Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Wars Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: L'Occitane Cade Shave Cream
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave Balm: L'Occitane Cade Aftershave Balm
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Result: 4.6/5.0 Doing more ATG with the Feather. Also, I used the Feather to shave my armpits. Wow! that worked well. Scary as hell but it cleared out the hair in a hurry and didn't clog anything. I just wiped down the blade after each swipe. I'll be doing that again. Much easier than using a DE or disposable. No irritation.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Thank You for My Major Award!
To all, and especially to Rene, who makes me drool and envy his razor, which somehow gave me some karma, which I thought I had lost out of my back pocket long ago, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Bill, I don't know what to say. You once gave me something to advance my learning and experience in the world of straight razors and I was eternally grateful. It was very generous of you and I then payed that kindness forward to another forum member here who was in the same situation. You do wonderful work and some people might think it is no big deal given the number of razors you have, but I know better. Each razor you work on, each masterpiece you make, has a little bit of you in it. Your knowledge, your skill, your experience and your artistic side all contribute to the final masterpieces you create. I am deeply honored that I have won such a masterpiece. It will have a loving home and will be cherished for all time. I have a lighted china cabinet that it will go in with some other family treasures. I need to find or have someone build a little stand for it. I thought I once remember you know someone who makes such stands for you. Thank you for the bottom of my heart that you offered such a treasure.
To everyone else, congratulations to all the other winners in the contest. Although, you may not have gotten the prize you hoped for, I know the other prizes are excellent too and much appreciated by the forum members. Each of you to me are little prizes that pop up now and then to give me something that no one can buy. Friendship, camaraderie, a sense of family, laughter, and sometimes a little family argument to make the feelings complete. You add to my learning, you contribute to my ADs, not sure if that is a good thing, and you give me a sense of belonging. Rest assured, this razor is going to a good home and I'll will share my experiences with it to you all. Not to rub your noses in it but, to add back to the forum, that we call home. I have learned much and now with such a razor, I will learn much more and hopefully, I can give something back.
A very very hearty thank you to all the other contest contributors. Thank you, thank you. Your generosity is very much appreciated. Your contributions added so much more to the contest and I know how good the items are because I have personally used every one of them. We all appreciate what you've done.
Again, Thank YOU! Bill, the members of this forum and those I call friends.
Your humble, OK maybe not so humble but, very happy shave forum servant,
QHsdoitall, a.k.a. Rich, a.k.a Wilbur, a.k.a Skidmark.
Bill, I don't know what to say. You once gave me something to advance my learning and experience in the world of straight razors and I was eternally grateful. It was very generous of you and I then payed that kindness forward to another forum member here who was in the same situation. You do wonderful work and some people might think it is no big deal given the number of razors you have, but I know better. Each razor you work on, each masterpiece you make, has a little bit of you in it. Your knowledge, your skill, your experience and your artistic side all contribute to the final masterpieces you create. I am deeply honored that I have won such a masterpiece. It will have a loving home and will be cherished for all time. I have a lighted china cabinet that it will go in with some other family treasures. I need to find or have someone build a little stand for it. I thought I once remember you know someone who makes such stands for you. Thank you for the bottom of my heart that you offered such a treasure.
To everyone else, congratulations to all the other winners in the contest. Although, you may not have gotten the prize you hoped for, I know the other prizes are excellent too and much appreciated by the forum members. Each of you to me are little prizes that pop up now and then to give me something that no one can buy. Friendship, camaraderie, a sense of family, laughter, and sometimes a little family argument to make the feelings complete. You add to my learning, you contribute to my ADs, not sure if that is a good thing, and you give me a sense of belonging. Rest assured, this razor is going to a good home and I'll will share my experiences with it to you all. Not to rub your noses in it but, to add back to the forum, that we call home. I have learned much and now with such a razor, I will learn much more and hopefully, I can give something back.
A very very hearty thank you to all the other contest contributors. Thank you, thank you. Your generosity is very much appreciated. Your contributions added so much more to the contest and I know how good the items are because I have personally used every one of them. We all appreciate what you've done.
Again, Thank YOU! Bill, the members of this forum and those I call friends.
Your humble, OK maybe not so humble but, very happy shave forum servant,
QHsdoitall, a.k.a. Rich, a.k.a Wilbur, a.k.a Skidmark.
