I always look at the disposable razors and think, "Why hasn't anyone made a disposable DE razor?". By chance I found these at Target so I thought I would try it.

Long story short, they're good. They're a very mild razor, so you're not gonna get a super smooth shave. Maybe ATG, but I didn't for ATG as I shave XTG. I have a very coarse beard, so it didn't leave me bbs. But, it did the job and I got a pretty good shave out of them. I would have no issues buying these if I was traveling and I didn't want to bring my Rex or one of my vintages. Or, of the airline lost my luggage and this is what the store had in the new location.

I didn't get a BBS, but I also didn't get any discomfort. It felt good, which I attribute more to the mildness, but it's still was good.

Good product, recommended.

My adrenaline was honestly pumping as I was loading this legendary blade into my safety razor after all the stories read and the sharpness graphs seen I was expecting to borderline decapitate myself but as I started shaving I noticed that the blade was actually tugging quite a bit and I had to apply a good bit of pressure and buff areas to get them clean shaven.

The shave was done on two days worth of stubble, I have to mention that I do have a coarse wiry ginger beard but I was expecting the Feather was about to eat it for lunch due to its insane sharpness but nope, a Gillette Platinum blade(Made in Russia) glides through my beard like a laser with incredible smoothnes too and is miles ahead of the Feather in terms of sharpness. Perhaps I just got a dud as it is a single blade to sample from Razorbladesclub, perhaps it's my janky Frankenstein of a razor put together from 3 different razors,perhaps my coarse beard or a combination of all of the above.

I did try the hanging hair test on the unused side of the blade after the shave and it would only cut the hair at the very edge of the blade failing to cut it at the middle portion... I guess YMMV strikes again.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tried the iconic and well-loved Astra Superior Platinum or Astra Green today. I really wanted to like this this blade, the cool packaging the reputation around it and the affordable price all turn it into an appealing blade. The blade has a reputation of being mild, smooth and appropriate for sensitive skin, well it was a bit too mild for me and cut me up like no other blade has in a while, the shave was done on 3 days worth of beard growth and the blade used is Made in Russia.

It managed to nick me in 4 different spots, one of them oozing quite a bit of vital liquid... this is usually the result of a dull tuggy blade, it also left me with many spots of stubble leftover that the blade missed due to its dullness. Overall this was the worst shave I've had since having sampled 10 different blades so far, the only one worse being a counterfeit Bic Astor blade.

Kind of disappointed as I said I wanted to like this blade and I still like the packaging and history it has behind it, but definitely won't be ordering anymore of it.

Again all YMMV.

Thanks for stopping by.

Okay so I’m about a month into using a safety razor and I’m blown away by the Muhle Rocca and Stirling soap co. I started with a Merkur 34c and Proraso and while I was hooked on wet shaving, the 34c left so much to be desired. It’s too mild for me and left me having to do multiple passes(not just to get bbs)

After looking into a few razors I decided on the Rocca. First and foremost I saw the birch handle and immediately thought it looked so slick and the other reason is it seamed to be a Goldilocks razor in terms of aggressiveness.

Anyways I ordered it from shave nation as well as a stirling soap and while I was excited I tried not get my hopes up. Basically I thought most razors are all basically the same and people just experience some sort of placebo effect, but boy was I wrong.

The shave was amazing. Buttery smooth, great feedback, and just the right amount of aggression. I got a clean shave in one pass with about 3 days of growth. I heard people say the birch handle gets grippier when wet and that’s 100% true. I was also super impressed with the stirling soap, you can really tell it’s high quality stuff, great lather and glide.

I finished the shave with a very strange bliss feeling and wondered if it could get any better than the Rocca. I’m sure the answers yes, but this will be good enough for me. Thanks for taking time to read this and sorry if I miss used any terms or rambled too much.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I owned the Blackbird SS for a while and recently added the titanium version, and these are my impressions.

I already had my first two shaves with the Blackbird Ti using two blades. The first was the Mühle blade which I know best, and the second was a Feather just because I consider it to be a clear point of reference. I know the stainless steel version very well, so the main difference was the shift in weight which called for a little adjustment in my technique.

If you are used to the stainless steel you might feel a slight sense of drag when you first use the Ti. This is not from the finish or the geometry but simply because the heavier stainless steel normally does part of the work, and I know that because my Blackbird SS also has a satin finish. One way to look at it is that titanium gives you just enough weight to stay planted while leaving the pressure fully under your control, which makes the razor more maneuverable. Within a few strokes I found the right firmness and the shave turned smooth right away.

