Over the next year my wife & I will be putting together a house in her native Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Trust me when I tell you, fellow Shave Den'ers, it will be a godsend to have our own place to stay when we go back to Asia for visits vs. staying with my mother-in-law. Needless to say, long before we figure our furniture or towel patterns, my thoughts are turning to how best to set up my shaving gear there, and I wanted to ask for your advice on a couple of matters. A word about Kuala Lumpur (KL) to keep in mind... it's near the equator and has a year-round tropical climate, very humid & hot, only broken by the rains that come every day in monsoon season. A really great place with amazing food and easy lifestyle, but you gotta be prepared to deal with the ever-present heat & humidity. Here are the two areas I would value your advice to figure out: *DE Razor: I shave with a Feather AS-D2. I believe I have heard mention that there are one or two models out there that use a very similar 3 piece set-up as AS-D2, but a little less pricey. Any advice? *Soap: I think a croap like a RazoRock or Cella will risk going rancid. I was thinking that taking along a Stirling would be a hard enough soap it should be okay with prolonged exposure to heat. How say you? Then after I figure out those two, I already have figured out a brush, blade, an after shave and a cream, all of which I'll grab from my stash...a RazoRock plissoft synthetic brush, 100 Voskhod's, a 400ml bottle of Proraso Green, and a tube of Proraso Green. Thanks in advance for any thoughts on Razor & Soap for my hideaway shave den.
I'm similarly situated as I spend summers in Cambodia. You've got the brush covered, and are spot on in staying away from Cella. All my DIY soaps i gave to friends in Cambodia went bad. I'd stick with commercial soaps with adequate preservatives and not take chances with artisan stuff. I don't see where your razor would be an issue, but if you want to play safe get a a solid brass Tech or stainless Rockwell 6s, both will deliver a nice mild shave comparable to your ASD2. I keep my gear in the air conditioned bedroom when in Cambodia.
Stock up on the C O Bigelow Premium Shaving Cream if you're on a budget. Proraso Green Lozione Dopobarba. You should be set.