My Major Award
Little did I know, when I went to bed on Saturday night that I would be the recipient of a major award via a contest held on The Shave Den Forum. This contest was open to forum members who posted at least 10 posts with 50+ words. They had to be posts that contributed to the forum and not just some gimmick to get into the contest. I was unable to attend the actual drawing on chat Saturday night. It was Sunday morning when I finally got around to checking the contest results and was in total shock to learn that I had won the grand prize.
Here are the results:
Our drawing is now complete, and a big congratulations are in order for qhsdoitall, our grand prize winner.
I also want to give a special thanks to Bill for putting this entire thing together. The concept, and entire drawing was organized by no other than him. I also want to thank all the other vendors who contributed. All of you should know, that they all volunteered without being asked, and I want to list them all and their stores below.
Here are the results:
Our drawing is now complete, and a big congratulations are in order for qhsdoitall, our grand prize winner.
I also want to give a special thanks to Bill for putting this entire thing together. The concept, and entire drawing was organized by no other than him. I also want to thank all the other vendors who contributed. All of you should know, that they all volunteered without being asked, and I want to list them all and their stores below.
Bill- www.billysblades.com
Queen of Blades- www.theshaveden.com/store
Issy- www.issysoriginals.com
Tony Miller- www.thewellshavedgentleman.com
Damon- (contact via pm or email)
Susie- www.stores.ebay.com/SusiesBubblesNSqueak
Rene- http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2077
Queen of Blades- www.theshaveden.com/store
Issy- www.issysoriginals.com
Tony Miller- www.thewellshavedgentleman.com
Damon- (contact via pm or email)
Susie- www.stores.ebay.com/SusiesBubblesNSqueak
Rene- http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2077
This was the list of prizes and results:
Queen of Blades soap
Hawkeye5
OldSaw
denmason
msandoval858
crackstar
Issy's soap
Edcculus
coolsimon
C utz
owen
CatMan
Tony Miller strop TraderJoe
Damon strop bg42
Bath soaps from Susie
Racso MS
JP
mrcleanhead
IsaacRn
Four goodies from Rene
james
Sejanus
Amyn
TstebinsB
Bill's razor...*qhsdoitall*
Queen of Blades soap
Hawkeye5
OldSaw
denmason
msandoval858
crackstar
Issy's soap
Edcculus
coolsimon
C utz
owen
CatMan
Tony Miller strop TraderJoe
Damon strop bg42
Bath soaps from Susie
Racso MS
JP
mrcleanhead
IsaacRn
Four goodies from Rene
james
Sejanus
Amyn
TstebinsB
And here is the grand prize!
Bill Ellis Custom Razor
It's a quarter-hollow 7/8 Irish point with yellow heart scales and a couple tiny embellishments.
Bill Ellis Custom Razor
It's a quarter-hollow 7/8 Irish point with yellow heart scales and a couple tiny embellishments.
2007.11.05 Shave of the Day
Saturday - 4.5/5.0
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Shavemac 23mm Handmade Nickel Blue Silvertip Badger Fan Shaped Shave Brush
Shave Cream/Soap: Crabtree & Evelyn Sweet Almond Oil Shave Cream
Sunday - No Shave
Monday - 4.1/5.0 (One Weeper)
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: D R Harris Marlborough Shave Cream
Shave Cream/Soap: Wars Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman Musk Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Shavemac 23mm Handmade Nickel Blue Silvertip Badger Fan Shaped Shave Brush
Shave Cream/Soap: Crabtree & Evelyn Sweet Almond Oil Shave Cream
Sunday - No Shave
Monday - 4.1/5.0 (One Weeper)
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Feather Professional Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: D R Harris Marlborough Shave Cream
Shave Cream/Soap: Wars Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman Musk Aftershave
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Friday, November 2, 2007
Comments on my Glycerin Shave Soaps
There a re a number of glycerin based shave soaps in my shave locker. I'm going to comment on the major ones I have used.
Col. Conk - found at various places.
Col. Conk has been around a very long time and a mainstay of the shaving world. I used a number of them and they performed OK but I was not enamored by any of the scents. They are relatively cheap. I ended up trading them to another member of The Shave Den because I felt I had a much better assortment of shave soaps already.
Honey Bee Spa
Honey Bee Spa soaps are made by an independent soap manufacturer named Sue. Her soaps are good quality, with adequate cushion and glide. The soaps scents offered are varied and pleasing. Although you can melt these soaps. They seem to lose something when you do. I don't shave with these very often but I am not disappointed when I do. Quality and consistency have been right on.