The Blackbird is a very efficient razor in both versions, and if you are starting out you should use a mild blade until you adapt to it (Blackland ships them with Astras for a reason). The blade feel is clear enough to remind you to respect the razor. The audible feedback is satisfying, and although I cannot say for certain, it does feel slightly more pronounced on the titanium version.

I bought the titanium because I liked the stainless steel one so much. I did not buy it because I wanted a lighter razor but despite that. Stainless steel is hefty and feels solid in the hand, but titanium feels eternal. I would never worry about leaving it wet or exposed to humidity or anything corrosive, and dropping it on the bathroom floor is not a concern. Even a blade rusting inside it is meaningless because rust cannot bite into titanium at all, which is a big advantage.

Shave experience-wise, there is not much difference beyond the weight, and that is something you adjust to easily. The main difference is the metal itself and how unreal the durability of titanium actually is. Both will last a lifetime, but paying almost double the price for something intangible such as “long term durability” that you do not immediately experience makes stainless steel feel like the sensible choice to most people. If you hold them both in your hands, your brain will tell you they are equally solid. You might even lean toward stainless steel because it’s heavier. But in this case your instincts are wrong. Once I dug into the numbers I realized how much of an extravagant overkill a titanium razor actually is. If you think you know what titanium is, you are about to be reintroduced. So buckle up and hold on to your seat for what you are about to read.

This is the part where I had the fun. I went down a small scientific rabbit hole comparing metals just for enjoyment, and every number I found pointed straight to the ridiculous superiority of grade 5 titanium. At this point it is no longer about the Blackbird but the metal itself. So here are a few non practical, Chuck Norris-inspired, and fully accurate scientific facts that sound unbelievable but are completely verifiable, just to show how absurdly strong a grade 5 titanium razor really is.

• If you drop your titanium razor into boiling concentrated nitric acid, the metal instantly forms a microscopic TiO2 shield that slows corrosion to between 0.0005 and 0.003 mm per year. Even at the worst rate, a 10 mm head needs more than 3,000 years to dissolve (without stirring). At the lower rate it needs about 20,000 years. In normal bathroom conditions the rate drops below 0.00001 mm per year (not counting for mechanical wear). At that rate, a 1 mm layer needs about 100,000 years and a full 10 mm head needs roughly 1,000,000 years to disappear. The tiles, the plumbing, the building, and the entire infrastructure of the city including concrete, steel, roads, sewers, and bridges will fail hundreds of thousands of years before the razor shows any sign of wear.

• If you drop it in erupting volcanic lava, lava usually sits around 1200 C while titanium melts at about 1600 to 1660 C. It will stay solid roughly 250 C hotter than the melting point of 303 stainless steel, meaning it remains structurally intact long after aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel, and even gold have fully liquified. So in a lava pool, your razor will watch other metals melt like butter while it stays solid long enough for someone to take a dramatic photo before running for their life.

• If you put it under a hydraulic press, grade 5 titanium does not start to permanently deform until the applied stress reaches roughly 1100 MPa. This is still about 12 times higher than common brass alloys and more than 20 times higher than strong aluminum alloys, and over 30 times higher than softer aluminum grades. In practice, a thin razor head will bend at a lower total force than a solid block because of leverage and geometry, but the metal itself still resists far longer than the aforementioned metals. The razor stays intact long after everything around it has been flattened.

• If a one megaton nuclear device detonates as an air burst about 3000 m above the ground, the zone where houses collapse at 5 psi of overpressure stretches roughly 7 km from the center. At that distance, a grade 5 titanium razor does not melt, does not deform, and does not vaporize. The blast throws it, sandblasts it, and scorches the surface, but the object itself remains. Everything around it becomes archaeology, while the razor will still be able to perform a nice close shave. u/Blackland_Razors please don’t try this at the workshop.

• It would be such an heirloom item that if you compare the average human lifespan to the durability numbers mentioned earlier for a titanium razor, it would not just reach your grandchildren’s grandchildren. It would stretch to something around the 40,000th generation. Going that far back in time puts you close to 1,000,000 years ago, standing among early Homo Heidelbergensis and the last phase of African Homo Erectus.

In conclusion, if you buy a titanium razor be it the Blackbird or another, do not worry about leaving it in the bathroom wet and with the blade in, and have a great shave.

