Category Archives: Review

Big Red Beard Beard Oil

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Beard oil… it’s hair oil for your beard!

Those of us who sports a spiffy goatee in addition to our clean shaven neck and cheeks knows just how frazzled and worn the individual strands can get. That is where beard oil (and beard balm) comes to the rescue… it hydrates, styles, fights some of the reasons I get dandruff, and  helps me keep my goatee soft and tangle free.

I selected Big Red on the recommendation of an online friend, and I’m very happy with the beard oil – the scent is woods-y and workshop-y. On their website, they describe it as:

Chopping wood, greasy axels and working in the shop. Smell like you’ve just emerged from the forest after hunting for your own dinner.

If you sport a beard or moustache, you can probably benefit from beard oil. While my sample size is one right now, I think you could do a lot worse than picking up some Big Red Beard Oil – they sell small bottles as well, so you can test them easily.

Phillips Philite razor

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Thanks to a generous member over at my favourite shave forum, I have been PIFed a Philips Philite razor.

A bit of background first; Philips started making bakelite object in 1923, but since the word Bakelite was a protected trademark, they had to call it something different. Philite was the name they came up with, which to me sound rather uninspired… than again, different times. Interestingly, while ‘standard’ Bakelite is a combination of phenol, formaldehyde, and filler (wood flour), the Philips variation also contains urea – I’m not sure if this was to avoid patent infringement or because it had a real purpose in moulding or curing the plastic. There is some indications here and there on the web that Philite could be used in larger moulds than regular Bakelite, but that might just be hearsay or marketing claims.

The addition of urea may explain the slightly pitted surface though – but I’m not familiar enough old bakelite to know how pitted they usually should be… after all, the Philips Philite razor went out of production around the time of the War – World War II that is. So mine is at least 70 years old, quite possible 75 to 85 years old – a respectable age indeed for a plastic product.

Overall the razor is in amazing shape – the pitting don’t detract from the overall appearance or feel – and having used it for a week I couldn’t be more happy with the shaves I get… at least when pared with a milder blade like the Green Astra.

What little I could find online told me that the Philips Philite should be an aggressive razor, but at least in my opinion it is not. It isn’t particularly mild either, being a instead a lovely middle-of-the road shaver. The grip is a little more slippery than most of my razors, about on par with my Bakelite slant and my Merkur 45C, but a quick drying off my hands helps with that minor issue – still, it’ll means that the Philite perhaps is not the best razor for those who shave in the shower. The blade loads straight in with no inclination to go crocked, and the head covers the tabs for those who get worked up over such things… I like both covered and uncovered tabs myself.

The balance is a little more “handle heavy” than most of my razors, which helps keep the pressure low when shaving… and when you shave, you’ll notice one thing the Philite do that I have seen on no other razor:

The lather will ooze right under the blade and come out on the other side! This is because the half-open comb isn’t really open at all – as can be seen in the picture of the base plate there is no openings in the plate for lather to escape, so the lather simply travels between the ridges.

Added bonus; It makes the Philite look interesting when viewed face on since you can see though the head:

Overall a great little razor giving a smooth, comfortable shave. They seem to be reasonable rare, so if you find one you may want to grab it before it disappears.

RazoRock XXX review

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Note that this is about the old, black tub of XXX that was discontinued in 2012 – not about the newer, tallow based version.

A while ago – a fairly long while – I was PIFed an almost full tub of RazoRock XXX by a fellow shaver. Now that I’ve used it all up, and getting the original XXX is getting hard, it’s about time to do a short review…

Overall, this is a pretty good soft soap. It lathers like a champ, producing copious amounts of slick and fairly cushioning lather – even if it do leave me with somewhat dry skin afterwards. The scent is distinct without being overpowering, and now that it is gone I’ll miss it from my rotation.

Quality 4/5
Packaging 4/5
Scent 5/5
Lather 5/5
Skin care 3/5
Moisturising 3/5
Slickness 4/5

Review of the Yoresh scuttle

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About seven weeks ago, the scuttle I ordered from Yoresh on Etsy arrived. Since then, I’ve used it for the majority of my shaves.

It performs well – the fact that I have used it for almost all my shaves is a testament to that.

The bowl is slightly shallow, but a deeper bowl would mean a much larger scuttle overall, so it’s a trade off that is worth it in my opinion. The patterning in the bottom helps building the lather, even more so if your brush is springy with lots of backbone.

It retains the heat well when I fill it with hot water, and even without water it stays warm to the touch for quite some time – the thich walls gives it quite some thermal mass. The downside of that is that it needs time to preheat as well… again, a trade off that is worth it.

Bottom line, if you’re in need for a scuttle, a Yoresh might be just the thing.

Review of soap sample from Wet Shaving Products

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A while back Lee from Wet Shaving Products offered up some samples of a soap he’s been working on. I jumped on, and he sent a very large sample indeed. This is my assessments after a couple of weeks of using it for shaving:

Value: N/A

Being a sample, I got it for the cost of shipping. For retail I’ll would be willing to pay quite a bit for it, since this soap is good stuff.

Quality: 5/5

It ticks off all the right boxes for me; presentation, performance, and overall feel

Packaging: 4/5

I would still prefer a tin with a wider mouth, however that is a very minor issue. Wrapped in paper would work just as well – I’m not too fuzzy on the packaging.

Scent: 5/5

Being an unscented or nearly unscented puck it sure smells good, clean but without the “hospital like” undertone a number of other unscented soaps has. The lack of a strong scent also means it will work with any combo of pre- and postshave treatment.

