respect. It’s hard like the Arko, not soft like the GzD, and comes wrapped in paper.

If you can’t handle the scent of the Arko, the Derby is a good substitute for an inexpensive, efficient shave stick. If you can handle it though, go for the Arko stick.

First impression of the Omega 50014 travel brush

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Sometimes I’m on the Go, with the GoBag, other times I travel more leisurely and can bring more and other shave gear. It is for the later I invested in a Omega 50014 travel brush.

Being a travel brush, the 50014 comes with a tube to protect it while in on the go. The tube can also double as the handle while using the brush, but if you don’t mind a slightly undersized handle you can just put it aside and not worry about it – I don’t use the tube as a handle, since I tend to face lather when not at home (at home I’m a dyed-in-the-wool bowl latherer…)

I broke the brush in soon after getting it as per what seems to the recommended way; whipping up lather in my hand, then rinse and repeat. Letting it dry and then doing again a few times broke it in nicely, leaving me with a brush that is soft with plenty of backbone and just enough scritch for my tastes. Once broken in it behaves as a shaving brush should – ie.: it makes lather out of shaving creams and soaps, and helps you put the result on your face… in a most enjoyable way, off course.

The brush is a little on the small side, but that’s not really an issue when face lathering – it still holds plenty enough for two passes and then some. Overall I’m quite satisfied with the Omega 50014 so far. If you’re looking for a travel brush and don’t mind it drying slower than a synth would, I suggest getting one of these.

Quick review: Proraso Liquid Cream After Shave

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As part of the starter kit I bough way back in the summer of 2010, I got a bottle of Proraso Liquid Cream After Shave – a non-alcoholic after shave balm.

I didn’t think too much of it at the time; I was new to the traditional way of shaving and had no real experience in using a post-shave product. So I tried it for a bit, and promptly decided not to bring it with me when I went on a 12 month Tour of Duty in Africa. It was a glass bottle after all, and I needed the space in my bags for other things… looking back I should have brought it. Hindsight is 20/20, and now I know the importance of a decent post-shave routine.

Long story short, I got back home and started picking up on using after shave, which cleared up the issue of dry skin I been troubled with while in Africa.

The Proraso Liquid Cream After Shave is a pretty decent after shave balm; the lack of alcohol mean no burn, and it’s fair to decent as far as moisturizing goes. It can leave my skin a little greasy though, so I have to wipe my fingers after using it. Scent is faint, which can be good or bad depending on your preference, and fairly indescribable.

I don’t use this as often as I perhaps should – simply because I find Krampert’s Finest to be a much superior product as far as moisture and scent goes. Kramper’s can give a bad alcohol burn though, if I managed to nick myself…

Quick review of the Gillette Sensor Excel

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I know, I know… dabbling in the Dark Side. But how can we see where the light comes from unless we wander in darkness?

Before I started enjoying my shaves, I was pulling my whiskers off with a Gillette Sensor I was given while in Boot Camp. Never got a really good shave with it – or with any of the electric shavers I’ve tried over the years – but I persevered for lack of anything better (growing a full beard is just not an option). Last summer I decided to revisit the Sensor, to see if it was as bad as I remembered it to be… having spotted it in the back of the cabinet again, I decided to write up a short review:

The Sensor is a mild razor – which is good, since I needed four passes and some touch ups to get close to the DFS I get from two passes and no touch ups with my DE razors. Honestly Gillette; if this is supposed to be “the best a man can get” then I suggest you all hand in your man-cards. Half an hour after shaving I found myself longing for a real shave – and to add insult to injury I got shave bumps again; something I always had before switching to DE and haven’t been bothered with since I switched.

I hate shave-bumps with a passion – it used to be because the next shave would slice them open, meaning I’ll dislike shaving even more. These days I hate them because it means I have to take a couple of days pause from shaving… things change even if they stay the same.

On the other hand, the shave was better than I got from the Sensor before I switched to DE, so I guess it highlights the benefits of a good prep and a great lather.

On the upside, the handle is rock solid and near indestructible; it has lasted twenty years so far and still see regular use when my Better Half do her legs. I guess it highlights the Gillette Idea; they will pretty much give you the razor, and then gouge you on the cartridges. Which is fitting in it’s own way, since the cartridges will gouge your face just as efficiently as Gillette will gouge your wallet…

Bottom line? Rock solid razor, not so much blades. Bad for your wallet and face – Your Mileage May Vary off course, but please don’t skimp on the prep-work if you go for cartridges.

Review of the Semogue 2012 The Shave Nook’s Limited Edition mixed boar/badger brush

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About eight months ago I bought a limited edition brush from the Portuguese brush maker Semogue, who made a mere hundred of the beauties for my favorite shaving forum – The Shave Nook.

It have become one of my most treasured brushes – along with my Vie Long 14033 mixed badger/horse – and yet somehow I have not yet written a review for it… well, consider that fixed at least.

The TSN ’12 LE is a wonderful brush; it has just the right mix of backbone and softness to make it great for both face and bowl lathering, good flow, great handle and it holds enough lather to do three passes with ease. It’s also rock solid – to my knowledge it hasn’t lost a single hair yet, despite being used one to two times a week since I bought it. With a bit of proper care it should last longer than me, which means whoever gets to clean up after me can put it up for sale in fifty years time…

The knot is about 22mm wide with a 55mm or so loft, and is a 50/50 mix of boar and badger. For me – who isn’t all that much into badger – it served as a beautiful introduction to badger hairs… to the point where I can both see what all the fuss is about and realize that for me it’s not worth bothering putting down a large wad of money on a pure badger brush. Your Milage May Vary off course, but I prefer a bit of springiness and scritch.

The TSN ’12 LE is also very quick at picking up soap, making it the only brush I own that is liable to be overloaded – something to keep in mind since my favorite lathering bowl isn’t that large. It works just as well when face lathering, but since I only face lather when using a shave stick the risk of overloading is non-existent.

While the majority of the brushes ended up with regulars on The Shave Nook, it was also picked up by members on other forums. If you spot one for sale it’s definitely worth picking it up… if not, you’ll just have to do what I am doing now; wait for the 2013 LE brush.

Quick review – GzD shave stick

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Some time ago I picked up a GzD shaving stick, partly to bulk out an order from Turkey and partly because I suffer from various Acquisition Disorders… like many shavers do.

It is natural to compare and contrast the GzD against the one Turkish stick ‘everyone’ knows; the Arko stick – it don’t matter if you love it or loathe it, it seems everyone has an opinion on it.

The GzD is just as good at making lather as the Arko is, it’s a bit softer so it might be easier to bash into a bowl if you’re not a face latherer. The scent is not nearly as strong as a freshly unwrapped Arko, and reminds me more of an Arko stick that have been left unwrapped for a month or two.

The GzD gives decent glide and cushion, and can be recommended if you just can’t handle the scent of the Arko. It seems to in general be more expensive than the Arko though, and it comes without a wrapper in a card board box – the box don’t stand up to much abuse, and I had to wrap mine in some parchment paper so I could handle it better.