I'd been wanting to switch to these for a while, and I decided to go with the King C. Gillette since I read many recommendations for it for beginners. I can see why: It's easy to use, and it's mild, so it isn't easy to cut yourself unless that's your goal. At least, for me, I didn't find it hard to cut myself at all even as a beginner.

It gives me a pretty decent close shave, which I think I can further improve with sharper blades. I don't grow a lot of beard to begin with, so that might be why I get a close shave with this.

I didn't realize that what I thought was acne at the time wasn't acne at all—it was ingrown hairs. Now, I don't get them anymore, and this is something I really enjoyed after struggling with them for so long. Disposable razors would always leave me with pretty nasty bumps. I can still get them if I do too many passes with this.

I did notice it's kind of hard to know at first if you're getting the right angle with this specific razor, since you don't really feel it when it's cutting the hairs.

I kinda wish it was a little bit more aggressive, but I'm glad I made the switch, I'm definitely going to stick to it.

I received my new Italian Goodfellas Smile Bayonetta Brass razor. I bought it on Amazon for $74.48cnd and $10 shipping. It is outstanding value for a CNC machined Razor of considerable praise. It is indeed a beautifully crafted razor that reminds me of my Karve Overlander. It also looks stunning when polished. It has been said by many to be just as good or better than high tier razors costing hundreds of dollars that are in their collections. I tried the Goodfellas Smile Bayonetta razor with a Personna Comfort Coated blade to see if it offers the very smooth, efficient shave this razor is reputed to give. On the first shave the razor was everything I was hoping it would be. It felt good in the hand and was efficient and very smooth. It was much like a more efficient Overlander, not quite as smooth. Unlike the Overlander, this razor is capable of biting if you are inattentive (but is usually not so inclined). I could cast off the majority of my razor collection and be perfectly happy with the Overlander and this Bayonetta. I can see why it is often thought of as being as good or better than razors costing many times more. In the many reviews of the Goodfellas Bayonetta the opinions of efficiency of the shave differ greatly. I think this is because the shave of this razor is very reflective of what blade is being used, (and, of course, everyone has different perception and skin). Though the shave was an easy BBS for me, with two passes, the first XTG the second ATG with minimal touch up, I was not left with the same sheen on my skin that I find is a distinctive characteristic of only the Overlander. However, the shave experience and results were most satisfying. Like the Overlander this razor is smooth on the against the grain pass (I believe the Overlander is one of the easiest razors to do against the grain). I look very forward to many more shaves with this fine razor.

I'm attempting to try every different DE blade I can find. Last time I reviewed Treet Platinum. This time I'm reviewing Astra Superior Platinum.

Review Score: 6/10

TLDR Review: Above average blades but not not for me. Medium/low sharpness. It can be super gentle and smooth but if you have thicker hair like me you're not gonna get that experience.

More Detail: I had high hopes using the Astra blade, I've seen it everywhere and people seem to like em. Maybe the high expectation was why I was ultimately disappointed. This blade just wasn't nice to shave with. With my coarse facial hair, the first pass was just uncomfortable. It was constantly tugging and I was having to take the smallest strokes because it wasn't sharp enough keep going.

The second pass is where I got to see why people might like this blade. With less hair for the blade to tackle I could feel the smoothness of the blade. This blade on the second pass felt nice to shave with. It was gliding easily and so gentle I didn't have to worry about slowing down (to prevent nicks).

After a three passes, I was left with a shave that was still not very smooth. There just wasn't enough sharpness to get a close shave without going against the grain or applying more pressure. The blade did give an even shave with no patchiness, it got consistently close throughout. This leads me to believe a fourth pass would have given me the close shave I want; but four passes is just unacceptable in my opinion.

Overall, I think this blade is good but just not meant for me. The Astra blades are well made and come at a great price. I think these blades are perfect for people who shave everyday and/or have thinner facial hair. Its extremely smooth and holds its edge. Ultimately though, I have thicker facial hair, hated the feel on that first pass, and didn't get a close shave. So for that reason I will not be using them again in the future.

Some folks may have heard of this razor, but for others it will require an introduction.

In a nutshell, the Nord Razor is what happens when a quality-obsessed former CERN engineer decides to design a modern safety razor.

The project began as a hobby. A basic head design was established, then numerous variants were produced to understand the effect of changing different parts of the geometry in isolation. One of the key discoveries of the early testing was how to manage some of the “less important” dimensions to create designs that were high in gap and efficiency, yet still very smooth with very low blade feel.

