SOTD : Saturday 12th May - Friday 18th May 2018.

SOTD Tuesday 15 May 2018

Pre-shave - Warm shower, Wright's Cold Tar Soap, followed by warm water splash.
Cream - OSP Barbour Shop.
Brush - Simpsons Chubby 2, Synthetic.
Bowl - Little Wren Pottery.
Razor - Muhle R41
Blade - Astra SP (Day 1).
Post shave - Cold water splash; OSP Barbour Shop Splash, Clinique Post Shave Balm.

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I had a big meeting at work today, and wanted a perfect shave this morning to make me feel good for the day. I decided last night, to go for the Muhle R41 - I feel so much more confident shaving with the R41, I was surprised in myself that that was my choice.

A fab 2 pass shave, no issues. Great audible feedback from the R41 - a great razor when paired with Astra SP (Green), I appreciate that YMMV.

I have been very busy at work and not had much time on the Shaving Room. I hope that everyone is good.

All the best,

Chris
 
What you said mate - does anybody know why this is the case? Is it that tallow has been appropriated by another industrial process that can pay higher prices than soap makers for it - or are the compliance rules for using fat of an animal origin becoming uneconomic? Have the companies done their market research and decided that people want vegetarian soaps? If the latter was the case - why would Salters have reintroduced a tallow soap into the market recently? In American artisan soaps - there seems to be no end of tallow used - be that cow, sheep, pig, bison, duck, otter and marmoset - okay I just made the last two up. You take my point though. Like you I enjoy a choice in my soaps - I have some very good vegetarian soaps but I would miss the tallow ones dearly. Perhaps a couple of experts here could shed some light on it? Yours - I.

@OSP @Fox
I'm not expert but as long as beef and lamb/mutton are used in the processed food industry (stock cubes, pet food etc) there will always be plenty of tallow.
I suppose other animal fats come from similar routes.
Why the cosmetic industry is going vegetarian may be financially driven or misguided information.
 
Hi Rob,

I love the Rex Ambassador; when I read your SOTD your experience of some drag made some sense to me, occassionally I feel that I get some drag, but can't put my finger on it.

Whatever it is, it does not take away from the quality shaves with the Rex.

All the best,

Chris

Hi Chris,

There's no denying the end results are very good. I would say it's close to the R41 for efficiently. I just wish it was smoother.
I'm still tempted to buy the newer version. From what I've read the 'N' batch has been improved greatly.
What version do you have?

Cheers
Rob
 
@Blademonkey P. - otters - no go - protected species in Europe - much like badgers - what about seal or penguin tallow? There are loads of them - we might have marketing issues though? The public - are for some reason - a bit squeamish about the animals that are killed in their name. Never understood why. What about walrus? There is a load of blubber going on there? Again marketing problems. Or maybe not? - we could all do it together - do a crowd funding thing - the honest shaving soap tallow company - who's with me? - ha ha - I.
As long as we get the soap from a country that eats said blubbering animals we shouldn't have the animal rights people down on us, by-product and all that! :rolleyes: I must admit duck tallow is a little special.......it's a by-product folks!:oops: ;) P .
 
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Hi Chris,

There's no denying the end results are very good. I would say it's close to the R41 for efficiently. I just wish it was smoother.
I'm still tempted to buy the newer version. From what I've read the 'N' batch has been improved greatly.
What version do you have?

Cheers
Rob

@Blackmass

Hi Robb,

I have one from the N Batch - 0693N1.

I can't praise it highly enough - over the last year I was heavily into SE shaving, the Ambassador got me back into DE.

If it helps, I got mine from The Gentleman's Groom Room in Dundee; its handy living close by; not so good for the wallet :)

All the best,

Chris
 
Brush: Frank Shaving 20mm Best Badger
Soap: Gilchrist & Soames hand soap in a Meißner Tremonia jar
Razor: Vigshaving combination head (safety bar side) on RazoRock bamboo SS handle
Blade: Feather (1)

No photo since we're on the same set up as yesterday - I just turned the razor round to use the safety bar side.

The soap is weird - it builds quite a nice looking lather that I can paint on my face no bother, but by the time I've put the brush down and picked the razor up, it's all but disappeared. I'm going back to my Jagger cream tomorrow.

