Well, that's two votes out of two for B+M. Thanks for the comparison on Xpec with TOBS. I have read mixed reviews on Xpec before, and at the price it's definitely a "think twice" kind of product.

I tend to prefer fairly simple, straightforward scents to ones that are highly layered and complex, because: (a) I don’t have the greatest sense of smell in the world anyway and (b) I have some headache sensitivities, especially to more "exotic" scents. Any suggestions for B+M soaps to look at?

Frankie. He said Relax.

Barbon cream. @crackstar knows about most of the east Europe stuff.

Barbasol

I've never used it, but have seen it in pics now and then

I have the Seville and love it. It is a Barbershop scent, but not an overly powdery one. I believe I saw him say it is his best seller, for what that's worth.

They're gone. @Keithmax mourned the loss.

Barrister and Mann is good stuff as far as B's go. Yardley?

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

His scents tend to be pretty strong. He does have an unscented soap.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Apparently there is a soap called Zartgefuhl Ziegen Bart.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Yesterday I posted a photo of a new Shavette I picked up off of the 'Bay for Mayhem. A couple of you asked for a review of it. Here she is:


I've never seen a Shavette like this before, and as it was cheap (I think $11 shipped?) I picked one up for the novelty. I shaved with it last night and tonight to make sure I had a good handle on it (more on that to come). Here are a few observations.

Pros:
-Its actually made of metal and quite solid. It has some weight to it and feels like it will hold up.
-The blades hold in quite securely. Despite it having a pretty good bit of blade exposure, I always felt the blade was held solidly. It takes half of a DE blade.

There's enough real estate to cover a full DE blade, as demonstrated here:

While it held the full blade ok, I felt a lot more comfy with the half blade.
-Despite it's odd looking design, the grip is actually pretty intuitive. Once I got used to it, I felt that l had a good bit of control.
-I had zero blood while shaving. There's a fair amount of blade exposure

But the narrow blade holder allows a lot of control over angle of attack.

Cons:
-I've always found this type of loading mechanism to be awkward, and this one is no exception. It takes some work to figure out how to get the razor blade to sit correctly while closing it up. Once it is together, it is very secure. But the odd shape of the razor makes it difficult to find steady purchase while loading a blade. I learned the hard way that it is best to lay it on the counter and load it that way. I mishandled it while loading the blade the first time and cut my finger.
-The design does take some getting used to. The way you hold it can obstruct your view of the blade in the mirror until you figure it out. I found it rewarded short strokes. Once I got it, though, I really liked the amount of control the grip gave me.
-Your grip is very close to the business end of the blade. This is a YMMV thing. I wasn't sure I liked it at first. I had to be very careful with pressure.
-Im not too sure about a South to North pass. To be clear, I don't do a South/North pass because most of my hair growth is horizontal. So I did not attempt it, but I can see how that could be challenge.

That said, it was surprisingly much better than anticipated, and I can see myself using this Shavette. With some tweaks, I could really come to appreciate the design.

I am also working in some new soaps. Last night I had my first shave with Stirling Glacial Eskimo Tuxedo. For the first time I found a Stirling scent I just didn't care for, primarily because ALL I could smell was the menthol. It performed wonderfully, but I am a scent guy, and I wanted to something more than menthol. I did follow up with the menthol Sharp Dressed Man splash, and it was great.

Tonight was a different story. I had my first go with the Stirling Iced Pineapple. I'm usually not big on fruity scents, but this stuff is fantastic. And the Sharp Dressed Man splash compliments it nicely.

Head shave was courtesy of my recent Gillette Slim find, loaded with a Dorco Platinum blade that came with the shavette. I know people knock them, but with the Slim on 4 I got a very respectable shave.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

I have a Magic shavette in my miscellaneous shaving stuff. In possible preparation for MayHEM, does it take the 1/2 DE blades or the AC type?

My 6 and 8 year old girls can probably hack the NSA severs. (I was a computer science major for 2 semesters in college, but they are convinced I need help turning the thing on. I can't wait until they become teenagers and think I'm a blithering idiot.) Let me know if they can assist.

You are very welcome. Hope you enjoy them.

Great picture Keith. Razor is a beauty!!!

Gillette LC New BRW Improved handle
GSB (2)
Semogue BC Cerda
Iced Orange Tea Arko
Alum
Superior 70

About as nice a shave as I can ask for.....

You have a whole BIN of MAYhem? Wow, this is going to be better than I thought! I'm going to try my best to keep my butt firmly planted up here in the cheap seats (also known as the heckling section) and enjoy!

This morning was day two of the slant. It was a tad smoother than yesterday, but I think this was largely because I knew what to expect. Apparently I loaded it with a shark last night, not a Rapira, But the difference in blade was subtle, at best. This razor is a tad more aggressive than my daily shaver, but really not overwhelming or underwhelming me either way. Coincidentally, I bought the excess of a guys shaving den this week, mostly to try a bunch of new soaps, but the lot includes a Bakelite slant, so I'll probably give the Merkur slant one or two more shaves with different blades, send it off to the next guy, and mess with its the Bakelite sometime down the road when I'm bored.
In other shave news, I took the Omega synthetic out on its first run. My enthusiasm yesterday was overblown. It's a good brush, but not a great one, so it's now in my Dopp kit as a travel brush. Coincidentally, the lot 'o shave stuff that I bought includes a Semogue boar brush, so maybe I will have another shot and a decent boar. If that doesn't work out, I'll just be content to say that I am a badger and synthetic guy, and move on with life.

SOTD April 26, 2017

Blade: Chinese Schick
Razor: Schick G1 injector
Brush: JR #60 synthetic
Lather: Stirling Dunshire
Post: Witch hazel, Stirling Dunshire aftershave
WTG, touch-up

Had some really slick and nice lather from Stirling Dunshire this morning. One pass with touch-ups for a smooth shave with the Schick G1. This is the razor that started my injector and SE path. Overall really nice shave. Quite enjoyable.

Have a great day!