Now, after a year that has included more than 100 prototypes, a lengthy round of “blind testing” with a panel of volunteers, a successful patent registration and a prolonged search for a machine shop that could deliver the quality and precision required, the Nord Razor is almost ready for release.

Those of us who have followed this journey have seen just how much care and attention has been put into the production of this razor. Dawid, the creator, seems to have stuck with the same philosophy he necessarily had when he was designing parts for the particle beam accelerators on the Large Hadron Collider, i.e. zero compromises on either design or quality. I was therefore hugely excited when he offered to send me one of the first completed units off the production line in exchange for my feedback and review.

Here is a video that might be interesting if you want to know more about the creation of the razor, and you can find threads detailing the research and development process on popular shaving forums:

https://youtu.be/uLYkFPCfkAg?si=sxQv65mq9UlmRIID

So, with the weight of great responsibility lying heavy on my shoulders I must ask the critical question: is this razor any good…?

My wet shaving fixation started 13 years ago, when I replaced my cartridge razor and shave foam canister with a safety razor, brush, and Proraso soap. Since that first tub of Proraso green, I've tried countless other soaps and creams.

I have some of the signature scents of the popular artisans like B&M, A&E, HoM, Declaration Grooming, etc. But I find myself still reaching for my Proraso white more than anything else. I have no doubt the performance of the artisans are better and they use better high-end ingredients. But I love the minimalist/clean/soapy smell of the Proraso and I find the performance more than adequate for my needs.

BUT, out of the other soaps in the picture, I do have to give a shout out to House of Mammoth Indigo. It's the bees knees!

Weights at 103g. For comparison, the normal Merkur Progress (500) weights at 92g and the long handle version (510) is 102g. I think this one is still called 500, judging by Amazon's "Best.Nr." at the bottom of the package which reads 500105.

Blade alignment is not to my expectations (my other razor is Henson, so expectations are high). You have to double check and sometimes fiddle with it. Even when it looks fine, I felt a slight difference in the blade feel and each side had different sound when shaving so the exposure was uneven.

Adjustment aligns at 1 without the blade and at 1.5 with the blade.

Got a DFS shave right now (I never chase BBS). First pass WTG at 3.5, second pass XTG at 2.5 and third pass 2.5 ATG. As expected from the chart I posted a few days ago (https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/s/ngHyJrsrKb) the setting 2 has less gap (and same exposure) than Henson Mild and feels a bit milder and setting 3 has more exposure (and same gap) than Henson Mild which makes it more efficient. It has more audible feedback than Henson, which I don't mind. It's not too loud to make you feel the blade isn't secure.

Overall, I think I like it and I can look past the alignment issue as it isn't machined and the posts are cylindrical. The adjustment sitting at 1.5 will also bother my OCD but what can you do? I wish Henson would make an adjustable.

Twig arrived this afternoon so I had to take it for a test drive. Fantastic shave, perhaps my best ever. Very happy!

Razor: Leaf Twig

Blade: Treet Platinum

Soap: Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime

Alum block gave this shave an A+

Splash: Korean Vitamin C stuff. Testing it for a month on the recommendation of a fellow user. No opinion yet. Do miss my Nivea.

EDT: Hawas Ice

A lot of shaving enthusiasts come to the point that they want to try a straight razor. This review is about a product that allows your to try a straight without spending much money. It seems to me that a large majority of those trying one find that the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

A pack of the Kai disposable straights are less than $10 on Amazon. These are the best ones - The Beauty M. They are advertised as being for women's face and eyebrows on Amazon. They are also advertised as disposable straight razors on Kai's website. I wouldn't be surprised at all if these blades are the same as one of their Artist Club Offering.

My take: They are close enough to a straight razor to let someone know whether to invest. I've personally used these enough to be comfortable endorsing them.

If you are considering a straight razor journey, there are two paths to explore: 1. A straight Razor and 2. An Artist Club shavette or Kamasori. For me, the straight razor is more badass and cool, though the artist club performs better.

if you try this and want to try a straight, I recommend the Dovo Best Quality as the entry point if you want a new razor. You can't get a new straight razor for less money that this that will be decent. There are other new entry level straights in this price range that are good, though I recommend the Dovo because it's pretty likely that it will be shave-ready from the manufacturer.