Mama Bear
Mama soaps are what I started out with. They are made by another independent soap maker named Sue. These are a typical melt and pour soap made with essential or fragrance oils. I would suggest staying with the soaps that use essential oils. There are many many great scents to choose from. The performance of the soaps as I use more and more soaps from various manufacturers show me that they are not the best when it comes to performance. Although they are adequate, they lack some key ingredients for moisture and skin care. Batch consistency has also been an issue. Quality control needs to be addressed a little better. I will probably choose 3-4 really nice scents and release the rest back into the wild.
Ogallala Bay Rum
Ogallala has been a love hate relationship for me. I love the scents. I hate the lather. It's slick but lather quickly faded to nothing and dried out your skin. It was a disaster. I ended up using the soaps I had as bath soaps. John, at Ogallala, had the soaps reformulated. They are much much better now but the lather still tends to fade quicker than many other soaps and requires replication in a couple of spots during a pass and the lather in the bowl needs refreshing after the second pass. I still love the scents and have found that adding some Kiss my Face Unscented Shave Cream or something similar to the mix dramatically improves the soap's qualities. They did a nice job in retaining the wonderful scents but a little more work needs to be done on the lather before mass marketing. I'm not definitely not unhappy though with the current formulation.
QEDUSA
Charles over at QEDUSA has great soaps. The scents, the consistency and the shave quality are well above average. I consider these soaps to be ones I don't use enough since I like to savor them. The ease of lather, cushion and glide make for a great shave experience. I would definitely recommend these soaps to others and I really need to use them more often.
The Gentlemen's Quarter
Of all the glycerin based shave soaps that I have, not including the really high end ones, these soaps I consider the best for me. The scents, the lather, the glide, cushion and skin care are all well above average. Once I trim down my shave soap collection I will be buying much more of these soaps. I made the mistake of getting sample pucks and I use them a lot so, I'm sure I will need to get more soon. There are some very unique scents and the product consistency is always there. I use these soaps more often on the weekends than any other shave cream r soap.
General Note on Glycerin Soaps: I'm commenting on melt and pour soaps. I shave with 3 different kinds of razors. Double edged razors, Feather ACD-N non folding razor and straight razors. Glycerin soaps are great for DE razors but I find very few work well with a straight razor. Triple milled soaps work better for me when using a straight razor. Since I use a DE razor most of the time, this is not an issue. The Feather razor works like a cross between a straight razor and a DE razor. It will do OK with a good glycerin based shave soap but will do as well or better with a triple milled soap. QED and TGQ soaps work across the spectrum of razors I use.
Special Note: I have a couple of The Shave Den soaps but I do not have enough experience with them yet to give an accurate opinion. I will update my comments after I have used them 6-7 more times at least. The same goes for the Tryphon Soaps. The C & E Soaps are glycerin based but I treat them as a triple milled/hard soap.
Col. Conk - found at various places.
Col. Conk has been around a very long time and a mainstay of the shaving world. I used a number of them and they performed OK but I was not enamored by any of the scents. They are relatively cheap. I ended up trading them to another member of The Shave Den because I felt I had a much better assortment of shave soaps already.
Honey Bee Spa
Honey Bee Spa soaps are made by an independent soap manufacturer named Sue. Her soaps are good quality, with adequate cushion and glide. The soaps scents offered are varied and pleasing. Although you can melt these soaps. They seem to lose something when you do. I don't shave with these very often but I am not disappointed when I do. Quality and consistency have been right on.
Mama Bear
Mama soaps are what I started out with. They are made by another independent soap maker named Sue. These are a typical melt and pour soap made with essential or fragrance oils. I would suggest staying with the soaps that use essential oils. There are many many great scents to choose from. The performance of the soaps as I use more and more soaps from various manufacturers show me that they are not the best when it comes to performance. Although they are adequate, they lack some key ingredients for moisture and skin care. Batch consistency has also been an issue. Quality control needs to be addressed a little better. I will probably choose 3-4 really nice scents and release the rest back into the wild.
