It is a luxury. That is certain. There are definitely people who buy this and don’t like it. Anything that has Oud in it seems to be polarizing.

What’s your impression of The Fat vs Stirling’s sheep soaps?

Very nice SLS. Like all of the “Man” series Ramblin’ Man is a Creed dupe. This one is a dupe of Creed Himalaya.

November 23, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co Summer 28mm G5C

• Blade Holder: Karve Overlander Brass

• Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)

• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Amber Bomba - Soap

• Aftershave: Wholly Kaw - Amber Bomba - Toner

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

The Ethos soaps, and Dragonsbeard in particular, are very pricey. The owner claims that the prices reflect the use of very high quality components. Assuming that’s true, I don’t experience higher quality that is justifies the higher price. However, I do think that the soap and scents are high quality. When I run through this tub of Dragonsbeard, I’ll buy another one.

My suspicion is that it was marketing. I think the band steel used for DE blades was a boon for blade production. The band steel seems to be a perfect fit for high volume, multi-stage manufacture. Gillette heavily promoted replaceable blades, and as I recall, the company’s business model was to make its profits through high-volume/low margin sales of blades.

November 23, 2024

• Brush: Elite Razor Neo-resinate 26mm Mother Lode

• Blade Holder: Gillette Super Adjustable 109 (Black Beauty) Gold O-4

• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (11)

• Lather: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard - Soap

• Aftershave: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard Skin Food - Splash

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

I was in a mood for Oud, so I pulled out the Dragonsbeard. A couple of years ago, I was so enchanted by this scent that I found myself alternating between it and BaM Leviathan. I finished my tub of Leviathan and have not purchased another so I could use the rest of my soaps.

Dragonsbeard doesn’t show up much around here. These are the scent notes:

Agarwood Oil and Oud Resin with essential oils of East Indian Sandalwood, Amber, Tonka Bean Butter, Madagascar Vanilla Bean Infusion Oil, and White Rose Absolute

Good luck! You can certainly do it. I always look forward to my wife’s pumpkin pie. She goes strong on the spices. I make real whipped cream just before we eat pie and go gentle with the sugar so the creaminess and subtle sweetness blends well with the pie filling. My mouth is watering as I type this.

November 22, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co Lemondrop 28mm SynBad

• Blade Holder: Gillette Super Speed Y4

• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (10)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Heather - Soap

• Aftershave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Heather - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

I managed to get a fougère Friday in for my second luxury shave today. Shawn Maher put so much character in each of the Seaforth! Scents. Each one I’ve tried has been distinctive. With so many fougères out there, I imagine that this on was a real challenge, but he managed to produce a great one.

November 22, 2024

• Brush: Wald Nimbus Chryselephantine 29mm A1 Fan

• Blade Holder: Haircut & Shave Co P076 Ti

• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (9)

• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Darkfall - Soap

• Aftershave: Declaration Grooming - Darkfall - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This Haircut & Shave razor is a real find, and it was right there in my collection. I just haven’t paid much attention to it until now. I think most people would consider this to be an aggressive razor. There’s plenty of blade feel. But, the cap design allows you to maintain that blade feel and use a low angle. If you know how to do this, then the resulting shave is very close and very comfortable.

I continue to enjoy this series. The DE razor (and blades) were marketed in parallel with SEs. Was the popularity of DEs all about low-cost replaceable blades?

You do what you can. Chili pot-luck sounds pretty good to me, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

It’s muted in the soap but still there. To get the full OG effect, try to get Shulton Old Spice aftershave or cologne. The scent strength is strong by today’s standards. Perfect for the ‘60s through the ‘80s though.

Hah! I hadn’t thought of that! So true!

November 21, 2024

• Brush: Wald Nimbus Chryselephantine 29mm A1 Fan

• Blade Holder: Wolfman Razors WR2/WRH2

• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (8)

• Lather: Shulton - Old Spice - Soap

• Aftershave: Shulton - Old Spice - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

There’s really nothing like the Real Thing™

I’m really good at procrastinating

If advanced degrees in it were available, I’d qualify :)

November 21, 2024

• Brush: Wald Stratos Goldvein 29mm A1 Fan

• Blade Holder: Gillette Fatboy E4 (setting: 4)

• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (7)

• Lather: The Holy Black - Gunpowder Spice - Soap

• Aftershave: The Holy Black - Gunpowder Spice - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This scent is exactly like it sounds; Old Spice with a note of gunpowder added. As a long-time Old Spice user, I love it! The Holy Black also got the scent strength for the aftershave spot on. It doesn’t have the takeover-the-room scent level that the real stuff has, but is medium-strong by today’s standards. This is a nice nod to the past. I was planning to use my Shulton Old Spice today, and may use it for my SLS, but Gunpowder spice provided a very satisfying shave.

Love this series! As you already know, I think the MMOC Gen 2 is a masterpiece of design. They could have stopped there, but of course, marketing folks always need a new gimmick :)

Yeah, yesterday’s SLS. Enjoyed it enough that I considered it briefly for Theme Thursday.

November 20, 2024

• Brush: Wald Stratos Goldvein 29mm A1 Fan

• Blade Holder: Gillette Slim Aristocrat H4 (setting: 7)

• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (6)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch - Soap

• Aftershave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Great Black Watchday shave today!