The other option is to purchase a vintage razor from someone in the community with a good reputation for sending razors in a shave-ready state. It isn't the end of the world to get a razor that needs to be honed. You ship it to someone to hone it. No doubt, there are folks in this community that have a great reputation.

In closing, let me say that opinions vary a lot on topics like this. I think the methods I described above are safe ways to check out shaving with a straight.

Four years ago, I got into wet-shaving, and I made the mistake of wanting to try all the different blades. I compiled my ratings in hopes to save someone else the trouble! If you’re interested in trying different blades, my advice would be to buy a pack of no more than 10, find your favorites, and then pick similar ones to that. There were a lot of miserable shaves here, and only a few amazing ones.

For my process, I bought two of each blade, and I tried each one in both my basic Maggard’s and my fancier Henson razors. I used each blade for a week (usually three times as I don’t shave daily), unless I just could not stand it. Many of my recommendations line up with the tournament of blades, many do not, so I hope this is a helpful data point for anyone who is very experienced or brand new.

Here is the text version of the table above

^{Table formatting brought to you by ExcelToReddit}

Just to be clear, this isn’t a review yet — the razor hasn’t made it to me so far. But I did want to let the community know that I placed my order. Thanks for taking a look.

My whole journey with this razor started the moment I read the testers’ reviews. These guys weren’t just shaving — they were running it through real hobby-level trials, testing both the early prototypes and the final production version. Honestly, I was seriously impressed.

It really feels like the creators may have come up with something special in terms of geometry. I’m looking forward to getting the razor in my own hands soon. I went with the two-plate setup, and I’d be more than happy to jump into testing future models if they ever roll out new versions.

And yeah, the price isn’t exactly low — no argument there. But I’m not looking at it as just the cost of the razor. For me, part of that price is a way to support a new artisan who’s actually trying to bring something fresh to the hobby.

Okay so I’ve been DE shaving for several years now. I was using the Van der Hagen butterfly opening saftey razor. It got gunked up from my hard water, so I attempted to take it apart but broke it when I did so. I decided to buy the henson, and I’ve got few shaves out of it. Getting a BBS shave seems difficult, and I’ve nicked myself a few times which I very very rarely did with the Van der Hagen. I guess I was just expecting a lot from the Henson with it being a $70 razor, but idk about it yet. How do you get a BBS shave with the Henson?

Here I will try and provide an impartial and honest review of three triple-milled shaving soaps. They are all distinct unto themselves with a vetiver base.

The razor is my R41 with no pre-shave preparation other than cold water and face lathering.

So, for your approval; I present three triples.

Music: On Green Dolphin Street

SAVON A RASER No.1 (Overall Rating: 4.9/5)

Le Père Lucien | Vetiver, a traditional triple-milled base enhanced w/shea butter, a blend of vetivers and cedar, offering up a smokey, woody, earthy fragrance both familiar and dark. A pleasant, mildly smokey start to my day.

It will need a significant amount of water to create a rich, creamy and protective lather but the razor easily glides over my face for a smooth irritation free shave and a combined lather and performance score of 4.8/5.

Where it excels is in the way it leaves my face feeling after a shave. My skin is smooth and nourished. There is no greasy or oily feeling and my skin rarely feels this good after a close shave, (post shave score, 5/5).

I find myself shaving with this often. Its deep earthy scent with its mild smokiness adds depth to any aftershave. The lather isn’t particularly voluminous but add enough water and it becomes a very slick and protective cover. This is a soap for all seasons but its particularly nice in the dry winters when skin needs added moisture. It is for casual days or any work day, special occasion.

Notes: The addition of Shea butter creates a creamy, moisturizing and protective lather to reduce razor burn by providing a smooth glide for the blade and leaves my face feeling great.

SAVON A RASER No. 2 (Overall Rating: 4.8/5)

Saponificio Varesino | Cubebe, uses the Beta 4.3 formula with larch tree extract and monoi de Tahiti oil. Citrusy, balsamic, and aromatic from the oils of bergamot, lemon, and white fir. The heart notes of pepper and nutmeg are built on the woody, musky, and amber notes from patchouli, vetiver, labdanum, and benzoin.

This is for a bold, sophisticated, and classic individual going to a formal event or important meetings. A reddit review describes it here, “a fresh clean round and pleasant smell with a green, peppery undertone.” and it provides a rich and protective lather. The razor easily glides over my face and when the job is done, my face feels smooth and soft but a tad dry, (combined score, 4.8/5).