Ogallala Bay Rum
Ogallala has been a love hate relationship for me. I love the scents. I hate the lather. It's slick but lather quickly faded to nothing and dried out your skin. It was a disaster. I ended up using the soaps I had as bath soaps. John, at Ogallala, had the soaps reformulated. They are much much better now but the lather still tends to fade quicker than many other soaps and requires replication in a couple of spots during a pass and the lather in the bowl needs refreshing after the second pass. I still love the scents and have found that adding some Kiss my Face Unscented Shave Cream or something similar to the mix dramatically improves the soap's qualities. They did a nice job in retaining the wonderful scents but a little more work needs to be done on the lather before mass marketing. I'm not definitely not unhappy though with the current formulation.
QEDUSA
Charles over at QEDUSA has great soaps. The scents, the consistency and the shave quality are well above average. I consider these soaps to be ones I don't use enough since I like to savor them. The ease of lather, cushion and glide make for a great shave experience. I would definitely recommend these soaps to others and I really need to use them more often.
The Gentlemen's Quarter
Of all the glycerin based shave soaps that I have, not including the really high end ones, these soaps I consider the best for me. The scents, the lather, the glide, cushion and skin care are all well above average. Once I trim down my shave soap collection I will be buying much more of these soaps. I made the mistake of getting sample pucks and I use them a lot so, I'm sure I will need to get more soon. There are some very unique scents and the product consistency is always there. I use these soaps more often on the weekends than any other shave cream r soap.
General Note on Glycerin Soaps: I'm commenting on melt and pour soaps. I shave with 3 different kinds of razors. Double edged razors, Feather ACD-N non folding razor and straight razors. Glycerin soaps are great for DE razors but I find very few work well with a straight razor. Triple milled soaps work better for me when using a straight razor. Since I use a DE razor most of the time, this is not an issue. The Feather razor works like a cross between a straight razor and a DE razor. It will do OK with a good glycerin based shave soap but will do as well or better with a triple milled soap. QED and TGQ soaps work across the spectrum of razors I use.
Special Note: I have a couple of The Shave Den soaps but I do not have enough experience with them yet to give an accurate opinion. I will update my comments after I have used them 6-7 more times at least. The same goes for the Tryphon Soaps. The C & E Soaps are glycerin based but I treat them as a triple milled/hard soap.
2007.11.02 Shave of the Day
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Feather Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: De Vergulde Hand Triple Milled Shave Soap
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave: De Vergulde Hand After Shave Spray
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Cologne: Em's Place Lime Citrus Cologne
Result: 4.5/5.0
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Feather Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: De Vergulde Hand Triple Milled Shave Soap
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Aftershave: De Vergulde Hand After Shave Spray
Aftershave Talc: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave Talc
Cologne: Em's Place Lime Citrus Cologne
Result: 4.5/5.0
Thursday, November 1, 2007
2007.11.01 Shave of the Day
Shave
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Feather Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: The Gentlemen's Quarter Gentleman's Oak & Moss Glycerin Shave Soap
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Styptic: Tulumba Alum Block
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Moisturizer: Epicurean Shea Butter Co Shea Butter Vanilla & Sandalwood Body Moisturizer
Result: 3.8/4.0 Just a rough patch on right side neck hollow due to ATG Pass with Feather ACD-N. Nothing serious. Only had to do minor cleanup with Merkur Progress. TGQ Soap was ver nice as usual.
Razor: Feather Artist Club DX Japanese Style Non-Folding Razor ACD-N
Razor: Merkur 500 Progress Adjustable Double Edged Safety Razor Chrome
Razor Blades: Feather Pro Guard Blades for Feather ACD-N
Razor Blades: Panda Stainless Steel Double Edged Razor Blades
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush
Bowl: Mitsuwa 6" Beige shallow hand thrown Japanese bowl with side rest
Shave Cream/Soap: Kiss My Face Unscented Shave Cream (pre shave lather)
Shave Cream/Soap: The Gentlemen's Quarter Gentleman's Oak & Moss Glycerin Shave Soap
Technique: WTG (Feather)/WTG (DE)/Cleanup (ATG)
Post Shave
Styptic: Tulumba Alum Block
Aftershave: Thayer's Witch Hazel Aftershave
Moisturizer: Epicurean Shea Butter Co Shea Butter Vanilla & Sandalwood Body Moisturizer
Result: 3.8/4.0 Just a rough patch on right side neck hollow due to ATG Pass with Feather ACD-N. Nothing serious. Only had to do minor cleanup with Merkur Progress. TGQ Soap was ver nice as usual.
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