Lather: 5/5

The soap makes loads of it with ease, and it isn’t terrible thirsty (caveat: I got soft water).

Skin care: 4/5

The soap do leave my skin with a slightly dry feeling, but without the skin actually being dry. Makes no sense, but maybe it’s just me?

Moisturising: 4/5

Despite the initial dry feeling mentioned above, you could get away without using an aftershave or moisturiser as part of the post-shave routine. I still use one, but then Im a creature of habit when I got the time for it.

Slickness: 4/5

The lather the soap makes is not as slick as a couple of my other soaps, but it’s a minor issue. Both my Merkur 45C (which is rather fuzzy on the lather) and my Gillette ’58 TV Special (which is not) works without issue with the lather.

Cushion: 4/5

The rich, creamy lather still provides plenty of cushion without impeding on the actual cutting action, just like good lather should. It has less cushion that some of my other soaps though, so ‘only’ four out of five.

Overall impression: 4.5/5

A good soap indeed, and one to keep an eye for when Lee put it up for sale.

Shaving made easy – a free ebook

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Over at Project Gutenberg – which is an awesome site for free books, by the way – I found a gem from 1905:

Available of reading online, or to download to a Kindle or other ebook reader, it’s a keeper. A little thin on the subject of DE- razors for some strange reason*, but covering the straight edge well as well as touching upon the strop, the brush, the soap, and other supplies. Has some sage advice too, that has not changed in over a century, such as:
Next to the razor, the most important article of the shaving outfit is the soap. In its proper use lies the real secret of easy shaving.
And:
If you desire a really clean shave, you must go over the face the second time.

It’s a highly enjoyable read, and I urge you to take a few minutes to grab a copy.

*) The first DE Gillettes went on sale in 1903 – so when this booklet was written they were very much the new kid on the block.

Review of Krampert’s Finest 80 Below

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Krampert’s 80 Below is – in my opinion – one of the best aftershaves you can’t get; it’s a limited edition, and has for all intents and purposes been replaced by Krampert’s Frostbite.

The 80 Below shares it’s basic properties with Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum and Krampert’s prototype menthol – all of Krampert’s aftershaves do a great job of moisturizing my face after shaving – they work so well I have caught myself using them even if I haven’t shaved. They also does a good job of sealing and healing any minor nicks I might have inflicted on myself while shaving, something which is happening less frequently these days.

As far as scent and face feel goes, the 80 Below is… very menthol. If you’re not awake by the time you’re done shaving, you will be after putting the 80 Below on… also; if you’re not awake, why are you waving a sharp razor around your face and throat?

It is interesting to note that while menthol works wonders on warm, muggy summer days, it is just as nice for different reasons on a chilly winter morning… best way to describe it is that it makes you feel alive in a way you have to experience to understand.

While getting hold of a bottle of 80 Below is dependant on a fellow shaver giving up his loot these days, you ought to do yourself a favour and get a bottle of Krampert’s Frostbite – like Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum it’s well worth the asking price.

Review of TFS Bergamotto Neroli

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A fair while ago, I received a sample of TFS Bergamotto Neroli as part of a PIF from a fellow shaver. Over the last month or so I have sampled my way though the sample, and can give a short review of the soap.

TFS have been hailed online as a soap that is very much like Martin de Candre, a soap I would been more impressed with if it hadn’t been so darn expensive. For the most part, the other reviews online are correct; like the MdC the TFS makes lovely lather with plenty of slip and glide, it smells pretty good, don’t leave my face feeling dry and is an overall solid performer.

The two things about TFS that – in my eyes – makes it outperform MdC is the longevity and the lower cost of it. A similar sized sample lasted about 50% longer, and the price per gram (excluding shipping) runs to about half.

If you want a high end soap, you can’t go much wromg with TFS bergamotto Neroli – even if I personally gonna stick with Mike’s Natural Soaps fot the foreable future. Works just as well, and the scent’s are better suited for me.

A short review of Martin de Candre soap

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A couple of years ago – a Norwegian couple, that is – I received a sample of Martin de Candre as part of a PiF from a fellow shaver. For the longest time I left it alone, but now I’ve have sampled my way through the sample.

Let me preface by repeating one of the basic tenants of traditional wetshaving:

Your Mileage May Vary

That said…
I’ve read multiple reviews of MdC online, several made by wetshavers whose judgement I trusts. The overwhelming view seems to be that MdC is an awesome soap in every way. Personally I can’t see what the fuss is all about, less so given the high cost of it.

Yes, it is long lasting – but so are many of my other soaps.
Yes, it smells pretty nice – but so does many of my other soaps.
Yes, it makes great lather which cushions and provides great slip – but so does many of my other soaps.
No, it don’t leave my face feeling dry – but neither do many of my other soaps.
Yes, it is an overall solid performer – but so does many of my other soaps.
And yes, it’s costly – more so than many of my other soaps.

Perhaps my view on the McD would been different if I wasn’t blessed with soft water, perhaps I would been more awestruck by it if I wasn’t spoiled by a certain artisan soap maker…

Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with McD – far from it. But to me at least the McD isn’t so right I’ll go out and buy more – I rather stock up on more of Mike’s Natural Soaps which to me is just as good and comes in a lot more scents.

As I said, YMMV – but if you want to give McD a spin then do yourself a favour and get a sample first.

Review of the Vie-Long 14033 mixed badger / horse brush

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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.