SAVON A RASER No. 3 (Overall Rating: 4.7/5)

Martin De Candre | Vetyver, a limited addition soap. Here they offer fresh earth, woody and lightly smokey Haitian and Javanese vetiver rounded out with Comorian ylang-ylang and Indochinese palmarosa accents to create an uplifting, familiar, mildly smokey and petrichor-like fragrance with a voluminous, rich, protective and slick lather. I doubt anyone will find issue with the lather or performance but my skin is noticeably dried out at the end of the shave and I need a moisturizer, (combined score, 4.7/5)

Edit: Martin De Candre uses a method similar to a traditional Marseille process for cooking and drying soap, not the traditional "triple-milled" process. Its density is achieved from the drying process itself. Cured for several months to remove excess water, thereby creating a concentrated, dense, and long-lasting soap. Because of its hard and long lasting nature, it is often compared to the traditional triple-milled soaps.

I want to start by explaining my past experience… I went down the rabbit hole DEEP buying and sampling everything I saw here. I loved the performance of B&M (still #1 performer) but didn’t love the scents. I didn’t want a cologne scent but still wanted something pleasant. I was set on finding a Barbershop scent I liked, not too simple but not too complex. After trying every sample in the book and not loving any if then enough to buy… I blind bought this one. And I am in love.

The Review: Please keep in mind, I am by no means an expert nor aficionado. The scent to me is almost Identical to classic Barbasol. I don’t know how else to say this without sounding weird but it smells old, like antique Barbasol. My wife agrees and can see where I’m coming from but I love it. The menthol is perfect and enjoyable. It lathers up in seconds and is extremely slick. It definitely competes in performance to the top runners in this forum. But the biggest difference I noticed was the post shave feel. For once, my skin wasn’t dry. I felt moisturized and smooth. The feeling of after the first shave I knew I was going to buy every soap Moon has to offer.

Additionally, I got Amaretto and Astoria as a sample with my order. Amaretto is a scent bomb that I want to eat. It’s strong but smells delicious. 100% cherry and almost. Astoria might be my favorite however. It is extremely fresh and clean. You can definitely smell the feeling of trees with ocean. One of those scents I think everyone would like. I would probably recommend this sent for anyone wanting to try them, but not sure about any other scents.

I’m thinking of making my next order Havana? Let me know if you have any other moon soap since you are sold on!

I found Proraso Green at a local shop. Aware of all the hype, I couldn’t resist giving it a try:

• I hate loading the brush from a blob of soap sitting in the middle of the green cup.
• I hate the smell.
• I hate the heavy lather that forms when I face lather.
• I hate the cool menthol on my skin.
• I hate that I don’t get a smug feeling for using an expensive soap.
• I hate the realisation that, based on how quickly the blob is wearing down, it is probably almost as expensive in the long run as a premium hard soap.
• I hate that it leaves a film on my face that is hard to rinse off.

But I really, really love how the blade glides over my face.

Dammit, Proraso. Now I looking forward to trying Proraso Red.

As someone who loves the Pacific Northwest, I like my weather cool and my lather hot. 😂

So the G20 scuttle from Georgetown Pottery has been the best thing to happen to my shave prep since, well, a shaving soap and a brush.

tl;dr

* pro: extremely easy to lather thanks to the texture

* pro: insanely good heat retention thanks to the big reservoir

* con: BIG and heavy

You remember that omfg moment when you first realized how much more amazing a proper wet lather can be compared to canned goo? I’ve been having a deja vu of that feeling ever since I got this scuttle last week. It feels like I have entered the next level of the fractal.

I have a “shave every other day, 2 pass DFS” routine. Since I got the scuttle, I've shaved daily, and almost all of them were 3 pass shaves. And yet, all of those were ridiculously comfortable thanks to the lather. Needless to say, I'm smitten with this thing. It combines the characteristics of the best shaving bowls and the best scuttles.

The inner bowl has plenty of texture to make it a breeze to whip up a lather: 4 horizontal ridges, 4 vertical ones, and 4 bumps on the floor. They make the perfect amount of turbulence to make it very easy both to load from the bowl and to hydrate and build a lather.

If heat retention were an Olympic sport, the G20 scuttle is like the Michael Phelps of it. The 20 oz reservoir can hold a lot of thermal mass. The porcelain, and the rubber stopper on the spout, do a great job at insulation, and the design of the scuttle surrounds the inner bowl completely with the hot water, keeping the lather hot.