The feather is still mostly behaving itself. A couple of tiny weepers on the chin, but they'd literally disappeared by the time it came to rinse my face. I don't fear them particularly (at least, not in this razor), but I don't think I'll bother getting them again. There are many better value propositions out there.
 
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Dear Fitjar, you take my breath away!
 


Prep: Valobra Glycerlanolina soap, Alt Innsbruck Emulsion
Brush: Tony Forsyth P&C LE 2017 Platypus High Mountain White Badger
Soap: Barrister & Mann Rhapsody
Razor: Schick Injector L3 "Grip"
Blade: Schick Injector (1)
Post: Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel / Alt Innsbruck Emulsion
Scent: Guerlain Vetiver EdT

My first shave with the Schick L3 Grip, kindly loaned by a friend. I wondered if the tennis handle grip was a bit of a novelty, but after using it, I think it is great! It looks cool and slightly retro (to me at least), and the grip is functional, as the plastic handle is both textured and grooved. I found this razor very nimble, much like the Type G. It seemed slightly milder that the G, and with less feedback. It was super smooth, to the extent that I would rate it as the mildest razor I have used to date. The trade-off to this is efficiency, with more strokes than usual required to get satisfactory closeness. However, I set the razor a tough task, as I had a five day growth. On the plus side, this razor was so smooth that I found I could easily buff against the grain, which is fraught with danger with most of my razors. Due to the smaller head, I find that this and the G Type need more rinsing than my other razors.
Three passes and a a decent buffing session for a DFS+. The Rhapsody soap was terrific as usual - normal B&M top shelf performance, and a complex scent that suits the Autumn weather nicely. A few quirts of Guerlain Vetiver and I'm grinning. :D
 
Greetings

Wednesday 16th May 2018
Prep: Shower
Razor: Heljestrand
Blade: Henckels Rapide
Brush: Plisson Synthetic
Soap: Speick Stick Grated
Aftershave: Astral cream (soft)
EDP: Penhaligon's Halfeti (sample)

This fragrance is, IMHO, an absolute delight. A spicy rose oud, certainly an evening or winter/autumn fragrance; for me quite one of the nicest fragrances I have tried and certainly my favourite of the Penhaligon's that I have sampled to date.

On the opposite side of the spectrum yesterday afternoon I tried Penhaligon's Juniper Sling, I had high hopes for this as a summer EDT, what a huge let down, I found it hard to really get anything from it at all, perhaps a fleeting generic citrus note and that was it, I could detect no juniper at all which is surely what gin and this fragrance is meant to be about? For me a huge disappointment.

Regards
Dick.

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Greetings

Wednesday 16th May 2018
Prep: Shower
Razor: Heljestrand
Blade: Henckels Rapide
Brush: Plisson Synthetic
Soap: Speick Stick Grated
Aftershave: Astral cream (soft)
EDP: Penhaligon's Halfeti (sample)

This fragrance is, IMHO, an absolute delight. A spicy rose oud, certainly an evening or winter/autumn fragrance; for me quite one of the nicest fragrances I have tried and certainly my favourite of the Penhaligon's that I have sampled to date.

On the opposite side of the spectrum yesterday afternoon I tried Penhaligon's Juniper Sling, I had high hopes for this as a summer EDT, what a huge let down, I found it hard to really get anything from it at all, perhaps a fleeting generic citrus note and that was it, I could detect no juniper at all which is surely what gin and this fragrance is meant to be about? For me a huge disappointment.

Regards
Dick.

View attachment 35571
Would love to hear your thoughts on Halfeti Dick?
 
Tuesday morning:

Prep: Shower with Savon du Midi Garrigue soap
Brush: Yaqi 24mm synthetic
Soap: Soap Commander - Fortitude
Razor: Merkur 23C
Blade: Derby Premium (3)
Post: Humphrey's Withchazel

The soap arrived just yesterday and I've tried it the first time today. Oh boy, what a scent. I really, really like it. It is supposed to be hay, tobacco and rum.
Lather is quick, easy and slick. Great start into the day.
 
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