The question is in the thread title. What have you acquired that was a pleasant surprise? Was it something that was different from your normal preference, like a mild razor after years of using more aggressive tools. Maybe it was something that got mixed reviews, or something that just doesn't get mentioned often. It can be anything shaving related. Razor, brush, soap, cream, pre-shave, aftershave, a bowl or mug, a strop. I used my Simpson Commodore X3 Best Badger this morning and it overachieved as usual. While the largest Commodore, it is a smaller knot than my other badgers (Chubby 2, Thater 4125-1, Shavemac D01 28mm) and about the same size as my synths (Maggard 24mm both). When you see or hear Simpsons brushes being discussed it is always Chubbys and Dukes that are mentioned, with MAYBE the occasional Polo or Tulip, but never the Commodore. This morning the Stirling MITA was lathered into a huge cloud of cushion and lube in no time, and the brush felt great applying it. When I saw this brush on BST I took a chance even though it doesn't get nearly the amount of love that other Simpsons brushes get. It isn't super badger or Manchurian, and it isn't one of the old Somerset Simpsons, but the Commodore X3 in Best is my pleasant surprise. What is yours?
Honestly, the whole traditional wet shaving experience. I really didn't expect it to be this good AND this much fun.
I was out hunting and I picked up a razor for someone here and turned out to have a great trade with them and a refinished razor. Now I have a great straight to pass along to a buddy who's wanted to get into the hobby for some time but didn't know where to start. Sadly that means I didn't get to keep the freshly honed striaght but everyone won in the situation and I was blown away by the workmanship I saw. Hopefully if there's a next time I can secure a straight for myself to test the water's with! Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
I had never even bothered to try lathering Williams until recently after reading about how much better the older version is. I had a vintage puck on the shelf and was pleasantly surprised what a great lather it made even in hard water.
I have, in the past, snobbishly declared that BADGER brushes were the elite of the shave brush world. I also lusted after those high dollar custom pieces of art brushes with knots of the finest strands of badger hair. My pleasant surprise came from a twenty (</>) dollar synthetic brush. I got a razorock 400. Its all that and a bag of chips. It rocked my shave brush world. Its everything to everybody. Its strong like a boar, soft like a silvertip, dries like synthetic. The handle is modeled after the ultimate design, but weighted to feel luxurious in your hand. I think this brush has improved my performance with all my other synthetics, its that good.
Awhile back, I purchased a 200 year old stub tail straight. A little polishing of the scales and the blade, a little time on the hones and this old fella mows down growth as well, if not better than a new custom
This Apache Strata stone... A number of years ago, I paid less than $60 for it (a relative bargain for a natural stone of 'finishing grit' quality). I didn't have very high expectations for it and honestly, it was my initial foray into natural stones. I had it for a month and used it on a few straight razors with fairly-impressive results. Glen (Gssixgun) borrowed it for a test-drive on a veritable boat-load (100?) of razors and returned it with some glowing reviews. Since then, I've used this stone as a finisher on many razors and the results rival and sometimes exceed what I can get off of other natural stones that cost five to six times what I paid for this Apache. So, yeah..I was pleasantly surprised.
A plain old Schick Krona. Made me realize that DE shaving may be a fun way to mix things up a bit with straight shaving.
Another pleasant surprise from a brush. I knew @Jayaruh made some beautiful handles, so I knew that was going to be true of my second Jayaruh brush, #96. I didn't expect the Virginia Sheng knot to be so soft, though, and if you look closely, the tips are curling already.
Omega 10049 boar brush. Paid less than $10 for it, and it has been a winner for me. QShave Futur for $10 gave me the closest shave I can remember. 30DC LE brush is a stunner. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
I was also surprised y the Omes 10049, now that is broken in its one of my top brushes. Definitely one of the best values in wet shaving.
I definitely agree. Getting a brush that good for that little kept me from developing a brush acquisition disease. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
I knew the RazoRock Ti Baby Smooth was a good razor, because I have the aluminum version. The Ti has blown me away. I can't put it down.
Kiss My Face shaving cream - My first pleasant surprise. Actually, that doesn't even begin to do it justice. Eye-opening, mind-blowing and amazing are more like it. It opened up a whole new shaving world for me. Derby blades - Although much maligned today, they were considered among the best about ten years ago. They gave me great shaves in a Merkur 34C, and showed me just how good safety razor shaves could be. Institute Karite shaving soap - I heard it was good, but wow! It was excellent and exceeded my expectations. It was the first premium soap I ever used, and still a favorite. Van Der Hagen Deluxe shaving soap - It works every bit as well as the best shaving soaps, and for only two dollars each. Edwin Jagger DE89L safety razor - It shaves a little better than even the Merkur 34C, and costs less. A beautifully made, superb quality razor that was a pleasant surprise. There are other things that have worked really well for me, but that was expected given what I had read online. Of the things I listed above, the first two were transformative and changed the way I shave forever.
I have added a much milder razor to my rotation recently as well. I now have some good variety with just four razors. One is mild, one is very aggressive, and two are somewhat aggressive. As for brushes, I'm moving the other way. My first brush was a synth, and I still like my Maggard, but I have come to prefer some good quality badger brushes I have acquired.