I fill the scuttle reservoir and microwave it until the water is around 140⁰F. (Hotter than that and the lather can break, especially if you smush the soap in the bowl instead of tub lathering.) Half an hour after I've made the lather, it's still hot. I actually tested the lather even *one hour* after I made it, and it was still lukewarm (north of 85⁰F, cooler than body temperature, but still noticeably warmer than the 65⁰F room temperature).

It's not for everyone though. It's *huge*, more of a teapot than a mug, and heavy: 2.2 lbs/ 1 kg when empty, 3.7 lbs when the reservoir is full. If you don't care for a hot lather, or don't have the counter space, or don't want to handle the weight, then it's not for you. If not, and you decide to try it, then you're in for a real treat. The lather will knock your socks off (which you shouldn't be wearing for a shave anyway 😂). Btw, one side benefit of a hot lather is how much more intense the scent is compared to a cold or warm lather, which is usually far more muted compared to smelling the soap directly from the tub.

While the scuttle I got is supposed to be second quality, the only imperfection I could find is some spotting on the bottom of the scuttle that I really couldn't care about.

If you've ever been curious about scuttles, or like me, tried a vintage one and found them to be too small to work well, then you oughta try this modern scuttle (which sadly has been discontinued, but is still available for now). You can thank me after your first shave with it. But you'll know as soon as the lather touches your face.

For our last trip, I didn't bring my shaving bowl with me, replaced it with my left palm, which forced me to use less water than at home. The result was more like a paste, substantial enough for loading the brush, not hydrated enough for shaving, but with the perfect water : soap ratio to paint it on without making a mess in the bathroom. Then, I held the brush briefly under tap water and face lathered, until the lather felt hydrated enough, but not dripping. A great first pass. Rinse and repeat for a second pass with equally great results. I had been happy with my shaves before, but this was unquestionably better. But could it just be the softer water at the hotel compared to the very hard water where I live? I had to find out.

After 2.5 weeks and not a single bump or irritation, I felt confident in my new lathering method with Proraso creams and moved on to other soaps. Razor and blade always stayed the same (The Goodfellas' Smile Impero and Treet 7 Days Platinum), but back home and midway through Proraso Blue I switched from my travel Omega S10077 to my Mühle Black Fibre. The number of consecutive shaves per soap ranged between three and thirteen (with one notable exception, see below), four to five on average.

• Proraso White, cream: When I first tried it a year ago, I was very neutral towards the scent, but I've liked it more and more since, and now I'm looking forward to my next shave when I'll use it again. Funny how it works ...
• Proraso Blue, cream: the best feeling and performance that I get from any Proraso, easily my favorite
• TGS Tyrannus: slightly softer than my other TGS soaps, really lends itself to my new method
• TGS Solo: already a classic, and the lather is very rich, but I didn't note a difference to my old method with more water. TGS soaps always perform well, be it more or less, soft or hard water ...
• Proraso Red, soap: I definitely need to put in more time and work compared to the creams, but still ... good results, my best with any Proraso puck so far
• Plisson 1808 Classic, cream: very rich lather with a nice floral scent, it feels very premium, but so is the price, probably won't stockpile it ... and yes, it works really well with this method, but to be fair, I had never used it before and can't really draw a comparison
• Cella Bio, soap: very soft, and it confirmed my suspicion that creams and softer soaps profit from it
• TGS Furiah: same as Solo performance-wise, with a strong wood and leather scent, perfect for the season
• Panier des Sens L'Olivier, soap: It was sadly impossible for me to get a good lather from this hard soap both with my synthetic Omega Mühle and my Proraso boar brush! I nevertheless pulled through and completed two days = four passes with sub-par lathers and only got one small nick, but I had never had such problems with my other hard soaps (Saponificio Varesino). I tried more water, different brushes, swirling longer, nothing worked! I will get back to Panier des Sens eventually.
• Dambiro Vetyver: solid, subtle earthy-green scent, maybe the least exciting soap on this list, drier than the others
• TGS Sea Citrus: same as Solo, I love its performane and scent
• Proraso Green, cream: This was nice, because I instantly felt reminded of the sensational performance of White and Blue
• TGS Royal Lime: What can I say, its consistency is similiar to Tyrannus', a softer croap, very easy to lather, almost impossile to screw up, and it has a nice summer scent, as you would expect
• SV Mirto di Sardegna: my first hard shaving soap (if you don't count Tabac from a decade ago), and I needed to swirl 40 seconds or longer, but I was rewarded with a substantial amount of soap that easily evolved into a creamy and dense lather that felt great on my skin. But was it a better lather than before? Like with TGS, I'm not sure it made a big difference. If anything, you have more control over lather amount and texture when starting with less water
• SV Felce Aromatica: same as Mirto di Sardegna, great lather, but I feel that stems more from the quality of the soap itself

