Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Magic Soap, Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Mike’s Peppermint & Rosemary Soap
Brush: Omega 10048 Boar Brush
Razors: Merkur 25C with a “Treet Platinum Super Stainless” blade, and 1958 Gillette TV Special with a “Astra Superior Platinum” blade
Post-shave: Cold water rinse and Alum block
Yet another DFS with the TV Special.
My latest acquisition on the razor front is my second oldest… a 1958 Gillette TTO known as the “TV Special”. A fellow shaver over at The Shave Nook decided it was better to sell it than having it sit unused in his rack, so I got the opportunity to snap it up for a little less than twenty dollars – which was a steal, really. Apparently the razor was advertised during the 1958 broadcasts of “Gillette Cavalcade of Sports” and it’s notorious online for being a great shaver.
Despite being a short handled razor, it’s remarkable comfortable to hold. The slight flare near the base helps, as do the knurling. The balance is pretty good too, even if I find it slightly top heavy – either the head could have been slightly lighter, or the handle slightly heavier. It’s no worse than most of my other razors – I’ve yet to find a razor with absolutely perfect balance.
I’ve only had it for about a week so far, and used it a couple of times, but the 1958 Gillette TV Special has gained a slot in my rotation. If you’re in the marked for a vintage Twist To Open razor, and like ’em mild… well, you could do a lot worse than picking up one of these babies – even if they can be hard to find at a reasonable price.
Pre-shave: Pure glycerine soap
Lather: Mike’s Barbershop
Brush: Vie-long 14033
Razors: Merkur 25C with a “Treet Platinum Super Stainless” blade, and 1958 Gillette TV Special with a “Astra Superior Platinum” blade
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, Alum block and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Yet another DFS. The Gillette TV Special is shaping up to be a mighty fine shaver.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Magic Soap, Peppermint
Lather: Proraso Eucalyptus and Menthol soap
Brush: Turkish No6
Razors: Merkur 25C with a “Treet Platinum Super Stainless” blade, and 1958 Gillette TV Special with a fresh “Astra Superior Platinum” blade
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, Alum block and Krampert’s Finest Exp. Menthol
A DFS and a good way to start the week with a new-to-me razor.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Magic Soap, Peppermint
Lather: Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood Soap
Brush: Turkish No7
Razors: Merkur 39C slant and Parker 22R, both with “Wilkinson Sword” blades
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, Alum block and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
A nice shave on a wet morning.
First a warning: This stuff isn’t for sale – at least not yet. Which means that the first thing you need to do to get hold of it is to ask Krampert to start producing it… which takes money, so perhaps the very first thing you should do is to buy a bottle or two of his Finest Bay Rum… don’t worry, it’s well worth the asking price.
In short, everthing I like about the healing and moisturising properties of Krampert’s Bay Rum is present in his experimental menthol as well – and just like his Bay Rum this is some seriously good aftershave. And just like the Bay Rum, I found myself putting some on even if I havn’t shaved just to enjoy the moisturising properties and great scent.
The major difference is off course the menthol. It is refreshingly cooling on muggy mornings, and if I havn’t woken up before putting it on I sure am awake afterwards – even more so on the days I gotten a minor nick or two.
This is a seriously good aftershave – if you enjoyed Krampert’s Bay Rum, you’ll enjoy his Menthol if (when) it’ll be available.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Magic Soap, Liquid Orange
Lather: Mike’s Orange, Cedarwood and Black Pepper Soap
Brush:Vie-Long mixed horse/badger #14033
Razors: Merkur 39C slant and Parker 22R, both with “Wilkinson Sword” blades
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, Alum block and Krampert’s Finest Experimental Menthol
Yet another DFS – most of the cartridge generation don’t know what they are missing out on.
Very few products seems to polarise traditional wetshavers quite like the Arko shaving stick do; once you tried it you’ll either love it or loathe it.
What most people agree on though is that the tallow based stick works great – it’s easy to whip up a lovely lather weither you rub it on your face and face lather, or if you mash it into a bowl and use it for bowl lathering. Where opinions differs is on the scent – some say it smells fresh and citrusy, others think it smells like urinal cakes. And others again – like myself – leave it unwrapped for a while and get a pretty much unscented shaving stick…
Using the Arko as a stick is simplicity itself: I prep my face before I rub the stick over my whiskers, and then I takes the damp / wet brush of the day and vigourously applies it to my face in a circular motion. The result is a nice creamy and rich lather that is worked into my beard – perfect for those days when I havn’t shaved in a while. There is always enough left on my brush for a second and third pass – and if it isn’t it’s easy to reapply and make more.
The Arko shaving stick provides a more than acceptable cushion and glide, at least on my skin. If you use it for face lathering it can be a little picky on the brush in my expereince; a brush with a decent amount of backbone is needed to work that lather into the whiskers properly. For bowl lathering every one of my brushes works wonders with the Arko, once they are loaded properly.
If you can stand the scent, the Arko shave stick will not disapoint – and it’s cheap at half the price.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap, liquid peppermint
Lather: Nieva Shave Cream
Brush: Body Shop syntetic brush
Razors: Merkur 985CL loaded with a fresh “Lord Platinum” blade
Post-shave: cold water rinse and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Sort of on the go, so using the GoBag. A pretty DFS, despite not having my morning cup of coffee beforehand…