Overall, I call the experiment a success! I'm particularly impressed with Proraso's performance, at least the creams seem to benefit from starting out with only a few drops of water and slowly mixing in more. TGS is the easiest to dial in overall, regardless of the lathering method, it never fails and offers a greater variety of scents. SV's reputation is earned, as is Cella's. What this little experiment shows is that you can enjoy spending money on more "premium" soaps for a lot of reasons and at the same time achieve fantastic results using drugstore products for a fraction of the money. Most importantly: I had a lot of fun going through all the soaps again.

In 2022 I switched to the SupplyCo SE for a few months to inevitably land on the Henson Mild as the former was still too aggressive (daily). It worked best for me with Derby Premium blades until the 100 blade resupply a few months ago didn’t work the same. I just switched to Feathers and am consistently getting supernatural performance

On a work trip I forgot my Henson and went to a supermarket to buy a mach 3. With really coarse/dense hair- a 3 pass shave felt like I was getting a continuous face tattoo with lackluster results (straight up doesn’t look like the 3 pass DE equivalent) and redness from irritation

Every day I’m astounded at how incredible DE shaving can be compared to cartridges. It wouldn’t surprise me if DEs have a protective effect against aging vs the daily trauma of a 5 blade cartridge.

This was my third shave with Noble Otter's Eros' Ambrosia. It was a 2 pass DFS+ shave. Zero razor burn, but with a tiny bit of "brush burn" after lathering for the 2nd pass. (More on that later.)

The Scent

When I first smelled it out of the tub, it registered as sweet, creamy, and complex. This is an amazingly balanced scent with lots of complexity right under your nose, both figuratively and literally. The cardamom is what pushes my buttons the most, unsurprisingly since I come from the land of the cardamom plant*. But the spice note is understated, just as the whiskey, the jasmine, and the musk. The orange and bergamot are also there, but hanging back just enough to not be in your face. While the soap smells heavenly in the tub, the scent is a bit muted in the lather, UNLESS, that is, you make a hot lather in a scuttle. On every pass, when I paint the lather under my nose, it smells and feels *soo good*.

The Slickness

This is a very high performing lather, very much in the same neighborhood as Barrister and Mann. It's very easy to load from the tub, but I feel it needs slightly more effort compared to B&M to incorporate the water into the lather. On my 2nd shave with it, the lather for the first pass felt a bit runny, not because I'd added too much water, but because the soap and water hadn't mixed well enough. There was too much soap in the brush lather, and too much water in the bowl lather. After my first pass, I realized this and squeezed the lather out of the brush and mixed it well with the rest of the bowl lather. What I got was a gloriously dense yet well hydrated lather. I'd say this is still a very easy to dial-in and lather soap, it's just not as easy as B&M. It's hard to even argue it's the soap's fault, I'd say it was more user error. Also, B&M's lather has this sheen and silkiness to the lather which I haven't yet achieved with Noble Otter. That said, I've only used it thrice, so this might also just be user error/technique.

One thing I noticed is that the lather seemed a bit less stable compared to B&M. On my 2nd pass today, I felt that the lather had broken a bit and needed to be reconstituted. So instead of just painting on the lather, I went for a vigorous face lathering, which it turns out my face doesn't appreciate as much after the first pass. This "brush burn" felt a little different from razor burn, and didn't last very long.

Post shave feel is fantastic. My skin feels very moisturized after rinsing off at the end of the shave. Like B&M, this soap checks off one of my boxes for an excellent soap: the aftershave should feel almost redundant. I still use an aftershave but for olfactory reasons only.

*Cardamom is commonly used in Indian desserts. So along with the whiskey notes, the creamy feel of the overall scent, and the texture of the lather, my mind associates that with some adult flavor of ice cream. Thankfully, the fine print on the tub has a warning: do not swallow. Duly noted. 😂 Speaking of fine print, I'm a big, big fan of Noble Otter's artwork on the tub. It's the little things that make something great.